And so we finished up our ten days off the grid at the meditation retreat in Bodh Gaya; and although we may not have earned our wings as superstar meditators, we at least made some progress. The next stop was the nearby city of Gaya, where we'd lay over for a couple of days before … Continue reading Chaos in the Kitchen and Coconuts with the Dentist -Layover in Gaya, India
As we mentioned previously, we left our quarters in Bodh Gaya, where we'd spent the past month volunteering at a nearby school, and headed toward a new adventure, one such as we'd never experienced before. And what was this intriguing undertaking? We were about to attend a ten-day meditation retreat. Vipassana Retreat Bodh Gaya, being … Continue reading Going Off Grid for Two Weeks in Bodh Gaya
And so we came to the end of our volunteering gig in Bodh Gaya; and it was time to see some test results. No, not the results of students' tests. There weren't any. The results from the blood tests we'd taken the previous week. So we walked back to the medical lab, and at first … Continue reading Portraits of Students – Bodh Gaya Workaway Wrap-Up
Finally the day came that we'd been eagerly anticipating for an entire week: the day we got our blood tests done. It was an especially cheery occasion for Dennis, who has a perennial phobia about needles, and normally has to lie down while getting blood drawn, and sometimes recites Shakespeare as a distraction. This time, … Continue reading Blood Tests, Beggars and Birthdays in Bodh Gaya
As our stint in Bodh Gaya progressed, the volunteer position itself became a bit awkward. We sometimes felt like a fifth wheel, and our talents were not being put to good use. But we made the best of it, and had a good time with the students. And we continued to be fascinated by our … Continue reading Exploring Bodh Gaya: From Awkward Volunteer Moments to Unexpected Discoveries and Exciting Future Plans
Poverty. It was all around us in Bodh Gaya. And it was very much in evidence at the school where we volunteered, and the neighborhood around it. People living in squalid tenements that looked like gutted, abandoned buildings. Children attending our school, which itself looked like the remains of an abandoned building. Peasants hard at … Continue reading Getting to the Roots of Buddhism
On Tuesday, Aug. 16, we decided to make another excursion into Gaya in the afternoon. In the morning, of course, we taught at the school as usual -- and had a little session in doing the hokey - pokey. The kids took down the Independence Day decorations from the previous day, including the big flagpole, … Continue reading Our Trip to Gaya
August 15 is the day India celebrates its independence from the United Kingdom, a transition that occurred in 1947. As you might expect, the occasion is marked with flag-raising ceremonies, decorations, and patriotic songs and speeches. The school where we were volunteering in Bodh Gaya got into the act in exuberant fashion, particularly given its … Continue reading Commemorating India’s Independence Day: A Humble Celebration in Bodh Gaya
world travel with a theatrical flair 