What exactly have you heard about Americans?

So I've been in Indian for about two weeks and I've already had amazing highs and lows. A low was getting into an auto rickshaw with a rickshawalla (driver) who did not know where he was going. A high was getting to participate in my host family's puja (prayer/ceremony) for Lord Ganesha. Also my host mom is an amazing cook, so just about every meal is a high. But just about every meal involves chapatis (thin, tortilla-like breads) and chai. Chai is made with just milk here and chapatis are wheat. I have sensitivities to dairy, wheat, and pollution, so I've had a head cold for the past couple of days. But I think that as long as I drink a lot of water and cover my face with a shawl while walking down buys roads I won't get too sick.

This Friday (I'm a day ahead of you Americans) my group went to two NGO sites in a more rural part of Rajasthan. One village has been planting trees, conserving water, and growing organic crops for the past twenty years. This system has increased their grain and milk production, and has kept their land greener than other villages who are still using pesticides, fertilizers, and cutting down trees. Rajasthan has a lot of water-shortage problems, so these people are really maximizing what they have.

The other NGO is called "Barefoot College." It provides practical training and resources to nearby villages. For example, they train solar engineers regardless of the student's previous training. These students can then bring solar power to where they live. They also train doctors and teachers and educate people about their rights to water, land ect. It is a very impressive model that has been copied all over India and the rest of the world. I think a lot of people in my group would like to work their for their internship, but I'm not too sure.

Right now I'm trying to upload some pictures, but I can't seem to e-mail them to myself. This is frustrating because I can't just upload pictures onto the computer that I'm using at the Internet cafe. They have to upload them at a master computer and then I have to e-mail them to myself. Gar!

And now to explain the title of this piece...I've found that stereotypes about Americans are pretty strong here. Baywatch has not done wonders for the the reputation of American women. When one female student asked our professor what we could do to avoid attention from Indian men, our professors told us that most men who are making the comments think that they are being charming and that American women are a lot easier to date (and I guess have sex with) than other women. Thank you Pamela Anderson. I want to learn how to say, "I'm married and have six babies" in Hindi. But I have also been told that I "have the figure of a sixteen-year-old," so I don't know if that will work.

But all-in-all I've found the majority of Indians to be very polite and eager to practice their English on foreign students. It's just a shame that a few stupid guys have to be thrown into the mix. I'm hoping that the more Hindi I learn, the more I'll be able to show that I'm not just a tourist. I actually want to learn about India and not just take pictures.

That's about all for now, I love you all!

Erica