The Company I'm Keeping

Hi Everyone

After just returning from our heavenly weekend holiday in Darjeeling, I'm feeling refreshed and ready to get back to work.  We watched the sunrise across the Himalayas, toured Tibetan Monestaries, had roadside tea in Nepal, and toured a breathtaking, 1,000 acre tea garden.  It was wonderful to have some down time, be a tourist, and linger over fresh pasteries and endless pots of Darjeeling teas in a cooler, cleaner enviornment.

So here I am, just four days from returning to Cape Cod and I'm reflecting on the trip to this point and the experiences.  One of the greatest gifts of this trip, aside from touching the cause and meeting some of the world's bravest girls and women,  has to be the people I've met - the other volunteers and the NGO organizers.  So I thought it would be important to share a little bit about the company I've been keeping for the past few weeks on my adventure.  I know what you're thinking - human rights activists, preachy social conciousness, students of the cause, and feminists living and working together sounds like the perfect venue for soap boxes and seriousness.  Yes indeed, there is time for business, time for getting our hands dirty in the name of social justice, time to speak out, time to demand change.  We've had lengthy discussions about trafficking, women and children's rights, culture, poverty, and education.  We've lingered in bookstores for hours, shared titles, and noted documentaries and films aplenty.  Long talks have led us to topics like consumerism, child soliders, fair trade, veganism, child rearing, marriage, finances, and giving it all up, or at least changing direction, to follow our hearts.  And believe me, these moments have filled up my cup.  These are the moments I have dreamed of - like minded folks getting right down to it with passion and emotion - without moving to hide from truth or duck out of responsibilty to our global family. 

But I've just got to let you in on a little secret.  These are also the people that after the work is done, will share endless bowls of fried rice, baskets of naan bread, and throw back more than enough cold beer or cheap Indian wine.  We've laughed out loud at ourselves and each other in a new culture, stumbling to communicate in a new language, in an enviornment  so intense, so impoverished that you've just got to kick back and lean on each other for comfort and survival.  We've said our share of swears, stepped on each other's toes, cried and whined about bathroom conditions, and guided fallen comrades, toilet paper in hand, when motion sickness or food posioning has tried to get the best of us.  These are the kind of folks you want on your team in the trenches.  All from various backgrounds we come out for one cause in the name peace, justice and freedom. 

So here's my official shout out to some people that have reminded me to keep trusting my instincts and rising up.  Sarah, the founder of TEN, is a seasoned leader and takes fierce action for the cause.  She is down to earth and maternal.  But Sarah adapts as a peer to all, her humaness so real, I feel like I've known her forever.  Becky and Smarita live in India and run the Destiny Center.  They are vibrant, open and kind, their prescence in the world makes you feel at home wherever you are.  Paul, our trip leader and Destiny jewelry program director, is the kind of man you can invite over for dinner, grab a coffee with or rally to fight the world's greatest injustices.  Always up for a challenge or down for taking it easy, Paul was my friend before we even met.  Sanjoy, Smarita's brother and our Darjeeling trip coordinator, is an example to all Indian men.  He taught us how to bargain, bought thoughtful gifts for the survivors, kept us safe on our travels and is so content in the world he feels like a favorite uncle to all.  The volunteers:  Tammy  - another Cape Cod Mom and dear friend, Victoria - a case worker for Polaris project fighting trafficking in the US, Molly - a high school senior, driven and chatty, my "small sister", Bernadette - an aesthetician and the kinda gal that can share some wine and girl talk and then wake up early for a rally against genocide, and John and Eric - the brave male volunteers, graduate students, and kind souls. 

I am full of gratitude for the experience and the journey wouldn't have been the same without these people.  Smart and sassy, fun and determined, kind and honest, I am reminded how good it feels to be part of a team, how good it feels to be alive with possibilities, connected to something greater.  As we prepare our final projects, our farewell dinners, and our long flights home, may the spark we lit for one other burn on.  Lighting the fire of change together...

Namaste,

Janell