The silver lining in long layovers - time for reflection. For me, India: Mind & Body was all about listening. It began with listening to myself; listening to my soul, my true intentions, and my passions. Being true to myself and seeking new perspectives that challenged...
The days are winding down, and my flight back to the States is approaching quickly. It's hard not to reflect on the entirety of my trip, much less the past few days and weeks....
Every June 20th, the United Nations recognizes and commemorates the strength, courage, and perseverance of millions of refugees around the world through World Refugee Day. This day, first observed in 2001, was created to bring awareness to the plight of refugees around the world and...
When I think about the founders of the United States and what they had to endure, the monumental tasks they faced to both secure independence and build a government, I'm awed at their patient persistence....
We spent our first few days in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. This city is a sensory overload; flashes of a city young in age but old in culture. ...
Travel changes your perspective on everything, potatoes included. It turns out that all it took to give this underappreciated root some more love was a gruelling 6-day trek through sun-drenched valleys and rugged desert mountains, ice-cold rivers, and a climb up to a 17,000 foot...
"Dorothy, we're not in Kansas anymore." We arrived in Delhi around midnight in the heart of monsoon season. The humidity was heavy, the heat stifling, and horns were honking. People lined the streets. From the moment we stepped out of the arrivals section of the airport,...
During the late summer India: Gender and Religion program, participants visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Here, two participants reflect on their experiences pitching in on the temple's daily tasks....
On the day of my arrival in India, Christophe picked me up at the airport. As I walked out and felt the stickiness in the air, I knew something untamed and wild would be coming. I just didn't know when. We rode the metro all...
It’s hard to capture what New Delhi was like for us as newcomers to a country, continent, and culture so different (yet so similar in many ways) from our own. The first few days seemed like whirlwind (without a lot of wind) of heat, excitement,...
It's not easy trying to explain emotions and feelings in words, so I tried to find a word to explain what I feel about, and the undying love I have for, the mountains....
Travelling as a Westerner means encountering complex issues of power and privilege daily, carrying coded wealth and imperialism everywhere you go. Ethical choices are not always easy to spot, especially when navigating across cultures. For me, participating in a trip through Operation Groundswell meant embracing...
I don't know where my love for cows came from, but it's a very serious love and at times comical. Cows and India have always gone hand in hand; their sacred status in India seems to resonate with my love for them, and had a...
As you begin reading this, take a moment - pick up a map of the world - find Tibet. Chances are, you will not be able to find it. In fact, a week ago, I wouldn't have been able to tell you where Tibet was either....
For the past three years, Operation Groundswell’s Gender & Religion program in India has been involved in organizing a speaker series to highlight the inspiring work of our partner organizations in Delhi and the surrounding area. The speakers who participate in this conference represent organizations...