Our Pagoda Journey - An Inspiration

Greetings!

GCC member Kaitlyn here all the way from Mumbai, India! I cannot believe time flew by so fast that we are already halfway done with the cricket season. This journey has been life changing and I am thrilled to share some experiences with you!

All of us have been working non-stop, everyday to help make season 6 of Extraaa Innings T20 the best one yet. On our off time, however, (during the mornings of single match days) we have been trying to sight see throughout the beautiful city of Mumbai.

We were recently blessed with the opportunity to visit Global Vipassana Pagoda. The Pagoda is a monument here in Mumbai, used as a center for meditation and to express gratitude to Gautama Buddha for his practices and teachings. I personally have never been introduced to the ideas of Buddha, or the practice of meditation, so it was such an eye-opening and inspiring experience for me.

We all had to take off our shoes to enter the huge dome, which can hold over 8000 people! It is actually the world’s largest stone dome that’s built without any supporting pillars, just individual blocks of sandstone weighing about 600-700 kg each! We were informed that the last remains of Buddha himself are actually at the very top of the dome. After touring the inside of Pagoda, we were met by a native woman who explained the construction history of the monument, as well as the things that are taught there. We were allowed a 20 minute meditation session, but unfortunately had to cut our visit short as our call time to the Sony set was unexpectedly moved an hour early due to a huge Bollywood star guest appearing on the show that day. 

IPL Cheerleaders BriAnna, Kaitlyn (Me!), Katlyn, Lauren and Morgan

Lunch was another great adventure - we ate at a traditional Vegetarian Thali restaurant and it was an experience of a lifetime! Vegetarian Thali is a plate that consists of about ten small vegetarian dishes and breads. The servers continually come from all directions, handing us different breads, pouring different sauces and filling our dishes - whether you want more food or not! It is a very traditional way of Indian dining that seemed like pure chaos, but was most definitely a dining experience that we will never forget! 

Even though it has only been 4 weeks, I have learned so much more then I could have ever imagined! With such a busy schedule, I look forward to taking some time to myself to experiencing some of the meditation practices I have been introduced to on this latest trip. As for the Bollywood guest star that appeared that day, it turned out to be much more than a "movie star" fiasco. His visit had another impact on my life that I cannot wait to introduce you all to his campaign. Needless to say, it was a day of harmony and inspiration.

See you soon and keep watching!

Love,

Kaitlyn 

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Bollywood - We Have Arrived

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Namaste Fans!

We’re wrapping up our first full week here in Mumbai, India and loving every minute of it! It’s been such a learning experience already in many, many ways. Not only have we been given the opportunity to experience working on a live TV set with Sony Max, we’ve also been blessed with an amazing group of supportive staff as well. Our directors that are here with us, Jonathan Krueger from Woodward
Entertainment Group and our GCC coach Ana De Villegas, have been extremely helpful in guiding us all through this amazing, once in a lifetime journey, as well as all the staff members on set. They’ve even taught me how to speak a little Hindi, a language that I never imagined I’d be surrounded by everyday, let alone learning how to speak it!

Woodward Entertainment Group has done a phenomenal job selecting the girls who traveled with me to this beautiful country. I cannot be more thankful to be a part of this! Performing alongside of me as the 2013 India Premiere League Cheerleaders are Kaitlyn, Katlyn M., Lauren, Morgan, and Sarah. In this first week, we have already become so close and formed friendships that I have no doubt will last a lifetime. We are together almost 12 hours straight, so getting to know my team members is the first of many learning experiences to cherish on this trip. We work so well together, both on and off the stage.

We work every single day, with only two days off throughout the season. The days are sometimes long and can be stressful given the nature of the live taping to billions of cricket lovers. It didn’t really hit me that so many people tune into the IPL Extraaa Innings show like they would to ESPN or SportsCenter back home until I walked into the gym to workout this morning and was greeted with praises from the hotel workers! The other day it was Kaitlyn and Laura's birthdays (they are only 1 day apart!) and they were sent flowers and chocolates and all sorts of goodies to make them feel at home.

It still seems too good to be true, but with all the hard work we’ve been putting in, I know for a fact that it’s real and all I can do is live in this moment. I cannot wait to see what comes of the next 7 weeks and will be keeping all of our fans updated on our happenings and introduce you to the rest of our team and staff.
Thank you all for your continued support and be sure to keep checking in with your 2013 IPL Extraaa Innings Cheerleaders!

Love,
BriAnna
GCC Captain