India ALUMNUS BLOGS
Spring 2008 INDIA Semester
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Pictures!!!
Lots of folks have been asking for them. Here
is a link to pictures taken by Jasreet, one of our contacts. We haven't even
seen them yet (no one will let us download them onto their internet cafe
computer)....hope you like them. They are from our
time in Chandighar.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/2o69jq
Enjoy!
Aleta
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
seven days in tibet
welllll i just spent an hour on a blog that didnt post, so im a LITTLE
cranky....take two:
so im supposed
to write about mcleod ganj and our trek. mcleod-- for
thoseof you who dont know, mcleod ganj is the home of the Tibetan government in
exhile. dan and aleta stayed in a hotel (with posters
around it reading-- do not leave belongings outside- monkeys will attack),
while we stayed in homestays. we all had...varied
experiences to say the least. i lived with an adorable
little Tibetan women and her husband, who spoke a teeny bit of english, but not
much. we spent the nights cooking and watching bbc
(though they didnt understand the english), awful american movies from the 90s
translated into hindi, and the amazing race (which brought much hilarity--
"why so much of anger! hehehe americaaaa you
heheh." i also taught my pala (tibetan for father) how to play gin. vern lived with an old woman who spoke no english, but
laugehd more than anyone i know, and whos house was littered with naked white
baby posters (a surprisingly common occurance in india....dont ask), julia and
sam were force fed fish and other such foods not meant for western stomachs,
and theyre still suffering. actually, most of us were
force fed ohhh 3rds or 4ths on our dinners-- eat eat too skinny eat!!! it reminded me of my jewish upbringing, sigh. emily wa the worst off i think, shed be offered 4ths so many
times that she once replied "maybe if you ask me ten times ill say
yes!" she was asked ten times. sarcasm doesnt
translate. britanny fell in love with her family,
which is why she remains in mcleod ganj now. we wish
her all the best on her new adventure! we all spent
our days doing very different things, though we all did a lot of shopping,
eating of tibetan food (much different from indian, usually momos (dumplings)
and thukpa (pasta and veggies in soup), so so good, a nice break for those of
us that werent handling the spicy indian food very well (caugh me caugh). some
people did internships, learning jewelry making, massage, etc. some people
hiked nearby. many of us did yoga...for a few days. we, um, werent very good.
but it was definatly an experience, by the end many of us could even touch our
toes! (almost). i did a bit
of volunteering, teaching english to recent immigrants from tibet. thaaat was an experience. it was
conversational, so id start the class- why dont you say abit about yourself! ill start "im becky and iummm im from ameeriiiccaaa and
im 19 and i live near boston and im travelling in india! i
have a mother and a father and i like going to the moooviieess tehehehe",
the usual reponse "my name is tenzin. i come from
tibet 3 months agoi. i travel 43 days over himalayas
and lost many companions. im so happy to be here and i
like to learn english(huge grin)." the stories were so touching and
tragic, and through it all they were such inspiring people. tibetans
have such a beautiful outlook towards life, while their people are being torn
apart by genocide, they refuse to hate, they smile, the persevere. i think we all learned something from every tibetan we
encountered. we also watched or participated in teh
peace march that happened every night. monks- young
old men women, as well as westerners, tourists, hippies, young tibetans...ye ol
carpe diem students...would mach with candles at 6 pm to the dalai lamas
temple, chanting. it was an extraordinary sight. so moving. we also watched a documentary
about the tragioc history of tibet, which left most of us very shaken up, but
going outside and seeing the response was inspiring.
we were
heartbroken to leave our homestays (some of us, though some stomachs would beg
to differ), but excited to do some trekking (some of us). we
set off up the mountain for a 5 hour trek, straight up the side of e amountain
with our packs. it was hard on most of usbut so
beautiful along thje way. when we finally got to the
top after heading through a rain/wind storm our camp was set up for us and our
camp boys were wating for us. they made us an
incredible dinner and then we retuired to our tents. most
people were cold, freezing. me and dan, being from
maine and minnesota respectively) laughed at everyone and threw snowballs. most other people sat in their tents, wrapped in blankets
shivering. brittanny was my roomate and being from
florida, spent the night saying "becky, BECKY i am so, COLD. this is not my SCENE. UGH." and watched 24 on her ipod.
a few others spent the veening in similar spirits. but by the next day we had learned to laugh at our situation
(there wasnt much else to do, there was snow on the ground, it was hailing, our
tents threatened to blow over at any time, our bathroom tent had blown over,
leaving those of us with, um, indian stomach problems, no pun intended, but
shit outta luck, all of our clothes were soaked, many of us had spent the night
with the stray dogs that followed us up the mountain-- thankms for the rabies
shots mom!..... hilarity ensued) we spent the day in the kitchen tent, hiding
from the storm, talking about ourselves, playing cards and doing what we do
best- eating. the next morning we woke up to a storm
that had sommmehow gotten worse, and had no idea how we were going to get back
down. we spoent eh morning yelling at eachother from
our tents-- HOWS IT GOIN??? OH GOOD!!! SEE YA ROUND THE CAMPUS! IM COLD. MEOW. then all of a sudden, when the wind seemed to have picked
up, we hear dan yell, HEY GUYS PACK YOUR STUFF WERE GOING!" so we packed
our bags, and headed back down the mountian. we
started off rather slow, havingto hike through SNOW and all....but could see
bright green at the bottom. and passed rodedendrons on
the way. it was quite beautiful. we
got back, had a nice send off dinner for brittany at a mexican restaraunt in
mcleod ganj (culture shock anyone?) the next mornign we left at 3 to head to
amritsar!
and that, my
friends, all occured in just over a week.
hows america?
signing off-
goodnight.
and goodluck.
-becky
Monday, March 31, 2008
Toto... I don't think we're in India anymore...
I apologize for the tardiness of a blog
regarding our journeys among the city of Chandighar. With the ever constant
moving and having time filled with shoveling delicious food down our throats or
studying things such as hypnotherapy, I find it hard to sit down and recollect
on our days way back when.
The second we arrived in Chandighar we were
immediately taken aback by the cleanliness, and the lack of people hoarding
around you. In fact, on the plane we were the only people flying so baggage
claim was a breeze. We were all exhausted from our time in Kolkata, though
feeling very rewarded, and awaited the wonder of sleeping in with no
responsibility, other than whatever we wished to do for our first day.
While driving through the streets we found it
hard to grasp the organization. The cars were driving on their specified side,
a wonderous idea used in all places EXCEPT India, and the honking ceased to be
so very common. The area was divided into sectors filled with stores, chemists,
and liquor stands, all bundled in constant view, and each sector displaying the
same pattern (shop, liquor stand, chemist, shop, shop, chemist, shop, liquor
stand, etc.).
We began our time there with a trip to the
lake, for dinner, at a mermaid themed family restaurant. For those willing to
take a chance, we were finally able to order meat without questioning the
legitamacy of it, and many went wild with tandoori chicken, or chicken tikka
masala. After enjoying a nice meal, we went for a walk down along the water,
surrounded by trash cans, and signs saying "Keep Our Land Clean" , "Don't Breed Mosquitos", or any other
festive chant for a clean and vibrant area. Thrown aback by the curfew... we
are quickly rushed away at 9 by the marshalls running the area. I believe we
all slept pretty well that night, and late into the next day.
Our second day there would waste your time to
read, for all we did was spend time readjusting, sleeping, eating, and doing as
little as possible. However, our third day was used in a much more productive
manner...
We were met at nine to be driven out of Chandighar
to a village and to a large Sikh temple. We drove for some time chatting about
the area and indulging in some wonderous "Modgah i Modgah" bollywood
songs. Arriving finally at a randomly chosen village in which all we did was
ask a child walking home, "Are your parents home?". "Yes,"
the child replies. "Can we come and visit your home?" "Yes, of
course, please!" the child answers with a satisfied grin spreading across
his face. We pull up and are immediately surrounded by men ,
women, and children all telling us to sit down and drink chi, and proudly
showing us the home they had made. After a short time of sitting in the one
families home, we are taken out to explore the land and visit the irrigation
area that waters their fields. After spending time staring at water spewing
from the ground, we are rushed to another house to injest some freshly made
sugar cane juice mixed with lemon and ginger. As we sit and drink, we watch the
kids prying away at the oddly placed weight machine sitting in front of this
small house. One can only assume you need extra strong arms in this village
setting! We leave the village after multiple glasses of chi, sugar cane juice,
and one too many biscuits, on a longer journey towards the temple. We arrived
at the temple, leaving our shoes in the car, washed our hands and our feet, and
trekked up the stairs. Walking in, we see hoards of swords, and people eating
sugar balls, all sitting around a man playing music, or walking around the
temple in a counter clockwise fashion. Some sat around listening to the music,
some looked at the view, and some of us were whisked away by Sikh men who
insisted on us getting our picture taken with them, one with each man in the
very large group. After some time we were able to experience the true
"giving" nature of this religion, and sat in an open room and were
served copious amounts of food, more than our stomachs could bare. We left the
temple in a food coma, and spent the rest of the day being pampered in a posh
Indian golf course, where we learned the true slogan of India....
"Everything is possible in India."
Our final day in Chandighar was spent by going
to two lectures, one by a guru, acclaimed by our contact of the area, and the
other given by an old timeless Sikh, who was well knowledged in the areas of
his culture, and though he was ninety six he was attempting to take vocal
lessons! We were awestruck by both speakers, and also very jittery from the
overwhelming amount of sugar balls, balls literally dripping with sugar, given
as a respected treat at the end of a talk. And soon after, we seperated in
hopes of taking in our last night as best we could. Some went shopping, others
went to the famous rock garden, and some went to a park, and by five we all met
up for one final dinner at a supposed wonderful Punjabi restaurant. Our dinner
was so-so, and our night ended quick amusingly. We
thought we were going to be clubbing and experiencing a night on the town,
however, are quickly slapped by the realization that the club is a ghost bar,
and the dj is spinning for himself.
It seemed as though the entirety of Chandighar
was a mass of confusing moments, breaks from the everyday culture, and filled
with surprises.
With Love,
Vernskies
Friday, March 21, 2008
INDIA group-now in Palampur
Hey, all! Nannette here in
Portland on behalf of the home office.
Just to let you know that the group is now in
Palampur, Himachal Pradesh (for those of you who like to Google or look on the
map)! They had a few extremely busy days in Chandigarh after flying from
Calcutta, and didn't have time to blog it up before heading on to Palampur.
While in Chandigarh they saw a completely different side of Mother India: that
of manicured gardens, clean fountains, waste management, and sidewalks. They
also got to meet the "Martin Luther King" of the Sikh movement. I
can't wait to hear from them about what that was like!
In Palampur they are continuing with a village
project that was begun with last fall's India group. They are living in their
own mud hut in a nearby village in the foothills of the mountains.
For this reason (and because the internet
access there is notoriously poor and unreliable even if you are in close
proximity to an internet cafe), we may not be graced with a new blog entry from
them until they move on to McLeod Ganj (home of the Tibetan gov't in exile and
HH the Dalai Lama). McLeod should, in itself, be interesting right now given
the trouble arising in Tibet and the trumped up assertations of the Chinese gov't
about the Dalai.
As program director for the India semester, I
want you all to know that we (home office and our ever-capable group leaders
Aleta and Dan) are watching the situation in Tibet as it may eventually impact
our time in McLeod Ganj in some way. If you have been keeping current with the
BBC or NYT, you know that Indian police are following the activities in this
region of India and prepared to squelch any outward demonstrations in favor of
Tibet.
However, be assured that your students will be
in no immediate danger. Inconvenience to the group is possible, and that's
about the extent of it. In the unlikely event that the face of this issue
should change, know that we will not hesitate to relocate them and find
alternate experiences for them to partake in.
Although India is showing itself to be more
diplomatic with China on this issue than with the Tibetans, the Tibetans in
India have no ilk for violence in their displays of loyalty to their homeland.
Not to mention that India is extremely conscientious on behalf of American
visitors. India was the country that gave Tibet exile in the first place, and
they are historically committed to this ethnic group in the end.
What this time in this place WILL provide the
students is a very poignantly painted, authentic experience of people displaced
from their homeland. The Tibetan homestays are universally one of the best rated experiences in our groups, as they are welcomed
as true family members (and fed some of the best food anywhere in India).
So, in a nutshell, don't expect to hear from
them for another 4-5 days and don't hesitate to call or email me with questions
or concerns.
This group totally dug their heels in in
Calcutta, Varanasi, and Bodhgaya and worked to maximize their experience more
than most and we are so proud of them. We look to them as the example to
follow!
Looking forward to the next blog from INDIA
themselves,
-Nannette
Monday, March 17, 2008
THE CITY OF JOYYYYYYY
Calcutta, the city of joy, and extremes. From Raj Era buildings and boulevards to bustling bazaars, it was
CRAZINESS. One of my favorite things in Calcutta was the street food and
vendors on every corner. Everyday after volunteering at Mother Thereasas House
I'd stop at my favorite vendors stand and get an veg
roll. They would first fry the dough on a large black pan, than they'd fry a
bunch of veggies, throw it all together, put sauce on it and that was that.
All of our volunteering experiences were quite different.
Most people went and worked with the destitute and dying, Zack and Julia
describe it as a very hard and moving experience. Others worked with toddlers
who were malnurished and who couldn't even stay awake long enough to eat or go
to the restroom. I woked with mentally disabled boys at a house called Daya Dan which turned out to be really amazing. I worked with a
child who was obsessed with baloons and wouldn't be able to do any kind of school work because he would only yell "Auntie baloon!
Auntie baloon!". The next day I tried to teach a boy how to eat cookies
and put large beads on a string, it was so difficult! My last day it was their
day to go out in the street and look at people and try to see actual life. I
got to wheel around a boy who was pretty far gone and
it made me so sad that he could not experience things like anyone else could,
if at all. I sat with him right next to a busy street so he could try to watch,
smell and listen to things that we get to experience every day. We all had really
moving experiences and some of us even want to return so we can volunteer
again.
Well for a lighter update on Calcutta, we had
an AWESOME last night there. To start off we all went to a very posh hookah bar
where we bought fancy pink mocktails for 135 rps, which is
the equivelent to about three meals at a cheap resturaunt and about TEN meals
at a street stand!
Brittany and I ended up going to Pizzahut which turns out to be a fancy place to eat here as
well. While we were waiting for our order, around 10 waiters got in a line and
started dancing! We were soooooo supprised! We went back to meet the group at
the hookah bar and they were playing American club music and most of us got up
and started booty dancing! Aleta supprised us all by breaking it down! After
this crazy experience we met up with our British friends and went to a club
called Venom. The British boy named Lucas was wearing shorts
which wasn't allowed in the club, so he did a quick change in the
elevator into one of the girls tights! The club was amazing! Some of us got
onto the raised part of the dance floor and danced infront of the entire club! It was a crazy wonderful night, we all had
a blast.
LOVE PEACE AND HAIR GREASE,
bOdHi
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Midnight Madness
From Bodhgaya we crammed 12 people into a taxi,
plus all of our luggage and Emily's guitar. Two sat on the roof of the jeep and
hung on for dear life while the rest of us squished in and hung half our bodies
out of the windows. After a bumpy, dusty ride into the Gaya train station we
found out that our train was an hour late. It was no big deal though, so we sat
and ate omlettes on the platform while Dan played guitar and Bodhi befriended
many people. When the train did arrive it was two and
a half hours late. The sleeper cars weren't in order and we couldn't find where
we were supposed to be. So we got on a car hoping for the best and Dan and I
proceeded to question every other person about where the hell sleeper car 8
might be. We were pointed in one direction and then the next to no avail.
Finally a chai wallah tells us to get off the train and go to the very first
car. At this point we'd been sitting in Gaya station for 5-10 minutes and the
train was about to leave. So Dan and I jump off the train and sprint down the
platform to the first car, which of course is sleeper car 8. Dan leaves me with
his bags and hightails it back to the group to try and
get them to the right car. As he leaves me alone in the door of the car a nice
Indian man starts talking to me and asking me where my friend went. He was
genuinely concerned because the train's whistle was blowing and we were about
to inch out of the station. Luckily, Dan and the whole group come bounding up
just in time and everyone has to jump on the train while it is pulling out of
the station. After our eventful midnight running up and down a platform in Gaya
we settle into our bunks and try to sleep for the 12 hour ride. But somehow,
even with our train being over two hours late, we arrived in Kolkata an hour
before schedule. We sped through the night on one of the fastest trains I've
ever been on with the whistle blaring non stop and keeping us from sleeping
much at all.
When we arrived in the bustling Kolkata station
we were exhausted and yet had to haggle around for taxis to the guest house. We couldn't go to the prepaid booth because we
wanted to cram 5 people into each taxi so Dan haggled like a master in his
awesome Hindi. When we walked up to the taxis that he'd chosen there were about
20 other taxi drivers trying to drag individuals off to other taxis, yelling at
one another, pushing, grabbing, and acting wild. But once we were free of the
mob and in our cabs it was a beautiful ride through Kolkata to our guest house. We ate a big breakfast together and then
wandered through some market areas. We found the meat market (quite a show) and
lots of clothing stores, had good chai, and found a cinema or two to go see
Bollywood movies at. All in all it was a fabulous introduction to Kolkata. The
city is crazy and yet full of relaxed wide boulevards, hectic and crowded and
yet absolutely gorgeous. It's going to be a great 8 days here and we are all
very excited about it. We start volunteering on Monday at the Mother Theresa
House and will keep you updated on that. We are all safe and happy and send you
all big hugs and kisses.
Love, Julia (and Zach).
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Hare Krishna Hare Ram
Namaste.
We arrived safely in Bodhgaya after a five hour train ride from Varanasi. Once again we enjoyed
the luxuries of sleeper class: open windows, beautiful bunks, and the incessant
yells of "chai coffee chai." The state of Bihar is quite different
from the more modern big cities we've been to so far. There is much more
poverty, and while the city of Gaya was crazy and chaotic - full of people and
open air markets - Bodhgaya has a very peaceful feel and is in the countryside.
After being in the Hindu capital of India it is shocking to feel such a strong
Buddhist presence. The main Stupa (near the Bodhi tree where Buddha first
attained enlightenment) is beautiful and always full of activity. There are
Buddhists from all over the world (as this is their main pilgramage site) and
prayers are incessant, as are people doing prostrations around the temple every
three steps. Everyone feels very at home here and is glad to be out of big
cities and see some greenery. We've all finally had our first stomach issues
after holding out for two weeks, but they seem to be passing quickly, everyone is resting lots, and in good spirits.
Tomorrow night we catch a 12
hour train to Calcutta and head back into the chaotic city life. We're
all looking forward to volunteering at the Mother Teresa House, and we will
update you again from there. Love to you all, Julia
Saturday, February 23, 2008
The Varanasi side of life.
Hello, this is Zach giving the update on our
lives in the beautiful city of Varanasi. After a few relaxing days, we are
finnally getting busy. Yesterday we all started our internships, which vary
from North Indian style cooking, to Indian fire dancing. We wake up early in
the morning (6 Am) and start off be doing an hour and half of yoga while facing
the ganges river watching the sun rise. After two hours of Hindi language
class, we enjoy an amazing 5 cent glass of chai, and
practice our Hindi with the children. After our long day of classes and
internships, we all meet up at the ashram to enjoy a delicious dinner cooked by
fellow group members. Varanasi is truly an indescribable city, and all of us
are enjoying every second of it! Goodbye for now, much love from Zachy-poo!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
New Delhi, Old Delhi, Middle-Aged Delhi....
Hello everyone, Brittany here. I have been
designated the 'blogger' of the week so I will try my best to update everyone
with juicy bits of information about India. Let's see... what have I learned so
far on my trip? How to get completely swindeled by people, how to pathetically
try to bargain for toilet paper that should definitely NOT cost more than one
dollar, and how to try to ignore that the toilet in our room has been leaking
for the past two days. But that's not ALL of the fun things tha have happened here! Sarcasm... actually the past few days
have been wonderful for me, and I'm sure everyone else has felt it too. Delhi
is an unbelievable place- so far our group in general has been to Connaught
Place, which is the 'urban' part of the city (and by Urban I mean they have
McDonalds), Old Delhi, which holds the ever-amazing Red Fort, a Jaine mosque
which some of us visited, and skinned calf heads, which Julia and I saw and I
must say, I almost lost my breakfast at the sight of it. Other than the
exploration of said above and Pahar Ganj, the area which we
are staying in, we have been having some intense orientaion sessions and
getting to know one another. I think I can speak for everyone in that we all
like one another and have gotten along so far. Other than that, there is not
much else to say- India is a crazy place folks, I think you should try it
sometime. Until then, peace from the middle east,
Brittany
Saturday, February 16, 2008
A day in the life...
So today involved every possible extreme.
We rode in our rikshah, were taken to bazaars,
scammed, met some locals who gave decent insight, lets just say.... Emily and I
had a long day.
planes, trains, and rikshaws
for the record,
were the first students to blog. making us the winners
of the scavenger hunt (says us). woot. so today was amazing. we ate our
first indian breakfast...some people had french toast (sans syrup...details
details...), i had regular toast....aka white bread with some butter on it. yumm...no danger of food poisoning there. me
and sam went out into the city, taking a rikshaw around the city, which was an
adventure to say the least. we thought we were going
to the tourist bureau, but apparently we were wrong. he
took on a whirlwind adventure around the city, not that we asked for it, but
again, details details. we went to india gate, which
is a memorial for soldiers who died in the wars with britain, where we were
swindeled into paying a "teacher" 200 roupes for her
"school", but no worries, we got a small piece of paper with a sewing
machine drawn on it in return, it was TOTALLY worth it. were
not very good at saying no... oh, and we also got to
hang with some monkeys. they climbed on our heads and
we took a picture, which in india automatically means another 200
roupes....oops. we treated ourselves to a nice lunch
of rice and veggies and curry which was delicious. going
inside these restaraunts feels like stepping into an indian restaraunt back
home, then you get culture shock all over again when you step outside and are
immediatly asked to buy spices, unidentifiable objects, and t shirts from the
80s within minutes. but before you yget a chance to
consider it, you have to dive out of the way of a riskshaw to avoid being run
over...while simultaneously avoiding the oxen standing in front of you, eating
lettuce, wearing a turban (I exxagerate not).
all for now,
PEACE.
-becky and sam
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Safe in Delhi
Greetings Parents, Family, Friends -
Aleta and Dan here to let you know that we have
all arrived safe and sound in Delhi. We arrived without a glitch, and found
Julia waiting for us at our guest house. The students
will be adding more about first thoughts, impressions, excitements and more in
the coming days. We just wanted to sign in and let you know that we have
planted our feet on Indian soil! Everyone is a bit tired but excited to be here....stay tuned!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
A Complete Group in SFO
Well, it's official,
the group is together and going through security as we speak. There were no
hiccups to speak of, and only one delay of a half-hour. ... this
is about as smooth as it goes. In fact, it never escapes me how much of a
miracle it is that so many people can come from so many different regions,
arrive within a few hour window, and depart as one to India.
And so it begins!
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Namaste from Portland
Hey everyone,
This is Aleta and Dan writing from our office
in Portland. We both arrived here
yesterday and are getting super excited about our trip. We've spent today starting to iron out
all the final details of our incredible adventure-to-be. We'll be calling all of you at some
point in the next few days to touch base and answer any questions that you or
your parents may still have regarding the trip. In the meantime, enjoy your last several days in the US. Relax. Hang with family and friends. Drink coffee.
Sleep. And start dreaming
about the craziness that awaits us on the subcontinent. We're looking forward to hearing voices
and seeing faces.
Namaste,
Aleta and Dan
