Tigers in India: 'Thankful is an Understatement'

This servant leadership trip to India was more than I ever thought it could be. Like I said before, I’ve been to India several times, but this time has been unique because I’ve never chosen to immerse myself into the culture as much as I have on this trip. I’ve learned so many things from the people, the places, and the children.

Everything we did on the trip has been amazing, from eating on the floor with our shoes off to teaching kids how to make bracelets at Sulabh Public School. On Monday morning, our first day to serve at the school, I was extremely nervous because I had no idea what to expect. The second I walked through the gates into Sulabh School and saw all the beautiful and smiling faces of the children, all my nervousness transformed into excitement. They were all welcoming and so happy to see us there.

Our servant leadership team split up into four separate groups to do several different activities with the children including science, computers, sports, and crafts. I was part of the arts and crafts group and we made many different types of bracelets and balloon animals with the kids. Their shining faces lit up when we brought in our supplies and showed them what we were going to do for the day. They were so willing and excited to learn something new that they had never seen before. Toward the end, they started making bracelets for me, something I’ll never forget. The girls and boys would come up to me grinning ear to ear to tell me they made ME a bracelet they wanted to me to keep.

I’m so thankful. Thankful may be an understatement, but I am so thankful for this trip, for these amazing experiences, and for memories I’ll never forget. Saying bye to the kids was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in a very long time. They’ve taught me so much. They’ve taught me to keep smiling, even when we don’t have everything we want and to stay positive in general. There wasn’t one moment when I looked around and saw a child that wasn’t smiling. Their smiling faces were so contagious and being with them made me happy and made me want to stay.

One thing I’ve noticed from the kids is that their dreams and values are similar, regardless of geography, social context and economic realities. People can smile and be happy even when they don't have all the material things we usually associate with happiness. People are all intrinsically the same although they may appear so different in what they look like, what they eat and where they live. We should see world not defined by rigid geopolitical boundaries, rather we should see it as one place where all humanity has a common purpose and we should respect people for who they are.

This trip has had a huge impact on my life and way of thinking; I just hope that my visit with the children of Sulabh was as memorable for them as it was for me.