St. Mary's High School Students Visit India
 Twelve students and two teachers from Saint Mary's College High School in Berkeley traveled to Tamil Nadu in south India as part of the school's annual Enrichment Week. From February 27th to March 7th, the students participated in an immersion activity called Vandu Paaru (“Come and See” in the Tamil language of that area) which allowed them to meet young people, Brothers, and Partners in several Lasallian ministries in the region.
The group stayed primarily at St. Joseph’s Boys Village where they walked the boys to school, played soccer with them, shared meals with the Brothers, and joined the community for prayer.
 Other sites visited included Boy’s Town, Girl’s Village, the St. Joseph Development Trust, and Reaching the Unreached, a social service and educational center. “I was touched by the joy and kindness that I experienced from the boys at St. Joseph’s Boys Village,” said junior Ariadna Diaz. “Even though they live hard lives and many don’t have families, they shared a love towards us that is very true and real. They welcomed us like family.” “We have so much in the U.S., and the boys there had very little,” said sophomore Nick Sidore, “but the people there showed me that it is not about what you have that makes you happy.”
 The students prepared for the trip for several months with regular meetings, team building activities, fundraisers, and meals at local Indian restaurants in Berkeley. The two teachers, Mr. Adrian Mison Fulay and Ms. Amy Gonzales, have both previously participated in the San Francisco District’s Vandu Paaru summer program for adult Lasallian educators in Sri Lanka and India. The trip not only allowed them to travel to a distant country rich in history and culture, but more importantly, they were able to experience the Lasallian mission and heritage in another part of the world. |
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