India Day

February 25th, 2017.

The Indian American Chamber of Commerce has planned the 5th annual India day celebration with the Orlando Magic. The event includes traditional dances and food, fun activities, henna and sari stations, as well as a special appearance from an indian actress, Shilpa Shetty, which I got to meet.
This was my first time attending this event so I didn't know what exactly to expect. My cousins had attended before and told me it was fun, but I wasn't all that excited. It wasn't until I was on my way to the event that it hit me that I was actually going to meet a famous actress, someone who I have watched on tv and idolized as a kid. The anticipation slowly built up and I actually got a little nervous just thinking about it. Some of my family and friends attended the meet and greet with Shilpa and had the opportunity to take a picture with her! I was actually amazed about how down to earth, and funny she is. She answered the interviewers questions so genuinely and it made me want to get more involved and follow her on social media (instagram and youtube channel).

GAME TIME.

My cousin was one of the sponsors of the event so he was able to get two tickets to high-five the Orlando Magic players as they were introduced at the beginning of the game and he gave them to my brother and I. It was one of the coolest experinces ever!!! We were able to be on court, walk around, wave to the players as well as high-five them. I knew basketball players were obviously tall, but when you're right next to them, thats when you really realize. I was looking up the entire time, just hoping not to trip and fall! Overall the whole thing was about 20 minutes long... probably the only 20 minutes of fame i'm ever going to get :P

Late post: Basket Brigade

Basket Brigade: volunteers donate gift baskets of food for a thanksgiving feast to needy families around the world. à a small act of kindness

The SECRET To LIFE Is GIVING 

My family and I have been doing basket brigade over the years in both, England and The United States. It all started with us attending an Anthony Robbins’ seminar, Unleash the Power Within in the 90’s. Anthony Robbins’ communicated an anecdote to the audience about his very first time he was introduced to basket brigade. He shared the amount of pleasure he got from this experience, and decided to make it an annual tradition. From this story, my family and I decided to incorporate this practice in our lives. My parents thought it would be wise to start my brother and I off early giving back to the community (I was 8 and my brother was 10). They were right, ever since then, we have been actively participating in basket brigades.

A few days before thanksgiving

This year for thanksgiving, my family and I attended a basket brigade that was hosted by La Rosa Realty. Families within the business, community, and city came out and helped deliver baskets. There were over 320 baskets that were made by the various families that included a food for a thanksgiving dinner, a gift-card to the grocery store for a turkey, and a kind note. My brother, mum and I were in charge of delivering 10 baskets to homes in the Central Florida area.

Out of the 10 houses that we delivered to, 3 of the families weren’t there so we either gave the baskets to their neighbors to give to them or gave it to a different family in the same neighborhood. Most of the families that did answer the door were so shocked and confused as to what was happening. We wished them a Happy Thanksgiving, and told them that this basket was a gift from a friend, and hope that one day they will be able to pay it forward.

I distinctly remember one family that we gave the basket to; the whole family came to the door (4 kids and a mother). The kids had a huge smile on their face when they saw the food, and there were tears in the mother’s eye knowing that she would be able to provide her family a thanksgiving meal. She couldn’t stop thanking us and kept saying, “bless you”. This house alone was enough to remind me the importance of giving back.
I am so happy that every year, I am blessed to volunteer, and give back to the community. It’s the same things in life that make the biggest difference.

London Bag Drop

What's a better way to spend your Near Year's day than to volunteer and deliver bags to the homeless? Making a difference early on is the best way to start the new year.
This year it was my cousins turn to host the event, so she gathered the essentials and spread the word to her friends and family. About 38 bags were made and delivered to the homeless men and woman around London. The bags consisted of gloves, underwear, toothbrush, toothpaste, hats, water and other essentials, as well as lunch and coffee.
It was honestly such a humbling experience. As we gave people the bags and food, alot of them were so thankful and some even shared some of their stories with us. Some of the people returned some of the essentials back to us and said they didn't need it. For me, this was absolutely shocking to see. I would have thought they would be greedy, and take everything, but they simply said "i won't be needing or using this, so you can give it to someone who might like it."

I feel as though homeless people have such a bad reputation. Don't get me wrong, i'm sure there are people who aren't nice, and are greedy, but the ones we encountered were just so grateful that we were doing this, especially when it was about 30 degrees outside. I know if I was in their position, I would want everything and would be completely cranky.

About an hour into the bag drop, it started raining... not drizzling, but down pouring. I was miserable. I was honestly only thinking about how I was going to be home in a few hours and get to change into my pajamas. It crossed my mind, that these people on the streets couldn't do anything, but cope with what they had in the rain and cold weather. I got quite emotional thinking about it because they really have no choice, but to make the best of what they had, which wasn't much. I'm glad that my family and I were able to help them, not necessarily give them money, but provide them with the basics necessities.

Canada

Every year we go to the tennis tournament, Rogers Cup, in Toronto, Canada. This year my parents and I were planning to watch the men’s competition for the entire week. We flew into Ohio and then drove to Toronto (longest drive of our life) haha. None of us are big on driving, so those 6 hours were torture for all of us, especially my dad since he was the one stuck driving.

The best day out of the trip happened on the first day. My dad had planned for Richard Branson to come to the tournament, play some tennis, and do a coin flip. I had never met him before so I was super excited. We picked him up from the airport and went straight to the Aviva center, where the tournament was being held. I was low key nervous because Branson is legendary and I was standing right next to him. Not only was it Richard Branson but also Tim, the Queen of England’s doctor!!!! They were both so nice and down to earth. 

While being at the tennis tournament, I was going crazy because so many great people surrounded me. The tennis players wanted to meet Richard, and I wanted to meet the tennis players. It was really cool to be walking around the tournament knowing I was with the elite of the elite haha, but I kept my cool. I did manage to squeeze in a hand shake with Novak Djokovic

Other highlights:

-       - Watched the tennis matches from the players lounge

-      -  Cheerleading for Richard Branson as he hit with Milos (Canadian player)

-      -  Richard trying to find me a husband

-      -  Meeting the Bryan brothers (#1 doubles players in the World)

10,000 people

They say third time is the charm, well it definitely was. Don’t get me wrong, my first two times in Colombia were amazing, but this experience was so different, and one of the greatest thrills I’ve ever had in my life. My dad had the opportunity to talk to 10,000 individuals in Medellin, Colombia at a convention. I couldn’t be any more proud of him when he broke the news to us; my mum and I insisted that we accompany him on the trip to share the experience with him.  We were to fly out to Medellin and stay for 4 days, and attend the event. My dad, Anil Gupta, had a 90-minute slot in which he talked about happiness, giving, growth, and gratitude.

The group of individuals he talked to were full of energy, and were ready for anything. They filled an entire bull arena. They had blow horns, lou
d voices, high energy, and their country flags. It was one of the coolest thing knowing that everybody was there for the same reason, to make a difference and to step out of their comfort zone. All of the people were super grateful of life, and were ready to go to the next level.

            To be honest, I was a little nervous at first just because 10,000 people is a lot, even though I wasn’t speaking, but naturally it got the best of me. The real nerves kicked in when my dad requested that at the end of his talk, that my mum and I would come up and say a few words. At first, I was super cool about it because I thought he was joking… he wasn’t.  I’ve talked in front of about 300 people, but adding another 9,700 was a whole other story. But nevertheless, I was ready to assist my dad.

            My dad had an announcer go on the stage and introduce him, while I went around waving a flag. I just remember praying to myself that I wouldn’t trip and fall. I MADE IT. No bumps, bruises, or mishaps. I went off stage and exchanged places with my dad. The crowd went crazy; he had a standing ovation. I felt amazing knowing that so many people respected and loved my dad, but I can’t even begin to imagine how he must have felt.

            By the time it was my turn to talk, surprisingly, my nerves kind of went away. I don’t know what happened because usually I’m a little stage freight, but I walked confidently on stage ready to give some advice to everyone. It was short, sweet and to the point. It felt amazing, I got to experience a small snippet of what my dad was feeling.

One of the coolest parts was that the coordinators of the event treated all of us like loyalty; we had a makeup crew, a personal RV, bodyguards, and VIP treatment. It felt so cool, and the people were so nice and humble.

The adventure continues

Water tubing

My greatest fear thus far is the water, well more like the ocean. The river never really scared me even though there could be alligators. I was totally confident of tubing down the river and waterfalls. The only scary part was getting stuck, or when the current kind of took you along regardless of where you actually wanted to go.

I remember there were some areas that had large waterfalls; our tour guide insisted we go one at a time and once we went through, hold onto the rope on the other side so we could all stick together. Of course, my tube got stuck going down so I needed assistance, almost flipped, and rushed down the waterfall, missed the rope and was holding onto a rock on the side of the bank. JUST MY LUCK! But, I wasn’t the only one, the guy right after me ended up missing the rope as well and I managed to grab onto his tube so he can at least stay with me; the two stragglers.

The parts where the current wasn’t strong, was extremely peaceful. I kind of laid down to the best of my ability, and just gazed up at the sky, the trees and the overall nature. I could smell the fresh air, hear the birds chirping, and feel the wind. That right there was paradise. I didn’t think of anything else; I was completely present to that moment. We drifted like that quite a bit, until of course another waterfall came.

Mud bath

When I went to Colombia a few months back, I went to an inactive volcano where I was able to have a mud bath!! Here in Costa Rica, the volcano was far from us but they brought the mud to us!!! We had two options, hot or cold. Even though it was extremely hot out, the idea something hot just seemed quite soothing. The tour guide handed us paintbrushes that we could dip into the mud and lather our bodies with. We laid down on the to let it dry and jumped into the water to get it all off. It took a few jumps and scrubbing to get the mud off. Oh, and not to mention that the mud SMELT disgusting… and I mean disgusting. I remember smelling like sulfur for days [only downside].

The jump from the top of the rocks to the bottom into the lake wasn’t that far but it still worried me as the current was strong and there were large rocks that I obviously didn’t want to come into contact with. I jumped regardless, hoping for the best. I just figured that so many people have done it before and the tour guide wouldn’t have said to jump if he didn’t think it was safe. I survived, obviously.
IT WAS SUPER REFRESHING. The water was crystal clear, you could see the little fishes swimming around, and the water was nice and cold. The only thing that freaked me out (there’s got to be something right?) were the plants because as I got closer to the side to get out, they would brush up on my leg and freak me out. I thought it was something in the water ready to take me away. (a little dramatic :P)

Hot Springs

 Ending the day in the relaxing hot springs. The area had various springs on levels all differing in water temperature. As you traveled up to the top, the water temperature of the springs also increased. I wanted the hottest one possible so I went all the way to the top. It was big enough for about 20 people to sit comfortably, but there were only two of us. We swam around and had the entire thing to ourselves. It was the perfect way to end such a crazy, fun filled, adventurous day.