First Adventures in Hyderabad!

Hello parents and friends! We are so excited to be in Hyderabad, India and finally have our program underway. Through this blog, we will keep you updated on all the awesome things our students are doing and learning throughout the next few weeks.

Getting to India was a whole experience in itself! Traveling to South Asia inherently takes time, but with a few missed connections, many group members were in transit for over 36 hours. Naturally, this experience was frustrating and tiring, but our group rose to the challenge. Rather than getting anxious or overwhelmed, the girls remained calm and positive, often approaching the delays with humor. Moreover, they took advantage of the long layovers to get to know each other. This foundation of friendship was a true silver lining.

We took it easy on our first day here to catch up on sleep but jumped right into the swing of things with yoga, a Hindi class, and a city tour on day two.  

We started city tour at Birla Mandir, gorgeous Hindu temple made of white marble.

From there we went to Hussain Sagar lake, a Hyderabadi landmark. At the center of the lake is a beautiful Buddha statue.

In the afternoon after a wonderful welcome lunch with a buffet of Indian foods, we took the students shopping! Starting at a new Hyderabadi mall and ending at a local craft market, they experienced two very different types of Hyderabad commerce.

At the mall, we all purchased kurtis, a common Indian tunic often worn with leggings, because conservative, culturally appropriate clothes will be necessary during our service experience in local schools. Then the students got their first taste of bargaining at the craft market as they bought souvenirs, jewelry, and henna.

This outing was the students’ first time taking in all that Hyderabad has to offer. They witnessed the organized chaos of Hyderabad’s bustling traffic, where rickshaws, motorcycles, and buses jockey for positions with no regard for lanes. They persevered through high temperatures and humidity, including braving the Hindu temple with bare feet even though the marble was baking in the sun. And finally, they began to process how it feels to be a foreigner that sticks out so much in a crowd. Through it all, however, the students’ excitement was tangible. This group welcomes new opportunities and has already expressed how important it is to learn about different cultures.

Ending the night with a reflection and debrief session, it was clear that we are working with an amazing group of teenagers. They don’t shut down when they are faced with different ideas or discomfort but rather see it as an opportunity for education and growth. I look forward to seeing their thoughts evolve throughout the program!

For the next few days, we will be in training with Voice 4 Girls, the non-profit with which we will be serving. We will update you all soon!