teachwatts: Unplugged in the Ganges Part Two

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Small reflections from a week in the Ganges. . . Day Two

The drive along the foothills of the Himalayas was possibly one of the most harrowing drives I have had in my lifetime. Let me remind you that I have lived and driven in Bangkok and New Delhi, and I am married to someone most sane people won't get into a car with. Our 49k drive took us approximately 2 hours from our campsite up to our drop-in point in Devprayag. The drive encompassed twists and turns along the Himalayas on a basic single lane highway on six coach bus filled with teenagers, 120 teenagers to be exact. A bus tire blew (which sounds like a small explosion). Dynamite periodically went off to widen the road. The near misses by cars attempting to pass us were far too many to count. Yet the sites outside the window were breathtaking for all the right reasons.

The drop-in point for rafting in Devprayag is considered a holy place for devout Hindis. The name comes from the word Devaprayaga to describe the merging of two heavenly rivers. When we arrived, I was amazed at the duality of life that surrounded me. Here I was one an adventure of a lifetime with 120 eighth grade students and about 20 chaperones spread out into 3 groups to learn safety on the Ganges. I was supposed to be paying attention how to survive the rapids. I wasn't. Smack in the middle of our three groups was an elderly woman with a spiritual leader filled with henna in his hair. He was performing a ritual for the dead, and I watched as he seemed unaware by the chaos of the students all around him as he placed a small coconut tied with a simple red string in the water. This woman was saying goodbye to someone in her life as we were about to embark on our adventure down the Ganges. It was such an intimate moment, I couldn't understand why didn't they wait 15 minutes until we were all gone.

After we boarded our boats and left the city of Devprayag, I was constantly reminded of that moment. Throughout the day, rapid after rapid I watched that coconut travel down the river. One side of life in contrast to the life and spirit of the students I watched playing and learning on the water. We were on the same journey, the same path, and the coconut served as a constant reminder throughout the day of just how precious life can be.

Today I saw India in ways that I had given up on India. I haven't has an easy time moving to India to be perfectly honest. I miss my old friends and have trouble calling India my home. Today I saw a side to India that was beautiful, peaceful and untouched. On a Week Without Walls trip, educators like to take students out of their comfort zones and stretch them just a little bit. Sometimes it works for the teachers as well. Maybe the Ganges finally allowed me to merge the past with the present and begin to accept my new home.

For more reflections about Week Without Walls:
Unplugged on the Ganges Day One
Week Without Walls Done Right: Service and Safari in South Africa