Namaste! After a very busy couple of days in Delhi, the group experienced a unique journey on the Indian rail system to Rajasthan. Train rides are definitely times for great group bonding, and we certainly made use of it! When we reached Falna, representatives from the Fabindia school were waiting to greet us and take us back to our palace. Yes, we said palace. We all knew from the beginning that this was our destination, but actually standing in front of this architectural wonder from another time was breathtaking.
Our group settled in quickly and had a couple of hours to relax in the countryside. Next, a local guide came to take us on a tour of our village- Ghanarao. Our students were all smiles and laughs when they came back, showing us pictures of their new local friends and fans. After a fantastic dinner by the palace kitchen staff, it was an early lights out for everyone - including the leaders! You would be surprised, but everyone has managed to get up by 5:30 AM to get ready for school. We didn't even sleep on the hour long journey, because everyone was busy spotting the cows, donkeys, piglets, hogs, dogs, roosters, and goats along the way! We were welcomed by the teachers and students warmly, and we displayed our amazing singing ability by performing two awesome hits: 'Lean on Me' and 'Under the Sea'. The giggles from the students were absolutely precious! We worked on the school grounds most of the day, planting trees, talking to the children, and even teaching them the lyrics to our songs. The boys were pleased that the students could teach them the words to some Hindi songs they heard from "MTV India" back in Delhi.
The principal of the school arranged for us to go to a fancy resort to celebrate the Fourth, where all the students quickly jumped into the pool. We had a very relaxing evening and a delicious dinner. Today the projects officially started - our16 students are split into four groups. Two groups worked on building the bathroom facility on school grounds, one group taught English to students, and one group painted a couple of classrooms in the nursery (where adorable little kids ages 3-6 waved at us the whole time!). We will move groups around each day to allow for variety.
Tonight we plan to hang out on the terrace of the palace to watch the sunset together, and hopefully we can see the palace peacocks do a little dance, too! We will surely write to you soon to let you know how that goes.
-Priyanka and Ted
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Ted Samuel and Priyanka Vakkalanka
This website is visited by the family and friends of participants in Putney Student Travel's Community Service program in Bali village, India to check in on the progress of the group.
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Local Time in Bali village, India
Flight Itinerary
Continental
June 29: CO82 EWR/DEL 8:20 P - 8:15 P on June 30
July 28: CO83 DEL/EWR 10:50 P - 4:35 A on July 29
June 29: CO82 EWR/DEL 8:20 P - 8:15 P on June 30
July 28: CO83 DEL/EWR 10:50 P - 4:35 A on July 29
Trip Leaders
Ted Samuel and Priyanka Vakkalanka
PRIYANKA VAKKALANKA
University of Virginia, B.S., Biochemistry; B.A., Sociology. Born in India, Priyanka moved to the States when she was three and has traveled to both central and south India several times to visit family. During her time at the University of Virginia, Priyanka worked with local elementary schools students counseling them on health safety, served as a peer advisor in the International Studies Office, and spent her summers working for Air France at the Washington-Dulles International Airport. During her junior year, Priyanka participated in an exchange program at the University of Birmingham in England, where she taught English to international students and traveled around Europe. Priyanka currently works in Washington, D.C. where she assists with projects promoting research and advocacy for food aid, capacity building, and infrastructure in Africa. She is also a teacher and supervisor at a private learning center where she works with high school students in math, chemistry, and reading. This fall, she will attend Johns Hopkins University to pursue a Masters in Epidemiology. Priyanka is proficient in French, Hindi, and Telugu.
TED SAMUEL
Kenyon College, B.A., magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Departmental High Honors in International Studies, Sigma Iota Rho Honor Society. After graduating from Kenyon College, Ted served as a Fulbright Scholar in South India. There, he researched the social movement of the Aravani community, focusing on the ability of community leaders and activists to utilize creative technology and event programming to promote their agenda to the public. During his tenure as a Fulbright fellow, Ted had the opportunity to present his research and also perform Karagattam at various Fulbright conferences and Fulbright alumni association events in India, Pakistan, and Nepal. After returning to the United States and spending a year as a Marketing Associate at the Corporate Executive Board in Washington, DC, Ted was named a 2007 Peace Fellow by The Advocacy Project. As a Peace Fellow, Ted spent six months working with the Jagaran Media Center, a Dalit rights advocate in Kathmandu, Nepal, where he helped revitalize their print media division and led creative projects profiling the arts of lower caste communities. Ted brings several years experience in South Asian Studies to the program as well as proficiency in Tamil and Hindi..