This evening we will attend Doon School's Prize Ceremony, an event that will mark the end of our first week in India and our time in Dehradun. It has been a busy week. After settling in on Monday and getting something of a good night's sleep, we woke up Tuesday and traveled to two schools established by Doon to educate the children of two small villages. While there were attempts to interact with them in the classroom, much of the time was spent playing games including some of theirs and duck-duck-goose which we introduced to them. We would return to these schools on Wednesday and Saturday to say good bye and it was clear that there had been important contacts made.
In the afternoons on Tuesday and Wednesday we visited a slum built on the banks of a river and again were able to talk with the residents and especially the children. Although valiant efforts were made, it was clear that we Americans cannot play cricket, the favorite pastime of the community. Evenings were spent on campus, eating in the central dining hall and getting to know some of the students here.
On Thursday we started the day at the Forest Research Institute and had a pleasant walk in a magnificent bamboo garden with plants over 30 feet high dominating the canopy. A visit to the museums on the site gave us an introduction to the natural history of the region that will be the focus of much of the second week of the program.
Friday began with a hike in the Shivalik mountains. After an entertaining drive up a windy mountain road we walked down to the mountain for tea in a small café. After returning for lunch at Doon, we boarded a fleet of rickshaws and explored the shopping areas of the city, learning a bit about haggling and observing the differences between the bazaar and a modern western mall complete with Domino's Pizza.
We leave for Rajaji at 10:00 tomorrow morning, away from the world of electronic communications and into the peaceful setting of the forest.
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