Off to the north we go!

Since a great deal has transpired since I last posted, I will do my best to update you on the highlights:

While we were out west in the state of Rajasthan we did man exciting and rather India-esque things, such as:
-elephant rides through the jungle
-tours of many forts and gorgeous palaces
-camel rides through the Thar Desert
-jeep safaris through the sand dunes of the Thar Desert
-an evening of traditional Rajasthani dance and music

All in all, Rajasthan was a rather exciting place to be. OH! I almost forgot. Before we arrived in Rajasthan, we stopped in Agra to see the Agra fort and the TAJ MAHAL! It was more gorgeous than it looks in photos and I know that I do not have nearly the skill or vocabulary to describe it with words. All I can say is that to really understand the majesty of the Taj, you need to visit it.

After our time in Rajasthan, we returned to Delhi for a few days before a whirlwind trip to Amritsar. We took a train to the city on day, toured the city and saw the Golden Temple and India/Pakistan border the next and then took a train back to Delhi and then to Hardiwar the next day. It was quite a lot of traveling and train time. :)

In Hardiwar, which is in the foothills of the Himalayas, we went white water rafting on the Ganga river. It was so much fun. Even an overly cautious individual like me had a blast. We all got to get out of our rafts and swim in the frigid water too. Don't worry, the Ganga is still safe this far north!

We spent 2 days with a program called SIDH, which is a NGO that strives to improve education (both in the academic sense and also in regards to retaining the traditional culture that is being lost) in the rural Himalayan villages. We spent a day at their main campus and did some hiking up the mountain to there main high school. We helped to repair the path up as we went. We were at about 6000 ft, so it wasn't too bad. Then we went to spend a day in a village the next day. We were broken into groups and my group went to a small village called Matela. There were about 100 people, from 9 joint families, in the village We stayed at the school one night and spent that evening and the next day with the villagers. We helped cook our dinner and spent a lot of time with the children. The best part of the stay was when one of the young women in the village approached me and asked if I wanted to go to the fields. I said sure and she told me to get the other girls. I went over to meet here and she placed a bag filled with 30 lbs of cow crap on each of our heads and said, 'chello' which means 'let's go' and she lead us down to the fields. That's right. I carried 30 lbs of poop on my head down this little goat path through the terraced fields on the side of the Himalayas. When we got to the bottom and dropped our poop, she goes, 'again?'. So we did it again. I even got asked to marry her brother because I am so brave, strong and intelligent. Ha.
Now we are in Mussoorie for a few days. The city is built on the side of a mountain and it is beyond beautiful here. Yesterday we hiked up to the top of the mountain and saw the 'eternal snows', the Himalayas in the distance that are always covered in snow. It is breathtaking to see these mountains. This morning we visited the Woodstock International School here in Mussoorie.

After we leave Mussoorie, we will be making our way to the city of Leh in Ladakh. We will be over 14,000 ft there and will be traveling up to about 18,400 ft. Oh boy! If I think the mountains are big here....


With love,
Laura

Updates from the hot and humid south of India

Today is our last day here at Yuvak Shetra, the college we have been staying at while studying with the Sarang Centre. Tomorrow afternoon and evening we will spend on houseboats and then the next morning we will be headed to Kovalam for a few days of beach time before headed back to Delhi before the next leg of our adventure.

I have really enjoyed my time here at the Sarang Centre. It was so wonderful to have a rather consistent schedule and to know what would be happening for the next few days. It was also nice to not be living out of my backpack all the time. My cooking class was wonderful! We learned a great deal about simple healthy south Indian cooking. I also learned how to properly roll out chapatis so that they are round and will puff in the middle when cooked. It's the little achievements that make me happy.

Our time here has been both exciting and relaxing. I had several experiences that I don't think I will ever forget. One was learning to take public buses to get from the campus to the local town of Palakkad. I had heard all about these buses and was rather dreaded actually taking one, but it wasn't as loud, crowded, or smelly as I was expecting. That's not to say that it wasn't those things, just not as bad as it could have been. In the town of Palakkad we discovered this market known as Big Bazaar, which is basically an Indian department store. They have a little bit of everything. It's the only place where I have seen canned hotdogs, pasta, and peanut butter in the "International Food Section".  What an place. We also, purely by coincidence, found a place to get milkshakes. Once again, it's the little things.

Another fascinating experience was the tapioca day that we had with the students from Yuvak Shetra. There is a large garden here on campus and one day we learned how to pull up tapioca trees and many different ways to eat tapioca root: boiled, dried, fried, roasted, even raw. We had a bonfire with the students that evening and played Indian games and they showed us some Indian dancing. I have really enjoyed being in a place where we could get to know people and learn more about the culture.

I am ready for some beach time and also excited to get back to a cooler environment. I love the warmth, but this is just a little much :) A Vermonter like me can only handle so much.

I would love to get some updates about home. I hope everyone is enjoying the snow!

Much love,
Laura

Down South.

A fair bit has happened since I last blogged. Hopefully this quick update will help fill in the gaps about the past 2 or so weeks.

Currently we are in the state of Kerala in southern India. We left Delhi on the 3rd after spending 2 days learning about and visiting the slums in Delhi. We worked with an organization called Reach Out and Pass It On. The founders are all in their mid-20's and the organization is barely 2 years old. The basic idea is that if they can help the children from the slums to receive a quality education, those children will be able to breakout of the cycle that has kept their family in the slums. They not only provide assistance with homework and study from exams, but they also encourage and support the development of artistic talents in the kids. The organization had been working with one slum and about 120 kids from that slum, but in December the government bulldozed the slum and displaced all of those families, over a 1000 people. In an effort to not lose of the work they had already completed, the organization rented out a flat in Delhi and about 25 of the older children how are studying for end of the year exams live there with the president of the organization. He cooks and cleans and helps them to study so that they can pass this year's exams and stay in school. We spent one day just hanging out with the kids at a park and on the second day we visited the slum where they lived, it's now a pile of rubble, and we  walked through a neighboring slum. Trying to describe the feelings associated with visiting the slums are nearly impossible.

After we spent time in the slums, it was time to head south! We flew from Delhi to Mangalore and I actually got a good cup of coffee in the Bombay airport! It's the little things that bring me joy. We then had an eventful drive from Mangalore to Bekal. We went to the beach while we were in Bekal and it was wonderful. South India is HOT. After spending time in Bekal, we drove to Payannur.

The main goal of our time in Payannur was to attend Theyyam festivals. Theyyams are a Hindu religious festival/ cultural form of folk art/tribal ritual that only take place here in the state of Kerala. A trained dancer/performer will dress up to look like a particular god or goddess. The costume includes face and chest makeup and is incredibly intricate along with massive headpiece and a full body outfit. Once dressed, the dancer looks into a mirror and the deity that he is dressed as enters into him and he then tells the story of that deity through dance and story. The performances are like nothing I have ever seen. The most interesting Theyyam we saw took place at 5am. It was a story about a time when the god Vishnu needed to be purified, so he threw himself into a fire. In the performance, the dancer, who was wearing an outfit made of banana and coconut leaves, threw himself onto a mountain of coals 101 times. I was absolutely terrified that he was going to burst into flames, but he didn't. Another aspect of Theyyams are the blessings that the gods/performers give after the dancing. One of the dancers approached myself and 3 other girls while we were waiting and blessed us. Our guide translated his blessing to mean the following. "Study hard. I don't know where you are from and I don't understand how you got here, but know I will always be with you. Remember, study hard". Life in India is never boring.

Now we are studying at the Sarang Centre. The centre itself is too small for our group, so we are staying at a nearby Hospitality and Hotel Management College. We are living in their dorms. Yay for bunk beds, bucket baths, and big bugs! I am taking a Indian cooking class as well as Hindi and cross cultural psychology.

With love,
Laura

Back In Delhi.

When our overnight train pulled into the Delhi station at around 8am this morning it felt a bit odd to be arriving at a place that seemed familiar. Here is a brief update of what I have been doing in the past week or so.

When I last blogged we were in Kolkata. We went to visit the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa's organization) and we saw both the Mother house and orphanage. It was inspiring to learn about Mother Teresa's life and work. At the orphanage we went to an area where the sisters care for children with severe mental or physical handicaps. These children were all rescued from the streets by the sisters. These children will remain in the care of the sisters until they die. We also played with infants and toddlers who were healthy and essentially waiting for adoption.  The children who are rescued by the sisters are truly the lucky ones.

We left Kolkata on an overnight train and headed to Bodh Gaya, where the Buddha was enlightened. When we arrived, we headed to the Mahabodhi Temple. This is the temple near where Buddha was enlightened. We saw many different important Buddhist sights near the temple, including the bodhi tree under which the Buddha sat. The temple was surrounded with Buddhist monks absorbed in the prayer. I had to laugh when one of the monks saw our group coming and whipped out his flip camera to film us walking past. While we were in Bodh Gaya we also took a day trip to Rajgir. We also had a chance to meet with a monk who is said to be the reincarnation of one of the current Dali Lama's old teachers. I really enjoyed the time we spent in Bodh Gaya and found that I appreciated the spirituality and devotion of the Buddhist I encountered in Bodh Gaya. It was inspiring.

We then drove from Bodh Gaya to Varanasi.  On the way we stopped at Sarnath, which is just outside of the center of Varanasi. This is the place where Buddha gave his first sermon. We visited a museum with Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain artifacts from the 3rd century BC through the 12th Century AD. The city of Varanasi is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is the most holy city of Hindus and is filled with many temples. Our hotel was built over 300 years ago and we had a view of the river Ganga. When we arrived in the city, our bus was too big for the streets near the hotel, so we piled two people and all of our stuff on to a bike rickshwa and rode through the narrow crowded streets until we were near the hotel. At that point we had to make our way to the hotel through narrow streets what were inhabited by street dogs and a few random cows.

The next morning we took a boat ride on the Ganga and watched the sunrise over the river. We also saw several cremation pyres from the boats. That day we toured the city and saw several different temples and went to a silk factory. We watched artisans work on old fashioned hand looms and tried on sarees that were made of handwoven silk. In the evening we took another boat ride on the river and watched the 'Ganga Aarti' celebration, which is a nightly celebration performed by seven young Brahman priests to 'put the Ganga to sleep'.

Now, after a boat ride, two bus rides, and an overnight train ride, we are safely back in Delhi for a few days. We will be spending two days working with slum children and then flying down south for a month. I am starting to feel more comfortable here and the culture is becoming more and more familiar.

With love, Laura

Safe arrivals and much more

A week ago we left EMU to begin our quest through India. We had a safe and uneventful flight. When we landed in Delhi I was meet with a flood of smells and sounds and people. It was like an assault on the senses. The first few days in Delhi were exhausting, but that was at least partially due to jetlag. The sheer number of people here can be overwhelming. So many of the things that we did during those first days in Delhi were new and exciting. We rode bike rickshaws in Old Delhi, we walked through the crazy crowded markets, we took motorized rickshaws in New Delhi and thought the traffic was going to kill us, we learned to barter, went to restaurants and had to order food on our own, and learned to use the metro. When I write it down, these all seem rather small, but in the commotion and noise of Delhi, they seemed like huge accomplishments.

On Monday evening we left Delhi and took an overnight train to Kolkata. The train was actually fun and much less scary than I had made it to be. We only saw a few smallish bugs. We have two wonderful guides, Tserig and Tsetop, who help get us to the right place and keep us from doing stupid things. Honestly, I'm not sure how we would get by without them.Today was our second day in Kolkata. Yesterday we arrived around 10am and went to the YMCA to get settled in. In the afternoon we got lunch. I ate with 4 other girls and Tsetop and he had the great idea that we should go to Chinatown. So we piled into a taxi and rode to Chinatown, which turned out to be no more than a bunch of Chinese restaurants. But, we had plenty of adventure just wandering around.

Today we went to Ankur Kala and MCC India. Ankur Kala is a woman's center that strives to teach woman job skills, basic business management skills, as well as empowering them and teaching them values. It was one of the most inspiring and wonderful places that I have ever been to. The woman who founded it is a direct product of Mother Teresa's work here and the work that she does is truly awe inspiring. I would highly recommend looking it up online. Some of there crafts are sold by Ten Thousand Villages.  On Saturday we are spending the day in The Sister's of Charity's home for the destitute and dying. I am looking forward to that.

There is just so much to take in this city and I don't even know how to begin to explain it. I can already tell that this country has changed me and I have been here for less than a week. I hope that this gives you a glimpse into what I have been up to the past few days.  We leave Saturday evening for Bodh Gaya (where Buddha was enlightened) for a few days and then to Varanasi (the holiest city for Hindus) before returning from Delhi. I hope to get a few pictures posted soon.

With much love,
Laura

Last minute preparations!

Well, less than 48 hours until I leave for India. I'm EXCITED, anxious, and a tad nervous about leaving! I'm starting to get VERY impatient for our departure on Thursday. I have my backpacking bag packed and I just need to make one more run to Target before I am completely ready to leave.  I am attaching a brief outline of our trip just for anyone who wants to travel along from home.

Eastern Mennonite University

India Cross-cultural Spring 2011

Descriptions of cities and historical sights prepared by Momotours.

Thur Jan 13:   Depart campus at 12:30 pm Dulles

                                                                                                            Depart   Arrive

AUSTRIAN              13JAN WASHINGTON DC  VIENNA         535P    830A

OS 94              THURSDAY DULLES INTL    VIENNA INTL                14JAN

G ECONOMY

                       NON SMOKING      MEAL/BREAKFAST                NON STOP

                                                    RESERVATION CONFIRMED         8:55 DURATION

                                          AIRCRAFT: BOEING 767-300/300ER

AUSTRIAN              14JAN VIENNA         DELHI          1250P   1255A

OS 33                FRIDAY VIENNA INTL    INDIRA GANDHI          15JAN

G ECONOMY                                  TERMINAL 3

           NON SMOKING      MEAL/SNACK                    NON STOP

                            RESERVATION CONFIRMED         7:35 DURATION

                  AIRCRAFT: BOEING 767-300/300ER

Sat Jan 15:  Arrive in New Delhi;  Hotel: Le Vista

Sun Jan 16:  Church and orientation; some sightseeing depending on what is open; at some point we will see most of the historical places in Delhi as noted below.  These places are also in your Walsh text:  A brief history of India. 

Mon Jan 17:  in Delhi

Tues Jan 18:  Morning free.

In afternoon, we will go to train station to catch our overnight train to Kolkata.

            Depart Delhi            2302            Kolkata Rajdhani Exp.            1700 hours Arrive Howrah Jn.            0955 hours

Wed Jan 19 Arrive in Kolkata at 9:55 am; in Kolkata;  Hotel:  YMCA

Thu Jan 20  Kolkata:  (Visit Ankur Kala and Mennonite Central Committee India on either this day or the 21^st. )

Fri Jan 21 Missionaries of Charity:  Mother House:  Mother Teressa’s:  we will spend time here, hopefully helping out in one of the homes. 

Sat Jan 22  Perhaps meet with MCC and Ankur Kala if not able to on the 20^th.  Late in the evening,  we will take a short overnight train to Gaya. 

Depart Kolkata            HWH JU Express            2330 hours Arrive Gaya            0615 hours

Sun Jan 23  Arrive Gaya 6:15 a.m.;  Drive to Bodh Gaya:  Hotel:  Tathagat International

Mon Jan 24 in Bodh Gaya

Study Buddhist culture and religion:  Particularly Tibetan Buddhism:

Tue Jan 25   Bodh Gaya

Wed Jan 26  Bodh Gaya It is also a National Holiday:  Republic Day

Thu Jan 27 After early breakfast, we drive by bus to Varanas/Benares.  Enroute to Varanasi we will stop at Sarnath.    Hotel in Varanasi:  Hotel Palace on Steps

Fri Jan 28  Varanasi

Sat Jan 29  In evening we will take the overnight train back to New Delhi

Depart Varanasi 2559 Shivganga Exp. 1915 hours Arrive New Delhi 0740 hours

Sun Jan 30   Arrive Delhi at 7:40 am; in Delhi  Hotel Le Vista

Mon Jan 31  in Delhi

Tue Feb 01  in Delhi:  Work with slum children of Delhi

Wed Feb 02   in Delhi:  Work with slum children of Delhi

Thu Feb 03  Depart for the state of Kerala: Upon, drive to Bekal;  Hotel Bekal International

            Depart Delhi               IT 308            1155 hours

            Arrive Mumbai                                       1355

            Depart Mumbai            IT 3154            1755 hours

            Arrive Mangalore                                    1910 hours           

Fri Feb 04: Bekal;

Sat Feb 05:  Drive to Payyannur:  KK International ;   Theyyam Festivals

Sun Feb 06:  in Payyannur and Theyyam festivals

Mon Feb 07:  Payyannur:  Theyyam festivals

Tues Feb 08:  Long drive to Guruvuyoor; Maurya Rajadhani Hotel

Wed:  Feb 9:  Drive to Sarang Centre ;  enroute we will stop at the elephant temple camp; Potters and weavers villages.  Arrived Sarang Centre in afternoon.

Thurs Feb 10-Feb 27 Study at Sarang Centre:  study Indian arts;  Hindi;  CC Psychology;

Mon Feb  28:  Leave early (7 am)  for Alleppey and overnight on houseboat.

Tues Mar 01:  In early morning, drive to Kovalam Beach

Wed Mar 02:  Kovalam

                                     

Thu Mar 03  Flight back to Delhi

Depart Thiruvananthapuram            IT 2883            1100 hours  Arrive Chennai            1300 hours

Change planes

Depart Chennai            IT 233            1755 hours Arrive New Delhi            2035 hours

Fri Mar 04  in Delhi

Sat Mar 05  After early breakfast, depart for Bharatpur (Wildlife Sanctuary) by bus arriving Hotel Birder’s Inn in the afternoon.

Sun Mar 06  After breakfast, depart for Agra :  Hotel:  Pushp .  On our way we will stop at Fatehpur Sikri.  We will continue on to Agra after our stop at Fatehpur Sikri and arrive at Agra late in the afternoon.  If not too late we will visit Agra Fort after we check in and freshen up at the hotel.

Mon Mar 07  Visit Taj Mahal at sunrise!  After spending time at the Taj Mahal we leave for Jaipur—The Pink City by bus.

Tues Mar 08  Jaipur:  Hotel:  Hotel Saneer

Wed Mar 09:  In the evening enjoy a typical Rajasthani night at Chokhi Dhani followed by Dinner.

Thur Mar 10:  To Jodhpur:  After breakfast, drive to the Blue City of Rajasthan – Jodhpur bus Hotel: Hotel Ratan Vilas (arrive in the afternoon)

Fri Mar 11:  Jodhpur

Sun Mar 13:  Manvar; Camel rides in dunes. 

Mon Mar 14:  After lunch, drive back to Jodhpur bus arriving Hotel RatanVilas in the evening.

Tues Mar 15:  Bus to Udaipur, via Ranakpur Jain Temples.    Hotel in Udaipur:  Hotel Inderprakash. 

Note:  For dates Mar 16-19 we will plan to visit the Polio Hospital and to help out at St. Mathews School and orphanage.  Times to be arranged yet.

Wed Mar 16:  Udaipur

Thu Mar 17 Udaipur

Fri Mar 18 Udaipur

Sat Mar 19 Udaipur

Sun Mar 20 Udaipur:  Church at St. Mathews; Leave in the evening to catch train to Delhi

Depart Udaipur            2964 Mewar Exp.            1815 hours Arrive in Delhi at 0630 hours.

Mon Mar 21 Arrive Delhi at 6:30 am. Hotel Le Vista. Breakfast at hotel.

Tue Mar 22:  Delhi

Wed Mar 23:  In the afternoon we will catch our train for Amritsar

Depart Delhi            2013 Amritsar Shatabdi            1600 hours

Arrive Amritsar            2235 hours

Thu Mar 24:  Amritsar; Golden Temple;  Wagah Border; Hotel Khyber International

Fri Mar 25. After an early breakfast catch our train back to Delhi

Depart Amritsar                         Paschim Express                        0815 hours

Arrive New Delhi                                                                        1635 hours

Change trains

Depart Delhi                          Mussoorie Express            2235 hours

Sat Mar 26:  Arrive Haridwar                                    0550 (yes-- the morning!l)

Shivpluri: Rafting down the Ganga. 

Get prepared for the day’s action with briefing on safety and equipment by qualified instructor.

Set out on rafts for Camp (8 kms). After negotiating the thrilling ‘Three Blind Mice’ and ‘Cross Fire’. Reach CAMP A-STAR.

Tea & snacks. Evening gets prepared for the festivities the evening around a bonfire. Enjoy the evening besides the Ganges and feel the nature alive all around you.

Overnight at camp.

SunMar27  Tea coffee served 7:00. After breakfast own time at CAMP A-STAR play

volleyball etc. Early lunch at CAMP A-STAR. Post lunch Raft down from CAMP

A-STAR to NIM beach Rishikesh. In this section you go through rapids like,

"Return to Sender", "Roller Coaster", "Golf Course" and lots more.

You also do cliff jumping and Body Surfing. We end near Laxman Jhula.

Enjoy Aarti in the evening on River Ganges at Rishikesh.;  Dinner and overnight at the camp.

Mon Mar 28 After Tea coffee and breakfast, drive to SIDH by bus; arrive  in

the afternoon.

Tue Mar 29            Lecture; discussion; Village Study; spend a day and night

Wed Mar 30  Village study:  day and night

Thu Mar 31  Depart for Mussoorie arriving Doma’s Inn & Ivy Bank Cottage in the afternoon.

Fri Apr 01              In Mussoorie:  Hindi refresher & free time

Sat Apr 02  in Mussoorie:  Free time

Sun Apr 03  After early breakfast, drive to Delhi arriving Hotel Le Vista for overnight.

Mon Apr 04 Very early in the morning to airport to catch flight to Leh. Hotel: Hotel Holiday Ladakh

Depart Delhi            IC445/9W 609            0630 hours

Arrive Leh                                                            0745 hours

Due to the high elevation, we will need to relax and take it easy as we get used to the elevation.  Morning is free to relax.  

In the afternoon, enjoy short walk to Leh Market.

Tue Apr 05:  After breakfast, we go to Shey Monastery followed visit by Thiksey and Hemis Monasteries.

Home-stays with Ladakhi family. 

Wed Apr 06:  (Home-stay)  After breakfast, visit the Oracle of Sabu. 

Thu Apr 07:  Lamayuru Monastary; then Jamyangling Model School at Khalatse

Fri Apr 08   After breakfast, go to  Ridzong and Tamisgam Village;  Home-stays with families

Sat Apr 09:  Work with farmers in fields;  Home-stay with families

Sun Apr 10:  Drive to Nubra;  Hotel:  Hubra Guest House

Mon Apr 11:  Deskit Monastery;  Hundar Village;  Camel Ride and stay in a camp overnight.

Tues Apr 12:  After breakfast drive to Sumur enroute Panamik.

Drive back to Sumur for overnight stay at Silk Route Cottages.

Wed Apr 13 :  Drive back to Leh via Khardongla Pass .

Thu Apr 14:  After early breakfast, depart for Pangong Tso Lake by same cars. We drive 4- 5 hrs across Changla pass (5320m), and enter Changthang region of eastern Ladakh. Travel through the remote villages of Durbuk, Tangtse and Mugleb and finally arrive at stunningly beautiful Pangong Lake, 60 percent of the lake is in china and 40 percent in ladakh.

We camp close to the Pangong Tso Lake for overnight.

Fri Apr 15:  After breakfast, drive back via Changla Pass to reach Kharu, we further drive east to reach Khaspang gompa, where the yogis from different parts of ladakh gather every year to meditate in winter time.

Lodging will be at a camp beside the Khaspang Gompa.

Sat Apr 16 Today we will trek to Taktok. After breakfast, we start trekking to Sakti Village, i.e. total 3-4 hours trek and later on we will be picked by Jeeps to drive back to Leh. (It is an easy trek!)

Sun Apr 17 After breakfast, depart for Choglamsar Village to help reconstructing the houses destroyed during the flood in August 2010

Mon Apr 18 Help villagers in reconstructing their homes.

Tue Apr 19  Free

Wed Apr 20:  Very early in morning, catch our flight to New Delhi

Depart Leh            IC 446            1125 hours

Arrive New Delhi                        1240 hours

Thu Apr 21 Combination of Debriefing and Free time for the 21^st and 22^nd. 

Fri Apr 22  Free

Sat Apr 23            Catch our flight at Indira Gandhi International airport for to return to States.

AUSTRIAN              23APR DELHI          VIENNA         150A    600A

OS 34                          SATURDAY INDIRA GANDHI  VIENNA INTL

                        G ECONOMY                   TERMINAL 3

                                   NON SMOKING      MEAL/BREAKFAST                NON STOP

                            RESERVATION CONFIRMED         7:40 DURATION

                                          AIRCRAFT: BOEING 767-200/300

AUSTRIAN              23APR VIENNA         WASHINGTON DC  1025A   210P

OS 93                          SATURDAY VIENNA INTL    DULLES INTL

G ECONOMY

                                   NON SMOKING      MEAL/SNACK                    NON STOP

                                        RESERVATION CONFIRMED         9:45 DURATION

                                          AIRCRAFT: BOEING 767-300/300ER

Tues Apr 26  Meet once again to make final preparations for our chapel program.  

            10 am chapel presentation

12:30 after lunch meet until 2:30-3:00

           

Wed Apr 27  Debriefing from 9-12

 Thoughts and prayers from home are always appreciated! 

Much love, 
Laura