Mai mera makaan me hoon. (I am in my house)

I'm writing this from my living room, watching my mom show my uncle pictures of india while Merlin chews on a toy Christmas tree. I just got back from Chicago, and before that Delhi. Needless to say, I am very, very tired. My term in India is over and it was the ultimate rollercoaster experience. In the end, I don't have any regrets except for maybe not getting enough Hindi...oh well, koi bat nahi (nevermind.)

Thank you all for reading this regularly, irregularly, or maybe never until this post. It has been great keeping in touch with all of you. This blog has helped me to express what I'm feeling in a more immediate way than I could possibly do otherwise. Therefore, I have felt very connected while still being able to decide when I can or can not have contact with home. I hope that you all enjoyed what was basically an outlet for me. I hope to see you all soon if I have not already.

Love,

Erica

Waiting to Take My Hindi Final

Sent in my final "Maximizing Your Study Abroad" assignment yesterday, just printed out my final paper, have my field notes completed, and now I'm waiting to be called into a room to take my final Hindi oral exam.

I should be worried about this.

Okay, I can't really muster up worries. I've mentally checked out of the academic part of this program. I'm ready to spend time in India with my parents, go home, and then go to Carleton. I would probably care more if this grade were going to be factored into my GPA. That's probably a lie. I feel that I've already passed this test by surviving in rural Rajasthan. My Hindi is very, very far from perfect, but I can get what I want and I could always figure out how to get food and water. Problem nahi hai.

I'm in Jaipur right now, my parents are coming on the 15th. We then go to Agra, Varanasi, Gaya, Patna, and maybe somewhere else. I'm not good at details, which will not surprise my mom as she reads this. I am however, really excited to go to some main Buddhist sites because I could never get to Dharmasala or Nepal. But I had a great NGO experience, which is more important to me. I got to go now. I'm on a school computer and my friend needs to print a paper.

Namaskar,

Erica

More Pictures

So in case you've been wondering what anything looks like, I've put up more photos online. Haven't gotten to the wedding or Vali just yet, but that's going to come soon, don't your worry.

-Erica

http://carleton.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017770&l=6ae0d&id=19101860

http://carleton.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017771&l=35ac0&id=19101860

http://carleton.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017772&l=0bf1d&id=19101860

I Can't Even Try to Summarize...

Hello all,

Congrats to the Carleton students who have finished the term! I can only say that you all probably worked 10 times harder everyday than I have in the past three months. India is exciting and challenging, but not very academic, which is perfect.

I'm currently back in Jaipur. My schedule went something like this: 1 day in Varanasi, 3 in Allahabad, 2 hours Delhi, 1 day Udaipur, 8 days Choti Vali. It was hectic traveling, so over a week in the village was great for decompressing. Right now I'm just impressed that Jen, Amy Kae and I haven't killed each other after living in such cramped quarters and traveling for so long. But then again, they're pretty easy to live with. I hope that I am too.

Allahabad and the wedding was great. I love Brinda's family, they were so welcoming and kind. Basically, I got sweets shoved in my face 24/7 while being told "Barfi, Beta." (sweet, child.) Seeing the preparations for the wedding was also exciting. It is a much bigger deal in India than back home. This wedding lasted about 3 days, but the length is completely up to the family. We went to the engagement ceremony, which is about as big as an American wedding. But the actually wedding procession two days later was astounding. There was really loud music, lights, a band, and about 1.300 people dancing/walking towards the building that the marriage was held in. What really surprised me is that people talk during the garland exchange, eat food, and then most leave before the actual wedding puja. I think that most brides in the USA would cry if someone talked during their vows.

The day in between the engagement ceremony and the wedding, we went to Sangam with Brinda's Aunt and Uncle. Sangam is where the Ganges and Yamuna meet. It is one of the holiest places in India, but not many Western tourists go there, so it was very relaxing. Auntie and Uncle ji were also the most placid of all of Brinda's relatives, and they were very comfortable sitting in silence and we were rowed through the Ganges to Sangam. The Ganges wasn't clean, but it was a lot nicer than Varanasi.

Getting back to Udaipur was ridiculous, and I don't think that I really need to describe the experience. Basically it was about 24 hours in a bus or a train. But we got back safely, and that's all that matters. Once we got back, we were told that we were going back to Vali to complete our research. That experience was really positive. But I don't feel like I can actually write about it. Time moved very strangely there and what I mostly remember is just spending time with people who speak a different language from me and still feeling connected to them. In a more concrete sense, I got my research done. Now I just need to actually write the damn report. I'm seven pages and two graphs in. That's better than most people on my program have. Most students aren't expected to do a report. I hope that my work is useful for the organization, but we're not Master's students, we're finishing our Bachelor's., so that's that.

Well, that's all I can even think about for now. I'm trying to get used to the idea that I'm going to see my parents in 2 weeks and I'll be home in less than a month. That's a lot to think about on top of two reports, one for an NGO and one for MSID.

Goodbye for now,

Erica

I Can See the Ganges As I'm Typing This

So, there's nothing like a 20-hour train ride to clear your head. That and dosas, chinese food, slumber parties, a pedicure, and the cheapest thali I've ever had.

After I last wrote, we proceeded to find some shelter for the night. That didn't happen until we finally called our friend Nancy and she said that we could sleep over at her host family's home. That was perfect, because ever hotel in town was booked because this is the weekend of the Pushkar Camel Fair. This used to be just a camel trading and pilgrimmage event, until Lonely Planet or something similar realized how amazing it is. Now, it's a huge tourist attraction and as Pushkar is 2 hours away from Jaipur, a lot of people stay in Jaipur instead of there.

While looking for a hotel, we stumbled onto a grimy, but really good restaurant just off of MI road. I had a great dosa, which provided me with the sustainance needed to process all that's been going on and all that I am going to see. We met up with Nancy and Emily later that night and went to the only Chinese Restaurant that I've seen in Jaipur. It was delicious (food will come up a lot in this entry, as I've been lucky the past couple days with stumbling onto places.)

The next day we went to a salon down the street from my house and got prettied up for the wedding. I realized that I needed to get a pedicure after walking around India for the past few months. Then we found this really cheap thali place, which had great food and a cook who is the closest person to an ommpaloompa (sp?) who I've ever seen. Then we board a train for Varanasi.

The train ride was pretty uneventful, until we got into Uttar Pradesh. Then this obsese, crazed-looking woman got on the train and starting whining at us in Hindi. She took Amy Kae as a kindred soul, sat down across from her, and started asking her to buy food whenever a vendor walked by. Amy Kae agreed and was rewarded with an invitation to join this woman in her work. I suspect this work might be getting onto random trains. We went to sleep that night, and Amy Kae was still there in the morning, so I'm guessing the woman is somewhere being very dissapointed.

We got into Varanasi a few hours ago, our hotel is pretty unique. So far I don't think I've experience so much personality from a hotel. But that said, we have three beds, a shower, overpriced internet, and a view of the Ganges. Tomorrow we head off to Allahabad for the ring ceremony. I need to get some clothes washed, because I am very, very gross. Also, we're going on a boat ride tonight to watch the sunset over the Ganges. It should be a good time.

-Erica

Testing My Karma

Okay, so I'm sorry if this is a negative post. But travelling in india has rattled my nerves. also the shift key is breaking on this computer, so please excuse the lack of upper case letters.

first the bad news, i won't be able to make it to kathmandu. this is incredibly depressing for me, but it just won't work with the timing of the wedding, a conference i had to attend, and indian trasport. we (amy kae, jen and i) are going to Varanasi tomorrow, then Sarnath, then Allahabad (where the wedding is.)

The problem, this will all take about a week because trains take awhile and leave at inconvient times. i feel really bad leaving my ngo for that long, but at the same time, i'm also tried of trying to please people other than myself. i already changed my focus of study from animal health to economic development for the ngo, i feel like i would be too saintly to not go to a wedding in Uttar Pradesh.

so, right now i'm in jaipur again. we had to come up here for a meeting with our program director. everyone from MSID came and it really made me understand what a good set up we have at Jagran jan vikas samiti. the people are great, we get fed, we have work, and we can get time off. a lot of people are treated like burdens at their ngos. after we talked about jjvs, all the one-year students are thinking about transferring from their ngos to ours. it's flattering that out stories were inspiring, but i don't think that jagran is for everyone. it's laid back and stuff does not always get done. that said, it is an amazing place and in a beautiful location.

i'm worried however, that i will not end up producing a good piece of literature for jagran. right now, my heart just isn't in it. i like medicine, not sociology and that is basically the research that i'm doing. i'm hoping i'll become more enthused when i actually start interviewing people in the village, because then i'll be able to connect my research to people.

okay, so that's the negative stuff. sorry if i brought your mood down a little. the good stuff is that i am going to a wedding still, i get to travel around india, and when i get back to jagran i'll be going back to the village. i'm beginning to get frustrated spending all my research time in the main center, i don't see the importance of my work. not that i expected to save the world, but at least in the village i understand what jagran does. i'm okay with just staying in vali (the village) for the rest of my internship, which is about two weeks. that's what i wanted out of my internship anyway. i think that i just got lazy and didn't push myself to go into the field as much as i should have in the beginning of the internship. but then again, my first time in the field i puked into a squatty potty. maybe my body just needed som rest and relaxation.

i think that today we're going to relax, get a hotel, try to just have fun and enjoy jaipur. now that it isn't diwali, i think that the city is much calmer. i've realized that i'm just not going to be positive right now, so i think i'll sign off. there's no point in whining that i didn't get a chance to go to nepal or to vali more than i wanted. i still have three more weeks of the internship phase and i know i'll perk up when we get a hotel in jaipur.

Best wishes,

Erica

Indian Fireworks: If They're Not Life Threatening, Then Why Even Bother?

Happy Diwali from Jaipur!

I'm currently in in a guest house in Jaipur, reeling from what's been a very hectic and loud couple of days. I got into Jaipur yesterday morning after spending over nine hours on a bus. I didn't want to attract too much attention, so I sealed off my sleeper comparment (think a bunk bed) and just tried to sleep. But the bus moved around so much that I could barely sleep. I also really did not want to get off to use the bathroom, so I had to pee for about eight hours while going over the occasional bump. I'm very impressed that I did not need to change my jeans at any point. Then at around 7:30am I got into Jaipur. I went to the guest house and passed out for two hours. Then I visited my family.

Visiting my family was tough because I've been living in an NGO and working with people who have basically nothing, but have devoted their lives to others and all my Mummiji wanted to do was complain. I think that I've been one of the only people recently who she's felt comfortable enough with to complain, but it was hard for me to take her seriously when she told me that her husband got her a solid gold ring for her birthday and then proceeded to explain that she had never seen Udaipur because she cannot travel because her husband "has no good job." Then I think about the women who visit the NGO who don't speak any English and are working as midwives and agricultural laborers and were still laughing and joking even though they had been doing backbreaking work since they were walking. But I got over my initial response to my family and had a great Diwali with them today. I'm beginning to crash, so I can't go into a lot of details. But there was a whole bag full of crackers in our house that we went through in about an hour. All of these crackers were being lit in the street as huge fireworks were going off overhead. Prabble (who is nine) was running around with sparkelers at all times.

I also did some shopping for the wedding this weekend and I ended up buying a sari. The price was expensive, but I think that it might be my most favorite outfit ever. I don't want to describe it because I don't think that I could do it justice. Okay, well I'm about to fall asleep on the keyboard and I don't want to do that until I have to when I'm writing papers at Carleton next term. Happy Diwali to all and I hope that one day everyone can experience the sensation of wondering if you're going to get through a festival with all of your limbs.

-Erica