A Series of Reflections

So, we’re finally on the backend of this whole India trip.  Officially 4 months left at my work place.  It is really strange to think about how quickly this whole experience has flown by, especially given the hesitancy with which I approached the whole idea of living in India for 11 months.  But overall, it’s been a rollercoaster…complete with life changing moments that will stay with me for the rest of my life, new friends with whom I have shared some...for lack of a better word… “interesting” times, and moments when all I wished for was a cup of black coffee and air conditioning.  But alas, I guess that’s why you come here…to put things into perspective.

This was all set up by the Midpoint Retreat a few weeks back.  Coordinated by AJWS (the NGO that sent me here), we spent a week in south India in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu for a week to refresh, reenergize, and rejuvenate for the rest of our fellowship.  Now, of course I had to sign up to be a part of the planning committee…so that means I was a part of the 5 member crew the put together the daily activities and planned the various sessions.  Given that our hotel was on the beach with its own partially-private shoreline, we made sure to include PLENTY of free time in our schedule.  Overall, it was fantastic to spend time with the other 10 fellows on the program and forget about the daily frustrations of work and a professional career (ha…I talk about it like I really know what that means).  To eat meat and share a drink.  Celebrate Shabbat together.  Be able to understand all the words that were said during a conversation.

All of us during one of the sessions.  Topics ranged from "impact"
 to "power and privilege", the theories of development
and challenges at work.  All sessions were fellow-led.

Well don't we look good.  Preparing to celebrate Shabbat together.

Havdallah (the closing Shabbat prayers on Saturday night) was
 always my favorite part of the service.  

And so I came back to Andur…partially wishing I could spend the rest of my time among such creature comforts.  But, the other part, mentally prepared to tackle the rest of this experience and make something of my time here.  I came back right in time for International Women’s Day, March 8, during which my NGO had a big rally in Solapur and a program for about 600 community volunteers and Self-Help Group members in the city.  Complete with inspiring speeches and testimonials about the importance of women and gender equality.  And yes, I was thrown on stage and was told to give a speech…in Marathi.  1 Point for Andrew.  I gave a speech in Marathi to about 600 women.  I might have babbled a bit, but generally spoke about the significance that empowering women has in empowering an entire village.  (I’m surprised I even knew the words to say that).  Although I was really nervous before and during, I felt really proud of myself…to be able to string together words into somewhat understandable sentences (key word: somewhat). 

The rally for International Women's Day through the streets
of Solapur.

A free Cancer Diagnostic Camp held the weekend
after at the NGO hospital.

And then it was Holi.  I missed the religious part of the holiday on March 19, during which a fire pit of dried cow dung is burned and sang/danced around.  But I was able to take part in Rung Panch Mein…the color festival which happens five days later (on March 25).  In cities, this part of the holiday occurs the day after.  In the village though…the 5 days are awaited and the color is thrown.  Holi celebrates a victory of a large battle in the Hindu holy book.  And thus the people are able to “celebrate” by throwing colored powder at each other.  On Rung Panch Mein (which literally translates to “Color in 5 Days”) all civil order is suspended.   It’s usually a boys/men thing…people drink and dance in the streets.  Motorcycles are driven with 3/4/5 people on them.  It can get wild.  And usually at some point in the afternoon the police will step in and all things will turn back to normal.  It was at about this point that I had made my way to Andur (the village).  My friend and I went through a few of the major intersections (or chowks) and got soaked with water and color.  

After returning from Andur.  What a mess!

But the best part was when we came back to the NGO campus. Although today was a work holiday, the hospital was still open.  And a few of the hospital employees had brought color.  And so, we went to war.  Teamed up trying to get people with color.  It was a no bar game…anything goes as long as we were outside (….wouldn’t want to get in trouble in the hospital).  Overall, loads of fun.  A great way to spend time with coworkers.  And interesting social comment…to see how gender constructs drifted away.  I am usually very conservative with women…especially because I’m living in rural India and to save my own ass and not get myself into a cultural war for doing who knows what.  But for Holi, I could take a handful of color and smack it straight across the face of a female coworker. 

Some of the girl strategizing their next moves.
Little did they know I snapped a picture.

Even the puppies got in on the action.  

But the midpoint retreat and the experience these past few weeks have made me think about what exactly keeps me here…why I haven’t jumped on a plane back home.  Some of the things I’ve reflected on…

• The Impact:  well, not necessarily of myself being here (still contemplating that one).  But the organization I’m working with.  It’s extremely empowering to hear the stories of the people I meet backdropped against the work of my organization.  To put it in perspective: one village health worker who has been with our organization for many years.  My boss recently asked her during a personal conversation (which was later repeated to me), “What are you afraid of?”  Her answer, “Nothing.”  Not the patriarchal community of her village, domestic violence, speaking in public, being active in conversations (rather than passive…women’s traditional roles), or leaving her home for days at a time to attend a Gender Equity conference.  To me, she has become an emblem of the work that individuals can do at the most basic level to transform a community through the actions of even a single woman.  It really is profound.
• The warmth: The community I live with has truly taken me in as one of their own…even if they can’t understand me half the time (I say half because now for some of the time I can actually talk with them too!).  It didn’t matter that I didn’t speak the language initially or know many (if any) of the cultural customs.  I was here, and they were ready to make sure I knew what Maharashtran hospitality was all about.  Whether it be a holiday (like Holi) or around lunch, it’s great to be a part of a community that I can talk and laugh with.

• 

  With some coworkers.  A village health worker on the left,
  Community Facilitator and his son on the right.

• The Time Alone: Both literally and figuratively, I spend a lot of time by myself.  And to tell you the truth, it’s fantastic.  During college, life was hectic and party-crazed (just kidding mom), not leaving me with a lot of time to relax and think…well…about nothing.  I get a lot of time to do that now, either lost in thought or drifting off in my own mind, reading on the NGO roof with acres of farm patchworked beneath me, walking along the highway with a beautiful sunset in tow.  It’s nice.  Really nice.  And sometimes, at the office, when conversations are happening around me in Marathi (either ones I’m participating or not), I tune out and can get lost in my own thoughts.  Well…usually not intentionally.  But attempting to translate the conversation takes a lot of effort that I sometimes don’t have.

Not at all related, but....my first CHAPPATI!.
Yes, the two chappati's in my hand were made by yours truly.

•  The Stars:  I have a vivid memory as a child going to a wedding at Lake Tahoe.  We were staying at a cabin along the lake.  I went outside at night and looked up.  I was awestruck – thousands of stars above me, overwhelming me by the sheer magnitude with which they overtook the night sky.  Here, I get that every night.  After dinner, what I originally reasoned as a way to “digest” dinner, I take a stroll along the one path on my NGO campus.  What was once an excuse to stretch my legs is now a much anticipated event.  Either alone or with friends, I stroll the path…eyes glued to the sky.  Thousands of stars stare back, uninhibited by city lights or smog, spread out in ways that only someone else knows.  I only wish I knew the constellations so I could have something more to do than just stare at them (yes, I do know Orion’s belt…but that’s about it).  But again, I could get lost in the seemingly endless collage of twinkling lights.

Unfortunately stars don't take too well on my camera.
But here's a lovely picture of the moon instead. 

But there is a flipside, things that haven’t worked so well during my time here in India.

Things I have not quiet learned to cope with:

• The nature: Now, don’t get me wrong.  I love myself some nature (some of you may disagree with me on this, but it’s true).  Maybe just not…all the time.  There comes a point when the 3 ant colonies in your room and the swarm of mosquitos in the corner gets to be a bit…tiring.  Or when you have to take out frogs from your bathroom a few times a week (and always look in the toilet bowl to make sure there are none there before you sit).  The first time one such “friend” came into my room, I shouted – more out of surprise than fear – and continued to shout until I had gotten it out the door.  Sitting back at my computer, I thought nothing of it.  Then, about 30 minutes later, I get a frantic knocking at my door.  I open to find half the night staff crowded around my room.  My boss’s son is in front and asks “Andrew Andrew, are you ok?  We thought you had epilepsy or someone was trying to break in!”  Now, why they would specifically come to those two conclusions is beyond my line of reasoning.  But in the end, all was settled (I’m now the butt end of any frog joke on campus).  And I make sure to “quietly” dispense of any future friends.
• The Time:  If you were unaware, India runs by it’s own…standard time.  There is no rhyme or reason to this system, just a few…hours…later than planned.  Now, I very much try to be timely (to the contrary of what many of you might think) and am not always successful.  But the same cannot be said when an event or activity starts 3 hours from when it was said it would.  At the beginning, I didn’t understand when I was ready to start a project at 9:30am (when the office opens), only to have my boss come at 12:30pm prepared to start.  Or when a huge training is scheduled to start at 11:00am..only to have participants start showing up at 11:30am and have it officially start at 1pm.  I have now realized that people plan events to strategically galvanize this huge vaccum of time.  Surprisingly though, events will always end when they say they will.  But alas, it gets frustrating when I am told to be ready by a certain time, only to have some come rushing at me 2 hours after that asking “Where are you?  We have to go!” and get pushed into a car to whichever destination.  At least from now on maybe I can use this as an excuse....
• The people singing...all the time: I'm definitely one to understand the irresistibility of a good song, the need to belt out the words (whether or not you know them) when the moment feels right.  But then again, there is a limit.  However here, I've found there is no limit.  Such that at any point in time I can hear humming, quiet singing, or raucous solos at any part of the day.  It's not that I don't enjoy it...at the beginning at least.  But it gets a bit tiring when the same five songs get played on loudspeakers and are sung tirelessly by coworkers and friends.  Maybe I should try to introduce some American music in here....Rebecca Black's "Friday" song as an educational tool?
• The Multiplier Effect: I think there is a theory among most/all Indians that the more people you add participating in an activity, the faster and better it will be accomplished.  Now, to a degree this is very true: lifting heavy objects, building a large structure, etc.  But even here, the law of diminishing marginal returns holds.  Such that every additional person you include adds a little less advantage, until you reach a point where adding one more person is negligible, and then adding even more becomes negative.  Case in point: turning on computers (maybe 2 people needed), simultaneous people dictating while you’re typing (max 1 person), fixing a non-working projector (maybe 3…not 10).  I have encountered many situations, very similar to the above and more so, where far more people than needed are assigned to a task because it is assumed that it will be accomplished better and faster.  Thus, the multiplier effect.  Unfortunately, this is false.  Only 1 person may dictate to me while I type at a time.  If the computer can’t turn on, give me 5 minutes -- not 5 people -- to help.  By now, during such situations, I’ve learned to take a few deep breaths or just step away instead of getting angry or frustrated.  It’s all a learning process.

And thus is my experience.  There is good.  There is bad.  In the end, it's important to take it all in stride and recognize that the benefits of my time here have FAR outweighed any of the "negative" perceptions I may have.  It can be frustrating, but it wouldn't be India any other way.

Hope all is well and missing you all!

Andrew

How Bazaar!

No, not a throwback to the ‘90s OMC song, but rather a weekly occurrence here in Andur.  Every Thursday, is in fact bazaar (market) day.  On this day, vegetable, grain, clothing, and all other vendors come to Andur to hawk their wares amidst the residents of Andur and neighboring villagers.  You’d think in my 5 months here I would be a regular visitor at bazaar day.  But, this past week was my first time!  (Staff members go weekly because this is where we stock up on our stock of vegetables in the mess here at the campus).

So, I rode the bus down to the village with some other coworkers and became prepared for the onslaught.  Stepping down in Andur, I was greeted by rows and rows of vegetable and fruit sellers – anything from cauliflower to eggplant to tomatoes and bananas.  With lines and crowds of people milling through stocking up as well.  Seeing as Andur is a fairly small village (population around 10,000), and I’m the only American in a 50 km radius, I was bound to attract some attention and run into people I knew.  It was a really gratifying feeling to be able to walk the paths and greet friends and acquaintances I have made over the past few months.  It made me feel as if I have created a semblance of a community here.

Some coworkers "candidly" purchasing tomatoes from a
tomato vendor (the leftmost guy).  

But in fact, bazaar day is a true lesson in pure economics.  Hello Supply, meet Demand.  Here you have vendors selling identical products right next to each other, competing for rupees one buyer at a time.  It’s a bit of a game, as you step up to a vendor asking the price of spinach.  “6 rupees for 2 bunches” they say.  You give a quizzical look and prepare to banter back.  “Ok ok, 5 rupees.”  Your face softens ever so slightly as you prepare to walk away, knowing you won’t pay a rupee above 4.  “Fine fine, 4 rupees” the vendor surrenders.  You hand over your 4 rupees (approximately  $0.10 USD).  You have forced the vendor to lower their price to meet your highest willingness to pay: the ultimate lesson in economics.  Hopefully this doesn’t label me too much as an academic junkie, but it was fascinating to stand in the center of the market and watch this and similar transactions taking place all around me.  Maybe some of what they were telling me at Berkeley might have been right…that is if I had been awake during class to hear it…

A view of the Bazaar.  One woman protecting
herself from the sun. It was a scorcher this day.

Aside from Bazaar day, I took a great weekend trip to the caves of Ajanta and Ellora.   I met up with two other fellows, Sami and Seth, to do a little sightseeing of historic Hindu, Buddist, and Jain caves dating back to the 2^nd Century BC.  It was a great two days, exploring some beautiful architecture.  These caves were built by literally cutting into bare rock from top to bottom.  I’ll let my pictures do most of the talking here, only because it’s hard to express the wonder of these sites in words.

Kailasa Temple, the largest and grandest Hindu temple at Ellora,
built in the 5th Century AD.  This used to be complete mountain.
Then the builders started carving in from the top.
It is still a functioning temple.

Sami and Seth posing in front of some of the Buddist
temples at Ellora.

A group of Buddist monks and Japanese tourists were
also touring the Ajanta caves when we were there.
As we were in one Buddist cave, the monks began to
lead a prayer. It was surreal as the reverberations of 
their words bounced off the wall, making the 
whole ceremony
seem ethereal.  

Ajanta is a series of 30 Buddist caves.  Each one holds a large
sculpture of....you guess it, Buddha.  Here is Buddha in "peace"
pose surrounded by his followers.

Also, I finally made it out to my first wedding.  A coworker got hitched and had a double wedding with his brother.  Wedding ceremonies in India can last for days, and (un)fortunately I was only able to attend the last part: the official ceremony and reception.  Weddings are a village affair…thus guests number by the hundreds to wish congratulations and get their hand on a good meal.  The ceremony began in the center of the village at about 12:30 with a crowd of about…500.  Although I couldn’t understand/hear most of the ceremony, I could still watch the cultural and ceremonial parts.  

A part of the ceremony requires the bride and
groom to walk around a flame and place 7 stones
on the little table.  I'm unsure as to the
significance.  Here's my coworker and his bride.

However, I got myself into a bit of a jam.  During the ceremony, rice is handed out with the intention that it be thrown at the bride and groom during particular parts of the ceremony.  So, as the ceremony begins everyone begins to throw their rice.  Thinking I’m just another one of the crowd, I take my handful and chuck it towards the stage.  How wrong I was.  Not only two minutes later, it’s round 2 of rice throwing... And here I am, riceless.  So, I begin to frantically pick up grains of rice around me and throw the measly 20 or so pieces I can find.  Turns out, there are about 6 or 7 times when rice needs to be thrown.  You can imagine my stress level as I would frantically gather rice, throw it, and look for more rice again.  I was much better prepared for the second wedding (more rice was given out and I rationed it). 

The ceremony.  A sheet is held between the bride and groom
so they can't see each other. This was one of the 

rice-throwing points of the ceremony.

But the ceremony was quick.  And afterwards, food.  As soon as the ceremony was over, the men ran towards the dining hall to get a floor seat.  People were guarding the door, only letting in a handful of people.  Fortunately I was let in (it helps to be the foreigner sometimes).  The room was packed with over 100 men, and plates and food were quickly distributed to the hungry guests.  I sat to eat…and was told “louker louker” (fast fast in Marathi).  We were only round one.  It was a bit hectic as people hollered for more chappati or bajji (vegetable) to the servers from across the room.  

People sitting in the dining hall waiting to be fed.
At this point, plates were being handed out.  

The food was fantastic…a Karnatakan meal I was told (Karnataka is the Indian state directly south of me and has a huge cultural influence in the District I live in).  As we left the food hall, another crowd of people took our seats.  There were about 6 or 7 rounds of dining.  First the men, then the women. 

The crowd outside waiting to be fed.  This is probably round 3 or 4.

After the ceremony and food, most people began to trickle back to their homes.  There’s no big reception with music as is typical at “Western” weddings.  But overall, I was extremely happy for my coworker and glad to be a guest at an Indian wedding.

The happy bride and groom!  Congrats!

Little did I know that this wasn’t going to be my first wedding this week.  I actually was brought along to a second wedding.  While in Solapur for work with my boss, I was told that on our way home we were going to “stop by” the wedding reception of a former coworker.  So, we went to ritzy “reception lawn” and paid our respects to the bride and groom (For the reception, it’s traditional for the bride and groom to stand at the head of the reception, while all guests come and congratulate them and their parents.  They then stand for a formal picture.  Given the hundreds of guests and “stop by”s that come, the bride and groom end up standing there for hours with smiles plastered on their faces).  We grabbed some food and made our way out.  A quick 45-minute…wedding crash.

And that’s a wrap.  Today officially marks 6 months here in India.  5 more to go.  It’s been a good ride so far, and I can only hope the second half is just as exciting. 

Posing with 2 village health workers in the office.
This was after I had handed out See's lollipops to the staff.
You can see the happiness on their faces...smiles all around.

Andrew

Culture.....SHOCK!

So, I think my complacency of living in India had reached a new high a few points these last weeks when culture came up to me and slapped me in the face a few times.  From work experiences to new friendships and new travels, this past month has reassured me that India is a bit different from the comforts of Los Angeles…but also eerily similar to life back at home.

Let me start from the beginning.  January 15 was a big day: the monthly meeting for the project I was working on.  This would cap the first month of data collection by the village health workers, as well as begin office consolidation of that same data.  These women come to the office once a month as a part of this project to bring savings from their respective village microfinance groups, discuss issues/problems with the project, and hear updates from the office.  So, as the health workers began to come into the office (most only get to the office once a month at this meeting because of the demands of their work and the distance our office is from their villages) I was excited to see the success of the data collection and begin to input it into the office computers. 

(Aside: This project uses village microfinance groups to help empower women in the village through: “adoption” of pregnant women by members for proper antenatal care, interventions in domestic violence cases, increasing women’s participation in local governance bodies, and improving the government rationing system.  My project was intended to collect data on all these issues to help the office have a better handle on the impact/effect of the project within the villages.)

The village health workers in the conference room discussing
with staff (the male members).

So, I eagerly awaited Village Registers all neatly and correctly filled out, bursting with information for me and the rest of the office to type into the computers.  How sorely I was disappointed.  Yes, Village Registers were brought to the meeting.  But not only were the registers incomplete or incorrect, but they were lacking crucial data on certain parts of the project.  Additionally, I was VERY ill-prepared to handle an influx of 40 village data sets and had had HUGE miscommunication at the initial meeting on exactly how the data should be collected.  One village took about one hour to input, given that it was the first day of data collection, erorrs in inputing, etc.  So you can imagine how long 40 villages takes (40 villages x 1 hour per village = 40 hours).  The work I thought would be neatly packaged into a one day activity was quickly turned into a hectic melee of data sets, registers, workers, and office staff packed into a cramped little office.  I soon realized that my expectations of…orderly business… was merely my naiveté at the work environment I’m currently working in.  By the end of the day, I had only inputs 5.5 data sets.  It was quite a blow to my ego.

So, over the course of the past 2 weeks I’ve had to re-organize my understanding and make sure that next month’s meeting goes…a little better.  I’ve had some conversations with the project leadership to ensure that all village women are better prepared to handle the data collection, and have worked to registers to the office before the next meeting to deal with initial collection.  Overall, a big reality check of my expectations and the reality of where I live.  Lesson learned….

So, of course during the following weekend there was a holiday, a day off from work.  Of course there was a holiday….Makar Sankranti.   Celebrated on the winter solstice, it’s the day with the longest period of darkness during the year.  In Hindu culture, it is celebrated as a harvest festival.  Special meals are made in all the homes, and people exchange sweets with the saying “Til gul gya, gord gord bola”(Accept these sweets, speak sweet words).  I was invited along to my Director’s home to take part in a family celebration for the holiday.  A great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.


And then, I found myself at the National Rural Youth Fest in Tuljapur.  The Tata Institute for Social Sciences School for Rural Development (a satellite of the very prestigious Tata Institute in Mumbai) is located about an hour from where I live and held a 5 day festival starting January 15 to celebrate/discuss/contemplate issues of rural development.  Due to connections between my boss and staff at the Tata Institute, I was able to attend for a few days.  Attendance consisted of a collection of 300 students from all over India and a delegation from Nepal.  I could go into all the details of the things that were discussed/presented, but that would be a bit dry.

The main stage for the event.

What I would like to share is about the people I spent the majority of my time with.  A group of Masters students at the Fest quickly took me into their circle of friends.  I wasn’t only struck by their masterful command of English (one girl admitted that she knew her ABCs better than her A AA E EEs – the Hindi alphabet), but the ease with which I connected to among them.  It was a group of urban, middle class, mid-20 somethings all interested in issues of development.  Not only was I able to talk to them about pop culture / daily life issues  (and spew some of the sarcasm I had been holding back – it doesn’t work so well in my elementary Marathi), but to critically engage with some of the development issues that I had been interacting with here in rural India.  I left after three days really excited about these new friendships, not only as people to try and catch a movie with on the weekend, but to continue conversations about the fate of rural India, America's role in development, etc.

I was also struck by the huge diversity this group offered.  Although all from India, this group of students represented almost every major ethnic subdivision: students from the Northeast (where they look more like their Chinese neighbors), West, and way down South.  Yet they were all India, could converse in Hindi along with knowing both English and the language of their respective state (i.e. Bengali for West Bengal in the East, Malayalam from Kerala in the South, Assamese from Assam in the Northeast). 

New friends!  They're all currently spread around India
for a month long field placement.  But looking forward to
reconnecting in March.

 Then I had to come back to work.  But rest not…because we were gearing up for our big yearly event: Mahila Melawa (Women’s Gathering).  This event on January 23 every year is held to celebrate the work of the village health workers and the microfinance groups in the villages.  Women from all around the project area are brought to our NGO campus for a day long presentation.  Awards are given out to the best performing groups, and rousing speeches are given about the importance of women and rural development.  This year, almost 2000 women attended the event (in 2006 the Melawa had a high of 6000 people) with the Guest of Honor as the State Minister, an important political officer.  Well, I couldn’t understand too much of the presentations given the Marathi, but it was exciting to be in the room full of so much energy.  And seeing as I was the camera/video man, I have great documentary of the whole thing (and also had to pay attention to the whole thing…).

The crowd at the Melawa. 

Head speaker addressing the crowd.  I could lie and tell you
what he said was really interesting.  But unfortunately I didn't
understand it too much.

After this event, all of the staff needed a day of relaxation (read: day off of work). This plus another holiday the following week (Republic Day – the signing of the Indian constitution - on January 26), I was able to take 2 days and visit a fellow “fellow”, Sami, doing some work in Hyderabad, the capital of the state of Andhra Pradesh (directly east of where I live). 

Hyderabad lies about 300 km east of me.  When asking about how long the bus ride from my village to Hyderabad, I was told in the range of 7 to 10 hours.   Therefore, I grabbed a 10:30pm bus Sunday evening thinking to arrive the following morning around 6 or 7am (the time Sami was supposed to arrive).  What I didn’t expect was a speedy 5.5 hour drive, landing me at the main Hyderabad terminal at a bright 4:00am.  You can imagine my anxiety as I was exhausted and alone at a very crowded bus terminal (not sure why there were so many people there that morning) in a state where Marathi is not used.  Alas, in Andhra Pradesh, the main language is Telugu, a complex vernacular completely different from both Marathi and Hindi.  Surprise Surprise…me in a place where I can't speak to anyone.  Great!  Fortunately, English is spoken sporadically and I was able to get a rickshaw to the hotel and take a little nap before Sami arrived (gotta love 24 hour check ins).

And so we explored Hyderabad for a few days.  Hyderabad has a distinct culture unto itself, heavily shaped by the large Muslim population in the city (approximately 40%, as compared to a national average of 16%).  So that translates into a lot more meat (Islam provides for a much more meat –friendly culture than Hinduism).  In fact, Hyderabad is famous for Hyderabadi byriani, a spiced rice dish containing your choice of meat (it can also be made vegetarian...but since when is that interesting).  Think of it like a paella, but Indian style.  So, of course we had to get our hands on some of the best byriani in town.  At one restaurant we were told that the proper technique to determine good byriani is to throw some rice on the floor and see if the grains stick together.  Yes, I was immature enough to do this at a fancy restaurant.  No, there is no documentation of such.

Getting my hands on some Byriani!  You don't have to remind
me that I look extremely attractive here.

Of course the restaurant's name was "Paradise".
The perfection description  of us as we were walking home,
stomachs full of byriani. 

But, we also got some sightseeing in as well.

An iconic focal point of the city is the Charminar, built by the former rulers of the Hyderabad empire in the 1500s.  It serves as the center of the city and offers great views of surrounding area.

Charminar: Photo taken walking toward it from
Laad Bazaar, the marketplace surrounding
the Charminar from the East.

Hyderabad is also known as the City of Pearls.  Can you guess why?  It has made itself famous by the sale of natural pearls from the Indian Ocean. 

Sami trying on a few for size.  Beautiful!  I feel so much more
qualified to evaluate pearls now.  Thanks Sami. 

 You can also find the largest statue of Buddha in India here in Hyderabad.  It was placed on an island in a lake in the city in 1992.  Funny enough, when they tried to put it here the first time, it sank to the bottom of the lake during transport.  But, hope was not lost as they pulled it out and set it up 2 years later – no damage done.

That's him.  

The local  buses in Hyderabad – hate to love ‘em.  They are very frequent, but you have to risk you heart and soul as you rush against crowds of other people to board during the 10 seconds it stops at any bus stand.  But, we braved the storm and made our way out to Golkanda Fort, a few kilometers outside of the city.  It was built in the 1300s and was the capital of various empires since that time.  Overall, it seemed like a family friendly weekend trip for groups to come, explore and bring picnics!  Unfortunately we didn’t get the picnic memo beforehand, but it was a fun adventure and offered a views of the city of Hyderabad.

Golkanda Fort!  

Views of the city after trekking to the top.

And thus, a quick trip came to an end.  I didn’t take a bus back (fearing that I wouldn’t find one if I went to the Hyderabad bus station – the whole language thing) and made my way back to Andur by train.

Fortunately, I came back right in time for graduation!  The nursing students here at my NGO have finally finished their 18 month course and examinations, and thus we had a send off event for them.  The 20 girls were studying to work in village health centers and will now be moving on to bigger and better places.  The event was great: crying girls, speeches by the staff, all the good stuff of a graduation.  And, point for Andrew: I gave a 3 minute speech…in Marathi…during the event.  Felt pretty good to be able to express myself…and have people understand me.  This also made me realize how terrible my grammar is and that I still can’t speak in more than 1 tense (present).

Posing with all the graduates.  My instructions for this photo
were "Smile".  As you can see, my instructions hold a lot of weight with them.  

But the students had been a large staple of my life here in Andur, so it’s weird to have them gone.  I needn’t worry too much because the second batch of students arrived 2 days later.  Meaning 20 new faces, friends, and conversations.  Although I have to admit it will take me the first 2 months to remember their names. 

The new batch.  Can't wait!

 And so I must go.  I have some conversations to start up, people to meet.  Oh, and a few badmittion games to catch up on.  


We recently found a few rackets and shuttlecocks on the campus, so a few of us guys hit the cock around after work.   I didn’t realize it could be so much of a workout.  So far it’s been only a male activity, but I’ve been trying to bring some female coworkers into the melee.  They don’t seem so excited....  The plan is to try to set up a proper court and all with net to make it official. 

Some guys playing around after work.

Hope all is well stateside!

Andrew

What are the rates?

What do you get when you stick three Americans in India?  (If bowel problems was your first thought…then you wouldn’t actually be wrong). But otherwise you get an awesome time exploring some of the greatest sights in the world.

I recently met up with Mr. Rahul Barwani, who traveled the long distance from Berkeley, California, and Mr. Josh Brown, a Fulbright-er currently teaching English in South Korea, for a two week bonanza through northern India.  For me, it was a nice break from the routine here in Andur.  And to be able to spend New Years in Mumbai…what more could I ask for.

So I packed up and boarded a car, then bus, then rickshaw, then train to get over to Mumbai to meet up with Vickybhai, Rahul’s first cousin that lives in there.  The two of us then boarded a quick flight and made our way up to Delhi, the capital of India and the beginning of our journey.  We were soon accompanied by Rahul and Josh, arriving on flights from Kolkata and Seoul, respectively.  And thus we began…the four of us (and Sushil…our driver). 

First stop, Delhi.  Delhi, as the capital of India and the recent host of the Commonwealth Games 2010 (an athletic competition between former colonies of the British Commonweath) had a lot to say for itself.  As a little village bumpkin who has only really scene the chaos of Mumbai, I was amazed by the relative orderliness of the Delhi streets (people actually drove IN their LANES) and the cleanliness of the city.  We spent a day exploring the different sites around the city, including the:

Qutb Minar – erected in the 12^th Century, it is one of the most historical and prominent symbols of Delhi.  It's a great example of Indo-Islamic architecture as it was built by an early Muslim ruler in India.

The Qutb Minar.

Lotus Temple – a holy site for people of the Bhai’i faith.  They told us a bit about the religion there…unfortunately I don’t remember too much.  What I do remember is that they believe in universal peace and equality between men and women.  Also, interestingly enough, a tenant of the religion is obedience to one’s government.

Lotus Temple...because it looks like a lotus.  Get it? 

Humayan’s Tomb. . A mausoleum for Humayan…some dead old ruler/conquerer.  This was actually a model for the Taj Mahal, which was constructed in the same style but on a grander/more magnificent scale.

Compare this against the Taj Mahal picture later in the blog.
Any similarities?

Gateway of India – a remembrance for all fallen Indian soldiers.  Interesting story: there were a group of African people visiting this site who attracted huge attention from domestic (Indian) tourists.  As a white American, I get a lot of attention in the villages I visit.  So it was interesting to be an outsider to that same experience and see the attention given to others.  These people were loving it though.

Raj Gat – where the cremated remains of Mahatma Gandhi (the leader of the Indian freedom movement) lie. 

The Man himself.

Jantar Mantar – an observatory in the middle of Delhi built in the 1600s.  Although this place has some historical significance, it seemed to us more of a big playground than anything, complete with structures looking like a half-pipe and another like a gladiator pit (apparently they were used to track celestial bodies.  How? Don’t ask)

The Colosseum-like structure. Rahul's expression says it all.

Next stop, Haridwar. Haridwar is a city pretty far North in India where the Ganges starts flowing.  Therefore, in Hindu culture, it’s an important place.  The mythology behind the Ganges is that the river flows from the head of the Lord Shiva, an important God in Hinduism.  As much as I’m sure you’re interested in the theological underpinnings of the city, I’m sure you’d be more happy to see…MONKEYS.  Yes, Haridwar is also home to two temples, both of which many monkeys call home.  Therefore, you can imagine the excitement of Rahul, Josh, and myself as we attempted to feed monkeys at the temples located on the hills surrounding the city.  Unfortunately, the monkeys also bombarded Josh and the ice cream he was holding in his hand.  You can correctly assume that he didn’t get to eat too much of it before he had to give it up to them.

Does anyone else see the resemblance here? 

But the magical part of Haridwar comes at night, when visitors throng the sides of the Ganges river and partake in the nightly pooja, or prayer, that happens.  It really was a beautiful site, with thousands of candles lit up and hundreds of people following along to the prayers.

It's gorgeous.  Add to this the voices of hundreds following
along in prayer.

Rahul, Josh, and I also were able to partake in the ceremonial prayer of the Ganges.  It is composed of having prayers said over you by a religious leader on the side of the river, dunking in the water, and giving an offering to the river.  Josh, thanks to his dearth of Hindi language, dumped the offering into the river PLUS the plate that was holding it (I think you had to be there, but Rahul and I really got a kick out of this one).

The four us watching the pooja.

One of the great parts of being in Hardiwar was that I was actually able to impress some people with my Marathi skills.  Sitting at a restaurant for lunch just as we’re about to leave the city, a group of women at the table behind us tapped our shoulder and asked “America?”  We replied yes, and then asked them in Hindi where they were from.  They replied “Maharashtra.”  This got me going, and I asked, in Marathi, if they spoke Marathi (Tumhi Marathi boltaka?).  Surprised, they replied in the affirmative, and we had a brief conversation about where they were from and what I was doing speaking Marathi.  It was great to be able to use my Marathi outside of the village of Andur, and really boosted my confidence in my speaking ability.

Moving on, a quick overnight stop in Rishikesh…an extremely spiritual place that is full of ashrams (similar to what I lived on during my orientation).  The Beatles actually came here and composed a fair amount of music at one of the ashrams (now closed).  I don’t’ know if I mentioned it, but it was FREEZING cold during this trip, with nights going down to 5/6 degrees Celsius (that’s about 40 Farenheight).  I definitely didn’t sign up, or pack, for this kind of weather…

We then made our way up to Punjab and the city of Amritsar, a holy place for people of the Sikh religion. It was about this point that Josh and I were both overcome with…Delhi Belly.  I’ll spare you the gory details, but let’s just say that a bathroom became an essential part of the rest of our journey. 

Amritsar is way up in the North of India, right by the Pakistan-India border.  Daily, a huge, nationalist ceremony is held at the border in which Indian and Pakistani soldiers parade fanatically in front of each other from across a small gate.  Add to this hundreds of crowds (on both sides), flag waving, and chants and you have what looks like a Cal-Stanford football game.  There is a lot of historical tension between Pakistan and India (more than I want to go into in this post), so it was interesting to see that play out before your own eyes. 

Down the road in the center of the picture past the gate is
Pakistan.  Spectators throng both sides to see the "show"
every night at 5:30pm.

Back to Amristar: This city is home to the Golden Temple, or the holiest place for people of the Sikh religion.  The Sikh people traditionally wear turbans (it is a religious custom that men and women will not cut their hair).  We went early in the morning, just as the sun was rising over the temple.  It is surrounded by a body of water, making the whole place feel extremely calm and surreal.  It was like an oasis in the middle of the city.  Similar to all gurdwaras (Sikh temples), it is customary to offer food to all visitors.  Therefore, we joined the line of other guests and worshipers and sat down for breakfast (a nice meal of dhaal, chickpeas, and chappati). Given the high tourist traffice, this place busts out 80,000 dishes per meal! 

Posing in front of the Golden Temple.  It's customary to cover
 your hair when entering a Gurdwara.

We then made our way back through Delhi (passing through a part of India that legitimately looked like the apocalypse: dark, foggy, ghost towns) and made our way to Mathura which is where the Lord Krishna (a main Hindu god) grew up.  There is a large temple there dedicated to him.

A little American indulgance.  Do we look excited?

And finally, what I know you’ve all been waiting for…Agra, home to the Taj Mahal.  By this point, we travelers were so weary and exhausted that it’s no wonder we were excited by:

Yep...the Taj Mahal.  Although the most attractive part of
 the photo is in the foreground.

It truly is a masterwork of architecture, with gorgeous stonework and marble detailing.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with its history, the Taj Mahal is a mausoleum built by the Mogul emperor Shah Jahan in the 1600s for his wife, Mumtez. 

And then, on to Bombay…and some relaxation.  To put our previous trip into perspective, we traveled about 2500 km in 6 days.  That’s a lot of car time, a lot of hotels, and a lot of sights.  So coming to Bombay for a little rest was much needed by the end of our journey. 

Here’s where I want to take a brief pause and pay my deepest tribute and upmost respect to the Barwani family.  Rahul’s family in Bombay greeted us weary travelers as members of their own, taking us within their arms and literally bringing us back to health.  Through delicious, home-cooked, non-vegetarian meals, satellite TV, and a little TLC the three of us were able to recover from our hectic journey.  We spent much of our time in Bombay relaxing, slowly venturing out into the suburbs of Khar and Bandera where we were staying.  But mostly laying low and meeting up with different parts of Rahul’s family.  

With part of the Barwani Family.  again...THANK YOU!

Did I mention there was a bagel shop in Mumbai? Fellow
"fellow" Sami posing in front. It's like a Jewish heaven.

New Years was a blast.  Maybe not the craziest one I’ve had, but definitely the most relaxed and mature.  The three of us, along with Rahul’s cousin and another couple, went to an extremely gourmet, Pan-Asian, buffet restaurant.  Well, right on Indian Standard Time, we got there at about 10pm.  Didn’t eat until 1:00 a.m.  And left around 3:00 am.  Along with some great cuisine, we had fantastic conversation and were really able to bring in the New Year with style.

Bringing in the New Year! The guy's end of the table.

Now for some introspection.  Right before we got into the restaurant, as we were waiting outside with other people all dressed to impress, I couldn’t help but notice the child that was going from person to person, hand out, asking for money.  Being in India for a stint (and especially as a foreigner), you almost become immune to the endless people that come up asking for money.  I have personal reasons for not giving money to people on the streets (it’s not a sustainable way to help people get into poverty, only further snowballs the effect of begging, etc.).  But this time it really hit me…the blind eye that I usually turn to such things wasn’t so blind.  We were standing there, getting ready to enter and gorge on a delicious buffet, dressed up and ready to celebrate the coming of a new year.  And here was a little girl, maybe 7 years old, who might not have had a home, family, or meal.  It really put things in perspective for me…that even when I’m in India and realizing all that I take for granted in the US (hot showers come to mind), I still stand in a very privileged place where I have so much to be thankful for.  It also made me thankful to those who are continually work to help alleviate poverty in parts of the world where its a very common tragedy.  

Aside from that, we made our way to the Taj Mahal Hotel, probably the nicest hotel in all of India, but also one of the sites of the shooting on November 26, 2008 – an event in which Pakistani terrorists killed over 100 innocent people around the city of Mumbai.  Similar to 9/11 in the US, it unified the Indian people .  So the Hotel has stood as a testament to the vivacity of the nation. It has bounced back and really is a gorgeous hotel…if only we could have stayed there a few nights…

The Taj Mahal Hotel.  This picture doesn't do it justice

And that marked the end of my vacation.  I boarded a train and made my way…10 hours later…to my cozy home here in Andur.  It was nice to be back, and to realize that the life I had left is still here and constant.  Fortunately, I came back on a holiday (meaning no work), and was able to celebrate with some prayers and a special meal with all the residents here.  The holiday is Yelvasmoushi (sp?) and celebrates the harvest and 5 god-like beings who defeated evil (not quite sure of their names or the story, but that’s all I remember).  

Celebrating Yelvasmoushi(?) in the NGO garden we have here.

Overall, my trip was a nice getaway from the relative calm here in Andur, and it was nice to meet up with some long-time friends. 

A map of our travels.  Follow the dotted blue line to
see my journey to Delhi (pit stop in Bombay),
and the solid blue line is our trip together.

Just putting it out there, if anyone else wants to make the journey, there is plenty to see in this big country!

I hope you all had a great new year! 

Andrew