A Passage to India

You know you’ve been in India too long when…

Anna Michaels — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:31:07 +0000

I figured i should also post this…my friends and I made this list last week:

You know you’ve been in India too long when…
1. you choose to use a squat toilet instead of a Western toilet
2. you cross the street without looking both ways because you know you won’t get hit.
3. when you are used to cold water showers and no shower head
4. when a mattress with springs is a luxury
5. when it is shocking to see a Western person and you acknowledge each other with a sympathetic nod
6. you nod your head to the side more than the front
7. you think a meal that is more than 4 dollars is expensive
8. you think you are tan but then realize it’s just dirt
9. you don’t notice people staring at you
10. conversations about poop is not weird or awkward
11. you look in the mirror and think, “this is as good as it will get.”
12. it’s hard to imagine driving on the right side of the street and with the wheel on the left.
13. when dressing up means wearing a scarf as a dress and putting some make up on.
14. Limca (a pop in India) solves all problems.
15. ketchup=continental sauce
16. you are used to the smell of mothballs and cow poop
17. your underwear gets ironed
18. you are a pro at making street sellers stop asking you to buy stuff
19. you use phrases like “achaa” and “teek hai” without thinking
20. you have created an artificial identity for when strangers ask your name.
21. you get uncomfortable eating most food with silverware
22. shoes that can’t slip off immediately are out of the question
23. power outages do not stop you from eating your meal
24. your perfume is bug spray

rant rant rant…

Anna Michaels — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:23:47 +0000

Okay, I realize I have failed at posting for the past few weeks so I’m going to make it up by posting one last big post before I return home in ONE week.

I started writing this blog explaining everything I’ve been doing since I last wrote, but I am overwhelmed and too tired to describe it all. I can do it in person. Right now, I’m more heated up and need to write about how I feel in general about this country. I came here with an open mind, genuine curiosity about the culture and way of life, and thirst for understanding and appreciation. I have had an incredible experience and have gained an enormous amount of perspective and will remember the people and stories for the rest of my life. I realize that my feelings at this moment are due to something that just happened and that I cannot generalize all Indians and all my experience on this incident but I can’t help but be really upset by it.
Right now, three friends and I are in Pondicherry which is a French colony on the southeast coast of India. It’s very touristy and very quaint. I hate to think a lot of Westerners want o come to “India” and then come here because this is definitely not India or at least the kind I have lived in. However, past the cute colonial buildings and the French people, there are still beggars and poo on the ground. And, then, today as I was walking down a clean and quiet street (very rare in the other parts of India I’ve been in), minding my own business and talking with my friends, a young man bikes by me and grabs my boob and continues to bike on as if he did not do anything bad. i was so startled and had such a slow reaction time that I didn’t do anything. But what COULD have I done? I wasn’t going to go and chase after the kid. But all I could think about was that kid got away with it and probably has gotten away with it in the past and will continue to do it. It’s incidences like that where I feel completely helpless. There really is no way of stopping that kind of behavior. I have to tell myself to just take it as another part of my experience–to see what it is like to be a woman in this country, but it still doesn’t make it right. It’s frustrating because I want to love this country, I want to appreciate this country, but there are times when it’s hard to. It’s tiring constantly being scammed by rickshaw drivers and being taken advantage of. We’ve started telling people that we’ve been here for 3 months-we know when we’re getting scammed. But most of the time we have to surrender to paying way too much because it’s the only way of getting anywhere. Some of my friends were robbed while they were sleeping a couple weeks ago and lost their cameras, ipods, money, journals, etc. It’s times like these that I want to yell, “Help me love your country! Because right now I can’t!” It’s unfair because we really want to just learn but they make it so hard. These incidences aside, though, I cannot generalize the whole country to be this way and I also have to understand the circumstances as to why these incidences happen. People are not TAUGHT that it is not okay to grope women, people do not HAVE a lot of money so their forced into scamming and stealing. I do not know what has to be done to put an end to this, but something has to change.

Anyway, that’s that rant.
——-
I really missed home on Thanksgiving but my friends and I had a makeshift one during our independent travel in Pondicherry. During the day, we ordered an apple pie to be specially made for us and to be ready by dinner. Then we went to a nice restaurant and we each substituted something in our order for mashed potatoes. They were very confused. I also decided to make a list of things I am thankful for that I take for granted at home:
-the experience I’ve had in India and the perspective I’ve gained
–family and friends that care about me
-to be able to communicate with anyone
-hot water for showers
-bed, house, shelter
-variety of food choices
-tap water
-a functional (somewhat) government
-ability to get in a car and drive where i want to go without negotiating
-education
-television in english
-toilets and toilet paper
-cold weather
There are so many more. Basically, I’m excited to go home.

I am nervous to come home because I’ve heard that the culture shock is greater when you go back home but I am having trouble imagining what will be shocking. I know that I will be extremely appreciative and maybe a little intolerant to petty problems but in general, I think I will just give America one big hug. I do not know how I am going to describe everything I have seen but I will try the best I can! I can’t wait to see you all. See you very very soon.

Love,
Anna

“Hi, Anna-ma”am!”

Anna Michaels — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:53:13 +0000

Okay, I know I’ve been bad at updating all of you, so here are some snippets of the past few weeks…

1. I befriended two 12 year old boys, Ejaz and Abu. I had been working on my project about education and these two boys who are students at the school I was staying at helped me with my research. They are from the poor weavers district and are Muslims. I spent a lot of time at their houses and met their warm, gracious, non-English speaking families. They live in apartment-like buildings but were also kind of like slum homes. Whenever I would come over, they’d sit me down and serve me chai, chips, cookies, cake, coffee, etc. and I always felt so guilty taking it from them because I knew they didn’t have a lot of money. However, if I refused, they would say “please eat, madame!” and force me to eat more. They were interested about my life and when it would be time for me to go, they would insist that I stay longer. I was invited to Abu’s birthday party which consisted of me sitting on a table for the whole family to gape at and Abu to serve me. I bought him a present of art supplies because he is a really good artist. I also bought Ejaz and his siblings presents as a thank you for their hospitality and they were so appreciative. On the last day I was there, they asked to see what American money looked like and I showed them some quarters I had left in my wallet. I told them they could keep them and show their friends and they were so excited. Ejaz found that he had a quarter with the Statue of Liberty on the back (the NY quarter) and said after I told him to keep it “I am the luckiest boy in all of India!” This broke my heart since he was holding a coin that was 25 cents. Also, that day when they served me somosas, I took out some hand sanitizer and they were so fascinated by it and were mumbling to each other in Hindi as I rubbed my hands clean. “My father says you’re very fancy,” Ejaz said. I am going to miss them all so much. When I walked away from their building for the last time I heard Imran, Ejaz’s brother yell from the roof “Bye, Anna-ma”am!”

(There is SO much to tell about Varanasi but alas, I don’t even know where to begin. Enquire when I return)

2. I spent THIRTY hours travelling to Darjeeling. Yes, thirty. From the time we left our school to when we reached our hotel we had been going for over a day. The train ride was so long and exhausting. We were in a 3-tier car which meant there was a bottom bunk, middle, and top on each wall. I got the top and had all my belongings close to me the whole time because theft is common on the trains. We slept, read, ate junk food, went crazy, got hair wraps, and were woken up my some cross-dressing indians that apparantly are these asexual people that go around dancing and asking for money. We finally arrived in Darjeeling at 2 am and got to our adorable little hotel. (side note–this is our independent travel week, so it’s kind of like a vacation and everyone in our group dispersed all over the country. there are 10 in my group) Darjeeling rests on a mountain with buildings set into the side. You can see the 3rd tallest peak, Kanchenjunga, from my hotel. It’s FINALLY cold here too which is amazing. In our first night, I found so many things to be thankful for. 1. A shower with a shower head that works. For the past month I’ve been using buckets or crouching under a faucet. Also, a steaming hot shower was a first for me in the past 2 months because I have wanted to take cold showers after being in the humid, gross, heat. 2. A bed with a blanket to curl under. For the past month, I’ve been sleeping with a tiny little sheet which has mostly been adaquate since it’s been so hot but there is something so nice to be bundled in a warm blanket that I have missed. There are so much more, but those were two that struck me that night.

3. This morning, at 3:30am, our group took a taxi to a place called Tiger Hill to watch the sunrise over the Himilayas skyline. It was freezing and we were all bundled up in borrowed clothes we scrounged up since we did not anticipate needing warm clothing in India. There were hundreds of people standing in the dark waiting for the sun to come up. At 5:30 it started getting lighter and gradually we saw the snowpacked peaks appear through the dark clouds. We watched the sun rise and cast a pinkish tint on Kanchenjunga and the other enormous peaks. As we were leaving, an Australain man pointed out Everest in the way off distance. It was hard to see, BUT I did see it. It was so worth the early wake up to witness this beautiful scene. We spent the rest of the morning trying to get permits to go to our next stop, Gangtok, which is in Sikkim. Sikkim used to be it’s own country so, for some reason we needed to get permission to go. We went on a mission to find the “magistrates” office which felt so old fashioned. We walked around asking people “please tell me where the magistrate is” in an english accent. Tomorrow we go to a tea plantation since Darjeeling is famous for the tea.

So, there are a couple things to tell. Obviously there is so much more, but I will save those for in person conversations (almost ONE month until I come home!) I’m loving this experience but I’m definitely getting exhausted and worn down. I just got a cold which is probably my third one on this trip. Being in India takes a toll on you physically, emotionally, and mentally and it is so nice to just relax for a week in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.

I miss you all so much.
Happy Halloween!

Kamloo-ji’s vibrations

Anna Michaels — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:00:24 +0000

My homestay in Varanasi is very unique. I’m not staying with a family and my host “mom” isn’t a typical Indian woman. Kamloo (you add the ji to show respect) is a world famous fortune teller and people come from all over the world to see her. (check out her website. yes, she has a website. http://kamlooji.com/) My friend Helen and I stayed with her one night last week and had a break until today because she had to go out of town on business. She lives in a small apartment and she speaks perfect english. Of course, on our first night we had her tell us some of our fortunes. I’m going to have a “bright” future as a journalist (could happen) and I’m going to be married by December 2010 (definitely NOT happening). When I told her that there was absolutely no way that I will be married in a little over a year she clarified that I will be engaged. When I also vetoed that possibility, she said that I will BE with the man I’ll be married to at that time. Whatever. We’ll see about that. Also, my husband will be kind of shorter, with a round face, and will be an engineer. Hah. She can also get “vibrations” from other people if you show a photo or bring a grain of rice touched by the person. She told me Henry was a “naughty” kid and will be in politics when he is older. She said Grace is warm-hearted. Most of the things she said, I think most people could say by looking at the pictures (just kidding, Henry. You’re not naughty). She said my mom needs to take mustard seeds and drop them around her head 7 times in a clockward motion and then throw the rest over her shoulder. Don’t ask why, I don’t know. She also told me that I needed to wear a silver ring with coral in it on my ring finger on my left hand. Why? Because she had a vision that I needed to. So, she called up some men and they came over and sized my finger and said that my ring would be ready the next day. Oh, also, we had been joking that we wanted to marry nice Indian men. She asked if we liked singers and we said “sure?” Well, “coincidentally”, the ring seller brought a friend along with him who is a great singer. Kamloo was talking to him about us in Hindi, clearly trying to marry us off. She should have known better. I’m marrying an engineer, remember?
Anyway, Kamloo-ji has polio and doesn’t get off her bed. She has a little boy servant named Vishal do everything for her and she sits in her room and people from all over the world come to see her. Unlike psychics in the US that have over the top decorations, when people came to see her while we were there, she sat on her bed, the TV was on, she was checking her emails, etc. Vishal is from a village several hours away and sees his family every 6 months. She supposedly teaches him but I usually just see her ordering him around. She doesn’t let him outside because she doesn’t want him to get kidnapped. Sometimes I see him staring out the window at kids playing but then he is quickly summoned to bring chai or water or to massage her bad leg. She also has mirrors set up in a way in her room so that she can see the front door when people arrive. And when you leave, you can see her reflection in the mirror waving. A little bizarre.
I’m staying with her until the end of my stay in Varanasi so I’m sure I’ll have more stories and fortunes to share.

Oh, If you want your fortune, you better express fedex some grains of rice that you touched and I’ll let you know what will happen to you…

P.S. Kamloo met Bill Clinton back when he was president and she told him that he would be involved in a scandal. She was very proud of this prediction.

Proud to be an American?

Anna Michaels — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:03:57 +0000

Today at the Benaras Hindi University was one of the most eye opening experiences I’ve had in India and it was while sitting in a classroom. The discussion with the students that were mostly Political Science majors started out on a rocky, awkward, formal interaction. We were seated in an uncomfortable way—the Benaras students in the back, us in the front facing a table with the Beranas professor, and George and Carol facing us. We tried asking them questions about what it was like to be a student, their role in the community, their aspirations, etc but did not get much in the way of substantial answers. Most of the time, the professor dominated the conversation and spoke for her students. She was a very powerful, expressive person but did not give us the opportunity to really connect with the other students. Once George decided to take control of the meeting and have the Banaras students contribute, things got heated up. He mentioned that Hilary Clinton was in India a couple months ago negotiating global warming issues and since the USA and India seem to be on friendly terms, George was curious what the students thought about the conference. One woman in the back stood up and said that even though she respects the relationship our two countries have together, she thinks that the U.S. needs to focus on their own environmental problems before it intrudes in on other countries and their way of dealing with the environment. We all nodded with agreement even though I knew that our country was at least doing something unlike this filthy country that even lacks trashcans on the streets. Actually, the street is the trashcan.
Anyway, this conversation about U.S. foreign relations strung the right cord and all of a sudden there was participation from the students. One student asked why there is discrimination of Muslims in America. Since we still thought we were talking about our school life, we told them we don’t have any discrimination at LC. This is not what they wanted to hear. They were asking about our country. We responded that, yes, there have been some bad situations regarding prejudices against Muslims after 9/11 but that was not a widespread belief and that was really from a small group of politicians or soldiers. Another student asked about our presence in Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, etc. They asked why we went to Iraq and not Pakistan. All of a sudden the atmosphere in the room became quite different. Blood pressures were rising—the Banaras side was clearly angry about what America has been doing the past 8 years and the LC side was feeling bombarded by the accusations that WE were guilty of our county’s actions. The room was filled with chatter and chaos. George, a true professor of communication, stood up and cleared the air. He told the students that their concerns were completely valid but what they should understand is that many of the problems in our world that upset them are not representations of opinions of the 26 people sitting in the room with them. He said that it is extremely important for both groups to educate themselves with what the two countries really want and stand for. The only way for that to happen is for communication and understanding. He made sure that the students understood that they were mad at the American government NOT Americans. His speech relfected that he really is a gifted communicator and is passionate in spreading the ability to form alliances. His speech would have been a perfect ending to the day, with a powerful message to the group. I sat there with goosebumps, feeling like this could have been a movie or just a small version of a UN conference. However, the Banaras students were not finished. They continued to ask more questions about our policy, what it is like to be a woman in the US, etc. Then, the professor rose and basically reiterated what George had said and emphasized how pleased she was with how this interaction turned out. She was pleased with our answers and to hear that we too are unhappy with the state of our world. I left that discussion completely shocked and inspired to hear about how they think of our country. I think I came here with this idealistic hope that now that Obama is president, everything is fixed and we were liked more. What I found out was that we still have many bridges to mend. We burnt them down and it takes a long time to build them back up. I felt that this was an important thing to realize and I was grateful to have witnessed these kinds of feelings first hand. However, as much as their anger was for the most part legitimate, most of their information was very one sided and misinformed. They were very set on the idea that we, in America, were awful people. It provoked many questions that I’m still trying to work through:
1. Were these people fed these beliefs from their professors?
2. How could they be criticizing our country when their own country is full with problems? Did they seriously think that their government was superior to ours?
3. Did they understand more about America after we talked to them?
4. What can be done to fix our relations with this part of the world? Are we too different to ever see eye to eye?
5. Were these students ignorant to the changes that have happened?
Many students in my group were upset by the interaction and expressed how they felt very uncomfortable. Some of the International students on my trip were surprised that we didn’t stand up for our country. I thought that was interesting because I didn’t feel comfortable pointing out how corrupt their own government was compared to mine even though they were doing the same to us. The more time I spend in this country, however, I realize how amazing our country is. It’s filled with opportunities for anyone and everyone and things are actually accomplished there—more so than India. I see so many problems with this country. It’s filthy with absolutely no waste management, there are homeless children roaming through the streets, and just extreme over population. It’s hard to believe that there is even a government present here. We have a lot of problems in our country and we’ve made a lot of mistakes but at least we have some o these issues a little more under control.

What has to happen to make this Democracy more like ours? Will it ever be like ours? Can it ever be like ours?

I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know.

Life on the Mother Ganga

Anna Michaels — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:51:34 +0000

This is the first time I’ve had reliable internet with time to write about what I’m doing….

We arrived in Varanasi a couple days ago after a 24 hour train ride. This city is really interesting. It’s actually very beautiful. It is right on the Ganga river and there are ghats (stairs) all along the water that lead up to Temples, homes, stores, etc. The city kind of resembles a European city that is on the river but much dirtier and run down. Even though the water is really holy, it is absolutely filthy. Someone told me that in a small sample of water there are over 1 million bacteria and parasites in it. 500 is the maximum amount that is semi okay to drink/bathe in. Regardless, people swim and bathe and do religious rituals in it. The weather is so hot and it looks so tempting to jump into but I would prefer to remain free of parasites. There are a ton of little alleys and streets with stores on the sides. It reminds me of the small streets in Italy however there is so much trash, dead animals, cows, poop, etc. I have to constantly watch the ground as I walk so I don’t step into something nasty. Varanasi is one of the holiest cities in India and since it sits on the holiest river, many people come to die here and they have their remains washed into the river. I walked by a cremation the other day but I didn’t look at it. Tonight we are taking night time boat ride down the ganges and you can see a lot of fires on the ghats where people are being cremated.

The people here are really friendly and are always saying “hello!” when they walk or drive by. There are lots of cycle rickshaws and I always feel so bad when I go in one because the cyclist is so small from lack of food and then they have to carry two people in their carriage. I read that they do not make more than 100-200 rupees a day which is no more than 4 dollars.

We are staying in a school right now called Nirman (there is a website). It’s really cute and painted pretty pastel colors. There were a ton of little kids running around in uniforms today and they start their day out with yoga.

I like this area much more than Delhi and I’m happy I get to be here for a month. We each get to do our own independent research project and I chose to do mine on children’s rights and to see what kind of government funded or NGO is out there for these precious children on the street. I’d like to visit an orphanage too. I might just have to adopt all the kids.

That’s all for now. I’m missing the fall season so much. This hot weather needs to stop. I have gotten very used to taking cold showers and sleeping with no blankets and being sweaty ALL the time. blech.

LOVE to all!

Moolchand Hospital: “health, happiness, life” (9/21/09)

Anna Michaels — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:15:28 +0000

I should not have had the water at the NGO in Vrindaven. But I did and got incredibly sick. A couple students and I were taken to a private hospital near my hotel called Moolchand. When we walked in, it looked really small but newly renovated. There was a strong smell of paint that was quite rank. A small man with “housekeeper” on his name tag took out a wheelchair for Kiran who hurt her ankle and led us to the emergency room. Once we were inside I saw that the hospital was much bigger and was open with outside walkways to each section of the hospital. Since the hospital was private, it was not very busy and the patients were definitely from higher classes. As we waited for our consultation and Kiran to talk to her doctor, I noticed that no one in the hospital stared at us. They acted like it was normal to see foreigners in there. We had to first pay 430 rupees (9 dollars) for our consultation before we even saw the doctor. Three of us then went into an office where a doctor sat at a desk. He was a very serious man with eyes that looked in two different directions. It was difficult to figure out which eye to look at. He first asked me my symptoms and then told me to lay down on the table. Unlike in the U.S. where they have paper on the table that is changed for each patient, this table was bare. He took my temperature by putting a thermometer in my armpit and felt my stomach and listened to my breathing and heart. He moved on to the other two and gave us our diagnoses. He sent Toni home with on prescription, gave Alex a couple medications and two IV drips for dehydration and me three medications, 3 IV drips, and an injection. I was curious why he gave me so much more because we all had the same symptoms and he saw us all at one time and he said, “oh, yours was much more serious.” How reassuring. Alex and I were led into a room that had sectioned off rooms by curtains and were given beds next to each other. The beds had sheets on them but they had stains on them and I was not sure if they had been used before me. There were some needles on the floor, spots on the walls, and the blankets they gave us smelled of body odor. Those few things aside, however, I knew this was a very nice, high-end hospital in Delhi and that the public hospitals are probably much worse. If this was in U.S. it would probably be shut down. Anyway, two nurses came in and started to prep to put the IVs in us. Alex and I both have hard to find veins and the nurses were stressing that they couldn’t get the needles in. They did not speak English very well and it was quite concerning to have nurses poke you, sqeeze your arm, yell at each other and not understand what they were saying. More nurses were coming in to watch these vein-less Americans. Finally a head nurse barged in and roughly grabbed our arms and shoved needles in, barks at the other nurses and stormed out. We sat there for several hours as fluids seeped into our thirsty bodies. At one point, I was getting a weird pink reaction to one of the medications so to test that I really wasn’t allergic to it, they put an injection of it into my other arm, circled the spot and wrote the date and time it was injected right on my arm. When we asked them what was going on, they could not verbalize what they were doing so we just had to sit back and trust that they knew what they were doing. Our doctor and also Kiran’s doctor checked on us numerous times. I wondered if we were getting more attention because we were foreign because I didn’t see the locals get the same treatment. Perhaps they wanted us to walk away thinking highly of Indian healthcare. And I did. I spent no more than 20 dollars for my treatment which is less than many copays in the US. As much as I had a relatively good experience it saddened me that most Indians cannot even afford this kind of care.

Oh, and I feel much better now. And I only drink bottled water.

Obama, Michael Jackson, Michael Jordan…(9/14/09)

Anna Michaels — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 07:07:46 +0000

We went to go explore Fatehpur Sikri which is an old fort with a mosque and shrine and palace in it. When we got there, people immediately started selling us junk and following us around. Children, gorgeous, adorable children, also approached us and started talking with us. When we told them we were from the USA, their response was “Oh, Obama, Michael Jackson, and Michael Jordan. Michael Jackson is up there in heaven, he died.” I thought it was hilarious that these three men are the figures of our country. One kid latched on to me and was guiding me through the fort. He would call me “madame” and point out things to me. It reminded me of Slumdog Millionaire when he would guide the tourists around the Taj and make up forts. It made me wonder if the kids were making up stories to us. Even though I suspected the kids were befriending us for the intent that we might give them money, I felt like they still liked that we were listening to them. They were so persistent and would patiently wait for us outside the shrine we went into. When I came back outside, my boy found me and wanted to take me to see the mosque. After he showed me some spots and good photo moments, he oh-so conveniently brought me to a blanket with marble carved elephants on it. He told me his family makes the elephants and it takes several days to make just one. The elephants were beautiful and I did want to buy one since they were supposedly made by this boy’s family. The price was very “mengahe” or expensive and I told them I would only spend 200 rupees (4 dollars) on it. When it was clear that I wouldn’t buy it and started walking away, they have in and gave it to me for my price. I later started to feel guilty that I had cheated them. What if this really was worth more than I paid? What if this elephant puts food on this boy’s plate? But also I had to consider that this boy was lying to me and that he might have no connection to the production of these elephants. It’s possible I still paid too much. It’s hard to bargain down from a price that is basically 8 dollars to 4 dollars to me but perhaps food and shelter to them. 4 less dollars seems like nothing to me-it’s less than a chipotle burrito-but it could be huge to them. It’s hard to determine whether to be smart and aware of overpriced items for tourists or to be generous and understanding to their impoverished lives. Anyway, after I bought the elephant, I made my way over to my group. The cement was so incredibly hot on my barefeet, so I started to run so my feet wouldn’t have to stay on the ground for a long time. As I was running, I turned around and saw about 4 guys and my boy running along with me trying to get me to buy their stuff. I had accidentally told one of the guys that I would come back to him when I was trying to get rid of him. He didn’t forget. He followed me for over 15 minutes. Also, my little tour guide asked me if I was happy with my tour and I told him yes. And then, he asked for money. I told him I already bought something from his family business and he just shrugged his shoulders saying either “so, give me more.” or “oh yeah, that’s not actually my family so give me some money.” The boy and the other seller followed me for quite a while and were really in my face. I realized some people would get upset by this but I chose to just laugh it off. They got the point after a while…

Goodmorning, Agra

Anna Michaels — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:05:48 +0000

A portion of us decided to, again, wake up super early to watch the sunrise on the Taj Mahal. As we drove there and back, we watched the town of Agra awaken for the day. People stood in doorways stretching, tossed and turned in their cots trying to block out our noisy bus plowing down the road, washed their faces with water from a basin, and swept the curb. We drove by fields and I could make out people scattered around in different spots. I realized they were all squatting and going to the bathroom in their designated toilet. It was so odd. Children squatted next to each other, looking like they were still waking up. I couldn’t believe that it was okay to do that and I wondered if any of the fields we passed were actually used to produce crops. After watching the sunrise (it was pretty, but kind of overcast), as we drove back through the town, we watched as the locals started their days. School children dressed in uniforms ate breakfast, non-school children played with each other, men brushed their teeth, and I saw more people squatting to go to the bathroom. It was very interesting to see how towns in India wake up.

Standing out at the Taj

Anna Michaels — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:01:16 +0000

We had to catch the train to Agra at 6am so we woke up at 4:15am. It was weird to see the train so crowded and busy before the sun had come out. On the train, we passed by fields of crops and people waking up, bathing themselves in dirty water. We checked into a beautiful hotel and made our way over to the Taj Mahal. I was actually kind of nervous to see it, partly because I’ve wanted to see it my whole life and had huge expectations for it and partly because I was having those same feelings I get before I see an old, amazing landmark (see post below). When you walk through the fort surrounding the Taj, you see a magnificent, breath0taking, view of the impressive, white, marble structure with a long river flowing down from the center. The marble looked white but you could tell that each slab of marble was different on the perfectly symmetrical building. The colorful saris that scattered around the grounds contrasted beautifully against the pure monument. We roamed around the area for awhile constantly being stopped by people to pose for photos with Indians, which was pretty funny. Also, there were a bunch of old men that would stand around and show you perfect spots to take a picture. I wasn’t sure if they were expecting money or they were just incredibly proud of the Taj that they wanted us to have the perfect photos of it. I think the latter. I had a wonderful experience there and was sad to leave. I savored it and took it all in. Later that evening, I learned from other students that they did not enjoy their time at the Taj or the Red Fort (we went there after) because they were tired and annoyed at everyone staring at them and taking pictures of them. They thought it was inconsiderate and hindering their ability to feel comfortable and safe and enjoy the sight. I was surprised to hear this because I didn’t even notice a lot of stares or photographs. I think I’ve gotten so used to it that I don’t think twice about it. Besides, I am constantly taking pictures of Indians and staring at their beauty so I think it’s hard to be offended when we are doing the same thing. Also, we come from a country where everyone looks different and there are a ton of immigrants, tourists, races, cultures, etc. Therefore, we are not shocked and curious about people on our streets or our landmarks. However, in India, even though there are a lot of tourists that come in and out, we are still so different and fascinating to see. We dress, speak, interact, so differently in this country that it’s understandable that people would gape. At least to me it is. When I came to India, I didn’t expect the country to adapt to me, I needed to adapt to the country. I expected to stand out and I personally think it’s silly to think people should treat us like we are everyone else. I have chosen not to feel uncomfortable and not to get upset because I specifically chose to go to a country that is so very foreign to me. The things that do upset me are the homeless children, the disfigured bodies (I saw several people walking on all fours because they were so contorted), the extreme poverty and the insufficient government. And my frustration has led me to feel inspired to learn why it is so hard to fix. It’s led me to think critically and to compare it to other countries I’ve been to. There is not point in getting upset about personal discomfort. We are here to learn and gain perspective. I thank India for providing me with just that.