Simply Stunning

I must say that I have never seen anyplace so absolutely beautiful as Sidhbari, India. The backdrop of the snow capped Himalayas is something that cannot be decribed fully, in words or in pictures. It is something you must experience to fully appreciate. That being said... you will have to check back in later to see that beauty in pictures. I managed to leave my cord to transfer pictures in Bloomington! :)

GLOBASE India has had a wonderful time the past two days getting to know our host organization and clients. Today, my team, the Kangra Painting group, was finally able to meet our artists in person and begin interactions. Because they are deaf, we have had not had the opportunity to speak with them prior to today, and I must say it is very humbling. These are individuals that have had to overcome so much in their lives, and yet they are looking to us for advice and solutions. We are VERY excited to have the next 2 days to interact with the artists one on one and truly understand what drives them and how we can best motivate them, and others, to continue on with this beautiful art form.

In addition to working on our projects, everyone is also gaining a lot of cultural experience. In the past two days we have visited a Hindu ashram and witnessed their evening prayer session, visited a Buddhist temple, and many of us were even invited to a wedding feast and to sit in on part of the wedding ceremony. I have found that the people of rural India are so incredibly friendly and welcoming. There are so many offers of tea and snacks, that should we accept them all we would be drinking Chai tea all day!

Also, as CORD is an organization devoted to helping women, and today was International Women's Day, we all had a chance to attend local village celebrations. Seeing the women celebrate their self worth and independence was something that really struck a chord for me. It made me proud to be a member of this team and very excited that CORD and Kelley are developing this relationship. It also provided me with an opportunity to film one of our fearless leaders, Pam Roberts, dancing with the local women... that video will be coming soon to a blog near you! :)