Hello from Sarah, Co-Director (Ladakh)
Jullay Jullay!
By the time I meet you all, you'll have spent your first two months exploring the North of India with Erin—you'll be seasoned Indian travelers, I'm sure! Hopefully you will be ready to settle down into the remote, peaceful, and quite chilly Ladakhi mountain lifestyle with Namgial, Cam, and me!
Since my first trip to India in 2003, it seems each return visit is just a little bit longer, and I find it that much more difficult to leave when the time comes. Originally, I'm from Longmeadow, Massachusettes, a town geographically and culturally thousands of miles away! Though this distance is great, I've found a unique familiarity in Ladakh which continues to draw me back.
The barren, dramatic, Himalayan backdrop is a stark contrast to my green, wooded backyard. My Ama-le, plowing or planting the fields before the sun comes up, and my Aba-le, ceaselessly reciting Tibetan Mantras under his breath, cross-legged on the floor of the kitchen, initially, seemed very foreign. After spending only weeks living with my Ladakhi family back in April I began to see the familiar similarities between these sights, and say, spotting my own mom weeding her vegetable garden on Saturday morning, or sitting with my dad after dinner as he reads one of his favorite books. In a matter of days, the warmth and hospitality of the Ladakhis can make any visitor feel like they have been a part of this fascinating and rich culture for years. Ladakhis are more than willing to share their lives and their culture with outsiders, and they are also curious to hear about life in the West.
Though it is easy to lose your self in the wonders and the history of this magical place, Ladakhis today are beginning to face new challenges. The younger generation of Ladakhis have grown up in a new era. Since the road to Ladakh opened in 1973, tourism has taken its toll on this once sustainable, centuries old culture. Ladakh is in a unique position as its culture and its land have not yet been destroyed, and the awareness of the potential for developmental disasters exists world-wide. Today Ladakhis are fortunate to live in a world that has begun to pay attention to the issues and the impact that accompany development before it's too late!
In early July, when Cam and I came to Ladakh, we began to notice these changes, and felt the need to take action. The lifestyles that Ladakhis in the cities lead are a mix of old and new—ancient and modern. This mix is not always a healthy one. Within a few weeks we found ourselves working together at two local NGOs, Rural Development and You (RDY) and the Ladakh Heart Foundation (LHF). RDY is an organization that promotes healthy, sustainable development in the Leh area. At LHF we worked on various projects dealing with preventative medicine, rural health clinics, as well as taught yoga classes to local women.
Though the development issue is only one of many to explore in Ladakh, if it is something that interests you, I highly recommend reading Helena Norburg-Hodge's Ancient Futures. It's a terrific book that offers an accurate depiction of the Ladakh situation today.
I am currently leading PVI's Fall India semester program, after which I will return to the Ladakh area. During January I'll be living at SECMOL, an alternative educational campus, powered solely by sunlight—a place we will certainly be visiting! After the ice hockey season at SECMOL, Cam and I plan to spend the few months before your arrival in Zanskar, one mountain range to the south, where we hope to teach backcountry skiing and outdoor education at the Zanskar Ski School.
I would love to hear from everyone before the departure so I can get an initial understanding of individual interests and concerns. Though our itinerary is pretty much set, there is always room for adjustment in terms of what we focus on during our time together. If anyone has any special requests, or specific interests, I'd be happy to try to plan some excursions/lectures/projects, etc. with you. For many of you, this will be your first experience in India, and perhaps your first experience abroad. Don't feel intimidated at all by this, you have that much more to look forward to! Email me anytime to talk about the program, or just to say hello! szp_1@yahoo.com
And one last suggestion for you before you leave home: Find a journal and begin to record some of your preliminary feelings and thoughts. I reread my journals from my travels time and again, and can promise you that if you keep a good journal from now until your return, it will be invaluable to you in the future. The lessons and insights you will gain from this trip are timeless. It is important to remember that although India has so much to offer, it asks a great deal from its visitors. My advice for all of you is to get excited for an adventure and a journey that will undoubtedly change your lives!
Can't wait to see you in April!
Sarah