A Week of Adventures

After leaving the V.K.V. and heading back up North, we spent the next few days resting in New Delhi. Meat deprivation in the South made for carnivorous urges that could only be satisfied at KFC. They were.

The rest of the few days consisted of laying around, going to see Slumdog Millionaire (two days before the Oscar wins!), and playing endless games of rook. Nearby the New Delhi YMCA is the Palika Bazar. I can best describe Palika Bazar as a grungy underground market where shopkeepers will stop at nothing to get you into their store. Being the movie lover that I am, I was interested in obtaining some American movies so I could get caught up. I asked a man at a Hindi movie shop if he had American movies. It's all sort of a blur, but within an instant I was whisked off from my EMU companions down darker alleys and hallways until I was told to sit down in a little room that reminded me of a CSI interrogation room. The man I had followed strangely knocked on the ceiling of the room. A trap door in the ceiling revealed itself, and a man began handing down stacks of pirated DVDs. I wondered, "Is THIS the black market?!? Is THIS the place they're always talking about?!?" :) Not wasting any time, I quickly shuffled through the stacks, picking out seven that interested me. Rather than ask for my money, the man led me through more hallways to an unsanitary tattoo parlor where three men were sitting around a little DVD player. The man had them put all of my DVDs in and test for quality control. I probably would have had to buy the DVDs regardless, but I'm pleased the quality was up to par. I payed and was led back to where my friends had been, but they were gone. Not knowing that they had gone back to the YMCA, I searched for a while before making an announcement over the PA system at the Police Assistance Office. All in all, a time of sheer terror/adrenaline/disbelief at the situation's absurdity. Since I made it through unharmed, it's easy to look back and say that I'm glad I had the unique experience.
Another solo adventure I had occurred after we drove to Jaipur, Rajasthan. I had spotted some McDonald's while we were driving through and decided that was what I needed before bed. At the hotel desk the worker asked me where I was going and instantly dashed out of the hotel when I told him. After a couple minutes he came back after retrieving a little old man pulling an appropriately rickety rickshaw. I reluctantly got in and realized after 15 minutes of getting pulled around town in the dark that the driver had no idea where he was going. I asked a man passing on a bicycle, "McDonald's kahaa hai?", and pretty soon he had the driver squared away. Upon arrival, I enjoyed a McChicken meal and a soft-serve ice cream. Once the digestive process was far enough along, I went outside and made sure to take an auto-rickshaw back to the hotel.
There are many other things I could tell you, but I thought a few stories might be appreciated the most. Other than what I mentioned above, we visited several artisan guilds, Amber Fort, Jaigurh Fort, saw the Maharaja at his palace, and rode elephants. Through elaborate facial expression (click the picture to take a closer look), this picture documents the emotions felt when an elephant pulls you away from solid ground. Good times.
As usual, more adventures, like and differing from the ones above, await in the month and a half to come. Stay tuned next week for news from Ranthambore and Jodhpur!

Last Week in the South

Hello again! It's been another enjoyable week full of faking our way through Hindi, woodcarving, getting my burn on, and wearing shirts displaying political goals that I know very little about.

Over the past weekend, we took another jaunt away from our educational woes and drove down to the beaches of Kovalam. Bryce, Jeff, and I ended up at a different part of the beach than everyone else in the group, but it served as a nice escape from the stresses of being part of a herd. Friday afternoon and all of Saturday were spent switching back and forth between laying out on beach chairs and riding waves. The water was a perfect temperature and the moderately violent waves were right up my alley. Unfortunately, as it always seems to happen, three coats of sunscreen and an umbrella were no match for the brutal beach sun. Being Valentine's Day, m skin was appropriately various shades of red, pink, and white.

The final four days of classes has been reminiscent of the last week of school, when I'm just getting antsy in anticipation of being done. Don't let Bryce fool you, he is not thinking about Hindi at all.

I was pleased to finish up my wooden elephant by the end of our time, and it only took me ten hours longer than it would have taken the teacher! :/

Tomorrow we fly back up to Delhi before going West, to a climate more my style and to the prospect of new adventures. I'm thoroughly excited, and glad that the flight is direct this time. Until next week...

मई टीक हूँ । (I am fine)

After three weeks of constant travelling, it feels good to finally have some time to slow down and think. My week has been relaxing and therapeutic thanks to a slower pace of life and my cultural lessons in woodcarving. I enjoy relieving my stresses as I patiently carve every day, but at this point I still feel like an infant hitting blocks with a hammer. I enjoy watching the woodcarving guru, accurately described as an Indian Groucho Marx, quickly and carefully chisel away at his masterpiece until

the chunk of 2 x 4 becomes a folding table and chairs. I don’t anticipate becoming a phenomenal woodcarver, but I will definitely have a deeper appreciation for the complicated art.

The other class I’m taking, required of all the cross cultural students, is Hindi. Needless to say, the idea of learning a language in three weeks is daunting. It’s easy to feel resentful towards the teacher, Nisha Jee, for the strenuous class time and lengthy homework, but we are actually learning quite a lot in a very short time. Hopefully I can retain more than one language...

At times I felt discouraged during the week, but the thought of the upcoming weekend propelled me through. On Saturday morning, we left the V.K.V. and spent the day floating down the river on houseboats. I was pleased that the boats were a little more accommodating and safe than the Huckleberry Finn rafts I imagined. However, the newspaper on board with an article about the recent sinking of a houseboat was unnerving. When the boats docked along the riverside for the night, I opted out of sharing a double bed with Bryce/Jeff and chose to sleep outside on a padded bench. Bryce also ended up sleeping outside, because the thick haze of gasoline fumes in our room made us worry that we wouldn't wake up in the morning. Thankfully, the sun rose with all boats above water and no student casualties from excessive gasoline inhalation. Although, said fumes may have caused permanent damaged in unmentioned individuals (see below).

When arrived back in Aranmula, we were alerted that had graced the nearby temple for over 60 years had died. The community was a bustle and the elephant's caretaker was quickly accused of foul play. For the purposes of disposal and determining the elephant's cause of death a massive autopsy was performed. It was an amazing thing to see, and definitely the only one I'll have the opportunity to watch. Some of the men from the town got right up in there with no care for sanitary garments and simply hacked away with their axes. I won't go too in to detail, for your stomach's sake, but I would like to share an amusing fact I discovered: elephants and humans smell the same on the inside. :)

In case I haven’t made it clear, I’m having a great time at the V.K.V. and on the trip as a whole. The amazing people and incredible sights are quickly making this trip the experience of a lifetime.

Catching Up

I'm back in action, reporting LIVE from Vijnana Kala Vedi cultural center in Aranmula, Kerala.

First order of business: apologizing to my already faithful readers and friends for neglecting my blogging responsibilities. Furthermore, thank you to those whose comments alerted me to my need to return to the keyboard. I realize it has been quite some time since I updated you all on my India adventures, but as the title implies, I'll do my best to bring you up to speed. Let's get started, shall we?

Agra: 1/12-1/14

The Taj Mahal, Agra's claim to fame, is easily the most beautiful 17th century structure I've ever seen. We can barely make buildings that beautiful using today's technology. Every aspect of the palace was intricately planned out and executed resulting in apparent flawlessness, fueled by romanticism and lots of rupees. The Taj Mahal embodies perfect symmetry, both linear and rotational (9th grade geometry for ya'), with the exception of its creator's tomb held within. Shah "moneybags" Jihan intended to build an identical Onyx Taj Mahal across the river from the existing white marble Taj where he would be buried, but his son didn't carry out the Shah's wishes after his death. Unfortunately, as I've discovered is common at Indian monuments, video cameras are not allowed on the premises. This ridiculous rule was in fact a blessing in disguise, allowing me to absorb much more and preserve the visit through my memory rather than pictures.
We went other places in Agra, but for me they all paled in comparison. When I'm old and Alzheimer's ridden, the image of the Taj will still be firmly glued to my neurons.


Varanasi: 1/15-1/17

Varanasi is the Hindu headquarters, located along the Ganges River. The Ganges is considered sacred and is worshiped every night in a ceremony known as the Aarti. The ceremony was repetitive, but watching it from a boat and releasing floating candles into the river made it an amazing experience. Another common Hindu practice in Varanasi is the cremation of the dead and the spreading of the ashes into the Ganges. Watching cremations wasn't something I was used to, but it did feel like the process gave a peaceful rest to the earthly bodies.
Our hotel was situated, similarly to many buildings in the city, on a high rock face along the river. It made for an awesome view right from our hotel room's balcony.
A note of caution: the city is infested with attack monkeys, feeding them will not make them more friendly.

Bodhgaya: 1/17-1/19

Appropriately, our next location of the trip was the Buddhist headquarters. Other than being the site where Siddhartha Gautama achieved moksha, they also have an 80ft. Buddha statue. Overkill, but awesome.
The parts of Bodhgaya I appreciated the most: street lights = fluorescent bulbs tied to trees, flocks of monks on religious quests, safe walking areas, loud Buddhist chants played constantly.

Calcutta: 1/20-1/24

Calcutta is a very industrial city with heavy British influence, most readily visible through the plethora of European taxis. A very much enjoyed (by many) aspect of Calcutta was the presence of a KFC and a Domino's two blocks from our 157 year old YMCA. Needless to say, we indulged.
Our stay was characterized by touring , whether it be an MCC site (shout out to Earl Zimmerman), Mother Theresa's mission, or an orphanage. The mission and orphanage were good experiences for me, making me question my lifestyle and also reaffirming my desire to live for the betterment of those in need.


Kerala: 1/26-2/1

Our trip from Calcutta to the South was eventful. An 18 hour train ride followed by a 6 hour, triple take off & landing flight is enough to make anyone severely miserable. Group travel time is typically filled with reading, listening to ipods, playing mafia, and open-mouthed sleeping.
The South is hot, muggy, and everything else different from East coast Winters. It has taken awhile to get used to perpetual sweating.
Unfortunately, I was sick upon our arrival in the South and was unable to attend an event that the rest of the group raves about. Apparently, the annual religious ceremony of a Theyyam in Kerala involves a man dressed as a God repeatedly launching himself into a pile of hot coals and getting pulled out by ropes. I'm told it's as outrageous and awesome as I (and you) imagine.
Our home stays were a real treat. For a few days we stayed with families in a small village outside of Mala where we were taught the art of rice paddy farming. I tore the sleeves off of an Indian shirt I bought in an attempt to look authentic. Whether or not I actually looked the part, it sure felt right. After an exhausting two days of hoeing, irrigating, and plowing, the town challenged us to a game of football. We reluctantly agreed to play. We immediately regretted the decision when we arrived at their clay turf covered in small gravel. James fall down go BOOM (a common theme for our entire team). The game ended with a score of 1-5, impressively not a shut out.
It was fun to interact more closely with members of the Indian culture, but I must say, three weeks in one place, at the Vijnana Kala Vedi will be beneficial.




And here we are! All caught up! Thanks for sticking with me, I'll make sure I stay down to brass tacks for the duration of the trip despite lack of internet in certain areas. No excuses!

Hope all is going well wherever you are, feel free to let me know what I'm missing out on back home.

- James