Jaya He!

So in the past couple weeks, I have made a crazy decision. A decision that will require time I don't have, muscles I

haven't used in a while, and mental endurance that my first graders take from me very quickly at the beginning of the day. On April 25, 2010 I will run the Madrid Marathon. Now, this is where everyone reading this comes into the equation. I will be running this marathon in order to raise some money for the Gandhi Ashram school in Kalimpong, India.

At Colby, every January we had a month long period to invest in a special project or interest. Being the Texan that I am, I chose to escape the Maine winters and experience something different. These month long vacations took me to Ecuador, Italy, and Spain before bringing me to India my senior year. My last year at Colby, I was lucky enough to participate in a project developed by two professors at Colby who developed a special interest in a school for poor children in Northern India. Starting in 2007, Colby students went to Kalimpong, a small town near Darjeeling, to teach students between 2nd and 9th grades specialized subjects. These classes range from math and music to biology and art history (my subject). For a month, we lived at the school in one large room and spent our days with the most loving, excited, gracious children I have ever met.

When I say these children are poor, I mean they wore one outfit every day the entire month I was there. They have one pair of shoes and use plants and sticks to put them back together if they break. Some of the kids walk at least an hour to go to school on steep dirt paths up the mountain. This is not to say that these children ask for pity or favors. With so little, they learn how to entertain themselves with exploring the river instead of playing video games. They truly were the happiest children I have ever met.

Since I left Kalimpong, I have thought a lot about going back. Even with living in one room, showering with ice cold water, and permanently suffering from digestive problems, the children's happiness and warmth was infectious and it made me want to help them succeed in a place where getting out of the circle of poverty is almost impossible.

My hope is that I will be able to buy the kids some more chairs and school supplies so that they can continue learning so that they can pass their exams to go to a high school in town. Trust me when I say a little bit can go a long way, and I would be truly grateful for any support. Now, I know the marathon in Madrid doesn't really have much to do with India, but for me it's just another way to connect two of my favorite cities in the world.

I'll post more information about ways to donate in the next couple days, but I just wanted to get the word out to as many people as possible. I'll update the blog periodically with information about everything and anything - news about Kalimpong, training updates, stories from Madrid, pictures, and news about my aching muscles. If you have any questions or comments, please email me at whitneyrlynn@gmail.com. Thank you everyone for your support! Jaya He/Venga!