The Mughals Got Architecture Skills

This weekend, our our group decided it'd be a prime time to go to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal! A journey to India wouldn't feel complete without seeing this "Wonder of the World." This was the first time we'd ventured out on our own without the support of our faithful SIT staff. A few students of the group thankfully planned to rent a bus and made reservations for a hotel. We left at 5pm Friday (another student was responsible for ordering Domino's pizza, which we ate on the bus) and arrived at "Tourist's Delight" Guest House  (or something along the lines of that...a lot of the hotels appropriately have the term "Tourist" in the name.) at 10:30pm.

We decided as a group that we wanted to get to the Taj as early as possible. This meant leaving the hotel at 5:30am. It's open from sunrise to sunset, so we thought it'd be totally worth it to catch it in the early morning. Somehow we all managed to be up and ready at 5:30 and drove on the bus 20 minutes to the South gate of the entrance. We bought tickets for 750 IND each (around $18) which we were suprised to find out granted us access to other famous sites including Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar's Tomb, and Etimad-Ud-Daula.

After getting our tickets, we took a free (what?!) shuttle to the entrance, it being around 6:30am at this time. We got off the shuttle to find a line of people over 300 thick waiting to get in. Guess we weren't the only ones with the "get there really early" idea. It was interesting to see all of the other tourists waiting in line. There were so many different kind of people, speaking all different languages. We then realized that there was order to the madness and that the line was split into men and women (and it made me wonder about people who may not identify as either.) The boys, Anderson and Luke, sped ahead in the line and the 14 other girls and I stood for a while longer looking at the monkeys roaming around and wiping sweat off our foreheads (it was brutally hot for so early in the morning.)

We finally made it to the checkpoint where our tickets were stubbed, and then realized we had to go through a metal detector and have our bags pass through an x-ray machine. I looked at the big sign of prohibited items and along with crayons and playing cards (which are for some reason prohibited,) I realized I had my dad's fancy swiss army knife in my bag. Passing through the metal detector was not a problem because they checked the bags afterwards, but I didn't know what they'd do with the knife (or me) if they found it, so while waiting to give my bag through the x-ray, I discretely took the knife out of my bag and stuffed it in my pants. I had to walk awkwardly for a while until the coast was clear, but ultimately was really glad I did so because a few other girls who had some prohibited (but harmless) items, had to go back to the main entrance 1 kilometer away and drop their things off in a locker, then come back through the line again. Phew.

Walking up to the main entrance of the Taj Mahal was exciting in itself. I got one of those goosebumpy feelings where I realized how epic this experience was. I usually don't build things up in my head for fear that they won't meet my expectations, but I knew that what I was about to see would definitely exceed my high expectations. Going through the gate and seeing the long shallow pools leading up the marble white domes was amazing. We stopped and took photos for a few minutes (including a few of the perspective shifty-ones where you pretend to hold to tip of the dome with your hand.) None of mine really worked out, though. I just looked like I was sprinkling some salt over myself next to this goliath, beautiful structure.

We made our way down the pathway next to the perfectly pruned shrubs (no wonder the ticket was 750 rupees) and I was totally in awe of how stunning it was. It was so massive, yet so elegant, so bustling with people, yet it looked so serene. A small group of us made it to the base of the structure and had to take our shoes off to walk around on the marble. It was so cool to think that my dad had been here in the same spot, half-way across the world, 20 years ago, doing the same thing I was.

We walked into the middle section of the tomb and saw the two tombs of Mumtaz Mahal and his wife, Shah Jahah. The decorations were so incredibly detailed. Arabic script covered the walls and even the marble carvings of the flower petals depicted wilting, overlapping flowers. I touched the wall, which made the whole situation feel real, because sometimes, I feel like I'm dreaming. I'm in India!....whaaaat? 

Dehradun-Rishakesh Excursion Part Do

Wednesday, September 19, 2012 

9:00am:  Today we drove to another village called Jatta-wala to 1.) visit a government run-school so we could see how it functions in comparison to a NGO-run school and 2.)  to speak with the local panchayat leader of Jatta-wala. (A panchayat is an elected governmental position (like a mayor) that represents the members of a village.) Their responsibility is to work with the federal government and make use of it’s funds and delineate them to provide resources for the village (which is difficult in itself because of the bureaucratic distance between the federal government and local governments.)  What is interesting about Jatta-wala is that the panchayat there is a woman, which is very rare in India because the political system is severely male dominated (like all other facets of Indian society.) This woman was extremely inspiring. Asking our questions through our academic director, Tara-ji and the fieldwork coordinator, Trilochan-ji, who translated between Hindi and English for us, we learned about what her duties were and talked about the challenges of being a woman and having a high-power position in a patriarchal system. She told us that during her term as panchayat (4 years) she’s been able to get electricity for the village, pave roads, construct wells, and set up schools for children. What is significant about her position is that she represents the women’s perspectives about the needs of the village. While a male panchayat leader may say that the most important thing his village needs is more roads (to provide transportation to and from the village for economic trade,) a woman panchayat leader may say that more adequate water sources (wells) are most important. This is reflective of the gendered priorities- men ten to focus on economics, women tend to focus on the household. This woman panchayat leader sheds light on women’s concerns that are usually swept under the rug. She is a strong role model for the women in the village who don’t really have much personal autonomy or sense of empowerment in their own lives.

Members of a vocational sewing school set up by RLEK for women and girls. They showed us samples of their work.

Later in the afternoon, we were given an hour to explore the village on our own. I walked down a side path with one of my friends and got pulled into a house by one of the children that was following us. The man who I assumed was the father (a well-dressed man wearing a Western shirt and khakis)  pulled up two chairs and patted them, so my friend and I looked at each other and sat down apprehensively. About 5 children stood around us, and a pretty woman, who I assumed was the man’s wife sat down with a baby on her lap. *SIDE NOTE*: It’s totally normal for babies to wear....eyeliner. When I first saw this, I was a little freaked out, but I guess it’s the equivalent of dressing your baby girl in a cute outfit or giving her a new hairstyle. This baby’s eyes were thickly rimmed with black liner, it reminded me of my middle school years...good times. Anywho, we tried to use our remedial Hindi skills and asked questions like “How many children do you have?” or “Your dress is pretty.” When I stuggled to say “Your house is beautiful,” she cocked her head and said, “Toilet?” .....I really need to study more.

6:00pm: Back at the RLEK house, a group of us decided to roam around the streets to find a restaurant for dinner. After 3 weeks of consistent Indian food, we were craving something cheesy and processed. Enter Pizza Hut. As my family knows, I’m not keen on chain restaurants at all...and Pizza Hut is pretty far down on my list as far as quality goes. The only times I remember going there were usually out of desperation for any sustenance on long road trips. HOWEVER, Pizza Hut in India has much higher standards. We were greeted by well-dressed, English-speaking staff members and led to a nicely set table with large menus. The ambiance was quite nice, aside from the children’s birthday party going on next to us with 5 year olds running around popping balloons. For 140 rupees, I got a lime soda (very popular over here,) garlic bread, a small pizza, and CHEESECAKE for....140 rupees (= $3!) Needless to say, it was much different from the time in the states when I found a huge blonde hair in my personal pan pizza....maybe I’ll give it another shot when I get back.

Thursday, September 20, 2012 

9.00am- We drove 15 minutes to visit the Forest Research Initiative, a governmental organization that works to manage the country’s natural resources and protect its forests. We sat through a very interesting lecture on the history of the political acts and laws that have been put in place since India’s independence in 1947. Being such a large country with many geographical features with a rich natural resource base that supports a vast number of livelihoods, the FRI’s job is very difficult. 

We were led on a tour of the FRI’s museums about their research. It was all very interesting, but the place looked like it had last been updated in 1950. One of the displays was about “Things you can make from Sal Wood" (a very valuable wood grown in parts of the country) : The list included cannons, rocking chairs, and arrows.) Never the less, the place was fascinating. Our tour guide had been obviously been working there for a long time because he spoke at the pace of an auctioneer (with a heavy accent) and led us around at speed-walking pace. He also had the habit of reiterating information to us in a funny way like: “This spore sample was taken in 1972 ........19.......72.” 

Friday, September 21, 2012 

9:00am: We packed up our things to depart for Rishakesh, known as the “yoga capital of the world” for a relaxing overnight before we headed back to Jaipur on Saturday. *SIDE NOTE:* The night before, on our way back from dinner, I wanted to stop at a department store to find some teacups to buy for the RLEK house because every time we had chai, they ran out of cups (and people had to resort to using metal bowls...not so fun.) I picked up 6 china cups and each of our group signed the box. It was a small gesture to thank them for their generosity. 

11:00am: We arrived in Rishakesh (after miles..excuse me...kilometers...of steep roads sprinkled with signs that said “Elephant Crossing” with an image of an Elephant crushing a bus with it’s foot. Wonderful. The town itself looked like a clumping of hotels-and guest-houses plopped in the middle of a pristine jungle. As we were driving into the heart of the town, we decided to play “Spot the White People” game. We got to 6. It was probably more than we’d seen throughout our trip put together. 

6:00pm- After a few hours of lounging and drinking lime soda in a few of the local restaurants, myself and 7 other friends crammed into a rickshaw to go to the Ganges River to see the daily ceremony in honor of Lord Krishna on the ghats (stone steps leading down into the water.)  It was absolutely beautiful. A traditional song played through loudspeakers and people clapped and swayed as they looked at a big Krishna statue in the middle of a bridge-structure with the Ganges running around it. Apparently the only two places along the Ganges that preform this ceremony daily are in Rishakesh and Varnasi.

 I’m so fortunate to have been a part of it. 

As we left we walked through isles of brightly-lit stalls filled with souvenirs ranging from “OM” tee shirts to sandalwood pieces. Cows roamed the crowded streets and monkeys screamed at each other from above. Sensory overload for sure. We took a pit-stop to touch the water...key word: “touch.” The Ganges water is notoriously known for being polluted from years and years of waste dumping, people defecating in it, people offering various personal items to it, and dropping family member’s ashes in it. It was murky and flowing with garbage, which made me wonder what the condition of the river is like down in Bay of Bengal where the river pours into Bengal Delta.

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In the past 28 days, I’ve seen more, felt more, smelled more than I ever planned to. I am beginning to understand the value of studying in a foreign place because it expands your horizons to things you would have never known existed before. I’m very happy I’ve come here. 

View from our guest house is Rishakesh.

Dehradun-Rishikesh Excusion!

A week without any form of technology (no internet, didn't bring my laptop, ipod wasn't charged, and my phone was roaming) feels like such a long time!

We arrived back in Jaipur this morning at 4:00am and slept at the Center in the library for a few hours until it was late enough to go back to our home-stay families without waking them up (I got back home at 8:00am.) I didn't sleep much on the train and haven't been able to fall asleep back home, so apologies for any typos or incoherent sentences. 

This past week has been one of the most valuable experiences in my past 15+ years of education. I've learned so much, and for me to delve into it all would probably get redundant and lengthy, so I'll just list the places we visited and the people we spoke to in brief.

Monday, September 17, 2012 

12:15pm: We arrived at the train station in Haridwar, a small city on the banks of the Ganges river in the northern Uttarakhand state.  Driving through the city was an experience itself. It was dotted with massive statues of Hindu gods like Krishna and Ganesh. All around the banks of the river were settlements of tents with by masses of people and an especially high number of holy men (sadhus) who typically wear orange or yellow cloth, have long beards, walk with canes, and migrate around to various religious sites in the country.

A rough photo os my sleep-bunk in the train. I realized later on that most of the bunks didn't have windows, so I was lucky to have one with two! 

1:00pm: Chai break!

4:00pm: We arrived at the RLEK guesthouse (Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra) in the city of Dehradun. RLEK is a well-established NGO with many international connections and donors. They provided us with transportation, dormitory rooms, fed us breakfast every morning, escorted us to our excursion sites, and talked with us one-on-one about their projects and missions. Dehradun felt really different from Jaipur. It felt cooler, had less garbage in the streets, less ridiculous traffic, and barely any beggars, which was SUCH a nice change. It's apparently known as being a hub to a lot of universities and research institutes too.

4:30pm- Chai break....mmmm

6:00pm: The staff gave each of us a 2000 rupee stipend to cover the 8 meals that we were scheduled to have on our own in the town during the week. This = 250 rupees for each meal. Converted to dollar$ it may not seem like a lot ($5 tops per meal?) but it's more than enough here. A decent quality meal like a masal dosa (a crepe-esque thing stuffed with veggies) can cost 150 rupees ($3.) I tried to save money by getting a lot of naan (tandoori cooked bread stuffed with things like paneer- an indian cheese that looks like tofu but is much more tasty-, onions, garlic, or the classic- BUTTER) (usually around 40 rupees per serving) and lassies (tasty yogurt drinks usually around 50 rupees.) *SIDE NOTE*: One of my favorite Indian treats back in the states are mango-lassies. When I saw one on the menu at a restaurant in Dehradun, I got really excited and ordered it, but was told they weren't serving them any more because mangos are out of season now (March-July is the prime time, apparently....should have applied for the spring semester?) Here in India, people's produce is usually sourced locally from within the country, so the availability of different fruits-veggies depends on the season (unlike in America where you can get a ripe papaya shipped from Indonesia in the middle of January.) 

Tuesday, September 18, 2012 

7:30am: I woke up early to read on the roof of the center and discovered the most AMAZING VIEW of the foothills of the Himalayas. Out of context, they didn't look much different than the Adirondacks, but knowing what was beyond them was pretty awesome. We had breakfast downstairs in the RLEK cafeteria that consisted of hard-boiled eggs, a fried potato-eque item, porrige, and chai. We had an informal Hindi class with our 2 Hindi professors (who accompanied us on this excursion to help us translate and practice.) RLEK makes all of their guests wash their own dishes, which I thought was a pretty interesting move. Apparently, when RLEK hosts high-profile government officials or other well-to-do guests, they are usually shocked and reluctant to wash their own dishes in the beginning of their stay. (Why should *I* wash my *own* dishes???) But by the end of their stay, they were willing to do their own dishes and others too! *SIDE NOTE*: Since sustainability and environmental responsibility is one of the main concentrations in this program, they do a really great job of implementing it in as many ways as possible. We were told to use as little water as possible while taking showers/washing dishes/using the bathroom, to refill our water bottles with filtered water from the center instead of buying new ones, and the plates we eat off of are pressed leaves that you can compost super easily. 

9:00am: We split into two buses to drive 2 hours to visit a community called the Van Gujjars, a group of pastoralists whose main livelihood is producing and selling buffalo milk ( it's higher in fat that cow’s milk, so it’s more valuable.) They stay in the highlands of the Himalayas during the summer months grazing their buffalo, then move down to the lowlands to the more temperate climate during the winter months.  We met them right as they are beginning to settle in the lowlands around Dehradun for the winter season (that’s about as far south as they go.) RLEK is working with the Van Gujjars because their once open grazing lands have been displaced by roads, buildings, and other infrastructure. You can now see these people herding 6-10 giant buffalo around the city streets because they have no other place to go. As a result of these changes, the Van Gujjars face challenges like being sued by people for using land that was once public but now has now become privatized. Another challenge is that their buffalo are being killed by cars and trucks on the roads. And most unfortunately, the mainly illiterate Van Guggars are being taken advantage of by merchants to whom they sell their milk because they do not understand the mathematics that go into the process. Pretty much, they’re being ripped off for their valuable products. 

Our group took a pit stop at the banks of the Yamane river, a "half-way" point for the Van Guggars as they travel back and forth between the lowlands and the highlands. Not sure whose dog this is, but it's most likely a street dog (seeing as they're everywhere.) It was pretty amazing. We sat as a group on the edge of the river and skipped rocks and had some hardcore bonding time.

RLEK is responsible for making over 21,000 Van Guggars literate (amazing.) They started out working with the adults to teach them how to read and write and how to do basic mathematics and after much success, the Van Guggars asked RLEK to help them teach their children as well. RLEK has set up a series of schools to educate the Van Guggar children. We were fortunate enough to visit one of their schools. One really cool thing RLEK did was design the school buildings to replicate the architecture of the Van Gujjars homes (pointy huts) as a way to make them feel more at home. The children were very sweet, and although we couldn’t verbally communicate with them well, we were still able to play games. *SIDE NOTE*: The traditional hat that the Van Guggars wear is called a Krishna cap (interestingly the Van Gujjars are Muslim.) Their colorful, pointy hats are made by the Van Guggar women and are made to be visible in the forests so they can better spot each other. I asked one of the boys if I could see his hat, and looking up-close at it, I don’t think I’ve seen anything so intricately woven before. They were beautiful.

Some children at the school. See some of their Krishna caps?? I wasn't able to take a close up of one of them. I still feel awkward taking photos of people because it feels pretty exploitative...especially while they're at school.

Part 2 of this trip to come later.....Nap time calls.

Stop confusing me!

Here's some things I've seen-experienced that have confused me....

1.) Swastikas Everywhere: From dresser drawer handles to hoods of cars, Indians (particularly Hindus) decorate much of their space with the unfortunately-infamous swastika symbol. Probably like most foreigners who saw this for the first time, I was initially confused and didn't understand why something typically shunned was being used as colorful decorations in people's homes. I asked my hostdad what they meant and why they were painted all over the place. He told me that the swastika in Hinduism is a good omen. The word itself originates from the Sanskrit language meaning "to be good." They paint it in their spaces on on their belongings for good luck and protection.

In the past 3 weeks here, there have been numerous occasions where my conceptions of information get completely turned upside down by Indian culture. For me to think that the swastikas were somehow associated with the Nazi party (when really the symbol has been an integral part of history for 10,000 years) made me feel pretty ignorant.

Swastik outside one of the rooms in my house.

Swastiks in the window decorations at Amber Fort (constructed in the 1500's.)

2.) Men Holding Hands: As forward-thinking and open-minded as a lot of Americans like to think we are (in relation to other cultures with more "traditional" social-norms,) I was surprised about my initial assumptions about seeing Indian men walking around holding hands, arms around each others' waists, and linking arms. My first thought was "Are they together? I thought homosexuality wasn't as socially acceptable here as in America." Turns out, physical affection between Indian men is normal and is just a way of showing your friend that they enjoy their company. Again, I felt pretty ignorant for jumping to conclusions to try to make sense of something I didn't understand. I'm learning to just observe what I see without making judgements and assumptions about what things mean.

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Tonight, I'm heading out to the city of Dehradun in the northern state of Uttarakhand for our first "excursion" for a week! Dehrahun is located in the foothills of the Himalayas, near the Ganges river (aka a 13-hour train ride.) It's a hub for national organizations like the Forest Research Institute and the Oil and National Gas Corporation. Along with corporations, Dehadrun is a home to thriving non-government organizations. We'll be working with the Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK) organization which advocates for the rights of rural communities in the area. They work with local communities to address problems like "reclaiming quarried lands, land ownership rights, illegal poppy cultivation, and freeing bonded labor" to name a few. The community we will be learning from are the Van Guggars, a pastoralist community that is experiencing negative changes in their livelihoods as a result of changing governmental policies. We get to hear their stories and learn about the challenges they're facing and how NGOs like RLEK are working to support them. I'll be able to write more about what this entails when I return and actually have talked to them one-on-one! All I have to go on right now is a two sheet-itinerary provided by our professors. 

No computer or posts for a week, but that means I'll have a whole lot to post when I get back!

Pros and Cons

Things I'm Having Trouble Getting Used To:

1.) Bucket Showers- Showering in my home consists of two faucets (one for luke-warm water, one for cold) and two buckets (one big, one small.) I fill the big bucket halfway with warm water, then use the small bucket to wash off shampoo/soap and clean my feet (which are consistently dirty.) It does the same job as a showerhead-stream and certainly saves a whole lot of water that would otherwise get wasted...buttt the comfort level? Not so great, seeing as long, burning hot showers are one of my favorite hobbies. 

2.) NO CRUNCHY VEGETABLES! Raw veggies for foreigners are a no-no because they are often grown in unsanitary conditions and are common hosts to parasites and diseases. Any vegetables we eat have to be thoroughly cooked. This means they're usually soaked in sauces to the point where you wouldn't even know you're eating vegetables anymore. What I'd do for a greek salad right about now....

3.) The Looks and the Photos- I'm not sure if it's because I'm not Indian or because I'm a woman...it's most likely a combination of the two...but I'm constantly being stared at by Indian men. Not just in a "glance quickly as you walk past" kind of way...but a blatant "I'M WATCHING YOU, LADY" manner....or so it feels that way to me. In the beginning, I felt very uncomfortable with it, so I would cover my face with my scarf, but now, I've just realized that they don't mean to cause any harm or be intrusive....they're just "curious." (This is what I've been told my my teachers at school during orientation.) 

Over the past two weeks, I've gotten used to the stares and the smirks, but I still am having trouble with having my photo taken. Some people will ask me if it's alright if they can take a photo with me, but others will just whip out their cell phones and follow me for a little while, though I've gotten up the courage to tell those folks to stop it. They usually quickly mope away afterwards. I'm not sure I really do anything "photo-worthy" but I guess "looking different" is interesting enough for some people.

Things I Could Get Used To:

1.) Indian clothing- Before I got here, I was nervous about what I was going to wear. It seemed absurd to me that wearing pants in 95 degree weather with 99% humidity was the norm. I was also worried that my American clothes I brought with me would make me look like a tourist...which would make the people here not take me seriously....(although there's not much I can do about my passport holder, cargo pants, and Merrell hiking sandals.) To my surprise, Indian women's clothing is THE BEST! All of the clothes are cotton which means they're lightweight and super comfy. The traditional pants here are one-size-fits-all and are extremely baggy that tie with a string at the waist. You wear a kurta (a long shirt with slits on the sides) over the pants and ta-da! A cute outfit that's even more comfortable than your pajamas. 

2.) Indian Hospitality- All of the adults I've spent time with so far have been nothing but kind and accommodating to me. From my host-family making me breakfast every morning to my teachers asking me numerous times throughout the day if I'm feeling any better, I am so impressed by the kindness and patience that people here have. Perhaps my experiences are a little skewed, seeing as my program is so well-run and the people involved are so professional, but even so, I feel very taken care of here so far away from home. 

3.) Eating With Your Hands- Utensils are over-rated. All you need is a good piece of chapati to do the job of scooping up any other food. (Although this means you'll probably have to eat a lot more carbs in the process.) It's actually kind of fun, except if you're a kind of person that doesn't like any of your food touching. 

Disclaimer: Do Not Read This While Eating

One of the main reasons for making this blog is to be able to show people all facets of my experiences here. Yes, the women dress beautifully. Yes, the sights are amazing. Yes, I've met some really great people. And yes, I did get sick. Woo Delhi Belly!

Before I left, people would tell me, "It's not a matter of getting sick or not, it's a matter of when." True that. I woke up this morning to go for a walk with my hostdad around Central Park (it seems like every city has one) and almost passed out. We came back and I told him I wasn't feeling well so he went to the market around the corner and brought me bananas, mango juice, and a rehydration powder packet called Electral. He's the best. Mixed with water it tastes like salty lime gatorade. Unfortunately I haven't been able to keep anything down all day. I'm pretty dehydrated and exhausted, but hopefully I'll be better tomorrow. My grandmother, Dadi-ji, who doesn't speak English keeps offering me food. I keep telling her "nay-hi" (no) and have to motion to her what I think would be projectile vomiting in sign language. As unfortunate as it is, I find solace in knowing that this happens to everyone who comes here. There's disease all around, and no matter how careful I've been about only eating food that's been cleaned with iodine or that comes from an air-conditioned restaurant, there's no avoiding it.

Fun times from the subcontinent xoxo.

Amber Fort

Our first free weekend in Jaipur! All of us really wanted to take advantage of our school-less two days, so we decided as a group to visit one of Jaipur's most famous forts: Amber Fort. Like many of the forts across India, it's huge and extravagant and pretty confusing to navigate. We spent two or so hours exploring around inside. Somehow we didn't get lost. Here are some of the shots from the trip.

Ishkar kya bhauv hai? (aka) How much is this?

Today, as a substitute for our daily 2-hour Hindi class, we had a "drop-off" session at the local vegetable market. The staff gave us each 50 rupees and told us to bargain for anything we could get with the money. It was a way for us to learn how to pronounce different vegetable and fruits in Hindi. What was supposed to be a "shopping excursion" turned into me pointing at different foods and having the stand-sellers help me accurately pronounce their names (most of which I realized I had taught myself incorrectly.)

The sellers were all very friendly and I tried my best to bargain with them, but since I don't know how much things SHOULD cost, I don't think I got any good deals. Plus, the fact that I obviously look like a foreigner pretty much means I have a huge sign on my forehead that says "I don't know what I'm doing so please overcharge me." I ended up buying some prickly vegetable things and some fuzzy fruits...neither of which I knew what they were. I just thought they looked interesting. When I got home today, I showed my hostdad and he said that one of them was a "bitter gourd." Apparently, he really likes them (score!) so we're going to have them for dinner tomorrow.

Jenny and myself looking like students. Photo credz by Miranda.

One of the many sellers. Photo credz by Miranda.

Tid Bitz of Info I've Acquired

1.) The Indian Head Bobble- Instead of nodding "yes," many Indians do a very subtle head bob from side to side. The first time I had to pass through a security checkpoint at a restaurant (apparently it was a high profile restaurant in Delhi where ambassadors frequent...so they had security there,) the woman did the bobble and I interpreted it as a "No, your bag didn't pass the checkpoint." The opposite, in fact. My host father, Chandra-ji does this all the time. The bobble is usually accompanied with "Yesyesyes." I've found myself doing the bobble occasionally and it's starting to feel normal.

2.) You will have your bags thoroughly checked EVERYWHERE. I'm not sure why security is so strict here but at 90% of the public venues, there's some kind of metal detecter or bag checker. Unlike in America where they usually scan you bag quickly, the woman at the movie theater today opened all 7 pockets of my bag and sifted through everything I had. It made me question whether or not I had something illegal...kind of like that feeling you get when a cop drives by even though you're not doing anything wrong. They are especially strict about cameras at public venues. My friend had to hand over his camera memory card to the security office and got a token that he could turn in after the movie to get his card back.

3.) The "sweets" are essentially pure sugar. When I tell people that I'm in Jaipur, at least half of them say, "Oh, they have the best sweets there!" I assumed that this would mean chocolates or taffy or something, but the "sweets" here are sweeter than I imagined. After dinner a few nights ago, my hostdad handed me a cube of what looked like pure sugar. It was in fact, crystalized cucumber. I bit into it, expecting somewhat of a cucumber flavor, but nope...just sugar. Same thing with these "almond balls" that were essentially balls of packed brown sugar with a sliver of almond on top.

4.) ChaiChaiChaiChai all day every day. Chai tea is tasty. (This is actually redundant to say because "Chai" in Hindi actually means tea.) But anywho, chai is more than a beverage here. It's an integral part of the social fabric. I have chai in the morning with my breakfast. We have a "chai break" every day at 10:30am in school. My host father serves it when I get home. And I have another cup after dinner. On the streets, there's even men walking around with teapots and small dixie cups pouring free chai for people. Personally, it doesn't make much sense to drink a steaming hot beverage in steaming hot weather while I'm wearing a long-sleeved shirt and pants, but who am I to critique Indian culture. It tastes good especially accompanied by "biscuits" (sweet crackers) but I swear my teeth are starting to ache from all of the sugar I'm consuming. A friend who lived in India for a few months this year told me that she came back to the states with a cavity.

5.) There are NO traffic rules. Jaipur traffic is absurd. I've read about it, even seen Youtube clips like this one here, but it actually is the worst. The lines meant to designate lanes for cars/motorbikes/rickshaws to follow mean absolutely nothing. There are no seat-belts, and from what I've witnessed, no limit to the number of people you can fit in a rickshaw (8 so far.)

6.) Child beggars. One of the worst part of the traffic jams is that it allows time for child beggars to approach your car. They look as young as 3-years old and usually have disheveled hair and are either partially clothed with no shoes or are wearing filthy clothes. They come right up to your car and either point to their mouth in a "give me food" gesture or they try to sell you little plastic toys like whistles or puppets. It's really disturbing, especially when in a rickshaw because there's nothing separating you from them. One girl came up to my stopped rickshaw and grabbed my leg. I had to push her off of me. That's something I don't think I'll get used to. The SIT staff told us never to give money to them because a lot of the beggars are part of "beggar rings" where they're stationed throughout the city in specific high traffic areas and are exploited by ringleaders who take portions of their profits in exchange for things like food or shelter. It's a corrupt system that is deeply embedded in Indian society, so we're told never to give to them. 

Indian Garb

I went to a market today with a group of my classmates to shop for real Indian clothing. Even though I'm wearing very conservative Westerns shirts and pants, I still feel like I look out of place. Women here usually wear long shirts called "kurtas" which are usually paired with leggings or salwar kameez which are a shirt-pant combination. These are a few samples of what I bought today.

The yellow one cost me 300 rupees ($6.00) and the black-white one cost 600 rupees ($12.00) because it is hand-printed instead of screen-printed...aka better quality.

The one on the left cost 200 rupees ($4.00) and the one on the right cost me 250 rupees ($4.50.) Good deal via American standards right? They're super comfortable and way more manageable in this humidity and heat than any nylon t-shirt is. 

A few Visuals

This is the "sitting area" in my house- not sure what the equivalent would be called in an American house. The house is 50% outdoors without much of a real "roof." There's a lot of tarps and reed thatch coverings that act as ceilings. Somehow, the place stays dry.

The view of my street early in the morning as I was waiting for my rickshaw to pick me up for class. There's always women like the one in this photo sweeping the streets with big bundles of reed-brooms.

Another street view. I've gotten used to the skinny street-dogs that are always roaming around. It was a little disturbing at first, but strangely after only a week it seems normal.

My rickshaw driver Prandi-ji and two of my classmates. We take a 15 minute ride to the SIT center together every morning. It costs 50 rupees each way which is equal to $1.

One of the students giving bindi (the red paste you see on people's foreheads) to our teachers in honor if national "Teacher Appreciation Day." They set it up for us to do because we didn't even know it was a holiday.

A few of the students in our main classroom. We spend at least 6 hours here every day, but it's a small group (only 18 people) and there's usually a lot of interaction with the teachers.

This is where they serve us lunch every day. BUFFET STYLE. They switch the menu every day to keep things interesting. One day they made us pasta and salad which was heavenly because I've been living off of a diet of chapati (tortilla-esque bread) and various potato dishes.

This is where we eat lunch together. It's a porch on the roof of the center.

View from the rickshaw in the infamous Jaipur traffic.

The market around the block from my house. There's a bunch of "chemists" (drug stores) and a lot of little novelty shops. 

Photos from the roof

A few views from my room. My home is located in the Bapu Nagat territory of Jaipur, a safe neighborhood right next to the police station. I have a great view of the city around me.

This is one of the streets below. On the corner is a yoga studio that is apparently pretty popular to tourists.

Another shot. It's SO humid!

"Lock your door to keep the monkeys out."

Today marks my 8th day in India. I'm finally settled in my homestay house with my family who I will be living with for the next two months. I live in a house with my host father, 60 year old Chandra-ji, who is an established sitar player and teacher. He and his wife, Bovdra-ji, my host mom, run a music school 15 minutes from our house where Chandra-ji teaches sitar and Bovdra-ji teaches classical Indian singing. She has an absolutely beautiful voice, the delicate nasal-esque Indian sound that is typical of old Indian raga music. She said she'll teach me some time, which is pretty awesome. Also living in the house is Chandra-ji's 85 year old mother, who I call Dadi-ji. (the suffix "ji" is added onto first names to show respect for anyone older than you.) Chandra-ji and Bovdra-ji both speak good English, but Dadi-ji speaks only Hindi, so we usually communicate with hand gestures or by my elementary attempts at Hindi. Although I can't verbally speak with her, I think she likes me. She's a tiny little woman and she likes to touch my face and hold my hands and smile at me. She told Chandra-ji that I'm a "good girl."

The house I am staying is different from any "house" I've ever stayed in. The family actually lives in one section of a large house that hosts over 25 members of Chandra-ji's extended family. The different sections of the house are connected by multiple hallways and stairs. It's pretty confusing to get around, but I'm getting the hang of it. There's always people walking around, which means I get little privacy, but that's okay by me. Since they teach sitar in their house sometimes, the "living room" has no furniture. Instead of a couch or a table, there's two big mats covering the floor surrounded by pillows. They eat, do work, and sometimes sleep in there. I fell asleep in there last nigh next to Dadi-ji. It's like a big comfortable nest. 

My room is on the ROOF of the house. It takes 3 flights of stairs to get to it, but it's like my own little bungalow. On the first day when Chandra-ji was showing me around the house, he showed me my room and then handed me a stick and said "This is to bat the monkeys off with." Apparently, they have a bit of a monkey problem. Since the house is on the corner of a road, the monkeys jump from the trees to my roof. I woke up this morning to two HUGE monkeys hanging out on the railing, so I just waited until they went away to leave my room. #Indiaproblems.

Hopefully now that I have a stable internet connection, I'll be able to post more often!