During discussion on sustainability, a student from the Philippines pointed out that with a delegation of over 100 students and teachers eating three meals a day and two tea/snack breaks, in a period of ten days we will have thrown out around 5000 plastic cups, and maybe something should be done about that.
This area of New Delhi is very nice - large, private homes, wide tree-lined streets, and a park with swing sets and climbing structures for the children. In the park this morning a man with a cricket back is teaching his son how to catch the ball without trapping it to his body. Next to the park fence, a canvas is hanging from the tree to create a home for an old man and his sewing machine.
Last night at the Minister for Education's home, as more than one hundred people were seated on his spacious lawn eating another incredible meal, I suggested to two teachers from India that the foreign students are getting such a narrow snapshot of India, going from opulence to opulence. With all the discussions we have had on poverty, maybe the students should be given the opportunity to see another side to India. For example, maybe we could explore the area around the Old Delhi railway station. They seemed to have a difficult time grasping what I was suggesting. Only when I compared this experience to going to the USA and only seeing Beverly Hills did they understand what I was proposing.
It is when our realities are challenged do we grow, for there is no reason to change when we remain in our comfort zone.
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