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
