Service in the Clouds + Dancing Bears = Happiness

Service in the Clouds (literally - IN THE CLOUDS!)
After the end of our 14 hour drive from New Delhi, someone in my car screamed "Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. LOOK. LOOK!" We were all so tired and delusional that we didn't react. He was FREAKING out. I decided to take a look out the window at this "most beautiful sight in the world." I didn't see anything. That is, I didn't see anything at first. Once I really looked, I saw THE "most beautiful sight in the world:" The Himalayas. The reason I couldn't see them upon first glance was because I hadn't looked up. I looked out like I do when admiring mountains in the US. These mountains were up high and they didn't look like mountains at first. I thought they were clouds. But after squinting my eyes I saw the faint line of the peaks of the Himalayas. My eyes were glued to the window of the car until we made it to Balla where that sight would be my backdrop for the next 2 weeks...

-Balla: eating; digging; carrying; mixing; chai tea; digestive cookies (I didn't get sick-luckily- but most others in my group did); dance classes; yoga; eating; napping; cow selfies; human knot; meditation

-McLeod Ganj: tuk-tuk rides; eating momos; teaching my Tibetan language partner; learning from her; listening to the stories from Tibetan refugees and learning how they remain so positive and loving; eating; shopping; avoiding eye contact with monkeys; walking barefoot in the temple of the Dali Lama

**IDNIAN FOOD IS THE BEST FOOD EVER**

Dancing Bears

-Agra: mashing mangos for sloth bears; picking up elephant poop (not as gross as it sounds!); hand-washing rescued elephants; creating enrcihment activities for the bears; eating; cooking; dancing, singing, and playing the local instruments in a former snake-charming village