Himalayan Bootcamp Diaries

My dear readers, I need your help and feedback!

I would like to provide my guests the opportunity to interact and give back to the local communities in India they visit during their Himalayan Boot Camp journeys. I truly believe that it can be a rewarding experience if one has brightened the life of someone less fortunate in the community one left behind after the vacation is over.

I am thinking of providing this interaction at a couple of the local schools that cater to the more impoverished children. Here are just a couple of my ideas for my guests:

1. Take 3-4 books and have a storybook session with the children. The local children will love this!
2. An afternoon of crafts with the children using supplies we take from here that those children have never seen and can take home with them (paper dolls, painting etc – the possibilities are endless)
3. Distribute some clothes (T-Shirts?) and have some afternoon refreshments and snacks.

These are just small things but they are a start. I grew up in this area of Meghalaya, India and know exactly how much brightness this will bring to the children. I am not sure where this idea will take me but I just have this gut feeling that both the givers and receivers of this kindness will be so blessed and the memories will be amazing.

Please provide feedback – tell me what you think. I also welcome any additional ideas you may have.

Here’s to a brighter world for children!

Connie

(continued from Dec 9 blog post)

The poor man had never met so many relatives. Nor had he been what I consider so fortunate as to taste so many kinds of authentic home-made curries!

One of the most memorable aspects of that birthday celebration was, of course, the food. This was one of those Indian occasions where a wide variety of cultural delicacies was served. My Uncle Hubert, who was quite talented at making outstanding curries, volunteered to be in charge of the dinner. Uncle Hubert immediately called three of his old army buddies to assist him, along with my nephew Oliver.

They all showed up early on the morning of November 11th, my daughter’s birthday, and set out creating a commotion, banging and clanging pots and pans and utensils and ingredients, as they put together a makeshift kitchen in my grandmother’s backyard.

All day long one delicious smell after another drifted in from the backyard, until the guests began arriving and we transferred the food from the huge pots on the wood fires into serving bowls inside.

Some of the recipes for the food Uncle Hubert and his friends made that day are included in this book: Cumin Chicken, Saffron Flavored Rice Pilaf, Slow-Cooked Marinated Beef (a specialty of my grandfather’s when he was alive), Northeastern Indian Dal, Mint, Tomato and Cucumber Salad, and Daikon Salad. The food was authentic, delicious, and memorable, made from my uncle’s own favorite recipes, adjusted to fit the occasion.

My grandmother performed the ancestor blessings for my daughter’s future – the blessings for good health, peace, joy, prosperity, and abundance. Our culture considers these essential to a child’s future. My Uncle Roosevelt, as the honored Grand Uncle, added his blessings as well. My daughter probably received more blessings that day than most people get in a lifetime.

To this day my husband and I treasure our memories of that visit. We have passed them on to our daughter so she knows all about her First Birthday Indian Feast.

This is an excerpt from my book The Deity Diet which highlights some of the personal experiences my American husband and children had, integrating with the culture of India and with my Indian family.

In the culture of Northeastern India, a baby’s first birthday is cause for celebration. We prepare a big feast for relatives, friends, and neighbors, who all gather to wish the baby well.

When my daughter was about to turn a year old, however, I was living in the United States with my American husband. Not a single Indian relative was here, and his family was so scattered about, it would have been impractical to get everyone together in one place.

We were fairly young and didn’t have much money, but I wanted so badly to take my daughter home and show her off to my family that we did what any proud modern-day parents would do: we racked up our credit cards and took off for India, baby in tow. Here is a picture of the happy baby before our trip.

At that time, I had six younger brothers and sisters still living at home, plus my mother, grandmother (sadly, my grandfather had passed away), a multitude of aunts, uncles, and cousins, and tons of old friends and neighbors.

You can probably imagine what it was like to bring an eleven-month-old baby into this lot, where the youngest child was my brother, age seven, practically ancient in comparison to his new niece. My daughter was passed around from one person to another, kissed, doted on, fed all kinds of very un-baby-like treats that I pretended not to notice, and was thoroughly spoiled.

And, of course, there was the complicated business of planning The Birthday Feast, who to invite, what to serve, how much to cook, who would cook it; and “should-we-only-have-tea-or-have-tea-and-then-later-on-dinner,” what music to play, who will provide the blessing, and so on and so forth. You would think we were planning a wedding.

By the time my mother and grandmother were through, it was almost like a wedding, with over two hundred guests. Most people in India think nothing of this – the celebration is both a feast and a religious ceremony – but to my American husband it was all a little mind-boggling.

(to be continued tomorrow)

Ever met someone who absolutely changed the way you think? Well, a few months ago I met Cassandra Rae of Simply Fearless, an absolutely amazing woman and one of the most positive thinkers I know. Cassandra’s online bio is “I am simply and beautifully human!” What an attitude!

I went to Cassandra for help with my blog as I was totally stuck with what I call a mental blog block (she is also a blogging expert and can provide tons of ideas in a matter of minutes). So after helping me get unstuck we starting talking – I was having a totally overwhelming day (she is also a great listener) and going through the “I have to do this…” and “I have to do that..” – she looked at me and said, “Connie, change the “I have to..” to “I get to…“.

I just looked at her in amazement that such powerful little words just popped out of her that could completely change an attitude! Those words have made such a difference in my life since then and I have reminded myself so many times to say “I get to…”.

Overwhelming tasks become positive opportunities to be thankful for. For example, I have to cook tonight becomes I am fortunate to have a husband or child or family I get to cook for… I have to get these books back to the library becomes I am thankful for FREE books and movies I get to enjoy and so on and so forth.

I have passed this on to my daughters, my sisters, and my friends. Who knows how many attitudes and lives these little words have impacted. Just amazing. If you want to find out more about Cassandra be sure to check out her awesome blog and website at www.simplyfearless.com.

On my last journey to India, I was incredibly moved by some of the local children we met there.  Friendly and quick to say hello, these children seemed happy, though they have little by our standards.  Perhaps because I myself come from India, I found them to be endearing and felt a distinct connection to them.

As founder of Himalayan Boot Camp, I envision my company as one that gives back to the community.  Being that Himalayan Boot Camp is rooted in India – in its culture, food, and the adventures India offers – I believe some of the local villages which we traverse on our Boot Camp adventures should benefit from our business endeavors and success.  Himalayan Boot Camp, by itself and through its guests, can be the vehicle for contributing, even in a small way, to the quality of life for some local children.

One way in which I propose to do this is to provide my guests with an opportunity to give something small yet meaningful.  After making inquiries, I have learned that school supplies are in great demand.  English reading books for children ages three to twelve are especially in short supply.

Willing Himalayan Boot Camp guests could bring a book or two for this age group, along with a few pencils and erasers.  At a small get-together, my guests can visit and interact with some of the local children, and give them each a gift of a book and some school supplies.  I know it would be an unforgettable moment for the child and personally rewarding for any guest who chooses to participate.

Another project which I will soon be implementing is what I call my  “Socks For Children” project (I am working on a more formal name for the project).  As you might imagine, the Himalayan foothills are extremely cold during the winter, and many children could use good quality, warm, and well-insulated socks.  In light of that, each October when I travel to India for our boot camps, I will take with me a large suitcase full of 500 pairs of socks.  250 needy children will get 2 pairs of socks each.  I am certain that these socks will mean so much and will help prevent the recipients from suffering from cold during the harsh days of winter.  Contributors to this project may be, but need not be, Himalayan Boot Camp guests.

If you are interested in being part of the socks project, send me an email to connie@himalayanbootcamp.com and I will provide more details as I get this project up and running.

Himalayan Boot Camp Diaries

I have another story about two little village boys I met while traveling through one of the beautiful remote areas of Meghalaya,India after my Oct 08 Himalayan Boot Camp. My husband and I, with my sister and some friends were driving back one late afternoon after spending the day doing some fabulous sightseeing when we came across this little village. The setting sun on this village was so beautiful that we stopped the car for a moment to take some pictures.

While we were taking pictures, I noticed two little boys standing near the side of the road, by a stone quarry, looking at us. They just looked so cute I asked them if I could take a picture. The older brother (who was about four years old), as soon as he realized we were going to take their picture, shouted to us to wait and ran to his little hut nearby and brought out this little pair of shoes that he put on his younger two year old brother so his little brother can have his picture taken with his shoes on. It was just done with so much dignity for such a small child. This just really tugged at my heart as I took some pictures of them.

This experience has really been on my mind since then, and I have been thinking that I have been so blessed and take so much for granted, I really would like to do more; and perhaps there is a way for me to help some of the children in the region on my boot camps.  I am still investigating one of my ideas and will post more on this next week. I think it may be of interest for many of you. Please stay tuned!