7/9

We had a pretty regular day in Kotri. We ate breakfast before heading to the local school to perform community service. This time we continued to mix cement and work inside the building. The students taught in their individual classes.  After lunch, everyone relaxed before heading to independent projects where people split up into various groups depending on what activity they wanted to partake in that day. We had our afternoon chai and snacks after independent projects, followed by dinner. The students hung out in the common area after dinner until bed.

7/10: UDAIPUR

We left Kotri for a two day excursion to a nearby city called Udaipur. We had been meeting with the royal family of this particular city (also the owners of the haveli in Kotri) and everyone was excited to see the city after hearing so much about it. We had breakfast in Kotri and then departed for a several hour bus ride to visit the White City. We got to our hotel where we unpacked and freshened up before heading into the Old City for lunch. We took our first rickshaws–a right of passage on any journey through India! Neerav knew of a great vegan/vegetarian restaurant that looked over Lake Pichola. We had a delicious meal, seated on floor cushions and looking out over the water. After lunch, we walked to a student co-op art center where the students got to take a class to learn miniature painting first hand. This is a specific art form unique to Udaipur and we sat with some local artisans who helped each of us create our own masterpiece. After a few hours of painting, we let the students go explore the Old City and do some shopping as Udaipur is famous for a specific Indian style. The students bought various works of art, clothing and tapestries before reconvening for dinner on the walking foot bridge over Lake Pichola. We caught the sunset over the lake with fruit bats coming out in the dusk for their nightly feast. We had a beautiful candlelit dinner outside by the lake where we watched the fireworks of a nearby wedding light up the sky. Rain began to move in, so we shifted inside to eat. After dinner, we went back to the hotel to relax and go to sleep.

7/11

We awoke for our second and final day in Udaipur in the hotel where they served a breakfast buffet in a lovely restaurant by the poolside. There was even a local Rajasthani musician playing a traditional instrument outside by the pool for the guests. After breakfast, we relaxed for some time before loading the bus to head to the City Palace for a tour with a private guide of the facility. This took about an hour and was loaded with lots of historical information and significance. After visiting the museum side of the palace, we were invited to sit inside the private side of the palace where the royal family still resides. They treated us to snacks and beverages while we waited to meet the Prince of Udaipur. He was busy and was only able to join us for a brief visit, but it was certainly an amazing opportunity to have now met many members of the royal family. After the City Palace visit, the students split up into groups to go explore the Old City one more time and do some final shopping before lunch. We all met back up in the Old City center to walk to a local restaurant that overlooks the narrow and bustling streets below. The students were happy to get their hands on some western cuisine for a day or two before heading back to Kotri, so they ordered salads, pastas, sandwiches and pizzas. We all left satisfied and went back to the hotel to relax and cool off by the pool before our scheduled departure back to Kotri. We experienced an unexpected situation that called for a new bus, so everyone waited comfortably at the hotel–ordering snacks from the restaurant and relaxing by the poolside–until a new bus came to take us. We stopped on the way back at a hotel to have a dinner of both Indian and Continental cuisines. We finally arrived back to Kotri and everyone went to sleep right away after a long day and journey home.

7/12

We got situated back in our cozy haveli in Kotri and continued work as usual. After breakfast, we went to the school but this time the students had very high energy–excited to see us after being away for a few days. We came back to find the local workers had completed cementing the inside of the building and now it was time to build up the outside walls laying bricks. The students took turns between the classrooms and the construction project. We all went back to get ready for lunch and after eating, the students organized themselves into their new rooms. Everyone went out for their independent projects. The girls who usually go to tailoring found that Vimla Ji, the tailor, was absent today and instead tried their hand at embroidery with the other group of girls. Others walked around the village doing photo journalism or hung back at the haveli for art or cuisine projects. After independent projects, the students had afternoon chai and snacks before resting for the remainder of the afternoon. We all met back up at 6pm to play a group game of volleyball. While in Kumbhalgarh at Princess Via´s Aodhi Resort, we all played a group game of volleyball and had a great time. Via took it upon herself to get a volleyball net and gift it to the students! The employees set it up in the courtyard this morning for the students and we all played three games together, also including some local children who wanted to play. It was such a thoughtful gift and we were all extremely grateful for Via´s generosity. We had dinner afterwards and had some group activities before letting the students go relax for the night. 

– Lauren & Neerav