Rafting - by Katie

Rafting — by Katie

Over the past few days we have been rafting on the Ganges, which was initially something I was not looking forward to. I ended up being very pleasantly surprised with the two-day rafting trip and so far, it has been the highlight. Although I really liked Delhi there was a little more peace on the river that I needed after having so much stimulation in the city. One of the main reasons that I didn’t want to go rafting was because I didn’t want to have to get wet and cold which had been my experience while rafting in Oregon. Luckily the air by the Ganges is much warmer so getting splashed actually felt nice. 

Over the course of this small trip I felt like I was really able to bond with my fellow peers. Coming on to the trip I only knew two people, both of whom I wasn’t super close with and I was pretty nervous because most of the other people already knew each other. I had been starting to get closer with everybody before rafting but being alone with the group in the middle of a river, having to work together, and being in isolation with a little less going on really allowed me to get to know everybody. 

I consider myself a very social person and getting to know some of the kids on the trip better was super fun. I also happen to really enjoy water sports and we were given the opportunity to not only raft but stand up paddle board and kayak as well. Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised on how the trip turned out. I thought camping on the beach was only going to be miserable and I would end up being super uncomfortable but it was a cool experience to be able to sleep next to a holy river—that I will never forget.  —Katie