Rain

It just rained for the first time in four months. It was wonderful! I stood on my terrace and was reminded of why I love Indian rain. It is warm, not cold. It pours at a slant and soaks you in one minute. The sound of thunder echoes in the sky several times a minute and the lightning is magnificent. It is the veins of the sky, encouraging the thunder and the rain.
I was standing there, soaked, when three green and orange parrots flew in a straight line in front of me. It was beautiful.
In three weeks I will leave India, my family and my home. I am scared to go back to Portland. I know it will be different than I imagine and I will realize that no one will have had the same experiences as me. No one will fully understand it. I know I will be frustrated, and sometimes mad and annoyed but I wouldn't take back this year for anything.
That is why exchange is kind of like rain. It is different in all parts of the world. It has it's thunder and it's lightning. Sometimes it sprinkles and sometimes it pours. And when you are soaked, there comes a silver lining. Something that makes you smile, and you appreciate the rain. You appreciate the thing that makes you irritated and mad. You love it with all your heart because you know that there will never again be the same exact storm. 

Update

I finally got in touch with an orphanage! It is ten minutes from my house, so every day I teach English for one to two hours. There are around thirty kids from ages five to seventeen and they surprise me every day with how much they want to learn. They are always enthusiastic about anything we do. They don't know very much English so I speak in Hindi and English. Sometimes it is very difficult to communicate, but somehow they always understand. They make me appreciate so much more the one month that I have left. 

I am visiting one of the other students in Nasik for a week. It is a city twelve hours away from Nagpur by train. The city is smaller, but is steadily growing. It is also very nice to have a break from the extreme heat in Nagpur! We are spending time visiting the holy river that runs through Nasik, enjoying fresh mangoes, studying Hindi and of course, taking in India. 

I will post the rest of my North tour journals when I get back.

Namaste,

Hannah

Forts and Palaces

We visited many forts and palaces on the tour. These were mostly in Rajasthan and they have a very rich history. The Amber Fort in Jaipur was one of the first we visited. I would say it was my favorite. The architecture was beautiful and the intricate carvings and ancient imported tiles and mirrors were breath-taking.
At another palace there was a king (in India known as a maharaja) who was 7 feet tall and 4 feet wide. So much for me being tall!
At Tiger Fort we learned how sneaky these maharajas were. This fort was only inhabited for one generation. The king who lived here had 9 wives! He made 9 separate living quarters for each wife and had a secret passage way to get to any of their rooms without them knowing so they wouldn't get jealous. Very sneaky!

North Tour: Jabalpur and shopping in Rajasthan

At 8am we left got Jabalpur in two small vans. We drove a few hours and stopped for breakfast. We were only 20km from where they found Mogli, the boy from 'The Jungle Book'. The book is based on a true story! My dad and I used to read it together and it was one of my favorites. I never thought I would be so close to where it happened.
We drove another 6 hours until we reached Jabalpur at 4pm. We visited a  huge waterfall which is part of the Holy Rive Narmada. The waterfall is like the Indian version of Niagra Falls. There were many people bathing themselves in the river. We went down the river and went boating. There were huge, beautiful marble rocks surrounding us. The water gets to 1,000 feet deep!
We drove to dinner and boarded the train for Jaipur. 
Jaipur was a great place for marketing. Every shop for 1 km was full of scarves, skirts, wall hangings, embroidered pieces of cloth, shoes made of camel leather, and dolls made from wood and cloth. We bartered for our items and usually convinced the shop owners to cut the price in half after telling them we live in India. When we walked down the street the shop keepers beckoned us into their shops. "Come, look", "One moment, look beautiful scarves", "Yes, yes, I have very good selection". It was what I remember thinking what India would be like. The many vehicles on the road, the beautiful saris, the voices of the shopkeepers. Rajasthan is the foreigners stereotype of India.

Coming home from the North Tour made me realize many things. When I walked into my room, my nose flooded with the familiar smells of India. I was immediately reminded of the first time I stepped into my room. It seems like so long ago. I remember being so uncertain of what to do and say. But most of all, I realized that I have a home in India. The second I walked into the house after 26 days, I felt relieved to be back.
    I know I am going to miss India. She has done so much for me. I have learned life lessons this year that only India could have taught me. And for that I am forever grateful.
    I only have a little longer than 2 months left. On June 10th I will be getting on a plane and saying goodbye to my loving host family and this amazing country. Until then I have every intention to make the most of my stay here.
    If there is one thing I know for sure, I will be leaving not only a part of my old self in India, but also half of my heart. That is the only thing I can give her for how much she has done for me.

नमस्ते (Namaste),

There are many things that I don't think of as "different" anymore. As I have often been reminded, there are many aspects of India that Americans would find out of the ordinary. I have put together a list of things that occurs in my daily life here.

1. I take my shoes off before entering any sort of building. This includes temples/ houses/ shops/ rooms in schools, ect. This is done to show respect and of course to keep the floors clean!

2. I take auto rickshaws at least once a day. These are three wheeled taxis with no doors, painted yellow and black (the colors vary according to where you are in the country) and often look like they are going to fall apart. They are my  major form of transportation and I get a lot of practice communicating in Hindi with the drivers, as many of them don't speak English. I barter for each trip and it usually costs around 30 rupees ($.60) for a 5 minute trip and up  to 80 rupees ($1.60) for 15 minutes. It is a very convenient form of transportation.

3. There are always so many people on the street. At any given time I would say there are at least 10 people nearby. This means there is always someone or something making noise. Whether it is honking, hammering, yelling, crying, TVs, or the sounds of engines, there is always sound. At first it was overwhelming, but I now find it relaxing and soothing. Noise and people are definitely two things that I will miss about India.

4. Given that I am white, tall and blonde I tend to get lots of stares from the Indians. It is something that I don't notice as much anymore. The women generally just stare and then look away if I look back. Young girls will sometimes come up to me and ask where I am from. The men and teenage boys often ride by on their motorcycles and yell things like "Aare Yaar", "Foreigner!", "Hey babe!", "Hey, Hello, Hi", "Where from?". I usually just ignore them and keep walking. Indians also like to take pictures of me and the other exchange students and we usually ask them not to.

5. Another thing that I will miss is that most buildings in the city have roof terraces. It is so nice to stand on top of my house and watch the city.

I know this is not a very long list, but it is surprisingly difficult to think of everything that used to seem so different. I guess it means I am fully immersed in the culture :) 

हना (Hannah)

Indian Wedding

Namaste,
As some of you may know, I had never been to a wedding before. How appropriate that my first one be in India :)
There was no walking down the aisle, music playing, everyone seated in organized rows, silence. Nope. Instead it was held in a huge temple, chairs were randomly placed here and there, everyone was talking and in the middle of it all was a beautiful square tent where the bride, the groom, their parents and siblings all sat. As the ceremony proceeded everyone ate their lunch and talked amongst each other while the bride and groom were married.
The bride wore a beautiful red and white sari with a veil.  Red dots were lined from one side of her forehead to the other and she wore bangles eight inches up her arm. Her right hand was tied with the grooms right hand and placed under a scarf. He wore a red turban with a gold patterned jacket and baggy brown patterned pants. The fathers and brothers of the bride and groom wore white handkerchiefs on their heads, the ends tucked behind their ears. 
On one side sat the bride and groom with the brides parents to the right and the grooms parents to the left. Across from them sat the pandit (leader of the procession). He chanted for around five minutes while the parents took turns scooping oil into a spoon and pouring it on a fire in a bowl. 
The bride and groom stood and walked around the table in the center seven times before sitting down again.
The older brother of the groom unsheathed a knife and stood behind the couple holding it in his right hand to his chest. The pandit held a platter of rose petals and continued to chant as he tossed the rose petals, falling delicately over the bride and groom. The platter was passed along to the older brother who then held it over the couple as their heads were pressed together.  
The groom was given the knife and a plate of kaju katli (an indian sweet). I personally didn't see this one coming... He hit the plate with the knife and it broke into pieces. Everyone cheered! 
The cloth holding their hands together was untied and the groom took out a gold necklace that was put around the brides neck. Blessings were given by the parents and rings were exchanged. Not only did the couple exchange rings but also the parents. The pandit said a few words and the new married couple were off to their house! 

South Tour

 I have been to the point of India and back :) For the past 23 days I have been traveling with 10 other Rotary exchange students and one tour guide all throughout South India, recording everyday in my journal. I have decided to share with you the shortened version. If anyone is interested in the detailed, full version, just email me and I will be more than willing to share everything with you!

After only twenty three days I have seen so much more of India. I have learned, experienced, and SMELLED so many new things. I have ridden on top of a moving tour bus on a remote street in a small village. I have climbed up 1,700 steps carved into a huge rock, arriving at the top to a 100ft. statue carved from one boulder. I have ridden an elephant, been where the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal meet, ridden in an Indian train, received a famous Kerala massage. I am used to cockroaches and rats, I no longer think much of unexplainable red dots on my skin. I have been to the gate of India, become a master at bargaining, slept on a houseboat and had freshly caught fish. I have woken up at 2am in the morning to avoid pro-communism protests, gone on jungle safaris, been to the highest point in South India and gone to the bathroom in a train (you will have to experience that one for yourself!). I am thankful to be able to experience some of the most magical moments of my life. Leaning out an open train door as India goes by in flashes, knowing there is so much India hides. No matter how much I learn about her, I know there is always another religion, belief, dish, song, person, or language that is yet to be discovered. And that is why this year, I am determined to become her best friend, no matter how many times she hugs me and then slaps me in the face. Because that is India and you can't do much more than try to learn her secrets and stand back in awe. 

Diwali

Namaste!
I am sure some of you have heard of Diwali, the festival of lights. You have probably also heard that it is one of the most beautiful festivals in India. Well, it is! Maybe it is the excitement of the entire family coming over for dinner (Indian families are big!), firing illegal fireworks (illegal in America of course), or maybe it is all the lights that are hung on every single house. I think the most beautiful moment of Diwali was when I watched a single paper lantern float into the sky. I know it sounds cliche, but it was truly picturesque.
For 10 days before Diwali, everyone frantically cleans their houses. It is like the Indian version of Spring cleaning, except they actually do it :). For the 3 days of the festival, there are poojas at homes and shops, where the owners pray for prosperity of their business' and families. 

Many people underestimate the amount of fireworks that are blown up, as well as the unsafe conditions. You walk down the street and there are children lighting matches and jumping over fireworks! Of course, someone is bound to get hurt. The first night of Diwali, my host brother was lighting a firework and somehow decided it would be safe to hold onto it as it went off! He burnt 3 of his fingers! But I suppose I shouldn't talk, as I burnt my finger on the last day while lighting a firework. Ice is everyone's best friend during Diwali :)  

I leave for the tour of South India in 8 days! I can't wait to see more of India. Can't wait to share my experience with you all!

Namaste,

Hannah

A Day in the Life of an American in India

Today I woke up at 8am, ate breakfast (prepared by my wonderful host mother) and was out the door and in an auto by 9:15am. The auto took me to BVM school, which is where me and the other exchange students take our kathak and tabla classes. From there, the other students and I went in search of another auto. Like most times, we had around 4 autos surrounding us, 3 out of the 4 already filled with people. I am not sure if the drivers planned on dumping out there passengers and taking us or if they just stopped to marvel at the Americans!  Either way, we found an empty one and made our way to the Madame Principal's house (the principle of BVM school). She had invited us to a pooja(celebration) for her Goddess. After performing the pooja, which consisted of throwing a handful of pedals on a beautifully decorated temple, we were served lunch. It was delicious! I even had something that tasted like key lime pie :)
 At 2pm we met our kathak teacher at the school where I taught her ballet, Felix taught German dance, Zevi taught Waltz and Salsa and Britney taught Tap. It was a lot of fun!! At 5pm, after dancing all afternoon Britney and I went to Jaripatka (my neighborhood) and shopped for kurti fabric. I am becoming quite the expert at bargaining, but my host mom is still in 1st place out of anyone I know! After my mom took me to the tailors to have some kurtis and suits made, I helped her cut tomatoes, onions, and paneer to make khatti rolls, which are one of my favorite meals here. The dinner was delicious!
I miss everyone and hope you are all doing well :)
Namaste,
Hannah

Pictures

I have been asked to share photos, but because of the amount of time it takes to upload them to websites such as photo bucket, I will be uploading them to Facebook. You can add me as a friend to view the photos!! I apologize if this is an inconvenience...

Namaste,

Hannah

Envoy by Billy Collins

I was reading a book of poems that my mom gave me before I left and I thought this one described what it is like to go on exchange:

Envoy

Go, little book,
out of this house and into the world,

Carriage made of paper rolling toward town
bearing a single passenger
beyond the reach of this jittery pen,
far from the desk and the nosy gooseneck lamp.

It is time to decamp,
put on a jacket and venture outside,
time to be held in foreign hands.

So off you go, infants of the brain,
with a wave and some bits of fatherly advice:

Stay out as late as you like,
don't bother to call or write,
and talk to as many strangers as you can.


Namaste.
Hannah 

Only in India

I have found myself saying "only in India" quite a lot. I have had so many bizarre experiences in the past few weeks that I would never had imagined. At times I actually find myself wondering who I am. India has already changed me in 3 weeks. And that's another thing.. I can't believe I have been here for an entire 3 weeks already :) Time has passed so fast.
So as I was saying, I find myself in situations that last year I never would have imagined. I find myself doing things, saying things, and expecting things that actually scare me. I look back at them and think to myself "Who was that?"
I have ignored poor children begging me for money, walked away and not looked back. Already I am used to having a maid, used to expecting my bed to be made, my bathroom to be cleaned, my dishes to be washed. Many times I have argued with an auto driver about an unfair price, insisting on 50 rupees when he wants 70, afterwards realizing that his house is most likely somewhere in the many slums, he is trying to support his family, and all he wanted was a little more than a dollar. I have ignored and been angry with the many people who stare at me, finding it overly annoying, when they can probably count on their fingers how many white people they have seen in their life time.  I have seen so many slums and so many people who have nothing. I have kept walking, ignored them, done nothing.
Many times I have looked back at these experiences and not recognized this person. It honestly scares me! India is so much different from America. I can't even give justice to these 3 weeks with only words. But there are also the truly amazing moments that I don't think twice about.
Eating ice cream with the other exchange students, going to Cafe Coffee day (which is like starbucks, but Indian) every single day, riding on top of a car while it is moving ( I guess this is completely normal and legal...) but don't worry they only do it on the side roads! I have ridden down the highway with only my legs inside the windows, gone shopping in the market, played cricket in the street, gone 80 km per hour on the back of a motorcycle, worn a sari, tied rakhi to 7 new brothers, started to learn hindi, helped my host mom cook in the kitchen, and learned how to cross an Indian road ( well at least I haven't been hit yet!). But most importantly I have met people that will impact my life. People who I will know 60 years from now and still remember the year that changed our lives.
I keep having to remind myself that I have only been here for 3 weeks. It seems like I have been here for a year :) I know that there will be so much more to come during this year. I just hope I can keep up with the blogging so I don't forget anything about it!
Oh and I have been able to understand certain words that people say when they speak in Hindi. It is quite exciting to sort of know what they are talking about :) And of course I have been working on speaking it as well!
Namaste,
Hannah

Adventures in Nagpur

 Yesterday me, Felix and my host brother, Praveen went to "Crazy Castle water park". It was a blast, although Felix is now as red as a lobster. So besides the lack of intelligence to put sunscreen on, we had a really fun time. For some reason 90 degree, humid weather isn't hot enough for Indians so we had the entire park to ourselves :)  The rules about safety in India are a lot less than in America. That's one thing I learned at the water park :D
Today was my first day of school. It was very, very confusing! The classroom looks like a classroom from the old movies... My first class was Physics. It was... interesting. The teacher completely ignored me and the other exchange students. And I can't really understand when she is speaking English and when she is speaking Hindi! Oh well.
After school Felix, Donald, Zevi and I went to our Katak and Tabla classes. On our way to our hindi class, we all climbed into one rickshaw. That was a bad idea! Zevi and Felix were sitting on the outside with their feet towards us, halfway out the vehicle. Oh and did I mention it was raining really hard? After we told the driver where to take us, he ended up taking us to some random mall. We gave up and decided to go shopping instead, after searching for the temple (where our hindi class is). But I WILL say that I successfully got home in a rickshaw. I guess my Hindi isn't that bad. And he only charged us 30 rupees! That's less than a dollar!


Alright time for me to go to sleep.
By the way please feel free to comment on my posts. It's nice to hear feed back.
Namaste,
Hannah

War

Hey everyone. At 2 in the morning today a war broke out between the christians and the sindhis. There were 2 sindhis and 250 christians. The christians beat the sindhis without mercy, resulting in one of them in the hospital and one dead. Because there were 250 christians and only 2 sindhis, the christians cannot be prosecuted. The police have to listen to the christians because they are the majority in the situation. They are saying that it was the sindhis who provoked them, but there are no sindhis to tell their side, so the police have no choice but listen to the christians. This is a completely unjust situation and it is very frustrating. How is it christian to beat people of other religions? As I recall God said "love your neighbors", not "beat your neighbors". But what can we do? It is just another situation in life that is unfair and unjust. Perhaps someday our world will be at peace. I hope I am alive for that day.
On a happier note, I am having a wonderful time in India and it has definetly opened my eyes to many things.
Namaste,
Hannah

When in India, do as the Indians do

Hey guys! Wow! Sorry this took me so long. The blog website wouldn't let me post. 

I think I will just tell you what I have been up to. 

On Monday I met 3 of the other exchange students in my city. Donald- from Germany Zevi- from America and Felix- from Germany. They are all very nice!! We signed up for tabla and katak- drums and a form of Indian dance. We have these classes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday as well as Hindi lessons afterward. Some things that I have noticed about Indian culture:

1. They are very straight- forward. If they think something about someone they will tell you. It has been a little surprising to me.

2. Burping is accepted as completely normal and no one seems to notice when anyone does it :O 

3. Cows know they are holy!! They saunter down the middle of the street as if there weren't people honking at them and yelling. Although I guess they do eat the garbage... so we have to be somewhat thankful to them :)

4. You WILL be fed wherever you go. Even if you refuse 100 times.

I have only been here for one week and I already feel like I have been here for a month. I have learned so much already. 

I posted some of my pictures on Facebook if you want to see them! Otherwise I will try to figure out how to get them on my blog soon :)

All the best!!!

Hannah

"Jaisa des vaisa ves" "When in India, do as the Indians do"

Cows, Goats and Dogs

Where do I begin? Well, first of all I found my way to all of the airplanes and didn't end up in Greendland, so that's something to be proud of! I think I will just tell you of all the new experiences that I had in just one day.
When I landed in Mumbai, as I looked out the window I saw barbed wire and behind that were slums. I glanced back and saw the shadow of a little boy watching the plane land. The outside of the airport was lined with slums, shacks and hundreds of blue tarps.
When I flew into the Nagpur airport, I had to use the bathroom. In the previous bathrooms in Mumbai airport they had normal tiolets.. and tiolet paper! Well, the toilets in Nagpur airport were pits in the ground (tiled of course!) with a water spray hose instead of tiolet paper :O That was a little terrifying....
As my new host family drove me home, I saw India for the first time! I can't even begin to explain what it looks like.
When I got into the car I discovered that seatbelts are not neccesary! As we started to drive, the stereo-type of "no lanes, honking" became true. Everyone was swerving around everyone and honking "just because they can". There were more motorcycles on the road than I have ever seen in my life. People walked through town, down the middle of the road, while the cars and motorcycles dodged them. As we drove farther into the neighborhood there were  dogs walking along the side of the road, sniffing through garbadge and curled up in yards outside buildings. And then I saw the COWS. It's true!!! There are cows and cows and cows. They just walk around all day, minding their own business, and people don't even  seem to mind! They just drive around them. It truly amazes me!
When I arrived at my new house I got to choose which bedroom I wanted! After I unpacked, I was immediatley given water, mango juice, a piece of cake and food and more food. They say that India is the one country where you will probably lose weight, but I 'm not so sure.. For example, I went to visit my new aunt and some of my cousins and my aunt sat me down and put a bowl of rice in front of me! After visitng their house, I was brought to the house of my other cousins and aunt. And guess what they tried to do?... feed me again!!! hahah so I have probably gained a few pounds already :)
Then came the motorcylce. My host brother, Praveen told me that we were going to bike around the neighborhood. The next thing I knew, I was on the back of a motorcylce, no helmet, dodging goats, cows. people, cars, motorcycles and dogs!! And it was funnnn!!! When you are the only white person around, people tend to stare at you, and that's just what people did. It's a little weird, but I guess I will get used to it.
Just one more thing. When we were driving through the neighborhood, we stopped for a few minutes at an intersection. Immediatley, a woman and her baby were at our open window, begging for money. After we gave her some rupees, she moved onto the next vehicle.

Well, it is 11:30pm and I have been awake for the past 2 and a half days so I think I'm going to sleep.
I can't wait for my second day, and I'm sure there are a lot more fun, interesting and scary experiences to come.
Namaste!!

20 hours, 30 min, 30 sec

At 6:30 am tomorrow morning I will fly from Portland to Seattle. From there, I will fly to New Jersey and from there I will fly to Mumbai. I will have a 10 hour lay-over (at night!) in the Mumbai airport, and at 6:55am I will finally fly to Nagpur where I will meet my host family!!!!!
No matter how many times I tell myself my brain and feelings will not be convinced that I am leaving in less than a day. I think it is the anticipation for the last 9 months. It is finally here, and it still seems like a dream.
Everyone has been so supportive and loving and I can't thank you all enough. I will miss you all so much, but will have so much to blog about. I will make sure to post pictures..lots of them :)
Until India,
NAMASTE!

18 more days....

I realize I haven't written anything for awhile, but I am going to catch you up! I am leaving on July 21st, but still waiting for my visa. I take a plane from Portland to Seattle, to New Jersey and then to INDIA! I have already packed and unpacked my suitcase, so you can tell I'm pretty anxious :D
My host family seems wonderful. They are Sindhi, so I will be able to go to temple and be vegetarian! My mom is a housewife, so it will be nice to have her around and my dad owns two rice and wheat factories. I have two brothers, one of which who is my age, will leave on exchange for Wisconsin in the end of August. My other brother will be starting his first year of university, so he will be living at home.
I am signed up for swim team, my brothers are going to teach me cricket and my grandfather is going to teach me yoga!!! Let me leave already :)))
I will be sure to write more often and especially before I leave.
Namaste!