Mountains of tea
On our way to the hill station, Kumali, we had one of the most incredible bus rides. I quickly learnt that aggressive Indian driving is no different on windy roads that are full of switchbacks and blind corners. However, our driver seemed both skillful and experienced so I spent the 8 hours enjoying the incredible scenery. There are no windows on the buses so the refreshing wind blew in our faces. We travelled up and down mountains covered in lush jungle. From the tops of the mountain passes we had stunning views of the deep valleys. After we climbed high into the mountains the jungle was replaced with hillsides of tea plantations. We had discovered the source of all the great Indian tea. The next day we met two Spanish girls and the four of us rented bikes. The bikes were ancient, heavy and only had one gear but we had a great day biking through the tea plantations and jungle. We stopped to check out a tea plantation and were instantly surrounded with a gang of curious kids who live on the plantation. One little rascal deflated the tire on one of the spanish girl's bike. It became quite the spectacle but somehow a bike pump appeared and eventually the tire was pumped up. After 13 km of biking down a mountain we arrived at a tea factory. It was neat to see how tea is processed from bright green leaves to a fine black powder. We learnt how different kinds of tea are made and sampled a few different types. It was the first time in India I've been served tea without milk and copious amounts of sugar. Then after wandering through the tea plants we began our climb back up the mountain.
Europe in India
Tucked away from the chaos of India is fort Cochin. Fort Cochin has been ruled by the Dutch, Portuguese, and British. The European influence here is still very obvious. There is a beautiful basilica, quiet streets and hints European architecture. It felt like Europe but with amazing Indian food and rickshaws.
You people
May 12 was one of the few dates that we planned for in advance because there was supposed to be the biggest Elephant prossesion at a temple festival in Thrissur. We day-tripped from Cochi and arrived around noon. We wandered the extensive temple grounds and ran into several small crowds and groups of 4-7 elephants. Each group of elephants had a musical accompaniment and riders that danced on the elephant's backs. There was even day time fireworks. I orginally thought it as a typo when I saw fireworks scheduled for 1:00pm. They shot things into the air. Each one exploded with a bit of color and a parachute that opened. The brightly colored parachutes all got caught in the breeze and floated in the sky above the temple.
Around 4 o clock we contemplated leaving but realized a large crowd was beginning to form outside the entrance of the main temple. The energy of the crowd was too exciting to leave. The police had a large rope holding back the crowds so that the road to the temple entrance remained clear. We weren't really sure where to stand so we asked a police officer. He looked at us but was unsure of how to respond. Then finally he replied that there were chairs for "you people". We quickly headed up the hill leading to the temple and were seated in a roped off platform protected by police officers. There were several other western tourists, a handful of Indian women and people from the press also sitting down. We were lucky to be seated by a lovely local Indian woman. She explained that 15 elephants would come out of the temple, walk down the streets, turn around and then have a face-off with 15 more elephants that would come out of the temple. The goal of the competition was to have the riders change the parosals that they were holding on top of the elephant heads. The first set of elephants alone was beautiful. They showed off a few sets of beautiful parosols. They changed parosols in time with the music and enthusiasm from the crowd. When they began to walk down the street the new elephants emerged from the temple. Simultaneously the rope holding back the crowd gave away and people flooded the road. Never in my life have I seen a crowd of so many people. I feel like a million may be a conservative estimate. The police force lost a lot of ground but by holding hands they were able to hold back enough space to fit the new 15 elephants. Somehow the first 15 elephants made their way through the sea of people and turned around.
Now changing the color and type of parosol in unison while standing on an elephant is impressive. However, when you have a million people in between the sets of elephants who are dancing and screaming with excitement then it becomes one of the most incredible sights I have ever seen. From the elevated platform we had the best view of the procession and were quite happy to be out of the crowd that was probably 90% male. Sadly dusk was quickly approaching and we knew that we should head back to Cochi. The festival continued until 3am and eventually there would be 107 elephants. We were ushered down and out of the thick crowd by the police officers. We arrived back in Cochi exhausted but estatic from the festival.
Hampi
Giant boulders are scattered throughout Hampi. Sometimes they pile into mountains and often they balance on top of each other precariously. They create the most unique and dramatic landscape I have ever seen. Between the mountains of boulders are lush valleys of banana plantations and sugar cane fields. Ancient ruins from an abandoned civilization are scattered throughout the region. There are ancient markets, temples, palaces, homes and ghats. The ruins are too many and too far apart to fence them all off. Instead some have become modern day homes, some are resting spots for shepherds, some are lunch spots for locals and many others lie abandoned to be explored by children, Indian and foreign tourists. Only the most spectacular temple, the elephant stables and part of the Queen's palace are gated and require entrance fees. The idea of seeing an elephant stable was irresistible so we splurged on the world heritage site fee. We spent a day wandering through many of the ruins.
A river flows through the valley and near the city the ancient ghats are still used today for washing clothes, people and even the temple elephant, laxmi. The many happy bathers and the colorful laundry and saris make the ghats a beautiful sight. It looked like so much fun that Amelia and I spent a full afternoon also swimming in the river and floating in the gentle current.
Ever since Europe Amelia and I have wanted to rent scooters but the timing was always wrong or the roads were too dangerous for us. Finally Hampi seemed like the perfect destination. We took turns driving down the quiet country roads where the only danger was running into herds of cows. It was an incredible day. We went to the Durga temple and then followed a quiet path up the mountain. We climbed up to a spectacular view point. Giant boulders leaned up next to each other and between them the cracks created a neat network of caves.
We also drove to the base of another large hill and climbed up hundreds of stairs to reach the monkey temple. It was a really neat temple and we were able to impress them by properly entering the temple as we had learned in Setrawa. There was even a couple of monkeys running about.
As we were driving we saw a sign that said: cave paintings. This brought us to a gentle man who lead us behind his sugarcane fields to more piles of boulders. He showed us several spots with neat cave paintings. Finally, we were feeling hot from all the steps and climbing so we headed to the lake. We had a refreshing swim in the surprisingly cool water.
Hampi is a spot that many travelers recommend and many end up staying for weeks. Now I understand why. If we hadn't already booked an onward ticket we would probably be stuck lounging in hammocks or in the cosy restaurant filled with cushions and small groups of travelers. However, we managed to leave and we are on the night bus to Mumbai. We are leaving Hampi relaxed and ready to face the city chaos!
Mumbai madness
Anyone who has read Shantaram can imagine Mumbai. Leopold's cafe, Colaba, the slums, bollywood and chowpattty beach is just as the book describes. By the end of our 3 days in the city we had connected with a fun, diverse group of travellers. It felt a little bit scripted from Shataram when on our last day we were enjoying a drink at Leopold's when we haphazardly ran into one of our friends. We were soon joined by others for a sunset walk to boardwalk beach.
Mumbai is such an interesting city. It has the famous bollywood stars, posh restaurants and clubs, a rich upper class and many member only cricket fields, pools and libraries. The same city is filled with legal and illegal slums. This includes the largest slum in Asia, 1 million people in 1.75 square km. We did a tour of this slum and learned about the fascinating industries within that generate $650 million in legally taxed revenues alone. It is incredible how much recycling occurs in the slum. There is no such thing as non recyclable plastic. Almost any type of
garbage is converted into profit.
Amelia and I spent one of our mumbai days shopping and eating our way through the city. We followed a recommended walking route which guided us past stunning examples of British Architecture. The high court, the university, banks and many other majestic colonial buildings retain their original function today. The streets are filled with honking traffic like anywhere in India but old fashion black and yellow taxis have replaced rickshaws. The sidewalks are filled with vendors eager to sell you anything. We bought new flip flops, headphones and restocked our book collection. The book stalls have the most amazing selection. There are the many popular Indian novels as well as the best of English literature. Pretty much all the books that I've ever intended to read are available for $3-5. The sidewalks are also filled with a smorgasbord of delicious street food. All day we sampled various dishes including sugar cane juice, Chinese noodles, sandwiches of deep fried items, bel puri ( a snack mix of dried noodles, puffed rice, tomatoes, onions, lime juice and lots of spice), dosas, and fresh mango ice-cream. Of course we also stopped for chai a few times along the way.
We ended our day with a sunset walk down the marine drive boardwalk to chowpatty beach. The board walk was filled with families, groups of teenagers, young lovers and old couples. People walked along the boardwalk or sat on the edge. There was even a few speedwalkers and runners along the side. The beach was packed and full of people, vendors and amazing food stalls. Many people waded along the edge of the sea. Amelia and I impressed some kids with our sandcastle making abilities. When the sun set streetlights light up the 3km long boardwalk which curled around the bay.
On our second day Amelia and I were recruited to become the next two bollywood stars! Well, that is a slight exaggeration but we were recruited to spend the day as extras on the bollywood set Desi Boyz. We were lucky to be filming with one of the with one of the biggest bollywood stars, Ashake Kumar. He had happened to also star in The Patala house, a film we previously saw in Jaipur. The set was an English underground salsa club so we spent the day holding fake alcohol and chatting with the other Western recruits. It was actually the closest we've been to a club in India. However, instead of loud music there was cheorographers, the lighting and sound crew and the directors organizing everyone in a mix of hindi and English. The assistant director kept moving us around the set. Sometimes we stood at the bar, other times we were leaning against a hollow pillar or standing in a crowd. It was neat to get a glimpse of the film industry and see how movies are shot. Our girls in Setrawa would be dying in envy if they knew that we may have been caught on camera with one of their favorite stars. It was a long day but quite social and there is a decent chance I may have a second or two of glory as an actress. After the shooting finished we joined the other extras and went out to celebrate our fame. We all put our hard earned 500 ruppees towards a fantastic dinner and a real drink.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Start and Finish
Khusi
Khusi in hindi means happiness and could not be a more appropriate name for 1 year old baby Khusi. She is the cutest and happiest baby I have ever met. She only ever fusses when she is provoked and teased by the neighbor boy. Every time I saw her she light up with a great big smile. One of her party tricks is that if you blow her a kiss then she'll blow one back to you. So whenever I see her I get a smile, a kiss and usually a cuddle and some playtime. It was definitely mentioned a few times that they should be watchful because we wanted to take Khusi back to Canada.
Morning in the desert
The middle of the day can be crazy hot but the evenings and mornings are a beautiful temperature. In the last few weeks Amelia and I started waking up early to take advantage of this morning bliss. Some mornings we would run along the highway which winds between large golden dunes. Other mornings we would run along little side roads that went through the desert crops and past small houses on the outskirts of town. Sometimes the heat would begin early so our run would be slowed to a walk. One warmer morning we climbed to the top of a dune and were awestruck by the stunning vista of the desert that surrounded us. The view was complemented by a family of antelope bounding up the dunes and disappearing into the rolling sand dunes.
Goodbyes
The sun is setting over the desert and my heart feels like it is bursting with love, joy and sadness. We just had the most heartfelt send off from Sambhali. It is a moment I want to remember forever. We walked hand-in-hand with the afternoon girls to the bus stop. The afternoon girls have had many volunteers come and go but their goodbyes were still heartfelt. Each girl is so unique and I wish the best for each of them. At the bus stop we were joined by the morning boys. The looks on the faces of Jeetu, Jhoba Ram, and Anil was a mix of genuine sadness and appreciation. They have only been coming to Sambhali for a month but they love it. These boys spend the rest of their day at the hot bus stop selling water and snacks to bus passengers. They are role models to the younger boys and girls, they are keen to learn and they sing the prayers and rhymes with incredible heart. I hope they will continue coming to Sambhali. Earlier in the day I had had a particularly hard time saying good-bye to the regular morning girls. Pintu's eyes filled with tears. I think if she had stayed around much longer she would have convinced me to stay. She is so confident and is able to communicate so much with her very broken English. Goodie too, amazes me with her communication. Goodie is so smart and I hope she will become educated. She has the confidence and leadership skills to make a change in her world. Goodie's confidence and intelligence is rivaled by her kindness. This morning told me to close my eyes and open my hands. She gifted me a little ring. Another hard goodbye was Jitu and Cowerie. They are the most regular in my morning English class and have worked their way into my heart. Cowerie has an unforgettable smile that is filled with warmth. I love seeing her smile. Jitu is smart and incredibly caring towards the younger kids. She can be quite reserved, especially around Mool Singh, but I cherish the many moments when she came out of her shell and laughed, danced and played. It is amazing how many inside jokes you can have despite a massive language barrier.
My last night in Setrawa was so special. I went for dinner at Amelia's house. Pushpa made a feast, including several special dishes. I had my last play with Kushi and enjoyed the antics of Amelia's family. When I returned home I spent the evening with Usha, her mom, and Moti. The evening was going along as normal until suddenly the power cut out. Without the fan it is too hot to stay inside so we moved up to the roof. On the roof Usha and I enjoyed the stars and the cool air. It was so nice that Usha quickly decided we should spend the night on the roof. We went downstairs and threw all the pillows and blankets up through the large hole in the ceiling. We spread out all the mats on the roof and fell asleep under the starry desert sky. In the morning I enjoyed a wonderful final breakfast with my family. We all sat on the floor around the stove enjoying my one of my favorite spicy Indian breakfasts. Then I asked if I could take a picture of the family. Moti and Usha's mom quickly retreated to the side room. Costelli changed her sari and put on a new Bindi dot. Moti had to fix his his hair and change his shirt. Finally they were ready and I snapped a couple family shots. Soon after breakfast I said my goodbyes and received lots of warm hugs from my family and neighbors. I may never see any of them again but I will be forever grateful for their generosity and acceptance. It was an incredible experience to be welcomed into their lives.
A wish come true
Our flight to the south we went Dehli-Mumbai-Trividadum. However when we went to check in for our connecting flight in Mumbai we were informed that it no longer existed. The airline had stopped flying to that destination. Amelia and I could barely exchange worried glances before the woman at the counter came up with a solution. She said, "this is what we will do: you will fly on another airline, we've upgraded you to first class and here is a valet to take you to the other terminal because your flight leaves in 45 minutes". It was the first time either of us had flown 1st class and we enjoyed all the leg room and luxeries.
A new pace of life
When left the airport in Trividadum I think I had the biggest culture shock of the trip. Could this really be the same country that we just spend the past two months in? Everything was different. Even the air smelt and felt different. Kerala is a jungle oasis, filled with palm trees, flowers and dense, lush jungle. The people are darker skinned and the brilliant colors of northern saris don't seem to exist in the south. The men wear lungis (essentially a towel/sarong) instead of dress pants. The markets are filled with fruits and all sorts of new tasty snacks I am keen to try. Our Hindi is useless in the south but the local people's English is excellent. We bused to a small beach town, Varkala. All the hotels and restaurants perched on a cliff overlooking the sea. There are several sets of steep stairs that lead to the beach where big waves crash. Amelia and I were jumping with joy when we saw the ocean. Within minutes of finding a room we were in the sea. The next days became a blur of bodysurfing, boggy boarding, eating amazing keralan food and hanging out with travelers. The monsoon is supposed to start in a couple weeks so the tourist season is essentially over. This meant a normally overly crowded beach destination only had a smattering of tourists. It was interesting to see the town starting to close up. One night we joined a group of people for their favorite dinner spot. We walked off the main boardwalk, down some dark winding paths and arrived at "Mamma's" house. We sat down and she laid out big banana leaves. Then she brought out rice and two dishes. They looked delicious. Then she brought out more and more dishes until there was about 15 different dishes to try. It was an amazing feast of curries and new vegetable dishes. I didn't eat until late the next day and Amelia didn't eat for 3 days (although that was also due to a stomach bug).
An ideal Jen and Amelia day
Our day begun with a windy bus ride through the Kerala jungle. We arrived in Kollam and within an hour we were sailing on a massive house boat through the backwaters. Initially the canals were wide but as we progressed they got narrower and narrower. The banks were lined with palm trees, banana plants and many other types of tropical vegetation. When we arrived at a very narrow canal we boarded an ancient canoe. A local man guided us through the inner network of canals. It was amazing. Every moment was incredibly picturesque and completely peaceful. We stopped in a few places. One stop we observed boats being made. It was fascinating. They sew palm tree planks together to make all the canoes and even the house boats. At another stop we saw some villagers processing coconuts to make coconut oil. We sampled some delicious coconut. As we moved through the canals we saw a variety of homes and people. We passed through several fish and prawn farms which triggered our marine biology thoughts. When our canoe exited the narrow canals the sun was low in the sky which made the lighting beautiful. Indian music was mysteriously coming from the jungle. Combined the sights and sounds made me feel like I was in a beautiful movie scene. We climbed aboard our houseboat and began to sail into the sunset. I mused to Amelia about how wonderful a sunset swim would be right now. Seconds later the boat stopped and the captain said we could swim. We jumped into the surprisingly warm water and watched the sunset over the palm trees. Now I am lying under the stars, listening to the far away Indian music and smelling a wonderful seafood dinner being prepared.
Khusi in hindi means happiness and could not be a more appropriate name for 1 year old baby Khusi. She is the cutest and happiest baby I have ever met. She only ever fusses when she is provoked and teased by the neighbor boy. Every time I saw her she light up with a great big smile. One of her party tricks is that if you blow her a kiss then she'll blow one back to you. So whenever I see her I get a smile, a kiss and usually a cuddle and some playtime. It was definitely mentioned a few times that they should be watchful because we wanted to take Khusi back to Canada.
Morning in the desert
The middle of the day can be crazy hot but the evenings and mornings are a beautiful temperature. In the last few weeks Amelia and I started waking up early to take advantage of this morning bliss. Some mornings we would run along the highway which winds between large golden dunes. Other mornings we would run along little side roads that went through the desert crops and past small houses on the outskirts of town. Sometimes the heat would begin early so our run would be slowed to a walk. One warmer morning we climbed to the top of a dune and were awestruck by the stunning vista of the desert that surrounded us. The view was complemented by a family of antelope bounding up the dunes and disappearing into the rolling sand dunes.
Goodbyes
The sun is setting over the desert and my heart feels like it is bursting with love, joy and sadness. We just had the most heartfelt send off from Sambhali. It is a moment I want to remember forever. We walked hand-in-hand with the afternoon girls to the bus stop. The afternoon girls have had many volunteers come and go but their goodbyes were still heartfelt. Each girl is so unique and I wish the best for each of them. At the bus stop we were joined by the morning boys. The looks on the faces of Jeetu, Jhoba Ram, and Anil was a mix of genuine sadness and appreciation. They have only been coming to Sambhali for a month but they love it. These boys spend the rest of their day at the hot bus stop selling water and snacks to bus passengers. They are role models to the younger boys and girls, they are keen to learn and they sing the prayers and rhymes with incredible heart. I hope they will continue coming to Sambhali. Earlier in the day I had had a particularly hard time saying good-bye to the regular morning girls. Pintu's eyes filled with tears. I think if she had stayed around much longer she would have convinced me to stay. She is so confident and is able to communicate so much with her very broken English. Goodie too, amazes me with her communication. Goodie is so smart and I hope she will become educated. She has the confidence and leadership skills to make a change in her world. Goodie's confidence and intelligence is rivaled by her kindness. This morning told me to close my eyes and open my hands. She gifted me a little ring. Another hard goodbye was Jitu and Cowerie. They are the most regular in my morning English class and have worked their way into my heart. Cowerie has an unforgettable smile that is filled with warmth. I love seeing her smile. Jitu is smart and incredibly caring towards the younger kids. She can be quite reserved, especially around Mool Singh, but I cherish the many moments when she came out of her shell and laughed, danced and played. It is amazing how many inside jokes you can have despite a massive language barrier.
My last night in Setrawa was so special. I went for dinner at Amelia's house. Pushpa made a feast, including several special dishes. I had my last play with Kushi and enjoyed the antics of Amelia's family. When I returned home I spent the evening with Usha, her mom, and Moti. The evening was going along as normal until suddenly the power cut out. Without the fan it is too hot to stay inside so we moved up to the roof. On the roof Usha and I enjoyed the stars and the cool air. It was so nice that Usha quickly decided we should spend the night on the roof. We went downstairs and threw all the pillows and blankets up through the large hole in the ceiling. We spread out all the mats on the roof and fell asleep under the starry desert sky. In the morning I enjoyed a wonderful final breakfast with my family. We all sat on the floor around the stove enjoying my one of my favorite spicy Indian breakfasts. Then I asked if I could take a picture of the family. Moti and Usha's mom quickly retreated to the side room. Costelli changed her sari and put on a new Bindi dot. Moti had to fix his his hair and change his shirt. Finally they were ready and I snapped a couple family shots. Soon after breakfast I said my goodbyes and received lots of warm hugs from my family and neighbors. I may never see any of them again but I will be forever grateful for their generosity and acceptance. It was an incredible experience to be welcomed into their lives.
A wish come true
Our flight to the south we went Dehli-Mumbai-Trividadum. However when we went to check in for our connecting flight in Mumbai we were informed that it no longer existed. The airline had stopped flying to that destination. Amelia and I could barely exchange worried glances before the woman at the counter came up with a solution. She said, "this is what we will do: you will fly on another airline, we've upgraded you to first class and here is a valet to take you to the other terminal because your flight leaves in 45 minutes". It was the first time either of us had flown 1st class and we enjoyed all the leg room and luxeries.
A new pace of life
When left the airport in Trividadum I think I had the biggest culture shock of the trip. Could this really be the same country that we just spend the past two months in? Everything was different. Even the air smelt and felt different. Kerala is a jungle oasis, filled with palm trees, flowers and dense, lush jungle. The people are darker skinned and the brilliant colors of northern saris don't seem to exist in the south. The men wear lungis (essentially a towel/sarong) instead of dress pants. The markets are filled with fruits and all sorts of new tasty snacks I am keen to try. Our Hindi is useless in the south but the local people's English is excellent. We bused to a small beach town, Varkala. All the hotels and restaurants perched on a cliff overlooking the sea. There are several sets of steep stairs that lead to the beach where big waves crash. Amelia and I were jumping with joy when we saw the ocean. Within minutes of finding a room we were in the sea. The next days became a blur of bodysurfing, boggy boarding, eating amazing keralan food and hanging out with travelers. The monsoon is supposed to start in a couple weeks so the tourist season is essentially over. This meant a normally overly crowded beach destination only had a smattering of tourists. It was interesting to see the town starting to close up. One night we joined a group of people for their favorite dinner spot. We walked off the main boardwalk, down some dark winding paths and arrived at "Mamma's" house. We sat down and she laid out big banana leaves. Then she brought out rice and two dishes. They looked delicious. Then she brought out more and more dishes until there was about 15 different dishes to try. It was an amazing feast of curries and new vegetable dishes. I didn't eat until late the next day and Amelia didn't eat for 3 days (although that was also due to a stomach bug).
An ideal Jen and Amelia day
Our day begun with a windy bus ride through the Kerala jungle. We arrived in Kollam and within an hour we were sailing on a massive house boat through the backwaters. Initially the canals were wide but as we progressed they got narrower and narrower. The banks were lined with palm trees, banana plants and many other types of tropical vegetation. When we arrived at a very narrow canal we boarded an ancient canoe. A local man guided us through the inner network of canals. It was amazing. Every moment was incredibly picturesque and completely peaceful. We stopped in a few places. One stop we observed boats being made. It was fascinating. They sew palm tree planks together to make all the canoes and even the house boats. At another stop we saw some villagers processing coconuts to make coconut oil. We sampled some delicious coconut. As we moved through the canals we saw a variety of homes and people. We passed through several fish and prawn farms which triggered our marine biology thoughts. When our canoe exited the narrow canals the sun was low in the sky which made the lighting beautiful. Indian music was mysteriously coming from the jungle. Combined the sights and sounds made me feel like I was in a beautiful movie scene. We climbed aboard our houseboat and began to sail into the sunset. I mused to Amelia about how wonderful a sunset swim would be right now. Seconds later the boat stopped and the captain said we could swim. We jumped into the surprisingly warm water and watched the sunset over the palm trees. Now I am lying under the stars, listening to the far away Indian music and smelling a wonderful seafood dinner being prepared.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Setrawa stories
A brand new birthday
Ten girls from Sambali are being sponsored to go to school beginning next month. The administration in Jodhpur and their private schools require basic information such as parent's name, age and birthday. When we began to collect this information we found out that 8 of the girls didn't know their birthday! Even their parents didn't know. We asked Mool Singh, the principal, what to do and he responded casually, "just give them a new birthday". Apparently making up birthdays is common when kids start school. So the next day we sat with the girls and made up birthdays. Jitu was quite happy when we decided she had the same birthday as me. "Same-same" is an expression many of the girls use so Jitu pointed to me and herself and exclaimed, "birthdays, same-same!"
My pet scorpion
The onset of summer heat is also the beginning of scorpion season. We were sitting in the kitchen making chapattis when all of a sudden I saw a scorpion running across the floor of the main room. Usha ran to get the neighbor who trapped it in a bucket. Then to my surprise it was released into the garden inside our house! I asked Usha why it wasn't released in the bushes outside our house. I found out apparently there are lots of scorpions living in our garden! Usha said to be careful at night when I brush my teeth and go to the bathroom because the bathroom/shower rooms are right next to the scorpion garden!
Easter in Setrawa
Chocolate is virtually non-existent in Setrawa which makes it a highly desirable treat. My host family loves chocolate and couldn't believe there is a holiday in Canada where parents hide chocolate around the house for their children. On the morning of the 25th I called home to wish everyone happy Easter. It was fun talking to everyone but after I missed being part of the family gathering. When I came down from the roof Usha flew by me. This was strange because it was only 7:00 am and normally Usha sleeps in for as long as possible. She never moves that fast in the morning. However, today she was excitedly and frantically preparing for the arrival of her sister and all her sister's inlaws. Over the next few hours the house was tidied and a feast was prepared. The kitchen was full of neighbors who were helping chop vegetables, roll chapattis, and cook. It was complete chaos and rapid fire Hindi. Then a neighborhood kid appeared at the door and suddenly everything became calm and relaxed. A minute later a jeep pulled up and Usha happily greeted her sister. The men and women/children sat on mats in two separate rooms to socialize. Then we had the most amazing feast. First there were my favourite Indian sweets. In India they usually eat their sweets before their main meal (the north American kid's dream). Then piles of chapattis, rice, daal and many different types of spicy vegetable dishes. There was a potatoes dish, a spinach dish, a ladyfinger dish, a typical Rajestani vegetable dish, and one with just hot chilies! Each one had lots of spice and flavor. It is all served on a big tray and every sits in a circle sharing from a communal plate. It was definitely the spiciest and most vegetarian Easter meal I've had but it was certainly a delicious substitute.
Ten girls from Sambali are being sponsored to go to school beginning next month. The administration in Jodhpur and their private schools require basic information such as parent's name, age and birthday. When we began to collect this information we found out that 8 of the girls didn't know their birthday! Even their parents didn't know. We asked Mool Singh, the principal, what to do and he responded casually, "just give them a new birthday". Apparently making up birthdays is common when kids start school. So the next day we sat with the girls and made up birthdays. Jitu was quite happy when we decided she had the same birthday as me. "Same-same" is an expression many of the girls use so Jitu pointed to me and herself and exclaimed, "birthdays, same-same!"
My pet scorpion
The onset of summer heat is also the beginning of scorpion season. We were sitting in the kitchen making chapattis when all of a sudden I saw a scorpion running across the floor of the main room. Usha ran to get the neighbor who trapped it in a bucket. Then to my surprise it was released into the garden inside our house! I asked Usha why it wasn't released in the bushes outside our house. I found out apparently there are lots of scorpions living in our garden! Usha said to be careful at night when I brush my teeth and go to the bathroom because the bathroom/shower rooms are right next to the scorpion garden!
Easter in Setrawa
Chocolate is virtually non-existent in Setrawa which makes it a highly desirable treat. My host family loves chocolate and couldn't believe there is a holiday in Canada where parents hide chocolate around the house for their children. On the morning of the 25th I called home to wish everyone happy Easter. It was fun talking to everyone but after I missed being part of the family gathering. When I came down from the roof Usha flew by me. This was strange because it was only 7:00 am and normally Usha sleeps in for as long as possible. She never moves that fast in the morning. However, today she was excitedly and frantically preparing for the arrival of her sister and all her sister's inlaws. Over the next few hours the house was tidied and a feast was prepared. The kitchen was full of neighbors who were helping chop vegetables, roll chapattis, and cook. It was complete chaos and rapid fire Hindi. Then a neighborhood kid appeared at the door and suddenly everything became calm and relaxed. A minute later a jeep pulled up and Usha happily greeted her sister. The men and women/children sat on mats in two separate rooms to socialize. Then we had the most amazing feast. First there were my favourite Indian sweets. In India they usually eat their sweets before their main meal (the north American kid's dream). Then piles of chapattis, rice, daal and many different types of spicy vegetable dishes. There was a potatoes dish, a spinach dish, a ladyfinger dish, a typical Rajestani vegetable dish, and one with just hot chilies! Each one had lots of spice and flavor. It is all served on a big tray and every sits in a circle sharing from a communal plate. It was definitely the spiciest and most vegetarian Easter meal I've had but it was certainly a delicious substitute.
Talents and Camels
3,2,1 Action!
Every week we introduce a "word of the week" at Sambhali. Then after prayer we have an activity that reflects the word. Last week our word was "Talents" and our Saturday workshop was a talent show. After prayer everyone would break up into small groups to practice their talent. Saturday morning Amelia and I discovered that old saris make for excellent decorations and we transformed the dusty, dingy upstairs into a performance space. Many girls, especially the dancers, arrived in their fancier salwaar suits. The show was fantasic. There was a huge variety of acts. There was recitations of poems, singing songs, skipping, telling stories and jokes, clapping routines and of course bollywood dance routines. The little kids were adorable when they recited the school rhymes. One tiny quiet boy, Mool Chander, surprised me by standing up on the stage and belting out the alphabet, A for apple, B for ball etc. I don't know if i had ever heard him speak before! I really enjoyed watching the dances. The girls use music videos played on TV from the popular movies to choreograph their dances. At home, Usha often leaves the music channel on in the morning while she is doing morning chores. A few times I've seen her leap up from her task and run to the TV to practice the dance moves. The talent show ended in a class performance of the makerena and some prizes.
Sandcastles, luxury and camels
This weekend Amelia and I decided to head to Jailsamer for a weekend getaway. We went even farther into the desert and arrived in Jaisalmer, the golden city. It is called the golden city because all the buildings are made of sandstone. This makes the massive fort in the center town look like the most amazing sandcastle. The old city has many winding streets inside the sandcastle fort as well as many temples. There are a variety of Jain and Hindu temples at least 850 years old. The temples have beautifully sculpted sandstone with an incredible amount of detail. We luckily woke up early and had the chance to explore before the heat of the day and before all the much too friendly Indian men started competing for our attention and money. Although sometimes their eagerness is genuinely helpful. At one point we were walking down a street and a man said "panani? Water?". We replied instinctively, "no thank-you" but then he responded, "but mam your water bottles are empty". We laughed and realized we were carrying around empty bottles and we really did need water. As a tourist it seems impossible not to have all your needs immediately or even preemptively satisfied. In the heat of the day we decided to splurge a little and took a rickshaw to a 5 star luxury hotel. We paid 200 rupees ($5) to use the beautiful pool. It was so much fun to swim around and a strange feeling to show so much bare skin! Completely refreshed we headed out on our camel safari. My camel's name was lal (red in English) and he was an excellent camel. I love the way the camels sit down and then it is quite the thrill when the stand up on their knobby legs. We walked and trotted through the desert and over a massive sea of dunes. The piles of golden sand were stunning. In between the dunes we trotted across plains scattered with small clumps of trees and other desert plants, sheep, cows, goats and antelope. We stopped for chai in a tiny picturesque village with about 50 mud huts filled with children. We continued to another dune where we stopped to set up camp. Amelia and I wandered barefoot on the soft sand as the sun was setting. Then we sat with our camel driver, Duger, who made us a fanatasic meal. He made an oven out of cow patties (dried poo) and baked the most delicious bread. While we were waiting for the bread we sipped some "wine". This wine was actully a homemade alcohol made from sugar cane extract buried for a month in the sanddunes. Amelia and I ate hot bread, spicy vegetable and rice until we could not possibly eat another bite. Then we curled up in blankets under the stars, exhausted from a magical day.
The continual hug
Before leaving for India one of my biggest concerns was coping with the heat. In Setrawa it can get very hot but it is such a dry heat that it is completely tolerable. Often there is a breeze and walking around town it feels like a continual warm hug. Everyday is like the nicest summer day back home. It is wonderful to have blue skies everyday and beautiful starry skies everynight.
No spell check
I am teaching the "advanced English" class in afternoons. Although, advanced means working on basic sentence structure, pronouns, conjuctions etc. However, the lack of spellcheck sometimes leaves me questioning my spelling. A couple of times my students have corrected a mistake. The other day I used an example with my name "Jen is the tallest" and Sonu put up her hand and said "you spelt Jen wrong". Everyone else began to voice their agreement! When you write "Jen" in Hindi you use the J, ai, n characters so to a Hindi speaker my name spelt phonetically is "Jain".
Every week we introduce a "word of the week" at Sambhali. Then after prayer we have an activity that reflects the word. Last week our word was "Talents" and our Saturday workshop was a talent show. After prayer everyone would break up into small groups to practice their talent. Saturday morning Amelia and I discovered that old saris make for excellent decorations and we transformed the dusty, dingy upstairs into a performance space. Many girls, especially the dancers, arrived in their fancier salwaar suits. The show was fantasic. There was a huge variety of acts. There was recitations of poems, singing songs, skipping, telling stories and jokes, clapping routines and of course bollywood dance routines. The little kids were adorable when they recited the school rhymes. One tiny quiet boy, Mool Chander, surprised me by standing up on the stage and belting out the alphabet, A for apple, B for ball etc. I don't know if i had ever heard him speak before! I really enjoyed watching the dances. The girls use music videos played on TV from the popular movies to choreograph their dances. At home, Usha often leaves the music channel on in the morning while she is doing morning chores. A few times I've seen her leap up from her task and run to the TV to practice the dance moves. The talent show ended in a class performance of the makerena and some prizes.
Sandcastles, luxury and camels
This weekend Amelia and I decided to head to Jailsamer for a weekend getaway. We went even farther into the desert and arrived in Jaisalmer, the golden city. It is called the golden city because all the buildings are made of sandstone. This makes the massive fort in the center town look like the most amazing sandcastle. The old city has many winding streets inside the sandcastle fort as well as many temples. There are a variety of Jain and Hindu temples at least 850 years old. The temples have beautifully sculpted sandstone with an incredible amount of detail. We luckily woke up early and had the chance to explore before the heat of the day and before all the much too friendly Indian men started competing for our attention and money. Although sometimes their eagerness is genuinely helpful. At one point we were walking down a street and a man said "panani? Water?". We replied instinctively, "no thank-you" but then he responded, "but mam your water bottles are empty". We laughed and realized we were carrying around empty bottles and we really did need water. As a tourist it seems impossible not to have all your needs immediately or even preemptively satisfied. In the heat of the day we decided to splurge a little and took a rickshaw to a 5 star luxury hotel. We paid 200 rupees ($5) to use the beautiful pool. It was so much fun to swim around and a strange feeling to show so much bare skin! Completely refreshed we headed out on our camel safari. My camel's name was lal (red in English) and he was an excellent camel. I love the way the camels sit down and then it is quite the thrill when the stand up on their knobby legs. We walked and trotted through the desert and over a massive sea of dunes. The piles of golden sand were stunning. In between the dunes we trotted across plains scattered with small clumps of trees and other desert plants, sheep, cows, goats and antelope. We stopped for chai in a tiny picturesque village with about 50 mud huts filled with children. We continued to another dune where we stopped to set up camp. Amelia and I wandered barefoot on the soft sand as the sun was setting. Then we sat with our camel driver, Duger, who made us a fanatasic meal. He made an oven out of cow patties (dried poo) and baked the most delicious bread. While we were waiting for the bread we sipped some "wine". This wine was actully a homemade alcohol made from sugar cane extract buried for a month in the sanddunes. Amelia and I ate hot bread, spicy vegetable and rice until we could not possibly eat another bite. Then we curled up in blankets under the stars, exhausted from a magical day.
The continual hug
Before leaving for India one of my biggest concerns was coping with the heat. In Setrawa it can get very hot but it is such a dry heat that it is completely tolerable. Often there is a breeze and walking around town it feels like a continual warm hug. Everyday is like the nicest summer day back home. It is wonderful to have blue skies everyday and beautiful starry skies everynight.
No spell check
I am teaching the "advanced English" class in afternoons. Although, advanced means working on basic sentence structure, pronouns, conjuctions etc. However, the lack of spellcheck sometimes leaves me questioning my spelling. A couple of times my students have corrected a mistake. The other day I used an example with my name "Jen is the tallest" and Sonu put up her hand and said "you spelt Jen wrong". Everyone else began to voice their agreement! When you write "Jen" in Hindi you use the J, ai, n characters so to a Hindi speaker my name spelt phonetically is "Jain".
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