After preparing for a couple days before all the students arrived, the South Asian students presented on their cultures for the international students. You can read more here, and see a few student interviews here, beginning with Olga!
Monica
Mohammad
Rohini
Kultwisiso
Shilpi
The black and white picture of my history book meet it’s colour today.
Bhaja caves – A standing example of architectural excellence. Carved in 2nd century BC Bhaja caves consists of 22 caves.
I saw the pictures of Bhaja Caves back in my primary school, and I was always fascinated by them. I always wondered how would it look like in real. But then that day when we visited the place my dream turned into reality. The real caves were more beautiful then that in the picture. The black and white picture of Bhaja Caves in my history book is finally coloured now.
Today we visited the Bhaja caves. Truly a beautiful sight! We hiked to the top and despite the heavy rain, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
The Bhaja caves is an ancient heritage site located in Bhaje, Maharashtra, India. A group of 22 rock-cut caves dating back to the 2nd century B.C. The caves are 400 feet (122 meters) above the village of Bhaja. This monument belongs to the Hinayana Buddhism sect in Maharashtra. Hinayana Buddhists followers believe that everyone needs to gain Nirvana (the ultimate Buddhism goal) on their own, while the Mahayana Buddhists believe that the Buddha is a God.
It has truly been a spiritual experience for me, learning and exploring this ancient heritage site.
Although the viewing of the Bhaja Caves was the main activity, what really intrigued me was the journey to the caves rather than the caves themselves. On the bus ride to the site the group was finally able to get a glimpse of the real India! Able to see housing, local stores and markets, and even animals like cows, dogs, and camels; we finally realized that we were in a country half way across the world! I remember Kalin explaining how ungrateful she felt when she saw how other people in the world were living. I can still see us climbing the steps to the caves in our multi colored ponchos as the rain heavily poured down on us! All tired but pushing one another to go on! It seemed as though we would never reach the top! It was then that I realized that we were the epitome of a family; relying on one another, encouraging one another, and making sure no one is left behind!
