The Road Goes Ever On And On ...

''“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a human being stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, we sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression, ignorance and resistance.” 

So went forth the words of one my idols Mr. Robert Francis Kennedy, which resound to this day within whatever constitutes the incredibly small understanding of my moral fiber. 

It's pretty much what led me to take the next step of volunteering as a teacher, a profession which has the potential to give a child a little prod behind that makes them jump to the skies, as a serious option to quench this unending thirst within me to affect some change (however insignificant) and get an opportunity to see more of the planet we live on. It was my way of dealing with a sense of helplessness that was daily being entrenched into my pysche due to a few personal problems that had been plaguing me and my family since the last summer. And I think it started making me feel better the moment I decided to act on it and go through this journey. I seriously recommend it to everyone who will or is facing similar circumstances.

The reason for choosing Ladakh as a place to start this endeavor was two-fold -

1) Having lived and traveled in India till the age of 14 I am an absolute sucker for all things related to the Himalayas,which I had the opportunity to visit when I went to Darjeeling and Sikkim when I was about 10 . What I love most about the Himalayas though, are the people who exude a sense of simplicity, humility and basic kindness that charmed my senses and my humanity.

And...

2) I've never seen Ladakh and it was always on the list of places to visit.

So, Google helping me along the way, I set my eyes upon a British organization called the Himalayan Education Lifeline Programme (HELP). After an application process that lasted for a few months (most of which was done in days but just took time due to my busy schedule) I was selected and I chose to teach at the Spituk Monastery School in Spituk, Ladakh, India which is a little village 8 km from Leh, Ladakh, India which is a major city in the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir near the Indo-Chinese (Tibetan) border.

100 hours worth of TEFL(Teaching English as a Foreign Language) classes and I was certified to teach in the month of April. 

After a few weeks, and at the end of an arduous 27 hour flight from Toronto to Detroit to Amsterdam to Mumbai I decided to start a blog to share, what I hope will be, a very special journey. I embark on it tomorrow, and there are many a miles to go. 

I end with one of my favourite poems from one of my favourite authors:

The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say.

So, follow along and let's have this adventure together.

Cheers!