Monday, May 25, 2009
First week...
Hello guys,
So, the first week in Dharamsala is officially over, and it's seriously been super busy here. We left Delhi last Monday, and since this country seems to have less than a strict sense of time, our flight up here was, of course, an hour late for no real reason. We flew up here in this tiny little prop plane, but the flight was only an hour, and we mostly just chatted and looked at scenery the whole way up. The houses are great, and wireless internet is (usually) accessible in the main house, so you are always welcome to email me since I seem to be a little bit sketchy at keeping up with the blogging.
My placement is teaching first through fifth grade at a governmental primary school called Cheelgari. It's been... well... challenging to say the least. The teaching system is very much based on route learning, which consists of repetition and memorization with really no regard for comprehension. Because of this, none of the kids are where they're supposed to be in their knowledge of English, and therefore I've had to re-separate them into two groups; those who know the ABCs and those who do not. I was supposed to be working there with one other girl, Kristie, but she switched her placement to a detox clinic which another one of our volunteers, Robby, was having a tough time working at. So, as of the beginning of last week, I was fairly certain that I was going to have to be working at the school alone, but another girl Maneesha decided she wanted to work with me after the women's group she teaches is done. So I teach the younger children (the ones who don't know the ABCs yet) early in the morning, and then she comes to the school and we jointly teach the older children (the ones who mostly know the ABCs and almost how to read and write... Soon :) ) This past week was difficult not only because there was absolutely no structure to the school, but also because most people here are still adjusting to the food and the temperature so pretty much everyone has been not feeling a hundred percent.
Other than volunteering, last week consisted of Hindi lessons to help us out at our placements, as well as just to acquaint us with the main language spoken in this area, as well as multiple trips to the market in order to get the traditional clothes that we're required to wear to our placements. It's really a very interesting experience going clothes shopping here... Mostly they don't sell ready-made clothes, so you have to get them tailored for you, which is actually the most fun thing ever. So you go into a fabric store, and pick out a fabric that you like (usually they come in sets for the pants (Salwar), the tunic (Kameez) and the scarf), and then either they do the stitching for you there and tell you to come pick up your outfit in anywhere from one to five days, or they send you to a tailor who will do the same thing for you. I've bought maybe 5 outfits, and only spent about $110 which is pretty amazing for custom-made outfits, right? :-D
On Saturday, we randomly looked out the window and there was just a forest fire raging on the mountain right next to us (we're in a valley) and it was really close and really big, but (apparently) it was controlled... Although I don't know how seeing as how there were absolutely no people on that mountain. Either way, it was kind of a weird but interesting experience, and definitely the closest I've ever been to the forest fire. That's just one of the amazing things about this place, no one was even phased in the slightest by the inferno that was burning on the hill right next to us. Driving here is another one of those things that I'll never understand. How people drive manual up and down hills like this just impresses me like nothing else, and here horns aren't a rude way of insulting, but just a precautionary measure to let anyone (cars, pedestrians, motorcycles, COWS...?) know that you're coming close to them, and that they might not want to get in your way. There's literally no speed limit within town, and there's not a section of the road which you cannot pass on (literally everything is a curve or a hill). Cows walking around is just completely commonplace here, and not surprising at all. Of course, cows are sacred in this culture, and we asked what would happen if you hit a cow while you were driving the other day, and they told us that apparently people come and beat the driver, so generally speaking if you do his a cow, then you should probably leave your vehicle and run. Cows wander everywhere, and don't really belong to anyone, because apparently it's really really bad for a cow to die in your care, so once the cows get old enough and stop giving milk, people just let them go so that they won't be responsible if/when the cow dies.
This past Sunday, we went on a day trip to a temple near our house, and then went for a picnic in the woods down by an absolutely amazing stream, to spend some time outside playing Cricket. The temple was absolutely amazing, and we got to go down by this river next to the temple where was this small little shrine tucked underneath this giant rock. However, our picnic was cut short by a thunderstorm, which then turned into a hailstorm wherein the hail was literally half the size of a golf-ball. It was absolutely insane... I've never seen anything like it, and it was actually kind of painful running back up to the cars through massively huge hail.
Later that night, we went to the nearby McLeod Ganj which is much more touristy than Dharamsala, but still a lot of fun. We did a little bit of souvenir shopping and had dinner at a western restaurant which was a lot of fun. We then took one of the sketchiest cab rides back home, but we ended up getting home alright right before curfew, and had a great night in general.
This week at my placement seems to have started off better, I'm gaining confidence I think. I brought my kids stickers today, and took pictures of them, both of which got them out of their shells a lot, and made them a lot more extroverted than they had been. I've had to slow down my lesson plans substantially, because they're so behind where the teachers at the school think they are. They're amazing at parrotting things back to you, but if you ask them to actually identify a letter, and the sound that accompanies it, without telling them, they have absolutely no idea what it is.
It's fairly obvious that monsoon season is just about upon us here, because there are pretty frequently thunderstorms which feel like the apolcalypse is coming, but is again, just one of those things that's completely commonplace here. The power goes out pretty frequently, but we're mostly used to that by now. It doesn't really matter that much because we just light candles and flashlights, and a bucket shower is literally always possible. A bucket shower, if you didn't know, is literally just a big bucket that you fill up with as much water as you need, and then you use a smaller bucket to dump that water over you in order to shower. Sound kind of awkward an uncomfortable? Aside from the fact that it's kind of cold to just stand there going in and out of hot water, it's actually a pretty fun experience, although one has to get used to never getting the conditioner out of their hair via bucket shower.
I should probably go and start working on worksheets for my kids, but when we go on more sightseeing or anything of note happens, I'll be sure to post again. And for the time being, I hope that you all are well and having great summers, and that you'll email me because I'm always glad to respond.
More soon :),
K
So, the first week in Dharamsala is officially over, and it's seriously been super busy here. We left Delhi last Monday, and since this country seems to have less than a strict sense of time, our flight up here was, of course, an hour late for no real reason. We flew up here in this tiny little prop plane, but the flight was only an hour, and we mostly just chatted and looked at scenery the whole way up. The houses are great, and wireless internet is (usually) accessible in the main house, so you are always welcome to email me since I seem to be a little bit sketchy at keeping up with the blogging.
My placement is teaching first through fifth grade at a governmental primary school called Cheelgari. It's been... well... challenging to say the least. The teaching system is very much based on route learning, which consists of repetition and memorization with really no regard for comprehension. Because of this, none of the kids are where they're supposed to be in their knowledge of English, and therefore I've had to re-separate them into two groups; those who know the ABCs and those who do not. I was supposed to be working there with one other girl, Kristie, but she switched her placement to a detox clinic which another one of our volunteers, Robby, was having a tough time working at. So, as of the beginning of last week, I was fairly certain that I was going to have to be working at the school alone, but another girl Maneesha decided she wanted to work with me after the women's group she teaches is done. So I teach the younger children (the ones who don't know the ABCs yet) early in the morning, and then she comes to the school and we jointly teach the older children (the ones who mostly know the ABCs and almost how to read and write... Soon :) ) This past week was difficult not only because there was absolutely no structure to the school, but also because most people here are still adjusting to the food and the temperature so pretty much everyone has been not feeling a hundred percent.
Other than volunteering, last week consisted of Hindi lessons to help us out at our placements, as well as just to acquaint us with the main language spoken in this area, as well as multiple trips to the market in order to get the traditional clothes that we're required to wear to our placements. It's really a very interesting experience going clothes shopping here... Mostly they don't sell ready-made clothes, so you have to get them tailored for you, which is actually the most fun thing ever. So you go into a fabric store, and pick out a fabric that you like (usually they come in sets for the pants (Salwar), the tunic (Kameez) and the scarf), and then either they do the stitching for you there and tell you to come pick up your outfit in anywhere from one to five days, or they send you to a tailor who will do the same thing for you. I've bought maybe 5 outfits, and only spent about $110 which is pretty amazing for custom-made outfits, right? :-D
On Saturday, we randomly looked out the window and there was just a forest fire raging on the mountain right next to us (we're in a valley) and it was really close and really big, but (apparently) it was controlled... Although I don't know how seeing as how there were absolutely no people on that mountain. Either way, it was kind of a weird but interesting experience, and definitely the closest I've ever been to the forest fire. That's just one of the amazing things about this place, no one was even phased in the slightest by the inferno that was burning on the hill right next to us. Driving here is another one of those things that I'll never understand. How people drive manual up and down hills like this just impresses me like nothing else, and here horns aren't a rude way of insulting, but just a precautionary measure to let anyone (cars, pedestrians, motorcycles, COWS...?) know that you're coming close to them, and that they might not want to get in your way. There's literally no speed limit within town, and there's not a section of the road which you cannot pass on (literally everything is a curve or a hill). Cows walking around is just completely commonplace here, and not surprising at all. Of course, cows are sacred in this culture, and we asked what would happen if you hit a cow while you were driving the other day, and they told us that apparently people come and beat the driver, so generally speaking if you do his a cow, then you should probably leave your vehicle and run. Cows wander everywhere, and don't really belong to anyone, because apparently it's really really bad for a cow to die in your care, so once the cows get old enough and stop giving milk, people just let them go so that they won't be responsible if/when the cow dies.
This past Sunday, we went on a day trip to a temple near our house, and then went for a picnic in the woods down by an absolutely amazing stream, to spend some time outside playing Cricket. The temple was absolutely amazing, and we got to go down by this river next to the temple where was this small little shrine tucked underneath this giant rock. However, our picnic was cut short by a thunderstorm, which then turned into a hailstorm wherein the hail was literally half the size of a golf-ball. It was absolutely insane... I've never seen anything like it, and it was actually kind of painful running back up to the cars through massively huge hail.
Later that night, we went to the nearby McLeod Ganj which is much more touristy than Dharamsala, but still a lot of fun. We did a little bit of souvenir shopping and had dinner at a western restaurant which was a lot of fun. We then took one of the sketchiest cab rides back home, but we ended up getting home alright right before curfew, and had a great night in general.
This week at my placement seems to have started off better, I'm gaining confidence I think. I brought my kids stickers today, and took pictures of them, both of which got them out of their shells a lot, and made them a lot more extroverted than they had been. I've had to slow down my lesson plans substantially, because they're so behind where the teachers at the school think they are. They're amazing at parrotting things back to you, but if you ask them to actually identify a letter, and the sound that accompanies it, without telling them, they have absolutely no idea what it is.
It's fairly obvious that monsoon season is just about upon us here, because there are pretty frequently thunderstorms which feel like the apolcalypse is coming, but is again, just one of those things that's completely commonplace here. The power goes out pretty frequently, but we're mostly used to that by now. It doesn't really matter that much because we just light candles and flashlights, and a bucket shower is literally always possible. A bucket shower, if you didn't know, is literally just a big bucket that you fill up with as much water as you need, and then you use a smaller bucket to dump that water over you in order to shower. Sound kind of awkward an uncomfortable? Aside from the fact that it's kind of cold to just stand there going in and out of hot water, it's actually a pretty fun experience, although one has to get used to never getting the conditioner out of their hair via bucket shower.
I should probably go and start working on worksheets for my kids, but when we go on more sightseeing or anything of note happens, I'll be sure to post again. And for the time being, I hope that you all are well and having great summers, and that you'll email me because I'm always glad to respond.
More soon :),
K
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Here :)
Hi guys,
Ok, so I finally got the opportunity to get on here to write about my first couple of days here in India, and it's been really incredible.
I arrived at 11am on Saturday after a (very surprisingly for me) un-delayed flight into Delhi. The plane ride from Heathrow to Delhi is apparently basically the same length from Newark to Heathrow, which I found surprising because I had assumed that the second would have been much longer. The plane ride was uneventful, although happily not very full so I could (sort of) stretch out on two seats.
After getting off of the plane, we were made to go through a brief medical exam to ensure that none of us possibly had swine flu, and then it was on to customs which had no line, and was a breeze. I had a brief panic attack at the baggage carousel when it took my bag about 45 minutes to find its way to me, however it eventually did and that was a relief.
My first impressions of Delhi? Hot. Loud. Dry. Landing, I looked out the window thinking to see green suburbs like I always do and instead all I saw was sand. Everywhere. Completely orange ground... and it completely shocked me. Driving here is... well... different, to say the least. The horn is really used as a way to tell someone that you're near them, and not necessarily to tell them they're an idiot, and the blinker is used to tell oncoming traffic which way to go in order to not hit them. I haven't seen a single speed-limit sign since getting here, and the noise of the traffic is... intimidating, I would say.
The colors, however, are incredible. Everything is so bright; gold, blue, purple, pink. Delhi is a strange combination of traditional Indian values juxtaposed against a more modern, western society. Most of the people adopt traditional wear (either the Saree or the Salwar Kameez for women), however others also wear more western clothing. Revealing clothing (other than in the form of midriff in a Saree) isn't done here. It's a very conservative society on the outside, but there are so many more layers than just that underneath.
We arrived at the flats where we're staying for the few days that we're here and had lunch wherein I realized more than ever, that being vegan in India is going to be near impossible. Then we took a trip to go sightseeing and started at the Lotus Temple which is a Bahá'í house of worship, which is a religion which really emphasizes the unity of all religions, and recognizes the validity of all religious doctrines. The best thing I can compare it to is our western Unitarianism. We were forced to take off our shoes in order to go into the temple, but about 1000 feet in advance, causing massive amounts of burning for the soles of our poor feet, but it was worth it. Such an amazing structure, and so much fun to see all of the people.t
Next we went to the India Gate which is a war memorial for those who died in the British Indian Army in World War I. That was an interesting experience, if for no other reason than it will be one of the most tourist-y atractions we visit while here and therefore we got to see that side of the culture. It's heartbreaking; not being allowed to give money to the children that come up to you because otherwise all of them will swarm you and try to get more. Some of the poverty is just astounding really, and almost difficult to absorb.
After this we went for some driving sightseeing and saw parliament, and the Indira Ghandi memorial, and a couple of temples. Then we came back to rest up and have dinner, and get ready for the next leg of our adventure.
After dinner we went to a nighttime bazaar, the name of which slips my mind right now, however it was really incredible, and lucky we have some Hindi and Punjabi speakers in our group, which makes bartering much easier for us. However, we were all fairly exhausted after such a long time travelling and sightseeing and took auto-rickshaws back home in order to pass out in exhaustion.
This morning we had a lecture about the culture of India, and the placements that we're going to, and the N.G.O.s that we're going to be working with. Then we had a quick lunch and bought our airplane tickets up to Dharamsala for tomorrow at around lunchtime, and took some of our free time to watch some Bollywood movies and do a puzzle of the Taj Mahal. Then all of us girls went out to shop for traditional clothes as the community we're going to is a conservative one. Shopping was intimidating and overwhelming, but still an interesting experience as none of us really know what to look for in clothing in this culture.
Tomorrow holds another talk about culture and history, and then a flight up to Dharamsala followed by orientation of the new home base, and free time. Our curfew here is 11pm, but up there it is 9:30pm for safety purposes so it looks like we'll be spending a lot of our free time in the house with each other. I look forward to seeing the scenery which should be absolutely incredible, as well as feeling a break from the sweltering heat of Delhi.
I'll try to upload pictures later, but right now I'm exhausted and the internet refuses to agree with my uploading attempts so I'll try again either tomorrow or the next day.
More later,
K
Ok, so I finally got the opportunity to get on here to write about my first couple of days here in India, and it's been really incredible.
I arrived at 11am on Saturday after a (very surprisingly for me) un-delayed flight into Delhi. The plane ride from Heathrow to Delhi is apparently basically the same length from Newark to Heathrow, which I found surprising because I had assumed that the second would have been much longer. The plane ride was uneventful, although happily not very full so I could (sort of) stretch out on two seats.
After getting off of the plane, we were made to go through a brief medical exam to ensure that none of us possibly had swine flu, and then it was on to customs which had no line, and was a breeze. I had a brief panic attack at the baggage carousel when it took my bag about 45 minutes to find its way to me, however it eventually did and that was a relief.
My first impressions of Delhi? Hot. Loud. Dry. Landing, I looked out the window thinking to see green suburbs like I always do and instead all I saw was sand. Everywhere. Completely orange ground... and it completely shocked me. Driving here is... well... different, to say the least. The horn is really used as a way to tell someone that you're near them, and not necessarily to tell them they're an idiot, and the blinker is used to tell oncoming traffic which way to go in order to not hit them. I haven't seen a single speed-limit sign since getting here, and the noise of the traffic is... intimidating, I would say.
The colors, however, are incredible. Everything is so bright; gold, blue, purple, pink. Delhi is a strange combination of traditional Indian values juxtaposed against a more modern, western society. Most of the people adopt traditional wear (either the Saree or the Salwar Kameez for women), however others also wear more western clothing. Revealing clothing (other than in the form of midriff in a Saree) isn't done here. It's a very conservative society on the outside, but there are so many more layers than just that underneath.
We arrived at the flats where we're staying for the few days that we're here and had lunch wherein I realized more than ever, that being vegan in India is going to be near impossible. Then we took a trip to go sightseeing and started at the Lotus Temple which is a Bahá'í house of worship, which is a religion which really emphasizes the unity of all religions, and recognizes the validity of all religious doctrines. The best thing I can compare it to is our western Unitarianism. We were forced to take off our shoes in order to go into the temple, but about 1000 feet in advance, causing massive amounts of burning for the soles of our poor feet, but it was worth it. Such an amazing structure, and so much fun to see all of the people.t
Next we went to the India Gate which is a war memorial for those who died in the British Indian Army in World War I. That was an interesting experience, if for no other reason than it will be one of the most tourist-y atractions we visit while here and therefore we got to see that side of the culture. It's heartbreaking; not being allowed to give money to the children that come up to you because otherwise all of them will swarm you and try to get more. Some of the poverty is just astounding really, and almost difficult to absorb.
After this we went for some driving sightseeing and saw parliament, and the Indira Ghandi memorial, and a couple of temples. Then we came back to rest up and have dinner, and get ready for the next leg of our adventure.
After dinner we went to a nighttime bazaar, the name of which slips my mind right now, however it was really incredible, and lucky we have some Hindi and Punjabi speakers in our group, which makes bartering much easier for us. However, we were all fairly exhausted after such a long time travelling and sightseeing and took auto-rickshaws back home in order to pass out in exhaustion.
This morning we had a lecture about the culture of India, and the placements that we're going to, and the N.G.O.s that we're going to be working with. Then we had a quick lunch and bought our airplane tickets up to Dharamsala for tomorrow at around lunchtime, and took some of our free time to watch some Bollywood movies and do a puzzle of the Taj Mahal. Then all of us girls went out to shop for traditional clothes as the community we're going to is a conservative one. Shopping was intimidating and overwhelming, but still an interesting experience as none of us really know what to look for in clothing in this culture.
Tomorrow holds another talk about culture and history, and then a flight up to Dharamsala followed by orientation of the new home base, and free time. Our curfew here is 11pm, but up there it is 9:30pm for safety purposes so it looks like we'll be spending a lot of our free time in the house with each other. I look forward to seeing the scenery which should be absolutely incredible, as well as feeling a break from the sweltering heat of Delhi.
I'll try to upload pictures later, but right now I'm exhausted and the internet refuses to agree with my uploading attempts so I'll try again either tomorrow or the next day.
More later,
K
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