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

Busy, Busy

I apologize to everyone expecting a full blogpost, but I haven't had the copious amounts of time I would like to allot to my blog. Incidentally, I still don't. I'm still loving every (well almost every) minute of it! Soon enough our schedule will slow down and I'll have time to write proper blog entries. I am frequently reminded of many of you during my variety of experiences. Things I think you would enjoy, hate, tolerate, etc. Take care, and I'll do the same! I'll post again soon...

Getting Adjusted: First Several Days

We have arrived! The trip was mentally and physically exhausting, but we made it safe and sound!

Somewhere along the 14 hour plane ride, I lost my mind. Don't worry, I have since recovered it. I was bugging out, having to walk around every 5 minutes. Pacing, shifting around in my seat, and making disgusted faces at other members of the group were just some of the activities comprising my obnoxious flight behavior. I hereby apologize to those who still hold a grudge (Lara).

We arrived at the YMCA in New Delhi almost 24 hours after leaving Newark (including time change). The first night of sleep was shorter than expected. At 5:00am, Bryce, Jeff, & I finally gave up pretending to sleep, choosing to play 20 Questions instead. Bryce lost.

What a first day! After breakfast we loaded up into the bus and began a day of Delhi adventures. Our views from the bus were our first real exposure to the culture of India. Everyone was amazed and captivated by everything, from organized traffic chaos to little boys digging holes on the side of the street.

During the day we visited many historical sites of Delhi including Humayun's tomb, Red Fort, Old Delhi, and Gandi's Memorial. Old Delhi was definitely my favorite part of the day, as it felt like we were seeing the details of the culture. The rickshaw ride in Old Delhi was out of control. I felt sorry for the little man expected to pull Jeff and me around the tiny streets of the city. You know you're in India when monkeys are climbing around on a tangled mess of functioning power lines.

We were truly a spectacle. People stared at us, wanted pictures with us, and stood within our American comfort zones. Some awkward yet quite humorous interactions included the suggestive stares Jeff got from several men and the chokehold an old man threw at Bryce during the rickshaw ride. Haha, oh my.

This is only the beginning... so much awaits! Sorry there's no picture with this post. There will be some within the week! Peace!

3... 2... 1... Liftoff!

We're past the 12 hour mark!

Don't let the picture deceive you. My look is of frenzy, not fear. I have no misgivings; the awaiting adventures of India are too great for me to question my departure.

I haven't decided how much sleep I'll get tonight, based on a desire to pass transportation time with that very activity. I still need to do some final laundry and perfect my packing job...

Farewell, comfort of familiarity, I shall return!

Freeloading

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go... but I can't yet. :\ These first several days before the departure for India are full of orientation/prep. Since my suite was absorbed by students actually living on campus this semester, I've been forced to mooch off of the kind gentlemen across the hall. My dresser is their living room floor, my desk is their dining room table, and my bed is their 5' 8" x 2' couch. My nights of sleep have been less than restful so far (I woke up with an impressive bruise on my leg that I can only hypothesize is from my inability to fit on the couch). Other than that, I can't complain. I almost wish I could take advantage of their hospitality for a little longer!
Friday is quickly arriving, and I'm getting eager. I suppose this serves as practice for the many moments to come on the trip that will require patience. I'm also excited after spending some time with the CC group and realizing how much fun we're all going to have together. Good group dynamics so far... definitely a positive sign.
Well, I'm off to spend time with the friends I won't be seeing for three months. I'll update once more before I leave!