Pictures are worth 1,000 words...

Coconuts in Goa with Georg!

                       My best friend and I on the beaches of Goa.

                                                      We had an accident.....but everyone is good!

                                                                     house boats!

Elephant ride in Kerala!!!!!!

                                                             Welcome to the Jungle!

Messing around in a tea farm!

We helped the fisherman in Munnar

I SAW A LION!!!!!!!

Photo bombed by a camel.

Dancing with a tribe of native africans who were brought by the British and are now Gujaratis.

So much fun!

My new mom and dad ^^

DIWALI and fireorks!

Diwali Fireworks

Nicest cow I've ever met =D In India cows behave like our dogs. I wanted to take him home! 

Rajastani food

Traditional dance attire for our district confrence presentation.

My Indian Christmas!

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EVERYTHING

It has been almost two months since I last updated my blog. Since the first week of my time in India a family of fire ants had found their way into my computer and made it their home ever since. Because of this many of the keys on my keyboard were affected including the spacebar which makes it very difficult to write. It would be impossible for me to catch you up on all of the things happening in the last few months. So I’m going to give you a quick recap on EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!

I quit my high school and have joined a school for fashion design. I went on a tour of the south with all the other exchange students and I switched to my second family!

FASHION SCHOOL- My first school was not horrible but it was a complete waste of time.25% of the time the teachers did not even come and when they did they only yelled at the students. No one learned anything. !!The good thing about that school was that all 5 exchange student from my city went to that school. On the days that we actually went to school we cut class together to sit on the roof of the school eat wada pau and talk about anything for 5 hours. At the time these memories did not seem awesome but now they are so funny! I do miss hanging out with all of my Indian friends though.

                My new school is very cool. I was never interested in fashion in my life but it is interesting to be learning fashion design in the textile capital of the world. My school is not as structured and does not move as fast as a western college but my teachers are very friendly and flexible.  I am focusing on embroidery and stitching clothes.

THE SOUTH TOUR- The best 15 days of my life. I already forgot what we did but that is not what was important. I made a new family.  If you have been around other exchange students you would know very well how deep this bond is. I will try to explain to you. Exchange students are the most special people you will ever meet in your life (I am not just saying that because I am one ^^).  It takes a special person to give up everything that they know and immerse themselves in a completely new culture for one year. Going on exchange is a big challenge and unless you are in our shoes you cannot understand what we are going through emotionally and physically.  We are all very different from each other and if it were not for this exchange we would probably not all be friends but just thinking this makes me cry! I feel as if I have known them for years when in reality it has only been 5 months. It is hard for me to imagine living without them. We have shared the best the worst and most difficult year of or lives together. They are the best friends that I will ever have!

Bollyood Music!!!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FteXhp7MZY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSsSM2IR2LY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf-EJv9HlNQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9DQINKZxWE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gst2UTzz0pk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcKtDXUb6Cg

Technical Difficulties

Dear readers,
I have not forgotten about this blog but my computer is not working properly (I will explain later in detail). My computer will be fixed within the next week so you can check back in then. I have so much to tell you all! I am going on a Rotary trip for 15 days and when I come back everrything will be good again. Talk to you then! =D Namaste.

PLAN B

For many different reasons switching to Gujarati  Medium is not  going to work because even in Gujarati medium I would not be completely immersed in the language because people can still speak a little English. I decided go somewhere where no one can speak to me in ANY language. From now on I am going to an experimental school for the deaf so that I can learn sign language! I am not a student I am going there to observe and interact with the students. The students are so amazing because even though they cannot speak they are incredibly intelligent and capable. They are probably more intelligent than most “normal” people are because they have had to work so much harder to get to the same place. They are able to do everything that a “normal” person can. I went to a Key Club convention last year and there was a motivational speaker who spoke about what it means to be handicapped. He was born without legs and everyone’s obvious reaction to that was “OMG I feel so sorry for you. That is horrible, I could not imagine growing up that way, your life must be so difficult.” He said that there is no reason to feel bad for anyone with a handicap. A handicap is anything that makes you different.  We are all handicapped in some way. He said there are thousands of “normal” people walking around on legs that are more handicapped than he was. I feel the same way about the students at this school. There are all going to be perfectly fine and live normal lives. I do not want people to think that I am a saint or anything like that for going to a school for the deaf in my free time. I also do not want anyone to think that the deaf students are my charity case because they are my friends. In the end I am sure they will teach me more than I can ever teach them. I will still do my best to learn Hindi but it is going to have to be from the books….unfortunately. There is little hope of me even becoming semi-fluent in Hindi because I have less than one year here and because I am never going to be immersed in it, but I can promise that I will give it my absolute best! It will not be the end of the world if I do not learn Hindi or Gujarati perfectly because learning a language is not the ONLY point of exchange. There are so many things to experience. However, learning languages is one of my passions. I did not expect to come to India to learn sign language while speaking English, but it works!

Navratri

Navrati literally means nine nights in Sanskrit. This festival is in honor of the goddess Ambaji. For nine days the goddess fights against the evil in the world. On the tenth day called Dessera. Ambaji wins against evil and people symbolically burn the Lord Ravana, the ten-headed god who is the representation of evil. However this is primarily this is a dancing festival. Everyone gets into special traditional dresses called Chanya Cholies and gets together with many people in their society and dance gharba (a traditional Indian dance which I have also learned) around an idol of Ambaji. The festival starts after 9:00pm and usually finishes around 2:00 in the morning. It is a beautiful festival. I am not much a fan of organized dance because I have a hard time following what everyone else is doing (the story of my life) but I am in love this festival. People dance with intense passion that I have never seen before. It really looks like some people are dancing for their last breath. I am sad that I will never be able to experience another Navratri because it was a beautiful and inspiring experience. I am not religious in any way, but it really felt like we were destroying evil somehow. Maybe not within the world but within ourselves. When you are dancing with 2,000 in one small area with the same purpose in a small way it feels like your soul is set free from everything bad because there are 1,999 other people with the same problems as you. Your soul is set free and the only thing left to do is dance out all of your life’s passions and problems. Yes it is horribly crowded and horribly sweaty and I wore the bottoms of my feet off but I could not care because I felt so free that it did not matter. This festival will be a memory that I will hold close to my heart for the rest of my life.

Me my Cami (exchange student from France) and her brother in our traditional clothes!

LANGUAGE

One of the most important and rewarding parts of exchange is learning a language. I am not doing very well in this department. Language is the reason I wanted to become an exchange student and after being here for over 2 months I could not conjugate a verb or make a proper sentence.  I am truly embarrassed by my language level. There is so much English in India. Almost everyone is fluent in English. People of the younger generations even think in English. Most Bollywood music is half in English. Television is often in English. Street signs and advertisements are written in English and Indians often watch American movies and listen to American music. I am not immersed in Gujarati or Hindi at all. Yes, everyone speaks Gujarati and Hindi but I am never forced to use their languages. I use Gujarati or Hindi whenever I know the word but most people find it ridiculous that I try to speak their language. When I tell people that I want to learn Gujarati or Hindi they tell me that it is very silly because they are “worthless” languages. My school is also taught in English. Against much opposition I have decided that I must switch to a school that is taught in Gujarati. Everyone except my friend from New York is convinced that I am crazy and it will be a complete waste of my time. Not many people are supportive of my decision, but I feel it is the right thing to do. I will kick myself if by the end of my exchange I cannot communicate fairly well in Gujarati, and it is insulting to go to a foreign country and speak your mother tongue. Many people in America speak Spanish but if a foreigner comes to America and tries to communicate in Spanish people are very offended. I am doing exactly this and I do not think that is okay.  To go to a school in Gujarati is the only chance I am going to have to be completely immersed in the language, and the only hope I have of learning. Unfortunately exchange students in India stop going to school in November because of festivals and trips. I do not have very much time in that school but it is better than what I am doing now. My school is pretty much a waste of time except for the friends I have made. One out of ten exchange students that come to India learn the language and that really scares me.  I know that it is possible to be that one and I will work very hard but I refuse to learn by studying through books. I came here to experience the culture not read about it. I understand that the English language is a huge part of Indian culture because of the British, but the native culture is also important. Even though sometimes I am very frustrated by all of the English here I have to be thankful for it in many ways. Indian culture is drastically different than any western culture and if no one could communicate and explain things to me I would be 100% lost right now. I am fairly lost even though I can communicate semi-fluently. I know I should not beat myself up too much because I am making every effort I can to learn the language. Things may not work out perfectly and I may not ever be fluent but there are so many other things to experience in India. I cannot let my lack of language immersion make me bitter towards my experience because there is a world of opportunities here. Language may not be in the cards for me but my life is not over. I still have a good 80 years left of living. I have plenty of time to go to Japan or the Philippines where there is not a word of English. I will make the best of the opportunities I am given here, even if that doesn’t include language. Other than the language I feel that I am adjusting to the culture well and I am really enjoying my time here. I am giving up on the language, but I am done beating myself up about something that is out of my control. I do not think switching to Gujarati Medium will solve my problem but it is a step in the right direction.

Ganesha Chaturthi

My second Indian festival! Ganesha Chaturthi is celebrated for 10 days. Ganesha the god that removes all of the obstacles from one’s life is brought to everyone’s home for 10 days. Every family and every neighborhood has a Ganesha Idol. Some of the Idols are very extravagant. There was a 9 foot tall Ganesha in my city that had a crown and gloves made from 100% real diamonds and gold! Every Ganesha is also given a shrine that honestly more closely resembles a palace. Every night we do Puja (prayer) to the Ganesha. We chant things in Sanskrit and the whole community gets together. I do not understand most of what happened but it had a very joyful atmosphere. Every day has a different theme and color. Ganesha’s clothes are changed every day from red to blue to green to purple to white to orange.  Many women from my society made beautiful Prasads (offerings) from fruit, vegetables and pearls. This festival was started in Maharashtra (the state below mine) during the British rule. The hope behind Ganesha Chaturthi was that if everyone could gather together and pray for the British to stop their rule over India then Ganesha the remover of Obstacles would grant their wish. All that they had to do was pray and at the end of the ten days the entire city gets into the streets to throw over 6,000 Ganesha into the river! No one could give me a clear explanation as to why we throw him in the river but almost nothing has a clear answer in India so I am basically used to that by now. The government has made a rule that the Ganesha idols can only be made from materials that are biodegradable but it is not very well enforced. Many Ganesha idols are made from plaster of paris. Biodegradable or not that is a lot of material to be dumped into the river within 24 hours. This festival is catastrophic for the environment. People burst firecrackers and there is garbage EVERYWHERE! The morning after the festival you could not see the road, and the air was thick with smog because of the masses of gas guzzling trucks carrying the Ganeshas on the road. But if I forget about the effect on the environment which I have a very hard time doing it was wonderful. Every person was on the street celebrating. It is a really powerful atmosphere. People were crying because they had to say goodbye to Ganesha and then there was dancing and food and music and everything else you could imagine. Again I felt very clueless about things but it was a beautiful festival and I am happy to have been a part of it.

                                         An offering to Ganesha

                                           another offering....

                                      The Ganesha in my cousin's house and my first puja (prayer)!

                                              My society's Pooja and all of the prasads :)

                                                      Ganesha's favorite food

                                                                My society's Ganesha

                                                        A vegetable offering

                                                The ceiling of a shrine

                         Me my society and friend from New York on the way to throw Ganesha in the river

                              The 9 foot tall Ganesha with real diamond and gold hands and crown!!!!!

                                                 REAL DIAMONDS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Family

In India everyone is a brother, a sister, an uncle, auntie, mommy or daddy. Everyone is a family member even people you have met only once. This idea explains so much of the culture. You treat every person as if they were your own brother, your own sister or your own mom or dad. At first I was very put off by this idea. I thought that it was strange to call random people your sister and people who were not my parents mom and dad. In my culture those bonds are so sacred that it should only be used for people who you sincerely love like your family. I tried to abstain from using these titles as much as I could because I felt extremely uncomfortable. For the first week I avoided calling anyone by their names at all and just tapped them on the shoulder when I wanted their attention (and Indian names are almost impossible to remember).  In my American thinking I believed that it was wrong of people to call others by such affectionate names when they did not mean it. I thought that all of their invites and small talk were superficial and they were only interested in me because I am foreign (Which is partially true), but Indians sincerely love everyone like their family. They have grown up with the concept. This concept is even in their pledge every morning.  Complete strangers will go out of their way to help you.  People you just met will tell you to “Come home” as if their home is your home ^^. If you tell someone you like their earrings they will take them out on the spot and insist that you take them. I am sure if India did not have such extreme restrictions on clothing they would literally take their shirt off of their back and give it to you.  What is theirs is yours and they love to share with you. This is an extremely hard concept for Western people to embrace. I had a hard time at first with this because in America I am used to much more personal space. I could do what I wanted basically when I wanted. I was in complete control of my decisions, but here people take care of you. That is not bad, but I was extremely uncomfortable with the idea. Even for America I am overly independent.  In India mothers still hold your hand when you cross the street and brush your hair for you. Like I said it is not wrong it is just different, VERY DIFFERENT! Now I think that it is a nice gesture, but this caused a lot of frustration at first. There is also a huge difference in personal space.  People will take things without asking, try food off of your plate and rearrange your things the way that THEY want it. They do not do these things because they are rude but because they expect you to do the same to them. It is also rude to say please and thank you. Saying please and thank you in the West is basically a reflex, but when you say it to someone in India they give you a very strange look and I think they feel slightly offended. My friend explained to me that people find it rude because you are supposed to expect people to do things for you without question because you are “family”. Saying thank you makes them feel that you are uncomfortable and Indians want to be family with everyone. I feel rude not saying it but that is completely ethnocentric. By American standards India is a very overbearing and invasive culture. Every rebound complained about that, I completely understand why they feel that way, but I think that they did not fully embrace the culture. In America I would have been upset by many of the things that happen here too, but I am not in America…..I am in India! I have not completely embraced this concept yet, and sometimes it gets to me a little, but I am so warmed by how pure their intentions are.

My First Indian Festival!!!!!!!!

Today was Janmashtami MY FIRST INDIAN FESTIVAL which is an Indian festival celebrating Lord Krishna’s birthday and it was amazing! I cannot tell you exactly what happened or why, but it was very fun! I will take it from the top. Monday Morning I went to a parade with George a fellow exchange student from Deutschland and we were both utterly confused and it probably did not help that we had just woken up. From what I could tell there was a crowd of people in the street chanting and banging the drums which created an indescribable energy. From the second or third story someone ties a thick rope across the street and on that rope they hang a (flower) pot filled with colored water and covered in fruit which they call a mutki. Someone starts banging their drums (which I learned to do too ^^) and then the crowd simultaneously comes alive and start marching in a circle. The men form a pyramid in the center just as cheerleaders would and they hoist people into the air to do things like flips and blowing fire. Why they do this I am clueless, I have a hunch that it is just for show, but when I asked people they just tell me that “It is god”. That probably doesn’t make any sense to you either because I think that “It is god” is the Indian answer when they actually have no idea what things are. I have been told that so many times. Everything is god! Anyways the huddle of men throws those people down and raises one single man into the air and he has a very special task. He has to take “Baby Krishna” into the air in order to have the baby break open a pot called a mushka which sprays pink water on the baby. After I heard the story of the religious significance behind the festival it made a little more sense. The story of Krishna is that when he was a baby he liked to drink cream from a mushka so they reenact this idea in a festival. When I was watching this I did not understand why any of these things were happening. So I was like OMG why are they throwing that crying baby dressed in a ridiculous costume into the air to break open a pot onto its head! It just looked insane but it was really fun! Also I brought my professional camera with me so everyone thought that I was the newspaper and they ushered me to a special place where I could take the best pictures and then people posed for some really good pictures. This is not the first time this has happened to me either. Every time I take that camera everyone on the street asks me to take a picture of them and then they pose. I love it though. I have gotten some really artistic and beautiful pictures. I have only been here a month and I have over 2,000 pictures!  Showing you the pictures will make much more sense to you than just telling you about it because like I said I do not know exactly what happened. This “parade” is repeated throughout the entire day until midnight. Every neighborhood has one of these parades so I went to three of them. At midnight is the exact time when Krishna was born so that it when the true celebration is. It is not as grand as what takes place during the day but it is still nice. At midnight the family gets together and offers a food offering to Krishna and then of course we eat it. It would not be an Indian festival without eating ;) It was a beautiful festival and I cannot wait to see more. This by far was not the most extravagant of the Indian festivals. This festival marks the beginning of festival season. From now on there is a festival almost every week! I cannot wait! I will update you on everything! Talk to you then. Jai che Krishna ^^.   

                                                                Baby Krishna

                                                                       Mutki

                                                          Your guess is as good as mine.....

                                                The shrine where they do offerings at midnight

                                                                     Lord Krishna

                                   Me and the other exchange students attempring to play the drum!

This is another Indian Instrument used in the festival. It is very similar to a tambourine