India page 3 of 4
Witnessing all of the poverty really makes you question what you should do in such a situation (her dilemma � whether or not to give money to beggars). By giving to the beggars you are only promoting what they are doing and they know that every other tourist will also give to them. We asked our guide about the street children when we were in the train station and he told us that locals bring food with them when they go to the train because they know that the street kids will be there. That really makes you realize that the problem is bigger than people just lining the streets for money because they know they can make a dollar or two. The street children are not given money all they are given is food � the bare minimum for survival. So it all came back to wondering if you were promoting the problem or if you were merely helping someone to make it another day. I still question what the right thing to do is and there is clearly no answer. You realize that India is overpopulated and when you see it you finally realize the majority of those people live in the worst of poverty. My whole life has been filled with classes that mention the idea of poverty in the world and before India my idea was what most US citizens see as poverty � the people sleeping on the streets. If you look at those people�s feet you will notice that the majority of them are wearing shoes. The people of India, even those with shelter, did not even have shoes. Something I take for granted every day is so far from the reach of so many Indians. It�s truly hard to decide what the right thing to do is and I keep jumping back and forth between promoting it and helping someone to eat a meal, right now there is no clear answer as to what the proper thing to do is.
Moving on, but not to a much happier note. In the afternoon Greta and I went to Mother Teresa�s Orphanage. Once again there are no words. I thought the orphanage in Mexico was something but this one does not come close to comparing. Most of the children had disabilities (by most I mean I noticed 2 of the over 50 kids that did not have a disability). One of the kids clung to me for the first 45 minutes that we were there. She was blind and did everything she possibly could to keep in contact with me for the whole time. She loved having her hands held and would just lean against your body to know that someone was there. When she sat on my lap she just leaned back and kept holding my hands. She never spoke but merely clung to me and did everything in her power not to let me get away. One little girl kept jumping from one of us to the other, she was like a little monkey and must have been in, the arms of 10 of us within 5 minutes. All of the semester at sea students were so loving, it was amazing to see how compassionate people can be when there is something to be genuinely compassionate about. One of the girls brought a Polaroid camera and the kids absolutely loved it, they would look at the picture and then point to themselves � they were absolutely amazed at the sight of themselves.
Many of the kids were lying in cribs in deformed positions and making awful groaning sounds. We would rub their backs or touch their heads and some would turn to look at us and others just wouldn�t respond at all. It�s absolutely heart breaking to know that you can be physically touching someone and they can be so far gone that it doesn�t phase them one bit � their eyes didn�t even move, no muscles flinched, there was nothing to show that they had any clue that there was another person in the room. Some of the kids would pat the ground to have you sit down and their attention span was so short that they�d be off on the other side of the room by the time you sat down. The little babies would just rest in your arms and lean on your chest, practically falling asleep. It was sad to learn that there are just not enough volunteers to properly nurture the babies in the way of talking to them and holding them. There is barely enough time in the day to feed all the kids and that leaves no time to play with them and nurture them. It�s ironic because right now I�m listening to a song and the words are �do you even know who you are, a far off dream or a super star, is life good to you or is it bad, do you even know what you have?� It really makes you wonder after an experience like this one. It was hard to leave but after a couple of hours we were mentally drained and just couldn�t do it anymore. Luckily there were a lot of other semester at sea students there when we left so we knew we weren�t the last to say goodbye. The baby Greta was holding began to cry when she tried to pass him off to another student. When we were walking out toward the gate one of the girls ran up to me and wrapped her arms around my legs and didn�t want to let go. It�s so hard to say no and push them away because there is no where for them to go � you are pushing them toward nothing, to a life filled with no hopes or dreams but just the fate of living in a run down building with as much love as the sisters can give them, which is not nearly enough to go around.
Well that was the ending to my India experience and really summed up the poverty of the country. I can�t imagine how bad the country will be if the population ever doubles (which it is supposed to do by 2050). The cities are already packed with way too many people and I really don�t know where the rest of the people would fit. There�s just no room for anymore people. Sorry if it was a little depressing but the whole country was overwhelming both in the spiritual sense and also because all of your senses were overtaken by new and unknown things. India is definitely something you would have to experience first hand if you want to even come close to understanding poverty. And to imagine how bad what I saw was and that I personally am not experiencing the poverty first hand really makes me wonder what it would be like to be in such a position. I have to remember that I did not see all of India and I can�t make a generalization of the whole country on the few places that I visited. But I also know that I have been to 4 Indian cities (one of which was the capital) and all of them were filled the same dirt, poverty and scents that would make your nose want to close off to the world. There is such an extent of poverty that it makes me wonder what help they are receiving. How much are the people of India given and how much of a difference does it make? They always tell you that it will help at least one person and that person will be thankful, but in what way is it helping them? I think I left India with more questions then when I arrived.
What I remember most is that the pollution was awful and the smells, visions and feelings, assaulted my senses in ways in which they have never experienced before. Through all of the dirt, pollution and grime I don�t think my mouth was ever closed. The astonishment my body was experiencing was like nothing I could have ever imagined and because of this my jaw held slack and I felt I did not have the strength or ability to shut it.
My mind is constantly whisked back to the streets of India, to the train station where I used all my emotional strength to hold back the tears that wanted to flow from my eyes as I witnessed the malnourished children begging on the street, to the orphanage and to the people of India whose only hope seemed to lay in our eyes � in the eyes of foreigners where they hoped to merely catch a glimpse of the better life we had at home. The whole time in India I didn�t cry��..
I didn�t cry when their hands were thrust in my face asking only for a bite to eat.
I didn�t cry when the boy with no legs drug himself past me hoping only for a bit of shelter before night fell.
I didn�t cry when I looked into the eyes of the child I was holding who just starred blankly back through mine.
I didn�t cry when I saw the man on the side of the road rummaging through a heap of trash that smelled of urine.
I didn�t cry when the young woman turned her head slightly to look into my eyes, as if searching for some sign of what the United States held.
I didn�t cry as we drove through the streets of the holiest city in India in our air-conditioned bus snapping pictures as Indians woke from their slumber to the sights of a, filthy dirt road piled high with only God knows what.
I didn�t cry when my clothes were being tugged on by a leper, whose face was half covered and eyes looked down because of the shame they held.
I didn�t cry at the end of the day as the Dalits (peasants) lay down on the hard, cold floor and let out a sigh of what to them was the most comfort they would ever know.
But now tears come to my eyes.
Sitting on my bed, with the drone of my music in the background, the air conditioning on, shoes on my feet and clothes on my back, typing on my laptop computer - I begin to cry.
I cried when we pulled away from the dock, as their lonely eyes followed the latest crowd who brought them one meal, or one smile.
I cry when the echoes of miss, madam and the pleas for a bite to eat ring in my ears.
I cry when I look back at the orphanage, when the images of the disabled children�s faces flash in front of my eyes.
But mostly I cry when I know that what I have done has affected one person, for one day but in the back of my mind I know it will never be enough.
We had a meeting today (March 22) to tell us that we would no longer be staying in Ho Chi Minh City or Hong Kong. At first I was disappointed, I had been looking forward to more amazing adventures. Then I read over what I just wrote to you. I realized my visits to these countries could never match what I witnessed in India. I almost felt selfish for being upset by the fact that I would no longer get another amazing experience in these two ports. Then I realized that many people in India won�t even get one hot meal a day � I don�t feel guilt, I won�t let myself. I know that some of us are just born into better lives than others and some of us are doing all we can to assist those in need, even if it means giving one meal. I am disappointed, don�t get me wrong, but now I know that there are much worse things that could happen.
I�ll keep you up to date on the rest of the voyage and hopefully you�ll hear from again after our next port � whatever that may be.
Liesel
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Roxy [item 29]
India
Hey!!!
I made it out of India and I'm not sick yet - cross your fingers!! I think my first shower back on the boat might have been the best shower I have ever had (that's saying a lot being that it was on the boat - that's like saying my first shower back in the dorms was awesome !).
We arrived into India on March 15 on Saturday. As I stepped off the boat, I was really surprised to not be so shocked like I had anticipated. We had been warned to prepare for the worst. Soon as we stepped into the harbor we would be surrounded and that they knew we were coming and yes taxi drivers did flock to us and many people were begging or insisting that we buy whatever it was they had, but this was nothing that we were not use to and it wasn't any more over whamming than any of our past experiences in some of the other counties. With this impression in mind I would have never thought I would leave this country five days later feeling the way I do�.
The first day me and two other girls from CU got a taxi and toured the town. You would be amazed at how cheap transportation is although your not paying monetarily for the ride in other ways you pay a ridiculous amount. After visiting about four unreasonably expensive stores that we did not want to visit (they get commission off of tourist that they bring to these stores) we were taken to one of the markets. While we were in India, Holi, one of their holidays was going on. It was so crazy; an elephant was walking through to bless people. Huge parade type floats were on the streets and people were covered in colors. It was all pretty overwhelming. I had my first experience here with the kids trying to attack you in order to get a few cents, the tiny babies sleeping on the streets, the market vendors screaming at you, but the culture shock had only begun.
Soon after that we went to one of Mother Teresa's orphanage. I don't know why but for some reason I was expecting some Annie type orphanage. Well to say the least these expectations were quickly crushed. I walked through this place and couldn't believe my eyes. I felt like I was in a mental institution for kids, but worse. When I got back to the ship I couldn't hold back my tears. I didn't know how to handle it, but I did. My trip was only starting and this is what I was here for. To experience new things and realize what all the world entails. We ended up that night going out to eat and for drinks at five star hotel for a friend of ours birthday. Eating made me feel guilty and looking around at this extravagant hotel disgusted me. I don't know I was just experiencing a lot of conflicting emotions and wasn't exactly sure how to handle it all.
The next morning we had to be up at 4:00 to catch a flight to Varanasi. As we arrived at our hotel, it looked so out of place. We were driving through the worse slums I have ever seen. We were in a poverty stricken world, streets filled with trash, thousands of people sleeping on the streets and then all of a sudden this incredible hotel. I could look out my window into houses made out of sticks and cows roaming the city, but I soon came to realize that was India. It was so intense. That day we got to visit the ruins where Buddha preached his first sermon, a stupa, and the ruins of an ancient monastery. I even got to sit beside monks meditating. It was so awesome. Next we visited an Indian art emporium with some of the most incredible rugs I have ever seen. A few of my friends bought some, but they were a little out of my range!
Our next day again started at 4:00. It was so crazy though we were out on the streets by 5:00 and the city was already bustling. Arriving at the banks of the Ganges River was incredible !!! We took a boat ride as the sun was rising and watched as thousands of Hindus bathed in this river. Cremations were taking place beside people cleaning their cloths and washing their selves. I can't even explain my feeling toward this. I made friends on the walk back with a guy desperately trying to sell me necklaces. Talking to him was so interesting and moving. He told me about his family and job and I wanted to cry, but I kept talking until we made it back to the bus. It's so crazy how little things like this impact me so much. While on the bus, I realized how exhausted I was and emotionally worn out. Seeing pilgrims converging themselves in the holy water for ritual immersion and prayer to release their souls from the cycle of rebirth, others burning their loves ones and releasing their ashes into the river, avoiding beggars and basically fighting off street vendors as we walked through the alleys on the way there and back, everything was so overwhelming and was going by so fast. It was just really hard to take all in.
We then had a city orientation and learned about this enchanting city. It was amazing I couldn't believe I was actually getting to visit the oldest living city in the world, the center of civilization and learning for over 2000 years. The temples, shops, silks, everything was so incredible. Soon after that we were off again on another flight to Delphi. We were given a driving tour of the city to orient us with the city and then arrived at yet another insane hotel that seemed so out of place I felt like I was in a dream, the Ashok hotel. That night we went out to a really fun club in the hotel and met up with another semester at sea group. I just couldn't believe I was parting at the insane club after coming off the streets of India.
The next morning was IT!!!!! We caught a train at 6:00 to Agra. Had a few hours to regroup at a hotel there and we were off on our WAY TO THE TAJ!!! I knew it was going to be awesome but WOW! It didn't even look real! When I ran my hand over the walls of this structure I couldn't believe my eyes. Precious stones, thousands of them, are embed into this perfectly symmetrical and remarkable building - it was just awesome - that's all I can say! We walked around it for hours. I was mesmerized by its beauty and its enchanting story, this magnificent mausoleum was unbelievable!
We flew back the next mooring again at 4:30!! I was able to do a little shopping in Chennai and we finished off our day with one last good dinner although really curry and Indian food are two things I never want to have again -- well not really but right now I am so sick of them I don't know what to do!!
Some one had said India will get into your blood, it will assault all of your senses and that's exactly what I did. I walked into this country thinking it can't be any worse than what I have already seen and that I could see and let be and to a certain extent I did, but even though I walked away from India I know India will never walk away from me. It wasn't what I saw there, it was more than that. It was everything all combined. There is a cloud that lays over India and soon as you enter its presence it slowly takes over you emotionally. You become emotionally drained from trying to take it all in and then distraught from trying to understand. How can I be seeing this? How can I be so lucky to be born into the life I have and these people born into this one? So many things were running through my head. I kept looking around and I was amazed, but the amazement wasn't what affected me. It was more than that and I can't even explain it. When I stepped off the boat that Saturday afternoon I thought it was just another port but I was wrong. I was stepping into another world. Another world that overtakes you that swallows you up and that I could not avoid. To walk through this country and only look around would for me was impossible. I was seeing something I have never experienced and I was seeing not just looking.
On the last day I stopped for a minute and looked around. I remembered how I felt that first day and how much my impressions had changed. I felt unclean, drained and depressed. I looked around and I felt invisible. Rickshaws, motor cycles, people on bikes, cars were all flying by and around the corners of the roads. Lanes were nonexistent and how they didn't wreck I still don't understand. Three year olds pulling at my arms and I realized I had become immune to it. I was use to seeing these pitiful scenes. Huge billboards lined all the streets. Advertisements were everywhere and then under them cows were eating the trash that covered the streets and had accumulated there for no telling how long. Nothing made sense. As you looked out across the city it appeared that fog was setting over it, but it wasn't that. The thickness of the air was pollution. The sounds of people screaming, constant horns blowing, commotion was all you could hear. Everything was going by so fast. How I had five days early stepped into this place, flew around from country to country, seen everything from some of the nicest hotels to the worst conditions I have ever experienced, the most beautiful building in the world embedded with rubies, emeralds, all types of precious stones and then homes that were no more than a sheet draped over a stick. How could I be doing this? So many emotions rushed through my body. This country is more than the eye can see, it's more than words can describe, it's more than just culture, people, or just another country, India is something more, something I can't even explain and most of all because I still don't even understand what I just experienced. All I can say is how thankful I am to have had this opportunity. Thank you for getting me here!
I love you - roxy
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Erin F [item 30]
During the baggage check at the airport in India, we had to sign a book saying that our bag had passed inspection. The man in front of me was a native, but many who had signed the book in front of them were from SAS and therefore put American as their nationality. The man pointed to their signatures and said to the security guard in a really disgusted tone, �Thank God I�m not from America.� These few experiences really made me aware of how much the rest of the world is affected by a single decision our government makes.
India. Wow, I don�t even know where to start. It is a country of many, many drastic contrasts. I stayed in a five-star hotel every night and saw the mansions in Delhi but also saw beggars and lepers everywhere I went. The sights, sounds, smells - everything was so different than anything I had ever experienced and I don�t think I�ve even begun to comprehend what I saw because it was so overwhelming. The smell of India just permeated my clothes � everything smells. I can�t even explain it. India reeks of pollution, sewage, sweat, body odor, human waste -- all mixed up in one putrid smell.
It was so hot the entire time. Temperatures pushed 90 degrees every day we were there. Our one un-air-conditioned bus ride seemed almost unbearable and I wondered how the native people sat outside in long pants and shirts all day. My first bus ride out of the port brought me by naked children playing on the side of the street and a man wearing rags, sitting on the curb with a stump leg. That was my first glimpse of the poverty that consumes the people of India.
I was lucky enough to be able to sign up, last minute (of course - could it be any other way?!), for a four day, three night trip with a �RIGOROUS itinerary involving many early morning wake up calls� to the northern cities of Delhi, Varanasi, and Agra. I was excited because unlike the other SAS trips I have been on, several of my good friends were also going on this trip. I was so rushed the entire time - slept less than four hours each night I was there. In four days I took four different flights and two train rides. We never had a wake-up call later than 4:30 am. But, to quote a common saying around here, �You can sleep when you�re old.� We have to make the most of our short time in these countries!
The airport security check in India was quite an experience. Before we were able to board the plane, we went through two baggage checks where everything was taken out of my bag. One officer actually took my shampoo bottles out of my clear ziplock bags, that�s how thorough they were. I actually got really pissed because after she took EVERYTHING out of my bag, she pushed my bag back at me and pointed to my stuff, motioning for me to put it all back in. OK, I have the smallest backpack of anyone going on this trip � they all have huge hiker packs with waist straps and back supports and it took me 20 minutes at the hotel to shove everything in there. In my mind, I had a few choice words for her, let me tell ya. After the baggage checks we went through two different checks where we were frisked and body searched. And I mean we were seriously frisked. I wasn�t sure if I should feel safer because of their security measures or if I should be more nervous because they actually need to have these precautions in place. One odd thing was that they never checked our passport or any form of identification. As long as we had our boarding pass we could walk on through.
Our first day consisted of two airplane flights to reach our final destination, Varanasi. That first day we visited the Stupa at Sarnath, where Buddha preached his first sermon. We saw the ruins of monasteries surrounding the stupa and watched as Buddhist monks meditated under trees, in hopes of becoming enlightened. We were able to walk in a Buddhist temple and observe a procession of monks who had made a pilgrimage there.
The next morning at sunrise, we took a canoe ride along the Ganges River, observing the pilgrims as they visited the holy waters. Varanasi is the pilgrimage site for Hindus, just as Jerusalem is to Jews, and Mecca is for Muslims. It is the ultimate journey that many strive their entire lives to make. The Ganges River, which runs through Varanasi, is the source of holy water which the Hindus come to bathe in to cleanse their souls. Also, it is the consecrated site where Hindus wish to be cremated. Upon death, Hindus from all across the world are shipped to Varanasi so they can be cremated upon the shores of the Ganges. Death is not a sad period for Hindus, but rather they embrace it as part of the �cycle of rebirth.�
It was incredible to watch from the boat as Hindus on the shore bathed in the river and sprinkled the holy water on their face. I almost felt invasive and it seemed unfair that I could afford to be on a boat ride on this river, while at the same time not realizing the importance and symbolism of this place while Hindus spend years trying to make the journey there.
As we rowed up river, we saw two separate circles of people gathered around fires that produced large amounts of smoke. These were the fires that bodies were laid upon to be cremated. As we slowed down in front of the cremation site, a widow clad in a white sheet because people in mourning weren�t allowed to wear stitched clothing, walked within feet of the river and threw a cloth bag containing the ashes of his loved one into the river, which landed several feet off the side of our boat. It actually landed near a dead dog that was floating in the river. The Ganges is not a very clean river, it�s actually a murky green color, and has ashes and debris floating on the surface. The whole event seemed surreal as we watched as the sun rose over the horizon of the Ganges River.
In order to get back to our bus from the river, we had to walk through the labyrinth streets of Varanasi. This was one of the highlights of the trip. The streets are very narrow so that cars couldn�t drive on them. However, bikes and motorcycles honked so that you would move out of the way for them. Homeless people slept on blankets, lining the sides of the streets. Annoying boys followed us for blocks trying to sell us post cards and bindi kits, not understanding that we weren�t interested. The entire time I kept my eyes focused on the ground so that I would avoid stepping in cow dung or worse, human feces.
Cows were everywhere! They were on the back streets by the river, in the middle of busy intersections, on the side of the road� Cows are considered sacred in Hindu culture, therefore they are not killed or eaten. When we asked our tour guide who owned the cows he replied, �They are someone�s property until they stop giving milk. At that point it becomes everyone�s cow and they let it loose to wander from stand to stand. It will stop at the fruit stand and the vendor will give it a papaya and so on, with everybody looking out for the cows.� It gives new meaning to the phrase �Holy Cow.�
The traffic in India was absolutely crazy. Rickshaws, bikes, motorcycles, buses and cars went every which way, not obeying the lines on the road and often crossing over into the lane of oncoming traffic. The only organization I saw in it in my five days there was that bigger vehicles seemed to have the right of way, and would honk at the smaller vehicles to get out of their way. It was complete madness!
The next day our trip to the sandstone palace of Fatehpur Sikri was canceled due to their Holi Festival. So instead, we had from 8-2 to do what we wanted. I decided to go to Mother Theresa�s Orphanage again - I had gone in Chennai on my first day. The orphanage was such an amazing experience. There were 160 abandoned, deformed and sick people at the orphanage, cared by only 7 sisters. Many lepers that were shunned from their families had been picked up at the train station and brought there. The unwanted children were brought to the orphanage so that they weren�t a burden to families. There were several 2 week old children there. I spent most of the time in the back room with my friend Caitlyn, with about 8 children who were laid out on a blanket on the floor and who were mentally retarded or had major deformities. Since there are so many people to be taken care of, the children don�t receive the necessary human affection needed for growth and development. We spent about two hours just stroking the backs of the children, holding their hands and giving the ones who could stand hugs. This one girl was so attached to me and would try and walk over to me, ignorant of the fact that every time we helped her stand her loose pants dropped down to her ankles. When I gave her a hug and sat her on my lap she would laugh out of pure joy. Caitlyn and I were upset that these children were put in the back of the building, seemingly ignored by everyone else. The other students or visitors who walked back on a tour of the building would just look at the kids and then walk out. None of them stayed longer than 5 minutes, and instead left to play with the healthy children.
Our tour guide had warned us, especially as women, not to walk outside during the Holi Festival. The Holi Festival is a huge celebration that signifies the end of winter and is when people turn over a new leaf and start afresh for the upcoming year. This celebration is characterized by people throwing colored chalk paint and spraying dyed water at others. We were warned that it could get very rowdy and to avoid going outside. Well, the orphanage was only about a block from the hotel and there didn�t appear to be anyone outside, so we decided that we would walk back to the hotel. Within 60 seconds, motorcycles came driving up with 3 guys on each bike. They pulled over and all jumped off, smearing paint on our shirts and faces and spraying us with permanent colored water. It seemed all good and fun until my friends escaped them and I was surrounded by about 6 or 7 guys, all with their hands all over me and very aggressive. After a minute I ran out of their grasp and caught up with the girls and Caitlyn and I jumped in a rickshaw that pulled up to our rescue. It was a pretty chaotic scene and now I understand why they warned us not to go outside! So now I have a very colorful T-shirt to show for it, and understand the meaning of �Happy Holi.�
That afternoon we spent several hours at one of the seven wonder�s of the world, the Taj Mahal. Made out of white marble and decorated with patterns of inlaid precious stones, the �greatest monument ever made in the name of love� appeared to be a castle right out of a fairy tale. It rose high above us and was completely symmetrical. As I was inside the Taj, this women clad in a gorgeous sari and with a bindi on her forehead motioned for me to take a picture with her and asked if I would have a �snap.� I was a little confused but agreed to the photograph. While I was walking around the back of the building, many more people came to have their picture taken with me. It was so odd and I couldn�t understand why! It was weird because I thought that I was the tourist, yet they were obsessed with taking pictures of me! One reason they took so many pictures of me I�ve heard is because I have somewhat blond hair, which I guess they really like and is different for them.
My time in India was short and somewhat rushed but I definitely got a small glimpse at what their culture is like. It was amazing to see the poverty that exists � I know I�ve said this about other countries, but there was just no getting away from it here. Wherever you walked, people would hold their hands out for money, holding small children out to you to make you feel sympathetic and staring straight at you with hollow, deformed eyes. Lepers missing limbs motioned to me as I tried everything I could not to stare and gawk at their stumps. As the train rolled by, I watched as people squat down and dropped their feces at the edge of the railroad tracks, for all to see.
Yet, in all this poverty, there was so much faith and devotion to their religion and culture. The hundreds of cows roaming the streets while so many go hungry can definitely attest to this. I walked through several Buddhist and Hindu temples in the evening right before dinner and there were always people there worshiping.
The natives for the most part, adored us. On my last walk back to the ship with Caitlyn, the taxi driver dropped us off several gates early so we had to walk back. Boys on the street pointed us in the correct direction to go. Each truck driver that past either grinned and waved out the window or honked its horn for us and a motorcycle pulled over just to ask if we�d had a good time in India. Although to many of them we only symbolized money, I�m glad that we met many people who were just curious about who we were and our culture.
Alright that�s about it from me! Sorry it�s so long! You�re lucky you�re getting it so soon � I have given up on writing separate e-mails and journals because I just don�t have that much time, and my journal is due in class tomorrow. So you get the unabridged version! Hope all is well at home. Thanks so much for all the mail and the package Mom! You guys (ahem well most of you) are the best! Keep me updated on NCAA wins (did I see we beat BYU?), news about the war and the virus. I have a CORE test coming up in three days, and then on the 26th I�ll be in Vietnam (well, hopefully)! Right now I�m trying to deal with applying for an internship through e-mail. Fun times, let me tell ya! 45 days til I�m home. Miss you lots!
Love, Erin
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Abby D [item 31]
I had not scheduled any major SAS trips for India and initially planned to just participate in day trips around Chennai. Erin and I decided to travel independently to Madurai. We took an overnight train the first night and arrived in Madurai really early the next morning. Most people in this area of India speak Tamil, so we had a little bit of difficulty trying to get directions to the hotel, but eventually we found it. This was the only time during our entire trip that we were able to find something we were looking for without having to get a rickshaw � it turns out that in this city there are virtually no street signs and on the off chance that there IS one, since each street has two or three names, invariably the name you find on signs does not correspond with any of the names on your map. We basically just walked around the town, enjoying the local cuisine and wandering through markets and stuff like that. The next day we went to an old palace in town, the Gandhi museum, and a huge Hindu temple. That night we caught another train back to Chennai, and arrived back at the ship around 6am. At 9am, we met Erin�s dad [note from mom -- he's a professor on the ship] and then all took a rickshaw to the bus station to catch a ride to Pondicherry. After a very harrowing 3 hour bus ride we arrived there and wandered around that town. We stopped at an ashram, shopped and played in the Bay of Bengal. After dinner at a restaurant overlooking the Bay (and enjoying a beautiful moonrise over the ocean) we went back to the bus station and rode for 3 hours back to Chennai. By the time we got back I was completely exhausted, so I immediately fell asleep. On the last day I took an SAS trip to the poorest neighborhood of Chennai. I still can�t really put into coherent words what that experience was like. There were so many kids. And so much garbage. And the houses were positively microscopic.
I know this email is lacking in its descriptiveness, but honestly I saw so much and have so many different feelings about the whole trip that it�s really hard for me to get into any detail about it right now. Sorry. But I will tell you, the SAS people were right when they said that India changes you. The ship feels different now, and I�m not sure if that�s because I�m just so exhausted or if it�s because we really have been changed.
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Tara W item [32]
Hey everyone,
I know this is REALLY long, I honestly tried to cut it down, and I didn�t succeed�
India�the country of opposites. I saw the poorest of the poor and the richest of the rich. Encountered the most welcoming people yet some of the rudest individuals I have ever met. All five senses were overwhelmed around every corner. The sight of neon lights, bright colors to the trash filled rivers- the smell of exhaust and toilets filled the air while car horns came from every direction to drown out the sounds of the old motors. Licking your lips left a very strange taste on your tongue and the stickiness left by the heat and humidity all over your body could only be relieved by a shower that was hours away. That is the summary of India, but here are the details:
3/15
Stepping outside the gate of the port was one of the most overwhelming times yet. We were clobbered with rickshaw drivers. A rickshaw is a tiny taxi with no doors and about the size of a larger go-kart. But, for our first experience on India�s roads, we wanted something more stable--a �real� taxi. That was really hard to find. A guy named Tony came up to us and said he had one on the other side of the street�that was scary, the idea of crossing the street. To give you a better understanding, pedestrians don�t matter- there are huge trucks, some cars, countless motorcycles and even more rickshaws, with cows in the midst of everything. Cows are sacred here, so they don�t eat them or confine them very often. So they roam the streets. I was with my boss Laura and her fianc� Ryan and once we finally got into the �taxi� (a small VW bus) we saw our life flash in front of us. So�we closed our eyes for most of the ride. Besides the life threatening driving, the other aspect of the taxi drivers in India, more just annoying than anything, is them taking you places you didn�t ask to go. We later found out that if they take tourists specific places (that are extremely high priced for India), they get some sort of commission and get their gas paid for�so, we helped them out a little. Not really knowing this because it was our first trip out, we bought a few things from a store called Saga, soon finding out every other SAS student had been to the same place. I also got scammed at the post office of all places. First they tried to sell me 5 less stamps than I paid for and then charged me another 2 dollars each letter to send it. Again, I found out the real price to mail a letter from another post office, 50 cents�. I felt pretty cheated, but oh well, gotta learn somehow.
We ate at a really nice Indian restaurant where we were treated like royalty. They were so excited to see us in there and wanted to know what we thought about their restaurant and the Indian people so far. That was the first time we were asked what we thought about the people of the country, not just the country itself. Throughout the rest of my trip in India this fell true. The food was VERY spicy, but very good. Going back to the ship, we closed our eyes once again�
We returned to the air-conditioned ship and took our nice COOL showers. The heat outside was unbearable. But, no one really cares how they look when everyone else is so sweaty too. Getting out of the shower, I was ready to pack for my home stay to Erode. I knew that I packed way too much for my Amazon trip, but too little for my safari, so I tried to compromise and bring the things I missed on the ride out to my safari. Once again, I packed way too much. We met to leave for the overnight train to Erode from Chennai at 11:00 p.m..The train station was so developed: neon lights everywhere with vaulted ceilings, families sleeping on the ground on slabs of cardboard, just so many people everywhere. The one familiar thing was the sound made when the train came into the station and the announcements from the intercom.
Seated across from an Indian family, I was eager to learn about the culture first hand, so my seat partner and I talked to them. The father was the one to answer all of our questions. The mother never looked us in the eyes. In fact, she just looked down the whole time, never saying a word. His two daughters (18 and 22) study medicine and engineering, respectively. Their cousin is a social worker in L.A., but is working in Palestine right now. Every other person mentioned were doctors. The father owned a mechanical engineering factory and the daughter was soon to work for him. The other odd thing to our culture in general was that the daughters did everything for the father. They made his bed, got him something to drink (without being asked, like they just knew it was their duty). We commented on this and he said, �Of course they do this. It is what they are meant to do�. We explained to him, that with most of the American culture, this was not expected of daughters, and he was almost appalled. He was also very interested in the divorce in the U.S. and the fact that my Mom has worked my whole life. Both the daughters were going to have arranged marriages (the father made sure we knew that). It�s so interesting to see how they react to the norms in our culture�and what the norms are for them. Anyway, we had a great conversation and I won�t bore you with more detail, very interesting though. The rest of the night I really didn�t sleep because of the bumpiness and stop and goes every once in a while.
3/16
Waking up to people outside my river in small towels doing their daily routine, walking to the river to bath, with water jugs on their heads, and washing clothes in the river, felt like a welcoming to India. We were put in a smaller group of 10 once we got off the train and were sent off to Gobichettipalayam (we called it �Gobi� or �G-town�, since we couldn�t say it). I was so excited, especially being in the smaller of the two groups, the other one was 20 people. The sights were so colorful (very bright); less cars than in Chennai and more people everywhere. Gobi is a more rural place than Chennai so there were even more cows. The farmhouse we stayed in didn�t look so much like one, but it was really pretty. We found our beds, washed up and ate some breakfast. They had put out chocolates, cookies, and fruit�so we thought that was our breakfast, it wasn�t-there was much more. We had little pancake type things, yogurt type thing with onions and pumpkin in it, pita type thing and some other stuff I can�t really explain. It was good though.
The owner of the house built a school on her land so we went over there to see their morning prayer. They were all so accepting, allowing us to sit in front of them to observe their praying sequence and join if we wanted. It was a unique experience, very memorable. It was an all boys� school (10-17 years), and they would only talk to the guys in our group, not us at first. After about 20 minutes there a few finally did (the younger ones), and they took us to look around. This school had so much propaganda for what India has contributed to everything in academics�stuff I never knew.
We made our way to a family farm to watch them make sugar from natural sugar cane, had coconuts to drink from their tree and saw how they reused their cow dung for energy. I thought that was really interesting. The waste was put into a large metal holder and covered so that the steam from the waste would create energy (at least that�s how I understood it). I noticed that in this country, many of their resources were used efficiently with recycling everywhere. We were going to go swimming in their water well but there is a drought this season so it wasn�t high enough. They took us to another small family owned factory that made material from silk trees in the back of their house (they call it cotton there). The room they did all their work in was a sauna and required us to take off our shoes. To see more local things, our hosts took us to a local vegetable market where women sat on the ground or on cement platforms and sold their vegetables. It was a beautiful sight to see.
Since we were all exhausted from our all night travel, we took a nap in an air-conditioned room for 2 hours after eating lunch at someone�s house. It was kinda weird, because everyone took a nap, including the hosts, which we don�t usually do in the states. Feeling refreshed, we made our way to a large material factory where both men and women worked in a huge where house. The sunset was beautiful over the mountain next to the factory (looked like Saddleback for all you OC people). The amount of work that goes into making the material we all bought was surprising�so much time. Even though I was so tired by the time we got back home, I stayed up talking with the other two girls in the room. I wasn�t in till real late because we were so excited about everything.
3/17
We were woken up at 6:45 a.m., with tea by our bedside. One of the other girls in our room (not the two I talked to at night), decided to take a shower at 6:45 a.m. even though she knew we had to leave at 7:00 a.m. Obviously, the rest of us were a little mad because we didn�t even get to wash our faces, or brush our teeth let alone shower. She didn�t give any acknowledgment or apology for it either. We were pretty upset (especially from her attitude the rest of the time). We headed back to Erode where we came in on the train and went to the BVB School for breakfast and ended up eating lunch and dinner here too. (I never found out what BVB stood for.)
After breakfast we went to a small temple that had spears sticking out of the ground everywhere. They turned out to be for the sacrificing of chickens to the gods. All sacrifices to the gods had to be brought to this area in front of all of them. There were two large horses and the best way to describe them is a huge carousel-looking figures. They were all brightly colored with many jewels painted on them. I felt so intrusive, with cameras everywhere at a religious sight where there were many people worshipping and praying. It was weird. Getting back into our small tour bus (that was air conditioned) actually brought me comfort (rather than how I felt in the townships of South Africa).
We went to a larger temple where I felt just as intrusive but it was still very educational. To bring our cameras in we had to pay 10 rupees to the temple, which was nothing. Much bigger than I expected, we walked around with our shoes off of course, for about an hour. There was a different building for each god, and each god stood for something different. We were invited to participate in any rituals we wanted. So a few of us went up to the candle and inhaled the scent and took the red for our foreheads. We also had the chance to get an elephant to bless us. I went up there and gave him a coin; he took it and hit me on the head with his trunk! I wasn�t going to do it because I didn�t want elephant snot all over me, but I did it anyways since it looked like no one was getting it on them� BUT I did!!! Everyone made an �eww� sound and I knew it was bad. My friend took a Kleenex and wiped it out of my hair for me (what she could get at least). At the bank where three rivers meet up, making this location holy, there was a refreshing breeze�so, we stood there for a while. There were so many people out there washing their clothes, eating, praying, and begging. That is the most begging I saw in one area, at the exit to the temple. Getting back into the bus, there was glass everywhere and people begging us for money, it was hard.
On our way to another shop, I was about to give up on finding things I liked. Luckily, this was the perfect place for most of my shopping. I bought some silk, rugs, blankets all hand made by the men working in the courtyard. The tiny store was so chaotic with all of us in there looking for what we wanted. Outside formed a mob of kids waiting for us to come out so we could talk to them. We bought sodas from them and talked with them till we left.
In our itinerary we were scheduled to go to a handicapped school. I had no idea of what to expect. Almost every child was not able to walk�most having Polio. Since I have never seen a child with Polio this was a hard sight for me to handle. Very sad. But, some of the older kids, who had operations, performed for us: skits of Jurassic park, a comedic hospital scene, and karate demonstrations. The rest of the children sat on the floor and moved around with their arms. To welcome us they break a coconut on the cement and the more pieces it breaks into, the better. Each of us lit some sort of candle. We had to step over a red liquid with leaves that they poured on the floor to enter the school. The children who welcomed us were able to crawl up and down the stairs. We were able to talk with some of the kids so, I sat down with one of the kids who looked about 10 years old, but was 16. He couldn�t speak any English besides asking my name, so he pulled out a piece of chalk and we played tic-tac-toe on the floor together. This is probably one of the most memorable experiences I had in India. I will never forget his smile. In the past years, this school has performed for us and us for them. We found this out kinda late, so we really had nothing planned. So, the thirty of us college students sang the National Anthem (pretty badly), did a song with our hands, taught �the wave�, someone did a gymnastics demonstration and I did a karate demonstration. Personally, I was extremely nervous and have never performed in front of people I don�t know (except at tournaments, which is different because everyone does it). We all came out of ourselves, it was so touching to see the kids overcoming what they had, and it made us want to give them something in return. It made us all closer.
Our next school visit ended up not happening really because all the kids had half day, so by the time we got there--no kids. We waited around for some girls from another school to come perform a dance for us. The classrooms here were much nicer than some of the others we saw. There were so many colorful posters, a courtyard, and fans in every classroom and Internet access.
Our final stop of the night was an herbal medicine factory called Sidda where we were shown how to make medicine out of natural plants. The process was very long and detailed. At one point these medicines were paint-like. It�s hard to explain, sorry. We had to take off our shoes of course, and disinfect them too. We put on sandals they provided us with and went through the factory. The owner of the factory employs people from the surrounding village and puts their children through school as long as they work there. He feeds and clothes them as well and is very well known around his state (I don�t remember his name). We were then invited to participate in a meditation session (which was well needed after our extremely busy and long day). This was the most relaxing thing I have ever done and replenished all the sleep I had lost. It was so cool because it was lightening and thundering outside during this (and I love storms). We headed back to the school after this and met with the head police chief of area and were able to ask him some questions. After dinner, back to the train station where we got on and passed out on our way back to Chennai.
3/18
We arrived at 6:30am, went back to the ship and took the best shower I have ever taken since there was no shower access at our home stay, ate breakfast, and used the phone. It was so easy, which was bad because I spent so much time on it since I couldn�t use them in Tanzania. I relaxed a little more and went out shopping with Sara. We took a rickshaw for the genuine �India experience�. We ate at a vegetarian restaurant (which most are here) and ended up having to go to one where the driver wanted to go. Unfortunately, this was not a good experience and that was the last time I�m going to let them take me somewhere I don�t want to go. That was about it for this day�well, I could drag it out by I know this is really long as it is.
3/19
Today I was planning on going to Mammallapuram (a place with many temples) but didn�t work out, so I made another call and made plans to go shopping at Spencer�s, (the mall). I came back to the ship with my roommates after shopping for few hours and calling my Mom again, and ended up going right back because I wanted to buy more. I made the taxi driver promise me NO extra stops! And it worked. I bought a few things including fresh baked cookies (since we are deprived of those on the ship) and headed back. I got on the ship exhausted and gross from the heat and left India on my way to Vietnam (or that�s what I thought anyway)�Nagasaki sounded better.
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Emma item [33]
On the train ride from Chennai to Bangalore I had the worst case of 'traveler's sickness' you could ever think of - cramping beyond belief and every time I tried to go (I must have gotten up 20 times).....I just couldn't.....two little metal footstools to put your feet on and squatting over a hole that falls directly onto the train tracks (literally) I just couldn't - the cramps only got worse. However - I did painfully make it through the 5 hour ride - in and out of a cramping sleep. Once in Bangalore, we bought our return tickets and I successfully went to the bathroom....another hole.....flies and other creatures making a b-line for my butt....but I didn't really care at this point.". . . .
"back to the hotel. We were about to go to sleep and noticed a lizard climbing on the inside of our glass door opening to the balcony - it was clear - looked like it had the potential to be poisonous - so 1:00 a.m. - we called our "butler" and he came with a napkin - walked in and saw it....gave a look and gave the 'Oh, that kind" expression, walked back out and returned with this black baton stick thing covered in some type of goo. He reached up and the little thing stuck right to it.....poisonous lizards in the room.....happens all the time....ain't no thing.
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Phillip item [34]
Hi! I'm in India! I am on a home stay visit with one other American (Adam, my roommate) in Chennai here. The house we are staying at is very nice, and the lady of the house, Geeta, took us to a bookstore earlier and then to the beach. Now we wanted to use the internet cafe just around the corner from her and she is preparing dinner for us.
I'm still meeting new students every day. Today I met these two girls from Minnesota, Kate and Jamie. Today I also played Badminton in the hot Indian sun for about 15 minutes at the Sindhi College. Yesterday I went to Mamallapuram and saw amazing temples, Elephants, etc. carved straight out of stone. For example, imagine a boulder twice the size of our house, carved into faces, people, windows, and a granite palace. That is what I saw, and on the way back we stopped at a Crocodile farm for 40 cents and saw about 1000Crocodiles (one underwater tank held a croc that was easily nine feet long, and about five feet wide).
After the Crocodiles we were dropped off at the interport student's house (Reethika came on the ship in Tanzania, to be a guest speaker in classrooms, and answer questions students had about India as we sailed that way) and even though they were not expecting us they were so accommodating! Reethika's mother made us (Me, Lisa, and Corrin) some food and set us up with a reasonable rate for a rickshaw ride back home (70 rupees, about $1.50).
Driving in India is terrifying. The road is divided not necessarily by the yellow line in the middle but more so by an unofficial three inch space from the side of any given car. Cars, cows, rickshaws, bicycles, buses, motorcycles crowd the road at varied speeds, passing each other liberally and oftentimes into oncoming traffic (which yields the three inch space needed).
I'm learning a LOT about politics, the world, the US, international relations, global thought. I feel very informed and have a good foundation for being an upstanding citizen.
