I’ve been getting nervous about this post for a few days now. I’ve spent more time in India this year than I’ve spent in the U.S. It’s been hard saying goodbye to friends I’ve made along the way, hard saying goodbye to the kids at Asha Deep and saying a last goodbye to my SBT… [Read More]

I’ve known Mamie since she was about 14 years old.  I was her tutor when I was in business school and we became lifelong friends during that time.  She’s spent holidays with my family and now she and I have traveled in India together.  She brought a friend along named Kristen and we had a… [Read More]

Many of you have asked me what you can do to help the kids at SBT.  First, thank you so much for even asking.  If you really do want to help, please consider donating your unused but still operational digital cameras, iPhones, iPads and laptops.  Most things in India cost much less than in the… [Read More]

Rishikesh is one of the most spiritual places in India.  It is a holy city for Hindus and many Indians take pilgrimages here to bathe in the Ganges and to visit the many temples and ashrams. It is also famous for yoga and has countless Ashrams here to meditate, take a yoga class, speak to… [Read More]

For the past week I’ve been visiting another organization called Asha Deep.  Asha Deep provides shelter and schooling to what they call differently abled children.  In the West we call them disabled, but I really like the term differently abled.  They care for and educate deaf, blind, mentally challenged and physically challenged children along with… [Read More]

It seems that since I’ve been in India exactly what I need at the exact right time seems to come to me.  Is it India or has something in me changed since I’ve been in India? Something for me to ponder…

Traveling with my mom recently reminded me of all the reasons I love her so todays post is a list of the things I love most about my mom Susan. My mom spells everything exactly the way it sounds which is often not how it’s actually spelled. If 4 people are coming to dinner my… [Read More]

There  are many things I’ve given up since I’ve been here in India and there’s lots I miss from home…my family, my friends, my bed, Winston but there are many things that I realized I’ve given up since being in India that I haven’t missed at all. Cussing – I basically never cuss here and I… [Read More]

I took a couple of weeks off from volunteer work to travel with my parents and see more of India. We had a wonderful time and I was able to introduce them to my students, see the Taj Mahal, wonder around Jaipur and learn about the Maharajas of Rajasthan and relax in the hills and… [Read More]

I am very proud to be from the USA for many reasons but there’s one reason lately that I’ve been particularly proud.  Did you know that the US government provides approximately 150 scholarships each year to students from underserved populations in developing countries? It’s called the Community College Initiative Program or CCIP. The program is… [Read More]

In honor of Father’s Day, today’s post is a list of things I love about my dad. He loves to talk and give advice.  His stories and advice take a long time but most of the advice is pretty good! He would do anything for his family. Every time I was sick and in the… [Read More]

Today I was asked by one of my students if my parents loved me.  Then he asked if I loved my parents.  Then he asked if my dad was a good man. I answered him honestly which meant telling him yes to all of the questions and all he said was “hmm…ok.”  It made me… [Read More]

Dear Brand Manager of Dove clinical protection deodorant, I am currently in India for about 3 1/2 months.  Before leaving the U.S. I stocked up on many items that would be essential to my time here.  I purchased your clinical strength product based on the great reviews it gets and knowing that it would be… [Read More]

Last night I took my students to see an English language movie at the American Center.  We saw Whiplash.  The boys kept telling me they hoped there would be lots of action and fighting in the movie (wow…boys are the same everywhere! ).  I told them there would be action and music but no fighting. … [Read More]

I must admit that the first time I came to India and landed in Delhi I hated it.  I loved other parts of India that I visited but I hated Delhi! I told myself that I’ve seen everything in Delhi that I need to see and next time I come to India I won’t spend… [Read More]

There are many times in India when I don’t understand the rules.  For example I was at a mall and I wanted to eat in the food court.  I ordered and they said I had to have a pre-paid card to pay with.  OK…so I went and got a pre-paid card…no big deal…I didn’t know… [Read More]

Today’s post has nothing to do with India…or maybe it has everything to do with my time here in India.  While I’ve been here, I’ve been thinking a lot about the people I love most and a lot about how I was raised.  I was raised in a loving home.  A very loving home.  I… [Read More]

During my time here in India, the question I am asked the most is ‘what is it like in your country?’.  All of my students want to know what it’s like the the USA.  The questions I get asked range from; If you break the law in the USA do the police shoot you on… [Read More]

English is a very hard language to teach so I can only imagine how hard it is for the boys to learn! It is a very complicated language.  Did you know that there are more words in the English language than any other comparable language in the world?  According to Oxford Dictionaries, it’s true (or… [Read More]

Cows are holy creatures in India. In Hindu religion cows are seen as the symbol of life. They provide multiple sources of food and a source of fuel in the villages (they burn the dung).  Cows sustain life.  It’s beautiful really.  However, the cows in the city are living in the street.  Eating trash. Malnourished… [Read More]

I promised a post explaining more about the NGO that I’m working with called Salaam Baalak Trust.  So, I will attempt to explain all the great work they do here in Delhi. Salaam Baalak Trust can be roughly translated to mean “hello street kid”.  SBT was started in 1988 by a woman named Praveen Nair… [Read More]

Today, I needed some comforts from home. I went to an area near my apartment called Connaught Place.  I had banana and chocolate crepes and a cappuccino for breakfast.  I went to the Puma store, Nike, The Body Shop, Benetton, Marks and Spencer etc.  I didn’t buy anything, I just enjoyed seeing things that were… [Read More]

In this post I’m going to try not to complain.  I will try not to complain about the stifling heat.  I will try not to complain about the dust.  I won’t complain about the smells that fill the streets as I walk down them made worse by the heat.  I won’t complain about the trash… [Read More]

I met a street boy tonight named Amit.  He was very sweet.  I was at a fruit and juice stand having some Mango juice when he approached me and asked for money.  He was dirty and had his ‘rag picking’ bag full of his days work.  I told him ‘no money’ just as I tell… [Read More]

Last night I went to a retirement party for my friend’s father who is retiring as a pharmacist. I know Rubesh from the meditation retreat I went to in Northern India and he was kind enough to invite me to the celebration. The party was an amazing experience!  Everyone was so kind and very interested in “the… [Read More]

I am certainly not an expert on the subject of street life in India, but one of the most fascinating parts of my work with SBT has been learning about street kids…how and why they end up on the streets, how they survive and how they overcome what they’ve been through. In this blog post,… [Read More]

Arriving in India is always exhilarating, challenging and hot!! India hits you hard when you get here.  India takes no prisoners so you better come prepared! India is the kind of place that causes you to ask more questions than answers them.  India is colorful, exotic and mystical.  India is also crowded, dirty and totally… [Read More]

Day 1 began with a City Walk tour at 10am.  The City Walk tour is a tour given by former street kids that have been saved by the Salaam Baalak Trust.  The tour takes you through an area of Delhi called Phararganj which is near the New Delhi railway station where many of the street… [Read More]