See Where I am and Where I'm Going [Revised]

This is a Google earth image of Delhi. I've marked important places. My favorite place to shop is Lajpat Nagar. Khan Market is pretty upscale but has some really nice places.

 These are places I have been or will definitely go to with the program. I'll probably be in/around Nainital for my Independent Study Project, a four week period. It's in the foothills of the Himalayas.

And this is an image of the Ashram we stayed at. Pretty cool.

Travels!

 I know I’ve been so bad about posting here. We’ve been so busy. When I was in Namibia I had a lot of free time in the mornings and evenings and here it’s very different because I have schoolwork and site seeing. Hindi got really difficult after learning the syllabary. Ruby and I spend 1-2 hours on sometimes just 5-10 questions for homework. Nikita helps a lot, but understanding takes a lot of work. We have a quiz every morning and so we also have to study, on top of doing the physical written assignments. Studying…imagine that! I’m definitely picking up on the “Indian way” of teaching and classroom etiquette – very different from Walkabout and Feinstein! Quite the opposite, actually.

Last weekend I went to Agra with four other girls. We took a van with a driver who spent the whole weekend driving us around, which was great (and comparatively cheap). The first day we went to Fatipur Sikri, a mosque and palace. The mosque is made of bright white marble, carved with various designs.  The surrounding walls are red stone which look amazing at sunset. The palace is also made of red stone. Their were wild green parrots flying everywhere and the gardens and the views of the nearby towns were incredible. It was a really beautiful place.

At night we stayed at a youth hostel which only cost us $2.00. But I woke up covered in bed bug bites! Not fun. We left at 6am for the Taj Mahal so that we could be there for sunrise, when the white marble of the building looks its brightest. We were allowed 4 things: water, a camera, a cell phone, and wallet. I threw Jo Bear in my bag because none of the signs said “no bears”, but when I went through security and the officer opened my bag, she told me I couldn’t take her! She said I had to walk a kilometer back to the ticket office to check her in a cubby. The sun was rising quickly, and it would have been extremely difficult to get back, check her, walk back to the line, and stand in line again… I almost started to cry! Another officer took her and kept saying I had to go back. But then he asked someone else and this officer said I could put her in my bag, but if I was caught taking her out or taking a picture of her she’d be taken away and I’d be thrown out. It was probably the scariest/most awful situation I’ve encountered yet…

We had a guide and he took us around and explained everything. The Taj took 22 years to build and was built for this queen who requested that the most beautiful building be built for her when she died. It’s huge. It’s mostly white marble but has inlays of colored stone in floral patters. The ceilings are cut in diamond-like patterns. On each side is a building – what used to be a guest house on one, and a mosque on the other (both made of red stone). I can’t put in to words what it was like to be there at misty-sunrise. Incredible, obviously, but words don’t give it justice. It was a surreal experience.

This week Nikita has been helping us a lot with our Hindi and we’ve been spending a good amount of time with her in the evenings. One night this week our parents were out and we had a really interesting/funny conversation. And last night she showed us her kurtas and dress suits and jewelry. We were really jealous. Last night we went out for ice cream with Nikita and her cousin. That was fun, but we chose ice cream instead of writing a paper and now Ruby and I are in the program center an hour early at 745am…ughh

I'm on a fancy tour bus to Jaipur right now. Jaipur is known for its crafts and fabrics. I’m excited to go shopping! Hopefully I’ll be able to find some really beautiful kurtas (Indian-style dresses/shirts) and shoes. It’ll be ncie to walk around and see the sites as well.

Check out my photos of India here,

and photos from Fatehpur Sikri and the Taj Mahal! 

Finally caught up

I read some of the India Times newspaper this morning. There are a lot of rape and harassment articles. I also ready an editorial about Bollywood music videos and movies being to scandalous. Jessica dances to a lot of the songs and both girls watch the videos on TV. It seems strange that their mother lets them watch this when it’s such a contradiction to the more conservative culture.

This morning we gave the family the gifts and they really seemed to like them. Sweets are usually a good gift. I gave them maple sugar candies, a postcard book of panoramic photographs of New York City, a board book called Good Night New York City, two toy cars (an NYC cab and police car) and a snow globe of NYC. Jessica has been looking at the books and playing with the cars and eating sweets basically all day. She has so much energy. She is always moving, always dancing, always talking, always saying "nahee" (no) and doing what she pleases.

Afterward we studied some Hindi and Nikita helped a lot. In the afternoon we went for a walk around a market that is close by. Jordan and Katie S., two other SIT students, live near by with relatives of our family, so they joined us on the walk. We also stopped by their home to meet their family.

In the afternoon I continued to work on my Hindi and we played with Jessica a bit. We had tea and cookies for snack, and seasoned puffed rice chips. Later on in the evening we went with Nilam Ji (the mother) and Jessica to the temple where we participated in prayer. On the way home we took a walk around the park that is in the center of the neighborhood. Later for dinner two cousins came over and we had a really hilarious time taking photographs (for facebook, of course - everyone has it) and talking about American and Indian politics and culture, etc. Mayank is a travel agent and he might helps us figure out travel plans. We're invited to his sisters wedding! That is going to be absolutely incredible. We'll get henna on our hands and buy fancy outfits and dance a lot and eat a lot and it will be a once in a lifetime experience. Ruby and I are so excited because we talked about really wanting to attend an Indian wedding. Shakshi is a really nice girl as well. She's 17 and in year 12 at school. She and Nikita are really close. I love that the family is so big. There is always someone new coming by the house to meet us and say hello.

Keep an eye out for new photos on facebook soon...

New Family!

On Monday, after waiting an entire week with no information, we finally learned about our homestays families. I was a bit nervous. Azim Ji called us into his office with Bhavna Ji in pairs, and whoever got called in together would be living together for the next 6 or so weeks. I was the second pair to be called in, which was nice because then I didn’t have to wait so long to find out who I would be with. I was really happy to be placed with Ruby. She and I have similar interests and I think our time together will be really great. We’re both conscious about chemicals in our soaps and toiletries, eating only happy animals, love the outdoors, she’s really tolerant of all kinds of lifestyles…and she’s totally down for adventures: walking around Delhi and traveling around India and maybe Nepal.

We were very happy with the description Azim Ji gave us of our host family. We are living with a mother and father and we have two younger sisters. One, Jessica, is five years old, and Nikita is fifteen. The grandmother and her brother also live in the house in a room on the first floor. Nikita speaks almost fluent English and Jessica is starting to learn. The mother and father speak a bit but they are still learning.

The family is Punjabi. They are vegetarians, which works well for Ruby and I. The home is modest. There is a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, and a bedroom on the first floor where the grandmother and her brother stay. Upstairs Ruby and I are sharing the girls’ room –the girls are sleeping in their parent’s room while we are here. The room has a double bed and two small desks with bookshelves above. Ruby and I each have a cupboard for our clothing. Our room has a door that opens up to the balcony. The maid will have to walk through to do laundry because the washing machine is on the balcony and the clothes are hung out there. The family also walks through to get to the balcony. Nikita’s computer is in our room as well. The parents have a bedroom upstairs as well, and there is one bathroom. There is also a very small prayer room with curtain for a door. The parents pray there in the morning and at night.

Last night it rained! That was a surprise. It was raining hard, actually. The whole family ran through our room to the balcony to see it. The father kept saying that God was very, very happy.

For dinner we had lentils, chutney, potatoes and vegetables, and raw carrots and some other vegetable that we didn’t recognize. And of course chapatti. It was good, pretty spicy. They kept giving us chapatti and more food. It’s not easy to turn food down; we don’t want to offend them. After dinner the mother gave us some sugarcane stuff that she said the doctor tells them to eat because it helps with digestion. It was really sweet. Definitely different. She also cut up a pear for the family, which reminded me of how my mom does that for us, or how she peels oranges for us. Ruby and I ate around the peel.

Jessica is a funny girl. She knows her colors in English and even categorizes them into light or dark. When I pointed to something gold she said “shiny golden”. Really cute.

Hindi

Sunday was our first Hindi lesson. Here is what we started with:

Namaste – Hello (but really: I am recognizing the soul in you)

Aapkaa naam keya hey? – What is your name?

Meraa naam Katrina hey – My name is Katrina

Aap kahaa se hey? – Where are you from?

Mai Amerikaa se hum – I am from America

Aap se milkar khushii huee – It was nice to meet you (but really: after meeting you, happiness happened)

Danyavad/Shukriya – thank you

We each had to respond to the sentences and as a group pronounce them all together in a recitation exercise, sort of like old-school verbal math drills. After Hindi we had a tea break and then Azim Ji gave us a lecture on India: People, Politics, Hopes and Challenges. The power went out about 20 minutes into the lecture, but luckily it stayed out for only a few minutes. After the lecture we had free time and lunch, and then we had a quick discussion about homestays and how Azim Ji would pair us. He had us write down the names of four people who we wouldn’t mind living with.

After the short discussion we watched the Bollywood movie 3 Idiots. It was hilarious. And I had watched that American movie Slackers and there was a scene that was totally the same! Everyone has GOT to see 3 Idiots. SO FUNNY. But I cried a couple times, too.

First Week

I'm living with a host family now, but all last week we were living at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. An Ashram is a sort of communal living campus. It focuses on educational activity, schooling, teacher and vocational training. It’s funded by donations. Some other Ashrams may be peaceful places for people to spend the last years of their lives, but this particular one is really a buzz of activity, and a lot of young people are involved. Breakfast is at 7am sharp every morning. Dinner is at 7:40pm. We’ve been having lunch at the program center (which is a really nice building in South Delhi. It’s all dark wood and marble and has really nice bathrooms and windows and a great kitchen- pictures soon. It’s still under construction). One night we had to eat dinner out because traffic was so bad and we didn’t get back to the Ashram on time. The  building itself is comprised of a bunch of circular courtyards lined with rooms. The rooftop is incredible. Starting today we’ll be at our homestays, but we’ll be back at the Ashram at the end of the trip.

We had orientation all last week week. There were different lectures on health and safety, culture shock and mental health, fears and expectations, and introductions to our academic courses (which have been exciting, but which make me nervous. I’m a pretty bad student when it comes to academics 
– getting work done on time, memorization as a method of learning, etc.)

We’ve also been able to go on a few outings. We visited Raj Ghat, a park with a memorial to Gandhi. On black marble is inscribed “Hey Ram!”, or “Oh God!”, which is the last thing Gandhi said. On the trip we caught the attention of hundreds of school children who wanted to shake our hands and a few young men who found entertainment in taking multiple photographs of us on cell phones. Interesting experience…

We visited Humayun’s Tomb and then went to Qawwali (Sufi music) ceremony at Hazrat Nizamuddin. I think it’s part of Islam? It’s a mystic ritual. The music and signing was great. The experience included awkward culturally incompetent westerners getting in the way to take photographs and the tardy arrival of more than one important religious figure. It was extremely confusing. And long.

There are so many more places to go...we're thinking we may try to go to Varanasi this weekend to take a boat ride down the Ganges and putz around the city. It's in Uttar Pradesh in the north.

First Observations

The air smells like burning. Like Nicaragua. I don’t mind it at all, in fact it’s a bit comforting and reminds me of my Nica trips. 

There is so much pollution. It seems worst in the mornings and is a haze that hangs in the sky. Sometimes you can’t see more than maybe ¼ of a mile ahead. 

The driving and traffic is absolutely crazy. Everyone honks, all the time. Beeping basically means hey, I'm in my vehicle and I'm coming towards you. There are cars, trucks, pushcarts, auto rickshaws and pedal rickshaws, bikers, motorbikes, busses, and pedestrians. There is a well-functioning metro system. Some people say it’s the best thing Delhi has to offer. It’s actually very simple to use, air conditioned, clean, etc., and there are two cars for only women in the front of the train.

There are many beggars, and a lot of them are children. Some sell small things. One night some of us were in a car and at one point we stopped at one intersection where some people were begging. First a little girl came up to the window, and Bhanvna Ji shooed her away through the window. Next a mother with an infant. Then a man with no arms wearing a tank top. And lastly a boy selling Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Elle magazines. I can’t put my feelings of the situation into words. 

 There are squirrels. They have chipmunk bodies with stripes down their back, and they're small like chippies. But they have squirrel tails. Hopefully I'll get a photo of one.

No one uses toilet paper. There are spray nozzles next to the toilet and you are meant to wash each time. We're still not sure how exactly you're supposed to use them. Bhavna Ji told us it is in the morning and at night before taking a shower. But going during the day? No idea how you dry off or whatever...they think we're crazy for using toilet paper!

First Night! And no longer a 20-nothing... :)

We landed in Delhi on Monday evening. As we got on the bus I kept looking at my watch because we were approaching midnight…and my 20^th birthday. At midnight the other students sang to me, and Bhavna Ji, one of our Hindi teachers, came to the back of the bus and gave me a huge hug. That was awesome. Bhavna Ji is like a mother for the group…a really funny mother. She’s gorgeous and fashionable and she laughs at everything with this full-body chuckle. She also says some really funny things herself. Also on our staff is Goutam Ji. He is also one of our Hindi teachers. Azim Ji is the director of the program and Abid Ji helps out around as well. Kishor Ji is the tech person and helps out wherever as well. Things are off to an incredible start...

Conected!

I have internet now! I've been safe and in Delhi since Monday night. I'll maybe post later on when I have more time and the patience to catch up on four days.

Another adventure begins

Since my trip to Namibia I've gone back to Nicaragua twice and the Dominican Republic once for service-type experiences. I'm studying Public and Community Service at Providence College, with a minor in Women's Studies and a concentration in public health. I've got this semester in India and all of next year before I graduate in May 2012.

I'm going to New Delhi, India to study Health and Human Rights with SIT. The program ends on May 16th and I am really hoping to travel afterward (Nepal& the Himalayas, Goa, Thailand...)

Right now I've got two hours to finish this post, shower, and pull off some last minute tasks before I get in the car headed toward Newark airport. My flight leaves at 8:40pm tonight. It's a 14 hour direct flight, and I land at 9:40-ish in the evening tomorrow, February 1st. I don't know what to expect when I get there, other than that I'll be meeting up with my group and we'll probably head off to a hotel or something. There are maybe 7 or 8 other young women from my program on my flight - 18 in the program all together (no guys!).

I've studying Hindi for the past couple of weeks. I met up with one of my dad's friends and coworkers who is from northern India and she was a great help in learning the 52 symbols in the syllabary, the conjuncts, and translating the words I needed to prepare. She also let me know that everyone will know my name well...right now the biggest female Bollywood star is named Katrina Kaif...pretty cool!

I have yet to write the paper that I've got to hand in on the first day of class...I guess I'll be busy in the airport and on the flight... and I'm exhausted already. Ha. Ohh man.

I'll wake up on February 2nd for my first full day in India. And my 20th birthday. I spent my 17th birthday in Namibia. I guess I'm lucky to be able to celebrate abroad again :)

I don't know when I'll be able to get access to internet next, but I'm going to try what I did when was in Namibia, and blog every day or every couple of days. Stay tuned!

(I vacuum-packed my clothes! SO handy...made packing everything else up in my bag a lot easier)