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
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Thursday, November 15, 2007
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
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
Friday, November 9, 2007
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
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
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Ram (God) just wants us to see the Himalayas
Namaste,
Exciting events have just taken place. We talked to our boss about leaving for Diwali, our mid-internship seminar, and Brinda's sister's wedding and the consensus is that it is too much trouble to go between Jaipur and Udaipur three times in one week. So, we were told that we can stay in Jaipur until we have to be in Allahabad for the wedding on the 19th. This means that we will have the 15th to the 18th free to travel. So where to go? Nepal of course.
We're planning on going from Jaipur to Varanasi, then from Varanasi to Kathmandu. Then from Kathmandu back to Varanasi, which has frequent trains to Allahabad. We should be there in time to meet Brinda's family, get henna-ed, and explore Allahabad. This is amazing for all of us because we are going to see both the Himalayas and the Ganges in one fell swoop. Also when we get back to Udaipur we're going to have to crack down on our research and spend about 10 to 12 days in Vali (tiny village.)
At first I guilty for taking so much time off from work. Then I remembered that our boss recommended it. Then I also remembered that it's India and work is looked at completely differently here than it is in the US. And I know myself and I know I can do a darn good case study in 10 to 12 days, especially if there isn't any internet or phone service. I just hope I can eat the food.
Today I went to a regional animal disease diagnostic lab and did some research on diseases in livestock. The more I talk to people about animals here, the more I realize how differently animals are viewed in India versus the US. When I tried explaining cooperate farming, one doctor asked "So people do not respect their animals?" Then I remembered that it's illegal to kill cows in every Indian state expect for Kerala, which has a large Christian, nonveg population. So how can I even begin to explain meat industry to a man who has lived in a vegetarian culture for his entire life?
I'm going to go research Nepal now. Tomorrow night I head out for Jaipur. I'm going to stay with my friends Adam and Katrina in a hotel for three nights, and then I hope I can stay with my family for three more nights. I would like to go back to Udaipur, but that would mean leaving on the 11th and getting in that night. Then staying there fore the 12th and leaving on the 13th for Jaipur so I can attend my seminar. That doesn't make much sense. I just hope that my family doesn't mind me sleeping over. Then again, when I called my Mummiji the other day she said, "Erica, tell me something. I have missed you so much." Hearing that made me so excited to spend Diwali with a family.
Exciting events have just taken place. We talked to our boss about leaving for Diwali, our mid-internship seminar, and Brinda's sister's wedding and the consensus is that it is too much trouble to go between Jaipur and Udaipur three times in one week. So, we were told that we can stay in Jaipur until we have to be in Allahabad for the wedding on the 19th. This means that we will have the 15th to the 18th free to travel. So where to go? Nepal of course.
We're planning on going from Jaipur to Varanasi, then from Varanasi to Kathmandu. Then from Kathmandu back to Varanasi, which has frequent trains to Allahabad. We should be there in time to meet Brinda's family, get henna-ed, and explore Allahabad. This is amazing for all of us because we are going to see both the Himalayas and the Ganges in one fell swoop. Also when we get back to Udaipur we're going to have to crack down on our research and spend about 10 to 12 days in Vali (tiny village.)
At first I guilty for taking so much time off from work. Then I remembered that our boss recommended it. Then I also remembered that it's India and work is looked at completely differently here than it is in the US. And I know myself and I know I can do a darn good case study in 10 to 12 days, especially if there isn't any internet or phone service. I just hope I can eat the food.
Today I went to a regional animal disease diagnostic lab and did some research on diseases in livestock. The more I talk to people about animals here, the more I realize how differently animals are viewed in India versus the US. When I tried explaining cooperate farming, one doctor asked "So people do not respect their animals?" Then I remembered that it's illegal to kill cows in every Indian state expect for Kerala, which has a large Christian, nonveg population. So how can I even begin to explain meat industry to a man who has lived in a vegetarian culture for his entire life?
I'm going to go research Nepal now. Tomorrow night I head out for Jaipur. I'm going to stay with my friends Adam and Katrina in a hotel for three nights, and then I hope I can stay with my family for three more nights. I would like to go back to Udaipur, but that would mean leaving on the 11th and getting in that night. Then staying there fore the 12th and leaving on the 13th for Jaipur so I can attend my seminar. That doesn't make much sense. I just hope that my family doesn't mind me sleeping over. Then again, when I called my Mummiji the other day she said, "Erica, tell me something. I have missed you so much." Hearing that made me so excited to spend Diwali with a family.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
"Tigers," Food Poisoning, and a Wedding Invite (oh my!)
Hello,
The past week or so has been a crash course in what my boss Ganesh calls "the real India." The day before Halloween, Amy Kae, Jen and I hiked these steps up a bluff that lead to a temple. The views were amazing and I'll put them online as soon as I get the chance to. We ran into a woman herding her goats, some placid cows, and a group of adolescent boys. These boys were between the ages of eleven and fourteen and they thought that they were little studs. They showed us this Durga Temple on top of this hill and warned us about tigers. Of course, they couldn't keep straight faces as they warned us about these tigers.
They also offered us cigarettes and paan (red, gross, chewing-tobacco-like stuff.) I refused both, but I think that the one who asked had stolen his dad's paan because he seemed pretty smug. They then led further to a cave devoted to Shiva and then this abandoned fort. They said that the fort had been there since the Maharajahs, and I believe them, because that wasn't too long ago. On the fort, the one who offered me paan asked for our mobile number. Even though my phone was in my pocket, I told him that we don't have one. It's amazing how much we stick out here. Jen and I go running in an old cricket field sometimes in the morning and these boys pointed to us and said, "jogging. field." Sometimes I wish that I could look Indian for a day just to see how different my experience would be.
The next day we were told that we were going to Vali (a small village) in an hour. That changed to 6am the next day, which of course became 9am. That night was Halloween so we decided to make the most of our freedom before leaving and hit the town for candy. We met up with Lindsay and Brady (two of our friends at another Udaipur NGO) and went to a restaurant on the edge of the lake. I swear I love Udaipur just because I love both mountains and water. It doesn't matter that the lake is polluted and that the mountains are tiny. I still am much more at home here than in Jaipur.
When we left at 9am the next morning, we thought we'd be gone until Diwali (aound the 7th.) But then we were told that we'd actually be there until the 4th at the latest. Then we thought we were going in a jeep, which turned out to be a local bus. Communication gaps are funny if you let yourself enjoy the fact that you never know what's going on. So we end up on this rickety bus. And Jen's comment of "How is this thing working?" pretty much sums the experience up. But as Ganesh said, it's best that we see "the real India." I liked the bus expect for the fact that I was really tired. I didn't mind people staring at me because I'd stare at most of the people there if they showed up on the commuter train to NYC.
So we ended up in Vali and I was quickly told that I needed to go with some veterinary doctors because they were going to inspect some camels. At had not had breakfast or lunch at this point and I had just been on a bus for two hours. But I agreed and listened to a lot of camel-talk in Hindi, which at least got me some connections with people who can help me with my research. I also saw some baby camels. And there would have been hell to pay if I missed lunch and didn't see any baby camels.
The rest of the day we walked around the village and talked to a lot of women. Okay, we didn't really talk, so much as we spoke broken Hindi and they yelled Mewari at us. Mewari is a local dialect that I'm told is close to Hindi, but I don't know how true that is. That was the highlight of my Vali trip. The villagers were great, they invited us in for tea, asked us about our husbands, and asked why we didn't cover our heads. There were a ton of toothless old ladies working their butts off and you can tell that a lot of them run the show, or at least their households.
That was my highlight partly because I had food poisoning for the rest of the time. That was awful, but I'm okay now. We ended up going home a day early because I wanted to sleep in a bed and not on a floor if I was going to be sick. Amy Kae and Jen were also ready to leave, so we went back. When we got back, everyone told us that we looked very tired. I was tired, but more emotionally than physically. The perfect pick-me-up was when one of our bosses (Brinda) asked us to go to her little sister's wedding. The wedding is far away in Allahabad and the procession will have 1,300 people in it. That was exactly what I needed to hear. The Ganges and the Yamuna (both holy rivers) run through Allahabad and it is a 2.5 hour train ride away from Varanasi. I also know that we can get time off because our boss invited us. We're going to ask Brinda tomorrow if she'll take us sari and jewelry shopping. I got some salwaar kameez suits made here, but if I'm going to a wedding then I'm getting a sari. And it's going to be blingy.
So today is our day off and Gabe and my anniversary. Jen and her boyfriend had their anniversary a few days ago, so Amy Kae is taking "her women" out to town. It's internet cafe-ing, lunch, and then these swan boats on the lake. Oh yeah, and a stop to a sweet shop. Sorry for the long post. I hope that it was interesting to read, it was definitely an experience just writing it all out again.
Happy November,
Erica
The past week or so has been a crash course in what my boss Ganesh calls "the real India." The day before Halloween, Amy Kae, Jen and I hiked these steps up a bluff that lead to a temple. The views were amazing and I'll put them online as soon as I get the chance to. We ran into a woman herding her goats, some placid cows, and a group of adolescent boys. These boys were between the ages of eleven and fourteen and they thought that they were little studs. They showed us this Durga Temple on top of this hill and warned us about tigers. Of course, they couldn't keep straight faces as they warned us about these tigers.
They also offered us cigarettes and paan (red, gross, chewing-tobacco-like stuff.) I refused both, but I think that the one who asked had stolen his dad's paan because he seemed pretty smug. They then led further to a cave devoted to Shiva and then this abandoned fort. They said that the fort had been there since the Maharajahs, and I believe them, because that wasn't too long ago. On the fort, the one who offered me paan asked for our mobile number. Even though my phone was in my pocket, I told him that we don't have one. It's amazing how much we stick out here. Jen and I go running in an old cricket field sometimes in the morning and these boys pointed to us and said, "jogging. field." Sometimes I wish that I could look Indian for a day just to see how different my experience would be.
The next day we were told that we were going to Vali (a small village) in an hour. That changed to 6am the next day, which of course became 9am. That night was Halloween so we decided to make the most of our freedom before leaving and hit the town for candy. We met up with Lindsay and Brady (two of our friends at another Udaipur NGO) and went to a restaurant on the edge of the lake. I swear I love Udaipur just because I love both mountains and water. It doesn't matter that the lake is polluted and that the mountains are tiny. I still am much more at home here than in Jaipur.
When we left at 9am the next morning, we thought we'd be gone until Diwali (aound the 7th.) But then we were told that we'd actually be there until the 4th at the latest. Then we thought we were going in a jeep, which turned out to be a local bus. Communication gaps are funny if you let yourself enjoy the fact that you never know what's going on. So we end up on this rickety bus. And Jen's comment of "How is this thing working?" pretty much sums the experience up. But as Ganesh said, it's best that we see "the real India." I liked the bus expect for the fact that I was really tired. I didn't mind people staring at me because I'd stare at most of the people there if they showed up on the commuter train to NYC.
So we ended up in Vali and I was quickly told that I needed to go with some veterinary doctors because they were going to inspect some camels. At had not had breakfast or lunch at this point and I had just been on a bus for two hours. But I agreed and listened to a lot of camel-talk in Hindi, which at least got me some connections with people who can help me with my research. I also saw some baby camels. And there would have been hell to pay if I missed lunch and didn't see any baby camels.
The rest of the day we walked around the village and talked to a lot of women. Okay, we didn't really talk, so much as we spoke broken Hindi and they yelled Mewari at us. Mewari is a local dialect that I'm told is close to Hindi, but I don't know how true that is. That was the highlight of my Vali trip. The villagers were great, they invited us in for tea, asked us about our husbands, and asked why we didn't cover our heads. There were a ton of toothless old ladies working their butts off and you can tell that a lot of them run the show, or at least their households.
That was my highlight partly because I had food poisoning for the rest of the time. That was awful, but I'm okay now. We ended up going home a day early because I wanted to sleep in a bed and not on a floor if I was going to be sick. Amy Kae and Jen were also ready to leave, so we went back. When we got back, everyone told us that we looked very tired. I was tired, but more emotionally than physically. The perfect pick-me-up was when one of our bosses (Brinda) asked us to go to her little sister's wedding. The wedding is far away in Allahabad and the procession will have 1,300 people in it. That was exactly what I needed to hear. The Ganges and the Yamuna (both holy rivers) run through Allahabad and it is a 2.5 hour train ride away from Varanasi. I also know that we can get time off because our boss invited us. We're going to ask Brinda tomorrow if she'll take us sari and jewelry shopping. I got some salwaar kameez suits made here, but if I'm going to a wedding then I'm getting a sari. And it's going to be blingy.
So today is our day off and Gabe and my anniversary. Jen and her boyfriend had their anniversary a few days ago, so Amy Kae is taking "her women" out to town. It's internet cafe-ing, lunch, and then these swan boats on the lake. Oh yeah, and a stop to a sweet shop. Sorry for the long post. I hope that it was interesting to read, it was definitely an experience just writing it all out again.
Happy November,
Erica
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