So Many Stories

I feel like the weekend came and went far too quickly. How is it Monday already?!

I spent the majority of the weekend lying in my bed with a book or on my phone because we got new Wi-Fi! I can now use my phone in my room which was something that rarely happened before. I was also able to get out the house a little bit though which was very nice!

On Friday afternoon, we went home with the librarian. We walked for about an hour to get there. I didn’t mind the fact that we were walking because I could use the exercise to work of some of the potatoes, paneer and naan. Anyways, about 45ish minutes in, I began to feel tired so mad props to Sunita for doing that twice a day! When we arrived to her home we were welcomed with smiles. We were led into the small room were we all sat in a circle getting to know her family with her and her sisters translating for us. At one point, her dad announced that he would tell our futures. He began by writing our names on his palm in Hindi and after a few seconds he would look at you then close his eyes again. After reading my mind as he said, he told me that I will be a teacher. He wasn’t too far off considering I am a paraprofessional during the summers. After a round of snacks, a few songs, many laughs and a cup of chai things got serious. Her dad told us that even when we are not at their home, we are his guest. By this, he meant that he and his family would be taking us in as their family until we leave India. One of the younger sisters even suggested that we spend Sundays with them so we can do different things and go different places throughout our stay. Our new “dad” even walked with us to get a rickshaw and negotiated a fair price with the driver to make sure we didn’t get ripped off. He walked behind the rickshaw for as long as he could waving goodbye to us. Sunita and her family insisted that she traveled back with us to make sure that we got home safely. We only agreed to this after she agreed to let us pay for her rickshaw home so she wouldn’t have to walk home. When we got back, we went straight to the café to hang out with Sunil, the café manager and Sunita’s older brother. We told him that he had an amazing family and that he now has 8 sisters instead of 3. He responded by puffing out his chest and saying he is the best big brother!

As I said in my last post, the crew wants me to write about some of the funny things that have been happening here. So, here they go:

After a few days in Varanasi, we were more than ready to see the Ganges River. Sunil came to campus at 6AM to walk us to the river since we got lost a few days prior. As we were walking one of the girls who shall not be named stepped in a pile of cow feces. Although, it was really unfortunate we couldn’t stop ourselves from laughing. Sunil asked one of the merchants along the way for some water so she should rinse her foot. It is hilarious even to this day.

While at the mall in Lucknow, we witnessed a push-up contest. A very terrible push-up contest might I add. Two of my teammates are studying here in India with me and I don’t know if it is because we are athletes or not but we were really critical of the contestants form. As soon as we looked over the railing, we all said, “Oh my God”. It literally looked like everyone was humping the floor and doing the worm at the same time. Quite the effort!

After we returned to Varanasi from Lucknow, it was time to stop putting off laundry day. So during one of our walks we bought a couple of bars of laundry detergent for our laundry party. We set up two of the bathrooms with buckets and a bar of detergent. After setting up ropes and finding all of the hangers in the house, we were ready. After about an hour of washing, the house was covered in clothes. The next day, after returning from class we saw that some of the clothes were missing from the hallway. Turns out one of the “didis” took the clothes outside to dry quicker in the sun. That was really nice of her however; the majority of the clothes taken out were some the girls’ underwear and bras. So the little school children got an eye full that afternoon.

Less than a week back, we discovered a mouse in our house. I didn’t see the rodent the first time however, Elizabeth did. She screamed so loud I think I lost my hearing for a few seconds. She said she saw it run into the bedroom closest to the front door. After leaving the house for a few hours we returned to see that the girl living in the room the mouse ran into, Katherine, deeply cleaning her room because the mouse made its presence known. She even moved her cupboard into the hallway so the mouse the mouse couldn’t use it as a hiding spot. It ended up running out of the house soon after. Of course the mouse returned a few days later when there were three of us in the house. We made Katherine be the brave soul to find it since she is the oldest. So she hopped across furniture armed with a broom. She eventually scared it enough to make it run towards the front of the house where it hid in a hole in the wall until it ran back out the front door. It was then decided that we should block the roughly 1.5 inch gap between the floor and the door with an old sheet. Two nights ago, it came back. This time when it left, we blocked not only the door but also the hole it likes to run into. Hopefully, it stays away for a while.   

For one of our Hindi classes on Thursday, we took a walk around the area we live in. Our neighborhood, if you will, is shaped like a triangle. It is filled with fairly new apartment buildings across and next to us, store front shops and the “curbs” are occupied by merchants selling fruit. When we finished our tour of the area, we went a lassi shop we passed at the beginning of the trip. A few months ago, I figured out that I am lactose intolerant. So, I have been trying to be very careful about what I eat because the last thing I need is to be sick. My friends and I tried to explain to my teacher that I was allergic to milk. My teacher insisted that I have one anyway because I wasn’t drinking milk but curd. I told her not to order one for me because I could just taste someone else’s. She said, “No, you try. Just pray to your God and drink it”. I laughed so hard. No one else heard her say it so I had to explain what was said. I did end up praying and drank the extra-small order of the lassi. I felt really weird after drinking it but that feeling went away after a little while.

Anything involving Sunil is funny honestly. Highlight of my time so far has to be the dance party/concert we had. We have gotten into the habit of staying in the café with Sunil until his shift ends. We usually just talk and listen to music on the radio. Depending on his goofy level for the night, we can get him to sin g to us or dance. This weekend, we got him to do both at the same time. Seriously, it was one of the funniest things to happen here.

Yesterday, we took a day trip with an art history professor to Sarnath. For those who do not know about Sarnath, it is the place where Buddha first preacched. As we walked through the museum, we noticed a very interesting piece. It was an elephant figurine. Not just any elephant though. This elephant was special because it was missing its trunk, three legs and both ears. This story isn’t that funny I realize because you weren’t there to actually look at the figurine but just trust me, it was funny.

Funny stories over! In other news, we started our new classes today. I had my first yoga class early this morning. It was really fun but I’m in pain right now because some of the moves aggravated a previous hip flexor injury. I also started my dance class today. I don’t remember the name for the style of dance but it is classical Indian dance which involves stumping my feet and moving my hands gracefully. There is a classical music festival going on here so Shadi, Elizabeth and Maddie went there tonight to watch some of the dancing. I will also be taking a classical vocal music class. I am not sure when I will begin though because there is difficulty scheduling my class because the teacher is very busy. Hopefully everything works out with that class! Besides Hindi and my arts classes, I am taking a class called Globalization and Local Narrative. I am currently in part two of the class where we do an internship type thing. I am going to have workshops that involve empowerment through music. So, I will be having the groups (boys and girls) write songs in Hindi and English that empower them to think more positively about not only themselves but their peers as well. At the end of my time here, I will host a concert for my students.

I am off to bed now. I am not feeling very well. Hopefully, I feel better by tomorrow! And I found out one of my wisdom teeth is growing in. Grrr.  Anyways, I will post again soon xx. 

Chota Chota

I wish I could have written more within the last few days but honestly the Wi-Fi sucks. I have been trying to get this to post from my phone and my laptop for two days. And I also was away from Varanasi for a few days on a weekend trip to Lucknow. It was a wonderful chance to get away from Varanasi.

Lucknow and Varanasi are really different places. I have already described how Varanasi looks in my previous post. In Lucknow, there are paved roads, cows and stray dogs are a rarity and most people wear more western styles of dress. And unlike Varanasi, the majority of the city is not impoverished. 

Now I wish I could lie and say that the whole trip was rainbows and butterflies but I can't. It was this weekend that I felt the most uncomfortable since my departure from America. The fact that I am a "foreigner" was so apparent in Lucknow. I am slowly becoming used to the stares that I get as I walk down the roads. However, the intensity of the stares seemed stronger. Not only that but people wanted pictures of us. That whole concept baffled me. As we waited for everyone to finish their purchases at the gift shops outside of the big Imam Bargah, people either tried to sneakily take pictures of us or they were brave enough to ask for a picture. There were two kids who plotted together to get a photo of us. The boy pretended to be taking a picture of his sister who posed wherever we stood. Finally, the girl staying with us for part of our stay told them to stop. Even worst was when we went to a celebration for the birth of Krishna and the press surrounded us trying to get a picture of the "foreigners" that came to the Hindu celebration. I was so uncomfortable that I was downright angry. I felt attacked. I am simply minding my own business until I was surrounded from all sides by at least 6 men shoving cameras into my face. 

I was told by one of my teachers here that I should just stare at the people who stare at me. I have tried this out but I just couldn't do it. It is a nervewrecking thing to do. If I were to have a staring contest with someone in America it could seriously end in a brawl depending on the person.

Enough of the negative stuff though. Overall, the trip was wonderful! I was able to see some amazing sites, eat delicious food, take plenty of pictures and meet some great people. We went to a mall in Lucknow after sightseeing and I felt like I was at home in America. The stores are pretty much the same, there was a movie theater, a big food court (best food I had all weekend hands down). To get to and from some of the sites, we were carted around by a horse! After a long, full day of sightseeing, I realized that being a "tourist" is a lot of work. I was literally dripping in sweat the whole day and I think I went through at least 2 huge bottles of water. When we returned to the home we stayed at in Lucknow, we all just laid across the beds too tired to do much else.

Explanation of the title: So, as we were walking around the small Imam Bargah the tour guide asked if we knew any Hindi. Maddie responded, "Chota chota chota Hindi" (small, small, small Hindi). This got a laugh out of the tour guide. From then on, he would call out "chota chota" whenever he began to lose our attention or when he was just referring to Maddie.

"Chota Chota" man at the small Imam Bargah

View from the top of the big Imam Bargah

I have a long weekend coming up so I will be able to write some more. The crew has requested that I write a post about all of the funny things that have been happening here so far! 

SpiderMonkey Kid

I have made it to Varanasi! And it is not what I imagined it to be at all.

Close your eyes and imagine that you are sitting in a sauna. Now with them still closed, imagine yourself in a small airport with one baggage claim, less than 10 shops and very few gates. You are surrounded by several people pushing to get by you to claim their luggage. And you are being approached by men with carts asking if they can push your luggage for you.  

When our group of five girls all had their bags we headed toward the front of the airport with no idea of who to be looking for. Walking through the sliding doors, I was hit hard by the humidity and heat. Quickly, we found our ride. There was the driver and the coordinator of the school we would be staying at. The first thing I noticed as we walked to the truck was the steering wheel. It was on the right side of the car. I did not know that the driving would be opposite of ours. Anyways, after loading our bags on the top and in the back of the truck, we were ready to go “home”. Three of us sat in the backseat and the other two girls sat in the seats in the trunk.

As soon as we pulled out of the airport parking lot, I will admit that I was afraid for my life. The way people drive here is terrifying, honestly. Not only was I still wrapping my mind around the fact that we were driving on the left side of the road but I also had to realize that when you are on the road: everything goes.

Close your eyes and imagine two cars or motorcycles having a honking battle. Imagine a huge buffalo or two sitting in the middle of the road blocking traffic. Imagine stray dogs running this way and that way. Imagine bouncing up and down in your seat because of the unpaved roads. Imagine seeing a small child smile at you from the motorcycle next to you.

We would sometimes drive on the right side of the road. It felt and looked like we were going to be involved in a head-on collision but we made it each time unharmed.  The pedestrians walk without looking both ways, seriously.  Motorcyclists squeeze between cars that drive closely to each other.

Close your eyes and imagine a rainy night. Now, this is not your normal rainfall. The rain is so heavy that sounds like someone is standing outside the window and throwing buckets of water at it.  

There were several times that I jumped up because I thought water was flowing inside of our house through the windows. Turns out it was just the rain outside. When we went for our walk in the morning, I wore my rain boots and the locals stared at my feet. It is the most unnerving thing ever. Even the kids at the schools would stare. Yesterday was the first day that we talked to the students after school. The smaller boys actually wanted to touch my boots. It was the cutest thing ever! And the older girls complimented me on my boots. At dinner last night, I wore my rain jacket and one of the women in the café laughed at me for wearing the jacket for such a short walk from my house to the on-campus café. Dinner like every other meal eaten here is simple yet complex. By this I mean, the foods are simple (rice, potatoes and naan) but they are so complex in flavor. After dinner, we stayed the café for about an hour to use Wi-Fi to talk to people back at home and chat with the café’ manager. During this time we experienced yet another power outage. We have about two or three a day.

Close your eyes, it is time for bed. It is 9pm and pitch black outside. Again, you hear the honking of cars. You hear the barking of dogs. You hear the teetering of rain. You hear the voices of people in the street.

The first night here, it was easy to relax with all of the background noise because I was exhausted. Last night, I fell asleep earlier than I thought I would but I woke up at 3am. I don’t know if it is because of the noises I heard outside or if it was because of the two naps I took earlier. Anyways, I was up just listening to the noises outside until my phone started buzzing like crazy. That took me by surprise because the Wi-Fi never reaches the bedrooms. So I took advantage of this rare moment and talked to my brother, dad and best friend Keya via Viber. (I just talked to her on the phone and every other minute she says, “I can’t believe you are actually doing this. I can’t believe you are in India.”)

Close your eyes and imagine the sound of children. You hear a laugh here and there. You hear a conversation between two small kids in Hindi. You hear an older brother talking to his younger brother. You hear about 100 kids singing “If You're Happy and You Know It” to start off their morning.  

This morning as we sat in the living room area we saw a little friend playing near the window. His back was to us so we decided to play with him. Ivy ran to the window and tapped until he noticed then she hid he behind the wall. He laughed and waved hello. This went on for a few minutes until Ivy went out the front door. He tried to get into our house which he obviously is not supposed to do. When we all left for breakfast he was there and as soon as Shadi and I turned around he opened the door. Oh no, we have to watch this one. This same little boy pinched me on my thigh the first night here. We exchanged a few hellos and bye then out of nowhere, he pinched me… Very hard.  

Yesterday, we began our Hindi classes. I learned seven new sentences, how to count to ten and how to write my name and my family's names. Here are some of the things I learned.

1. Mera nam Daria (My name is Daria)

2. Mera pas do bhai hai (I have two brothers)

3.  Mei chatra hu (I am a student)

Numbers: ek, do, teen, char, panch, che, sat, art, nou, das (1-10)

Life on the other side of the world is truly different. And surprisingly the adjustment has not been that hard, so far. This guesthouse is quickly becoming a "home" from home. That may seem crazy but it just feels right.  The people, the food and the environment are great!

Funny/scary story: So using the bathroom as we are getting ready to leave the house to go shopping when this HUGE spider runs pass me. I don't think I have ever screamed that loudly. It caused all of the other girls to run in my bathroom (insert more screams). I actually cried and had a mini panic attack. The student from U of Chicago came out of her room to tell her about her experience with a spider a week or so ago. Fifteen minutes later, the spider was still alive so we ran to get help. Finally, help came and in five seconds the spider was wrapped up in a hand towel. The two men who came to the rescue walked out of our house laughing as they released the spider outside. 

And so it begins...

As I drove down I-94 on Friday to the airport, I felt nothing. I don't mean that literally, of course. I was just emotionless. Was I supposed to be scared? Was I supposed to be excited? Were there supposed to be tears running down my face? Was there supposed to be a grin plastered across my face? After checking my luggage, I told my mom that I was emotionless. She told me that I was lying. She could tell from my face that I trying to be tough.

In the words of Jessie J, "Mama knows best". 

As I hugged my parents goodbye, I tried so hard to keep myself from crying. I even told myself, "I am not going to cry, I don't have emotions" over and over again. Out loud might I add. My mom encouraged my tears to fall. So fall they did. 

Waiting to board the plane, the "nonexistent" emotions I claimed about an hour before disappeared... The fact that I'm gonna be nearly 8,000 away from home for nearly 5 month hasn't sunk in yet. 

Random: Luthansa Airlines are amazing. I  had no idea that two floored airplanes were a thing until being on two of there flights. Also, the flight attendants were so nice! (Cool shot of the plane in Germany)

After a long 6.5 hours in Delhi, I am sitting in a lounge inside the Delhi airport. These past few hours have been a prime example of expecting the unexpected. So, story time! Two of the four other girls and I have been here since midnight. The system shut down as we waited in line to get through immigration. After nearly two hours, we got through to baggage claim to not see our luggage on the conveyor. We asked for helped and found our luggage on a cart headed to be stored (I think). I was do tired I couldn't even hold my 40lb duffle bag so I instead dragged it. Two passport/boarding pass checks later we could drop off our checked bags on the opposite side of the airport. Finally making it through an intense security check was such an amazing feeling, by the way. We had plans of logging into the free Wifi but that didn't happen because without service we couldn't receive the code via text message. So frustrating. We learned that we could pay for wifi usage in one of the lounges BUT we had to pay in rupees which we didn't have yet because the currency exchange counter was closed until 5:30am. So we chilled for about 2 hours until it was supposed to open. At 6am we finally got our
rupees which meant food and wifi and a comfortable couch to lie down on. 

The time is now about 7:30am which means I am about 3 hours away from my last flight. I am yearning for a shower and a bed because airplane and airport chairs aren't cutting it. 

These past few days of traveling have been really interesting to say the least. I actually believe all of the advice given to me by past participants about having little expectations. Let the journey begin. 

P.S. The reality of my situation still hasn't set in... Give me about 2 weeks to realize that I'm not just on a vacation that will soon end.