Well I moved in with my home stay family, and my new “parents” Mr. and Mrs. Singh have been more than accommodating. Mr. Singh is probably 6 feet tall, 180 lbs. and is partially bald. I would guess that he’s in his mid 60’s. Mrs. Singh is about my height, and dresses in traditional Indian clothing. She has an extremely maternal aura, and I can tell that she, as well as Mr. Singh, is genuinely glad to have me staying with them.
I have a very large room on the first floor of their home, and attached to the room is my own bathroom. Their house is pretty big, and the location is ideal. I’m located about 20 minutes walk from the program center, and Mr. Singh said that if I choose to use an auto-rickshaw to get to and from it shouldn’t cost more than 30 R’s. Ultimately, I’m not totally thrilled about my family, but I think part of it is because I don’t know them yet. As expected, it’s going to take a while to get totally comfortable with each other, but all in all I’m happy about being a guest in their home and they are extremely hospitable and are treating me as though I’m am one of their own children.
The house keeper, whose name I cannot remember now, also lives with us, and her three children Rajeev, Vikram, and Manesh are really great. They are 16, 13, and 10 respectively, and Rajeev as well as Vikram have been priceless tour guides regarding the local amenities. The cyber-café I’m using right now is about 5 minutes walking from the house, and charges only 15 R’s per hour of internet use. At the end of our street is a corner store that has any item one would need from shampoo, to spices, to stationary and more. I also like my location because it’s not in a touristy area of the city. I haven’t seen any other Caucasian people, and overall it’s nice to be somewhat off the beaten path.
Tomorrow is Monday, and classes will officially begin. We’ve had two lectures so far, but they have still been more along the lines of getting us oriented to the area and not entirely academic in nature. I’m looking forward to narrowing my research topic, and at this point I think I want to do something regarding the elementary education system here in India. Generally speaking, the Indian government has done a great job at improving their university and higher education system, but the elementary system is not ideal. I think I’m going to try and get involved with a local NGO that focuses on this issue. Other than that, I’m still somewhat undirected in my research focus, but with time I think my focus will get more narrow and thus manageable.
Well, I’m heading back to the house, but as soon as there’s more to write about, I’ll do just that.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Friday, February 9, 2007
And so it's begun...!
Well, I hope this doesn't come as a dissapointment, but my journey to NYC and ultimately New Delhi went exactly as planned. I got to New York as scheduled, and upon arriving my friend Mat picked me up, and we chilled in his appartment until dinner. We ended up eating at a great place called "Asian Grill." It had various Japanese, and Vietnamese dishes, all affordably priced and extremly delicious. During dinner Mat and I were discussing the Superbowl party he was planning on going to when he mentioned that he needed to make something to bring, but that he didn't know what. I suggested that we make some chilli, so after dinner he and I went to his neighborhood grocery store, bought ingredients and proceded to make some chilli. Seeing as chilli is one of those dishes that gets better the more it's cooked, we hunkerd down in his appartment while it simmered, and ultimately until my Super Shuttle came. As scheduled it showed up at 2:45 A. M., and I, reeking of chilli and half asleep made my way down to the street. After picking up some other passengers, we headed to the airport. I checked my bags in and one by one, the other participants showed up. We were all in quick agreement that catching the red eye would be less that ideal; however, the excitement that we all had seemed to enegize us all. After we all had gathered at the check-in counter, we headed to the gate, and eventually boarded the plane. The moment I sat down, I fell fast asleep, and the next thing I knew were were getting ready to land in Heathrow. By this point I was feeling somewhat rested, but I still had that over all tiredness about me. Regardless, we caught our connecting flight to New Delhi, and this is where some of the more intesting details come in.
The first thing that one will notice in the International Ghandi Airport is the emense heat. I think the moment I stepped off the plane and into the airport I started to sweat. My excitement however, made the heat a non-issue, so we all headed to baggag claim, and eventually got thru customs. Surprisingly, the customs agents were extremly lax, didn't ask us any questions, didn't check any of our bags, and seemingly had no other purpose than to stamp passports. Waiting for us on the other side of customs were Mia Stallone and Christina Monson, the program coordinators. The greeted us with extremly warm smiles and flower neclaces made out of carnations. Once we all gathered again, we headed out to some vans that were taking us to a guest house that would be our home in New Delhi for the next few days.
The first thing I notice when I got into the van was the lack of a functional seat belt. The strap part was there, but the part you put the buckle in was nowhere to be found. I resigned to the fact that I would simply not wear one; however, once we got into traffic, I immediately wished I had one.
Traffic in India is like none other. I used think driving in Boston and New York was pretty bad. I even thought Israel and Thailand was horendous, but I will say without any hessitation, that the drivers in India are by far the most gutsy I have ever seen. I cannot say with certainty wether or not drivers in India have a concept of what a lane is, and to make matters worse, the j-walkers here seem to believe they are invicible. Ultimatley, as we wove our way through the streets of New Delhi, I was fascinated by the city around me and endlessly wishing that I had a seat belt on.
Eventually, we made our way to the guest house, Amar Nash, where we were given a few hours of free time to unwind and simply relax. Amar Nash is extremly beautiful, and a beautiful place, and seems even more so because it is juxtaposed with the craziness of the city. At it has an extremly large yard with a full garden and a pool.
I'm skipping a bunch of details, so the next part on going to Jaipur is a few days off, but due to the lack of access to the internet I've had, it's hard to keep current...I'll fill in the gaps when I get home.
Well, we've been in Jaipur for four days at this point, and it has honestly felt like a life time. I say this in the best of ways, but everything is so new here that time has become meaningless.
After our stay in Delhi, we took a bus north to Jaipur. The scenery slowy changed from a crowded urban setting to that of the desert, and then finally after five and a half hours, back to a city scape; however, this time were were in Jaipur. As we approached the city, it felt as though we had gone back in time. The streets were more crowded than I could have ever imagined, and the entire scene looked like a typical bazar. The first thought on my mind was honestly that it all looked chaotic and extremly dirty, but now after being here for a couple of days, the traffic seems less terifying, and the bustle of the city seems less and less chaotic as the days go by.
The program center, where we'll be taking our classes, is located about a half mile outside of the historic Old City, and is essentially a house that has been converted into a school. The downstairs has one large classroom, a bathroom, two administrative offices, and the kitchen. Upstairs there are two more classrooms and a beautiful outside roof area where we eat a freshly cooked indian lunch each day. Overall, the school is extremly nice by both American and Indian standards.
I'm trying to type everything that I've seen, but it is entirely impossible. I'm even having trouble putting my thoughts into words. India is so drastically different in every way from the U.S. that trying to describe it in any concise sense is impossible. I'll try to put down some of the most apparent ones.
First, it is acceptable to eat with your hands. As a matter of fact, I've essentially only used a spoon to eat soup-ish items since I've been here. Otherwise, my right hand (and ONLY my right) has become my fork and knife.
Second, staring is not impolite here. Walking down the street and being stared at has become something I've had to quickly gotten used to.
Third, men dominate all sorts of interactions here. It's not as though women are disrespected...in actually there is a very distinct sense of chivalry here, but all in all men are more free to do whatever they want than women.
Forth, we can't drink the tap water...it's simply not safe.
Fifth, there is the most extreme poverty I've ever seen in my life. I'm not saying poverty doesn't exist elsewhere, but I've never seen it so intensely before.
Sixth, everything is very inexpensive. A full dinner might cost 100-200 rupes...and that would be considered expensive...more realistically dinner could cost as little as 50 rupes. By the way the current exchange rate is 44 rupes per dollar.
Ultimately, I could go on, but I'll do it later. Tomorrow, we all move into our respective homestays, and although I'm a little nervous about picking up on what's polite etc...I'm extremly excited.
Well, much love to everyone, and I'll update as soon as I can next.
~sETH
The first thing that one will notice in the International Ghandi Airport is the emense heat. I think the moment I stepped off the plane and into the airport I started to sweat. My excitement however, made the heat a non-issue, so we all headed to baggag claim, and eventually got thru customs. Surprisingly, the customs agents were extremly lax, didn't ask us any questions, didn't check any of our bags, and seemingly had no other purpose than to stamp passports. Waiting for us on the other side of customs were Mia Stallone and Christina Monson, the program coordinators. The greeted us with extremly warm smiles and flower neclaces made out of carnations. Once we all gathered again, we headed out to some vans that were taking us to a guest house that would be our home in New Delhi for the next few days.
The first thing I notice when I got into the van was the lack of a functional seat belt. The strap part was there, but the part you put the buckle in was nowhere to be found. I resigned to the fact that I would simply not wear one; however, once we got into traffic, I immediately wished I had one.
Traffic in India is like none other. I used think driving in Boston and New York was pretty bad. I even thought Israel and Thailand was horendous, but I will say without any hessitation, that the drivers in India are by far the most gutsy I have ever seen. I cannot say with certainty wether or not drivers in India have a concept of what a lane is, and to make matters worse, the j-walkers here seem to believe they are invicible. Ultimatley, as we wove our way through the streets of New Delhi, I was fascinated by the city around me and endlessly wishing that I had a seat belt on.
Eventually, we made our way to the guest house, Amar Nash, where we were given a few hours of free time to unwind and simply relax. Amar Nash is extremly beautiful, and a beautiful place, and seems even more so because it is juxtaposed with the craziness of the city. At it has an extremly large yard with a full garden and a pool.
I'm skipping a bunch of details, so the next part on going to Jaipur is a few days off, but due to the lack of access to the internet I've had, it's hard to keep current...I'll fill in the gaps when I get home.
Well, we've been in Jaipur for four days at this point, and it has honestly felt like a life time. I say this in the best of ways, but everything is so new here that time has become meaningless.
After our stay in Delhi, we took a bus north to Jaipur. The scenery slowy changed from a crowded urban setting to that of the desert, and then finally after five and a half hours, back to a city scape; however, this time were were in Jaipur. As we approached the city, it felt as though we had gone back in time. The streets were more crowded than I could have ever imagined, and the entire scene looked like a typical bazar. The first thought on my mind was honestly that it all looked chaotic and extremly dirty, but now after being here for a couple of days, the traffic seems less terifying, and the bustle of the city seems less and less chaotic as the days go by.
The program center, where we'll be taking our classes, is located about a half mile outside of the historic Old City, and is essentially a house that has been converted into a school. The downstairs has one large classroom, a bathroom, two administrative offices, and the kitchen. Upstairs there are two more classrooms and a beautiful outside roof area where we eat a freshly cooked indian lunch each day. Overall, the school is extremly nice by both American and Indian standards.
I'm trying to type everything that I've seen, but it is entirely impossible. I'm even having trouble putting my thoughts into words. India is so drastically different in every way from the U.S. that trying to describe it in any concise sense is impossible. I'll try to put down some of the most apparent ones.
First, it is acceptable to eat with your hands. As a matter of fact, I've essentially only used a spoon to eat soup-ish items since I've been here. Otherwise, my right hand (and ONLY my right) has become my fork and knife.
Second, staring is not impolite here. Walking down the street and being stared at has become something I've had to quickly gotten used to.
Third, men dominate all sorts of interactions here. It's not as though women are disrespected...in actually there is a very distinct sense of chivalry here, but all in all men are more free to do whatever they want than women.
Forth, we can't drink the tap water...it's simply not safe.
Fifth, there is the most extreme poverty I've ever seen in my life. I'm not saying poverty doesn't exist elsewhere, but I've never seen it so intensely before.
Sixth, everything is very inexpensive. A full dinner might cost 100-200 rupes...and that would be considered expensive...more realistically dinner could cost as little as 50 rupes. By the way the current exchange rate is 44 rupes per dollar.
Ultimately, I could go on, but I'll do it later. Tomorrow, we all move into our respective homestays, and although I'm a little nervous about picking up on what's polite etc...I'm extremly excited.
Well, much love to everyone, and I'll update as soon as I can next.
~sETH
Friday, February 2, 2007
Peacin' on a jet plane
So, it's about 9:30 A.M. and I'm waiting for my Mom to take me to South Station in Boston. My travel route to Jaipur is far from straightforward, and it goes something like this. First, I'll leave South Station and take a bus to New York City. I'm planning on being there around 4:00 P.M. today, at which time I'm meeting my friend Matt. He has an apartment somewhere in the middle of Manhattan, and not only will I be temporarily leaving my luggage there, but it is also where my airport shuttle will pick me up.
And on the topic of the airport shuttle...However much I hate to admit it, my decision to take the shuttle, opposed to the NYC Subway, is yet another example of how my mom is almost always and inevitably right. My plane leaves at 7:30 A.M. on Feb. 3, and the program coordinators for SIT (School for International Training) want all of us to arrive at 4:30 A.M. I was planning on leaving the city at 2:00 A.M. via the A-train from mid-town to the SkyTrain, and then the SkyTrain to JFK. Although I'm still more than comfortably certain that my plan would have worked, my Mom continually insisted that I just "look into taking a shuttle." Begrudgingly, I went online and to my reluctant delight found that not only was the shuttle mad convenient, but it was also only $19. So, in the end I will be taking a shuttle from Matt's appartment to JFK.
With a bit of luck, and a bit of planning, I think I'm going to arrive on time and all in one piece. I hope the rest of the group members are able to do the same. At this point, I don't who the other students on the trip are. Had I been given a roster I would have liked to facebooke everyone; however, at this point I guess I'm simply going to meet everyone at our gate in the airport. I can only expect that first impressions which will be made at 4:30 A.M. (and presumably after everyone has already been traveling) are going to be far from flattering, but I look forward to meeting everyone.
After we depart from JFK we'll fly to London where we'll have a few hour layover, and then we'll hop on over to New Delhi. After arriving in New Delhi, exchanging some money (per instructions of SIT) and getting through customs, I think I'll be there. I say 'I think' because at this point it still seems surreal. Although, this may seem straightforward: I don't think I'll be able to conceive that I'm going to India until I'm there. I simply don't know what to expect, and expecting something you know nothing about lends to an expectation of nothing. I feel as though now I'm mentally ready to leave.
So that's all for now. All I can do at this point is see if my plan actually unravels accordingly. In a small sense, I'm hoping it doesn't. I just read a book, and the author essentially says that serendipity and embracing the unexpected is what makes a trip memorable. Seeing as this is how I strive to live my everyday life, I have no worries that my trip is going to be fantastic.
So, I'll close by saying I hope all doesn't go as planned...:)
Be well,
~sETH
I'm not sure when I'll be able to get on a computer again, but as soon as it's possible, there will surely be details to follow.
And on the topic of the airport shuttle...However much I hate to admit it, my decision to take the shuttle, opposed to the NYC Subway, is yet another example of how my mom is almost always and inevitably right. My plane leaves at 7:30 A.M. on Feb. 3, and the program coordinators for SIT (School for International Training) want all of us to arrive at 4:30 A.M. I was planning on leaving the city at 2:00 A.M. via the A-train from mid-town to the SkyTrain, and then the SkyTrain to JFK. Although I'm still more than comfortably certain that my plan would have worked, my Mom continually insisted that I just "look into taking a shuttle." Begrudgingly, I went online and to my reluctant delight found that not only was the shuttle mad convenient, but it was also only $19. So, in the end I will be taking a shuttle from Matt's appartment to JFK.
With a bit of luck, and a bit of planning, I think I'm going to arrive on time and all in one piece. I hope the rest of the group members are able to do the same. At this point, I don't who the other students on the trip are. Had I been given a roster I would have liked to facebooke everyone; however, at this point I guess I'm simply going to meet everyone at our gate in the airport. I can only expect that first impressions which will be made at 4:30 A.M. (and presumably after everyone has already been traveling) are going to be far from flattering, but I look forward to meeting everyone.
After we depart from JFK we'll fly to London where we'll have a few hour layover, and then we'll hop on over to New Delhi. After arriving in New Delhi, exchanging some money (per instructions of SIT) and getting through customs, I think I'll be there. I say 'I think' because at this point it still seems surreal. Although, this may seem straightforward: I don't think I'll be able to conceive that I'm going to India until I'm there. I simply don't know what to expect, and expecting something you know nothing about lends to an expectation of nothing. I feel as though now I'm mentally ready to leave.
So that's all for now. All I can do at this point is see if my plan actually unravels accordingly. In a small sense, I'm hoping it doesn't. I just read a book, and the author essentially says that serendipity and embracing the unexpected is what makes a trip memorable. Seeing as this is how I strive to live my everyday life, I have no worries that my trip is going to be fantastic.
So, I'll close by saying I hope all doesn't go as planned...:)
Be well,
~sETH
I'm not sure when I'll be able to get on a computer again, but as soon as it's possible, there will surely be details to follow.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
A Pursuit of Nothingness
From the beginning of the application process, the staff members of the School for International Training (SIT: the program I'm going to India with), have constantly been suggesting various books to read that will supposedly prepare us for our trip. Although I am by no means ignoring the fact that the SIT has been operating for many years and thus would seem to have the best idea of how to prepare a student to study abroad, I have none the less not been following much of their advice. In actuality, I have tried to stay as far away from books, pictures, websites, and more broadly speaking "things" pertaining to India as possible. However, I have decided to partake in somepre -trip preparation, and to my stomach's delight, it has been through cooking various Indian dishes. Aside from my culinary exploration, I am arguably uninformed about Indian culture.
It may seem somewhat naive, pompous, cocky even cavalier of me to ignore the advice of the professionals who are running this program, but here's how I see it. Every form of media comes with some sort of bias. Even when a person attempts to write, paint, photograph, or compose with a true sense of neutrality, she/he cannot ever escape the inevitable bias of ones own socialization. I don't necessarily find this problematic, but nonetheless it is undoubtedly a fact.
I see this trip to India as a rare opportunity, and I feel extremely fortunate to be given it. I see this trip to India as an opportunity for my entire orientation to the world to change. I will surely enter the country with many preconceived notions, but I want those notions to be as limited as possible. I don't want to go to India, or anywhere for that matter, with a bunch of ideas that I've simply gained through reading someoneelse's perception of the country.
I want to go to India and simply let everything hit me. I don't know how I will feel. I don't know what to expect, and I surely don't think I will be accustomed and instantly acclimated to the cultural differences, but what I do know is that I don't want to know anything. In an idealized world, I would love to go to India knowing nothing more than it's name. I don't want to be filled with preconceived ideas that some author has about India and thus pervert my observation of the country.
If I had the option of pressing some sort of "reset" button in my mind, and thus freeing myself from the ideas and beliefs I've come to call my own, I believe I would be in the best condition to truly immerse myself in another culture. Although it would be entirely impossible to reset my social self, I believe that ideally a neutral mindset would be the best one in which to experience another culture with.
In a more realistic sense, I plan to go to India with an open mind. I'm trying to let go of any and all expectations I have in an attempt to be able to immerse myself in India.
In short I am leaving without expectation in hope that I will be able to learn about the culture from the culture. The opportunity to learn through experience is somewhat rare, and knowing this, I plan to make the most of this chance I have been given.
I want to see India with eyes that are free from expectation. I want to see India as itself.
~sETH
It may seem somewhat naive, pompous, cocky even cavalier of me to ignore the advice of the professionals who are running this program, but here's how I see it. Every form of media comes with some sort of bias. Even when a person attempts to write, paint, photograph, or compose with a true sense of neutrality, she/he cannot ever escape the inevitable bias of ones own socialization. I don't necessarily find this problematic, but nonetheless it is undoubtedly a fact.
I see this trip to India as a rare opportunity, and I feel extremely fortunate to be given it. I see this trip to India as an opportunity for my entire orientation to the world to change. I will surely enter the country with many preconceived notions, but I want those notions to be as limited as possible. I don't want to go to India, or anywhere for that matter, with a bunch of ideas that I've simply gained through reading someoneelse's perception of the country.
I want to go to India and simply let everything hit me. I don't know how I will feel. I don't know what to expect, and I surely don't think I will be accustomed and instantly acclimated to the cultural differences, but what I do know is that I don't want to know anything. In an idealized world, I would love to go to India knowing nothing more than it's name. I don't want to be filled with preconceived ideas that some author has about India and thus pervert my observation of the country.
If I had the option of pressing some sort of "reset" button in my mind, and thus freeing myself from the ideas and beliefs I've come to call my own, I believe I would be in the best condition to truly immerse myself in another culture. Although it would be entirely impossible to reset my social self, I believe that ideally a neutral mindset would be the best one in which to experience another culture with.
In a more realistic sense, I plan to go to India with an open mind. I'm trying to let go of any and all expectations I have in an attempt to be able to immerse myself in India.
In short I am leaving without expectation in hope that I will be able to learn about the culture from the culture. The opportunity to learn through experience is somewhat rare, and knowing this, I plan to make the most of this chance I have been given.
I want to see India with eyes that are free from expectation. I want to see India as itself.
~sETH
Monday, December 4, 2006
Time is still passing...surprise!
So, it's kind of crazy to think that I'm heading off in about a month. The whole trip has seemed really far off, but time keeps on passing, and inevitably I will actually get on a plane and head to the other side of the world. I've been thinking about all sorts of things that I'm assuming are going to be different abroad. For example, I was brushing my teeth the other day, and I realized how much I use running water. I'm by no means even beginning to suggest that they don't have running water in India, but what I am beginning to realize is that life abroad is going to be very different. Getting up each morning and not simply being able to turn on the faucet and drink water is going to take some getting used to. I'm sure there are going to be cultural differences that make my relatively weak immune system, and thus my inability to use running water, seem like non-issues, but regardless these thoughts have crossed my mind. Overall, my excitement is building, but I still can't believe I'm going. I guess you could say that it hasn't hit me yet.
Well, I guess that's all for now.
~sETH
Well, I guess that's all for now.
~sETH
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Testing out the Blog...
I've yet to go to India seeing that its still only December, but I figured I'd try posting on this blog to see how it all works.
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