So here I am, back in Delhi, my home away from home. When I first got here after leaving the village, Raju (their help) came into my room in the morning and looked at me with concern, asking, "Sick?" Well I did have a cold but was surprised that it showed so much. Then he motioned to my face to indicate that it was thinner. "Oh! I lost weight Raju," I said, thinking this was a good thing. "Hmmm," he said disapprovingly, and left my room. Later he expressed concern to Ankur that I was too skinny, and since then he's been bringing me sweets and giving me extra servings of food even when I say no thank you. Bless him. I'll miss the appreciation they have for round people here. I got on the scale today to find out I've lost about 10 pounds since getting to India. This is a side effect of a mixture of things: being pretty bad at cooking Indian food, having a limited selection of groceries to buy, not having a fridge (which means no cheese, butter, and limited milk), and just a generally healthier culture. I've also rarely eaten meat since India is a vegetarian's paradise. Don't get me wrong, there are some overweight people since access to deep fried everything is by no means limited, but more commonly they are just pleasantly plump. But I've gotten used to eating healthier- less carbs, cheese, and butter. I've learned to make do with vegetables and grains I'm not used to and I'm pretty grateful for that. Once Olivia arrived, she taught me some creative combinations of certain foods and I really hope to continue with this kind of mentality when I get home.
Another positive I've noticed is a distinct change in my approach to challenges. This realization came upon me on a day close to my departure from the village. A cheap purse I bought when I first got here got a rip along the seam of the handle. I sat down and started sewing it (something I quickly found out I'm really bad at) back together. I think the last time I sewed was in brownies when I was 6... it's been a while. It was a painstaking, oddly frustrating process with pretty shoddy results but I did it. That's when I realized I've changed. If I'd been at home, I would've just tossed it, disregarding it as cheap and easily replaceable. But I think I subconsciously learned the "waste not want not" mentality while being in Janauri. Also, I was isolated, didn't know the language, and my work was challenging and often draining every day (often due to LACK of activity). There were so many times when I wanted to give up and go home, but the only option I had was to go to bed, and get up in the morning and try again. And as the moment of departure grew nearer I discovered that I had more perseverance in some of the things I did and more appreciation for the few things I had with me. I really don't think I could've done it without the loving, supportive phone calls from home. I also rediscovered the value of prayer. Though I have mixed feelings about the religion I was raised on and am still figuring what exactly my path to God is, basic prayer was something I found myself doing more and more. I found it interesting that that minor experience of sewing a purse revealed all of that to me. It really is the little things. If nothing else this trip has shown me how adaptable we really are when we're faced with something which we can't easily run away from. I'm intensely grateful for this lesson.
Now I'll tell you about Diwali, the festival of lights. The lighting of candles (and in modern times it includes decorating your house with electric lights and setting off fireworks) signifies the triumph of good over evil. More specifically, it celebrates the return of one of their gods, Lord Ram, from his 14 year exile and his vanquishing of a major demon. This eradication of the demon basically freed the people from evil. I participated in a couple of Pujas (which is basically a prayer where you request something from the Gods) and it was a really cool thing to be a part of. It starts by setting up a kind of alter with the goddess Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth) and Ganesh (the elephant God of prosperity or luck). During Diwali people pray for prosperity in the coming year. Side note: I found out that gambling is very auspicious during this time, and the more you lose, the luckier you'll be in monetary areas of life in the next year- so there are a lot of card parties during this week. Anyway, after setting up the alter you drape the the statues with flowers, particularly marigolds, and set up offerings (in the ones I was present for it was fruit and sweets- Ganesh has a favorite sweet that he likes to be offered :). Then we get the cermonial red dot between the eyes on the forehead. Then the puja really begins- candles and incense are lit and one candle in particular is set on a tray that you move in a circle while everyone sings particular prayers and ring bells. I believe the bells are meant to draw the gods to your prayers- it alerts them that the Puja is taking place. I was told to make a wish for the next year and throw flowers on the statues. I also took a turn with moving the tray with the candle on it in a circle. At the end everyone stands in front of that same candle and in one smooth motion gathers the smoke in their hands and washes it over their heads. It kind of looks like what you do when you're washing your face in the morning. After that candles are set in all of the corners of the house for purification. THEN, the fun begins. Or for me it was really more that the terror began. Remember the fireworks that almost hit us in Amristar? Ok well now multiply that by ten and add my nervousness from it. By midnight Delhi was a fog of smoke. EVERYONE is setting of fireworks and crackers. I ended up getting used to it after a couple of hours and was forced to set off a few myself. But I'm not gonna lie, I found every excuse to hide inside while this was going on.
So that's Diwali!
One more week! I go to the Taj Mahal tomorrow- maybe I'll run into Obama!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Goa
Well I finished up my internship last week. It was a strange feeling. As soon as I got on the bus in Janauri with all of my bags, I looked out the window at the EduCARE office and suddenly felt alone. Without realizing it I’d developed a home there- a network of people I could ask for help when I needed it and some actual friends. By the time I got to the train station in Chandigarh (the nearest big city- about 5 hours from my village), Janauri almost seemed like a dream that I had once. All the sudden, only five hours later, it felt less familiar. I don’t know exactly what caused that. Maybe it’s just what happens mentally when you know you’re leaving a place for the last time. I think I’ll come back to India, but I seriously doubt I’ll make it out to the village again. A bittersweet ending- I'm looking forward to being home, but I'll miss the simplicity of life out there.
I’ve now transferred to the mindset of a traveler. I mean, I was a traveler the whole time but with Janauri always waiting for me I felt a little more grounded in the country. I’m currently in Goa- the most popular beach state. I’ve seen more foreigners here than anywhere else I’ve been and quite a few westerners who’ve settled in the area. At first, the idea of traveling alone really depressed me since I’m a naturally social person, but after the first couple I got used to and am now really starting to enjoy doing exactly what I want, when I want. The beach where I'm staying, Baga, is crowded but during the mornings it’s a pleasant place to be. In this area there are very few houses on the beach- beach front property is primarily owned by restaurants. There are countless rambling little beach shacks that set up lounge chairs and umbrellas and your payment for using them is ordering food or about a fifty cents an hour. It’s also more expensive to travel here than it was when I traveled in the north. The food and taxis are about twice the price. While still cheaper than taxis and food in the U.S., I’d arranged my budget based on prices I’d paid earlier in the trip, so I’ve gone over budget- sometimes when I try to bargain I'm basing it on northern prices and the drivers tell me I've lost my mind. My real splurge was my hotel. I’m staying in a really cute boutique hotel and my room has a gorgeous four poster bed- complete with mosquito nets and a towering, intricately carved foot board. I also have a balcony and the bathroom has beautiful mosaic walls.
Yesterday I went to Old Goa. I went on Navin’s insistence- I didn’t really want to go that much but once I got there I was glad he pushed me. My inner history nerd got really excited to see the place on the river where Vasco De Gama landed and set up camp when he first came to India- I guess it was the same place Columbus was trying to reach. In that same area sits the largest cathedral in Asia, a really cool little 500 year old chapel- the first church in the area, and another cathedral which houses St. Xavier’s remains. What struck me the most about Old Goa was how beautifully landscaped it was. The gardens were gorgeous- it explained why Old Goa was once referred to as the Paris of the east.
Today was my favorite day though. I went to the largest, most interesting flea market I’ve ever been to. Beautiful hand crafted bed covers, clothes, and rugs made it a cornucopia of colors and patterns while the various handicrafts kept me busy perusing for hours. I chose 4 different bags of incredible smelling tea leaves- mango, chocolate, Indian black, and Jasmin- I can’t wait to try them when I get home. But maybe the most impressive part was where it was situated- it was on one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen- Anjuna beach. I really regretted not staying here- it was only about 4 miles away from Baga (my beach) and five times more beautiful and peaceful. After completing my shopping I sat on the beach and had a pina colada. I don’t think I could’ve been more peaceful.
To finish I’ll make a list of firsts I’ve experienced on this trip to Goa
1.First time riding side saddle on a motorcyle (no helmet of course)- I’d been really nervous to try this but it ended up being way easier than I thought
2.First elephant sighting! Very exciting
3.First time I've taken a walk on the beach with a cow. We watched the sunset together- it was beautiful.
4.First time someone tried to sell me a karma sutra book. I was very amused.
5.Best haggling I’ve done on the entire trip.
6.Tried Goan food- DELICIOUS. I had Chicken Cafreal- chicken with a green masala curry served with green rice. I plan on eating another Goan specialty
Back to Delhi tomorrow to celebrate Diwali (I promise to write about that), the I go on a day trip to the Taj Mahal, a few days in Jaipur, and then I come home!
I’ve now transferred to the mindset of a traveler. I mean, I was a traveler the whole time but with Janauri always waiting for me I felt a little more grounded in the country. I’m currently in Goa- the most popular beach state. I’ve seen more foreigners here than anywhere else I’ve been and quite a few westerners who’ve settled in the area. At first, the idea of traveling alone really depressed me since I’m a naturally social person, but after the first couple I got used to and am now really starting to enjoy doing exactly what I want, when I want. The beach where I'm staying, Baga, is crowded but during the mornings it’s a pleasant place to be. In this area there are very few houses on the beach- beach front property is primarily owned by restaurants. There are countless rambling little beach shacks that set up lounge chairs and umbrellas and your payment for using them is ordering food or about a fifty cents an hour. It’s also more expensive to travel here than it was when I traveled in the north. The food and taxis are about twice the price. While still cheaper than taxis and food in the U.S., I’d arranged my budget based on prices I’d paid earlier in the trip, so I’ve gone over budget- sometimes when I try to bargain I'm basing it on northern prices and the drivers tell me I've lost my mind. My real splurge was my hotel. I’m staying in a really cute boutique hotel and my room has a gorgeous four poster bed- complete with mosquito nets and a towering, intricately carved foot board. I also have a balcony and the bathroom has beautiful mosaic walls.
Yesterday I went to Old Goa. I went on Navin’s insistence- I didn’t really want to go that much but once I got there I was glad he pushed me. My inner history nerd got really excited to see the place on the river where Vasco De Gama landed and set up camp when he first came to India- I guess it was the same place Columbus was trying to reach. In that same area sits the largest cathedral in Asia, a really cool little 500 year old chapel- the first church in the area, and another cathedral which houses St. Xavier’s remains. What struck me the most about Old Goa was how beautifully landscaped it was. The gardens were gorgeous- it explained why Old Goa was once referred to as the Paris of the east.
Today was my favorite day though. I went to the largest, most interesting flea market I’ve ever been to. Beautiful hand crafted bed covers, clothes, and rugs made it a cornucopia of colors and patterns while the various handicrafts kept me busy perusing for hours. I chose 4 different bags of incredible smelling tea leaves- mango, chocolate, Indian black, and Jasmin- I can’t wait to try them when I get home. But maybe the most impressive part was where it was situated- it was on one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen- Anjuna beach. I really regretted not staying here- it was only about 4 miles away from Baga (my beach) and five times more beautiful and peaceful. After completing my shopping I sat on the beach and had a pina colada. I don’t think I could’ve been more peaceful.
To finish I’ll make a list of firsts I’ve experienced on this trip to Goa
1.First time riding side saddle on a motorcyle (no helmet of course)- I’d been really nervous to try this but it ended up being way easier than I thought
2.First elephant sighting! Very exciting
3.First time I've taken a walk on the beach with a cow. We watched the sunset together- it was beautiful.
4.First time someone tried to sell me a karma sutra book. I was very amused.
5.Best haggling I’ve done on the entire trip.
6.Tried Goan food- DELICIOUS. I had Chicken Cafreal- chicken with a green masala curry served with green rice. I plan on eating another Goan specialty
Back to Delhi tomorrow to celebrate Diwali (I promise to write about that), the I go on a day trip to the Taj Mahal, a few days in Jaipur, and then I come home!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Fred the Ant
So yeah, I failed on the whole “update on Monday” deadline. Surprised? Probably not. This week we made a couple of presentations to schools in the area. The first school was pretty small and we kind of used it as a demo, the next day (yesterday) was better. Yesterday we changed the presentation around a little to get the kids more involved and the school was also much larger. We went from presenting to a group of 30 kids to at least 100. This second school was also much more excited about our coming. They had a few kids prepare speeches in English about the environment in our honor and they also prepared a Sikh religious song. Their excitement and preparation was very touching and they all seemed interested in what we had to say. It felt good to really reach people. We’re hoping to work with the school to put recycling bins in their yard as a drop off point for the community in their part of the village- they’re in a more central location than our center. They say they’ll have the bins by the beginning of next month. And the bins for the front of our center should be arriving any day now.
However, I’m leaving in a week. I wondered if staying longer would make much of a difference but I came to the conclusion that in order to see the recycling project really take hold I’d have to be here at least 6 months, which isn’t really an option for me. I’m glad I at least got see the ball start rolling on my project and got to talk to about 200 people total in the area about the issues. I feel that I’ve inspired some people enough so that after I leave, what we’ve done won’t be wasted. Besides, more interns will be coming to continue the project and Olivia will be here for another month. I’ve also learned a lot about aid work since I’ve been here and if I decide to do it again, I’ll be much more prepared. Though I definitely have some disappointments about how little we were able to accomplish, I don’t feel like it was all in vain, which is a big relief.
Today after our English class we’re heading to Dharamsala- home to the exiled Tibetan government. I’ve been waiting for 2 months to go here so I’m pretty excited. We’ve given ourselves 3 full days there since there’s a lot to see. It’s also going to be cooollldddd (the low is in the 40s)- which right now I think I want since it still gets up to 100 here in the village but I’ll probably regret it when I’m shivering in bed due to no heat. But this place is a must see in India and there’s no way I’m gonna miss it! After that I’m back for a week to say goodbye and write up a report for the next interns and then it’s back to delhi next Friday for two weeks of traveling. Though many of my days here inched by, I’m amazed that my trip is almost over. 3 more weeks! I’m going to try and eat up every little bit of it- living in the present here has been a struggle for me and I’m afraid I may have wasted some precious moments because of it. No more of that I hope.
You may be wondering what Fred the Ant has to do with all of this. Well, one thing I’ve embraced are the formerly less appealing aspects of nature- particularly insects. Ants run rampant here, along with cockroaches, lizards, spiders, and slugs. While taking a shower it’s not uncommon for a small beetle to land on me or have a spider fall from the ceiling on to my unsuspecting head. It took me a while to get used to these things. But a few of weeks ago I went to the kitchen sink (which is outside) to find that our sponges were incredibly clean. I figured that Olivia must have cleaned them. Then a couple of weeks ago I discovered the real culprits- ants. I remembered from our 3rd grade ant farm study, that ants are incredibly clean bugs, and I’ve gained a huge amount of respect for these tiny creatures since I’ve been here. Not only do they keep our sponges clean, but they are seriously the hardest working living beings I’ve ever seen. I’m even a little inspired sometimes when I see one struggling with carrying a piece of food way to big for it. I’ve also heard that they have burial grounds in their ant hills- it’s amazing how their tiny brains can create such an efficient organized world while our larger, much more advanced minds can’t find a way to live in harmony with ours. After the sponge incident, I developed much more of a fondness for ants and thereby named them all Fred in an effort to apologize for my former hatred. Now in the morning I see Fred (or Freds) on the sink and thank them for their excellent cleaning job before flicking them off the sink so I can make breakfast (I don’t feel bad about the flicking though, these ants are like ninjas). In addition to the ants, I’ve begun to accept the purpose of the lizards and spiders, though I haven’t named the spiders yet… I’m working on getting that comfortable with their presence. I've really been able to observe their contributions to the balance of the environment- we're taught these things but seeing them in action over the past few months has been good for me. Cockroaches and slugs… eh, not so friendly with them. Especially since that night when stumbling half asleep to the bathroom I stepped on a slug and it exploded on me. Prettttyyyy gross.
Anyway, that’s all for now!
However, I’m leaving in a week. I wondered if staying longer would make much of a difference but I came to the conclusion that in order to see the recycling project really take hold I’d have to be here at least 6 months, which isn’t really an option for me. I’m glad I at least got see the ball start rolling on my project and got to talk to about 200 people total in the area about the issues. I feel that I’ve inspired some people enough so that after I leave, what we’ve done won’t be wasted. Besides, more interns will be coming to continue the project and Olivia will be here for another month. I’ve also learned a lot about aid work since I’ve been here and if I decide to do it again, I’ll be much more prepared. Though I definitely have some disappointments about how little we were able to accomplish, I don’t feel like it was all in vain, which is a big relief.
Today after our English class we’re heading to Dharamsala- home to the exiled Tibetan government. I’ve been waiting for 2 months to go here so I’m pretty excited. We’ve given ourselves 3 full days there since there’s a lot to see. It’s also going to be cooollldddd (the low is in the 40s)- which right now I think I want since it still gets up to 100 here in the village but I’ll probably regret it when I’m shivering in bed due to no heat. But this place is a must see in India and there’s no way I’m gonna miss it! After that I’m back for a week to say goodbye and write up a report for the next interns and then it’s back to delhi next Friday for two weeks of traveling. Though many of my days here inched by, I’m amazed that my trip is almost over. 3 more weeks! I’m going to try and eat up every little bit of it- living in the present here has been a struggle for me and I’m afraid I may have wasted some precious moments because of it. No more of that I hope.
You may be wondering what Fred the Ant has to do with all of this. Well, one thing I’ve embraced are the formerly less appealing aspects of nature- particularly insects. Ants run rampant here, along with cockroaches, lizards, spiders, and slugs. While taking a shower it’s not uncommon for a small beetle to land on me or have a spider fall from the ceiling on to my unsuspecting head. It took me a while to get used to these things. But a few of weeks ago I went to the kitchen sink (which is outside) to find that our sponges were incredibly clean. I figured that Olivia must have cleaned them. Then a couple of weeks ago I discovered the real culprits- ants. I remembered from our 3rd grade ant farm study, that ants are incredibly clean bugs, and I’ve gained a huge amount of respect for these tiny creatures since I’ve been here. Not only do they keep our sponges clean, but they are seriously the hardest working living beings I’ve ever seen. I’m even a little inspired sometimes when I see one struggling with carrying a piece of food way to big for it. I’ve also heard that they have burial grounds in their ant hills- it’s amazing how their tiny brains can create such an efficient organized world while our larger, much more advanced minds can’t find a way to live in harmony with ours. After the sponge incident, I developed much more of a fondness for ants and thereby named them all Fred in an effort to apologize for my former hatred. Now in the morning I see Fred (or Freds) on the sink and thank them for their excellent cleaning job before flicking them off the sink so I can make breakfast (I don’t feel bad about the flicking though, these ants are like ninjas). In addition to the ants, I’ve begun to accept the purpose of the lizards and spiders, though I haven’t named the spiders yet… I’m working on getting that comfortable with their presence. I've really been able to observe their contributions to the balance of the environment- we're taught these things but seeing them in action over the past few months has been good for me. Cockroaches and slugs… eh, not so friendly with them. Especially since that night when stumbling half asleep to the bathroom I stepped on a slug and it exploded on me. Prettttyyyy gross.
Anyway, that’s all for now!
Friday, October 15, 2010
Dodging Fireworks
Sorry again this is so late. I promise to give another update by Monday. :)
Last weekend Olivia and I went to Amritsar- some of you may have seen the pictures on facebook. It’s a pretty cool place. It’s the holy city for the Sikh religion, kind of like Mecca for Muslims. The day we got there we saw the Pakistan/India border closing ceremony. I won’t go into detail but here’s a link to a video of it- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ0ue-XGl9c . It was definitely a fun experience.
The state I’m interning in (Punjab) is famous for its food and for the large population of Sikhs. The man who started the religion, Ram Das, was born a Hindu. He resented the inequality of the caste system and started Sikhism, which is based on the idea of equality and service. I’ve gotten to know many Sikhs while I’ve been here and have found them to be fun loving (if a little crazy) and kind people. Though one criticism of Sikhs that some tend to be pretty exclusive even though the teachings of the religion preach openness (By the way, many of the things I’m stating are based on conversations I’ve had with people here and some Wikipedia research during my free time… so not super reliable). I’ve seen some hints of exclusiveness that I’ll reference later on but in general they seem to be welcoming people. There are some controversial events in Sikh history, but I figure there’s really no religion without some controversial stories and/or beliefs. One thing I really like is that they (mostly men but I’ve also seen some women) often carry around small, beautifully engraved knives that they sling across their fronts. We saw it more in Amritsar because it was a more formal place for them so they all dressed up. I found out that the purpose of these knives is to defend the helpless. The religion is offended referred to as a warrior religion and now I understand that it’s a defensive warrior stance. Actually, their values really remind me of medieval knights- honor, service, defense of the helpless, and equality. I’m diggin it.
The physical epicenter of their spiritual world is the Golden Temple. It’s a magnificent place enclosed by a marble palace of sorts and the temple itself is surrounded by water that the pilgrims bath in. When visiting the temple we were asked not to touch the holy water. We arrived at the Golden Temple to find out that it was a big day- Ram Das’s (remember the man who started the religion- it’s first guru) birthday. We were told by some locals to go back at night for the birthday ceremony. So we returned just before dark to a scene of about 15000 Sikhs jostling for a spot to sit in the massive enclosure. We sat down and were stared at for the next two hours. Recently what I’ve tried to do is give people bright smiles whenever I’m severely stared at. The result is usually pretty fun as most of them give me shining grins back but the two women in front of us were not amused- especially when my phone rang during the chanting. I felt a little guilty about that. I’ve heard religious chanting many times since I’ve been here but this was the first time I’ve been truly moved by it. I could probably even describe its effect as meditative. That also explains why I jumped out of my skin when fireworks suddenly went off right behind us… and I literally mean right behind us. One second I was sitting peacefully thinking I could really get into this and then there was an earth shattering boom followed by heat and ashes falling from the sky. In fact the skeleton of a firework promptly fell right into my lap. Olivia and I looked at each other, both silently deciding if it was time to leave. Around us the others were apparently loving the showers of hot ash and clapping excitedly as enormous fireworks exploded over our heads. Then something happened that made up our minds. One firework, instead of going up, came down to land 2 meters away from us and exploded. A crowd of men then ran up to the flaming mass to beat it with cloth until the fire went out, while others pulled the people away who were sitting in that spot- I couldn’t see if any one was hurt or not. Olivia and I looked at each other again. Time to go! We got up as quickly as we could without panicking and began to push our way to the exit. Unfortunately for us it looked like thousands of other Sikhs had also decided it was time to leave so we got swept up in a suffocating pushing battle. I got pushed up against a banister and no one would let me move to go around it and were instead pressing me up against it, making it hard for me to breath. That’s when I’d really had enough. I started screaming many inappropriate words and that was enough to shock enough people so that I could scoot around the banister and up the stairs to the door. My work was done and my reputation as a vulgar American confirmed. A shaken Olivia and I then made our way to the twilight zone- A real coffee shop which played country music and served us delicious chocolate cake with ice cream. This shop couldn’t have been more out of place but at that moment it was my refuge. We stayed there until the crowds died down a bit and until we quit shaking and then made our way back to our hotel. Just another adventure in India I suppose!
Last weekend Olivia and I went to Amritsar- some of you may have seen the pictures on facebook. It’s a pretty cool place. It’s the holy city for the Sikh religion, kind of like Mecca for Muslims. The day we got there we saw the Pakistan/India border closing ceremony. I won’t go into detail but here’s a link to a video of it- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ0ue-XGl9c . It was definitely a fun experience.
The state I’m interning in (Punjab) is famous for its food and for the large population of Sikhs. The man who started the religion, Ram Das, was born a Hindu. He resented the inequality of the caste system and started Sikhism, which is based on the idea of equality and service. I’ve gotten to know many Sikhs while I’ve been here and have found them to be fun loving (if a little crazy) and kind people. Though one criticism of Sikhs that some tend to be pretty exclusive even though the teachings of the religion preach openness (By the way, many of the things I’m stating are based on conversations I’ve had with people here and some Wikipedia research during my free time… so not super reliable). I’ve seen some hints of exclusiveness that I’ll reference later on but in general they seem to be welcoming people. There are some controversial events in Sikh history, but I figure there’s really no religion without some controversial stories and/or beliefs. One thing I really like is that they (mostly men but I’ve also seen some women) often carry around small, beautifully engraved knives that they sling across their fronts. We saw it more in Amritsar because it was a more formal place for them so they all dressed up. I found out that the purpose of these knives is to defend the helpless. The religion is offended referred to as a warrior religion and now I understand that it’s a defensive warrior stance. Actually, their values really remind me of medieval knights- honor, service, defense of the helpless, and equality. I’m diggin it.
The physical epicenter of their spiritual world is the Golden Temple. It’s a magnificent place enclosed by a marble palace of sorts and the temple itself is surrounded by water that the pilgrims bath in. When visiting the temple we were asked not to touch the holy water. We arrived at the Golden Temple to find out that it was a big day- Ram Das’s (remember the man who started the religion- it’s first guru) birthday. We were told by some locals to go back at night for the birthday ceremony. So we returned just before dark to a scene of about 15000 Sikhs jostling for a spot to sit in the massive enclosure. We sat down and were stared at for the next two hours. Recently what I’ve tried to do is give people bright smiles whenever I’m severely stared at. The result is usually pretty fun as most of them give me shining grins back but the two women in front of us were not amused- especially when my phone rang during the chanting. I felt a little guilty about that. I’ve heard religious chanting many times since I’ve been here but this was the first time I’ve been truly moved by it. I could probably even describe its effect as meditative. That also explains why I jumped out of my skin when fireworks suddenly went off right behind us… and I literally mean right behind us. One second I was sitting peacefully thinking I could really get into this and then there was an earth shattering boom followed by heat and ashes falling from the sky. In fact the skeleton of a firework promptly fell right into my lap. Olivia and I looked at each other, both silently deciding if it was time to leave. Around us the others were apparently loving the showers of hot ash and clapping excitedly as enormous fireworks exploded over our heads. Then something happened that made up our minds. One firework, instead of going up, came down to land 2 meters away from us and exploded. A crowd of men then ran up to the flaming mass to beat it with cloth until the fire went out, while others pulled the people away who were sitting in that spot- I couldn’t see if any one was hurt or not. Olivia and I looked at each other again. Time to go! We got up as quickly as we could without panicking and began to push our way to the exit. Unfortunately for us it looked like thousands of other Sikhs had also decided it was time to leave so we got swept up in a suffocating pushing battle. I got pushed up against a banister and no one would let me move to go around it and were instead pressing me up against it, making it hard for me to breath. That’s when I’d really had enough. I started screaming many inappropriate words and that was enough to shock enough people so that I could scoot around the banister and up the stairs to the door. My work was done and my reputation as a vulgar American confirmed. A shaken Olivia and I then made our way to the twilight zone- A real coffee shop which played country music and served us delicious chocolate cake with ice cream. This shop couldn’t have been more out of place but at that moment it was my refuge. We stayed there until the crowds died down a bit and until we quit shaking and then made our way back to our hotel. Just another adventure in India I suppose!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
The inch worm known as EduCARE
So here’s a wee update about my working situation. Things are beginning to crawl along. We’ve visited schools to arrange dates to make presentations about global warming in general and also more specifically about plastic waste. The way plastic is handled here is really bad. If I’ve written about all of this already please excuse me (I feel like I may have just because I talk about it so much here). People toss the toxic plastic bags and bottles on the ground, into streams and rivers, or they burn it which releases harmful fumes into the air. Not only are the fumes bad for the atmosphere, they’re also terrible for the human body and have been proven to cause cancer. So, we’re trying to educate the kids about the various problems associated with waste (we’re going to briefly mention other types) and what they can do. We’re also talking with the schools to see if they can get trash bins by the day of the presentation that we can take the kids too after the presentation and have a little “pick up the trash” activity. It’s pretty exciting. The principals and teachers at the schools are so excited to have us making these presentations and are eager to do whatever they can to help. It’s really shown me how arrogant many people are in the U.S. I mean I always knew that people were, but it’s thrown in to sharp relief now that I’m here with these amazingly humble people. And it’s not even that these teachers are uneducated- they knew about many of the issues we were discussing and taught us about some other issues in India, but even at the age of 50 or 60, they were eager to hear about the information we had to offer.
We’re also dealing with the local politics here. I hate that I can’t be more involved because of the language barrier but it’s still interesting to hear about. In order to establish any kind of waste collection system a resolution must be passed by the local council and the politics here are pretty intense so this is quite a process. Our boss claims that he’s writing the resolution but he frequently gets annoyed when we follow up on something he’s said he’d do and tells us we need to rely on ourselves… sigh. If nothing else we’re hoping to do some kind of announcement at the temple when they bring in the beginning of the Indian month (around the 14th of October I believe) so I’m currently working on organizing that.
Next Tuesday is our first presentation to an elementary school. The various presentations are going to be pretty spread out- the last one for me will be at the end of October. Then I’ll travel for a couple of weeks and come home. In those two weeks I plan on going to GOA- the Florida of India, Jaipur- a desert city with a floating palace, the Taj Mahal, and my home base will be Delhi, where I’ll be celebrating Diwali (the festival of lights) with my wonderful hosts there. Sometimes my five weeks left in India feels like an eternity and then other times it feels like a millisecond. I’m trying to make the most of my last weeks in the village and the fact that I’m running out of time is helping me be more motivated. The idleness we experience here sometimes is just downright depressing. There are good days and bad days no matter where you are I suppose. I actually shortened my trip. I was originally supposed to stay until December. But after seeing the situation with EduCARE and how little I’d be able to accomplish, I decided I couldn’t just sit around for 4 months- it would’ve driven me insane. So I shortened my trip to 3 months and plan on writing a paper about aid work in developing countries to make up for the lost time if needed (in order to get academic credit for the internship). We’ll see later if I made the right decision or not- it’ll be interesting to see if I regret it later on. But I’m trying to live day by day and so far today is a much better, more productive day. ☺ Gotta hang on to the little things.
We’re also dealing with the local politics here. I hate that I can’t be more involved because of the language barrier but it’s still interesting to hear about. In order to establish any kind of waste collection system a resolution must be passed by the local council and the politics here are pretty intense so this is quite a process. Our boss claims that he’s writing the resolution but he frequently gets annoyed when we follow up on something he’s said he’d do and tells us we need to rely on ourselves… sigh. If nothing else we’re hoping to do some kind of announcement at the temple when they bring in the beginning of the Indian month (around the 14th of October I believe) so I’m currently working on organizing that.
Next Tuesday is our first presentation to an elementary school. The various presentations are going to be pretty spread out- the last one for me will be at the end of October. Then I’ll travel for a couple of weeks and come home. In those two weeks I plan on going to GOA- the Florida of India, Jaipur- a desert city with a floating palace, the Taj Mahal, and my home base will be Delhi, where I’ll be celebrating Diwali (the festival of lights) with my wonderful hosts there. Sometimes my five weeks left in India feels like an eternity and then other times it feels like a millisecond. I’m trying to make the most of my last weeks in the village and the fact that I’m running out of time is helping me be more motivated. The idleness we experience here sometimes is just downright depressing. There are good days and bad days no matter where you are I suppose. I actually shortened my trip. I was originally supposed to stay until December. But after seeing the situation with EduCARE and how little I’d be able to accomplish, I decided I couldn’t just sit around for 4 months- it would’ve driven me insane. So I shortened my trip to 3 months and plan on writing a paper about aid work in developing countries to make up for the lost time if needed (in order to get academic credit for the internship). We’ll see later if I made the right decision or not- it’ll be interesting to see if I regret it later on. But I’m trying to live day by day and so far today is a much better, more productive day. ☺ Gotta hang on to the little things.
Friday, October 1, 2010
The Mystery of the Broom
This a tale that can’t be swept under the rug, so to speak... cough. Recently there have been 2 encounters involving various brooms that I’m determined to get to the bottom of. A couple of nights ago a group of women came to the house to ask for some pictures I took while at a temple celebration. While we spent 10 minutes actually getting to the point where I understood what they were asking for, one woman peeked inside my bedroom and pointed at my broom, which was propped against the wall. She got my attention and while still pointing at the broom, began jabbering in Punjabi. I gave her my usual response when people speak to me in either Hindi or Punjabi- “Uhhhhhh.” She shrugged and then walked over grabbed the broom, laid it on the floor, and then pushed it under the bed. I was confused. But I’m confused a lot here so I just let it go. I figured it was just another random misunderstanding with a local. But random it was not. This morning while I was teaching my advanced English student, Aj, there was an old man who walked by the center on his way to do probably nothing. Then he stopped suddenly, staring at our two brooms propped up against the wall in the center. He started yelling at AJ and eventually AJ sighed, got up, and went to lay the brooms flat on the floor. I now knew this was no coincidence. The old man, placated, then shuffled of smiling serenely to sit with the group of men who hang around at the shop next door to us all day, drinking chai, gossiping, and spitting. I haven’t mentioned Indian spitting yet- spitting is a very common occurrence here. But I don’t mean just a little saliva, I mean the spitting that Leonardo Dicaprio taught Kate Winslet to do in Titanic. They hock a big one up, then let it loose wherever they feel like. The other day on the bus, a man leaned over Olivia to spit out the window- she was mortified. If you come to india, look out for flying lugis. From what I’ve heard and read, it seems like they see it as a healthy thing to do, which I guess makes sense- better out than in I suppose! Only the men do it in public but don’t think for a second the women don’t behind closed doors- our landlady has let loose some impressive ones. Anyway, after the offending brooms were laid on their sides, I was able to ask AJ what in the world was going on. He shrugged and said, “Old people like to have brooms laying down.” After seeing how completely non-plussed I was by this explanation, he promised to ask his parents. I wonder how many idiosyncracies there are in our culture that we never think to ask about... hm. He’s invited Olivia and I over to his house on Sunday for some good home cooking so I have resolved to get to the bottom of this mystery then.
Side note: Our land lady told us to call her Maharani, which we of course have been doing. But after wondering why people start giggling every time we call her that we discovered that Maharani means “Great Queen.” I think we’ve been duped here…
Side note: Our land lady told us to call her Maharani, which we of course have been doing. But after wondering why people start giggling every time we call her that we discovered that Maharani means “Great Queen.” I think we’ve been duped here…
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Shimla
Sorry for the delay friends. It’s been a troublesome week not to mention one with very limited internet. I went to Delhi last weekend and though I was hosted yet again by my wonderful friends I felt terrible for most of the time. I had 3 days of headaches- literally woke up and went to bed with them, and by the time I was back in Janauri (after a pretty rough 11 hour trip) I was sick. Sore throat, exhaustion, aches, and stomach problems. I was frustrated because I was ready to get the ball rolling with our recycling project and ended up having to sleep and rest for a large portion of the week. Though I ended up getting in touch with a couple of NGOs about partnering with us on our project. What I’m currently trying to figure out is 1. Which recycling plant to partner with and 2. How to actually get the waste to the plant. I’m trying to see if we can figure out a way to partner with migrant workers here to give them some income or if we could actually make a little money from this project (which we desperately need) by partnering directly with the companies. Olivia, the new god-sent intern, has basically finished our presentation (she’s the powerpoint queen) for the villagers and various schools and we’re aiming to make our first presentation on October 4th. So hopefully this next week will be a productive one where we’ll create some real partnerships and get this thing movin!
I’ve reached a new stage in my adjustment here. I feel much more relaxed. Even when, for instance, our bus broke down the other day, leaving us semi stranded. At the beginning of my trip, a situation like that would’ve resulted in a major stress out for me but this time I was able to shrug my shoulders and say, “eh, the adventure continues.” I’ve had enough challenging experiences now to know that things really will be ok. There’s always someone here willing to help and even if there’s not, you can use basic words to get what you need. It’s really been an exercise in letting go of control. The more I leave things to fate, the better things seem to go for me. The key seems to be making sure I have back up plans.
This weekend we’re in another mountain town, Shimla. I’m so incredibly happy to be back in the mountains. Shimla is especially interesting because it was a haven for the British during the raj and still has a lot of the colonial architecture/layout they established. Recently I’ve been trying to imagine what these towns and cities must’ve been when the paint was fresh and cars were few. Globalization has brought so many evils to this country. Of course without it, I very well could not have been here, not to mention a myriad of other benefits we've all gained from it. But still, what an incredibly exotic and natural place this must’ve been. Even 30 years ago it was probably a different world. I wish I could’ve seen it. Anyway, our hotel is pretty funny. The first night we stayed in a damp but relatively comfortable place. It was a little too expensive for what we were getting so we were on the lookout for a better option as we meandered through the city yesterday. We were approached by less obnoxious touts (as far as touts go) who showed us a different hotel in a more central location. Some of you may already know this but for those that don’t (cause I didn’t before I came here) touts are people who try and get you to stay at certain hotels or use certain tour companies and get a commission from the hotel for taking you there, which is often actually tacked on to your rate. In general I’ve avoided them but now that I’m beginning to gain a better understanding of what prices should and should not be here and also because they gave off a better vibe than most I’ve met, I listened to them. The guy who talked to me of course pulled out the Indian charm in the process, “You know, I love your accent and your smile, so you get a good price.” Sure buddy. Yeah that’s right, I’m sure you get the best rates in town. Mmmmhm. But we looked at the first hotel they wanted us to stay in, declined because it was overpriced and crappy, and then they showed us the good stuff. We managed to get a hotel that, listed in my lonely planet for 2500 rupees a night (around 60 dollars) for 1000 rupees a night (about 24 dollars). There’s three of us in the room so split three ways it’s not so bad. But man, we are in the LOVE room. Mirrors everywhere. I’m trying not to think about it so much. I’ll try and post pictures if I can figure out this whole blog thing. My fellow bloggers are really putting me to shame. Alright, well I think that pretty much sums it up!! Hopefully I’ll have some positive updates about the project in my next post. Cross your fingers for us out here!
I’ve reached a new stage in my adjustment here. I feel much more relaxed. Even when, for instance, our bus broke down the other day, leaving us semi stranded. At the beginning of my trip, a situation like that would’ve resulted in a major stress out for me but this time I was able to shrug my shoulders and say, “eh, the adventure continues.” I’ve had enough challenging experiences now to know that things really will be ok. There’s always someone here willing to help and even if there’s not, you can use basic words to get what you need. It’s really been an exercise in letting go of control. The more I leave things to fate, the better things seem to go for me. The key seems to be making sure I have back up plans.
This weekend we’re in another mountain town, Shimla. I’m so incredibly happy to be back in the mountains. Shimla is especially interesting because it was a haven for the British during the raj and still has a lot of the colonial architecture/layout they established. Recently I’ve been trying to imagine what these towns and cities must’ve been when the paint was fresh and cars were few. Globalization has brought so many evils to this country. Of course without it, I very well could not have been here, not to mention a myriad of other benefits we've all gained from it. But still, what an incredibly exotic and natural place this must’ve been. Even 30 years ago it was probably a different world. I wish I could’ve seen it. Anyway, our hotel is pretty funny. The first night we stayed in a damp but relatively comfortable place. It was a little too expensive for what we were getting so we were on the lookout for a better option as we meandered through the city yesterday. We were approached by less obnoxious touts (as far as touts go) who showed us a different hotel in a more central location. Some of you may already know this but for those that don’t (cause I didn’t before I came here) touts are people who try and get you to stay at certain hotels or use certain tour companies and get a commission from the hotel for taking you there, which is often actually tacked on to your rate. In general I’ve avoided them but now that I’m beginning to gain a better understanding of what prices should and should not be here and also because they gave off a better vibe than most I’ve met, I listened to them. The guy who talked to me of course pulled out the Indian charm in the process, “You know, I love your accent and your smile, so you get a good price.” Sure buddy. Yeah that’s right, I’m sure you get the best rates in town. Mmmmhm. But we looked at the first hotel they wanted us to stay in, declined because it was overpriced and crappy, and then they showed us the good stuff. We managed to get a hotel that, listed in my lonely planet for 2500 rupees a night (around 60 dollars) for 1000 rupees a night (about 24 dollars). There’s three of us in the room so split three ways it’s not so bad. But man, we are in the LOVE room. Mirrors everywhere. I’m trying not to think about it so much. I’ll try and post pictures if I can figure out this whole blog thing. My fellow bloggers are really putting me to shame. Alright, well I think that pretty much sums it up!! Hopefully I’ll have some positive updates about the project in my next post. Cross your fingers for us out here!
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