Friday, January 30, 2015
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Day 23: Kunsthaus Museum
At 6:30 am Zurich time, we stepped off the airplane and onto mainland Europe. There was snow outside, increasing our excitement to be home even more! We were already experiencing bits of culture shock here and there: the bathrooms were almost luxurious with automatic faucets and clean floors, almost everyone was white, and attendants spoke to us kindly! The glass in the airport looked so clean; the stores all had bright lighting and more spacious layouts. We were struck by how uniform and modern everything looked, with a contemporary palette of white, black, metal and glass.
Maddie and Kiernan once again saved the day. At the travel desk, they found us all hotel rooms, travel vouchers, a meal voucher for the airport, and two meals vouchers at the hotel, all free of charge!!! The whole group was relieved at not having to spend as much in such an expensive city, as well as having a bed to sleep in and time to see some sights!
I attempted the Internet for awhile, but at 5 minutes between a click, I decided to wait for the hotel instead. Around 10am, I went to NZZ Cafe, and treated myself to a latte and sandwich (with a chocolate!) thanks to the voucher.
While this airport has been interesting to explore, I'm generally tired of waiting in airports at this point. I should've brought a good book...I think I'll go find one to read for awhile! I'm also so proud of how the group has been without a chaperone. We are calmly and efficiently accomplishing each step, clearly communicating meeting places and times as well as addressing logistical concerns.
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In the airport I read part of Focus by Goleman. It was pretty interesting and I'm going to try and read it at Colby (along with Cloud Atlas, a recommendation from Nathaniel!). It was so nice to be by myself in the airport for awhile. I haven't really been alone for the past month, and it was so nice to relax without anyone I knew around. It was also infinitely easier to be anonymous in a European airport, where I wasn't stared at for being white.
We met at 11 to take a bus to the hotel. The Novotel Messe, where we are staying, is so beautiful! There is art everywhere and it is so modern and clean looking. We were all getting culture shock on the way, amazed at how clean the roads were, how safe we felt, how smooth the ride was, and how large the bus was. The air outside was cool and crisp, which was also a treat!
Lunch at the hotel was amazing. We had salads!!!! I've never been so excited about eating lettuce and tomatoes and raw vegetables in my life! They even had a corn salsa to put on it: it was so delicious! They also had sweet soup and this really fantastic bread. Finally, there was spaghetti--it is one of the foods I've been missing a lot! I was having an absolute hay day with that buffet.
After that miraculous lunch, we hopped on the metro to go to the Kunsthaus. The metro was so smooth and clean and efficient (words you'll hear me say a lot about Zurich). I think it is a good indicator of how good public transport can be. It is also a solution to Shiva's stance on the car (which is obviously destructive) without replacing it with just horses...
We got off at Bahnofstrasse--the heart of Zurich, a street of old buildings and high end shops only open to pedestrians! Everyone was ogling the fancy architecture and delicious looking truffles. The waterfront was also serenely gorgeous. We walked a mile to the Kunsthaus, an internationally renowned museum containing many Renaissance works and impressionist masters.
The Kunsthaus was so enjoyable for me. As I get older, I appreciate/am affected by art more. I would really like to spend more time in the art museum at Colby, and I think in the future I'll opt for guided tours to art museums I go to. I love hearing the back stories to pieces. There was one exhibit at the Kunsthaus that was about 36 slats of wood with rough head portraits, all hanging upside down and slashed so that the wood was exposed. It gave me goosebumps. I later on heard that the artist had been schizophrenic, making it even more interesting. I've also decided that Impressionism is no longer my favorite type of art--palette knife painting is. There was a room there of works from Jean Schnyder that was stunning. I love seeing the globs of paint, the texture of a piece. There was also a subroom where he had painted the same two places 40 times. It was so beautiful. The whole museum was gorgeous.
We all met up in the cafe and left for an armory turned into a restaurant. It was really neat, and the potatoes and sausage were excellent! Sophie, Jocelyn and I walked up and down Bahnofstrasse for awhile longer before returning to the hotel, where we decided to use our vouchers on a delicious cookie with ice cream. It came in this pan and was pretty big. It was also nutty and fudgy and pretty much perfect in every aspect.
We then went up to talk with Catherine, who had been feeling nauseous all day and didn't go out. I hope she recovers quickly! But she has been to Zurich before and wasn't too keen on going to any one place.
We went to bed after, exuberant about our day and dreaming of what we would do with Zurich round two.
Day 24: Swiss National Museum
This morning, Sophie and I were up bright and early to have breakfast in the hotel. It was, once again, fabulous! We then set out on the metro to Bahnofstrasse and visited three cathedrals before noon!
The first was St. Peters, with the largest clock face of any tower in Europe! Then Fraumunster, aka the women's church, with beautiful stained glass windows. Finally Grossmunster, with a huge statue of Charlemagne in the basement/crypt area! They were all decorated with carvings around the door and animals in the wood. It was super sweet.
Around 11am we went to the Swiss National Museum! It is a really great museum with tons of neat artifacts from Switzerland's history. There was also a paper cut art exhibit: I've found another new favorite form of art! It was so detailed, and the layering made the shadows from the light give it a whole other dimension.
For lunch, Sophie ordered something from a cafe, then we both got Nutella crepes. They were possibly the tastiest thing I've had all trip. I'll be dreaming about them tonight. And the rest of the week. (Let's be honest, the rest of my life.)
We then went to the airport, shopped at the duty free store and met the rest of the group at our terminal!
I'm on the flight to Boston now, with arrangements to be at Colby by tomorrow afternoon! I'll put up another post on reflections, but that is how today went!
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Day 22: Sari Workshop
Day 22: Sari Workshop
This morning we packed out bags and waited around the hotel until 1pm. It was crazy to think that we would be leaving India that day. After a month, we were all looking forward to something about being home. I was missing people, others were missing food, and others were missing sit down toilets. :)
At 2pm, we went to the residence of "The Queen of Saris," Anu's cousin. She specializes in slow made, hand woven, unstitched saris, and runs a workshop for sari wearing called The Sari School. We watched a slideshow on how saris are worn and colored in different regions of India (super interesting) and then we tried them on for ourselves! The sari is a lot more fabric than it looks like, with about nine yards of length and a yard wide. All the girls had fun with about four different styles. It was mostly other women doing it for us, but that was still fun! Then the guys learned how to do two different pants styles, and that was hilarious. We ended by watching a promo of theirs and an excerpt from a theater production called Sari. It was a really good activity for our last day, as no one was in the mood to do anything too intensive. The Queen of Saris, like many other people who spoke with us, was passionate about her subject area, long winded, and prone to embellished tangents. While we didn't understand some of the jumps in conversation we made, it was thoroughly enjoyable listening to her.
Afterwards, we went to the Eros Hotel, a five star hotel in Delhi. We had an amazing buffet style dinner that put everyone in good spirits. They had fantastic goat cheese and salmon and honeyed pork and stuffed chicken breast and dal and naan. The real treat was at the dessert table; I got at least two full plates. The chocolate mousse was unbelievable. Stuffed to (more than) our hearts' content, we went back to the original hotel to collect our bags before setting off to the airport.
At the airport, we had a hasty goodbye with Rajiv and Anu (it was probably for the best, as we will hopefully be seeing them soon and some people aren't so good with goodbyes!). We had said goodbye to Professor Roy at the workshop, as he was feeling ill. That meant that we were a group of 15 at the Delhi airport, ready to check in and go to Zurich. Unfortunately, they weren't ready for us. There were a few problems with checking bags and getting boarding passes to Boston, as the flight from Zurich to Boston had been cancelled already. Maddie and Kiernan stepped up then, negotiating with the travel agents to at least get us to Zurich. We were told we may have to stay in Delhi for another 24 hours, but Maddie and Kiernan pulled through! We would be going to Zurich, even if they didn't have a hotel for us overnight.
Once through security, we all gawked at how expansive the airport was. The ceilings were three stories, and I couldn't see the opposite end of the halls. The stores were also incredibly nice, and huge light fixtures hung above us. We finally boarded at 2am Delhi time, and I slept most of the flight to Zurich!
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Day 21: Delhi Haat
Day 21: Delhi Haat
This morning, Sophie and I planned what we are going to do for our layover in Zurich! We are so excited to be planning our own travel day, and there are so many cool things to see in Zurich. :)
We took motorized rickshaws, aka tuk tuks, to a market called Delhi Haat. It was my first time on a tuk tuk, and I enjoyed it immensely! The market was gorgeous, and I ended up with a lot of great gifts and clothes for myself. :) I've also been stocking up on food so I can throw a dorm tea time with yummy snacks! :) I was killing the bargaining, equipped with my skills from Kathmandu, and I ended up with a few good steals. :) it was so nice to get all of the shopping out of the way on one day--hopefully it won't be too hard to pack!
After that we went to another mall/market place. I got more snacks for the dorm and we ate dinner at A Wok in the Clouds (a mix of Chinese, Indian, and Western cuisine). I got tandoori bhalwan mushrooms that were incredible!!! I love mushrooms and it hit the spot.
That part of the day was a little frustrating because, again, communication had been lacking in several areas. The whole group wasn't told where we were going or how we were getting there; once there, we didn't know where or when to meet up; and for dinner, plans kept changing and we didn't know if we would need money or not. While we all eventually ended up at the same place and on the same page, I wish that we would've had a plan before going to a busy market.
(I'll have to edit this part, but this whole trip the group has been incredibly frustrated with the lack of communication on everything. We usually don't know what is going on or how to plan for the day. It's unnecessarily and incredibly stressful. On the plus, I'm going with the flow more, but that usually means not asking questions because we never get answers. On the real plus, it is helping me understand not to stress about that which is not in my control!)
After dinner we returned to the hotel. Sophie and I tried on our spoils and after a quick meeting with Rajiv about our final day, we hit the hay.
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Day 20: Delhi Tour
Today was dedicated to a guided bus tour of Old and New Delhi! I really enjoyed the whole experience, as it was a great chance to have someone very knowledgeable on all the places talk about their significance. We got a chance to walk around them, and that was pretty great too!
We started at the Qutb Minar (lots of pictures to follow--but it was very foggy out so don't get your hopes up!). It was wicked cool because the complex was built my Mughals and a slave army identifying as Muslims, so they had destroyed all the Hindu and Jain temples then used rubble as building material for their own mosque. It had been covered in plaster, but now that it has worn away, all the Hindu carvings are visible inside the mosque ruins.
Next was the Lotus Temple (the pictures on Wikipedia are definitely cooler than mine). It is a Bahaii place of worship (remember the fruit sale Finn?) and was incredibly gorgeous. The Bahaii faith is founded on the principle that all religions fundamentally worship the same higher being and that all the prophets were from one god. Thus, the Bahaii places of worship take on characteristics of whatever region they are in; in this case, the lotus flower has significance in both Buddhism and Hinduism, so it was a good symbol to use. There also aren't religious symbols inside. Instead, there are readings from all the major religion's texts. When we walked in, a man was singing from the Koran over a speaker system, which reverberated off the walls of the building, creating an eerie but entrancing hum. The gardens there were also beautiful, and it was so neat seeing people of different religions come together.
After that, we grabbed lunch. It was the best chicken, naan, and dal that I have had on this trip!
We then continued on to a Sikh temple, the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib. We had to cover our heads and wash our hands and feet before entering the inner temple. The inside was gilded in gold, and a man at the center was reciting the prayers. We circled around, then continued outside to a large pond next to it. While we were sitting for a photo, random people were taking photos of us. We definitely get a lot of stares here in Delhi, and it was painfully hilarious to see a guy so obviously going out of his way to get a photo of us. We also briefly visited the community kitchen, where anyone can go for a free meal, served restaurant style, any day of the week.
We drove through the center of New Delhi, where the heart of the British empire was. We saw the India Gate briefly, but many things have been closed off because Obama will be there Monday. The next place we got out was Gandhi Smriti, the home where Gandhi spent the last 144 days of his life. It was so peaceful and incredibly moving, as it was part museum as well. There is a raised column (bottom picture on the Wikipedia page) where he was assassinated, and there are raised footsteps leading up to it to show his final walk. The gardens were so beautiful though--after seeing gardens all day, I hope that I have enough money/motivation to create peaceful gardens for myself when I am older.
Next up was Jama Masjid, a stunning mosque where the women had to put on robes before entering. It is huge, and while there isn't a lot to it, the architecture is elegant. We then got on rickshaws! As soon as I sat down, a pigeon relieved itself on me, adding to the hilarity of the situation. With nine rickshaws in a row, we caused a bit of a traffic jam wherever we went. Our goal was to see Chandni Chowk; half of it was closed, but we still traversed the narrow, crowded alleys. It is a main hub for saris and wedding invitations, so the stores were all bright and displayed lavishly bejeweled saris. It was a ton of fun being on a rickshaw (even when we were hooked on another cart and even when I was almost impaled by a two by four and even when Sophie almost lost her leg to an oncoming trash cart!).
We concluded the tour soon thereafter. It had been a blast, but we were all exhausted and took a break in the hotel before heading out for dinner. When the group finally left, we went to a super hygienic fast food type place where we had dosas! I went to buy some chocolates, but the guy at the counter refused my money and insisted that it was his gift to me! (He had a cute smile. It could have been love! But alas, it wasn't meant to be.) We then continued walking to a place to get chicken tikka rolls, which developed from kebabs. We then walked to an ice cream store and back to the hotel!
It was all a really great day, and I am so thankful for the opportunity I've had to be here. With only two days left, it is too surreal to think I'll be leaving so soon. While I am cherishing my time here, I am also excited to be back in the states. All of this travel has made me more easy going and relaxed about things working out: hopefully, this is a lesson I'll keep with me for a long time!
We started at the Qutb Minar (lots of pictures to follow--but it was very foggy out so don't get your hopes up!). It was wicked cool because the complex was built my Mughals and a slave army identifying as Muslims, so they had destroyed all the Hindu and Jain temples then used rubble as building material for their own mosque. It had been covered in plaster, but now that it has worn away, all the Hindu carvings are visible inside the mosque ruins.
Next was the Lotus Temple (the pictures on Wikipedia are definitely cooler than mine). It is a Bahaii place of worship (remember the fruit sale Finn?) and was incredibly gorgeous. The Bahaii faith is founded on the principle that all religions fundamentally worship the same higher being and that all the prophets were from one god. Thus, the Bahaii places of worship take on characteristics of whatever region they are in; in this case, the lotus flower has significance in both Buddhism and Hinduism, so it was a good symbol to use. There also aren't religious symbols inside. Instead, there are readings from all the major religion's texts. When we walked in, a man was singing from the Koran over a speaker system, which reverberated off the walls of the building, creating an eerie but entrancing hum. The gardens there were also beautiful, and it was so neat seeing people of different religions come together.
After that, we grabbed lunch. It was the best chicken, naan, and dal that I have had on this trip!
We then continued on to a Sikh temple, the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib. We had to cover our heads and wash our hands and feet before entering the inner temple. The inside was gilded in gold, and a man at the center was reciting the prayers. We circled around, then continued outside to a large pond next to it. While we were sitting for a photo, random people were taking photos of us. We definitely get a lot of stares here in Delhi, and it was painfully hilarious to see a guy so obviously going out of his way to get a photo of us. We also briefly visited the community kitchen, where anyone can go for a free meal, served restaurant style, any day of the week.
We drove through the center of New Delhi, where the heart of the British empire was. We saw the India Gate briefly, but many things have been closed off because Obama will be there Monday. The next place we got out was Gandhi Smriti, the home where Gandhi spent the last 144 days of his life. It was so peaceful and incredibly moving, as it was part museum as well. There is a raised column (bottom picture on the Wikipedia page) where he was assassinated, and there are raised footsteps leading up to it to show his final walk. The gardens were so beautiful though--after seeing gardens all day, I hope that I have enough money/motivation to create peaceful gardens for myself when I am older.
Next up was Jama Masjid, a stunning mosque where the women had to put on robes before entering. It is huge, and while there isn't a lot to it, the architecture is elegant. We then got on rickshaws! As soon as I sat down, a pigeon relieved itself on me, adding to the hilarity of the situation. With nine rickshaws in a row, we caused a bit of a traffic jam wherever we went. Our goal was to see Chandni Chowk; half of it was closed, but we still traversed the narrow, crowded alleys. It is a main hub for saris and wedding invitations, so the stores were all bright and displayed lavishly bejeweled saris. It was a ton of fun being on a rickshaw (even when we were hooked on another cart and even when I was almost impaled by a two by four and even when Sophie almost lost her leg to an oncoming trash cart!).
We concluded the tour soon thereafter. It had been a blast, but we were all exhausted and took a break in the hotel before heading out for dinner. When the group finally left, we went to a super hygienic fast food type place where we had dosas! I went to buy some chocolates, but the guy at the counter refused my money and insisted that it was his gift to me! (He had a cute smile. It could have been love! But alas, it wasn't meant to be.) We then continued walking to a place to get chicken tikka rolls, which developed from kebabs. We then walked to an ice cream store and back to the hotel!
It was all a really great day, and I am so thankful for the opportunity I've had to be here. With only two days left, it is too surreal to think I'll be leaving so soon. While I am cherishing my time here, I am also excited to be back in the states. All of this travel has made me more easy going and relaxed about things working out: hopefully, this is a lesson I'll keep with me for a long time!
Day 19: Flight to Delhi
Today there isn't too much to write about. After breakfast, we departed for the Bagdogra airport. Half the group left at noon, and the other half (including me) didn't leave until 5:30 pm. Unfortunately, there isn't too much to do in the airport, nor is there wifi. But we survived nonetheless and arrived in Delhi at 8pm. It was awesome flying into the city at night, because the lights stretched out as far as I could see. After a somewhat sketchy car ride in lots of traffic, our group made it to the hotel. We settled in and ate some much needed cheese pizza (courtesy of Pizza Hut). It was so delicious, and I was so happy to have wifi again! (And luckily so, as I needed to do some official business that day!)
Friday, January 23, 2015
Day 18: Makaibari
Day 18: Makaibari
Today we toured the Makaibari Tea Factory and the farms! We began with the factory, where they explained the process of picking, drying, fermenting, then packaging the leaves. Some brief notes on it:
-first tea factory in India
-green tea is not fermented, black tea is
-black tea fermented for two hours
-only tea estate in the world that is permaculture
-only tea estate certified Demeter (a very high European organic rating)
After the factory tour, we met Rajah Banerjee, "The King of Tea." He had just finished packaging a box of tea for Obama when he came down to greet us (Obama will be in Delhi on the 26th for India's constitution day!). He is quite the character, constantly affirming his own social status and power, but he is also an entertaining orator. He talked to us about 'the holy cow' for awhile (it wasn't making much sense), then we got to taste test some of their teas! It was pretty cool getting to see the three parts of tea and try their most special blend--silver tips. Silver tips broke a world record at auction, making it arguably the most desired tea. It is only harvested a few times a year and under a full moon.
We went back to our homestays for lunch, then headed back out to take a tour of the farms themselves. The Makaibari tea farm looks nothing like you'd expect. To start, I didn't know what a tea bush looked like beforehand. It wasn't on the plains or even rolling hills; some of the bushes were growing on rather steep inclines on the sides of the mountain. The tea bushes were interspersed with trees at points, and divided by jungle on the ridges. It was late afternoon when we had set out, and everything looked "magical" (to use the Rajah's favorite word).
Dinner was amazing. Back at the homestay, we were served the veg momos to rule all veg momos (a slight exaggeration, but they really tasted that good!). I was so infatuated, I easily are the same amount I would've pre-sickness. Our room had a few chocolates to top off a meal that had lifted our spirits even higher.
Post-dinner we went to Banerjee's homestead. He tooted his horn a few more times, but he also talked about how important permaculture is to him, why they went organic, and the systems he has set up to directly empower women*. All of which I respect. He also served these delectable crackers with cucumber, tomato, and cheese. I was so happy to be eating tomatoes again. Not being able to eat most fruits or uncooked vegetables has left me craving them more than ever before.
That was it for the day! The night was quieter than the night before (thank goodness) and it seemed that the morning came all too soon.
*Rajah, it should be noted, is the fourth generation to run this farm. He had seen how hard women worked there, only to be devalued once they returned home. So he decided that all profits from homestays went to the woman of the house--not the man. He also created a social program that solely women control. He donates double whatever they make that year and leaves the decision making entirely in their hands. As is found in most places around the world, projects that local women control are far more likely to succeed, and oftentimes education is the major benefactor, elevating the community as a whole. Even if he was egotistical, it was incredibly unique and smart for him to create that type of system.
Day 17: Tiger Hill
Day 17: Tiger Hill
I was up at 5 Wednesday morning, unable to fall back asleep because I had gone to bed so early. I listened to music as the sun rose, and around 7 I started packing. It was our last day at the farm, and after breakfast we loaded up the vans once more for our new destination: the Makaibari Tea Estate. We all felt bad, as Teddy was too sick to come yet. The rest of us had more or less recovered (or so we thought).
After a few hours of driving, with stunning glimpses of Kanchenjunga, we submitted Tiger Hill just after noon. As we came around the corner, the Himalayas--in all their magnificent glory--stretched out before us. It was unbelievably beautiful. We even got to see Mount Everest!! (It was tucked behind some clouds, with only the peak poking out, but it was there nonetheless!)
The whole group ate a simple lunch of peanut butter and bread, with half a slice of Anu's banana bread, while we absorbed the scenery surrounding us. With our hungry eyes and hungry bellies satiated, we drove back down to Darjeeling, where we spent about an hour walking around the shops. It was definitely geared towards Westerners more than Kalimpong or Gangtok had been. There were a lot of neat souvenirs, and I was constantly drooling over all the beautiful saris and shalwars. I love Indian fashion so much, it pains me. We had stopped at a bakery (which I also adore) and bought some postcards, too. Walking back to the vans, sickness struck again. Nathan had so casually walked to the other side of the street--we all agreed it was one of the most poised pukes yet. Seeing vomit is now such a casual thing for the group, we were slightly shaken for a minute but hardly phased.
On the car ride to Makaibari, sickness struck yet again. Although ambiguous in origin (motion sickness being the most likely cause), Allison's sickness seemed sudden; it didn't last long, however, and we arrived around 6:30 pm to our new homestays.
When Sophie, Jocelyn, and I entered our room, we were a little shocked. It walks the line somewhere between hotel rooms and the rooms in our Poshyor homestay. The bathroom was coated in some liquid, with fungus festering in the corner, and spiders to top it off. We three were exhausted after so many hours in the car (and still not being fully recovered). Luckily, I had saved some chocolates and that heightened our spirits until dinner time. At dinner, I ate a fully 50% of my normal amount!! It's about twice as much as my recent average, and I was overly proud of my progress. We hit the hay immediately after eating, layering up and tucking in for a warm night's sleep.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Day 16: Recovery
Day 16: Recovery
Everyone (except for Catherine and Allison) was sick. It came at different times and in slightly different ways, but, in total, 15 of us ended up with something along the lines of food poisoning.
So today, January 20th, was spent relaxing.
Last night was rough, as other people in my room were in and out of the bathroom most the night. I didn't make it to bed until 1am either, as I had slept most of the previous day. It was a blessing in disguise, though, as I was able to use the wifi freely. The lights on the mountainside and the stars were also beautiful.
I managed to eat something at breakfast and a little more for lunch. On the whole I'm definitely feeling better--just still weak and without an appetite.
Today has afforded everyone a lot of time to reflect on the homestays. While most were glad that we had the experience, there were definitely some things we wished would've gone differently. We all felt horrible being waited on so much, draining Poshyor's resources without giving back in a productive way. I had asked Agnes what she wanted, what I could do to be helpful; she told me, "really, we don't want anything." I wish I could've spent more time with her. We were like two peas in a pod.
I think something productive we could've done was help pick up trash around the village. It would've been a big undertaking, but we have a sizable group.
Trash--specifically packaging pollution--is something that goes largely unnoticed in Soil Not Oil. The amount of packaging for many store bought foods is very excessive. Individual cookies will have their own wrappers inside a cardboard box. Packaging, especially for chips, was strewn throughout the village. From my own research, I know that pollution in the jholas, the waterways, is another large issue. I believe it is something that needs to be addressed both locally (with trash pickups and reframing the view of littering, along with increased trash receptacles and waste management services) as well as nationally (with incentives for greener and more efficient packaging).
Another form of pollution--smoke pollution--is unaddressed. In my homestay, the entire roof of the kitchen was coated in black. Also thanks to ICIMOD, I know that there are many issues surrounding the type of fuel used to burn fires and the effects of their emissions. This is again something that needs to be addressed locally. While Soil Not Oil does a great job of pointing out flaws in international law (ie. Carbon trading), Shiva completely excludes action from the level she argues for most: indigenous villages.
Another issue briefly discussed was the bridge situation. During the monsoon season, bridges are washed away, making it extremely difficult to access outside healthcare. While Jochim seemed to support the idea of a more permanent, metal bridge being built, I wondered if he would also support a road leading to it. Roads, as we learned from Praful Rao, are correlated with higher levels of landslides, yet a road was also mean faster access to emergency healthcare services. While I'm not sure about the road, it seems that a bridge in and of itself would be a great idea.
Day 14-5: End of Civic Engagement
Last night was slightly rougher, but I made it through nonetheless! This
morning I was sporting some severe bedhead; luckily, I had already talked with
Agnes about taking a bath today, and they had warm water set aside for me.
Agnes then asked if I wanted her to wash my hair inside or outside. Not wanting
to be seen by my neighbors on either side, we squeezed into the washroom, where
she had me squat down and bend over so she could rinse my hair. There was even
shampoo involved! Suffice it to say that I am immensely thankful because Agnes
did a far better job than I could have by myself, and she wasn't awkward about
it in the least (I think I made up for both of us in that realm). Once clean,
she put on the music that seems to fill every house in the morning (including
but not limited to Lady Gaga). She then went to bathe herself, and here I am
writing part one!
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Begin Part 2
Skip this part if you don't handle the violent expulsion of bodily fluids well.
Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there. I can't really talk about breakfast without gagging. But I had too much. There was archery in the afternoon, and I was dry heaving through that. The smell of the bamboo alcohol/fermented millet drink was adding to the nausea. When we began the hike back up, I had to sit down frequently. What should have been less than a 30 minute hike was easily an hour. I felt so weak. About half way up the rest of the Colby students caught up to me. As Aliza was offering me some pepto bismal, I looked her in the eyes, told her I was going to throw up, turned around and projectiled. 6 times. The rest of the Colby students, also having some form of food poisoning, shuffled by and offered their condolences. Agnes and I then continued the rest of the hike up (I was not moving faster than a turtle at that point).
When we finally reached Agnes's house, I collapsed on my bed. I asked for a bowl and slept for about ten minutes, then awoke to another round of vomit. Half an hour later, Rajiv stopped in to check on me. That is Rajiv, Nathaniel, Mukesh, and many others who I couldn't make out. I sleepily sat up in my bed and tried to answer Rajiv's questions, but I was pretty out of it. Once they left I slept until dinner. Agnes came in to wake me up, propping up pillows behind me. As soon as I was sitting upright, it was round three and all water by that point. Agnes was such a sweetheart about it. She was holding the bowl and stroking my back, telling me how bad her family felt and constantly telling me to "take rest." I tried to reassure her that it wasn't her fault, blaming it instead on the samosas we had in town the day before.
For dinner, she brought in a plate of rice with salty beef broth. She fed me three spoonfuls before I could convince her to let me feed myself. I only managed two more spoonfuls before calling it quits. I felt so bad for barely eating, for being sick on our last day together, but there was nothing I could do to help it at that point.
It wasn't the best night’s sleep, but mine went better than a lot of other people's. Rajiv called just before 7am to make sure I was doing okay. My family brought me tea in bed, and I just sat there, staring at it. They then brought me biscuits (cookies) to eat with it and I could only manage to feebly shake my head no. The tea went untouched too. I couldn't eat anything for breakfast that morning; the smell of food on the way to the bathroom was nauseating enough.
I talked with Agnes for awhile, reassuring her that I would miss her, not forget them, add her on Facebook, and keep in touch. Around 9 am we departed. It was much easier downhill, and we made it without breaks to the school. As other students arrived, we learned of the horrors of each. Here isn't the place for their stories, but suffice it to say we all had a therapeutic experience laughing at the loss of our bodily fluids and dignity.
None of us were feeling up to lunch, so the vans came early to take us back to the farm. We all relaxed for the rest of the day, recovering from the toll that food poisoning had taken on our bodies.
-------------------------------------------
Begin Part 2
Skip this part if you don't handle the violent expulsion of bodily fluids well.
Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there. I can't really talk about breakfast without gagging. But I had too much. There was archery in the afternoon, and I was dry heaving through that. The smell of the bamboo alcohol/fermented millet drink was adding to the nausea. When we began the hike back up, I had to sit down frequently. What should have been less than a 30 minute hike was easily an hour. I felt so weak. About half way up the rest of the Colby students caught up to me. As Aliza was offering me some pepto bismal, I looked her in the eyes, told her I was going to throw up, turned around and projectiled. 6 times. The rest of the Colby students, also having some form of food poisoning, shuffled by and offered their condolences. Agnes and I then continued the rest of the hike up (I was not moving faster than a turtle at that point).
When we finally reached Agnes's house, I collapsed on my bed. I asked for a bowl and slept for about ten minutes, then awoke to another round of vomit. Half an hour later, Rajiv stopped in to check on me. That is Rajiv, Nathaniel, Mukesh, and many others who I couldn't make out. I sleepily sat up in my bed and tried to answer Rajiv's questions, but I was pretty out of it. Once they left I slept until dinner. Agnes came in to wake me up, propping up pillows behind me. As soon as I was sitting upright, it was round three and all water by that point. Agnes was such a sweetheart about it. She was holding the bowl and stroking my back, telling me how bad her family felt and constantly telling me to "take rest." I tried to reassure her that it wasn't her fault, blaming it instead on the samosas we had in town the day before.
For dinner, she brought in a plate of rice with salty beef broth. She fed me three spoonfuls before I could convince her to let me feed myself. I only managed two more spoonfuls before calling it quits. I felt so bad for barely eating, for being sick on our last day together, but there was nothing I could do to help it at that point.
It wasn't the best night’s sleep, but mine went better than a lot of other people's. Rajiv called just before 7am to make sure I was doing okay. My family brought me tea in bed, and I just sat there, staring at it. They then brought me biscuits (cookies) to eat with it and I could only manage to feebly shake my head no. The tea went untouched too. I couldn't eat anything for breakfast that morning; the smell of food on the way to the bathroom was nauseating enough.
I talked with Agnes for awhile, reassuring her that I would miss her, not forget them, add her on Facebook, and keep in touch. Around 9 am we departed. It was much easier downhill, and we made it without breaks to the school. As other students arrived, we learned of the horrors of each. Here isn't the place for their stories, but suffice it to say we all had a therapeutic experience laughing at the loss of our bodily fluids and dignity.
None of us were feeling up to lunch, so the vans came early to take us back to the farm. We all relaxed for the rest of the day, recovering from the toll that food poisoning had taken on our bodies.
Monday, January 19, 2015
Day 13: Civic Engagement 4
My homestay is fantastic. I had a great night’s sleep under a huge, fluffy
purple blanket, and little interruption from dogs or roosters. Around 8 am,
breakfast was served; I had no less than five slices of toast (complete with
butter and/or jam), a boiled egg, and a slice of packaged marble cake-ish
deliciousness. Agnes then took me to Aliza's home, where we chatted for a bit.
We then went with Aliza and her two homestay brothers to Nathan's house, where
we met up with him and Kumar (a former military officer). All of us went on a
short jaunt through the trails to a sunny clearing in the jungle, where we used
Kumar's binoculars to look at the mountains on the other side. A very famous
statue of Shiva was visible atop the peak, and Kanchenjunga was still
majestically poking out from the foothills.
After that, we went back to our respective homes and rested a bit. I was told to sit in different places, and I ended up just going with the flow, enjoying the sun outdoors. Once Agnes was ready, we gathered Aliza and Nathan (after a short demo on how to make sili roti), then headed up the path five minutes to meet Teddy. We all continued upwards until we reached a main road, where omni buses picked us up and escorted us to King Thai. Once downtown, we made our way to the park and hung out with Maddie, Sophie, Catherine, Jocelyn, and a few of the girls from the village.
We were eventually summoned to the markets, and the whole lot of Colby students and accompanying Poshyor-ians explored the stalls filled with bags, clothes, vegetables, spices, and other household items. I had picked up dried and sugared coconut strips from a street vendor--they were amazing and I've definitely kept some to snack on later (and will try my best to bring some back to the US).
The whole group made their way to the church with Mary on a lotus flower. Agnes was telling me that her family goes to church there once a week to once a month. It sounded a lot like mass at home, except it lasts from 9am-4pm. The traveling caravan once again set off towards King Thai, where we had lunch. I think I found my favorite food at King Thai: pakura. It is a fried potato patty with other veggies in it and it was soooooo good. Agnes asked Susan (mom) to make it for us tomorrow!
After lunch, we walked to MBI. They are an organization that provides students with a place to practice and perform in an orchestra. They put on a whole concert for us, concluding with excellent piano solos from one of the boys. They repeated how honored they were to have us, as we are their first American visitors, but we all felt pretty unworthy considering we had done nothing to earn the honor of their performance nor do any of us have a strong orchestral background (we seem to be constantly disappointing people in our lack of string-instrument-playing abilities). We then had a meet and greet (supplemented by black tea, biscuits, and samosas). All of us Colby students were feeling pretty exhausted from the constant and new social interactions and because many people hadn't slept well.
We took a group picture, headed back to King Thai, got a ride back to the drop off points, and walked back home. Along the way, Agnes asked me to teach her some Spanish--she picked up on it so quickly! Once home, I was offered (and couldn't deny) black tea. It is so good, it's unreal. They add black pepper to it and it is amazing. I then taught Agnes more Spanish and Siphora did my nails; I was told Halloween-orange is an excellent color for me. (On the topic of which, everyone is still complimenting me to no end. I've been told my eyebrows are pretty, my cheeks are cute, my hair is a nice color and that the whole village loves that I speak some Nepali. Some of the other students have told me I'm talked about in their homes--and that they are now expected to speak Nepali too (sorry about that). I've also been told I resemble a famous politician and that I could wear any color (multiple times). It is all so weird.)
Agnes then asked if I wanted to dance and I was down so they played Nepali music in the living room and brought in their parents, who bounded into action, enthusiastically grooving to the beat. Siphora also taught me how to dance to Hindi songs, then I taught them how to dance American-style (kind of, not really) and the family was so enchanted. We said prayers afterwards then had a scrumdiddlyumptious dinner of beef, broth, and noodles. I called it an early bedtime soon after. I can't believe I only have tonight and tomorrow night here! It is going by too fast.
I don't have any complaints here--I am so lucky that this family is letting me stay with them. I really want to give back in a meaningful way, because they've been so generous and I've done absolutely nothing to deserve their kindness. Hopefully in the future, or once back at Colby, I can figure out something. Until then, I'll be brainstorming.
After that, we went back to our respective homes and rested a bit. I was told to sit in different places, and I ended up just going with the flow, enjoying the sun outdoors. Once Agnes was ready, we gathered Aliza and Nathan (after a short demo on how to make sili roti), then headed up the path five minutes to meet Teddy. We all continued upwards until we reached a main road, where omni buses picked us up and escorted us to King Thai. Once downtown, we made our way to the park and hung out with Maddie, Sophie, Catherine, Jocelyn, and a few of the girls from the village.
We were eventually summoned to the markets, and the whole lot of Colby students and accompanying Poshyor-ians explored the stalls filled with bags, clothes, vegetables, spices, and other household items. I had picked up dried and sugared coconut strips from a street vendor--they were amazing and I've definitely kept some to snack on later (and will try my best to bring some back to the US).
The whole group made their way to the church with Mary on a lotus flower. Agnes was telling me that her family goes to church there once a week to once a month. It sounded a lot like mass at home, except it lasts from 9am-4pm. The traveling caravan once again set off towards King Thai, where we had lunch. I think I found my favorite food at King Thai: pakura. It is a fried potato patty with other veggies in it and it was soooooo good. Agnes asked Susan (mom) to make it for us tomorrow!
After lunch, we walked to MBI. They are an organization that provides students with a place to practice and perform in an orchestra. They put on a whole concert for us, concluding with excellent piano solos from one of the boys. They repeated how honored they were to have us, as we are their first American visitors, but we all felt pretty unworthy considering we had done nothing to earn the honor of their performance nor do any of us have a strong orchestral background (we seem to be constantly disappointing people in our lack of string-instrument-playing abilities). We then had a meet and greet (supplemented by black tea, biscuits, and samosas). All of us Colby students were feeling pretty exhausted from the constant and new social interactions and because many people hadn't slept well.
We took a group picture, headed back to King Thai, got a ride back to the drop off points, and walked back home. Along the way, Agnes asked me to teach her some Spanish--she picked up on it so quickly! Once home, I was offered (and couldn't deny) black tea. It is so good, it's unreal. They add black pepper to it and it is amazing. I then taught Agnes more Spanish and Siphora did my nails; I was told Halloween-orange is an excellent color for me. (On the topic of which, everyone is still complimenting me to no end. I've been told my eyebrows are pretty, my cheeks are cute, my hair is a nice color and that the whole village loves that I speak some Nepali. Some of the other students have told me I'm talked about in their homes--and that they are now expected to speak Nepali too (sorry about that). I've also been told I resemble a famous politician and that I could wear any color (multiple times). It is all so weird.)
Agnes then asked if I wanted to dance and I was down so they played Nepali music in the living room and brought in their parents, who bounded into action, enthusiastically grooving to the beat. Siphora also taught me how to dance to Hindi songs, then I taught them how to dance American-style (kind of, not really) and the family was so enchanted. We said prayers afterwards then had a scrumdiddlyumptious dinner of beef, broth, and noodles. I called it an early bedtime soon after. I can't believe I only have tonight and tomorrow night here! It is going by too fast.
I don't have any complaints here--I am so lucky that this family is letting me stay with them. I really want to give back in a meaningful way, because they've been so generous and I've done absolutely nothing to deserve their kindness. Hopefully in the future, or once back at Colby, I can figure out something. Until then, I'll be brainstorming.
Day 12: Civic Engagement 3
Today is the first day of our homestays! But more on that in a bit. First, I
am pleased to say, the whole morning was dedicated to eating breakfast and then
basking in the sun at the farm. It was (another!) glorious day, and my tan is
definitely improving. After a few hours of down time, we walked to town (a two
hour process, as we stopped at Dr Graham's school on the way). Once in town, we
took taxis down to fifth mile and hiked into Poshyor. We had a light and late
lunch, then began momo-making!
Luckily, the dough and filling were pre made--and other students were working on making thin circles out of small balls of dough--so I was part of the momo filling and shaping process. This is easily the coolest part: beginning with the small circle of dough and a bit of filling, you fold the edges, pinching them together to create a rippling look. You then bring the other side to these folds and make sure it is crescent shaped. You can also make it circular, with a twisted or raised top! The momos were then steamed and served with a delicious sauce. We used huge washed leaves as our plates and greedily devoured what we had so proudly created (albeit only in part).
The kids then pulled us away to play games, some people participating in soccer-like demonstrations of how high they could kick the ball and others playing Wah! (myself joining the latter). After awhile, they matched us up with our homestay families and everyone set off in their own direction.
I got to know my homestay sister, Agnes, a bit better: she is training to become a tutor for young children. She wants to be a social worker. We had stopped at a few houses along the way, and she told me that at each the families had remarked on how cute I am. It is a running joke with other Colby students here that I am so popular in this village. I don't know why, but there is a hint of truth to it. I always seem to have a posse, and (according to Agnes) everyone seems to really like me. Agnes had even said that upon first seeing me she really liked me. I had asked her why and she phrased it as "you are so familiar," meaning that I was immediately comfortable around people, treating them like friends. Here, I think at least, that means a lot of smiling, laughing and touching. Agnes also said I've been really good with names (thank you ICIMOD) and I have been trying really hard to pick up more Nepali.
When we got to her house (after many, many stairs), I was introduced to her sister-in-law, Siphora (not sure on the spelling, pronounced see-for-uh). We had some delicious black tea and biscuits, then ventured even farther up the hill. We stopped in at one house to see a puja ceremony (with monks reading scripts, drums, horns, and bone flutes), but we didn't stay long and soon ended up in Kamar Singh Tamong's home, where Nathan is staying. Both Nathan and Aliza were there, surrounded by a sea of kids. We interacted with them for awhile, including an extensive photo-album-viewing session, then headed back home. Back at Agnes's house, we watched Indian movies; it is so interesting to see the different kinds of filming, humor, and social cues in those movies. But I laughed at appropriate times and I think that was good bonding for Siphora, Susan (mom) and I, too. Siphora also has really good English, and she just got married a month ago, so we talked about that for awhile. Both her and her parents had a love marriage, and her husband, Immanuel, is in Gangtok working as a chef. Siphora also talked about how she loved being here with Agnes (they're besties, and even share the same bed). Agnes had gone to wash her face, and when she eventually returned she said it was time for prayers.
We went to their parents' room, where there is a small altar/shrine with a statue of the Virgin Mary, three crucifixes (body on the cross), a few rosaries, two candles, and three drawings/paintings of Jesus and the holy family. Agnes then led a mini mass, which was entirely in Nepali but of Christian prayers and even a reading from Mark. There was singing, holy water (which I mistakenly asked if I was supposed to drink), and many signs of the crosses involved. After prayers, it was time for dinner. They had set up a table in what was otherwise a living room/sitting room/davenport, but with only three chairs. I was really confused about why we weren't eating together, when, after some pushy questioning, they told me they usually did. Agnes admitted that they usually are in the kitchen, which would be a little cramped if we were all in there, but by that time I had already finagled my way down the hall. It was really nice though, seeing the family interact. They had an easy kind of banter that quite obviously was not a show for me but an indicator of how close they were. Bernard (dad) and I were set off at a small table, and, with his English very limited, I tried to learn the Nepali words for basic items around me (I can now say I've mastered banana).
I've only known them for a few hours, but I already feel so welcomed and close with this family. They are working so hard to accommodate me (water needs to be boiled, extra food needs to be cooked, I even get a whole room to myself!!!), and they've asked a few times if I am comfortable, if the house is okay. I've been trying to reassure them because they have such a nice house, and I feel so at home here. I couldn't be happier with my homestay family.
Luckily, the dough and filling were pre made--and other students were working on making thin circles out of small balls of dough--so I was part of the momo filling and shaping process. This is easily the coolest part: beginning with the small circle of dough and a bit of filling, you fold the edges, pinching them together to create a rippling look. You then bring the other side to these folds and make sure it is crescent shaped. You can also make it circular, with a twisted or raised top! The momos were then steamed and served with a delicious sauce. We used huge washed leaves as our plates and greedily devoured what we had so proudly created (albeit only in part).
The kids then pulled us away to play games, some people participating in soccer-like demonstrations of how high they could kick the ball and others playing Wah! (myself joining the latter). After awhile, they matched us up with our homestay families and everyone set off in their own direction.
I got to know my homestay sister, Agnes, a bit better: she is training to become a tutor for young children. She wants to be a social worker. We had stopped at a few houses along the way, and she told me that at each the families had remarked on how cute I am. It is a running joke with other Colby students here that I am so popular in this village. I don't know why, but there is a hint of truth to it. I always seem to have a posse, and (according to Agnes) everyone seems to really like me. Agnes had even said that upon first seeing me she really liked me. I had asked her why and she phrased it as "you are so familiar," meaning that I was immediately comfortable around people, treating them like friends. Here, I think at least, that means a lot of smiling, laughing and touching. Agnes also said I've been really good with names (thank you ICIMOD) and I have been trying really hard to pick up more Nepali.
When we got to her house (after many, many stairs), I was introduced to her sister-in-law, Siphora (not sure on the spelling, pronounced see-for-uh). We had some delicious black tea and biscuits, then ventured even farther up the hill. We stopped in at one house to see a puja ceremony (with monks reading scripts, drums, horns, and bone flutes), but we didn't stay long and soon ended up in Kamar Singh Tamong's home, where Nathan is staying. Both Nathan and Aliza were there, surrounded by a sea of kids. We interacted with them for awhile, including an extensive photo-album-viewing session, then headed back home. Back at Agnes's house, we watched Indian movies; it is so interesting to see the different kinds of filming, humor, and social cues in those movies. But I laughed at appropriate times and I think that was good bonding for Siphora, Susan (mom) and I, too. Siphora also has really good English, and she just got married a month ago, so we talked about that for awhile. Both her and her parents had a love marriage, and her husband, Immanuel, is in Gangtok working as a chef. Siphora also talked about how she loved being here with Agnes (they're besties, and even share the same bed). Agnes had gone to wash her face, and when she eventually returned she said it was time for prayers.
We went to their parents' room, where there is a small altar/shrine with a statue of the Virgin Mary, three crucifixes (body on the cross), a few rosaries, two candles, and three drawings/paintings of Jesus and the holy family. Agnes then led a mini mass, which was entirely in Nepali but of Christian prayers and even a reading from Mark. There was singing, holy water (which I mistakenly asked if I was supposed to drink), and many signs of the crosses involved. After prayers, it was time for dinner. They had set up a table in what was otherwise a living room/sitting room/davenport, but with only three chairs. I was really confused about why we weren't eating together, when, after some pushy questioning, they told me they usually did. Agnes admitted that they usually are in the kitchen, which would be a little cramped if we were all in there, but by that time I had already finagled my way down the hall. It was really nice though, seeing the family interact. They had an easy kind of banter that quite obviously was not a show for me but an indicator of how close they were. Bernard (dad) and I were set off at a small table, and, with his English very limited, I tried to learn the Nepali words for basic items around me (I can now say I've mastered banana).
I've only known them for a few hours, but I already feel so welcomed and close with this family. They are working so hard to accommodate me (water needs to be boiled, extra food needs to be cooked, I even get a whole room to myself!!!), and they've asked a few times if I am comfortable, if the house is okay. I've been trying to reassure them because they have such a nice house, and I feel so at home here. I couldn't be happier with my homestay family.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Day 11: Civic Engagement 2
This morning we listened to a presentation from Praful Rao, president of the SaveTheHills NGO. He titled his slideshow: Dismal Facts from a Non-Expert. Rao gave a pretty thorough picture of the devastation of landslides in the area, as well as causes (ie. tourism, road construction, cloud burst). While it was a great presentation, he had used ICIMOD (where I worked last summer) for many of his statistics and even some maps. It was great to see that the research done at ICIMOD is used for more local awareness, yet I was left with mixed feelings about this particular NGO. I had asked him afterwards if he knew of ICIMOD (yes) and why he didn't work with them, considering that they focus on disaster management in this region, are facilitating regional cooperation (which he stressed was necessary), and monitor rainfall (he had also been setting up rain gauges). He told me he had met with the Director General, David Molden, but quickly attempted to change topics by asking what I was studying in school. I returned to the topic, asking again why he chose not to collaborate with an organization that had so much manpower, exposure, respect, and resources, but he claimed they weren't really on his radar. While he seemed passionated about helping others--especially indigenous peoples--in the region, something was off to me. Nevertheless, an organization focusing on landslides has a lot of potential for good in the region. He was very well informed and I hope that that knowledge can spread through awareness programs like the one we participated in today.
After his presentation, we had some samosas and gulab jammun before hiking into Poshyor. On the way, Aalana, Critika, and Sumitra found me and barely left my side for the next four hours! They are 15-19 years old, but the youngest held my hand through the entire walk (and the second hike we took later in the day!). When we arrived at the school, Rao gave another short presentation and another man spoke briefly on the environmental issues facing the village (the Q&A afterwards focused on healthcare, as there isn't any in the village and it can be exceedingly difficult to get to a hospital in Kalimpong when the bridge to get there is washed out). We then went on an hour long hike around the village--it was pretty hot out and there were many breaks involved!
After lunch, I volunteered to weave baskets. After completing the base of one, a guy took it apart and had me start over: the second base was much better. :) While I still haven't gotten the hang of the corners, I can do the basic weaving pattern! I'll have to finish it tomorrow, though, as there weren't enough teachers to help the four of us who were weaving.
We left during that and spent about an hour in Kalimpong. I had gone to One Cup, a quaint coffee spot with amazing brownies, ice cream and cafe mochas. It was back to the farm after that! We were all exhausted from the day, but I think most everyone is looking forward to beginning the homestays tomorrow! I've exchanged about two sentences with the people I'm staying with, so we should have plenty to talk about these next three days! I'm also excited to see my three bahinis again, as their English is just good enough to be able to joke around. :)
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Day 10: Civic Engagement 1
January 14th is the halfway point and the beginning of our civic engagement!
The next 6 days will be spent in a Lepcha village (which we learned more specifically
falls under the Rai indigenous group). There, we will be interacting with the
community through song and dance, basket weaving, and homestays for three of
the nights. I met my homestay family (briefly); there was a father and his
daughter, who is my age! She speaks English but he does not. But I am excited because
being able to (perhaps indirectly) talk with an elder is an amazing opportunity
for learning about the history of the village and how climate change has
manifested itself in the region.
To get to the village, we divided in half and I ended up in the group that walked down to the school. We first hiked to the top of the village, then wound down on a narrow mostly-dirt-but-at-times-rocky path. We eventually made it to the school; as we came around the corner, everyone collected on the lawn and began clapping. For me, it was embarrassingly awkward, but others got a kick out of it. We took our place in chairs outside the school while dozens of children sat on hay beside us. They were so adorable, rolling over each other and trying to find a place to sit.
Two teenagers emceed the event, speaking in both English and Nepali so everyone could understand. There were four different dances before lunch (videos and pictures to follow), then we talked with people for about an hour over lunch. We spent another hour listening to the religious rituals and history of the community. One of the ceremonies for marriage is to either bring the families together in agreement, or, more frequently here, the girl runs away from her family without notice to live with the guy's family. If the girl's family sanctions the marriage, they will go to the other house and make arrangements. If not, the girl and guy have to go to a monk to officiate their marriage.
After the talk, there was another dance; after that dance, they asked us all to come up and dance with them. The girls who had just performed showed us how to do their moves, but we had no clue what to show them when they asked for American dance moves. The Macarena and a few other classics surfaced, but it left us all wishing Americans had a more unifying style of dance that we could have shown them.
We left after the group dance and stopped in Kalimpong, where we visited a paper making factory and ate samosas. Back at the farm, we had dinner and a raging dance party to 70s/80s music ensued. Anu was getting really into it and showed us how to dance to Punjabi songs. Another professor from Colby, Divya, visited us and joined in! She'll be teaching as a professor of ecological policy in the spring. Anu had also made amazing banana bread, which perfectly hit the spot before we saundered off to bed.
To get to the village, we divided in half and I ended up in the group that walked down to the school. We first hiked to the top of the village, then wound down on a narrow mostly-dirt-but-at-times-rocky path. We eventually made it to the school; as we came around the corner, everyone collected on the lawn and began clapping. For me, it was embarrassingly awkward, but others got a kick out of it. We took our place in chairs outside the school while dozens of children sat on hay beside us. They were so adorable, rolling over each other and trying to find a place to sit.
Two teenagers emceed the event, speaking in both English and Nepali so everyone could understand. There were four different dances before lunch (videos and pictures to follow), then we talked with people for about an hour over lunch. We spent another hour listening to the religious rituals and history of the community. One of the ceremonies for marriage is to either bring the families together in agreement, or, more frequently here, the girl runs away from her family without notice to live with the guy's family. If the girl's family sanctions the marriage, they will go to the other house and make arrangements. If not, the girl and guy have to go to a monk to officiate their marriage.
After the talk, there was another dance; after that dance, they asked us all to come up and dance with them. The girls who had just performed showed us how to do their moves, but we had no clue what to show them when they asked for American dance moves. The Macarena and a few other classics surfaced, but it left us all wishing Americans had a more unifying style of dance that we could have shown them.
We left after the group dance and stopped in Kalimpong, where we visited a paper making factory and ate samosas. Back at the farm, we had dinner and a raging dance party to 70s/80s music ensued. Anu was getting really into it and showed us how to dance to Punjabi songs. Another professor from Colby, Divya, visited us and joined in! She'll be teaching as a professor of ecological policy in the spring. Anu had also made amazing banana bread, which perfectly hit the spot before we saundered off to bed.
Day 9: Vacation Day
Today we relaxed and it was superb. We were all exhausted from the excursion
to Gangtok, and most of the day was spent lying out in the sun (I have a watch
tan line to prove it). We also had a great discussion that night, although the
topic was rather broad.
Day 8: Churongo
Today we ventured back to Kalimpong via steep and rocky roads. The roads
were perhaps the least expected part of this JanPlan for me, as they provide
both fantastic views and instill heart-racing terror. There were a few stops
along the way, where we had to prove our identities, but everything went
smoothly and we eventually arrived at the farm in time for lunch.
I had a wonderful time relaxing in my own bed again, listening to music and enjoying the sunshine. In the afternoon, we had a musical guest (whose name I've forgotten) come and play a few instruments for us. He did a cover of “Imagine” in Nepali and sang “Yesterday” in English, while also doing a few traditional Nepali songs on a small guitar called the churongo. We were able to interact with him for awhile afterwards, and I ended up having a one-on-one conversation with him for almost 45 minutes. He is head of a program that is working to archive indigenous languages through music; his first project was to put the Nepali alphabet to music and the government of Nepal has since been working with him to incorporate it into education. He said that the project has gotten a lot of attention throughout the region, and many cultures that are being overrun by mainland culture (ie. Gurung and Tamong languages being replaced with Hindi) want him to make an alphabet song/capture their language on tape. His partner, Effie, is from Jerusalem and just quit her job last summer to move to India and focus on painting. She brought a whole sketchbook of drawings she has been working on; Effie incorporates a lot of geometrical patterns into portraits and the result is really beautiful.
After they departed, the group bonded over a few hysterical games of mafia before dinner. I am so pleased with how the group has been getting along; I feel we all mesh very well and work towards inclusivity. By that time we were all zonked, so we called it an early night. It was one of the best nights of sleep I've had yet!
I had a wonderful time relaxing in my own bed again, listening to music and enjoying the sunshine. In the afternoon, we had a musical guest (whose name I've forgotten) come and play a few instruments for us. He did a cover of “Imagine” in Nepali and sang “Yesterday” in English, while also doing a few traditional Nepali songs on a small guitar called the churongo. We were able to interact with him for awhile afterwards, and I ended up having a one-on-one conversation with him for almost 45 minutes. He is head of a program that is working to archive indigenous languages through music; his first project was to put the Nepali alphabet to music and the government of Nepal has since been working with him to incorporate it into education. He said that the project has gotten a lot of attention throughout the region, and many cultures that are being overrun by mainland culture (ie. Gurung and Tamong languages being replaced with Hindi) want him to make an alphabet song/capture their language on tape. His partner, Effie, is from Jerusalem and just quit her job last summer to move to India and focus on painting. She brought a whole sketchbook of drawings she has been working on; Effie incorporates a lot of geometrical patterns into portraits and the result is really beautiful.
After they departed, the group bonded over a few hysterical games of mafia before dinner. I am so pleased with how the group has been getting along; I feel we all mesh very well and work towards inclusivity. By that time we were all zonked, so we called it an early night. It was one of the best nights of sleep I've had yet!
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Day 7: Yakland
Today's big excursion was a yak ride! To get there, the group took taxis
about an hour and a half up 7000 feet in elevation. The views were stunning;
clouds sunk between the mountains, which seemed to fold into each other.
Everyone in my car agreed that we felt so insignificant in the face of
it.
The yak rides were very different than expected. To start, all the yaks were smaller than I had imagined (smaller than cows for comparison!). They also seemed to be absent-mindedly staring at the ground and barely moving. There were thick silver rings through their noses, which were tied to a rope so that they could be easily controlled. Finally, my yak and the yak ahead had fallen on the steps, leading me to think that they were either very fatigued or that the steps were difficult to ascend. In total, the treatment and disposition of the animals was alarming and I ended up feeling guilty about supporting the industry.
We also got to walk around Tsomgo Lake a bit. There were tall prayer flags flapping in the wind and many people who wanted pictures with the white Americans.
With our excursion complete, we headed back to Gangtok and shopped for awhile, then the routine of fire chatting, dinner, and bed!
Seeing the mountains today had a really profound effect. It is amazing to me how people decided to colonize the Indian jungle and risk their lives building roads to take them to the summit. Why do humans have such a desire to go further? To see and do more than anyone before? Seeing the buildings, the thin road snaking across the mountain face, and the insect sized vans traversing them makes our effect seem insignificant. Yet the books we are reading point out the tremendous effect humans have had on the chemical and biological composition of the earth.
It has also been interesting seeing such a strong military presence. When we walked into Rumtek, men with assault rifles guarded the entry. They were present throughout the monastery, as well. I wonder what type of psychological effects seeing armed militia has on civilians, when they seem to be nearly always present. While The Circle of Karma supposedly takes place in the 1990s, there is no mention of military men anywhere in the novel. Is this because they weren't there, or because it is so unremarkable to someone from the region?
The yak rides were very different than expected. To start, all the yaks were smaller than I had imagined (smaller than cows for comparison!). They also seemed to be absent-mindedly staring at the ground and barely moving. There were thick silver rings through their noses, which were tied to a rope so that they could be easily controlled. Finally, my yak and the yak ahead had fallen on the steps, leading me to think that they were either very fatigued or that the steps were difficult to ascend. In total, the treatment and disposition of the animals was alarming and I ended up feeling guilty about supporting the industry.
We also got to walk around Tsomgo Lake a bit. There were tall prayer flags flapping in the wind and many people who wanted pictures with the white Americans.
With our excursion complete, we headed back to Gangtok and shopped for awhile, then the routine of fire chatting, dinner, and bed!
Seeing the mountains today had a really profound effect. It is amazing to me how people decided to colonize the Indian jungle and risk their lives building roads to take them to the summit. Why do humans have such a desire to go further? To see and do more than anyone before? Seeing the buildings, the thin road snaking across the mountain face, and the insect sized vans traversing them makes our effect seem insignificant. Yet the books we are reading point out the tremendous effect humans have had on the chemical and biological composition of the earth.
It has also been interesting seeing such a strong military presence. When we walked into Rumtek, men with assault rifles guarded the entry. They were present throughout the monastery, as well. I wonder what type of psychological effects seeing armed militia has on civilians, when they seem to be nearly always present. While The Circle of Karma supposedly takes place in the 1990s, there is no mention of military men anywhere in the novel. Is this because they weren't there, or because it is so unremarkable to someone from the region?
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