Currently, I'm sitting on my bed in Hotel Kwality in New Delhi eating a room service breakfast of cornflakes, warm milk* and toast with what I think is mayonnaise-because butter has never tasted this sour before.
*Our first morning in Jaipur at Sreeniwas Guesthouse, we sat down to a breakfast of cornflakes and a pitcher of warm milk. We all thought this was hilarious mistake and took it as a "sweet" gesture by the guesthouse staff to try to accommodate our American tastes-while missing the target by just an inch- "Oh tah har har, look at these Indians trying to make AMERICAN food." Only later on did we realize that warm milk was intentional and was a very normal part of an Indian breakfast. It was a jarring and honestly embarrassing realization to think that WE thought THEY were doing it wrong-just one of the many times when our elitist Western attitudes revealed themselves to us. After the 5th or 6th breakfast of warm milk and cornflakes, I began to LOVE IT. Totes bringing this one back to the states!
Anywho, the last two weeks (the FINAL two weeks) of the program have whirled by quickly. It's hard to believe it's over! I can no longer say "Mai tourist mahi hu, Mai chartra hu!" (I'm not a tourist, I'm a student!)- because now I'm just a tourist hanging out in Delhi going to restaurants and museums.
To recap as succinctly as possible, I'll divide this post up into neat sections for your convenience and my sanity:
1.)ISP Presentations
2.)Banquet
3.)Wrap-up sessions
4.)Saying Goodbye
5.)Jailsameer
6.) Lists
7.) The End?
1. )ISP Presentations: Not sure how I did it, but I finished writing my ISP the day before it was due. A few of us walked to a printing office and watched the pounds and pounds of paper print out-which is not really in alignment with the program's mission of sustainability, but after a month of researching, traveling, and translating interviews from Nepali to English-all sprinkled with bouts of food poisoning, I needed something HARD and REAL to show how much effort I had put into it.
The next day, we loaded up our things and headed out to The Woods Villa where we would spend the next two days presenting our projects to the staff and a few SIT administrators that were visiting from the main office in Brattleboro, Vermont! OMG VERMONTERS! They set up an official room with a podium and projector screens and gave us notebooks and pencils to take notes on each other's presentations-the cutest. It was really great to see the finished products of everyone else's research since we'd all be so absorbed in our own. Some of my fellow pupils' topics included Resilience of Resettled Women in New Delhi Slums, the successes and challenges of the Mid-Day Meals Scheme in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, and the Public Distribution System of food grains in Sikkim. The title of mine was "Women of Rajasthan and Sikkim: A comparative analysis of environmental factors that enable women's empowerment."
The next day, we loaded up our things and headed out to The Woods Villa where we would spend the next two days presenting our projects to the staff and a few SIT administrators that were visiting from the main office in Brattleboro, Vermont! OMG VERMONTERS! They set up an official room with a podium and projector screens and gave us notebooks and pencils to take notes on each other's presentations-the cutest. It was really great to see the finished products of everyone else's research since we'd all be so absorbed in our own. Some of my fellow pupils' topics included Resilience of Resettled Women in New Delhi Slums, the successes and challenges of the Mid-Day Meals Scheme in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, and the Public Distribution System of food grains in Sikkim. The title of mine was "Women of Rajasthan and Sikkim: A comparative analysis of environmental factors that enable women's empowerment."
2.) Banquet: At the end of every semester, the program hosts a party for all of the students' host families and friends. Everybody dresses up, eats good food and like all Indian parties I've been to so far-has an unnecessarily loud dance party with the LARGEST AMPS I HAVE EVER SEEN. My host-family didn't come because they were at a wedding (December is wedding season in India.)
At this point, I hadn't bought myself a sari. I'd been having a huge internal battle about whether to buy one or not because 1.a) They're pricey, 1.b) I wouldn't realistically be able to wear it again and 1.c) I have many other things to remember India by .......BUT........2.) THEY'RE SO PRETTY! I thought I had justified this, but as everyone was getting ready, I realized I was the only person without one! (It reminded me of middle school...zomg pressure.) Shelly said that I could wear one of hers if I wanted to, so I tried it on, and it fit! A sari is just a unsown rectangular piece of cloth so it can work on anyone anyone, but you need to get a petticoat and a top tailored to fit. Fortunately, Shelly's fit me exactly!
It was a really good night. We danced and chatted with each other, our families, and the staff. What I love about the staff is that they can switch from being Professor to Dance Partner instantaneously. Our group has gotten close with each of them in different ways-they really are the main reason why this program has been so successful.
3.) Wrap Up Sessions: Back at the SIT center with the staff on our 2nd to last day, we met as a group and all talked about the challenges we thought we might face as we transition back to life outside of India. It was a much needed conversation because all of us are nervous about going home. Concerns people had included:
-feeling pretentious about having experienced the things we did
-feeling alienated from people who haven't experienced the things we did
-feeling unable to express fully to others what the hell India is.....DING DING DING DING
-feeling pretentious about having experienced the things we did
-feeling alienated from people who haven't experienced the things we did
-feeling unable to express fully to others what the hell India is.....DING DING DING DING
The staff then posted three large sheets of paper on the wall that were labeled "Heart," "Hand" and "Mind." They told us to take some time and write down some things we've learned from our time here in each of the three categories. Below are photos of what we came up with...
We then watched a photo slideshow that Manoji made for us. Half of the photos consisted of "candid sleeping shots" of us on buses and trains. He's the much needed comic relief of the staff.
4.) Saying Goodbye: This has been a toughy. People have been leaving in shifts so I keep having to say goodbye over and over again and it blows. Strangely though, I haven't really been getting emotional when doing so- but I know myself by now and know that it'll spring up at the most unexpected, inappropriate time-so WATCH OUT when I get back, family!
In all seriousness though, our group is one of the most interesting, beautiful conglomerations of human beings I've had the fortune of being part of. Every person had different personalities and fresh perspectives to offer. We were from different places yet all ended up here because we all shared the same values about the world-we want to learn about the problems in it and do what we can to make it better. I think we all got so close because we got to know each other without any distractions-no fancy clothes, no makeup, no bull****. We showed up here and all we had was ourselves-and because there weren't any fronts or facades to shift through, we all got to know each other honestly and truthfully. The genuineness of this group is something I'll miss the most.
My friend told me before I left that going abroad really forces you to pay attention to yourself and learn about why you do the things you do. When you're snatched up from the comforts and routines of home and plopped down in a place where you don't understand the culture or speak the language, you're going to notice your patterns about how you approach and react to different situations. If you react the same way about something in the streets of Jaipur as you do in downtown Albany, then that piece of you is....a concrete part of your being. I've noticed patterns about myself that I never picked up in before. Some not always the most positive, but it has been a continuous learning process that I don't think I could have gotten anywhere other than in India.
Phew, okay- I'll spare you the rest of my mushy thoughts.
On to the travels!
In all seriousness though, our group is one of the most interesting, beautiful conglomerations of human beings I've had the fortune of being part of. Every person had different personalities and fresh perspectives to offer. We were from different places yet all ended up here because we all shared the same values about the world-we want to learn about the problems in it and do what we can to make it better. I think we all got so close because we got to know each other without any distractions-no fancy clothes, no makeup, no bull****. We showed up here and all we had was ourselves-and because there weren't any fronts or facades to shift through, we all got to know each other honestly and truthfully. The genuineness of this group is something I'll miss the most.
My friend told me before I left that going abroad really forces you to pay attention to yourself and learn about why you do the things you do. When you're snatched up from the comforts and routines of home and plopped down in a place where you don't understand the culture or speak the language, you're going to notice your patterns about how you approach and react to different situations. If you react the same way about something in the streets of Jaipur as you do in downtown Albany, then that piece of you is....a concrete part of your being. I've noticed patterns about myself that I never picked up in before. Some not always the most positive, but it has been a continuous learning process that I don't think I could have gotten anywhere other than in India.
Phew, okay- I'll spare you the rest of my mushy thoughts.
On to the travels!
5.) Jailsameer: 6 friends and I (Andrea, Jess, Shelly, Danielle, Miranda, Helen) decided a month ago to travel to Jaisalmeer-The “Golden City” that lies 100 kilometers from the border of Pakistan-after the program to go on a CAMEL SAFARI! A few students in our group had already gone on one after our Bikaner excursion 2 months ago (wow, that seems forever ago.) They said it was really great, so we booked a 2-day/1-night safari with Trotter’s Camel Safari (link.)
We left Sriniwas Guesthouse in Jaipur on Thursday night to catch our 11:35pm train to Jailsameer. Not only were we traveling on our own without the guidance of the SIT staff, but we had ALL of our luggage with us. As of right now, my luggage consists of mainly presents I’ve bought over the last 3 months. I keep having to get rid of more and more clothes and toiletries to make room. By the time I leave, I’ll have probably gotten rid of everything I own. Anywho, the 7 of us found our platform and stood surrounding our bags like a herd of mamas protecting their babies. After chatting and waiting for a while, Jess said, “Guys...look at the crowd we’ve gathered.” We looked around us and were completely ENCIRCLED by at least 50 men-3 rows thick-wrapped in shawls staring wide-eyed at us. This far into our India adventure, this kind of thing didn’t surprise us anymore, but this crowd was larger than ever before. Like many things we experience here, we blocked it out and continued our conversations.
After a 12 hour ride, we arrived in Jailsameer. We lugged our things off the train and to the main gate, where a tiny man held a sign written in sharpie saying “Welcome Laura” (because I had set up the safari.) After signing some papers and getting a quick lunch, they picked us up in a Jeep and drove us 2 hours outside of the city through the most arid desert I’ve seen so far. We stopped along the way to check out an oasis (just a pond) and an abandoned fort (pretty cool.)
We took turns onto smaller and smaller roads, kicking up more and more dust the farther we went until I couldn’t make out any semblance of a road anymore. We then stopped and were given water and a few of the safari men taught us how to tie our scarfs in a “desert way” *photos below.* A few minutes later, 7 camels trotted up to the jeeps! They were doofy looking things and reminded me of awkward teenage boys whose limbs had grown faster than the rest of their bodies. They had a "pug" effect-where they were so ugly that they magically became adorable! They were covered in padding and colorful blankets. I was the first one to go up. I was told that my camel's name was Johnny Walker and that he was a highly esteemed camel-polo player in Jaisalmeer. I kid you not. The camel man told me to lean back as far as I could so the camel could stand up without throwing me off. Barely cleared that one.
To sum up the camel travels in a brief Haiku....
"On a dinosaur...
This is fun...oh wait...oh no,
I can't feel my legs."
It was great... for the first 15 minutes... but then the pain started in-and as a barely flexible person, this did not work out so well. I had to be helped by the camel men to get off of mine and struggled to walk for the next two days.
Despite the uncomfortable positioning, the camel riding was pretty sweet. We traveled through miles of desert which happened to be in the middle of a National Wildlife Sanctuary so we saw some deer-looking creatures hoping around and some ostrich-looking birds THAT FLEW. Eventually, we came to some legitimate desert sand dunes! We got off, sat on a blanket, had some drinks, and explored the dunes. We were all pretty tired, so we just sat on the dunes and watched the sun set. It was stunning. I won't forget that view ever.
As the sun set, the stars began to emerge. I've never seen such clear night sky. The camel people set up more blankets and cooked us dinner of chapati, dal, subji, and rice over a fire they made. They were some pretty funny dudes. One guys said, "I'm not educated, but I've been to camel college!" We fell asleep under the stars in the sand. It was unreal. That's all I can say.
After we returned back to Jaisalmeer, we crashed. Hardcore. I think it was a combination of too much camel and 12 hours train rides and saying goodbye and having the weight of the ISP lifted. We napped for quite some time and then managed to get ourselves together and get some good old Rajasthani dinner- Thali! Thali is a dish that is made up of samples of little portions of different indian foods all served in individual metal bowls on a metal platter-usually with some type of bread and rice. The food on the platter differs from region to region, but Rajasthani thalis usually consist of the ever elusive pickle, curd (yogurt,) dal, a few vegetable dishes (usually potato, okra, or beans) and a sweet. Not only are they delicious, but SO beautiful to look at!
The next day, we went to visit the Jaisalmeer Fort-a functioning fort in the heart of the city where people work, live, and worship. There's a few beautiful Jain temples in the middle part surrounded by shops selling paper products and "antique" photo frames and pretty boxes. Miranda suggested we did the audio tour of the main part of the fort. I usually pass on the audio tours, but she said that they're really informative, so we all shelled out 250 rupees and got our headsets and lanyards and pressed play. Such a good decision! I learned about why the stairs in the fort are so gosh darn STEEP- turns out steep stairs are difficult to climb up quickly, which is great to slow down invaders! WOAH MIND BLOWN?
Unfortunately, my friends had to catch a train to Udaipur where they would spend a few days before going to Goa! I opted out of this because I had already been to Udaipur and wanted to spend time in Delhi to visit museums before I left (nerd.) So I bid them goodbye and was alone in the Golden City. Still sore from the camel, I decided to splurge and get an "ayurvedic" massage. Ayruveda is the traditional Hindu practice of natural alternative medicine.
I made this decision on a whim and walked into a little blue room tucked under a facade of stone inlay-I don't even know how I saw it. A little woman was sitting at a desk in a cramped room covered in bright paint, hanging dried plants, and shelves filled with bottles of oil. It cost 500 rupees for a 60 minute massage. Score! She brought me past a curtain into an even smaller room. It felt moist and hot and reeked of spices I couldn't recognize. This was one of the more interesting scenarios I'd gotten myself into....
To sum this up in another Haiku: (and to avoid having to go into detail.....)
"Naked on a board...
Why is it so dark in here?
That's too much oil, miss."
To sum up the camel travels in a brief Haiku....
"On a dinosaur...
This is fun...oh wait...oh no,
I can't feel my legs."
It was great... for the first 15 minutes... but then the pain started in-and as a barely flexible person, this did not work out so well. I had to be helped by the camel men to get off of mine and struggled to walk for the next two days.
Despite the uncomfortable positioning, the camel riding was pretty sweet. We traveled through miles of desert which happened to be in the middle of a National Wildlife Sanctuary so we saw some deer-looking creatures hoping around and some ostrich-looking birds THAT FLEW. Eventually, we came to some legitimate desert sand dunes! We got off, sat on a blanket, had some drinks, and explored the dunes. We were all pretty tired, so we just sat on the dunes and watched the sun set. It was stunning. I won't forget that view ever.
As the sun set, the stars began to emerge. I've never seen such clear night sky. The camel people set up more blankets and cooked us dinner of chapati, dal, subji, and rice over a fire they made. They were some pretty funny dudes. One guys said, "I'm not educated, but I've been to camel college!" We fell asleep under the stars in the sand. It was unreal. That's all I can say.
Mr. Johnny Walker.
Sunset in the Thar Desert (Miranda, Shelly, Helen, Danielle, Andrea, Jess, Me)
Photo cred: Miranda!
Early morning
Making friends
After we returned back to Jaisalmeer, we crashed. Hardcore. I think it was a combination of too much camel and 12 hours train rides and saying goodbye and having the weight of the ISP lifted. We napped for quite some time and then managed to get ourselves together and get some good old Rajasthani dinner- Thali! Thali is a dish that is made up of samples of little portions of different indian foods all served in individual metal bowls on a metal platter-usually with some type of bread and rice. The food on the platter differs from region to region, but Rajasthani thalis usually consist of the ever elusive pickle, curd (yogurt,) dal, a few vegetable dishes (usually potato, okra, or beans) and a sweet. Not only are they delicious, but SO beautiful to look at!
View of the Golden City from the top of the fort.
Looking smart
Stunningly intricate STONE carved walls. The entire fort looked like this.
Unfortunately, my friends had to catch a train to Udaipur where they would spend a few days before going to Goa! I opted out of this because I had already been to Udaipur and wanted to spend time in Delhi to visit museums before I left (nerd.) So I bid them goodbye and was alone in the Golden City. Still sore from the camel, I decided to splurge and get an "ayurvedic" massage. Ayruveda is the traditional Hindu practice of natural alternative medicine.
I made this decision on a whim and walked into a little blue room tucked under a facade of stone inlay-I don't even know how I saw it. A little woman was sitting at a desk in a cramped room covered in bright paint, hanging dried plants, and shelves filled with bottles of oil. It cost 500 rupees for a 60 minute massage. Score! She brought me past a curtain into an even smaller room. It felt moist and hot and reeked of spices I couldn't recognize. This was one of the more interesting scenarios I'd gotten myself into....
To sum this up in another Haiku: (and to avoid having to go into detail.....)
"Naked on a board...
Why is it so dark in here?
That's too much oil, miss."
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