The UW shakha recently decided to have a social event at the Highland Ice Skating Arena. Ice skating was chosen because everyone wanted to do something new and adventurous. Most of the kids or youth had no prior experience with ice skating so they were a bit anxious.

Getting into the skates can take some getting used to, as we realised. They need to be real tight to protect your ankles and get a good grip! (if that makes sense). We had arranged to take a group lesson from an instructor. She was friendly and warm and tried to help us out. But it took us a while to getting used to standing on ice on blades. We learnt a few basic moves like the scooter, the glide and the twizzles. Of course falling is a part of the game. But that only adds to the fun. Who dares wins!

While we were struggling on our feet little kids were zipping by us. Boy those kids sure learn fast. But for our first session we did good, I think so. Reminded us of our inner child and the energy within us waiting to sprout. It was a challenge for our bodies, which are normally used to typing at a keyboard and we had great fun exploring our own abilities. This is exactly what the event aimed for, a bit of an adrenaline rush and a learning experience instead of the usual stuff-yourself-like-a-thanksgiving-turkey at any Indian restaurant routine. We look forward to organising more such events and expect more people to join us.

Whats next ? How about skiing ? Hmm… Watch out for the next announcement.

The day dawned bright and clear. It was the perfect day for a hike! Last Saturday, on August 25, Anilji, Paragji, and Devendraji took the Kishore gana of Bellevue shaaka for a hike to Rattlesnake Ledge, a 2-mile hike to the top. The group consisted of me (Adhithyaa Rajakumar), Aditya Joglekar (Version #2), Soham Pant, Arun Palaniappan, and Akshath and Abhinand Sivaprasad. We met at the Bellevue shaaka at around 7:00 A.M. in the morning. Traveling in two groups in Anilji and Devendraji’s cars, all of us had a fun 20-minute ride to the hike: chatting about boy stuff, joking around, and talking excitedly about the big hike ahead of us. Once we arrived at the site, the shikshaks, Anilji, Paragji, and Devendraji, quickly made sure we had everything ready, and set off almost immediately.

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With the Ganesh Chaturti fast approaching, this video tutorial intends to provides all the kids and parents an step by step process of how to make a Ganesh Murti using the Crayola Model Magic clay dough. This video was created by volunteers from the HSS- Naperville, IL Balagokulam.

Want to make your own Ganesha murti? Join us at our Balagokulam session.

What: Ganesha Murthy making
When: Sunday Aug 31st at 10.00am
Where: Lake hills Library hall, 15228 Lake Hills Blvd Bellevue, WA
What to Bring: Play dough (Crayola Model Magic) atleat 2 colors. Optional: glitter glue, and more different colors of play dough for decoration

Ofcourse we will be organising Ganesh Utsav as usual at Bothell temple and Maple Valley temple. Stay tuned for details!

Youth Camp 2008

This year’s youth camp/family camp was a 2 nights camp at Deception Pass, a scenic campground north of Seattle. We had a record attendance of over 90 participants!
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