Why Travel to India?

Pattie Crider

G241

Questions

September 13, 2013

Founder of The Homes of the Indian Nation: Darlene Large

1. I believe service learning is taking what you have learned and applying it to practical situations in life.  Helping other who are disadvantaged and can benefit from the knowledge they may not have otherwise obtained. Not that I am especially knowledgeable in the situations of Indian people, but I it can be a mutual exchange of information, educating each other rather than a one-sided teaching approach
2. Traveling abroad for me to help and teach orphans allows for me to also “help myself” to learning about them and their country and culture.  While educating myself and furthering my writing and photography, I will feel a sense of accomplishment and feeling of self-worth in helping others, especially orphans.
3. There is “poor in the USA” and “poor in India.”  The two have little in common.  Few Americans truly understand the concept of being poor.  Poor to us means less material items and perhaps a lower food quality.  Poor in India means the possibility of death due to lack proper healthcare and nutrition. Poor is a word that refers to one’s wealth.  My view is it doesn’t take money to be happy but the needs for adequate existence of life may revolve around who has wealth and who does not.
4. Globalization was once a slow-moving force of integrating world-wide view, ideas, politics, religion and other aspects of culture.  Now with the invention of the Internet, globalization is now taking place at a high rate of speed, connecting most areas of the world that are not in total seclusion.
5. I am very interested in Hinduism.  The traditions, followers, ceremonies and history of Hinduism especially the meaning of Karma to India natives versus the Western understanding.  Also, I am interested in NGO’s and their ability to sustain their non-profit work through the use of rhetorical theory, appealing to people to support the children who are taken in at the HOINA orphanage.