It’s Fall! The leaves are turning orange, red and gold and there’s apples and pumpkins spilling out onto the sidewalks. To celebrate the beginning of Fall, India Home took a day trip to Amish Farm and House in Pennysylvania’s Lancaster country. The mood was festive as 52 seniors and staff set off early by bus for a drive through the vibrant countryside.
The miles disappeared as many of our members told jokes and shared poems. After brief stops for tea and samosas we arrived at Amish House and Farm where we met our guide, Mr. Sattar who was as interesting as the stories he had to tell.
Mr. Sattar was from Afghanistan, and apparently speaks English, French, Arabic and Farsi. He was very informative on the Amish way of life. Our seniors learned about the way the Amish dress (simply!) and live (frugally!).
As one member marvelled, “even if they have a million dollars they don’t show off.”
The miles disappeared as many of our members told jokes and shared poems. After brief stops for tea and samosas we arrived at Amish House and Farm where we met our guide, Mr. Sattar who was as interesting as the stories he had to tell.
Open air Lunch!
After a delicious Indian lunch of pakodas, thepla and barfi, our seniors wandered through the many attractions the farm had to offer.
A common sight in Amish county (from Wikipedia Commons)
Then the tour took us on an hour long tour of the Amish countryside. Our seniors enjoyed seeing the Amish homes with hand washed dresses flapping on the clotheslines, the ladies tending to their vegetable gardens in front and the moms picking up their kids from school dressed in their traditional long plain dresses.
After a stop at an Amish store to pick up goodies like blueberry pie, homemade soap and just-baked bread, we headed back home to NYC. Our favorite moment of an eventful day? The singing competition on the bus. We have quite a few accomplished singers who seem to carry around huge libraries of songs in their heads. And it’s nearly impossible to beat them!
India Home would like to thank Board member Jaya Bahadkar for her generous sponsorship on this trip.