We have arrived in Jalgaon, another exhilarating drive to the west from our previous home of Akola. We had a great time in Akola and will talk about that stay later, but we wanted to post after tonight's enjoyable meeting with the RC of Jalgaon.
First, we want to express our thanks to all our hosts and to GSE Coordinator Rotarian Bhuneshwar Singh for agreeing to our request for a rest day. After three weeks of constant travelling and activity, we were exhausted and needed a break to recharge our batteries and begin to prepare for our presentation at District 3030's conference that marks the end of the Exchange. We also had three weeks of experiences and memories that we had had few opportunities to share and "process" as a group. So we spent much of the time just talking, comparing notes, offering suggestions to one another, and laughing about the many humorous occasions over the course of the exchange so far--such as when Michael coped admirably with a PowerPoint hiccup or when an enormous cricket landed on his shoulder and crawled onto his neck in the middle of his presentation (something that everyone in the room saw except him!).
So we arrived in Jalgaon and, after a tour of a new museum about the life of Gandhi, we were left to our own devices at a very comfortable conference center. Twenty-four hours later, we emerged, refreshed and with a plan for our conference presentation.
Today, Shantanu Khambete took us to the Ajanta Caves, an extraordinary UNESCO World Heritage Site near Jalgaon that consists of a series of almost 30 rock-cut rooms in the steep bend of a river. They date from as early as 200 BC and represented an enormous investment in their faith by the Buddhists who constructed them using nothing more than hand tools.
On our rest day we began to think about the end of our exchange in 10-days' time. The time has gone by so quickly, so eventfully, yet with few problems or metaphorical bumps in the road (many of the real thing!). On our rest day we began to talk and think about what we were missing about life back in District 3030 and there were reminders today in the remarkably preserved frescoes at Ajanta.
We will be sad to leave India (all are extending our time in India for a week or more and most of us will travel together to Delhi, Agra and the cities of Rajasthan, so our return to the US is not imminent), but happy to have made so many new friends, learned valuable lessons about our vocations, and seen countless examples of Rotary's unique brand of humanitarianism in action.
So, until our next post and until we see you all again, we send our greetings from the overlook about the Ajanta Caves
First, we want to express our thanks to all our hosts and to GSE Coordinator Rotarian Bhuneshwar Singh for agreeing to our request for a rest day. After three weeks of constant travelling and activity, we were exhausted and needed a break to recharge our batteries and begin to prepare for our presentation at District 3030's conference that marks the end of the Exchange. We also had three weeks of experiences and memories that we had had few opportunities to share and "process" as a group. So we spent much of the time just talking, comparing notes, offering suggestions to one another, and laughing about the many humorous occasions over the course of the exchange so far--such as when Michael coped admirably with a PowerPoint hiccup or when an enormous cricket landed on his shoulder and crawled onto his neck in the middle of his presentation (something that everyone in the room saw except him!).
So we arrived in Jalgaon and, after a tour of a new museum about the life of Gandhi, we were left to our own devices at a very comfortable conference center. Twenty-four hours later, we emerged, refreshed and with a plan for our conference presentation.
Today, Shantanu Khambete took us to the Ajanta Caves, an extraordinary UNESCO World Heritage Site near Jalgaon that consists of a series of almost 30 rock-cut rooms in the steep bend of a river. They date from as early as 200 BC and represented an enormous investment in their faith by the Buddhists who constructed them using nothing more than hand tools.
On our rest day we began to think about the end of our exchange in 10-days' time. The time has gone by so quickly, so eventfully, yet with few problems or metaphorical bumps in the road (many of the real thing!). On our rest day we began to talk and think about what we were missing about life back in District 3030 and there were reminders today in the remarkably preserved frescoes at Ajanta.
We will be sad to leave India (all are extending our time in India for a week or more and most of us will travel together to Delhi, Agra and the cities of Rajasthan, so our return to the US is not imminent), but happy to have made so many new friends, learned valuable lessons about our vocations, and seen countless examples of Rotary's unique brand of humanitarianism in action.
So, until our next post and until we see you all again, we send our greetings from the overlook about the Ajanta Caves
Stunning photos folks. What a fabulous site!
ReplyDeleteWonder post, wonderful photos. I was at Ajanta in December 1968, so your photos brought back memories.
ReplyDeleteNow, what constitutes an "exhilarating drive"? :)