Let me begin by saying that I think the decision of coming to India was a great one and this trip was truly meant to be for me...Already in my second day here i can say this has been an experience like none other, and a worth it one at that.
We went on a tour of the city today. It was not your typical tour on an A/C bus and the guide at the front with a loud speaker phone...this was a shady bus and when we first arrived at the place i must say i was quite intimidated and scared. Eventually, we took of and began our journey throughout the VERY LARGE city of Bangalore. We went to the Sri Radha Krishna temple...amazing temple in which there were Sadhus (kind of like monks)...praying with huge devotion, it was a powerful sight. There was an altar made out of pure gold and is was something like 20 ft high. Oh and i forgot to mention that they asked us to take our shoes off in the bus...so we walked up there barefoot. At first i was worried about catching some sort of disease through my feet but when we finally entered that temple, the please was so clean and it was just so holy. It was amazing to visit that temple.
We then visited some other temples that were also great, and we visited the botanical gardens and the tech museum which was actually kind of hokey.
Anyways, the heartbreaking part: today i witness something very harsh. We were walking down a very crowded and loud street looking for Saris to buy...when we saw this woman pulling on a wooden cart, a man...a man that had no eyes, no hands and no feet. There is something in India called the beggar market. Children are sold to the beggar market when families don't have means for feeding them. The beggar market is a place were they mutilate children to them drag them around the streets begging for money. This had happened to the man being pulled on the cart...we saw two more of the same later on in the afternoon. It is a thought and a site that i have not been able to stop thinking about...truly heartbreaking to think that this exists...I'm so grateful for the school that i will be working at...those children that i will be teaching, those "untouchables" as they call them could have suffered from those circumstances, instead this school is teaching them how to be leaders, how to sustain themselves, and believe in themselves.
This experience has already been humanizing to say the least. India is a difficult country but along with its difficulties it has an amazing spirit...so unique.
A slightly funny story to leave on something lighter. So we are riding a rickshaw today and we are taking pictures and chatting, and all of a sudden the driver stops in the middle of a busy street because there is some other driver beeping at him like crazy. Our driver proceeds to jump out of our rickshaw and fight with the other dude. OMG francesca and I were so shocked! I started running the opposite direction...i'm scared of fights...anyways he settle down and Francesca told me to run back to the rickshaw, it was really funny.
Tomorrow they pick us up and take us to the country side...
See you all soon!
Much love!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
First Impression!
Hello once again,
I am now in Bangalore, India and will be here for the next two days before I get picked up to be taken 40 km south east into rural, India and dear Shanti-Bhavan.
This place is INTENSE. The smells are certainly stronger than they were in the airports and planes. The city smell is a mix of spices, rain, car exhaust, garbage, corn (a lot of cooked corn that smells really good)...to name a few. It rains really heavy and then switches straight into bright sunlight in a matter of minutes. There is a constant roar of beeping rickshaws, buses and motorcycles, and Indians screaming in their beautiful and exotic Hindu language.
Drivers are CRAZY! I'm not kidding, compared to them, Italians drive like wusses, and I drive slow. There is absolutely no organization and where there should be two lanes (in American standards) and at the most three lanes (in Nicaraguan standards) these people create 4 or 5 lanes of Chaos, its thrilling. A sign on one of the stop lights read: Speed thrills, but it kills!
The streets dog are chubby and furry, kind of odd compared to your usual emaciated Nicaraguan street dogs. And off course i should mention the HOLY COWs! So, you know how in Europe you visit monuments adorned with statues of naked people or powerful lions? Well, in Bangalore India the few monuments i've seen have fancy marble cows on the columns.
I'm sure I haven't seen most of it (i'm going on a tour of the city tomorrow, since i'm actually staying in the ghetto, no joke.) but i have already seen the FAMOUS CONTRASTS of this country. Rapidly developing streets with i-stores and "Hard Rock Cafes" are crowded by women in their Hijads, with their faces completely covered, while males walk with there goats and on bare feet. Something i've noticed and perhaps its because the females are at home, the ratio of male to female seems to be something like 5 to 1, its crazy, there are so many men.
I have had one meal today and it will probably be my only meal. I feel like I ate ( i won't say a cow, beacuse that would be wrong, but i guess 7 chickens) its heavy food, very flavorful. I ate naan with this vegetable and cheese "Paneer Tikka Masala" and a spinach and cheese "Palak Paneer". They were really good, but thats enough for the day. Oh and i must mention there was a very cute, small elderly women, that all of a sudden let out the loudest burps EVER, in the middle of the restaurant while Francesca and I were engaged in a very intense metaphysical conversation...i guess its normal here.
I must mention these people's eyes. They have strikingly intense eyes, they are deep and dark and mysterious.
I am suffering from jet lag but i've tried my best all day to stay awake, and i have. I cannot wait to put my head on a pillow though.
I love and am grateful of the fact that i'm here in this very different world. I keep reminding myself however that i'm not here to find a personal external comfort but rather to find inner comfort with the children that I will be teaching, to grow in spirit and in humility...i hope for that at least.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Namaste..
I am now in Bangalore, India and will be here for the next two days before I get picked up to be taken 40 km south east into rural, India and dear Shanti-Bhavan.
This place is INTENSE. The smells are certainly stronger than they were in the airports and planes. The city smell is a mix of spices, rain, car exhaust, garbage, corn (a lot of cooked corn that smells really good)...to name a few. It rains really heavy and then switches straight into bright sunlight in a matter of minutes. There is a constant roar of beeping rickshaws, buses and motorcycles, and Indians screaming in their beautiful and exotic Hindu language.
Drivers are CRAZY! I'm not kidding, compared to them, Italians drive like wusses, and I drive slow. There is absolutely no organization and where there should be two lanes (in American standards) and at the most three lanes (in Nicaraguan standards) these people create 4 or 5 lanes of Chaos, its thrilling. A sign on one of the stop lights read: Speed thrills, but it kills!
The streets dog are chubby and furry, kind of odd compared to your usual emaciated Nicaraguan street dogs. And off course i should mention the HOLY COWs! So, you know how in Europe you visit monuments adorned with statues of naked people or powerful lions? Well, in Bangalore India the few monuments i've seen have fancy marble cows on the columns.
I'm sure I haven't seen most of it (i'm going on a tour of the city tomorrow, since i'm actually staying in the ghetto, no joke.) but i have already seen the FAMOUS CONTRASTS of this country. Rapidly developing streets with i-stores and "Hard Rock Cafes" are crowded by women in their Hijads, with their faces completely covered, while males walk with there goats and on bare feet. Something i've noticed and perhaps its because the females are at home, the ratio of male to female seems to be something like 5 to 1, its crazy, there are so many men.
I have had one meal today and it will probably be my only meal. I feel like I ate ( i won't say a cow, beacuse that would be wrong, but i guess 7 chickens) its heavy food, very flavorful. I ate naan with this vegetable and cheese "Paneer Tikka Masala" and a spinach and cheese "Palak Paneer". They were really good, but thats enough for the day. Oh and i must mention there was a very cute, small elderly women, that all of a sudden let out the loudest burps EVER, in the middle of the restaurant while Francesca and I were engaged in a very intense metaphysical conversation...i guess its normal here.
I must mention these people's eyes. They have strikingly intense eyes, they are deep and dark and mysterious.
I am suffering from jet lag but i've tried my best all day to stay awake, and i have. I cannot wait to put my head on a pillow though.
I love and am grateful of the fact that i'm here in this very different world. I keep reminding myself however that i'm not here to find a personal external comfort but rather to find inner comfort with the children that I will be teaching, to grow in spirit and in humility...i hope for that at least.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Namaste..
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Mumbai, India
I'm in MUMBAI, INDIA! Well in the airport that is. The flight was great! Due to the flight cancellations into and out of NYC on the 27th, Delta upgraded me to first class for the miami, New York flight, which was awesome. The transatlantic flight to Mumbai was not bad at all, even in coach.
The 15 hour flight felt much shorter than that. I read Eat, Pray, Love (awesome book by Elizabeth Gilbert, i recommend it), i slept some and i watched 3 films: Definitely Maybe (major chick flick), 21 (very cool), and Across the Universe (one of my favorites, quite tripy). There was a really nice lady sitting next to me, Kanan was her name and we shared the middle seat which was empty =). We talked about India and America, it was such a nice exchange. She even offered me a place to stay for the night here in Mumbai before my flight to Bangalore (which is in about 6 hours), but due to my previous experience with a so called John, nicknamed "John Airplane" AKA stalker, back when i was a child on my way to college for the 1st time, i decided to just say 'thank you very much but i think i'll just wait in the airport'...she gave me her number though for when im back in Mumbai.
India smells amazing. Its not curry exactly, its spices, spices of all sorts, and im guessing that because i've gone no further than airports and planes the smell is not too strong...but so far, i love it.
The people are very nice and they all speak English. Some men are pretty creepy but we all know that is not only characteristic of India...i just pretend i didn't just make awkward eye contact and continue walking as if i know exactly what i'm doing.
During the flight I kept checking the flight map. We flew over the northern border of Iraq and close to Afghanistan. I couldn't believe that I was flying over the war...i prayed for all those people who are suffering there, (I prayed for Nate, sponsee). Its incredible to think that i'm on this side of the world were issues go far beyond what we see in the news over there.
See you back here soon.
Next stop: Bangalore.
Peace and Smiles.
The 15 hour flight felt much shorter than that. I read Eat, Pray, Love (awesome book by Elizabeth Gilbert, i recommend it), i slept some and i watched 3 films: Definitely Maybe (major chick flick), 21 (very cool), and Across the Universe (one of my favorites, quite tripy). There was a really nice lady sitting next to me, Kanan was her name and we shared the middle seat which was empty =). We talked about India and America, it was such a nice exchange. She even offered me a place to stay for the night here in Mumbai before my flight to Bangalore (which is in about 6 hours), but due to my previous experience with a so called John, nicknamed "John Airplane" AKA stalker, back when i was a child on my way to college for the 1st time, i decided to just say 'thank you very much but i think i'll just wait in the airport'...she gave me her number though for when im back in Mumbai.
India smells amazing. Its not curry exactly, its spices, spices of all sorts, and im guessing that because i've gone no further than airports and planes the smell is not too strong...but so far, i love it.
The people are very nice and they all speak English. Some men are pretty creepy but we all know that is not only characteristic of India...i just pretend i didn't just make awkward eye contact and continue walking as if i know exactly what i'm doing.
During the flight I kept checking the flight map. We flew over the northern border of Iraq and close to Afghanistan. I couldn't believe that I was flying over the war...i prayed for all those people who are suffering there, (I prayed for Nate, sponsee). Its incredible to think that i'm on this side of the world were issues go far beyond what we see in the news over there.
See you back here soon.
Next stop: Bangalore.
Peace and Smiles.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Waiting in Miami
Hellooo!
I was all ready and mentally prepared to fly away to India! And then my two flights both into and out of New York got canceled because of bad weather. So, here I am in Miami waiting to leave today.
My friend Francesca who will be at Shanti Bhavan with me for the first month is already in India. She emailed me last night about some sort of "getting gyped" situation, but anyways I think we'll be okay. Well, crossing our fingers ;).
Oh, and if anyone heard about terrorist attacks in Bangalore. Yep its true. Check out this article.
But you know know how i believe life is 10 % what happens to us and 90% how we react to it? So, i'm not worried about these "terrorists" out of the billion plus people in India, I am pretty confident about a bomb not hitting me...
I think it will be interesting and eye-opening to be on the side of the world where these things are not Hollywood mock-ups; where the people are actually dealing with these heart breaking attacks by their own people.
Finally, i will only be in Bangalore from the 30th to the 1st. Then off to Shanti-Bhavan, the wonderful school that i will be teaching at. I'm so excited to meet those children an walk with them on a path for mutual growth and self-discovery.
Until next time =)
I was all ready and mentally prepared to fly away to India! And then my two flights both into and out of New York got canceled because of bad weather. So, here I am in Miami waiting to leave today.
My friend Francesca who will be at Shanti Bhavan with me for the first month is already in India. She emailed me last night about some sort of "getting gyped" situation, but anyways I think we'll be okay. Well, crossing our fingers ;).
Oh, and if anyone heard about terrorist attacks in Bangalore. Yep its true. Check out this article.
But you know know how i believe life is 10 % what happens to us and 90% how we react to it? So, i'm not worried about these "terrorists" out of the billion plus people in India, I am pretty confident about a bomb not hitting me...
I think it will be interesting and eye-opening to be on the side of the world where these things are not Hollywood mock-ups; where the people are actually dealing with these heart breaking attacks by their own people.
Finally, i will only be in Bangalore from the 30th to the 1st. Then off to Shanti-Bhavan, the wonderful school that i will be teaching at. I'm so excited to meet those children an walk with them on a path for mutual growth and self-discovery.
Until next time =)
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