This is one of the songs we learned. We didn't learn this dance, but the style is somewhat similar (though this one is definitely very modernized).
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Running with Camels
This is one of the songs we learned. We didn't learn this dance, but the style is somewhat similar (though this one is definitely very modernized).
Let's all go on a camel safari!
Well, I wrote most of this post over a week ago, so it's been more than a couple of days since this actually happened, but here:
So five of us (Anna, Ashlin, Gordon, Dylan, and I) were in Jaisalmer to learn traditional Rajasthani folk music and dance. We were learning from a family of musicians, and basically everyday we would go to one of the central courtyards of the haveli and sit in a circle and jam with them. We were all learning these instruments called khartal, which are thin wooden sheets that you hold in your hands (four at one time, two in each hand) and clack together, sort of like castanets. It's actually very difficult! Especially to clack quickly. Imam, the man who was teaching us, could do it so quickly that it sounded like a drum roll!
Aside from the khartal, we also got to try out the harmonium, which is a cross between a piano and an accordion, and the dholak, which is the drum played by the guy in the middle of the video. It's so much fun!! We learned to play and sing two songs which we would practice over and over again! I actually lost my voice on the third day. We also danced with a gypsy girl occasionally (only Anna and I, as dancing is traditionally only for females, though the guys joined us once or twice) which was very fun but also very difficult as the teaching style was watch and imitate (hard to do when the girl makes you go in front of her--constantly craning my neck to look over my shoulder at what she was doing!). It was pretty funny, but also very fun.
The whole family was great and very eager for us to learn. This family in particular has been playing music for Jaisalmer's royalty for hundreds of years, passing down the tradition. The kids start learning the instruments as early as 4 or 5. Imam especially was really a character, very animated and enthusiastic about the khartal. He played very expressively and with very intense eye contact! The father of the family was one of my favorites. His name was Akbar and he was just the sweetest old man with a great smile that made his eyes crinkle in the best way.
In the middle of the trip, we went on a camel safari through the desert! Anna and I were on a camel together and it was so cool! Such beautiful skies. The camel behind me kept sniffing me though and I thought it was going to bite me, ahh!
The ride was very bumpy! Our camel was the only one that actually ran with us for a little, which was really cool. So we ran through the desert atop a camel, singing our folk songs. After we got off the camels we were in the middle of the sand dunes, just after sunset.
So the week was glorious, dancing and jamming with this family of musicians. On the last day, just before we boarded the 18-hour overnight train (woohoo!) we visited Imam's home and got to meet the many children and women in the family (women are not allowed to play music in public--so this whole time we were only interacting with the grown-up male family members).
I've spent the past two weeks pulling together my ISP proposal, booking trains/hotels, setting up interviews and everything. We had our last few classes and finals this week (yesterday was Hindi!--actually went to an Indian wedding the night before and went to bed around 2:30 AM just to wake up at 6:45! Exciting! The wedding was worth it though) and now I just have one final paper to write due tomorrow and then ISP begins on Saturday! I'll be staying in Delhi until the 11th of November and then I take a train to Shimla, where I will be until December 4. I'll be researching Amrita Sher-Gil and doing watercolor self-portraits up in Shimla. I'm so excited!
Lots of love to everyone back home! I'm gonna try and upload a few more videos in a new post.
मैं आपको प्यार करती हूँ
So I just returned from a week in Jaisalmer, a Rajasthani hill fort in the middle of the Thar Desert, close to the Indian border with Pakistan. I think if I had any sort of developed picture in my head of what India would look like, this would probably be it: a golden town surrounded by a fort, built entirely of yellow sandstone, rising out of the desert like it is a living part of the landscape. The town is full of winding roads enclosed by buildings that are just tall enough to block any sort of peripheral view, creating a maze that would be all too easy to get lost in (I did somewhat get lost for a little bit--luckily walked for awhile and hit the fort). All of the buildings are lined with carvings of intricate designs. The main roads are busy, but the side roads are quiet, offering views into the doorways and lives of Indian households. Many of the outside walls are lined with brightly colored and elaborately ornamented Rajasthani skirts and handmade tapestries for sale. There are lots of old Rajasthani homes called havelis throughout the town, some of which are converted into museums and some into hotels. The families who own these havelis often still live in parts of them. The hotel we were staying in happened to be the home of the king and queen of Jaisalmer, so we actually got to meet them, along with the prince and some princesses, no big deal.
 |
| View of Jaisalmer from the roof of a haveli, main fort in the distance |
The whole family was great and very eager for us to learn. This family in particular has been playing music for Jaisalmer's royalty for hundreds of years, passing down the tradition. The kids start learning the instruments as early as 4 or 5. Imam especially was really a character, very animated and enthusiastic about the khartal. He played very expressively and with very intense eye contact! The father of the family was one of my favorites. His name was Akbar and he was just the sweetest old man with a great smile that made his eyes crinkle in the best way.
 |
| Akbar playing the harmonium; the gypsy Reka on the left |
 |
| Hey there. Too close for comfort! |
The ride was very bumpy! Our camel was the only one that actually ran with us for a little, which was really cool. So we ran through the desert atop a camel, singing our folk songs. After we got off the camels we were in the middle of the sand dunes, just after sunset.
 |
| Sunset in the desert |
I've spent the past two weeks pulling together my ISP proposal, booking trains/hotels, setting up interviews and everything. We had our last few classes and finals this week (yesterday was Hindi!--actually went to an Indian wedding the night before and went to bed around 2:30 AM just to wake up at 6:45! Exciting! The wedding was worth it though) and now I just have one final paper to write due tomorrow and then ISP begins on Saturday! I'll be staying in Delhi until the 11th of November and then I take a train to Shimla, where I will be until December 4. I'll be researching Amrita Sher-Gil and doing watercolor self-portraits up in Shimla. I'm so excited!
 |
| Sunita-ji and I at the wedding |
मैं आपको प्यार करती हूँ
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Trains
So I'm really not so good at this whole blogging thing and I'm too lazy to write a whole bunch of stuff now, but I just got back from a ten-day excursion so it's okay, right?
A couple of weekends before the excursion I went to Shimla which was SO BEAUTIFUL and amazing, and I'm going back there for most of November for my independent study!!! I'm thrilled. It's a city in the clouds, like something out of a Miyazaki film. Here's a picture which will describe it better than I can.
So that was really awesome. We took a train to a different hill station and then had to take a 3-hour car ride to Shimla which was absolutely stunning but also a little sickening due to the windy and narrow mountain roads all the way up. Luckily no one vomited! Here's the group in the car:
So then for the last ten days the whole program traveled across India from Delhi all the way to Kolkata in the eastern state Bengal! We traveled to four cities other than Delhi, including Khajuraho (my favorite), Varanasi/Banares, Bodhgaya, and Kolkata. We took a total of three overnight trains, one plane, and one long car trip. I unfortunately got rather sick somewhere around Varanasi (overnight trains are really not the best for staying healthy...) so that was unfortunate but luckily I was up and at 'em for at least one day in each city so I didn't completely miss anything :D
So in overnight trains you are packed like sardines into three tiers of bunks, generally in a little compartment (sectioned off by curtains, but only sometimes--on our way to Varanasi there were none...) of six. The middle bunk is folded up and used as a back to the bottom bunk to make it a seat until around 11PM-ish. On our first ride we had 5/6 of the bunks in the compartment reserved by the program and the 6th guy hadn't come yet, so we had a nice pow-wow and told some jokes with one of the staff members, Arjun-ji, who is hilarious. We're working on a handshake. Anyways here's a nice photo pre-bedtime:
It was a fun time. I was on the bottom-most bunk that night, which I think is the worst because it's the bumpiest and you here everyone walking around right next to you/getting down to pee. Not much sleep that night. The best part about the overnight trains/not sleeping is that you can watch the sunrise from the space in between cars where the bathroom is. The door to the outside is often open, and there are handles on either side so you can sort of hang out the side of the train in the fresh morning, which is absolutely delightful. Fresh air blasting across your face is the best wake-up call!
In Khajuraho we saw lots of temples, most notably tantric temples. Tantrism as my program director describes it is the "sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll" of Indian religion. Very sexual (and elaborate) temple sculptures! See what I'm talking about?
From Khajuraho we went to Varanasi and saw the Ganga (though I missed the sunset boatride because of sickness :c). Then we drove to Bodhgaya (where the Buddha reached enlightenment) and sat under a bodhi tree and talked about the Bodhicharyavatara, which is one of the principle Buddhist texts and which we are reading. After Bodhgaya we took another train to Kolkata and visited this crazy marble palace. Then we flew back to Delhi yesterday night!
Today was pretty relaxed. Sunita-ji made another delicious dish for dinner called Gujarati daal, which is similar to yellow daal, but spicier, and you add freshly chopped onions, mint and turmeric chutneys, and freshly squeezed lime juice. It almost tastes Mexican because of the lime and cilantro and onions, but with an Indian twist! Delicious.
Sleepy time, but lots of love to everyone! For the parents: I am recovering!
:D
A couple of weekends before the excursion I went to Shimla which was SO BEAUTIFUL and amazing, and I'm going back there for most of November for my independent study!!! I'm thrilled. It's a city in the clouds, like something out of a Miyazaki film. Here's a picture which will describe it better than I can.
 |
| Shimla at sunset |
 | |||||
| Car ride to Shimla! |
So in overnight trains you are packed like sardines into three tiers of bunks, generally in a little compartment (sectioned off by curtains, but only sometimes--on our way to Varanasi there were none...) of six. The middle bunk is folded up and used as a back to the bottom bunk to make it a seat until around 11PM-ish. On our first ride we had 5/6 of the bunks in the compartment reserved by the program and the 6th guy hadn't come yet, so we had a nice pow-wow and told some jokes with one of the staff members, Arjun-ji, who is hilarious. We're working on a handshake. Anyways here's a nice photo pre-bedtime:
 |
| Jokes on the train (left to right: Gordon, Jenna, Kerrie, Arjun-ji) |
In Khajuraho we saw lots of temples, most notably tantric temples. Tantrism as my program director describes it is the "sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll" of Indian religion. Very sexual (and elaborate) temple sculptures! See what I'm talking about?
 |
| Tantric temple at Khajuraho, West Group |
From Khajuraho we went to Varanasi and saw the Ganga (though I missed the sunset boatride because of sickness :c). Then we drove to Bodhgaya (where the Buddha reached enlightenment) and sat under a bodhi tree and talked about the Bodhicharyavatara, which is one of the principle Buddhist texts and which we are reading. After Bodhgaya we took another train to Kolkata and visited this crazy marble palace. Then we flew back to Delhi yesterday night!
Today was pretty relaxed. Sunita-ji made another delicious dish for dinner called Gujarati daal, which is similar to yellow daal, but spicier, and you add freshly chopped onions, mint and turmeric chutneys, and freshly squeezed lime juice. It almost tastes Mexican because of the lime and cilantro and onions, but with an Indian twist! Delicious.
Sleepy time, but lots of love to everyone! For the parents: I am recovering!
:D
Thursday, September 22, 2011
SHIMALAYAS
Hey kids, so I'm heading for Shimla early tomorrow morning yay! The weather is supposed to be beautiful and even a little chilly at night, what a novelty! Even though this week was only 3 days it felt sooo long because we had so many things to do and so much work ahh.
So I just wanted to reflect on Amritsar a little bit before Shimla pushes it out of my memory. The Golden Temple was one of the most stunning historical sites that I have ever been to. Not only was it impressive because of it's architectural beauty, but it was also such a haven of peace in the midst of such a crowded city. I felt so contented and calm, especially when we visited at night. It is still crowded, but I think it is a quieter sort of crowded, as it is very much in use as a place of religious worship for Sikhs. When we visited at night, I actually sat and sort of meditated for a little bit because it was so nice. I felt very complete there. I think part of the good feeling came from the fact that there is a large pool of water in the middle of the entire complex. The actual temple is in the center of the water, which is surrounded by pillared halls that are completely white.
Anyways, I've known for awhile that I'm a water baby and that I feel most at home in and next to large bodies of water (preferably oceans or lakes), but every time that I go away from water and then come back to it again it fully hits me how much better I feel with water. We are pretty landlocked here, so even just this sort of holy lake really re-awakened me to my need of water.
Another cool thing about the temple is the kitchen. The temple complex is always open, 24/7, including a giant kitchen and dining area which can fit something like 6,000 people. All of the people who work in the kitchen are just people (mostly if not all Sikhs) who are volunteering there. It was really amazing to see this mass production of food, made and given for free. I mean, what a great thing to do.
Amritsar is right on the border of India and Pakistan, and is actually one of the only safe crossing zones into Pakistan. So while we were there we went to this flag lowering ceremony at the border, aka I saw Pakistan. Apparently in around 2007 Pakistan and India decided that they were going to try to be at least civil to one another officially, so this ceremony was established in which the border crossing guards of both nations lower their flags simultaneously and shake hands at sunset. The part which came as a surprise to me was that its sort of like an Indian 4th of July celebration. Literally people sell popcorn and little plastic Indian flags and flag-colored armbands right before the border. You get to this gate through which you can see Pakistan and it is just PACKED with people (on the Indian side at least, not nearly as many people on the Pakistan side). Both countries are playing very loud music and everyone is waving flags and shouting HINDUSTAN or PAKISTAN. Then the actual ceremony starts and guards from both sides go through this elaborate series of steps and high-kicks in order to walk to the gate. Finally the flags are lowered together and then everyone shouts some more and leaves. It was just so bizarre because it was like a nationalistic athletic competition between the two nations. It was really a spectacle. Here's a video of the India side before the ceremony started:
So tired and getting up early, so to be continued!
नमसतॆ
So I just wanted to reflect on Amritsar a little bit before Shimla pushes it out of my memory. The Golden Temple was one of the most stunning historical sites that I have ever been to. Not only was it impressive because of it's architectural beauty, but it was also such a haven of peace in the midst of such a crowded city. I felt so contented and calm, especially when we visited at night. It is still crowded, but I think it is a quieter sort of crowded, as it is very much in use as a place of religious worship for Sikhs. When we visited at night, I actually sat and sort of meditated for a little bit because it was so nice. I felt very complete there. I think part of the good feeling came from the fact that there is a large pool of water in the middle of the entire complex. The actual temple is in the center of the water, which is surrounded by pillared halls that are completely white.
Anyways, I've known for awhile that I'm a water baby and that I feel most at home in and next to large bodies of water (preferably oceans or lakes), but every time that I go away from water and then come back to it again it fully hits me how much better I feel with water. We are pretty landlocked here, so even just this sort of holy lake really re-awakened me to my need of water.
Another cool thing about the temple is the kitchen. The temple complex is always open, 24/7, including a giant kitchen and dining area which can fit something like 6,000 people. All of the people who work in the kitchen are just people (mostly if not all Sikhs) who are volunteering there. It was really amazing to see this mass production of food, made and given for free. I mean, what a great thing to do.
Amritsar is right on the border of India and Pakistan, and is actually one of the only safe crossing zones into Pakistan. So while we were there we went to this flag lowering ceremony at the border, aka I saw Pakistan. Apparently in around 2007 Pakistan and India decided that they were going to try to be at least civil to one another officially, so this ceremony was established in which the border crossing guards of both nations lower their flags simultaneously and shake hands at sunset. The part which came as a surprise to me was that its sort of like an Indian 4th of July celebration. Literally people sell popcorn and little plastic Indian flags and flag-colored armbands right before the border. You get to this gate through which you can see Pakistan and it is just PACKED with people (on the Indian side at least, not nearly as many people on the Pakistan side). Both countries are playing very loud music and everyone is waving flags and shouting HINDUSTAN or PAKISTAN. Then the actual ceremony starts and guards from both sides go through this elaborate series of steps and high-kicks in order to walk to the gate. Finally the flags are lowered together and then everyone shouts some more and leaves. It was just so bizarre because it was like a nationalistic athletic competition between the two nations. It was really a spectacle. Here's a video of the India side before the ceremony started:
So tired and getting up early, so to be continued!
नमसतॆ
Monday, September 19, 2011
Amritsar #1
So I meant to write a long blog post today, but it's already 11:30 so I'm gonna just give a quick snapshot here of things I need to remind myself to write about later. So I guess this is more for me than everyone else but whatever...
1. The word snap/ taking snaps
2. Khalsa College
3. Trains/train food/jumpin mangoes
4. Bhangra
5. Border Crossing Ceremony/Pakistan/crowds/nationalism/flags
6. Golden Temple @ night/day/atmosphere/giant kitchens
7. Water
8. Sikhism
9. Kids
10. Feet/shoes
11. Chilis/eggplant/more kitchens
12. Cab driver
13. Clothing/consumerism/collections
14. Pictures
15. Knees
Okay well hopefully this will get written at some point...Lots of love to everyone! I had a fantastic weekend in Amritsar and saw Pakistan and didn't feel the earthquake that struck NE India, so all is well :D
1. The word snap/ taking snaps
2. Khalsa College
3. Trains/train food/jumpin mangoes
4. Bhangra
5. Border Crossing Ceremony/Pakistan/crowds/nationalism/flags
6. Golden Temple @ night/day/atmosphere/giant kitchens
7. Water
8. Sikhism
9. Kids
10. Feet/shoes
11. Chilis/eggplant/more kitchens
12. Cab driver
13. Clothing/consumerism/collections
14. Pictures
15. Knees
Okay well hopefully this will get written at some point...Lots of love to everyone! I had a fantastic weekend in Amritsar and saw Pakistan and didn't feel the earthquake that struck NE India, so all is well :D
Friday, September 16, 2011
Crazy Times
So this is for everyone who I have utterly failed to keep in touch with--I am so so sorry I haven't responded to emails recently because things have been so crazy all the time with classes and field trips and transportation and homestay and sleep (which I won't be getting very much of tonight), but we have a surprise day off on Monday, so hopefully I will get to catch up on communication and homework and Hindi then!
Updates:
Headed to Amritsar tomorrow bright and early! Have to wake up in less than five hours...
We are going to see the Golden Temple, which is supposed to be very beautiful! It's a very important site for Sikhs in Punjab (close to Pakistan actually I think). So at least I will be able to catch some z's on the five hour train ride.
Headed to Shimla next weekend, aka old summer capital of of the British raj! Really REALLY excited to get out of Delhi for a little, especially the heat. We're looking at weathers in the low 70s and Himalayan foothills. THIS IS A BIG DEAL PEOPLE. There are 7 of us going, so it should be a good time and relaxing hopefully! Lonely Planet was helpful for planning.
Decided on a general topic for my independent study project (which I will be doing all of November!)! Even more exciting! I will be researching the work and writings of the Hungarian-Indian artist Amrita Sher-Gil, known as the Frida Kahlo of India! She was a pioneer of modernism in Indian art and painted beautifully sad Indian villagers in Shimla (!!!) and South India. She unfortunately died at the age of 29 of an undiagnosed illness, making her even more interesting. I think I'm strangely drawn to tragedy. I could potentially also be doing a painting component to my ISP as well, but not sure yet. So in November I will probably travel to Shimla again or the South! Both sound like good options to me and I'm just really excited because she seems to have had a unique outlook on the world and her place in it, and was able to express herself effectively through her art. I'd recommend people google her if they are interested!
On a side note, eggplant is slowly becoming my favorite food. Actually it's very quickly becoming my favorite food. I just can't get enough of it here!
Also, forgot to mention in my last post that we use firecrackers to deter the monkeys from the program center roof. We discovered this one day when we were eating lunch on the roof and there was a monkey that was getting a little too close for comfort, and this deafening (literally--could not hear out of one ear for a couple of minutes) noise went off. Pretty sure most people thought it was a bomb. The chef keeps a big stock of them though. Can't get enough of the monkeyz.
We heard a beautiful Indian Classical music concert last night. It was a troup of 6 musicians, and 5/6 played tabla, which is a type of Indian drum (Suchi, is this what you played? If so, you've been holding out on me). It was incredible. First the lead drummer and the sirangi player did a song together, which was very beautiful but in more of a quiet way. I think a lot of us were listening peacefully with our eyes closed, but then the second song started and all five drummers began playing in unison all at once with the most powerful sound, and it was impossible to keep your eyes closed. Watching them play is more like watching a dance than watching simply an instrumental performance. They used their whole bodies to play their instruments, and their fingers moved faster than I've ever seen anyone's fingers move. They also showed so much joy while they played, with huge smiles, sometimes unable to contain how pleased they were and emitting cries of approval. Their music was very clearly their passion and they were a privilege to watch and listen to.
Here's an example of tabla, but the players are not as vivacious in this, but gives a good example of how fast they play. Also, every note on a tabla has a vocalized sound that goes with it, so tabla players literally have their own language that they can communicate in (equally as quickly!), which is almost more impressive than the music itself. I will try to find a good example later.
Gotta try and get at least 4 hours of sleep. So much love.
Updates:
Headed to Amritsar tomorrow bright and early! Have to wake up in less than five hours...
We are going to see the Golden Temple, which is supposed to be very beautiful! It's a very important site for Sikhs in Punjab (close to Pakistan actually I think). So at least I will be able to catch some z's on the five hour train ride.
Headed to Shimla next weekend, aka old summer capital of of the British raj! Really REALLY excited to get out of Delhi for a little, especially the heat. We're looking at weathers in the low 70s and Himalayan foothills. THIS IS A BIG DEAL PEOPLE. There are 7 of us going, so it should be a good time and relaxing hopefully! Lonely Planet was helpful for planning.
Decided on a general topic for my independent study project (which I will be doing all of November!)! Even more exciting! I will be researching the work and writings of the Hungarian-Indian artist Amrita Sher-Gil, known as the Frida Kahlo of India! She was a pioneer of modernism in Indian art and painted beautifully sad Indian villagers in Shimla (!!!) and South India. She unfortunately died at the age of 29 of an undiagnosed illness, making her even more interesting. I think I'm strangely drawn to tragedy. I could potentially also be doing a painting component to my ISP as well, but not sure yet. So in November I will probably travel to Shimla again or the South! Both sound like good options to me and I'm just really excited because she seems to have had a unique outlook on the world and her place in it, and was able to express herself effectively through her art. I'd recommend people google her if they are interested!
On a side note, eggplant is slowly becoming my favorite food. Actually it's very quickly becoming my favorite food. I just can't get enough of it here!
Also, forgot to mention in my last post that we use firecrackers to deter the monkeys from the program center roof. We discovered this one day when we were eating lunch on the roof and there was a monkey that was getting a little too close for comfort, and this deafening (literally--could not hear out of one ear for a couple of minutes) noise went off. Pretty sure most people thought it was a bomb. The chef keeps a big stock of them though. Can't get enough of the monkeyz.
We heard a beautiful Indian Classical music concert last night. It was a troup of 6 musicians, and 5/6 played tabla, which is a type of Indian drum (Suchi, is this what you played? If so, you've been holding out on me). It was incredible. First the lead drummer and the sirangi player did a song together, which was very beautiful but in more of a quiet way. I think a lot of us were listening peacefully with our eyes closed, but then the second song started and all five drummers began playing in unison all at once with the most powerful sound, and it was impossible to keep your eyes closed. Watching them play is more like watching a dance than watching simply an instrumental performance. They used their whole bodies to play their instruments, and their fingers moved faster than I've ever seen anyone's fingers move. They also showed so much joy while they played, with huge smiles, sometimes unable to contain how pleased they were and emitting cries of approval. Their music was very clearly their passion and they were a privilege to watch and listen to.
Here's an example of tabla, but the players are not as vivacious in this, but gives a good example of how fast they play. Also, every note on a tabla has a vocalized sound that goes with it, so tabla players literally have their own language that they can communicate in (equally as quickly!), which is almost more impressive than the music itself. I will try to find a good example later.
Gotta try and get at least 4 hours of sleep. So much love.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Monkeys
So, as I mentioned in my last post, there are monkeys that are inhabiting the area around the SIT program center rooftop. Apparently this has been a problem for years, but only in the last two years has it gotten especially bad. So what do you do when your monkeys are too hot to handle? Why, you hire a BIGGER monkey of course!! Yes folks, SIT is hiring a man and his monkey to come chill on the roof so the monkey can beat his chest and hoot his claim to his territory. Apparently this is a fairly common (and cushy) job for a man and a monkey. They just hang around for a couple of months to ward off the other monkeys and get fed and paid pretty well. So soon I will get to actually meet a monkey, or rather, I will be formally introduced to one.
I told this to Sunita-ji and she proceeded to tell us how naughty monkeys (bandar) are. In the district she used to live in, there used to be a gang of about 20 of them that would terrorize the neighborhood, breaking into homes and raiding the fridge, throwing eggs and tomatoes all over the house and eating all of the sweets.
Oh what different lives we lead.
I told this to Sunita-ji and she proceeded to tell us how naughty monkeys (bandar) are. In the district she used to live in, there used to be a gang of about 20 of them that would terrorize the neighborhood, breaking into homes and raiding the fridge, throwing eggs and tomatoes all over the house and eating all of the sweets.
Oh what different lives we lead.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Madam, let us do it in the back.
Okay first week in India officially over! Sooo much has happened already, but I'm always so busy that it's hard to find the time to sit down and write a blog post!
Probably the most important thing this week was that I started my homestay on Sunday! I am living with a very sweet Indian woman named Sunita, but as a term of respect I call her Sunita-ji. She is a widow, but has one son who is 28 years old and actually lives in D.C.! I'm not entirely sure what he does, but I think he is a software engineer? Definitely something to do with software. Anyways, her English is very good and she is incredibly sweet. She is sort of quiet right now, but everyday I think we all (there is another girl on my program also staying with her) open up a little bit more. I was sort of expecting a loud and large Indian family, so it's definitely a different experience, but I think it's actually sort of nice to have a little bit of quiet in such a wild city. To talk about the city a little bit, it's CRAZY! I am having trouble finding the words to describe it. Delhi is sort of similar to the larger cities in China, like Shanghai or Tianjin, in that there is definitely a huge discrepancy between the modern and the traditional/the middle and lower classes, but the contrast is even more extreme. It is truly a city of opposites. Even just in my immediate neighborhood, there are dirt roads with huge slabs of brick and rock in them (making it impossible to traverse them by vehicle at a speed greater than 5 miles per hour) connected to very busy paved highways. I live in a middle-class gated community, but there is a slum literally a block and a half down the road. There are people walking around in formal business attire and people wearing traditional Indian clothing of varied quality. It's really very interesting. I was talking with one of the program faculty, Guy-ji, about modernization in India, and he said that just ten years ago there were barely any cars on ANY of the roads, and now it can take 1.5 hours to get to my house from the program center during rush hour (especially if it's monsoon-ing) when it should only take 15-20 minutes. Guy-ji said that India is developing so quickly that the government just can't keep up. He said this applies mostly to Delhi though, and probably Mumbai, and that once you leave the major cities the rest of India is just as it used to be. China is definitely much more modernized.
More about the city: the animals! There are TONS of dogs wandering around everywhere. I'm actually very glad that I made the choice to get the rabies vaccine. Actually all of the dogs have been very tame and calm and not at all aggressive, but just the shear number of them is intimidating. I have to consciously try to not walk into them. It's quite sad since there are so many of them without homes, but most of them actually do not look overly malnourished, just dirty, so that's good I guess? And some people do have them as pets. I've seen a number of people out walking their dogs. Okay so that was the dog section, but there are also cows, monkeys, birds, and dragonflies! And normal flies. And mosquitoes. I haven't seen too many monkeys, but today there were three by the program center roof, and one of them had a baby!!! So cute. Apparently you are not supposed to look a monkey in the eye because they are mischievous and will attack you, but it's very difficult not to stare back when the monkey is staring at you, sort of like how it's hard not to stare back when the people here stare...Also there are swarms of dragonflies and flocks of hawks everywhere. Yes, hawks. Strange. I have at least three mosquito bites to date despite my religious application of toxic deet (which is probably worse for me than malaria, Dengue, and Chikungunya combined. Chikungunya, for those of you who don't know, is a disease that just recently came over from East Africa and apparently the symptoms are a fun combination of malaria and Dengue!). Here's to hoping those malaria meds stay strong! The flies are also very annoying, and the ants are huge! No giant cockroaches yet though, looking forward to my first encounter with them.
So back to the homestay. I live with Sunita-ji and Natalie, and we live in a two-story house (which is not true of all the students on the program) with beautiful white marble floors (which is apparently in everyone's house, even those staying in two-room houses--maybe because marble is cool? and also white is easy to spot the dirt?). Downstairs there is a living room, a dining room, and a kitchen which are all connected, and then there is a door to a bedroom and a bathroom, which I think maybe used to be the son's room. Natalie and I are in a room upstairs with two twin beds, a desk, and a door to a balcony, which has a screen so we get some fresh air at night. There is no air conditioning, but we have a nice ceiling fan, and except for my first night here the sleeping temperature has not been too bad. It has been raining a lot, which apparently does not always happen this late, so it's actually cooler than normal I think, though incredibly humid! Haven't done laundry yet because I want to make sure my clothes will actually be able to dry! Luckily I've purchased a few Indian kurta (I feel like I blend in more..probably false but maybe at least people appreciate that I'm trying? It's much easier to get a rickshaw when wearing a kurta) so I can last a few more days.
Probably the most important things to mention about Sunita are that she paints and (more importantly) is an EXCELLENT cook. Amazing. Not that I have eaten anything here that I don't like (though my stomach does not always like things), but her food is really impeccable. We usually have two dishes each night between the three of us and then chapati. She makes everything herself, including the chapati, which are actually surprisingly easy to make--will definitely bring these home. They are just water and wheat flour! She is Hindu and veg, so we've had delicious baingan bartha (Punjabi style eggplant), aloo gobi (potato and cauliflower), daal, paneer, and paratha, amoung other things whose names I cannot remember. Unfortunately I'm so distracted by the food that I consistently forget to take pictures of it, but I have all of September and October to remember! Sunita-ji has also promised to teach me how to make things, and I hover around her in the kitchen watching her make things, so I will be bringing home many recipes. I also signed up for cooking as my practical study, so I will have 7 cooking classes to look forward to! Sunita-ji has this beautiful tray with little bowls full of brightly colored spices, which I also need to remember to take a picture of and learn the names of the spices. The food here never disappoints.
So I've already written so much, but there's still so much more ah! We went to a Bollywood film called Bodyguard on Tuesday. It was completely ridiculous, as expected. A wealthy girl's parents are worried that she will be kidnapped while at school and sold into prostitution in Thailand (??) so they hire a bodyguard for her who has an overweight sidekick who wears great shirts like, "I'm in shape, round is a shape too" and "Six pack coming soon." The girl is annoyed about having a bodyguard follow her around so she of course decides to call his cell phone and pretend to be a secret admirer, because that's what people usually do. Then she ends up falling in love with him but for unclear reasons she can't tell him. They encounter the bad guys and almost die, but then he runs to the train station. Her best friend runs after him and pretends she was the one calling him, and they get married and have a child. Five years later the best friend kills herself because she is depressed about what she did, and leaves a notebook for the child explaining things. Then Bodyguard and the kid return to wherever the main girl is and it's magically okay that Bodyguard's wife died and he loves the original girl and it's a happy ending. Quality film with some quality singing, dancing, and jokes.
I RODE MY FIRST RICKSHAW. And many since. IT IS CRAZY. like you are in this tiny, three-wheeled vehicle made basically of thin sheet metal with no windows or doors and you go along on Delhi roads (which are full of potholes and bricks and mammoth puddles during monsoon) at around 40-50 mph, weaving between buses, cars, motorcycles, cows, dogs, pedestrians, and other rickshaws with lots of honking. There basically are no traffic rules. People will usually stop for lights on main roads, but many roads have no names (including heavily traveled ones). The lanes are not really even guidelines for where you should be so much as what you should attempt to remain somewhat parallel to. It's rare to see any sort of vehicle that actually drives in a lane. So it's a pretty exciting commute to and from school. Actually it's very exhilarating (and can be nice to have the wind blowing over you as you relinquish all traffic-related fears). I haven't remembered to snap a pic yet, so here is what a rickshaw looks like. You always have to bargain with the drivers to get the price it really costs to get to where you want to go, since all the meters in Delhi are broken or rigged.
We started real classes on Wednesday, and we already have so much work! But the subjects are interesting, and Hindi is so much fun! But lots to memorize! Still struggling to read the script. Individual letters are no problem, the hard part is stringing them together to actually read the words...
On Wednesday there was a bombing on the steps of the Supreme Court, which is very sad news. I think the official count that I last heard was 9 killed, 42 injured, but that might have increased by now. Our professors have asked us to lay low this weekend with the upcoming 10th anniversary of 9/11. On Wednesday night there was a 4.2 earthquake about 100 km from where we are in Delhi, so I felt that right when I was going to sleep! I actually wasn't sure what it was since I wasn't aware that there are earthquakes in Delhi, but apparently they come every 2-3 years, though I don't think they are very big. It was startling, as we are on the 2nd floor and everything was shaking fairly violently! Afterwards all of the birds outside started chirping loudly, not common at 11:30 PM.
Well this is incredibly long. I know there was more I wanted to say but I think I'm too tired right now! Oh, I signed up for yoga (which happens to be with a teacher who's fairly famous in India?) which we've had the past two mornings at 7 and it has been great. It's nice to have something that's sort of familiar in a strange place. I'm also starting to love my group and feel like I'm getting to know them all a lot better. I finally got my Indian phone to work, so more exciting things will hopefully happen soon! Also, we have a travel weekend coming up soon and a group of us are hoping to head to the hill station Nainital in the Himalayan foothills, famous for its beautiful lake. We have to check out train tickets, but hopefully it will work! If not, we might head for Shimla.
I will try to post again soon, lots of love to all!
Mujhe Hindustaan pasand hai (not sure if this is right)
Clare
Probably the most important thing this week was that I started my homestay on Sunday! I am living with a very sweet Indian woman named Sunita, but as a term of respect I call her Sunita-ji. She is a widow, but has one son who is 28 years old and actually lives in D.C.! I'm not entirely sure what he does, but I think he is a software engineer? Definitely something to do with software. Anyways, her English is very good and she is incredibly sweet. She is sort of quiet right now, but everyday I think we all (there is another girl on my program also staying with her) open up a little bit more. I was sort of expecting a loud and large Indian family, so it's definitely a different experience, but I think it's actually sort of nice to have a little bit of quiet in such a wild city. To talk about the city a little bit, it's CRAZY! I am having trouble finding the words to describe it. Delhi is sort of similar to the larger cities in China, like Shanghai or Tianjin, in that there is definitely a huge discrepancy between the modern and the traditional/the middle and lower classes, but the contrast is even more extreme. It is truly a city of opposites. Even just in my immediate neighborhood, there are dirt roads with huge slabs of brick and rock in them (making it impossible to traverse them by vehicle at a speed greater than 5 miles per hour) connected to very busy paved highways. I live in a middle-class gated community, but there is a slum literally a block and a half down the road. There are people walking around in formal business attire and people wearing traditional Indian clothing of varied quality. It's really very interesting. I was talking with one of the program faculty, Guy-ji, about modernization in India, and he said that just ten years ago there were barely any cars on ANY of the roads, and now it can take 1.5 hours to get to my house from the program center during rush hour (especially if it's monsoon-ing) when it should only take 15-20 minutes. Guy-ji said that India is developing so quickly that the government just can't keep up. He said this applies mostly to Delhi though, and probably Mumbai, and that once you leave the major cities the rest of India is just as it used to be. China is definitely much more modernized.
More about the city: the animals! There are TONS of dogs wandering around everywhere. I'm actually very glad that I made the choice to get the rabies vaccine. Actually all of the dogs have been very tame and calm and not at all aggressive, but just the shear number of them is intimidating. I have to consciously try to not walk into them. It's quite sad since there are so many of them without homes, but most of them actually do not look overly malnourished, just dirty, so that's good I guess? And some people do have them as pets. I've seen a number of people out walking their dogs. Okay so that was the dog section, but there are also cows, monkeys, birds, and dragonflies! And normal flies. And mosquitoes. I haven't seen too many monkeys, but today there were three by the program center roof, and one of them had a baby!!! So cute. Apparently you are not supposed to look a monkey in the eye because they are mischievous and will attack you, but it's very difficult not to stare back when the monkey is staring at you, sort of like how it's hard not to stare back when the people here stare...Also there are swarms of dragonflies and flocks of hawks everywhere. Yes, hawks. Strange. I have at least three mosquito bites to date despite my religious application of toxic deet (which is probably worse for me than malaria, Dengue, and Chikungunya combined. Chikungunya, for those of you who don't know, is a disease that just recently came over from East Africa and apparently the symptoms are a fun combination of malaria and Dengue!). Here's to hoping those malaria meds stay strong! The flies are also very annoying, and the ants are huge! No giant cockroaches yet though, looking forward to my first encounter with them.
So back to the homestay. I live with Sunita-ji and Natalie, and we live in a two-story house (which is not true of all the students on the program) with beautiful white marble floors (which is apparently in everyone's house, even those staying in two-room houses--maybe because marble is cool? and also white is easy to spot the dirt?). Downstairs there is a living room, a dining room, and a kitchen which are all connected, and then there is a door to a bedroom and a bathroom, which I think maybe used to be the son's room. Natalie and I are in a room upstairs with two twin beds, a desk, and a door to a balcony, which has a screen so we get some fresh air at night. There is no air conditioning, but we have a nice ceiling fan, and except for my first night here the sleeping temperature has not been too bad. It has been raining a lot, which apparently does not always happen this late, so it's actually cooler than normal I think, though incredibly humid! Haven't done laundry yet because I want to make sure my clothes will actually be able to dry! Luckily I've purchased a few Indian kurta (I feel like I blend in more..probably false but maybe at least people appreciate that I'm trying? It's much easier to get a rickshaw when wearing a kurta) so I can last a few more days.
Probably the most important things to mention about Sunita are that she paints and (more importantly) is an EXCELLENT cook. Amazing. Not that I have eaten anything here that I don't like (though my stomach does not always like things), but her food is really impeccable. We usually have two dishes each night between the three of us and then chapati. She makes everything herself, including the chapati, which are actually surprisingly easy to make--will definitely bring these home. They are just water and wheat flour! She is Hindu and veg, so we've had delicious baingan bartha (Punjabi style eggplant), aloo gobi (potato and cauliflower), daal, paneer, and paratha, amoung other things whose names I cannot remember. Unfortunately I'm so distracted by the food that I consistently forget to take pictures of it, but I have all of September and October to remember! Sunita-ji has also promised to teach me how to make things, and I hover around her in the kitchen watching her make things, so I will be bringing home many recipes. I also signed up for cooking as my practical study, so I will have 7 cooking classes to look forward to! Sunita-ji has this beautiful tray with little bowls full of brightly colored spices, which I also need to remember to take a picture of and learn the names of the spices. The food here never disappoints.
So I've already written so much, but there's still so much more ah! We went to a Bollywood film called Bodyguard on Tuesday. It was completely ridiculous, as expected. A wealthy girl's parents are worried that she will be kidnapped while at school and sold into prostitution in Thailand (??) so they hire a bodyguard for her who has an overweight sidekick who wears great shirts like, "I'm in shape, round is a shape too" and "Six pack coming soon." The girl is annoyed about having a bodyguard follow her around so she of course decides to call his cell phone and pretend to be a secret admirer, because that's what people usually do. Then she ends up falling in love with him but for unclear reasons she can't tell him. They encounter the bad guys and almost die, but then he runs to the train station. Her best friend runs after him and pretends she was the one calling him, and they get married and have a child. Five years later the best friend kills herself because she is depressed about what she did, and leaves a notebook for the child explaining things. Then Bodyguard and the kid return to wherever the main girl is and it's magically okay that Bodyguard's wife died and he loves the original girl and it's a happy ending. Quality film with some quality singing, dancing, and jokes.
I RODE MY FIRST RICKSHAW. And many since. IT IS CRAZY. like you are in this tiny, three-wheeled vehicle made basically of thin sheet metal with no windows or doors and you go along on Delhi roads (which are full of potholes and bricks and mammoth puddles during monsoon) at around 40-50 mph, weaving between buses, cars, motorcycles, cows, dogs, pedestrians, and other rickshaws with lots of honking. There basically are no traffic rules. People will usually stop for lights on main roads, but many roads have no names (including heavily traveled ones). The lanes are not really even guidelines for where you should be so much as what you should attempt to remain somewhat parallel to. It's rare to see any sort of vehicle that actually drives in a lane. So it's a pretty exciting commute to and from school. Actually it's very exhilarating (and can be nice to have the wind blowing over you as you relinquish all traffic-related fears). I haven't remembered to snap a pic yet, so here is what a rickshaw looks like. You always have to bargain with the drivers to get the price it really costs to get to where you want to go, since all the meters in Delhi are broken or rigged.
We started real classes on Wednesday, and we already have so much work! But the subjects are interesting, and Hindi is so much fun! But lots to memorize! Still struggling to read the script. Individual letters are no problem, the hard part is stringing them together to actually read the words...
On Wednesday there was a bombing on the steps of the Supreme Court, which is very sad news. I think the official count that I last heard was 9 killed, 42 injured, but that might have increased by now. Our professors have asked us to lay low this weekend with the upcoming 10th anniversary of 9/11. On Wednesday night there was a 4.2 earthquake about 100 km from where we are in Delhi, so I felt that right when I was going to sleep! I actually wasn't sure what it was since I wasn't aware that there are earthquakes in Delhi, but apparently they come every 2-3 years, though I don't think they are very big. It was startling, as we are on the 2nd floor and everything was shaking fairly violently! Afterwards all of the birds outside started chirping loudly, not common at 11:30 PM.
Well this is incredibly long. I know there was more I wanted to say but I think I'm too tired right now! Oh, I signed up for yoga (which happens to be with a teacher who's fairly famous in India?) which we've had the past two mornings at 7 and it has been great. It's nice to have something that's sort of familiar in a strange place. I'm also starting to love my group and feel like I'm getting to know them all a lot better. I finally got my Indian phone to work, so more exciting things will hopefully happen soon! Also, we have a travel weekend coming up soon and a group of us are hoping to head to the hill station Nainital in the Himalayan foothills, famous for its beautiful lake. We have to check out train tickets, but hopefully it will work! If not, we might head for Shimla.
I will try to post again soon, lots of love to all!
Mujhe Hindustaan pasand hai (not sure if this is right)
Clare
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Jetlag
Okay so I've really only been in Delhi for two full days so far, but I feel like I've been here for so long already! It's so weird. Everything is still very surreal. So I'm too lazy to write out a full blog post but there are some interesting things that I want to note.
Two days ago we went to Humayun's Tomb, which was the tomb built by the great Mughal Emperor Akbar (literally meaning "great") for his father Humayun. It's important because Humayun had actually lost the Mughal empire in India and had just won it back before his death when Akbar took over, so the tomb was meant to indicate to the Indian rulers that the Mughals were there to stay this time. It was very beautiful with deep blue skies while we were there but also incredibly hot! I think that though northern India at this time is around DC summer temperatures numbers-wise, it is actually much hotter since the humidity is very high all the time and it does NOT cool off at night. And I think the sun is hotter here right now. I mean, we are closer to the equator. So here is a picture of Humayun's temple:
So that was pretty sweet but by the end of walking around we had all finished our waters and were swimming in sweat (yum) and then road back with 9 of us stuffed into this van which claimed to have AC but it didn't really work but the driver refused to let us open the windows. Here's the back seat which is really meant to seat two:
There is actually another person sitting next to Dylan there on the right, but I was too close in proximity to get that in there. So we're all pretty tight now I would say.
We've had our Devanagari script exam and apparently we all got 100s so that's a good sign, though I don't think we actually all got everything right...but our teachers all seem really amazing and are very impressive people on paper so it should be a good semester. Also, the food at the program center is amazing, and they actually serve us salads and raw fruits and veggies that are safe to eat which is incredibly exciting! And the chai is the best I've ever had, and probably will ever have. Don't think it could get any better. Actually all the food I've had here has been really good. All the faculty and students went out to dinner at a nicer restaurant last night, and the food was superb. I remembered to take a picture at the last minute, so they had already taken away some dishes but here we go:
The big pot (it's huge and could serve like 6 people but we were sharing it between two of us...mistake...) is Murgh Makhani, so chicken in a creamy tomato-based sauce with incredible spices. Then there is garlic naan which was also the best I've had, tandoori paneer, and there also used to be stuffed tandoori mushrooms but they took them away right before I snapped the photo. Also, the hands on the left are being dipped in warm rose water to clean and sweeten them! Trying to perfect my eating-with-hands skills. Also had the best mango lassi I've ever had, it actually had a tartness to it and wasn't ridiculously sweet or heavy like most of them in the US. Okay well gotta pack for my homestay! I just realized that the title of this post is jetlag and I didn't say anything about it, so let me just say it's been rough, especially yesterday, but today I managed to sleep until 5AM HOORAY so I'm pretty pleased with that.
Lots and lots of love to all,
Namaste
Clare
Two days ago we went to Humayun's Tomb, which was the tomb built by the great Mughal Emperor Akbar (literally meaning "great") for his father Humayun. It's important because Humayun had actually lost the Mughal empire in India and had just won it back before his death when Akbar took over, so the tomb was meant to indicate to the Indian rulers that the Mughals were there to stay this time. It was very beautiful with deep blue skies while we were there but also incredibly hot! I think that though northern India at this time is around DC summer temperatures numbers-wise, it is actually much hotter since the humidity is very high all the time and it does NOT cool off at night. And I think the sun is hotter here right now. I mean, we are closer to the equator. So here is a picture of Humayun's temple:
We've had our Devanagari script exam and apparently we all got 100s so that's a good sign, though I don't think we actually all got everything right...but our teachers all seem really amazing and are very impressive people on paper so it should be a good semester. Also, the food at the program center is amazing, and they actually serve us salads and raw fruits and veggies that are safe to eat which is incredibly exciting! And the chai is the best I've ever had, and probably will ever have. Don't think it could get any better. Actually all the food I've had here has been really good. All the faculty and students went out to dinner at a nicer restaurant last night, and the food was superb. I remembered to take a picture at the last minute, so they had already taken away some dishes but here we go:
The big pot (it's huge and could serve like 6 people but we were sharing it between two of us...mistake...) is Murgh Makhani, so chicken in a creamy tomato-based sauce with incredible spices. Then there is garlic naan which was also the best I've had, tandoori paneer, and there also used to be stuffed tandoori mushrooms but they took them away right before I snapped the photo. Also, the hands on the left are being dipped in warm rose water to clean and sweeten them! Trying to perfect my eating-with-hands skills. Also had the best mango lassi I've ever had, it actually had a tartness to it and wasn't ridiculously sweet or heavy like most of them in the US. Okay well gotta pack for my homestay! I just realized that the title of this post is jetlag and I didn't say anything about it, so let me just say it's been rough, especially yesterday, but today I managed to sleep until 5AM HOORAY so I'm pretty pleased with that.
Lots and lots of love to all,
Namaste
Clare
Thursday, September 1, 2011
DELHI
I AM FINALLY IN DELHI. After 24 hours and 7000+ miles we arrived in Indira Gandhi National Airport. I flew fr/ Dulles to Newark in one of those tiny planes with three seats per row and then sat in the Newark airport for a really long time, like 5 hours. Mostly I just sat in Starbucks and tried to walk around a little. Then I went to the gate and met one of the girls in my program named Louise :D and I think we were both happy to have someone else there. I'd say predominantly the flight was Indians, but there were a few Westerners, mostly older. I was actually sitting next to this really sweet couple who live in LA, but the wife was born in and grew up in Mexico and the husband was Indian. They have two older daughters so they were very kind to me. The wife, Ofelia, asked me if my mom cried when I left and said that she still cries when her daughters leave or she leaves her mom. The husband, Jesse, kept saying he was just like me in that India was a foreign country to him because even though he grew up there, he left during college and didn't go back for ten years and now, though he goes back fairly often, he always feels behind. He kept saying that he couldn't tell me very much, but then he would go into long speeches about Indian history (when they found out I was a history major and the wife joked that he didn't know any Indian history), or about the people, or about his experiences, just to end with, "I can't give you advice, but this is what I can tell you" and then he would continue on a new topic. They are here until September 12, and they gave me their contact info for both their Indian cell and their American number. So I'm really happy that they were so friendly! And I thought it was really cool that English was the second/third language for both of them but they were married and so in love.
So Louise and I got to the airport and were really overwhelmed and then we got our bags and I changed money and there were three people waiting outside for us and they didn't really speak English so it was pretty intense and we went out into the street to wait for our car that was being sent for us (except for we didn't really know what was going on) and then we got in this random car! But first, let me just say that I LOVE the smell. I mean I'm sure there are tons of bad smells, but the smell at the airport was just so rich and spicy and smokey and golden. So we got in the van and drove through the streets for about 30-40 minutes (with no idea where we were going btw, we got these orientation packets in a little canvas bag along with half a cheese sandwich and an apple and a banana, and the calender says that homestays were supposed to start today, so we didn't know whether we would be going straight there or to the Ashram). On the streets there were a lot of people walking around under the trees that line the sidewalks. Most of them were males. I did see a few groups of women, but not many. All of the women were in traditional Indian dress. There were also tons of dogs, some on leashes and some not. So we got to the Ashram and checked in and there is one other girl, Kerrie, here right now because her original flight was canceled too so she just got here yesterday night. She was really helpful and explained everything that was going on to us! We and people who haven't arrived yet are staying in the Ashram until Sunday. Everyone else is at their homestays. We are continuing orientation tomorrow and I think going to Humayun's Tomb! So excited! Going to shower and probs go to sleep pretty soon, so peace out! Love!
Namaskar
So Louise and I got to the airport and were really overwhelmed and then we got our bags and I changed money and there were three people waiting outside for us and they didn't really speak English so it was pretty intense and we went out into the street to wait for our car that was being sent for us (except for we didn't really know what was going on) and then we got in this random car! But first, let me just say that I LOVE the smell. I mean I'm sure there are tons of bad smells, but the smell at the airport was just so rich and spicy and smokey and golden. So we got in the van and drove through the streets for about 30-40 minutes (with no idea where we were going btw, we got these orientation packets in a little canvas bag along with half a cheese sandwich and an apple and a banana, and the calender says that homestays were supposed to start today, so we didn't know whether we would be going straight there or to the Ashram). On the streets there were a lot of people walking around under the trees that line the sidewalks. Most of them were males. I did see a few groups of women, but not many. All of the women were in traditional Indian dress. There were also tons of dogs, some on leashes and some not. So we got to the Ashram and checked in and there is one other girl, Kerrie, here right now because her original flight was canceled too so she just got here yesterday night. She was really helpful and explained everything that was going on to us! We and people who haven't arrived yet are staying in the Ashram until Sunday. Everyone else is at their homestays. We are continuing orientation tomorrow and I think going to Humayun's Tomb! So excited! Going to shower and probs go to sleep pretty soon, so peace out! Love!
Namaskar
Sunday, August 28, 2011
just repeat old fables until they feel brand new
Junip -- Off Point
Junip's pretty sweet, José González is the lead.
Junip's pretty sweet, José González is the lead.
Friday, August 26, 2011
IRENE
So this is fun, I was just at the beach for a couple of days and we came back yesterday night to a house that looked like it had been ransacked due to the 5.8 earthquake that everyone was talking about in Mineral, VA. An entire shelf in my room had basically fallen down with everything flung all over the stuff that I had set aside to pack. Also, all of the medications in our mirror cabinet in the bathroom had fallen into the sink. I'll post a pic it was pretty funny. But also very disconcerting. I'm glad I was in Delaware. And now my flight to India on Sunday is canceled because of Hurricane Irene and it looks like there isn't another flight available until NEXT Sunday which is crazy and it's impossible to change flights right now because everyone is trying to and I'm just not really sure when I will actually get to India/if I will make it to any part of orientation. But I guess the bright side is I have more time to relax/prepare? Trying to finish up my essays tonight in case we lose power tomorrow! Stay safe buds.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Life just passing, flash right through me
So I'm heading off to India in approximately one week, and at this point I'm oscillating between being pumped with adrenaline and incredibly excited and then being pretty terrified to leave. I feel like the past week has just flown by at rocket speed, and I'm sure this next week will pass equally quickly. I still have so much to do (packing, writing essays, finishing memorizing the alphabet, last minute errands...), so what do I do? Bake cookies. GOOD. Also, I seem to be getting sick in anticipation of leaving (similar to before I went to China), making it more difficult to motivate myself to accomplish things. I think I've had five large cups of green tea today and multiple glasses of orange juice. Trying to overdose on the antioxidants and vitamin C.
All I can say is that it's a good thing I wasn't planning on bringing many clothes because I realized I have so many other things I need to bring. I just always forget how much stuff is required for four months in a foreign country. I have at least three different methods of water purification, including a miniature water boiler, iodine tablets, and a steripen, plus a backpack of medications, bugspray, and hand sanitizer. Debating whether to bring a mosquito net. One day I would like to be able to travel in a faraway place with only a backpack. There are also sooo many books I'm supposed to bring! I broke down and bought a kindle even though I really don't like the idea of reading from a screen. There's something about having an actual book and being able to feel the pages and touch the writing--screens seem so impersonal and less concrete to me. But this way I don't have to lug around a lonely planet guide and will probably be able to buy some of my required reading on it (and I won't feel guilty about bringing books to read for fun...).
Also, before I leave I need to take photographs of all of my artwork (at least the stuff I have at home which unfortunately is not everything) and put them on a flash drive in case I decide to do an ISP working with an Indian artist (which would be awesome). Currently trying to create a playlist for the 14-hour plane ride so my music ADD doesn't kill my ipod before I get there. Suggestions appreciated.
I just decided I really don't like sneezing.
There was some CRAZY hail yesterday. It was pouring rain (I should probably get used to it..) while I was driving and then I got inside and hail the size of marbles started pouring down along with the rain for a good 20 minutes! So glad I wasn't driving, but it was really intense and cool to watch/hear. I'm actually happy it's been raining a little because I love summer thunderstorms and we haven't really had a whole lot of rain this summer. A couple of weeks ago we had a short downpour, and I had just gotten back from the pool so I was still in my swimsuit and I just went outside and stood in the rain--a natural outdoor shower! It was great. Sometimes I'm just in awe of how much power rain has.
We dropped Kula off at my grandma's house in Leesburg the other day since we are planning on getting to the beach for a couple of days this week. I kept imagining that I heard her panting during the thunderstorm today! I'm going to miss her so much in India. I notice a big difference in my level of happiness when I don't have a dog around. I already miss her so much when I'm at school, and I'll be away for a month longer than usual, so this will be hard. Also, I've heard that there are a lot of stray dogs in India and I think that will be difficult for me to see.
Visited VZ in Berkeley this past weekend and we went to Outside Lands music festival! It was amazing. We listened to so much music and spent so much time outside. Everyone we saw was great, but I particularly enjoyed Shins, Clap Your Hands, STRFKR and Arcade Fire. But seriously everything was so good. Got goosebumps during new slang. I'm just really glad I got to see my seeeeester before leaving the country.
Time for more tea and essays yay.
All I can say is that it's a good thing I wasn't planning on bringing many clothes because I realized I have so many other things I need to bring. I just always forget how much stuff is required for four months in a foreign country. I have at least three different methods of water purification, including a miniature water boiler, iodine tablets, and a steripen, plus a backpack of medications, bugspray, and hand sanitizer. Debating whether to bring a mosquito net. One day I would like to be able to travel in a faraway place with only a backpack. There are also sooo many books I'm supposed to bring! I broke down and bought a kindle even though I really don't like the idea of reading from a screen. There's something about having an actual book and being able to feel the pages and touch the writing--screens seem so impersonal and less concrete to me. But this way I don't have to lug around a lonely planet guide and will probably be able to buy some of my required reading on it (and I won't feel guilty about bringing books to read for fun...).
Also, before I leave I need to take photographs of all of my artwork (at least the stuff I have at home which unfortunately is not everything) and put them on a flash drive in case I decide to do an ISP working with an Indian artist (which would be awesome). Currently trying to create a playlist for the 14-hour plane ride so my music ADD doesn't kill my ipod before I get there. Suggestions appreciated.
I just decided I really don't like sneezing.
There was some CRAZY hail yesterday. It was pouring rain (I should probably get used to it..) while I was driving and then I got inside and hail the size of marbles started pouring down along with the rain for a good 20 minutes! So glad I wasn't driving, but it was really intense and cool to watch/hear. I'm actually happy it's been raining a little because I love summer thunderstorms and we haven't really had a whole lot of rain this summer. A couple of weeks ago we had a short downpour, and I had just gotten back from the pool so I was still in my swimsuit and I just went outside and stood in the rain--a natural outdoor shower! It was great. Sometimes I'm just in awe of how much power rain has.
We dropped Kula off at my grandma's house in Leesburg the other day since we are planning on getting to the beach for a couple of days this week. I kept imagining that I heard her panting during the thunderstorm today! I'm going to miss her so much in India. I notice a big difference in my level of happiness when I don't have a dog around. I already miss her so much when I'm at school, and I'll be away for a month longer than usual, so this will be hard. Also, I've heard that there are a lot of stray dogs in India and I think that will be difficult for me to see.
Visited VZ in Berkeley this past weekend and we went to Outside Lands music festival! It was amazing. We listened to so much music and spent so much time outside. Everyone we saw was great, but I particularly enjoyed Shins, Clap Your Hands, STRFKR and Arcade Fire. But seriously everything was so good. Got goosebumps during new slang. I'm just really glad I got to see my seeeeester before leaving the country.
Time for more tea and essays yay.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Personas
A quote that I thought was interesting from A Passage to India:
"we exist not in ourselves, but in terms of each others' minds"
Thoughts? True/false? I think I disagree. I feel as though I have at least a small sense of myself that is unrelated to how others perceive me, though I agree that a large part of our self-identity is influenced by how we are perceived/wish to be perceived.
Anyways, the book was great. I highly recommend it.
"we exist not in ourselves, but in terms of each others' minds"
Thoughts? True/false? I think I disagree. I feel as though I have at least a small sense of myself that is unrelated to how others perceive me, though I agree that a large part of our self-identity is influenced by how we are perceived/wish to be perceived.
Anyways, the book was great. I highly recommend it.
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