THE TAJ MAHAL FROM THE FRONT

The Taj lived up to its hype. It's a stunningly beautiful building. We woke at the crack of dawn to capture it in its best light. By the time we left around 8am, we were already drenched in sweat. 

THE TAJ FROM THE REAR

Across the Yamuna river from the Taj Mahal sits the Mehtab Bagh, an old Mughal garden. We went at sunset to capture a beautiful view of the whole complex.

AROUND NEW DELHI

In addition to the school, we spent a good deal of time seeing Delhi from the backseat of a tuk-tuk. We visited the Baha'i Lotus Temple, and the Gandhi Smriti, where the Mahatma spent his final days and was eventually assassinated. 

OUR FIRST SCHOOL: MIRAMBIKA, NEW DELHI

Mirambika school teaches what they call "integral education," integrating the mind, body and spirit with our "divine essence." Interestingly, the school shares a campus with an ashram and is guided by the spiritual teachings of Sir Aurobindo and The Mother, but they don't explicitly teach religion or spirituality. Instead, the teachers are meant to exemplify the values and principles of these two gurus, which serve to guide the students in their own choices and behavior.  

FIRST DAY IN NEW DELHI AT HUMAYUN'S TOMB

We made it to India, but we are exhausted! Our bodies still think we are half way around the world in the US and wouldn't let us sleep. We decided to start off slow and do something touristy, so we checked out Humayun's Tomb, which we can actually see from our hotel. It is a mausoleum built during the Mughal empire and completed in 1530. At the time it was the largest sandstone structure on the planet. It also served as inspiration for the famous Taj Mahal in Agra.

LOOKING FOR HAPPINESS IN INDIA AND BHUTAN

My teacher partner and I received a $10,000 grant that is taking us to India and Bhutan in order to develop a curriculum about happiness for our students. The grant is through a wonderful organization called Fund for Teachers, who fund teacher travel so they can create relevant, hands-on curriculum. We really want to know if cultures that are less materialistic and more spiritual are happier than us Americans. We will be visiting schools, talking with government officials, and interviewing people we meet along the way. I will also be documenting the trip with my camera. 

WHO REALLY HAS BETTER INSTINCTS?

Yesterday was a momentous occasion for our daughter Iris: she met Santa for the first time. She reacted to this stranger dressed in a red suit with her signature calm and curiosity. She investigated his beard, and calmly allowed me to awkwardly document the experience. About 40 years ago I had a very different reaction to this tradition as shown in the second photo. I astutely recognized hints of a flavored vodka on this Santa's breath. Concerned, I communicated my discomfort with the only method that proved effective in attracting my parent's attention: I cried. It was really a brilliant move, and quickly there after I was moved out of harms way. My daughter seems much more trusting of strangers dressed in unusual costumes. We'll see how she reacts to clowns!