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!