Washington, DC 2018 Pre-Trip Thoughts

Posted: May 3, 2018 | No Comments |
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Stay tuned for this upcoming blog! The Learning Journey begins on May 12, 2018!
See the schedule of interviews here.

Indigo Kelly

I cannot think of a better way to close out my senior year than going to Washington, DC to interview some of the most innovative, inspiring, and important people in the United States. I see this trip as an accumulation of everything that I have been learning during my high school career at Mount Madonna.

On our trip to South Africa last year we were able to get a glimmer of what was to come; we interviewed many of South Africa’s thought leaders. Now, we have the opportunity to interview people from our own country who are in the midst of changing the course of history or have already changed history. This is something that very few people get to do, let alone high school students.

I am looking forward to getting a first-hand view of the chaos that is happening in Washington, DC. We are in the midst of some of the most polarized times politically, as well as one of the most controversial presidencies. Being able to have conversations with people from all different political backgrounds, about their tactics and views is something that I am looking forward to.

Will Murphy

I have been looking forward to the DC trip since a few days after returning from South Africa in 2017. Never before had I experienced so many life changing and perception altering moments in such a short span of time. I was exposed to a culture that seemed to be something of a myth until I was actually there. Seeing the reality over there and internalizing it is something I will never lose. I am hoping that something similar will happen when we are in Washington, DC. There are many similarities between the trips, such as the fact that it seems to be a mythical culture that I only hear about in the news. I am hoping that being able to internalize and understand the situation in person will drastically alter my viewpoint, just as being in South Africa did. Being able to actually meet the people that the media glorifies and vilifies, on a regular basis, is thrilling.

There is also the aspect of class bonding that I look forward to. Our class has shared so many bonding experiences that have altered our whole group dynamic. We learned about each other in ways that only living with and relying on another person can. It is a bittersweet feeling realizing that this is essentially the “one last hurrah” for our class. It came up much faster than I expected. It’s the last time that our class will ever function as, well, a class. After this trip, it’s straight to the Ramayana production, which isn’t bad, but it allows for much more splintering into cliques and different groups in the play. So to summarize, I am excited to go, and already sad that I have to leave.

Washington DC Preparation in class

Can you ever really be prepared?

Posted: March 23, 2017 | No Comments |
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Caroline Smith

As a new student at Mount Madonna, one of the first things your classmates enthusiastically tell you about are the international trips. I was told all about Sri Ram Ashram, how nervous people were about the long flight, and my favorite,  numerous terrifying stories from past trips.

Entering your senior year of highschool is a surreal experience to say the least. It’s easy to get stuck in the mindset of noticing all of your lasts. Your last first day of school, your last song share, your last winter play; I could go on and on. But what also comes with being a senior at Mount Madonna School, is so many firsts and new, exciting experiences, such as the India trip.

When we started preparing for the trip, we bombarded Shannon with questions about what to wear, what we’re going to eat, what to bring, what we’re going to do, etc. To be fair, we still bombard her with these questions everyday. After one class of answering our nervous questions, she told us that we aren’t really ever going to feel prepared for this trip until we are sitting on the plane, and even then we might not. I’ve been trying to embrace this idea as someone who always has to be prepared. Rather than stress about what to bring, I try to remember all of the work my class and so many others have put into this trip and channel my stress and nerves into excitement.

After weeks of fundraising, months of planning, and years of excitement, I can confidently say that I will never be prepared for this trip because how can you ever really be prepared for such an extraordinary, once in a lifetime experience?

Bella Bettencourt

In preparation for our journey to India, the seniors have been hard at work. We have been committed to our research of Indian culture and practices. We read a book by his Holiness the Dalai Lama concerning compassion and the breakdown of basic human interactions and relationships. In our reading we found the inspiration for the intention of our trip: compassion. “Karuna,” the sanskrit word for compassion embodies the presence that we aim to bring with us. We hope to show compassion to everyone we meet and feel compassion toward our surroundings and our new experiences.

With our intention set, the seniors have been heavily involved in fundraising for the trip. We plan on bringing money with us to gift to the different organizations we visit. To fund-raise we have been selling t-shirts, we held a rummage sale, we did yard work for various families, we babysat, and we have a GoFundMe page online.

Although I feel that I can never be fully “ready” to go to India, I’m as ready as I could ever be. I can’t wait to see what happens on our adventure, and I look forward to sharing everything I’ve learned upon our return.

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