News and Diaries

Far away in the foothils volunteers meet our Lepcha friends.

( Last Updated: 29-02-2008 )

Pip waved goodbye to our early Lepcha departure at Heathrow, (including the very courageous and smiley Marloes - who flew in to join AV from Holland)...

The merry group of 11 volunteers arrived into Calcutta to be meet by our own dear Richard from the UK office (the Godfather of ASIA!) and Tendup.  

Together they all took the sleeper train and climbed towards the Himalayas, arriving in time for breakfast! The group spent 3 days of cultural orientation  - including a visit to Kalimpong village raising 3000ft above them all,  to attend the Lepcha 'Cultural Upliftment' day - a great insight into the Lepcha culture...

...our volunteers have now been welcomed into the lives of their Lepcha host families and are getting into the swing of teaching, living with their AV partners and adjusting to a complettely different way of life.

AVs Nick and Peter are involved in preparations for a Lepcha wedding in their hosts family house....and a new road surface is being laid (by hand) near the village of Printam, so Philippa and Freya may be doing some walking for a few weeks to come, up in the foothills were they are based.  

 The Lepcha pace of living is a far cry from Western life, and will deffinatley be a relaxing one for all 11 of them...only those who go to this paradise can understand the great need to protect and help preserve its culture.

We look foward to more news from the group.

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