India page 1 of 4
To all,
It has only been one day since we left India that I am writing this email and my emotions haven�t quite all sunk in yet. I typically wait longer to write my emails to organize my thoughts and avoid a stream of unconscious reflection. In this case, with India, I feel it is only appropriate to do so to capture the imminent feelings I do have about this wonderful country. I�m left feeling blessed, saddened, grateful, guilty, and envious. I�m sure you are wondering how I could have experienced all these emotions in a matter of five days, but if you�ve ever been to India you would know why. I�m blessed to have gone to a country that is high on life and rich in culture. I�m saddened at the impoverished state, especially children, that a lot of these people live in. I�m grateful for my experiences in this country. I�m guilty for being a privileged American and taking it for granted. I�m envious of their happiness and their contentness, something we lack in the States.
So this begins my journey on Day 1. We docked at Chennai (aka Madras) in the morning and had to wait a couple of hours for the ship to clear Immigration. My trip left two hours after it cleared. I went to Delhi, and Agra. The first day was just spent traveling to Delhi. We took a bus from the port to the airport. On our way to the airport we saw a large community of people leaving in extreme poverty and substandard conditions. These people lived in little huts lined up one right after the other. On the main road they sold trinkets and miscellaneous souvenirs to try and make ends meet. The poverty in this area is far greater than poverty I�ve seen in any place I�ve been to thus far. What was admirable about the Indians living in this area is that despite their situation they were all happy. As we drove past people waved and were screaming hello to us. To us we would pity them because they are poor in material wealth, shelter, medical attention, and food. On the other hand, what we often don�t see or look is how poor they might be, but yet they are rich in happiness and love.
I felt much safer and at ease with these people, than the people in Tanzania, or Salvador Brazil. After our short bus ride we then went to the airport and hopped on an AIR India flight to Delhi. We stayed at what seemed like the nicest hotel in Delhi. Being me I carried extra sheets and bed bug spray just in case. Well, this hotel was ridiculously nice that I didn�t even need and of those items or have to worry about sanitation problems. We arrived at about 10 at night and we were all just absolutely starving, the food on the flight really wasn�t that appetizing. The hotel had a Korean and Chinese restaurant in it, but interestingly enough, the hotel owned restaurant that serves Indian food was closed. So me and a couple of friends went to the Chinese restaurant and had a few drinks and got a meal. At the Chinese restaurant there was a band playing all American music. It wasn�t just any American rock and roll music they were playing Shaggy, and Eminem. It was all very humorous, we�re in India at this Chinese restaurant listening to a band play and sing/rap American songs with Indian accents. That night I got to talk to my parents for the first time which was quite a pleasure. I missed hearing their voices and after our phone conversation I felt very much at ease. We had to wake up early the next day because we were going by train from Delhi to Agra to see Fort Agra and the fabled Taj Mahal.
We got to Fort Agra with little problems. Once we were there our tour guide notified us that the president of Suriname was also in Agra and touring the Taj in the morning and would be headed to Fort Agra in the afternoon. The president got a private tour of both buildings so we kind of had to rush through the Fort to make way for the president. The Fort is just down the street from the Taj so once we got there we could see the Taj and take pictures of it. I�d go more in depth about Fort Agra but we were rushed and I wasn�t able to learn much about it. All I know is that it use to be a strategic place for I think the Mughals to protect themselves.
After that we headed to the Taj. Since the Taj was blocked off in the morning for the president of Suriname almost everyone was there in the afternoon including a lot of the Semester at Sea field trips. It was kind of chaotic but beautiful nonetheless. The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum that was built in the mid 1500s for the King of India�s late wife. It is both Hindu and Muslim. The Taj is made out of white marble and completely free stone, meaning there is not mortar or nails holding it together. The construction of the Taj took many years and put the nation in debt. Semi-precious stones are embedded in the white marble to form ornate and decorative flowers. It was absolutely beautiful and best of all we got to stay there for the sunset. We were then moved to another hotel in Agra which was beautiful but not quite as nice as the other one we were just in. We were greeted with musicians and the hotel staff presented us with leis made out of roses. The roses were piled one on top of the other and the lei itself was rather large. That night we had a magic show at the hotel and we all just hung out at the bar. They told us that Agra isn�t really safe at night.
The next day we went to the red sandstone palaces that the Mughals use to live in. The palace is gated and included a few building for all of the king�s wives, knights, guards, and other important people. During the Mughal empire it was forbidden for women to go out and were forced to stay indoors. This palace, since it was gated, allowed many important women to be out and enjoy life. Often times the King�s wives would play games together like hide and go seek. The actual building�s stones were all carved with intricate designs. What was most incredible is that this palace was almost completely intact with 80% of it remaining untouched. So what we saw was exactly what the Mughals saw and lived in. The Mughals lived here for only six years in the 1600�s and were forced to move because of turmoil inside the country. The Mughal empire ended shortly after they left this palace. The palace also had many fountains that would have magnolias and other scented flowers mixed in with the water to create a natural potpourri throughout the entire palace. This palace was also designed to remain warm in the winter and cool at night with the position of the windows and doors. They also had their own draining system where rainwater would collect and be used for the fountains and drinking water.
After our trip to the red sandstone palaces we went back to the hotel for lunch. After lunch we headed off to the �tourist� market that was scheduled on our itinerary and set up by the tourist company. This market was actually a building with marked up prices and was more like a trendy boutique than an actual market. The sales associates gave us a demonstration on how they make their silk rugs and the time it takes to make them. It�s crazy, we saw this one rug that was selling for ten thousand dollars. It took a family of four two years to make one single rug and that is there income for two years. Not only that, the �market� where we were at gets a cut on the rug plus we were granted a 30% discount so the rug was considerably less than $10,000. They had other silk and cashmere rugs they were trying to sell us for under a $1000 but I�m only 21 and don�t live in a nice enough place to have one. Oh yeah and lets not forget, I have no money to buy a rug I�m a poor college student. Personally, I would have felt too guilty to buy a rug where I knew that children were help making it instead of living their youth. I left the market rather quickly because everything was too expensive and just not the cultural experience I was hoping for.
After that adventure we decided to go to the old market, which was quite the ordeal. See, the taxi drivers don�t drive tourists to the market but to these expensive stores. They figure that tourists don�t want to go where the people shop plus, the taxi drivers are paid off by the expensive stores to drive us there. So, it took a lot of talking for us to go to the market where the locals go. Now this was a cultural experience for me. We got out of the taxi and it was Holi day. Holi is a Hindy festival celebrating Vishnu. Vendors on the street sell brightly colored sand and throw it on you. Other vendors were selling fruits and vegetables as well as other basic necessities for life. We were the only tourists there but I felt completely comfortable. No one asked us for money but we had people come up to talk to us and shake our hands. People in India are so friendly. We had a small group of children following us who just wanted us to take their picture. There were definitely other countries where I felt uncomfortable being the only tourist at a market (i.e. Tanzania where I almost got mugged). I felt completely safe here. People asked us about the war and about our country. Everyone was just really pleasant to talk to.
After the market we went to Mother Theresa�s orphanage for abandoned children and handicapped adults. It was all really sad. There were newborn babies covered with mosquito nets to protect them from mosquitoes that carry malaria. Many of the children we saw were bedridden. Some of the adults were so weak and emaciated that they didn�t even have enough energy to swat the flies and mosquitoes that were swarming them. A lot of the residents here were picked up from the street and were either mentally retarded, blind, deaf, and suffered from other disabilities. I heard that people got head lice when they played with the children on previous trips. That didn�t stop me from playing or touching the children. I heard somewhere that it is important in a child�s development that they are physically touched and as some of you may know I�m not the best with children because I�ve hardly ever been around them. There was also a prayer house at the orphanage and I said a little prayer for the people at the orphanage as well as some people that have been on my mind.
After the market we went back to the hotel to gather our things and take a train back to Delhi. At the train station we saw a boy with Elephantitis. Elephantitis is a disease where limbs will swell up so that they are incredibly enormous. This boy was about twelve years old and had the biggest feet I have ever seen. I didn�t stare because he wasn�t a freak show, he�s still human, but his feet were gigantic (not an exaggeration). I would say they were a foot and a half long a foot high. His toes were the size of small pipes. It was so sad, worst of all we learned later that his condition was brought on by a water born virus that makes his feet swell up to that size. At the train station is where we saw the most extreme forms of poverty, my only regret is that I had brought little to give away since my ATM card didn�t work and had less than $50 for the entire trip.
After our short train ride, we went back to our nice hotel. You can�t help but feel a little guilty staying at this ridiculously nice hotel and you�re surrounded by poverty. The next morning we went to a Sikhism temple. Sikhists make up less than 2% of the population in India. The people are really intense about their religion, at the temple people are praying, chanting, bowing down and kissing the ground. There�s a pool near by and people are immersing themselves in the water. I think it�s holy water but I�m not positive. Nevertheless, it was an amazing experience and extremely surreal. I don�t completely understand Sikhism, it is monotheistic and kind of reminds of Christianity. Instead of having 12 disciples they have 10 Gurus who are under the Creator. Sikhism started in 1469 so it�s a rather young religion.
After the Sikhist temple we drove past where the president lives and the Capitol. Very beautiful buildings but we didn�t get to go inside, we only drove past them. Then we went to the Gandhi museum. At 6:30 in the morning our time President Bush made his announcement to the country that we were going to �war� with Iraq. I was sleeping when it happened but I just found that it was rather ironic that a few hours after President Bush declared war on Iraq I am at the Gandhi museum where Gandhi was assassinated. Gandhi�s entire message in life is non-violence and peaceful intervention. The same day our country declared war on Iraq I was at the assassination site of the largest pacifists (along with Dr. Martin Luther King) of the 20th century. Call it irony, hell you can even call it fate but I think there was a deeper underlying message as to why we were at the Gandhi museum on that day.
His museum is filled with quotes about non-violence and peaceful intervention. I bought a Gandhi quote book for two dollars and here is one famous quote that he has said �Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man� �Gandhi 1935. We only had 45 minutes at the Gandhi museum so again we were kind of rushed, but in that quick 45 minutes I became hooked on this magnificent man because his teachings and his life is so inspiring. Gandhi is also a huge religious pluralist respecting and loving all religions.
As some of you may know, I was very on the fence about this war with Iraq but after learning about Gandhi and Mother Theresa I can�t help but wonder why it is absolutely necessary to take human life to disarm Saddam Hussein. Why can�t we continue with the weapons inspections? Why is Saddam a bigger threat to us than North Korea or any of the five dictators living in South America? Osama Bin Laden is still alive and we are invading Iraq. These thoughts continue to run through my mind. About three months ago you could even say I was for the war but now my mind has changed. Couldn�t we set the stage to find some peaceful way to disarm Saddam Hussein so we could spare human life as well as gain the respect for the entire world? My point is there are threats to the United States all over. Remember Cuba use to have nuclear weapons pointing at us and we were able to have them deflected through the use of diplomacy. The US is flexing its muscles just because we can. Everyone talks about what a threat Saddam is to us but have we ever thought about a threat we are to them? Who is really the evil one? We have been bombing them on a weekly basis since 1998 and with our sanctions hundreds of thousands of children have died in Iraq. President Bush blames Saddam for the problems of his people but I can�t help but wonder if our foreign policy is worse and a bigger threat to these people than Saddam. Hundreds of thousands of people have died without restraint from the international community since 1998 and now more will die because we think Saddam Hussein might (emphasis on might) be making weapons of mass destruction. Now I am no way a supporter of Saddam Hussein, I think he is evil and a regime change is long overdue but, traveling the world and talking to some of the international students on the ship I have a different perspective on this war that I didn�t have before.
I met a girl from Venezuela and her family just moved to Germany because of all the political problems they are having there. She said the reason why there are so many presidents and political turmoil is that the US has done nothing to help institute a stable government or a democratically elected president. She does feel that the US does too much in world affairs but that we do have the clout to set things right and that if we went to Venezuela for a day our government could do some positive changes. President Bush continues to say that this war will benefit the Iraqi people because it will install democracy in that nation. Well if he is going to use that as a justification for war why must he be selective. Why then not overthrow all the dictators in the world? As I mentioned before there are five dictators in Latin America alone.
With some of my classes I have learned about our foreign policy and the CIA. I was shocked when I watched a documentary about the CIA and our involvement in other countries. Did you know that in Argentina we overthrew a democratically elected president and replaced him with a dictator because we thought he was a threat to us? Honestly, one minute our government used the implementation of democracy as a justification for war but at other times we have overthrown democratically elected officials. The fact that no major weapons have been found besides an unmanned airplane and some empty bombing canisters makes me hate this war even more. Nothing seems to add up. How come our country hasn�t learned from the great pacifists of the past? War can be averted and we should be exploring different options. I wrote down one inspiring quote from Gandhi and here�s one from Mother Theresa �Peace and war begin at home. If we truly want peace in the world, let us begin by loving one another in our own families. If we want to spread joy, we need for every family to have joy.� With this message I believe if we spread peace and love to as many people as we can, no one would have turned their backs against us nor would they be anti-American.
We were going to pay Turkey $30 billion to use their land for a military base. Do you know how much food $30 billion could feed millions of Indians or anti-retrovirals for AIDS in Africa? Out of all the industrialized nations the US gives the least amount in foreign aid, in fact it�s less than 1% of our GDP. It�s sickening, we have so much wealth but yet we do little to help the billions of people who are starving, dying, or living in substandard conditions. Well, this is how I saw the Gandhi museum, I tried to apply his teachings to my understanding of what�s going on in Iraq. I have come along way, considering three months ago I was for the war and now I couldn�t be more vehemently against it. I don�t mean to push my views on anyone but to simply make you understand where I�m coming from.
After the Gandhi museum we went to a Baha�i temple that was shaped like a lotus. The temple was unlike any other structure I have ever seen before, it is made out of 27 pedals and actually looks like a lotus. The Baha�i faith started in the late 1800�s in Iran. The basis for the faith is that religion conforms to reason. Meaning, there is one God but throughout time man has manifested God in his image according to culture and beliefs. So essentially, all the different religions in the world believe in the same god we just have manifested god with different characteristics and different religions over time. The creator has educated humanity through a series of Divine Manifestations, which include: Krishna, Buddha, Abraham, Moses, Zoroaster, Jesus and Muhammad. The Baha�i temple is rather plain inside, at the door they ask you to go in and pray according to your faith. So I prayed for peace and for other people who were on my mind.
After the Baha�i temple we had a few hours to kill at the hotel so I decided to go on a walk with some friends. We weren�t near the center of town so we were just walking on the side of the road. We ended up at the Dutch embassy and we asked the guards where the American embassy was. It turns out it was right around the corner. So, with all this time to spare we went to the American embassy to see if we could get a tour. Well, that�s easier said than done. The security at the embassy is extremely tight. We asked the guard for a tour and were denied. He said we would only be able to go to citizen�s services in Gate 6 of the embassy (the American embassy is so huge that it has different gates). So we went to Citizen�s Services and of course we had to go through 20 questions on why we wanted to go inside the embassy. We told the guards we were students studying politics and just wanted to go inside it, eventually they let us in. Citizen�s Services is only a room with a tv and a small cafeteria with people waiting in line for visas. There wasn�t much to do so we talked to the guards to see if we could see our ambassador of a diplomat. Of course that didn�t fly but the guards did talk to us about the embassy and told us how it operated so it was educational nonetheless.
That was our last day in Delhi, we got back to the ship that night and I was so inspired but the deep spirituality that irks Delhi and Agra that I decided to break open my Bible for the first time on this trip. At the same time I got an email from UMHE my faith group back home about the war in Iraq. My friend Andie wrote about the ramifications of the war no matter which side your on and at the end she gave a Bible verse that I feel is extremely pertinent to the current situation. It goes �Blessed are the peacemaker for they will inherit the kingdom of God� Matthew 5:9.
What I took away from Delhi and Agra is how spirituality transcends all people, religions, and all races. Even though I�m not Hindu, Baha�i, or a Sikhist but I felt a deep spiritual connection when I went to these places and felt more connected with my God. We spent that night on the ship and I went to Mamallapuram the next day with my friends Constantine and Melinda.
Mamallapuram is a small town in India with temples carved into rock that are approximately 1400 years old. The three of us decided to do it completely independently instead of going with a tour or an SAS sponsored trip. We found a taxi driver to take us there and back for six dollars a person. Not bad considering the place was an hour and a half away and our taxi driver stayed with us while we were at the place. The first temple we went to was in a gated park. There were only a couple other tourists there and a bunch of Indian students who were on a field trip. I don�t think the Indian children were use to seeing tourists so they swarmed us. They were only 9 and 10 and spoke pretty good English considering they are so young. We introduced ourselves to them and they told us their names. They taught us how to dance the ethnic dances and Melinda and I showed them how to do the funky chicken. Needless to say it was a great learning experience for us as well as the children. We spoke to their teacher afterwards and I gave their class an American t-shirt to remember us by. After that we went to a different temple that was carved in the side of a mountain. We did this all independently so we didn�t have a tour guide and were kind of lost. Mamallapuram use to be a temple for the kings and queens of this area and they worshiped the Hindu gods Vishnu, Brahman, and one other god but I blanked on the name. I split up from Melinda and Constantine and met this stone carver. He followed me around and became my designated tour guide. He explained the history behind everything and was extremely informative. Afterwards, I bought two of his stone carvings as a compensation for being my tour guide. He explained to me that he doesn�t have a lot of money now because he�s an apprentice but after two years he is going to be certified to teach others how to carve. He then gave me a wooden beaded bracelet as a token of our friendship and I gave him an American t-shirt. After the temple in the mountain we went to another temple on the beach that was made out of stone and held together by mortar made out of mud. It was the perfect ending to a perfect stay in India. We headed back and spent our last Rupees at the shops by the ship.
This concluded my stay in India. Now you can see how I experienced so many emotions in such a short period of time. One thing I would like to expand on is the poverty in India. Yes, poverty and famine are serious problems and often times too real to comprehend. But as I stated before, these people are poor in many things but rich in culture and happiness. We have to remember that these people are multi-faceted just like we are. Many of the other students on this trip focused too much on the poverty and did not see the other dimensions of these people. The experience reminded me of my sister when she use to work with wheelchair bound children. People would go up to her and say how much they pitied these children for being in a wheelchair. Instead of stigmatizing them as wheelchair bound handicapped children she focused on positive aspects of their lives and eventually looked past the fact that they were in a wheelchair. What she did with those children is what I have done with the Indian people living in poverty. I�m not trying to diminish or downplay the poverty in India because it is atrocious, but at the same time I found the other side of these people that�s often hidden from us. A side that is spiritual, loving, happy, innocent, and peaceful. What they are lacking in tangible wealth we are lacking in intangible wealth. There are so many layers in India that it takes a while for it to completely sink in.
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I Got a call this morning from Sarah around 10am PST. She is on the CHE12 GroupA trip and had just arrived at the hotel in Delhi. It was 11:30pm there and she was expecting a wakeup call at 4:00am so it was a quick call. She said she hadn't really seen enough to tell me much about India at that point. She was very impressed with her air flight and especially the airport security. They are very strict there and have a long list of things that cannot be brought on the airplane, including camera batteries! Delhi was more modern and the hotel much nicer than she had expected.
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Kirsten [item 3]
In India, I am traveling independently with my friend Peter. We are going to stay in Pondicherry, and go to Auroville, which is six miles outside Pondicherry. You should look up Auroville, it seems like a very interesting town. It is an international community where 2/3 of the population are American, European, Japanese or Russian.
I am also going to Mamallapuram and Kanchipuram (I think those are the right spellings). All of these places are at least within four hours of Chennai. If you look these towns up you will get a lot better information than I can say, but they should all prove to be very interesting. Anyway, I have to write a paper. Miss ya!
Love Kirsten
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Kirsten [item 4]
Hey guys!
The third day in India, Peter and I went to the train station around 10 in the morning. Our train didn�t leave for a couple hours, so we wandered around for awhile and I bought a newspaper.
The train ride was very cool. There are assigned seats, which you have to buy a few days in advance to get, and once they fill up 3rd class tickets are sold where you either go to the third class car (way over-filled) or wander around the second class cars and try to find a place to sit. We chose the latter, and ended up paying a worker to sit some place. The next stop after we sat there, two women got on who had those seats, but two guys across from us got up so the women could sit there and we could keep our seats. We spent the two hours on the train talking to everyone around us.
I had my Lonely Planet: India book out, and everyone at one point or another wanted to look at it. One of the guys who got up first bought us coffee, then took us to the meal car for lunch. We wanted to buy them lunch, but they wouldn�t have it; they were buying. They were very helpful in pointing us in the right direction after getting off the train as well. I have heard that Indians are so giving in that way because of Hinduism, and boy I noticed a lot, especially outside of Chennai.
At the train station in Villapuram, we decided to just hire a cab driver to take us to Pondicherry rather than take a bus. It was more expensive, but our cab was awesome. The cars were old fashioned � 40�s style � and all the interior (including the dash, roof, doors, seats, everything) was decked out in purple and black crushed-velvet. I thought I was going to die about 50 times during the hour long drive. We were on a one lane in each direction road, but with all the scooters, motorcyclists, bicycles, cars, and cow-pulled wagons there really were no lanes. You just stick as far left as possible, but are constantly swerving wherever you can fit to pass people. Generally the standard is if you have an inch of room, including between you and vehicles coming at you head-on, that is about the time to move. But we made it to Pondicherry in one piece.
There, our cabby took us to a pretty nice hotel. Not resorty, those were on the ocean, but pretty nice (the toilets were still holes in the floor, but hey, you can�t be too picky). Unfortunately, they wouldn�t let us stay there because we didn�t have our Passports. We had copies of our passports, but they wanted our Visa information, which we didn�t have copied. We went across the street to a little lodge, and after some heavy discussion they agreed to let us stay there. We were relieved, we thought we were going to have to bribe someone, and we didn�t want to waste our money on that.
We walked around Pondicherry for a while and got some coffee. For dinner we went to a very nice place and asked the waiter to give us something good, with the only stipulation that it be spicy. Our waiter served us well. On our way out we ran into an older couple from the ship. We talked for a bit, and they were going to go see a movie with us, but it turned out that the movie ended after the gates closed at their lodge (their lodge is for Ashrams, so there is a curfew and rules against smoking and alcohol). We left them and went out for drinks at a bar full of local guys. That was a blast, most people didn�t speak English, but everyone was friendly and excited to talk to us.
After we went to a Hindu movie which was absolutely hysterical. It was made in Hindi but dubbed in Tamil (the language of the Chennai area) so it was even funnier because their mouths didn�t match what was said. The movie didn�t have subtitles so we couldn�t understand anything, but we saw a lot of random fighting scenes, random singing and dancing, and every once in a while an English word would pop up. I am going to try and find some Indian DVDs in Vietnam because it was awesome.
The next morning we slept in until eight. We were so gross, we didn�t want to use the shower so we woke up and pretty much just left as we were. We went to a cheap restaurant full of locals for breakfast, then went to rent scooters for the day.
At first we got two, but after about ten minutes I told Peter I was out of my league and wanted to return mine. We did, and I rode on the back of Peter�s back to the lodge so we could check out. We were going to take our backpacks on the scooter back to the scooter place (they had agreed to hold them for us for the day) but after hitting a parked car because they hindered Peter�s steering, I took a rickshaw with them.
Then we went scootered to a couple Hindu temples. We had to take our shoes off, and the ground was very hot as the temples are mostly not covered. I would hop to under cover areas because my feet were burning. The temples themselves were beautiful. I never knew how colorful and animated the artwork and architecture was of Hindu temples before walking through one (believe it or not, we didn�t discuss it in my art and architecture class, we really only talked about ancient sites and the Taj Mahal).
After that we hit the highway to Auroville. Let me just say that I have never in my life been so scared. There was one point where I let out an ear-piercing, child-like scream. A car was trying to pass something in front of it and swerved directly in front of us. Peter acted shocked when the car was right at us and quickly moved to swerve out of the way, but I thought he was too late. That car was so close to us, I was so sure I was dead. Anyway, I was relieved when we finally got to a dirt road that wasn�t busy. Ironically, though, that is exactly where we crashed. For reason unbeknownst to me, Peter decided to get off the road and drive on the side. Directly in front of us was a ditch about a foot deep. I was sure Peter would move as he always did at the last minute, but when we were almost at it I yelled at him to move. It turns out he hadn�t noticed it before, so he goes "Oh shit, ditch!" We hit it and Peter flew over the top; I managed to roll somewhat to the side. We stood up laughing, relieved that we were okay, but I decided then that there was no way I was getting back on that deathtrap on the highway. If Peter could make minor errors on sidestreets, he could make them on the highway; I had no confidence in his instincts at that point, and it didn�t help that he had never driven a scooter before. Plus, I was making Peter very nervous just by being nervous behind him, and I knew he wanted to go do crazy things to get his adrenaline rush that he couldn�t do with me freaking out.
Anyway, we drove the rest of the way to the Auroville visitor�s center and got lunch. The rest of our time in Auroville was spent learning about this "international community" and their loyalty to "the mother." So they are a cult. It was funny. The best part was going to see the matrimandir, which is this shrine in the center of town for the mother and Aurobindo, the mother�s husband. The matrimandir is the meditation center for the community. It was so weird, they wouldn�t let us take cameras and we had to walk single file on the left side of the path through the garden. Every ten feet was a cult member watching to make sure we didn�t wander away or speak or do anything bad. The matrimandir itself was this giant old-omsi type sphere. We had to take our shoes off to go inside, where we walked up this spiraling ramp. At the top, it is set up so you are hot and sweaty and your feet hurt from the hot, rough cement of the ramp.
All of a sudden, you are walking on cushioned velvet, and a doorway appears before you. Cold air hits you, and you look in to see a white, misty room with white columns extending to the ceiling around a crystal ball in the center. A beam of light shines straight down from the sun, and it only touches the crystal. It turns out that the crystal is the symbol of the mother. That night we took a cab back to Chennai, went out to dinner, and went to bed.
The next day I went out shopping with Theresa and another girl named Katherine. We hired a pair rickshaw drivers who work together for the day who were really awesome. They took us around to expensive stores to look, not buy, so that they could get some kickbacks, then they took us to a very well-priced store that Indians shop at. I have to admit, I did some shopping. You guys are going to get a little bill. But mom, you will love the stuff. I couldn�t help it, everything in India is so beautiful. Anyway, we took our rickshaw drivers out for pizza (I couldn�t convince them that Indian food was better) and then returned to the ship. I am sending a picture of us with the rickshaw drivers and some local kids.
Talk soon, love ya!
Kirsten
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Tara C [item 5]
I recieved a phone call from Tara this morning but the connection was poor so I called just a few minutes ago in Agra. This was a much better, clearer connection. She is having a wonderful time. They have seen some of the sights today and was out walking around the town of Agra. She is afraid to eat too much and has been careful about the food. I guess they did a good job in warning the kids . She did tell me how difficult it is at times to make calls so she appreicated the fact that I was able to call her. I feel more relieved now that I finally had some contact with her. Three weeks was just too long for me.
The number to the Hotel Mansinh in Agra for trip CHE17 has been changed. The new number is 011-91 562-2331771.
Carol
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Mickey [item 6]
Hi, I called the hotel in Agra and reached Mikey earlier tonight. Actually 2 am for him, but turnabout is fair play. It was SO good to hear his voice. He was rooming with the 17 year old son of one of the teachers from SAS, who he says is "pretty cool". He had a great visit to the Taj Mahal...was completely awed by it's beauty. Tomorrow they will be back at the hotel in Delhi, which Mikey says was five star! The phone connection was great and the hotel people spoke English, so it seems a good place to call if you have the desire.
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Jen [item 7]
We received a call from Jen at 4 am California time from a cell phone (1 of 20) that a communication company brought on the ship. She was able to charge the call on her Visa card. The connection was very clear and we talked for atleast a half hour. Jen had just gotten back from Che 7 Service Project. She put up a brick wall with her friend Eric. She said the poverty is beyond words. But she was very happy that she could help the people. She was covered with cement and it was 95 degrees. She was waiting till 6 pm to take a shower on the ship. Her excursion Che 19 B leaves at 4:30 am on Sunday. She was very excited to be going to Delhi/ Varanasi/ Agra/ and the Taj Mahal
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Mary A [item 8]
I just received a call from Mary. Her group is now in Delhi and she said that the hotel is gorgeous. They saw the Taj yesterday and then again early this morning - magnificent! She mentioned being with Jana, Lauren (from Boston) and Eric Kimmell.She told me that she had a long skirt made there and she didn't have enough cash and Eric was kind enough to lend her some money until they got back to the hotel
THANKS ERIC! She also said that a group of them decided to "dine out" at Pizza Hut and it was the BEST pizza that she's ever had. ( She did mention to me that most of the food that she's had in India so far has been bread, rice and potatoes( and Luna Bars) and she feels fine
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Lindsay S [item 9]
Well I just got a call from Lindsay, it was 3am there time but she got my message and called. She was saying it was all amazing. Her roommate at the hotel is Lisa S. from Philly. Lisa said her mom is on here also. They had just come from a bar in the hotel and said everyone was talking about Bush and the virus. They seem to be taking it in stride and some will get up at 6am to hear Bush and others will wait till breakfast. There already seems to be talk of not going to Vietnam.
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Karli [item 10]
Hi! I'm actually sending this message from my host family's house in Chennai - it's an absolutely gorgeous place! Marble floors, three stories and just as nice, if not nicer than most US homes.
So far I've seen the city and some surrounding areas with famous temples. Today we visited a college. We're here for the night, then tomorrow afternoon I'm doing an orphanage visit.
The city really isn't that bad, there is a lot of trash and tons of people (some sleeping/living on the streets) and there are cows everywhere!!!! Our rickshaw drivers have been fun so far, hard to get them to take you where you want to go, but it was fun. Well, I should go, because I don't want to use up too much of their internet time, but I hope you're doing well. I'll send pictures when I get to an internet cafe'.
Oh yeah - just so you know, I feel very safe here, just as safe as any other place we've been, and more safe than Brazil or Tanzania -- so I'm ok. I'll try to call sometime too, if I can find a phone card somewhere
Talk to you soon!
Love,
Karli
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Ryan D [item 11]
I spoke with Ryan today at his hotel for the last time before China. He loved the Taj. He also said that Melinda was a very good friend of his. I wish I would have thought of this sooner but perhaps the below can still help.
Ryan says that kids are coming down with Delhi Belly, his roommate at the hotel Dillon has it. He said that the hotel gave out bottle water to take with them, however they just had to pull all the bottles at the hotel because the water company found out that the bottled water had bacteria in it.
This is what Ryan did and he seems to have been spared. Before he left I went to a camping store and bought water purification tablets, I think it is basically iodine but there are other chemicals in the little pills. He has two Britta 16 oz water bottles that have filters (I sent extra filters) . He took the bottled water from the hotel, and dumped it into the Britta water bottles and then dropped in a water purification tablet.
I hope he doesn't get iodine poisoning, but so far he has avoided the Delhi Belly. This might also be good for China as I would worry about the water there, the pills are small enough to send on the mail.
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Jacqueline [item 12]
My daughter, Jacqueline, called me from India today (received the call around 1:25 pm .... Midnight in India). She appeared to be very tired and extremely overwhelmed with India ... the poverty, dirt, pitiful children, etc. etc. She did say, however, the her experience with the people hasn't been that bad. Yes, they try to take you for everything they can get from you; but she said once she got past that they wanted conversation and knowledge about our country and people.
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Eric K [item 13]
I just got off the phone with Eric.( 12:15 AM EST) He said he waited an hour in line! He was great! The SAS people are great! He ate local food and so far doesn't have Delhi belly. He was on CHE16, Group B.He said the train ride was unique - packed in like sardines with locals. He found the second day a little stressful - - people constantly bugging the kids to take them to locations they were told not to go. Hundreds or thousands of more pictures.
Flying back to Chennai, several SAS trips concluded at the same time and they had a plane with 8-across to themselves!
However, he did mention that he has a picture of Lauren Miller and himself (the two from Marist) in front of the Taj Mahal! He hopes to send it to school -- he was wearing a Marist t-shirt.
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Rusty [item 14]
Rusty didn't go on an SAS trip in this country (he couldn't do everything!) but he said that probably 550 kids did. That didn't leave very many behind but he enjoyed the kids he hung out with. He went with Kyle in an auto rickshaw doing some shopping in Chennai on the first day. He said there are lots of precious gems, Persian rugs, silk that are all very nice.
Then he went with Lacey, Gina, Karen, Christina, and Courtney on their trip to Mamalapuram. They stopped at a crocidile farm on the way and he also went in a building with lots of snakes and saw a venom extraction. He said, "It didn't cost hardly anything. I don't know why they didn't want to go see that". They stayed in a hotel there with a tv and were able to catch up a little on the world news.
A bunch of kids from the ship went to a movie last night. He, Allison, Karen and Tony went to the same one. When they first docked, a group of school kids came on board to welcomed them. Yesterday, someone from the school came to the ship and invited our kids to go to their school so Rusty, along with others went. He said it was interesting. They enjoyed the kids but he said the adults were snapping pictures - someone thrust a sign saying "Peace, not war" in his hand and took a picture. Evidently they were using it as a photo opportunity. He didn't want to make a scene by refusing to hold the sign but also didn't want to be making a political statement. He says he can now never run for public office because he's sure that if he does, this picture will mysteriously appear to make it look like he protested the war while in India. That, of course, was not his intention at all.
This afternoon he, Christina, and Vincent went to one of Mother Teresa's Orphanages. Rusty has been on mission trips to Uganda, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Mexico and has seen things that have brought us all to tears. Even with the things he has seen, he said this was absolutely unbelievable. There were lots of children with deformities and he spent the last 1 1/2 hours helping feed the children. He seemed very moved and the whole conversation was somewhat subdued (unlike his other calls). Just like the others, he is seeing things that break his heart.
He has not been sick.
His phone card doesn't work there but he used a phone close to where the ship is which costs .50 per minute and must be paid at the close of the call. It was worth it!
Courtney [item 15]
Courtney finally called 6 am When I asked her where she was calling from, she said a phone center. She didn't call from the business center because she knew it was the middle of the night here when she was there.
Anyway, she sounded wonderful. She also mentioned going to the school and how much she enjoyed the children. She told me how they were forced to hold the peace signs and had their photos taken. She was not happy about it. She mentioned Rusty and said they are good friends.
My acquaintance took her and her roommate, Lacey, to lunch and shopping. She bought a dress to wear to the Ambassador's Ball that sounds beautiful. She loved India and the people--while she saw many, many sad and emotional sights, it was not as horrific as what she saw 9/11. (Her dorm was 3 blocks from the WTC). She did say SAS does a great job of preparing them. She did not mention going to an orphanage, so she probably did not experience what Rusty did.
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Meghan [item 16]
Words cannot describe India! I won't even try to now because I am so exhausted! Varansi and the river Ganges a sunrise, the poverty, the beauty, the smell, the children and the people who look so sick and disabled, the Taj Mahal was so beautiful, I spent the most money here! Ad went to Mother Theresa's mission of charity orphanage and it was amazing! I was great holding those babies and playing with the kids and loving them. I almost brought them all home with me.
Oh so far I am not sick! That may change after tonight�s supper though! Lisa and I went to this awesome place where we were the only Westerners it was all just local people, and so good!!
K-bye love you!
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Eric K [item 17]
Hey Everyone! We left India last night so I thought that I would write everyone of my time and experiences.
I did a large trip for 3 days and 2 nights that took me up north to the capital of Deli and then took a train, 2nd class with locals, up to the city of Agra and to the Taj Mahal. The Taj, as the locals call it, was amazing to see and also think about how long ago it was built. I am going to try and send a couple pictures out in Vietnam of the Taj and the area around it.
I also went to the Temple city of Kanchiporum on another day independently with 3 other people. It is an incredible Hindu temple that all foreigners may enter the outside ring but inner ring is only for those practicing.
The final and most incredible site for me was called the Lotus Temple. It is an open center structure measuring a couple hundred feet in the air. They also have Temples in 7 continents and one in Indonesia. The one in the US is in Wilmette around Chicago. There is also one in Sydney, Australia and this temple here looks much like the Sydney Opera House.
There were many children that were constantly looking for food; vendors that form a gauntlet as you walk out of the bus, and fires everywhere burning the trash, including plastic.
Today, the 20th, is a day for us to reflect on India and also to possibly recover from "Delhi Belly", sickness that you get from the fun water.
TTYL,
Eric
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Katie [item 18]
Mom & Dad,
India ended up to be quite the emotional rollercoaster. The last day I ended up breaking down and crying..... I went back to the ship and didn't get back off. I couldn't go back out there. India was the greastest shock I have ever gone through. The dean said in regards to India that whatever is true, the opposite is also true. There is so much truth to that statement. I had so much fun getting to know a lot of people there, but at the same time the beggars and taxi cab drivers were too much. The orphanage was what hit me the most. One of the children was born to a mother who tried to do as much cocaine as possible to kill the baby while she was pregnant because she couldn't afford to raise it. I have never seen anything so horrible in my life. I shouldn't have gone back to the orphanage; after four days in India, I didn't have the emotional strength it required.
Anyways, I'm glad I went to India, but I don't know if I could go back or not.
On the good side, I haven't gotten sick yet, so maybe I will be one of the lucky ones. We are still planning on going to Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Korea. Our itinerary could change depending on what information we receive from the CDC. Please keep me posted on the attack on Iraq, we get really broad information.
Take care and keep the e-mails coming, I love getting them. Have a great birthday mom. I miss you and love you both sooooo much.
Love, Katie
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Brady [item 19]
We left at 4:00 am to get on our way; we had so much to see in 4 days. We found out that a day before we left on the train to go to Agra, the police found 5 bombs on a train and in the station! Our train was swiped a couple of times before we got on it, we ran out of room in our boxcar, so 4 of us had to sit by ourselves with a bunch of Indian people, it was cool talking with them. This one lady works for Dell Computers and is a Call Operator�so if any of you call Dell and a Linda (not her real name) answers the phone; it might be this lady we met. Almost all of the calls for Dell are out of India!
It was cool reading newspapers from India (in English) about the world issues, got a couple for a scrapbook. I was looking through a newspaper that a friend picked up in India and in the Sports Section, and it mentioned that South Dakota State�s Women�s team made it to the Division II National Tournament!"
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Brian [item 20]
So India was absolutely awesome. I really can't imagine how I can put what I saw, felt, smelled, touched and tasted into words but I'll try. I feel like nothing I can write will do it justice.
The first day I went to an orphanage started by Mother Teresa in Chennai. It wasn't an ordinary orphanage, this was for the mentally retarded and severely physically handicapped children. The average lifespan for the children that entered this orphanage was 3. some were older and some younger but on average they said that the average child spent 3 years with them from the time they were taken in until they died. It was really hard to see these poor kids. some with arms still attached to their stomachs, their legs so skinny (imagine trying to stuff an orange halfway into a straw and stopping, the orange would be as out of proportion as these kids' knees looked with skinny pencils as legs up their thighs and down their calves, the thickest part of their leg wasn't any bigger then the smallest part of your wrist), most had deformed faces because they can only move their neck enough to keep one side of their face off of their crib so the other side was so worn down from constantly rubbing on the metal and hard surface of their beds.
I could go on and on about what these kids had, more like what they didn't have and never would have but I think you get the picture. Although I was only there for a couple hours interacting with the kids, playing with some of them, I could see in their eyes the impact that we had on them. The orphanage has only 5 nuns, and over 30 kids, so they don't get a lot of personal attention and time to play. They loved having us there and hated to see us go. By the time I left I was literally coated in layers and layers of dirt, urine, spit, you name it. I was so drained - it was a constant challenge to always have a smile and not let the kids see any hurt on my face even though I felt horrible for what I was seeing. I can't describe it and feel like anything that I write will just seem like a pointless story, but it was one of the hardest, and most fulfilling, 4 hours of my trip. Just not something I can really describe to anyone. I left so tired and upset but felt so lucky to think that if I could have left putting one smile on kids face then the pain and suffering I saw was well worth it. One thing that really struck me was how sharing these kids were with each other. We took simple toys with us for them, nothing more than crayons and paper, pens, bubbles, etc. and every single kid was so willing to share with everyone we were all amazed. Seems like the emerging theme on this trip is that the people with the least are the most willing to share what little they have with anyone willing to take the time to notice.
So everything in India was 100% negotiable. This was both fun but at the same time frustrating. At one point a street vendor originally offered a souvenir to me for 900 Rupees and after 5 minutes of negotiating I walked away with it for 100. This is partly because they knew 'the Americans" were in town and prices were hiked dramatically, but also because they have so little they are willing to take whatever they can get. 100 Rupees is less than $2. They knew we were coming, every day we were in port there was a front page article about our boat and what we were seeing, what we were doing, etc. And this isn't a small city, over 6 million people live in the Chennai city limits alone. They were happy to have us, and more importantly our money, there. Every port we go to they seem to know we are coming, I have seen an article in each country's paper we have visited before with the exception of South Africa.
We had a day off of classes our first day back from India because supposedly 80% of the past voyages have gotten so sick. It doesn't seem literally that high with us, I have a few friends who have spent the better half of the last couple days in their bathrooms but other than that everyone seems to be fairly OK. Rio was another story for me. And the food was so good. spicy but I actually really liked it. Similar to Chinese but a lot spicier. So good.
On a quick side note we had our meeting in regards to the war and virus for those of you that are curious. As of now there have been no plans to change the itinerary and other than washing the boat more often in port and keeping everything extremely sanitized there doesn't seem to be much of an impact on us. I really feel like we're our own little isolated floating country away from everything else. They are in direct contact with 'Govt. intelligence agencies' for our safety and the CDC for the virus and seems like everything is in good hands. I'll keep you posted when I hear more, but they asked us to email our parents and tell everyone to calm down and everything flying around the internet regarding our itinerary is just rumors and that everything is being monitored and they're sure to maintain our safety. Some parents have even started petitions to have us sail straight home to Seattle. its getting ridiculous. Not that this whole Iraq thing is a big surprise to anyone. OK back to India. Uh oh fight breaks out in the union at 2:30 AM as I write this email. Never a dull moment.
There were so many people EVERYWHERE in India. It was ridiculous. The streets were packed, the sidewalks crammed, no matter where you went you were in constant contact with the people around you. It was crazy. Nothing like small town Colorado. India has over a billion people (one sixth the worlds population), and there were people in every corner that you looked. The noise was amazing, people in India use their horns like they are going out of style tomorrow. Not a second goes by when you don't hear the horn of the motorcycle next to you, overcrowded bus behind you, rickshaw next to you (their form of taxi . basically a motorcycle with a carriage attached to the back of it for 2 people). Everyone honked their horns for no reason, if just to say hi to the person next to them. It got very annoying. And the pollution put off by the emissions of the huge amounts of traffic was so strong; my eyes burned so bad anytime I stepped outside and the back of my throat could taste the smog and dust.
The streets were so busy with people and traffic it was amazing. People literally lived everywhere on the sidewalks; you'd have to step over them on your way down the street, bump 500 shoulders walking through an alleyway which got really frustrating because it would take you 20 minutes to weave your way 100 yards through all the people. And I was a good head taller than everyone, and stood out as the freakishly tall white guy. It was amazing to see so many people everywhere. There were a lot of beggars, which goes along with all the poverty, and so much malnutrition throughout the streets. Naked kids everywhere, cows and goats wandering down the middle of the streets, it was a major culture shock. And the smell of the streets. it was enough to make you gag. And as you'd gag you'd look beside you and see there would be a family curled up sleeping in the actual puddle of dirty water that was going to make you sick. I really wish I could have captured what I saw on my camera, but I was so busy being in constant shock I didn't think to stop and snap pictures. And when I did I didn't feel right to take out my camera and take pictures of the people. Although everyone was so friendly and willing to pose for a picture, there was so many times I felt guilty for even being able to carry my camera through their 'homes'.
I went with a friend to a small town called Pondicherri for a couple days, which is about 3 hours south of Chennai. We got there (paid the taxi driver $50 for both of us to drive us down in the morning, hang out, him spend the night, wait around the next day and pick us up and drive us home later that night - included meals and tip for $50 - $25 each. Not bad) and had our 'driver' take us to a hotel that had "hot water and air conditioning" which were two things that are sometimes hard to find but to us were important with the 90 degree heat and 100% humidity. He took us to what might have been the nicest hotel in the city, and we checked into a room for less than $35/night. It was a great hotel, they actually put us in a suite room because they didn't have any more doubles. But staying in the hotel was something else that made me feel so guilty. I would walk out of the hotel and be immediately submersed into the poverty and malnutrition of the streets. It was such the two extremes, and they were only separated by the 30 feet of private gated driveway that you walked down to leave the hotel. I felt so guilty at first when we got there and checked in, but after a day walking around and interacting with the people it was a relief to be able to go somewhere and have a hot shower and sit in an air conditioned room and reflect on what we saw and experienced. It seemed like a way to relax and prepare myself to go back and see everything again. Such the American way.
Pondicherri had the coolest market I have ever seen. It was huge, it included everything from arts and crafts to fish to vegetables to grains to clothes to pastas to flowers to fresh fruit. we spent 2 hours walking around and didn't see every little vendor that each had something different than the last one. They all wanted to shake our hand and welcome and thank us for being there. It was very cool, we felt so welcome. And although there was a little pressure for our money I never felt uncomfortable and had fun bargaining with everyone. Overall I spent about $200 in India in the 5 days I was there and I feel like I did so much and that money went a long way. A lot of people spent a lot more, and a lot on really expensive nice silk rugs. There was a lot of shopping to be had, keep my sister away.
I could go on and on about what I saw and experienced in India but this is getting ridiculously long and rambling on. I wish that some of you could have seen this and heard it so I would have someone at home to talk with about everything that I saw. It was crazy. But I loved India and would love to go back. I have so many stories and look forward to telling anyone who is willing to listen - I have so many this email could be 20 pages without me even having to try. Hope all is well, hope to hear from everyone soon. Miss everyone.
Sorry for the novel.
-Brian
