I have become the stinky kid

Last week I spent in a rural village visiting local schools and giving health check-ups. It was truly inspiring, and included many treks, many trips on a motor bike into the hills, and a singularly daunting trip down the mountain on top of the jeep. I can honestly say that the week made my entire internship worthwhile.
The house we stayed in actually doubles as the clinic in Jibhi. It does an amazing mixture of community health and clinical work, and yet again I was able to spend most of my time with the most fantastic health workers from the surrounding villages. The house felt like a home, with music playing, and kids running around and dancing in the Kitchen. there was a mountain waterfall and everything. Paradise to be sure.
We returned on Friday evening and since then things have been back to normal. Besides the fact that when i went running last week I had a minor confrontation with a baby black bear. Apparently it was left by its mother and thus decided that my foot was a good alternative. Only in India is something like that even remotely possible. Also, the water in my building has decided that running isnt high on its list of priorities.

so yes, clearly still in India. Time here seems to slug by nicely. This week is sort of paling in comparison to the hills around Jibhi, so its giving me a lot of time to sit around and think about how ready I am to return home.
I am currently writing a booklet about nutrition, which is harder than it seems because telling small starving Indian children that they should eat less rice and more raw veggies seems slightly culturally inappropriate...if not pointless. In addition, I am back to painting the antenatal ward, which is a riot and a half because they asked me to paint a picture of a nativity scene. Oh baby Jesus, how familiar with you I have become.
Other than that, I am enjoying the company of a Spanish doctor, who has kept me laughing for the majority of the last week, and a Dr. from New Zealand who has had about four full blown debates with myself about development and the fact that the US sucks. He won them all.
I am learning and enjoying myself, though it is tainted slightly by the fact that I really do want to get home. I have plans to spend an afternoon hugging the shower-head and washing machine, then I plan to eat a burger. I have been a forced vegetarian and it doesn't suit me well. I haven't really planned past that point.
My mom and dear friend are coming to India in T-25 days, and I am nearly catatonic with excitement. It will be such a joy to have familiar faces in a country that has grown to mean so much to me.
ALSO. I recently got skype, and will be able to talk to those of you who might also have it. My name is Jessland23. I hope to hear from you!
Well, I am tired and think I will go make myself a cup of tea and retire with a book.
So much love from across the world.

Jaipur

Hey all,

If any of your heard, there were bombings in Jaipur the night before last.
They don't know who planted the bombs as of yet, but around 7:20, 7 bombs went off in the old city....all in extremely populated areas. The police were able to disarm two more before they went off, and as of today there haven't been any others detected.
Everyone from our program is safe by the grace of God, and we were under house arrest for around 36 hours to ride out any backlash.
As of yesterday, there were over 70 dead, and 200 injured. The city was pretty chaotic but yesterday there were enforced curfews in the city to avoid communal violence, which emptied out the streets pretty effectively.

It was really strange because we were supposed to go to the old city to buy sari's but ended up going to the tailor instead...amazing how simple things can make such a difference.

So, we are allowed out today, with the SIT staff chaperoning us throughout the city.

So, we are safe, if not a little shaken.
Much love to all

Here and back again

Well, after a tranquil three weeks, Kate and I are venturing back into the great heatwave that is middle India. It is strange because we made good friends with the elective students here, and now have to leave them. We have spent a lot of time debating the many differences, and surprising similarities between cultures, and working very hard at dispelling some of the more erroneous mass assumptions about Americans (mostly due to works of cinematic genius like "girls gone wild" and "superbad"). So, Kate and I are falling asleep to the sound of braying donkeys for the last time together. When I return I might be living in a flat alone for six weeks, so I am trying to soak up all of the company I can while it is still available.
Things here have been amazing, but I am ready to get back to Jaipur to see the group and hear about all of the amazing stories the other students have. Most likely we will be spending each day submerged in the pool at the Raj Mahal hotel, but I guess I can hardly complain about that. I maintain that things here have been calm, and our days have been mostly filled with typing our 30 page papers. My typing has been punctuated with the sound of my cursing, because the power has a tendency to go out (suspect I know) causing me to lose paragraphs with each outage.
The mountains maintain their majestic beauty, and every few days we wake up to a new snow covering on their tops. We went to a town called Naggar to have lunch on a castle balcony. The lunch was "minging" as the brits say, but the view was stunning as usual. The valley had a river and apple orchards with small homes sprinkled in. We were harassed by crows the sizes of pterodactyls, and appeased them by chucking bits of Kate's horrid sandwich over the balcony.
After a quick tour of an art museum, which did nothing but confirm my notion that India might have missed that the point of establishing a museum is not to creep out the customers, we wound back down into manali, and had a fantastic dinner at the charming johnson's cafe.
I think I will sign off now, so as not to keep kate awake all night with the typing.
Much love, and for those rowers who might check this. congratulations!
Love to all.

Revisiting my medical ABC's

So, this week has been dubbed a success, even though clearly it is only Tuesday. Yesterday Kate and I lounged around in our room until mid morning, working and reading, and then headed out to meet our unfortunate translator Jitu. Interestingly, he confessed to us only today, after about 6 days of this doomed employee satisfaction survey, that "If you had been doing this survey two years ago you would have interviewed me too, I used to work here, but then I had this small mental illness, and had to stop until this year". Awkward. At any rate, we spent the afternoon doing surveys, and meeting up with a few more of the doctors which is a nice way to meet people. Then around dinner time, we had the ultimate joy of an invitation to the house of the two doctors who essentially turned this hospital into what it is today. We ventured out into manali, with our only directions being "go towards the big bridge, and ask for Doctor-Ji's house". Yes, the hospital is the center of the town apparently, and they are so well known that we found ourselves literally led to their front door by a pack of small children in neon pink pants.
They were amazing. They live in a beautiful little vermont-like house, overlooking the expanse of the mountains. We spent nearly two hours just talking to them about their work, and the wonderful things they have done not just for the hospital, but for Manali as well. Heroes to be sure.
After that, we had our ration of cold veggies, and packed in for the night with our books, and were lulled to sleep by the sound of the pack of roving donkeys.
Today we were up early, and off to do a few more surveys. I am so sick of the questionnaire that it takes more and more self control not to just make up the answers. At around 12, I randomly asked some guy if Kate and I could join him in surgery, and he said yes.
Kate and I sort of sauntered into the operating theater, decked out in our scrub tops, face masks, and hats and were able to stand in the middle of the operating room while they removed some man's gal bladder. AMAZING. For whatever reason I ended up staying on my feet, without the urge to pass out, so overall it was a raging success. Notes on surgery: (1)They are the funniest group of doctors I have ever seen, and spend a solid portion of surgery singing along to seal. (2) sterile procedures, apparently not really necessary. (3) One way to bring man out of General Anesthesia is to hit him. (4) Because this is a training facility, I was able to ask questions and stand at the foot of the bed while a man had four hands literally inside him. Sorry for those of you who are squeamish, but it was like something of a movie.
Anyways, this afternoon we did a few more interviews, got invited to someone's house for tea, and here I am now. I have found that in the past few days I have also learned a lot about myself and my limits and capabilities. I have learned to not let chances pass me by because I am nervous about overstepping boundaries. I am capable of taking risks which I have finally seen the beauty of. Oh yey for unregulated countries.
Either way, things here are fantastic, and Kate and I seem to have finally settled into a niche. Aside from the unreal amounts of carbohydrates served here, morning, noon and night, I am happy as could be.
Love.

" My love is like lemonade. Beloved, let me glove you down"

Hey all,
The title of this blog is a reference to the extremely awkward bollywood film we watched this week. It is a direct translation of one of the songs.
So there have been a few key developments this week. 1) though manali has fantastic food, and a staggeringly beautiful view, it doesn't contain much else. It is a very small town, with enough Shawls to blanket all of India to be sure. 2)The hospital that I am at is absolutely amazing, but unless you assert yourself, one might be a little bored.
Kate and I have been hanging out all week meeting people, walking through the hospital, and we even got to stand in on a bowl surgery. Though I realize that not everyone would find that to be an accomplishment..we happen to be very thrilled. I almost passed out on the floor of the Operating theater, so had to leave prematurely. Though Kate tells me it was quite amazing. I am still trying to figure out what set me off, but who knows, maybe surgery just isnt the place for me.
As for this weekend, we went hiking through the hills today, and experienced a renewed sense of awe and wonder after climbing to a point on the hill where the mountains literally spread out in front of them, replete with spiked snow tipped peaks, and the cloud cover sending shadows down on them. We even saw an immense mountain waterfall which I have secretly been hunting for.
Tomorrow I think we will go on a trek to see what else we can discover.

Other than that, things are beautifully tranquil here. Now that the rain and hail has stopped (first time in my life "hail the size of golf balls" has had any meaning), we are able to venture out, and enjoy the crisp mountain atmosphere. We are getting along great with the medical students here, and its nice to have the new company. Kate is a wonderful travel companion, and we have spent much of the week just laughing at our situation, and gawking at how gorgeous it is.
Aside from small adventures, and many employee satisfaction surveys, things are peaceful.
Much love to all.

So this is what cold feels like

so, I am writing from the mountains.
Kate and I had one of those truly epic trips, beginning with a 13 hour train ride, and continuing with an 11 hour bus ride. I must admit, that though a small part of me may have wanted to travel in Indian style, whatever portion that was, was entirely snubbed out by my 11 hours crammed into a rickety bus, sweating, and cursing every time we turned a corner. I have flash images of peeking out the window and looking straight down into what I can only imagine would be a very immediate death. We hairpin turned through the mountains, arriving a whopping 3 hours late, and I had to literally contain myself in order to not kiss the ground with gratitude once we stepped off. Kate had a death grip on the seat in front of us for the majority of the trip, with a somewhat glazed over look, and I spent a solid portion of the ride attempting to avoid getting thrown up on by the small girl in front of me.
Either way, for as horrid as the trip turned out to be, Manali is as inversely beautiful. We arrived in the dark, so really had no idea what we were in for. when we woke up on sunday afternoon, we walked outside only to be greeted by what I can honestly say is the cutest little town, entirely flanked by the snow peaked Himalayas. They are stunning and I find it hard to focus on much else because they do so much to command attention.
The town is a bit touristy, but it also means we have access to whatever we need, and can wander for hours through the small back streets, and then on up into the wilderness whenever we desire. The most important factor of course is that its no longer hot. It was well into the hundreds when we left Jaipur, and here, well...let me just say that I have already invested in a new pair of wool socks.
Kate and I are working in a small hospital here, a mission hospital at that, so we are continually greeted by seemingly random verses from the Bible at every turn. Though I am not quite convinced Jesus said "do unto others as you would have them do unto you", perhaps its the message that counts.
The hospital staff is amazing, and we are here with a few student volunteers from Europe, so we have spent some time trading stories, and reminiscing about western culture. We will have the chance to travel to the remote clinics with them, as well as observe the surgeries that are going on throughout the week. Kate and I can't quite believe our undergraduate luck. Not to mention, we stumbled upon nutella and oreos last night, so perhaps the juice diet might wait. Operation "detox" might be more like operation "no more dal". We are spending the equivalent of 50 cents per meal, and 2 dollars per night in the hotel's guest housing, which leaves plenty of money left over for all of the shawls and angora socks which we no doubt will be relying on for the next four weeks. That or a plane ticket back to Delhi to avoid that wretched return bus ride.
So, overall, things are fantastic, the weather is gorgeous, the mountains are awe-inspiring, the hospital is absolutely perfect, and seeing as I was informed I might have a chance to paint a picture of Noah's ark on the wall of one of the waiting rooms; I can make the generalization that this is the most amazing thing I have ever done in my life.
Endless amounts of love.

sab kuch malega

My hell is an Indian Birthday party.

Today Kate and I are getting on a train to head up into the mountains! We are working at this beautiful little hospital in the hills of Manali called Lady Willingdon. We get to observe, do TB research, and whatever else comes along. So exciting, im off to go on a fruit juice diet for the next four weeks to try and rid my body of ghee and chapati. Wish me luck.
Love.

many happy returns of the day

I would like to start with a little story which ended with me locked in my room at midnight, on the phone with my mom laughing so hard I brought myself, and my mother, to tears. On april 1st was my homestay mothers birthday. and she hosted about 15 extended family members for what turned into an exciting evening. While dinner parties at home might consist of candles and wine, with a good spirited, but quiet ambiance; in india things roll a little differently. There were plates and bowls of food, with all the family members in one room around one table. The evening started out with the cake, which naturally involved the lighting of the birthday (in this case single) candle. The candle was about 1/2 the size of the cake, and in the shape of a lotus bud. I, very unsuspecting, stood by and watched my ma light the candle, which quickly burst into a ball of fire, and proceded to unfold into a lotus flower with all five petals holding candles. the whole family clapped, and sang the first line of happy birthday (and only the first line over and over), while the candle played a shrill rendition of the song. Cake was had before the meal, and then after the meal, there was ice cream. I, having been sick for the previous few days, decided to take it easy, but let me tell you, it is hard to avoid the pressure of 15 indian family members. Right after dinner finished up, the rain started. Interestingly enough, there is an IMMENSE skylight over the dinning room table, the cover of which is apparently only held down by a few rocks. The wind quickly did away with this feeble attempt at protection, and it proceded to rain down upon the table in the middle of the festivities. Here is where things get strange. Despite the downpour, very few people seemed to care! I of course ran for towels, but they seemed to think shiva the house boy had everything under control so continued to laugh and hang out. Shiva, who is probably all of 95 pounds, came back from the roof looking a little defeated, but at least the flow of water onto the table was slightly lessened. This was the point in the night where I started hearing the candle again, though tried to ignore it. sometime around 10 30, the power abruptly went out, and all 15 of us sat rather helplessly in the pitch black. I was soon accosted by my brother and cousin who thoughti t would be funny to grab my legs and scream. not so funny as it turns out, mostly just annoying. Next thing I know, I am sitting on the floor, surrounded by the cousins who are singing hit bollywood songs by candle light, and the cover blows off the skylight again. So, i am on the floor, with the dog barking, the kids singing in my ear, the rain pouring down, and the damn birthday candle has been playing for three hours and no one seems to notice!! I think i lost it right about then, and come midnight, i locked myself in my room to try and fall asleep. Amazingly though, the candle continued to play. I got out of bed, walked through the house, found the candle, walked to the door and threw it into the rain, walked back to my room and called my mother. I have so much confused love for my family.

as well, this week marked my 21st birthday. though greatly anticipated, I had very minimalist hopes for it being anything very unique seeing as it fell right inbetween our exams. Much to my surprise, it was an absolute joy. The day started out beautifully, and Jaipur showed me its best weather yet. The sky was clear, the breeze was blowing, and the temperature was right about 80. Perfect to say the least. I was continually surprised throughout the day when I found a package from my parents, my friends gave me gifts, and every single one of the teachers and staff took me asside to say "many happy returns of the day" which is significantly more endearing than happy birthday. I was given cake at lunch which was then ceremoniously (sp?) shoved in my mouth by Ramaji. The entire day was sweet and low key, and for dinner i invited joanna, stephanie and christy over. Much to my surprise, when I got home, I had a full dinner resplendid with cake, ice cream, all my favorite indian dishes, and some of the extended family joining me. I got a full blown indian birthday party, where for some reason I again found myself force fed cake by different family members. It was so heart warming to see all the work my homestay family put into making it a wonderful birthday, I also want to say thank you for all of the messages and notes and hello's i received from home. I managed to receive a bundle of surprisingly hilarious and loving birthday cards, my first mail from home and thanks to the 9 hour delay, it was sort of like have a 48 hour birthday.

Friday was calm enough, and joanna told me she was going to take me out for dinner to celebrate my 21st birthday in style. she and christy somehow managed to round up all 16 of us, and told us to meet at a local restaurant. Little did I know, we werent eating dinner there. As soon as we got there, the taxi's showed up. Next thing I know, we are being driven through jaipur, as the sun is setting, 16 of us jammed into two cars. We wound through the old city, and though I was a little confused, no one would tell me what was going on, so I assumed we were just going somewhere in the city. Next thing I know, we have exited jaipur and are heading for the hills. My confusion increased the further into the hills we climbed and soon we were looking out over the whole city of jaipur which was just a wide and dazzling expanse of yellow and blue light. We continued to climb, and suddenly we appeared at the huge fort that we had visited on our first day in Jaipur. They had arranged me to have a birthday dinner on the roof of an ancient fort!!! It was splendid, and of course, involved a singing birthday candle of my very own ( thanks to the sweet sense of humor of my dear friends). This time, the cake only made it most of the way into my mouth and soon i was streaked with icing and being told happy birthday by all of the surrounding tables, and guards(?!). As Arianny aptly pointed out : you only turn 21 on the roof of a palace fort in india once.

On an academic note, this time next week, Kate and I will be on a train up into the mountains to begin a month long stay in the himalayas with a small community hospital. I don't even know how it happened.

um, eck seval, do you shake it up?

So, I cant honestly remember what happened two weeks ago, but i know its been a while since I wrote anything. So, I think I will start with this past friday. On the 22nd ( I think ) was the national holiday of HOLI! It is the festival of colors, and is celebrated on saturday morning when everyone runs out into the streets, and throws colored powder at one another. Everyone wears white, and you are essentially accosted with neon powder, or colored water until you are covered from head to toe in dye, and only resemble your former self. We were all forwarned of this holiday for a number of reasons. 1) everyone is drunk and high, and they tend to become a little aggressive 2) if you are out in the streets, people tend to adulterate (again a new application of the word) the powders, so there is a chance that they will burn or permanantly dye you. 3) it is a day where gender roles, and caste rolls switch, so servants can beat their masters, women can beat their husbands, and men can openly harrass women. Sounds fun doesnt it?
For this reason, myself and three others decided it would be a good idea to head to delhi for Holi, where Joanna's friends were going to be throwing a closed party at her guru's "farm house". We took a bus friday afternoon and arrived in Delhi late friday evening. Again we stayed at Joanna's father's aparment and felt entirely pampered by the AC and westernized food. We relaxed and friday night and saturday morning woke early and made an amazing breakfast. we all put on our white clothes and hopped into the taxi's to head out to the "farm". All through delhi people walked around caked in colored powder, and from the roof of a large tanker there were men tossing balloons of colored water on any passerby in the streets. I learned quickly that in India, when you say farm house, you actually mean palace, and as we walked through the gates of the house we saw sprawling gardens and a mansion. There were exotic flowers and palm trees and a lush green lawn. As we walked over the crest of the hill we saw about 50 people running around absolutely covered in powder. There was music playing, and fountains of colored water and a table with bowls of powder. We were attacked by complete strangers, and it didnt take very long before joanna was dunked into a pool of purple. For abour 4 hours, we all danced and threw powder at each other and laughed really histerically when we realized that our teeth and contacts had been turned deep purple as well. All I can say is, this would only happen in India.
The rest of the weekend was an exhausting blurr. we returned back and each showered about three times. I must say, it did no good, because my hair is still purple a week later, and all my clothes are tinged. Sunday morning Jesse and I woke early, made breakfast and caught a bus back to Jaipur. A few hours later we, still purple, met up with three other students and hopped an overnight train to Udaipur.
This past week we spent two and a half hours outside of the glorious city of Udaipur. We (myself and four others from the group) stayed in the NGO center in the rural Village of Ogna for what SIT deemed our "workshop".
After all of the time spent in dusty Jaipur, we were all a little shaken to see so much green. The closest thing I can compare it to is walking onto the set of Jurasic park, and overlooking the prehistoric forests resplendant with palm trees and lush green valleys. The forests were filled with Banyan trees that were a mass of vines and roots, with gorgeous hanging branches and bright leaves. The NGO center itself was right near the market center of the town which had narrow winding back paths and rather gorgeous mud hut homes. The days were pretty amusing, seeing as it got to be around 100 degrees around mid day, and yet I always seemed to find myself hiking up some mountain or sitting with some of the villagers drinking Tea. GMKS was the name of the NGO and they had put in dams to catch the monsoon waters, as well as schools, homes, and health camps. We got to follow around the people working for GMKS which essentially boiled down to walking around for most of each day we were there. The rural women were amazing as usual, and always enjoyed slapping us heartily on the back and leading us by the wrist to all their homes to see their cows and families (pardivar). Thanks to our little bit of hindi we were able to make fools of ourselves even more. I must say there is soemthing entirely unique about laughing histerically at the sheer fact that neither person has any idea what is going on.
We had picnics most days out wherever we landed, and spent a lot of time wandering around just trying desperately to consume as much of the beauty as possible. The area around Ogna was able to switch from rocky mountain, to lush fields, to lakes just by turning 360 degrees. It never ceased to be absolutely beautiful. Each morning we woke up and sat out on the terrace and read and wrote, and then headed down for breakfast. We got to organic farm for a day, which brings a whole new appreciation for the farming lifestyle, as well as a renewed awe at the intensity of mid-day heat. I found that my emotions mirrored the temperature, and that I was sure to become insanely cranky around two, and then very peaceful around 5. It was amusing to be on the farm, because it made it oh-so clear how urbanized we all were. Jesse and I spent about an hour digging trenches for lemon trees where I, being a girl/sister (didi), was only allowed to tote the dirt around, while big strong man-Jesse had the job of digging. We referred to it as "gender-role farming" and has a solid laugh. After that we harvested the mustard seed. Thankfully no gender discrimination there.
My lasting impression of Ogna is just the sheer beauty of the land. There was not one area that wasnt breathtakingly gorgeous, and I apologize that there is no true way to share that.
As for our time in Udaipur. We arrived on saturday afternoon, and had a really beautiful walk around the city, exploring and sitting by the water. Udaipur is gorgeous, but very touristy, and it was a strange transition from rural living to urban, and from hindi to english. Sunday morning brought about the illness, and after a hugely disasterous cooking lesson we signed up for, where instead of learning how to cook, I spent four hours sitting with my head in someones rose bushed willing myself not to throw up. I quickly returned to the hotel where I lay helplessly in bed for 7 hours, only to be joined by Arianna halfway through the day. As if cooking wasnt a bad enough idea, we had to take an overnight train from Udaipur back to jaipur while we were still ill. If it werent for the help of my friends, and tylenol pm, I would probably still be in udaipur.
So, now I am home, feeling somewhat better. We have two more weeks at school until our independent study project which might take me up into the foothills if all works out.
much love to everyone!

Save the Tiger

This week was a strange culmination of all of the stress and chaos that is India. this past weekend I had the joy of spending time in Delhi at Joanna's father's house. We were finally able to enjoy luxuries like a shower and air conditioning. We even had whole wheat toast!! we took a taxi ride all the way from jaipur to delhi on friday afternoon and spent friday night lounging around the apartment with much appreciated glasses of wine. It was the first taste of farmiliarity I know that many of us had. Everything is so much more posh when coming from a city like jaipur. We woke up late on saturday morning, and had breakfast (AND COFFEE!) waiting for us on the table. There were four of us girls, and of course we ended up showering and going out into the thick new delhi air for some shopping. We walked through this really great portion of the city where there were art shops and small samosa stands. The walkways were extremely narrow, and there were stores packed in on either side for two or three stories on each side. We ended up walking straight into this gorgeous park with the rmains of an old Moghul university? it was almost surreal being in the middle of the largest city in India, and yet walking through this old building surrounded by gorgeous trees and a small lake. After exploring, we headed back to the apartment for some lunch and relaxation. We pulled out the wine again and watched the one movie i brought to india...clearly it was step up! Its a sad day when step up is the first english movie you have seen in a month and a half.
After the movie, we got dolled up and headed out into Delhi where we met up with all of Joanna's cosmopolitan friends. one of them is the son of the man who owns the largest beer company in all of india, perhaps the only beer company in india, and so we were escorted in style to all of the most posh clubs and bars for the evening. I must say I have NEVER been treated more like royalty in all my life. We bypassed security, and found ourselves in the vip sections of the clubs. It was a wonderful release of energy and tension from the week so we just danced to very indian house music for hours and literally just collapsed when we got home.
Once back in Jaipur things picked up with school again, and we spent most of the week traveling to different ngo's in the area. There is one called, no joke, Jaipur Foot. It provides FREE prosthetics (sp?) to anyone in the city who needs it. Almost 1 million people have received these legs/feet from this one company, all because a man was willing to make it affordable to create. They are amazingly functional, and we got a fabulous demonstration when the man with a jaipur foot climbed a tree. The ngo itself was a sight to behold. there were hundreds of people lined up outside waiting for new feet. Please try and imagine hundreds of one legged people. They were often the most poor in india, and had polio, or had been victims of freak train accidents. The experience left most of us with mixed feelings. Here was one man providing an unbelievable service to the world, but at the same time, there were so many people who needed it.
Asside from that, we got to travel to a tiger reserve in rajasthan. We spent one afternoon in a massive jeep riding through the jungle looking for tigers, which amazingly we found. We saw what could have been the rear end of a sleeping tiger...suspicious at best...but it was nice to see that they were working to save them. An Amazing ngo literally reshaped an entire town and the surrounding villages, just to save the tigers. they relocated somthing like 8 villages out of the park area, set up schools, hospitals, and new homes for them. they also have started fighting the tiger poaching by giving the women jobs, and the children schooling. Clearly, becuase SIT absolutely loves us, we not only heard about the projects, but travelled to two schools, three villages, and one hospital. It is amazing and hard being a group of white students walking into the lives of these truly unique and beautiful people and then up and leaving in a stream of white taxis. This time at least we were able to talk to the billages about the wonderful things that they were doing, and how happy they were with the work that the ngos were doing instead of hearing about everything that is wrong with the world.
India as a country provides so much and yet so little to the millions of people living here. The villages are absolutely untouched by most modern technologies. The women work in the field in their sari's, cutting down crops and traveling two hours to fetch water just to carry it back on their heads. They live off the milk from their own cows, and the food from their own gardens. It is amazing to think that in my whole life I will never have as much responsibility as one of these women, and yet they can't read or write, and most of them will be married by the time they are 14.
It is refreshing and unbearably awe inspiring.
As for now, we are back in jaipur for another week of work and hindi with the greatest staff on the planet. I am happy, safe, and continually saturated with the newness and complete otherness that is india.
I am off to spend the evening with some friends from the group, so I will sign off. So much love as always.

No problem, no problem

So this week has been tame in comparison to the hectic travels of Jodhpur and Bikaner, but satisfying all the same. I think this week marked the point in the trip where everyone misses the conveniences of the united states, ad having something as simple as a CVS to get everything you need in one swift trip. I have concluded that its not so much that I need to be home, or even miss home, but perhaps miss knowing where I am going to be in the next few hours, much less the next few days. Since everything that we do here is essentially an adventure, from walking to the store, to washing clothes, to getting in a rickshaw, there is a lot of uncertainty. This week I got to talk to a few doctors in the area, and walked to an NGO near by and interviewed a man who has been working in rural villages with healthcare. Because there are so many glaring issues in this country, it seems that everyone is an activist....even if nothing is organized about it.
I feel like this week has also been important because with nothing huge and looming, I was able to get my bearings in Jaipur a bit more. I learned a few very interesting/entertaining things about my beautiful city. 1) they burn their trash....its horrific and I think my lungs are not enjoying india as much as my brain is, but perhaps i only think I like it because there is so many trash fumes messing up the works. 2) there is a cafe in Jaipur where they sell cheese ( india has bad/ no cheese, its a tragedy). 3) My homestay house is behind the well known insane asylum, which makes me wonder if my family isnt really a bunch of escapees. 4) I can communicate in hindi, and its so liberating. 5) I want chocolate, and its becoming an Issue. 6) The internet here is horrible, and might lead to the collective throwing of the computers off the balcony. So, in summation, not to much is going on here. Just life.
So much love, or as my beautifully eloquent hindi teacher puts it " the deeper structure is: there are oceans of love".
For those who have asked, the mailing address here is
Me at World learning SIT India, 2 Shree Rampura Colony, Civil lines, Jaipur Rajasthan 302006 (i think)

select photos

alright, for those of you who have access to facebook, i put up a handful of photos. sorry, i am not good with electronics and cant figure out how to post on my blog. heaven knows my mom will send out the photos to anyone who needs them. and mom, get corey to let you see the facebook ones.
love

to the edges of rajasthan and back

well it is friday evening and i am sitting at my homestay house, crosslegged on the floor because that is how most people do it here in india. the family's pug is curled up at my feet trying to scratch herself, but cant reach because apparently she is pregnant. it was a really hectic and beautiful week traveling india, but i must say i am happy to be home. bikanir wa a very strange city that was barely touched by tourists, so we were stared at with renewed vigour. on our first day in the city we went out exploring and found that it is a hugely hectic and rather dirty part of india. smelled like garbage, but was really interesting to walk through because people werent in business to sell to tourists like a lot of places in jaipur are. we found a whole street of the city devoted to fresh produce stands, and between the vegetables and the sacks full of spices, it was breath-takingly bright and colotful. we ate dinner as a group of 16 and afterwards, rather exhausted my friend jesse and i went off to find water and these strange indian cookies called bourbons. i find that i glow in the dark, because even in the dead of night people still manage to identify me as a white girl, and yell strange things in my direction. i think the best comment yet had to be in jaisalmere where a shop owner just looked at us and yelled "namaste, make your eyes happy?". the next day we were all entirely surprised when we visited an ngo dealing with poverty, drought, and health issues in the bikanir area. after our talk with the gentleman heading the operation, we all piled into taxis and were shuttled off into the desert. we ended up in a small rural village where no one spoke english and all of the homes were made of mud and sticks. there were goats running around wildly, and there were stretches of brambled dust for miles on either side. we were led into a small classroom where we were greeted by all the women and some of the men and children in the village. each woman was clothed in bright dresses, and had beautiful and bright scarves wrapped around their bodies and covering their faces. they sang a welcome song to us and we got to tour the school that the ngo had set up for the children in the village. the scene and the singing were so moving, and so starkly different from what we had seen before that most of us were just stunned into silence...or tears. the moment that the men left the women surrounded us girls and we began our long and entertaining afternoon of sign language. we traded jewelry, saw their houses, and just stood their holding hands with some of the most beautiful and unique women i have ever met. when we asked for a bathroom we were led to a small hut made entirely of sticks and with a dust floor where we just peed on the floor. some of us were attacked by baby goats as we peed which i must say only made the process more difficult. after goats milk chai, and a solid ten minutes of squating with the men and goats, we made our way out of the desert and back towards the much needed showers.
the next morning on our way out we stopped at the fort palace in bikanir as well as a milk factory though i am still a bit puzzled about that one. we drove until we reached jodhpur, and found that the staff was putting us up in a GORGEOUS little hotel in the city. it was like an oasis, with flowering trees, and palms. there were ornate little benches, and beautiful balconies, and best of all...a bathtub. that evening joanna, edgar adn i made an attempt at finding a grocery store to get some dinner, but found fruit stands instead. using our minimal hindi we managed to grab some bananas (kaylay) and pomagranates and papaya (papita). we were laughed at. we got honey, curd ( sort of yogurty thing) and corn flakes. (i dont know why, but cornflakes are huge here. people seem to adore white wonderbread, and corn flakes.) we made our little dinner on the balcony of one of the rooms, and then i proceded to take a long bath and pass out.
the next day we traveled to a grueling three ngo's, while many of the people on the trip got food poisoning. all i do is pray for my health, and so far so good, but there are a lot of unavoidable dangers out there. we ate dinner on the rooftop of the fort overlooking the city, and i ate meat for the first time since the plane to india, it was unimpressive. the fort was spectacular and when we walked it during the day we were able to see over all of the blue city of jodhpur. today was one of the more miserable on the trip seeing as it involved 8 hours in the car with limited AC and the hot desert sun beating down on us.
so overall it was a wonderful week if not a bit overwhelming. I am so thankful to be home and somewhere i can unpack for more than a day. sorry this post was so wordy... i didnt journal this week for myself so i am trying to remember everything for later. again, much love and thank you for all of your comments and emails!

24 hour, full power

It has been a lovely week of learning hindi and spending time in Jaipur. This week started out beautifully with a trip to the old city to find a tailor. we spent the afternoon sitting in a 300 year old house that looked like something out of a movie, it was entirely open on the inside, and you could climb stairs and stand out on the roof overlooking the city. it is amazing how easy it is to explore, and meet people in a country where you everyone lives their lives in the open. we stood on the roof with the kids and just basked in the beauty that is jaipur. afterwards, i had the joy of going to part one of three of an indian wedding. thankfully joanna and ian were able to join so as a band of white people we took the dance floor and made absolute asses out of ourselves. Indian dance is so intense and beautiful, there are facial expressions that go along with finger movements. of course since we were the only white ones there, they had to train the camera right on us, so incase we wanted to forget, everyone and their families will be watching that wedding video for the rest of their lives. Indian weddings are far and above anything in the states. the whole point is to be as loud and colorful and energetic as possible. everyone wears their most sparkling sari's, and there is fabric and lights and food for miles. we had a fantastic time to say the least, and seeing as "wedding season" is the nine months of the year when the wedding god it not sleeping, we have a good chance of going to a few more.
the next night i did my first serious batch of laundry in a bucket. its one of those things that makes me appreciate appliances, because when all of your underwear come out feeling like cardboard, you would give an arm and a leg for some fabric softener, and a dryer.
this friday all 16 of us left school, packed a bag for a week, and at midnight, hopped a 15 hour train to jaisalmere. Jaisalmere is a desert city surprisingly close to pakistan, with a BEAUTIFUL fort made of light yellow stone, and that was built 800 years ago. the fort is still lived in, and to this day you can walk through it and shop at little hole in the wall stores with fabric pouring off the shelves. we arrived half way through the day on saturday after a train ride that will probably haunt me for years to come. we chose to travel like only students and natives do, which means in a sleeper train with hundreds of bunks facing each other, and a whole mess of army men. i fell asleep to the sound of someone singing in hindi and the horrid snores of a train full of men. to be honest i was happier when they were alseep, because if they were awake they tended to just sit in silence and stare at us. my friend arianna woke up at 2 am to a man standing at the foot of ber bunk looking at her...she is blonde, poor girl.
when we arrived in jaisalmere we checked into a small hotel that helped us hook up with a camel safari, and sent us out into the desert. we all rode camels out into the sand dunes which is hilarious because camels, while being really peaceful and content looking, make some of the most hilarious noises i have ever heard. they all have anklets and bells around their necks, and many have really pretty patterns shaved into their fur. to be honest we are pretty sure that camels are just as effective as a form of population control as much as a mode of transportation, and i for one have been limping around for two days. when we got out into the middle of nowhere we then made a fire and ate dinner. we spent most of the night in the desert just talking about how amazing it was to be in the desert. words can hardly do the experience justice. the next day we spent in the city, and mostly inside the fort. we made quick friends with a guy named cool raoul who took us around and made us laugh histerically. we ate lunch overlooking the city in a small restaurant and basically just took it easy and talked about the way of the world. I am lucky to be here with such amazing and independent people. its like everyone is here to find themselves, and find their passion in life, and that leaves no time for social issues. that night we went back into the city to get dinner, and found ourselves sitting in a three person window alcove that stuck out from the wall of the city and was entirely open. we got to eat dal and paneer overlooking all of jaisalmere and it was the perfect way to end our trip.
again we got on a train and today at 5 am we ended up in bikanir which is a bizarre little town that pales in comparison to the beauty and charm of jaisalmere. we are here and in jodhpur for the week to see some ngo's and spend time in an area of the country where water conservation is a huge issue. i must say that showering out of a bucket is a stellar way to conserve water, and you havent really lived until you have done so.
much love from india, and thank you to everyone who has been sending me emails it is amazing to hear from you all. much love.

oh dear taj

so this weekend was delightful because myself and seven other girls made a trip to agra to view the taj mahal. for all of you who were forced to see it in art history class, let me just say that it really deserves its wonder of the world title. We spent yesterday traveling around agra and walked through a park that just took my breath away. it was the beautiful india that people imagine when they think of sprawling greens and flowers and palm trees. we spent the evening debating karma with our rickshaw driver, who actually let me drive the rickshaw, and then headed back to the hotel for dinner. we ate on a rooftop restaurant with a view of the taj, which was rather pointless seeing as it was dark, but we got to look down over the streets of agra at least. Dinner was fantastic and afterwards we all fell into our dingy beds and pretended to sleep while all of agra seemed to be attempting to forcefully wake us. the hotel was a minor disaster, but we were surprisingly all used to toilets that didnt flush and blankets that maybe covered us to our bellybuttons. for some odd reason the sink drained directly onto the floor where you were standing, so any experience in the bathroom was a bit of a hazzard. We ended up waking at 5:15 and walked in the dark to the taj mahal so that we could see it at sunrise. It was unbelievable. I must say it is the only work of architecture that almost made me want to cry. it is stunning, and somehow it almost hurt to walk away from it. Since we were there early it wasnt crowded at all, so we had a lot of time to peacefully contemplate what sort of deep love could have driven a man to spend 22 years and 70 million dollars on a building for his dead wife. everyone we met kept saying that india is a symbol of love because the taj is here, and after experiencing it myself, i must agree.

there are so many sights i wish i could explain, and ones i know no one will be able to understand. we drove to and from agra in a taxi that comfortably fit 7 without bags, but we managed to cram 9 plus bags in. daniella and i sat facing the rear which was an experience because most of the traffic consisted of motorcycle drivers and camels who had every chance to ride behind us for miles at a time just staring and blowing kisses. we managed to see two men on a motorcycle, one of whom was holding a goat with its stiff little legs popping out at strange angles. that should give you some idea of how mixed up everything is. the ride was lovely and we drove full speed down the pot-holed highway listening to really loud bollywood music, basking in the desert sun.
much love!

Inscense and patent leather

So yesterday was valentines day in india, and it was a sight to behold. I tried to post yesterday, and it doesnt seem that it worked. if it did and i am repeating myself, i am so sorry, but if not, here is an account of the last few days of my life.
School is different every day, and its really relaxed which is such a plus. I have a regular rickshaw walla who picks me up at 8 and we drive to joannas house to get her. For those of you who are wondering, rickshaws are little three wheeled golfcart like things that make a racket, and dont go faster than 30 km/hr. in fact, none of the traffic goes faster than that. two days ago we walked to a fancy hotel and sat on a bench facing a beautiful courtyard and got drinks. I think it was a beautiful time to decompress and just see a peaceful, very touristy area of india without any harassment. India is so hard to explain, and i am sorry if i am doing a poor job of it. If you can imagine, there are people everywhere, and there is never silence. There are many more men in the city, and especially out in the streets, so most of the time we are being stared at or cat called to. what is funny are the phrases, and some of the things that people will do just to get our phone numbers. The roads are a mix of pavement and dust, and the sidewalks, if they exist, are mostly blown apart and reduced to rubble. The women that are out in the streets wear the most unbelievable colors, and rajasthan is known for its vibrant clothes and jewelry. So mostly it is desert, with really exotic looking plants peeking out from the gardens, and then amazing saris and salwar suits. Other than that, there are dogs and pigs, and cows everywhere, piles of trash line most of the streets, and people tend to use the bathroom wherever they see fit. Everyone spits because everyone chews pan, so the roads have bright red stains all over them. there are beggers and vendors everywhere so it is hard to walk down the street witout being accosted. The other night we were standing waiting for the rickshaw, and were targeted by two small girls. they were beggars and one of them had a fistfull of heart shaped balloons which she used more as a weapon than a selling point. For 20 minutes the girls tried to touch my feet, which, if anyone might already know, made me want to pass out. It was a strange mix of sadness and frustration that this goes on constantly. This country is so beautiful, but so frustrating sometimes!! people never show up on time, and just because I am white, i am immediately expected to pay 6 times the amount that others have to pay, so instead of being able to buy a drink, i have to bargain for a drink. Those of youi with access to a CVS, count your blessings.
The other thing that i am not sure i explained in depth is the indian toilet. It was made very clear from the start that we were no long allowed the luxury of toilet paper, and this includes in homes and in school. The system here is to gracefully spray yourself with a provided hose, and hope for the best. I, having no coordination, tend to walk out a little flustered, and horrifyingly wet. its embarrasing to say the least ,but is the topic of constant conversation among us in the group.
Valentines day was low key, we walked to a little coffee place and got coffee which tasted a lot like india, and not like coffee. everything here takes on a spicy flavor, and the "sweets" are mostly made of milk. we spent a few moments mourning the loss of cheese, wine, and chocolate, which are rare here, and toasted to the romantic holiday. I would sell some of my fingers for a good piece of chocolate, but felt a little better when we climbed into our rickshaw on the way home, and sat on bright blue patent leather seats and rode home in a fog of inscense...i think india is worth it.
anyway, we are heading to the taj mahal this weekend which will be a healthy tourist romp, so i am looking forward to it. i am heading to an indian wedding tonight, so i have to sign off. So much love, and so many thanks for all of the emails and notes. It means the world to me.
I will try and post photos soon, and until then, happy valentines day.

home sweet home

Well, saturday marked the first day of my homestay with my new family. I have two parents, and a 13 year old brother who is very good at english and who translates everything for me. We help each other out because i teach him english, and he sits on the floor with me and helps me read the hindi newspapers. he is endlessly sweet, and i feel really lucky to have someone around like him. i have an endless number of "relatives" who all manage to live in the area. They all stopped by at different points over the past two days, and though I cant remember anyones name, i had a blast trying to communicate with all of my aunts who wore bright pink sari's and most were missing teeth. I have been asked if i am married about 6 times, and the "domestic help" tend to make fun of me and pretend the 15 year old cook is in love with me. amusingly enough this has made him really nervous around me, and he managed to dump water on the table while trynig to pour me a glass. The customs in a huose are very different from the hotels, and I have had to get used to eating with my right hand, or not being able to pick up after myself. i have a room all to myself, but it does nothing to deter everyone from entering and moving all of my things around. I get fed every 20 minutes and am starting to feel that i will expend more energy on saying bus bus ( enough in hindi) than on anything else in this country. I have a dog named sweetie, she is a pug and is as wide as she is long. It makes me miss chloe, but there is nothing that can compete to a dog that eats chapatis for dinner.
One thing i am happy abuot is the fact that i learned how to play cricket yesterday, and hope to bring back the trend to the states....good sport. I am also planning to fly kites off the roof with my brother this afternoon when i get home. I am endlessly entertained by the camels in the street, and i am actually starting to get used to the people staring which i thought would never happen. Not much time left, so so long, and i hope people will write me emails, its nice to feel connected to home. LOVE!

mera naam jessica hee

So we are now learning hindi and taking classes about the history of rajasthan. The teachers are all indian and speak with beautiful if not difficult to understand accents. Class starts around 9 and we take open motor rickshaws to school in the morning. We get a chai break mid morning, and fresh indian food for lunch. the food is to die for, which is not so good for the long run seeing as its easy to eat yourself into a coma.
Yesterday we walked up to a fort/palace at the top of the city in the mountains and looked out over all of Jaipur. The city is huge, and even from the top of the mountain we could hear horns and a general din. The thing that is weirdest is that it is like a normal city, but there are animals everywhere. The cows are totally irreverent of the cars, and the dogs are painfully cute and probably rabid.
this afternoon we went looking for traditional clothes wich are a little hard to get used to. its like mc hammer pants and tunics. We all look a little funny. everything is insanely cheap though, and its easy to get a full beautiful outfit for about 20 dollars. today a little indian man biked us through the city to get to a plaza for the equivilant of 50 cents.
it is still amazing to me how different it is here but everyday we learn how to manage and tomorrow we head off to the homestays. It will be a very strange experience but i think i am ready to be part of a family that can show me how to get everythig that i need. WE still get to take rickshaws to school, and perhaps i will find a favorite chai walla.

hey everyone. here is my first hello from india and i have moved out of delhi and into jaipur where i will be living for the next few months. so far things have been unbelievable and a little bit jolting. the city is huge and beautiful in its own right, with a non stop stream of traffic and people. No matter where i go there are people watching and the Indians have no qualms with literally turning their heads to see us when we walk around. there arent a lot of tourists in the area so we really stand out. the city is a mixture of slums, homes, and palaces, and they are practically piled on top of each other. we are staying ni a guest house with an open terrace in the center and i have the luxury of taking a shower with a bucket every morning. the sounds are more strange than i could ever give them credit. There are cows, dogs, pigs, people, cars, and water buffalo all in the same place and they all seem to respect each others right to be there. the monkeys make a lot of noise while we try to sleep and apparently they killed the mayor of delhi so i think they may have rage issues as well. As a group we are all doing really well. there are 16 of us, mostly girls. what i love is that being here only abuot 3 days, i have already overcome so many of my reservations, and love just walking to explore the city. It is hard to find a balance because as a woman i am not supposed to look at the men because it will let them think i am available or want them to pursue me. Even when i look down it doesnt stop most of them, and for most of the time we get followed down the road by a mixture of strange men, rickshaw drivers, and beggars. There is a whole system here that no one has yet to figure out, and while so many people are really creepy and sort of molest us as we walk down the street, many are really interested in us and stop us to talk just because we are american. People speak a rough mizxture of english and hindi sometimes, and it has lead to many erally interesting and strange conversations. People always seem to want to lead us somewhere, or use us to get them visas, but i have learned that if you keep a good sense of humor about it, then they tend to just joke around. We are up in the north where we are close to the desert so it is dusty, and flanked by mountains, but there are also palm trees and blooming flowers everywhere. when we visited the school we would be giong to for the next two months, they gave us garlands of roses which smelled fantastic. the school's marble floors are now scattered with petals. The food is to die for, and we get chai from the street vendors for 5 rupees, which is around 12 cents. everythhing is so cheap and we are all desperately learning how to barder with the sales people who assume we know nothing and charge us about 10x as much as it should cost. So far things have been amazing and i am looking forward to settling into a homestay so that perhaps i wont be woken by geese every morning. I love and miss everyone and will try and keep in touch as much as i can.

I leave this afternoon, and I thought I would test out this strange website.
I guess I love and miss you all already.