Bikaner, Jodhpur, and Holi!

Happy belated Holi everyone!

The second excursion that the program took us on was to different parts of the beautiful state of Rajasthan. During this week long trip we learned a lot about desert communities and different social, economic, environmental, and political issues occurring throughout the state. It was great to learn more about the state that we consider our home away from home. As we ventured into the sandy desert, which consists of many roads through seemingly barren land that connect communities and small cities, I felt like I was experiencing a desert for the first time. I was very excited to see real cacti and the desert environment. At first the desert was deceiving, and I felt as though it would not be as exciting or alluring at the beautiful mountains in the north. I was proven wrong, and quickly fell in love with the desert environment as well. I loved relaxing on the rooftop of our hotel at the end of our long days and taking in the beautiful stars and nightlife of the city. One of the perks of the desert is the fresh air and breezes. Especially at night when the land cools down and a calm wind runs over the city.

This excursion was also an unforgettable learning experience. We visited a desert community where the village is divided by a road, and a different caste lives on each side. We had the opportunity to break into groups and ask the women and men more about their lifestyle, water issues, social issues, and so on. The experience opened my eyes to how invisible the caste system, and similar issues such as tension between religions, can be when you are not a part of the system. If we had not been told that the village was divided by caste, I would have never come to that conclusion on my own. We also visited a Pakistani refugee camp, which is becoming one of the many communities for Pakistani refugees in Rajasthan.

When the group reflected on our experiences at the end of the excursion we all talked about what our place is as outsiders looking in, visiting these villages, and India in general. We all agree that there is so much for us to learn, and there are a lot of lessons we will take back to our communities at home. However, it is very clear that it is not our place to make decisions, changes, or judgements, and we must be very careful as we piece together our interpretations. Our western perspectives greatly affect the way we view things. Realizing this, and taking our perspectives into consideration as we learn and observe is key to getting the most out of this experience.

Here is a short look into the desert life.. enjoy!

Missing you all,
Tay

The streets of Jodhpur.. gotta love those camels!

Barber shop.. almost time for a hair cut?

Fresh fruit and street smoothies in Bikaner

Desert community near Bikaner

The word is spreading of our arrival...

One of the homes and families we visited in the desert community

Getting ready for Holi!

Clock tower in the old city of Jodhpur

Having some fun at the Pakistani refugee community

Happy Holi!

More Holi colors in Jodhpur

One of the many water and color fights we had on Holi. :P

Rajput Wedding

Hello family and friends,

I am now in the process of catching up with my blog posts.. so please bare with me as I recount the past few weeks. During one of our weeks in Jaipur I was lucky enough to attend a wedding of one of my family members (my Indian host family). This was a fun event, but it really meant a lot to me because of the preparations I experienced with my host sister and mother. My host sister gave me one of her saris and jewelry to borrow for the event. While she was getting ready, my host mother (more like a grandmother to me) called me over to her and proceeded to wrap me up in the sari. This may seem like a typical scene in an indian household, but it meant a lot to me that my family was taking so much care in preparing me for the wedding. It really made me feel like a part of the family.

So, with that being said.. here are some of my favorite pictures of my Indian family.

My host sister, Shree, and I at the wedding. (In the women's section)

My grandmother on the far right, and her two sisters to her left.

A good portion of the women in my Rajput family in their traditional clothing.

My grandmother and I. :)

Shree ji and Momi ji in our living room.

Holy Cow, India!

To those I carry in my heart,

Over the past few weeks I have witnessed and been a part of so many moments that I wish I could spend hours sharing with all of you. At the end of my birthday week I only had a few short days to reflect before heading out to the next trip. Now I hope to share a few key memories with all of you from the past few weeks, which have been the most important I have had in India thus far. I feel my mind is still weeks behind in processing everything I am encountering and experiencing here. However, as the students in my group begin to open up and understand each other on a deeper level, we are able to support, encourage, and facilitate each other's reflection process. I will say one interesting thing I am experiencing is not only the thought process of life here in India, but also a deeper reflection of my life back home. I am sure many others, including those on my trip, find that learning about other communities, cultures, and environments greatly impacts your understanding and perspective on the life you have left behind.

The first trip out of Rajasthan was to Dehradun and Rishikesh, in the northern state of Uttarakhand, during the week of my 21st birthday. The entire group took an overnight train to the state which is in the foothills of the Himalayas. Unfortunately, during this 11 hour train ride my body decided to reject something I had digested. This lead to me "tossing my cookies" onto the train tracks multiple times. I would say this was clearly low point. It took me the next to weeks to recover from nausea and lasting side-effects of this illness. It is also funny and worth reporting that when I went to the doctor upon returning to Jaipur, I was diagnosed with Gastritis. After a sufficient dose of medication, I am happy to report that my health has returned to normal and I am able to digest Indian food once again. Shabash! (Translation: bravo! or hurrah! in hindi)

Now that we have gotten that important detail out of the way, onto the highlights of the trip. In Uttarakhand we visited Vandana Shiva's farm and seed bank, known as Navdanya. The farm land was filled with beautiful fields of many different crops. We also stayed in yurt type buildings filled with twin beds, which added to the peaceful and relaxing atmosphere. The night before my birthday we stayed on the farm and some friends from the program organized a bon-fire, where our group and people working on the farm sang, danced, and played music late into the night. The next day we learned about the farm and we were fortunate enough to participate in a compost demonstration. What more could I ask for on my birthday!? We also travelled to an NGO in Dehradun that day and we had chocolate cake for my b-day, which was smeared all over my face of course! Gotta love those Indian traditions. The next day we visited a beautiful traditional village, which this organization works with to provide the children with education, as well as other resources. It was our first experience visiting a village and facing the challenge of communicating with a community in Hindi and through translators. It was fun to get a chance to play games with the children, but also thought provoking for many reasons. We were shocked at how hard it is to even teach a game to children when faced with cultural and language barriers.

After this experience we had another night in Dehradun. The next morning we learned more about this fantastic NGO and then we travelled to Rishikesh, the yoga capital of the world AND the headwaters of the Ganges. It was refreshing to explore this little town, observe a puja at the Ganges, and attend an early morning yoga class. I will wrap up this post since it is getting lengthy!

Here are some pictures to go along with the highlights from this trip:

A few of the children we met at the village

Lauren along the river where the kids took us to play

Pathways through the Navdanya farm

Navdanya and one of their faithful dogs

Games and Materials used by an NGO in Dehradun, RLEK, to work with woman.

Bridge over the Ganges in Rishikesh

Beautiful view from the river bank

Me after I dipped my feet in the Ganga!

The end of a beautiful sunset.

A fun moment as we say are final goodbyes to Rishikesh.

The Taj at Sunrise..

I apologize for getting a little behind on my blog updates... life in India is getting busy and more adventurous by the day. Over the past week or so we have had the opportunity to explore Jaipur a little more and get around the city on our own. I attended my first sitar concert and rooftop restaurant.. both were very memorable moments. At the end of this week we had a fun afternoon at a fort on the outskirts of Jaipur, where we learned how to play cricket and bollywood dance.. quite the combination.

This weekend we planned a quick trip to the Taj Mahal, and spent a night in Agra so we could arrive at the Taj at sunrise. It was a beautiful site to see.. completely worth getting up at 5 am! Other than the Taj Mahal, Agra is a bit more chaotic than our new home back in Jaipur. It was exciting and eye-opening to be in a new city. We had some fun interactions with people on the streets of Agra as well as the Taj itself. Both of our big meals were on roof top restaurants with a view of the Taj looming over the city. I think it was a very successful first weekend trip. :)

Now the SIT program is taking us on an excursion to Dehradun for the week. I believe we will be visiting farms and different community organizations in the state of Uttarakhand. I am really looking forward to this trip because this beautiful northern state borders the Himalayas, and I am planning to do my independent study project in this area. Ok, I think that is enough updates for now!

Here are some moree pictures of my adventures:

My first Sitar concert!

Fort on the outskirts of Jaipur.

View of the sunset from the fort

A few friends we made during our Agra adventure

Me at the Taj!!!

The Taj Mahal

Getting to know Jaipur

Hello USA,

This is my first free weekend in Jaipur and we were able to explore and get to know our families and the city a little better over the past few days. I took my first few auto-rickshaw rides and there are a few photos from these fantastic vehicles. On Friday we visited my host sisters store, which is filled with beautiful antiques, and then we went to old city. There are so many shops to buy anything you could imagine, but there is so much to take in that we just walked along and observed everything around us. On Saturday my family held Puja and Prasad at a Hanuman temple, about 20 minutes from the city. It is at the foot of the mountains and was quite an interesting experience. All of the american students stood out at the temple, as usual, but even more so because it was not a place that foreigners visit. One girl asked us to take a picture with her. It is time to accept that no matter how hard we try, we are never going to blend in with the crowd. Unfortunately, the food from the temple ended up making me and many others a little sick, but my stomach is growing tougher with every new day of Indian food!
Bring it on. ;)

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the past few days...

Melissa and I trying to protect our lungs in the good old dusty city!

One of the many colorful shops..

Vegetable Market

The view from a cycle-rickshaw ride.. my favorite mode of transportation!

Puja in the Hanuman Temple

View of the Temple

Don't trust the water! ;)

Settling in Jaipur

Namaste Everyone!

Sorry I have not been in contact much, my internet access has been very limited. The SIT program is keeping us very busy! I am in class the majority of the day, and then I spend time with my host family, have dinner with them, and do my homework before I go to bed! Orientation is done and now we are quickly getting into our classes, including Hindi, which is very demanding. :) The good news is every time we use Hindi people they love it. Whether is is my host-grandma, vendors on the street, or taxi drivers, their reactions to Hindi are very encouraging and motivating.

I will give small updates here and there. For now, I will let the pictures speak for themselves. Enjoy!

Flower from the garlands SIT gave each of us during the welcoming ceremony at the School Center

Kits stuck in a tree from a recent festival as we hike up a mountain to visit a palace in Jaipur

Goats on our way to the Palace!

Beautiful paintings on the Palace.

The sun setting over Jaipur

Delhi to Jaipur

View from room at the YMCA hostel in Delhi

A craft market in Delhi.

One of the most striking vendors in the market

Beautiful Bangles

On the road to Jaipur...

Harvesting in the farm fields along the way.

Brick making in the fields

Camel!