First Outing

It’s official...I’ve reached the first big dip of culture shock (see: http://muisss.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/culture_shock-2.jpg).  It really started all this weekend.  First, Indian time.  Sometimes it’s ok to laugh it off, especially since I come from a family that seems to be perpetually late, but time seems to be pretty irrelevant here – which makes it pretty hard to catch the bus from anywhere.  In the morning, we waited around 40 minutes for the bus to Agra.  Nothing here operates on time.  It can be very frustrating that your professors like to go fifteen minutes over time so your chai break and lunchtime are only a few short minutes.  However, I have to say the bus ride was worth the wait.  It was the most comfortable bus ride that I have ever been on – with a beautiful sunrise, too!

My roommate, Bridget, and I at the Taj

But when we got to the Taj, we were greeted with yelling mobs of Indians.  First thing, foreigners have to pay literally 37 times more than Indians do.  It cost around fifteen dollars for me to get in, while it only costs an Indian less than fifty cents.  But in the end, with the cost of living in each of our countries I am sure that it balances out fairly well.  However, for our increased price, we got special treatment.  We were pushed past all the lines to the front of the security check, got free slippers so we didn’t have to remove our shoes and leave them for someone to steal, free bag checks, and bottled water.  It was slightly uncomfortable being treated like first class citizens, while every Indian was not.  I just wanted to tell everyone that we were all people and should be treated the same (I actually did at one point, but no one listened to me).   Then there was the spectacle factor times a million.  I have no idea why, but apparently white girls are more fun to take pictures of than one of the World’s Wonders.   To spite them, I made sure that whenever they asked me to pose, or I caught someone taking photos out of the corner of my eye that I made the ugliest face I could think of.   Pretty sure there were enough pictures taken of me that someone made a tumblr out there entitled “Ugly White Girls at the Taj.”  By the end of the day we were begging people to just give us the kindness of not snapping a photo.  The only positive reaction I had was on the bus to Bhoratpur, when a man who I scolded approached me after the ride to apologize for trying to sneak in a picture.  Nice to know that some people understand privacy.

We stayed the night in a guest house that was pretty uncomfortable.  I actually spent the night with my head on the wooden top of the cot and my feet dangling off, left to face the mosquitos and freezing cold alone.  I guess that’s what you get for fifty rupees per night.  In the morning, we left early to spend a total of about sevenish hours in the bird sanctuary.  SO AWESOME.  It was sooooooo nice to get away from people and see some wildlife (I actually almost got run over by a deer that we spooked!).  However, the day ended by getting lost on one of the paths to spend a bit too long in the sun with no lunch.  We took a very crowded and cheap bus back to Jaipur.  I shared my seat with a man who liked to think he deserved ¾ of the chair, and my ipod died.   Not the best ride. 

White Throated Kingfisher

My culture shock isn’t helped through learning the language much either.  Right now, our Hindi teacher is just confusing us by teaching in a very Indian manner.  There is little that Indians are straight forward about.  If you ask a simple question such as a reasonable price of oranges, they will go on about the best stall to buy them at, or when they are in season, or how to know if its ripe, and then tell all about how their aunt once choked on an orange seed before they tell you anything about the price.  So in Hindi, we are expected to know the numbers our teacher never taught us and how to conjugate verbs, even though we have no idea how to.  It can be very frustrating.

Though we had some great bonding experiences between the eleven girls on the trip, I am feeling pretty homesick; not so much for the things, but for the people.   The only thing that I really yearn for is some toilet paper.  I miss everyone back home so much!  I try to keep myself busy, but there’s really nothing to do after about 10 pm, as I am a woman in a city with hardly any night life.  I know that I will get over this (hopefully soon), but just want to fast forward a bit in time right now.   If anyone is bored, shoot me an email or facebook message – it will be greatly appreciated!

Three sleepy baby owls

Sounds of India

I listened to some stuff today.  A lot of stuff.  The noises around me are overwhelming.  When arriving in Delhi, I thought I wouldn’t be able to hear anything because the air was so thick from smog (so much so that a used tissue was black with soot).  But I fell asleep to the sound of speeding cars, honking their way past the hotel.  The next day, after some breakfast and orientation, the eleven of us decided to venture out into the city.  I could not get past the honking.   Even after a car ride around the city, I realized how much people use their horns.

In India, roads are covered with every type of movement – from elephants, camels, and racing horses, all the way to auto rickshaws, motorbikes, car and buses of all shapes and sizes (hence all the smog).  However, I am nearly convinced that there are few traffic laws.  Zooming around other vehicles and pedestrians, it seems that lane lines are a thing of nonexistence.  I have seen men standing on the backs of cars on highways and busses going down the wrong side of the road, despite the barrier in between.  It’s confusing enough with traffic going the wrong way, but with the millions of beeps heard from all directions, I have little faith in the drivers around me.  Apparently, auto accidents cause more deaths in India than diseases do.

Then, there are the languages.  There are so many languages wherever you travel to in India, that learning one seems to rarely help.  I have learned some key phrases like “chello, “nehi” and “tikay,” meaning “go away,” “no,” and “It’s ok.”  These all help to ward off the pushy salesmen, eager rickshaw drivers and beggars.  I actually have yet to learn the word for yes.  I’m sure that I will learn more once classes actually start, but for now, I feel lost amid the yelling and shouting always happening around me.

Lone white girl 

Yet, since coming to Jaipur, I have begun to hear noises that I appreciate.  In addition to the ringing of cellphones, roaring of motorbike engines spewing fumes, and in my face yelling because I am white, I have heard beautiful instruments, chanting for prayers and drumming celebrations late into the night.  Just as I was typing this, my eleven year old host sister started playing her harmonica.  From where I am typing, I can see a sitar sitting in the corner of a room begging to be played.  Earlier today, my roommate Bridget and I visited a Ganesh Temple and the Birla Temple, and heard the loud sounding of the bells as everyone entered and left the holy space. Many times now, I have heard the gorgeous calling to prayer coming from the nearby mosques and resonating across the entire city.  And just my luck – wedding season just started.  Because most Indians are fairly religious, they try to only marry in auspicious times, which apparently began a few short days ago.  The first night in Jaipur, we watched fireworks over the city and listened to happy cheers of dancing families celebrating the new union around a circle of drums. 

Though at first, I could only hear all the noises that surprised and discomforted me, I am starting to adjust and become more comfortable in the city and with its many sounds.  I know it will take a very long time to feel truly comfortable, but it helps to at least be able to relax.  After two stressful days in Delhi, I was very worried that I would not be able to stay the entire time, just because of how much I disliked the city.  Luckily, the pink city of Jaipur is better in every way (in my humble opinion). 

Birla Temple at sunset

And apologies for the length of this post.

Departure

I'm sitting in Cleveland airport and realizing that I got here far too early.  I've been here all of 35 minutes and already have gone through security, eaten and taken care of everything that I need to.  I hate all of this extra time because it gives me more time to think.
      Right now, I am scared out of my mind.  I am about to embark on a journey that will most probably change the course of my life.  I've already left all of my friends and family and am now facing that daunting idea alone.  I know that I can and will participate to the fullest overseas, but that doesn't stop me from being terrified right now.

See the planes?!

      For the next 24 hrs, I will either be in airports or on planes, so I am just focusing on that right now.  And even though I am scared, I am still a bit excited.  Hopefully, the excitement will grow once I arrive and start experiencing a brand new culture.  To everyone I have bid adieu to already, I cannot wait to speak to you once again!