Day 2

The past two days since I’ve landed have been a whirlwind of experiences. From the airport, we were greeted by three of the SIT members, all very kind and welcoming. They led us to a tour bus from which we took a 45 minute rid to our hotel where we stayed for the first two nights. Looking out of the window of the bus, I saw things I never realized existed. From street dogs to men huddled in circles playing some kind of game to street carts lining the highway, to military personal very openly holding huge guns walking around joking and laughing, I didn’t really know how to process any of the things I was seeing. I’ve read about the slums and the poverty and the chaos of India, but to see it first-hand was really remarkable. 

The past two days have consisted of traveling around downtown Delhi for orientation by the group’s doctor on health measures, the group psychologist on how to deal with all of the new things we’re seeing and the culture shock because of it, and an Indian-American “cultural” coach of sorts who told us about the different norms and behaviors that we will be learning to adapt to. For example, we were told not to smile openly at strangers, particularly at men, because this could be interpreted as being an advance on our part. We must only use our right had to eat food because the left hand is seen as being “dirty”. This is really difficult for me because I do everything with my left hand. I feel like an infant learning how to hold utensils again. 

The most overwhelming thing I’ve experienced so far are the slums. Groups of people crammed together under huts made of tarps and scrap metal. And they sleep/eat/exist here. It makes me feel guilty almost for ever feeling like I didn’t have enough of something at some point. The instructors tell us that is is a complex social system that is deeply rooted in Indian history, and that we’ll learn to exist with it, but even so, it’s difficult to come to terms with.

I have little internet access, which is actually refreshing, but it makes it difficult to stay in contact with people at home and update this blog, so I think I won’t be writing on this blog as much as I initially though I’d be able to. But, this may change once I meet my home-stay family on Saturday. We’ll see....I’m just along for the ride right now. 

Buh bye 'Merica

Finally, I'm leaving tomorrow! It's a strange feeling because the past 6 months or so have revolved around planning and preparing for this trip...from spending hours studying Hindi characters (and feeling like I'm in pre-school all over again)...to having ankle surgery to fix the damage from a fall in January. I've been on crutches and wearing a "moonboot" for the past 7 weeks this summer on top of the few months in the beginning of this year (a pain in the butt) and just last week I got the clearance from my doctor to take it off! Now I really feel like I can fully take advantage of this adventure.

I leave from Newark, New Jersey (Liberty Airport) for a brief non-stop 14 hour flight to Delhi (Indira Gandhi Airport) where I'll be spending the first few days in Delhi being "oriented" for the program before our group heads to Jaipur where I'll meet my family for the first time. We were recommended to bring gifts for our family since we'll be a part of their lives for a good month and a half. I drew them a painting of one of my favorite scenes of the Maine coast and got them a bottle of Maple syrup. Gotta rep Vermont.

I could go into detail about what I've read is planned ahead for us, but I don't think it'll end up being like anything I'm expecting. So, I'll just wait and see!

As Beyonce says, Countdown!

At the request of friends and family members, I gave in and made a blog! This is to share my experiences with all ya'll Americans as I spend the next 4 months living and studying in the Indian subcontinent, based out of the city of Jaipur, the capital of the Rajasthan state.

The program I am part of is organized by the World Learning Center's School of International Training (SIT.) They're a non-profit educational organization that hosts specialized undergraduate learning programs all over the globe. I was drawn to SIT's program: Sustainable Development and Social Change because it's a non-traditional, field-based program that seems to really integrate students into the areas of study as much as possible. For example, I'll be living with an Indian family for the first 7 weeks, commuting back and forth independently (most likely by rickshaw...awesome)? to the main SIT learning center where the classes are taught. I was attracted to this kind of living situation rather than living in a "dorm" style room on a college campus because I want to experience as much of the common Indian life as possible. As part of our program, myself and the 18 other students (from around the USA and outside too, I believe) will be going on "excursions" around Rajashtan with the SIT staff to meet with non-profit organizations and academic leaders to learn about how they are working towards improving the social standards and developmental conditions that challenge many Indians.

 From what I've read so far, some of the places we'll be visiting include:

-a rehabilitation center for disabled children

-a non-profit organization that works to promote sustainable agriculture in rural India

-an all women's college

-a non-profit organization that works to improve the lives of marginalized groups of people in rural India

-a prosthetic foot factory

A list of more places we'll be going is available on the SIT website here.

 ....And a list of courses I'll be taking that complement the excursions is listed here.

The last few weeks of the program is called the "Independent Study Project" or ISP period. After visiting with the organizations, meeting the leaders and seeing the work they do, the SIT students must decide on a social issue that they want to research more about for the final ISP paper. Apparently we're pretty much on our own for this part of the trip. We must make our own travel arrangements and organize interviews with people to gather more information on our topics. No idea what mine will be, but topics range from water waste management to women's literacy to organic farming. I'm really interested in working with Indian women and learning about the challenges they face in such a traditionally patriarchal culture like India. 

Soooo, now that I'm back from Wisconsin where I've spent the last week visiting my friend Katie from UVM, this trip is the only thing I have left ahead of me. There's a lot to do in preparation for this trip...from finding culturally appropriate clothing to bring (most of my wardrobe is not agreeable to Indian cultural standards) to getting all of the medications/shots/immunizations required for the trip. Ouch. I can't help but feel that I'll forget something vital, but I guess we'll find out once I'm there!

More blogging things and photos to come once I actually land over yonder.