Quick Update, Leaving for Excursion!

Hey everyone!!

As of tomorrow, I will be on excursion in the areas of Jodhpur , Jaisalmer, and Bikaner until September 27, but until then, click on each city to learn more about them, and expect a post a few days after my return!

Animals In India

As I was looking through my pictures today, I noticed that I have quite a few of the animals around town, and since I think they are pretty amusing I thought I would share them with you all!

1) Camels: Camels are used as a shuttle system for both people and supplies, so we see them pretty often, even in "urban" areas. In my favorite camel picture (the first one below) you actually have to look closely to see the camel because he is at the traffic light!



2) Cows: Even more common than camels are cows. Hindus consider cows sacred, because the cows' milk has sustained them, like mothers. Therefore, these animals can pretty much roam about and do whatever they please.



3) Goats/Pigs/Donkeys: These animals aren't as common, but you can see them around town and in rural areas.



4) Monkeys: These guys are my favorite-they are like little furry humans, and their mannerisms are so funny to watch! They are pretty common over here, but they are tricky little creatures so it is hard to get a good picture of them!



Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Agra and The Taj Mahal

As I mentioned in my previous post, I spent last weekend in Agra, visiting tourist sites and it was a once in a lifetime experience.

This trip was not planned by our program-it was something the 16 girls (including myself) had put together on our own, so it was the first time “leaving the nest” without our supervisors. We left Jaipur on Friday afternoon via the small bus we had rented and prepared for our 6 to 7 hour drive. But before we even arrived in Agra, something interesting happened! We had asked the bus driver to pull over when he saw an AirTel service site so we could put money on our prepaid Indian phones, and the first site he saw was about an hour and a half outside of Jaipur, nestled into a tiny town along the highway. So, we pulled over and the four of us who needed to charge our phones got out of our now quite conspicuous bus. When we began to reload our phones, there were about ten to twelve people standing around and they of course stared at us, which we are used to by now. After ten minutes, there were about 20 people standing around us. And when we left 25 minutes later, there were about 55 people crowded around us, just trying to get a look! Because it was just a tiny town, we were quite the novelty, and people were literally pulling over on the side of the road-its very possible that most of these people have never seen a white person before. So, while it can make me a little uncomfortable, I just have to remember that they mean no harm, and they are just curious; all I can do is have a sense of humor about it.

We arrived in Agra around 9pm on Friday, and decided as a group to get up at 5am the next morning so we could see the Taj Mahal at sunrise. While it was difficult to wake up that early, it was completely worth the experience. The Taj Mahal was BEAUTIFUL. It literally does not seem real until you are standing on it. We did get there in time for sunrise, so we were able to see the color of the marble change with the sunrise, and see the sun come up over the river. We spent a good amount of time touring the premises and seeing all of the stunning details, gardens, and guesthouses. While the structure itself is beautiful, the story behind it is also remarkable. It is actually a tomb for Mumtaz Mahal, the wife of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan . She died shortly after giving birth to their 14^th child, and Shah Jahan was devasted, so he spent twenty two years and the equivalent of 70 million U.S. dollars building the Taj Mahal for his beloved wife. There are a few rumors around the story, like that Shah’s hair turned grey overnight, or that he planned to construct a black Mahal for his own tomb, but was not able to because his son imprisoned him for the remainder of his life. It has been called “A teardrop on the face of humanity” by Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, and is truly one of the saddest, most romantic things I have ever seen. As you can see, I took quite a few pictures =)

We also saw Agra Fort later in the day, which is another amazing sight simply because of the architecture. It is hard to believe that these massive creations were built with so much thought and detail, yet without the technology that we have today. Finally, on our way back to Jaipur on Sunday, we stopped at Fatehpur Sikri, which was the Mughal capital for only fourteen years, after which it was abandoned due to lack of water resources. Here are some pictures from The Fort (you can see my traditional outfit, and also notice the tiny view of the Taj in the picture with my sunglasses on)

And some pictures from the palace at the abandoned capital, including an actual snake charmer!

The amount of time, resources, energy, thought, and money spent on all of these designs made them extremely significant and meaningful during their eras, and they remain noteworthy for the same reasons. Because we no longer have to sacrifice so much in order to achieve a major piece of architecture, I wonder if it is even possible to build a meaningful, beautiful structure like these in today’s world. This concept makes me appreciate them not only for their aesthetics, but for their impact on culture and history.

Here is one more picture for you: the obligatory shot of myself in front of the Taj Mahal =)

Namaste Everyone!

So it’s been about a week since I wrote you last, but I feel like a lot has happened since then, and I have a couple more perspectives to share with you. I have become a little more comfortable with the culture itself, but I am still struggling to understand the layout of my city because during orientation they provided all of the transportation for us so we really didn’t have to know where we are going. Last week we saw a “bollywood” movie called Love Aaj Kal roughly translated to be Love These Days. I also learned that producers are sometimes not fond of the term “bollywood” because their film industry is actually older than Hollywood-when India’s film industry started; America’s industry was in New York. We have also had a couple of informal Hindi lessons, which have been a challenge for me. The characters in the script are very intricate, there are a lot of exceptions to the rules, and there a very very subtle differences in the pronunciation of the characters. My biggest problem is that I lack confidence when speaking the language; I get nervous that I’m not saying anything right and then I get flustered. But my language instructors are wonderfully patient and have tons of office hours where I can go and practice with them, so hopefully I will feel more comfortable with it as time goes on. I’ve also bought a couple of salwar kameez, which is a traditional Indian outfit consisting of loose pants and a long tunic. They are much cooler in this heat, more comfortable, and I get fewer stares when out and about. This past weekend, the whole group went to Choki Dani, which is a village themed resort where you can eat traditional food, get henna artwork done, watch tribal dances, etc. The next day we met our host family for the first time, which I was very nervous about, but they are kind, caring and generous people and they have made me feel very welcome in their home. My host father is named Chinmaya, and he is a fine arts professor at Jaipur University. He is extremely intelligent, and has many wonderful perspectives on Indian culture, cultural identity, and westernization. My host mother’s name is Meena, and she is so sweet, and always asking me if I need anything. I also have a host sister whose name is Soumya, and she is in her thirties but still loves to shop-she has already taken me to the mall! Soumya and her eleven-year-old son Patheya live with us because her husband works in Delhi and travels around the country. Patheya is a lot of fun to hangout with, and he is always trying to help me with my Hindi homework!

That pretty much brings us to the weekend, but as mentioned, there are a couple of issues I would like to share my perspectives on. The first is the hierarchy here. It is extremely prominent in everyday life; when faced with an elder, you should greet them first; men are always the head of the household, etc. When my host sister wrote down everyone’s name she wrote down first her father, then mother, then her husband, then herself, her son, and then she skipped two lines and wrote the names of their hired help, who they actually call “servants”. This brings up an entirely different issue. Almost all middle and upper class homes have at least one full time “servant”, and they are on the very bottom of the hierarchy. Santosh, who is the “servant” in our home, is not allowed to sit on the furniture, and he eats after everyone else has eaten. He is about 14 years old, but does not go to school because he works in the house all day. It is very difficult to sit there and allow him to “serve” me food, water, tea, etc, but it is not culturally appropriate for me to get these things myself, or treat him the same way I treat my host brother. This may not seem ethical or morally right, but again, things are different here. My family are good people and mean well with everything they do. They are not cruel mean people-the way they act is their cultural norm. So while it does not seem right to me, and can’t march into their house and tell them that they and the rest of the middle and upper class is wrong. With the background that Santosh comes from, if he did not work for my family who provides him with food, clothing, and a small stipend, he would most likely be malnourished, and possibly living on the streets, which would also make him susceptible to drug or alcohol abuse, violence, disease, etc. Again, his work in my family’s home does not fix the larger problem, but it is his best option. This is just one example of the problems and injustices that come with cultural hierarchy and the caste system.

The other phenomenon that I have observed is the incredible amount of pride that Indian people have for their culture and their history. Everyone I meet has another fact, story, or bit of history about their country. Coming from the United States where many people can not name everyone sitting on The Supreme Court, this is both pleasing and depressing. Even my host brother can tell me how many dialects India has. Everyone seems so interested in reformation, cultural identity, globalization, etc and they just seem so extremely informed about everything here. Granted, my interactions have been limited, but I am describing everyone from a taxi driver, to my neighbor to my instructors. In the United States, a country that has so much, it is sad that we don’t hold this kind of pride and knowledge.

As you can tell, I’m learning a lot over here and it’s really got me thinking! I spent this weekend in Agra at the Taj Mahal, so expect a blog with lots of pictures in the next couple of days!

India!!!

Hello Again All!
Sorry it took me so long to write-internet is a little tricky here!

I’ve been in India now for 4 nights and 5 days, but it seems like much longer because we have already seen so much. Right now we are in our “orientation phase” so we are listening to seminars about personal health, safety, culture shock, adaptation, homestay protocols, etc. while also visiting “tourist sites” and becoming familiar with the local neighborhood. My flight arrived in Delhi at about 5pm on Sunday, and we spent all day Monday touring the city. We also had rooftop tea after one of our seminars, where we had a view of the top of a Hindu temple. One of the highlights of the day was when we visited the site of Gandhi’s cremation, where there is a memorial inscribed with his last words: “Hey Ram” or “Oh God”. Below are two pictures from the memorial.

We left Delhi on Tuesday for our 6 hour bus ride to Jaipur, which is our main site for the program, and when we arrived, we received a traditional Indian greeting from the family running our guesthouse. Yesterday (Wednesday), we had some more information sessions at our program center, and then hiked up to the Nahargarh Fort in Jaipur. This fort was built in 1734, and offers a bird’s eye view of our city, since it was once used as a lookout to protect the city. It was a long steep walk but 100% worth it! Today we went on a scavenger hunt in the city in groups of five; our list of targets where useful locations that we will need to use over the next view months, like a photo developer, clothes store, general store, and chemist (pharmacy). We have a break right now, but in a little while, we are off to see a Hindi movie-it should be an interesting experience, since apparently patrons regularly sing, comment, or even get up and dance!



Living in India so far has definitely been a major shock, as I knew it would be. The noise, food, smells, and people are all 100% different from my previous experiences in the U.S. One thing that surprised me was the traffic; lanes are really more of a suggestion, it is quite common to drive on the other side of the road, the streets are filled with cars, buses, rickshaws (carts attached to bikes), auto-rickshaws (kind of like a closed in golf cart), bicycles, motorcycles carrying two or three people at a time, pedestrians, and animals like dogs, cows, goats, and camels, and it is common practice to beep your horn every time you pass someone. The food has turned out to be a pleasant surprise-I only had Indian food once before I came here, so I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but I have liked almost everything I’ve tried so far, and if I don’t eat something, it is usually because it is just too spicy. I have also had to adjust to gender norms in this society. Even though the temperature hovers around 100 degrees, we must wear skirts or pants to our ankles, sleeved shirts that come to our hips, etc. to display modesty, and it is also not appropriate to make eye contact with men on the streets. Furthermore, because my group is all girls, most of whom are white, we attract TONS of attention wherever we go. People will stare, or come up to us, or say “hi” to each of us as we pass by-when we stopped at a food court in a middleclass neighborhood, people actually took pictures of us with their camera-phones! There is a preconception that because we are white westerners, we are all extremely wealthy, so we also attract a lot of beggars, including children. It is very hard to say “no”, but we have been briefed by our staff about the industry of begging: unfortunately, most who beg are drug addicts or alcoholics, and even the children who beg almost always have a “boss” or parent who will take whatever money they earn. Thankfully, I have found an alternative to just saying “no”, at least when it comes to children; I brought several bags of candy and lollipops with me, and they love it if present them with a sweet; it doesn’t fix the problem, but at least it makes them happy for a few moments. Poverty here is not like in the U.S. In our country, poverty is hidden within houses, or certain areas or neighborhoods. But poverty in India is so extreme and so common that it is literally everywhere: “good” neighborhoods, markets…I even saw a “shantytown” (shacks made of tin or plastic) lined up in front of multimillion dollar call centers; it is inescapable. All though these things are difficult to witness, this is what I am here to learn about.

All in all, its been a wonderful experience so far, and I can’t wait to see what’s next!