Home Again, Home Again

Hey all,

I just got back from a six day excursion that was part academic and part touristy. We spent three days in Shekhawati, which is on the edge of the desert. We learned about Indian theater, art, organic farming, and the Rajputs (ruling/warrior caste.) Then myself and five other people went on into the desert to Bikaner, where we went into a Rat Temple. The temple is for Karni Mata and the rats are the reincarnations of people. I've heard that they're storytellers and I've heard that they're her family members. There were rats everywhere in the temple and a lot of them were drinking milk and eating treats. It is very auspicious for a rat to go over your feet, fortunately I did not have that good luck. We also went into a Fort at Bikaner, which was beautiful and really well preserved.

After Bikaner, we moved on to Jaisalmer (The Golden City.) It's Golden because it's made out of sandstone in some parts, which is usually ornately carved. We stayed in a small Guest House inside the fort. The view from our window was amazing, we could see the carvings of a Jain temple next to us. After we spent the night there, we went on a camel safari in the Thar Desert. Camels smell, but my camel named Kadu, was very sweet. We slept on a sand dune and the moon was almost full, so it was bright all night. It was so quiet and peaceful, I was really glad that I got to experience that aspect of Rajasthan.

When we got back from our safari we wandered around Jaisalmer and then moved onto Jodhpur (The Blue City.) We had trouble finding the blue though. We shopped in the market and tried to see a fort, but the road was closed. We then went home and Emily and I got home in time to enjoy our Mamaji's cooking. She made rice pudding, which was the only rice pudding that I think I've ever enjoyed. I had a coconut lassi in Jodhpur earlier that day, so I had a little bit of a sugar overdose.

I'm feeling much more positive about India right now. Getting out of Jaipur allowed me to really appreciate where I am. I like Jaipur a lot, but it's just hard to not take the stares, the crowds, and the pollution seriously. It's also hard to separate when I need a break from when I'm just being a baby. Hindi is still hard, but I'm hoping to get it together when I get into my internship. I'd love to work with animals, but animal welfare seems to be mostly a Western-organized affair. Most places were founded by Americans or Europeans. I want to use my Hindi as much as possible, but I think that ultimately it's best for me to do the right internship than to acquire the best language skills.

I realized that there are a lot of day-to-day things that I don't explain here. So I'll sum a couple things up:

Bucket Baths: Rajasthan is either arid or semiarid, it has huge water problems. So taking a shower is not okay or practical most of the time. Instead we fill a bucket with water and use a smaller bucket to pour water on ourselves. I really don't mind it. It's so hot here that I don't need a hot shower.

Dining: People usually eat with their hands. I've learned the art of using the tortilla-like chapati to eat just about everything.

Head wobble: I'm starting to move my head back and forth when I talk. People say a lot more with their head than with their mouth sometimes. The auto rickshaw driver who takes Emily and I to school (Gudo) has never said a word to us. But we understand to get in or out of the rickshaw because of his head wobble.

Traffic: I will never be afraid to drive in NJ again after India. The lines in the middle of the street are really just for decoration. People are always going in and out of lanes. Also, people don't signal. Instead they just honk to say "I'm coming, get out of the way." Crossing the street is fun.

I think that's all for now. I'll write again soon.

Love,

Erica