Now is my chance! `I am getting the opportunity to take part in every day of a Hindu wedding!!!!! Yesterday began the official ceremonies. It was an informal meeting of all the family of both sides at the groom’s house. Together we all made little balls of vadi which after drying will be made into a sabji (vegetable dish) for us all to share. My friend explained to me that in very ancient times when people were very poor they did this ceremony with the family because it was not in the budget to take people out to eat. Basically it was supposed to be a nice treat. Everyone from the bride’s side is also supposed to bring the groom something sweet like chocolates because it brings good fortune to the couple. We ate a nice lunch and then the first ceremony was complete! This was not the most important day this simply kicked off the festivities. Now there is no ceremony for two days. Next there will be a dancing ceremony, a mendhai ceremony and a reception! And don’t worry I will add a lot of pictures! Jai Shree Krishna.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Decisions Decisions!
I now have to choose my return date. I am so conflicted about this. I think I will come back for my graduation on June 1st but that is so soon! Now my schedule is very busy. I am going on my North Tour from February 11th until Mach 1st and then two days later I leave for another week for a tour of Gujarat (my state). For two weeks of April I am going on a trip with my best friend and her family to Kolkata. Then for one week in May I am visiting Thailand for a Rotary convention and then a week and a half later I am thinking about leaving! That really only leaves March for me to do things in Surat with my college! I feel like I haven’t learned half of the things that I needed to! I don’t have yoga, dance, I haven’t gotten my future read and I am HORRIBLE with the language. I still feel like there is so much left here for me, but I think no matter how much time I have here I will always feel this way. I will never feel that I am finished here. The important thing for me to remember is that I did not come here to learn about yoga, mendhai or astrology. I came here to learn about myself. I made a million mistakes here. My year was far from perfect. I don’t have perfect relations with all of my families. I cannot communicate on a basic level with Hindi or Gujarati, and I still know very little about Indian religions. But when I think back to the first couple of months when it was too difficult for me to cross the street and I cried almost every day because I was being harassed by men on the street I can see how far I have come and how much I have changed. If I had to go home tomorrow I will still say that I had a successful exchange. I would not change any mistake I made because those mistakes made me who I am. I am so proud of the woman I have become here. I will forget about mendhai and dance within a year but India will have everlasting effects on my character. My exchange doesn’t really end when I leave India. I will always be an exchange student. I will draw observations from this year for the rest of my life. Readjustment to American culture is a vital part of the exchange too, and it’s difficult. I am as nervous to return as I was to come here. It’s like I can never go home again. My home is the same, but I am very different. After everything I did this year I know that I can handle anything life throws at me. I am ready for the challenge! But it’s not time for this yet! I still have 4 months left! It’s time to live it up! I am still designing things in my college and I still have all of India to travel! This is no time for tears! I’ve got a life to live! Jai Shree Krishna
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Kutch
The government of Gujarat sponsored all 15 exchange students to go the Rann of Kutch Desert Festival last week. It was a great way to kick off the New Year! Unfortunately I was recovering from a wicked virus, but as long as I am with other exchange students everything is perfect! The government of Gujarat only allows for people to come to this specific part of the desert once a year. The culture of this place is rich and beautiful. It is still very primitive but since the earthquake in 2000 it is slowly developing. By far the most captivating thing I saw was the “White” Desert. It is located very close to the boarder of Pakistan and India (very unfriendly neighbors). It was the most peculiar sight to be driving down a stretch of hot sandy desert and then drive into what appeared to be Antarctica. Under this desert lies what once were the shores of the Arabian Sea. Because of this a centimeter layer of pure salt rises to the top and forms a crust that despite the heat can easily be mistaken for ice. At night when the sun is softly setting and the white glow of the moon takes its place the desert looks like heaven. A soft peaceful white abyss is the only thing for kilometers around you. The sky and earth are completely obscured. It looks as if one followed the light from the sun he would stumble upon the Pearly Gates of Heaven. Or maybe it is purgatory….. In the morning it is the opposite. When the fiery deep orange sun clashes against the faux icy surface it looks like hell. I could have only imagined such a landscape in a painting by Salvador Dali. In Man in the Landscape Paul Shepard wrote:
“The desert is the environment of revelation, genetically and physiologically alien, sensorily austere, esthetically abstract, historically inimical…..To the desert go prophets and hermits; through deserts go pilgrims and exiles. Here the leaders of the great religions have sought the therapeutic and spiritual values of retreat, not to escape but to find reality.”
The power of this desert is undeniable. I regret not having the opportunity to spend more time in it. I would have relished a whole day in that desert to walk and journal my thoughts. I am luckier than most to at least have a glimpse. However we did other fun things. We visited a few small villages where they displayed their traditional crafts. We visited a modern Indian palace. We went to the Arabian Sea where we rode on camels and horses then drank coconuts. Both nights we were at this festival there were special performances done by locals. I never mentioned it in my blog but for the district conference on Christmas the IYE students gave a big performance for all the Rotarians. In this performance were two dances; one traditional and one Bollywood. Even though we were not scheduled or asked to we gave a performance of both of these dances to the other tourists in Kutch. Indian people really appreciate when foreigners embrace their culture, and the dance is so fun! We are making a music video of our Bollywood dance. We spontaneously perform this dance in strange places for example the desert and the Taj Mahal and at the end of our journey we will compress the best clips into one video. I think this video will be epic! I promise to show you all as soon as it is finished ^^ In a few days is a kite festival known as Uttarayan. The origin of the festival is based in astrology. On January 14th and 15th the sun starts to move north which marks the start of Indian “winter”. It is celebrated by everyone coming outside to eat, fly kites and have kite “wars”. A kite war is when one person tries to cut another person’s kite down with their kite string. This does not seem plausible with American kites but in India the string is actually made from stretched glass……that’s pretty hardcore! I cut my hands just trying to fly the kite! I will tell you more about the festival after I have celebrated. Until then. Namaste.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Pictures are worth 1,000 words...
Coconuts in Goa with Georg!
Elephant ride in Kerala!!!!!!
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!
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
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.
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.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
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!
Saturday, October 8, 2011
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!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
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.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
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.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
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.
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