January 17, 2025

Trek

After starting the day off early to fit in all the activities of the day, we made our way through the silk worm cocoon market, breakfast, the silk loomers, a quick visit to a wastewater treatment plant, a bird sanctuary, and finally ended the day with a hike to see a Jain statue atop a hill.

The day had already drained the energy of most but we pushed forward to start a peaceful hike that soon became more of a trek. As the elevation increased and the steps became steeper, I could hear the banter around me soon turn into haggard breathing.

But focusing on the steps ahead, we continued moving forward, hearing the half way mark from Julian seemingly keeping us focused on the goal.

As if the final challenge, the last part of the trek ended with us crawling up rocks through a small cave-like tunnel to the final steps to the top. The cries of excitement and laughter of the people in front making it to the top keeping the rest of us going. Until finally the beautiful scenic views and a very needed cool breeze met up us atop the summit.

I saw people exploring the top, some dropping to the cool stone to catch their breath and others incrementally reach the same goal with one person even being carried atop another’s back.

Watching everyone celebrate their wins alongside others seemed as though I was seeing the essence of GCIL itself. We might have early mornings and late nights with new challenges awaiting us everyday but everyone is here for that exact reason. We push ourselves forward and celebrate our achievements as we deal with grand challenges. We learn and work alongside different cultures and communities, but we are here as a team and no matter what it takes, we will make it through.

We have already finished two weeks but it seems as if the program just started, but as we complete our third week and go into working with our organizations, I know that I will have the support of everyone to push forward and accomplish what we are here for.

By,
Hargurleen