Typical Friday

So after posting something about the tribal village visit, I thought maybe posting about what a typical Friday here is like would help understand what I'm up to here in India!

I wake up every day at 5am (don't ask me why... I've just gotten used to it, even if I end up sleeping at 130am)

I take my time getting ready. Turning the bath water on and waiting for it to get hot, as well as for the bucket to fill up takes a total of 15 minutes. After taking my bath, I settle down with some chai and do last minute homework or reading.

I leave the apartment at 750am. Unlike other people, I live SUPER close to where the program center and classes are so it's about a 5 minute walk for me. Once I get there, I have breakfast with all the other students.

At 8:15am I have to speed walk over to my first class at 830- environmental perspectives. This professor hates people being late so we literally have to race the professor to class (not joking).

Straight from environmental, I head over to Development Economics at 10:15am. This is my 2nd favorite class and it always seems as though the time goes by super quick. Today, our professor ended the lecture about a half hour early so we could spend the rest of the time talking about food, music, and movies-- he gives the BEST recommendations for restaurants and other places to go to around Pune- for which we are very thankful!

From Development Economics, I head straight to my Social Justice class which ends at 1:30.

Normally we have lunch at this time. Today, however, we had birthday celebrations! On the last day of every month, my study abroad program celebrates all the birthdays in that month together. 6 mini cakes are bought and people take turns cutting them. We then had a delicious lunch- also bought by the program center. We had parathas, biryani, raitha & wait for it... a CADBY. What is a cadby you may ask? Well, the GREATEST chocolate shake I have ever had... sprinkled with oreo type pieces all throughout... it filled me right up. Glorious, I tell you.

After lunch on most Fridays, people go their separate ways and meet up later to go out and celebrate the start of the weekend. Today, we heard about an exhibition being hosted by 20 NGOs so a group of us decided to head over. After going on a mini shopping spree on the road where my college campus is, we went to the exhibition.

Though I was expecting a lot more people to be there, I had a good time walking around and seeing all the different types of work that local NGOs around here do. A lot of the NGOs present at the exhibition did some work relating to helping those that were physically and mentally disabled. The entire thing was put on by a woman named Veena, who I had the opportunity to meet. I asked her what inspired her to do all of this. And she told me that she does it all for her daughter, that she sadly lost one year ago. Puriva, her daughter, was a physically and mentally challenged child, who fought hard for her life, but ultimately lost the battle. Through this process, Veena was introduced to several organizations who worked with fighting disabilities and as a result, realized that these organizations were not reaching the common people. For this reason, she decided to create a platform to bring these NGOs together so that the people could truly see their work. After talking more with Veena, I walked around a bit more and found a small booth that was selling mini bags and decorations made by HIV positive women and children. I couldn't resist buying a beautiful blue bag & one of my friends got the prettiest peacock decorations :)

Then, I headed over to my yoga class that I have 3 times a week. Let me just say, I am so happy I am taking yoga with the instructor I have. She is extremely laid back but so on top of her stuff as well. Yoga is calming for me but is also a work out. I definitely am sweating by the end of the session. But it's an amazing feeling! At 615 I start walking back towards my apartment.

The walk back home is well lit and once it becomes dark, ALL the college students come out and start their weekend festivities and shopping also! This means it's the busiest time for all the street vendors. So my walk home is definitely not a boring one. I always stop to snoop around the little shops and take a closer look at all the beautiful little knick knacks I often see as I rush to class, my yoga class, or other meetings etc. I think perhaps my favorite thing about walking home is crossing the street-- not even joking. I've had some near death experiences seeing as how crossing the street here in India is an artform, but it's awesome weaving through all the two wheelers and cars and bike riders etc. Love it. I'm weird, I know.

So it's 730pm and now I'm home! Normally, I would be doing something with friends. However, I have to be up at 5am tomorrow for a environmental perspectives field trip to a national park. I will be staying there overnight and we have no idea as to what we are doing. Our professor insists on not giving us any information because he claims it will be a better experience that way. Thus, here I am, about to begin the midterm exam and essay I have due on Monday- as I will have no time to do them over the weekend. It's unfortunate, but I am strangely looking forward to this field trip. My environment professor is one of the most amusing individuals I have ever known- and he's also brilliant. It takes a little bit of time to understand what he's saying most of the time... but he's growing on me, as well as his class. He told us to be prepared to see snakes. And if we do see a snake, he told us to look it straight in the eye and smile. Once the snake sees our genuineness in our eyes, it won't do anything, apparently. In fact, according to the professor, any animal who can look into the eyes of a human and see that they are good will not harm them. Every animal except for a mosquito. And for this reason, he told us to bring our mosquito repellent. Hahah.

Sorry for two long posts! I will write an update on how the weekend trip went- and hopefully I will have lots of stories :)

Love,
Sai

Tribal Village

This past week, we were told that we would be going on a tribal village visit. We weren’t given many details but let me just say that I was completely prepared to spend the few days outside, immersed into ‘village life.’ I am highly disappointed to say that this did not happen, but I would be lying if I said I did not come out with a slightly better understanding of the India around me.

Firstly, it was odd to roll into the small tribal village in 6 giant SUVs. Secondly, we had to stay about a half hour from the actual village in a hostel type room. 20 girls were put into one room with bunk beds, and the guys in the other. There was tight space, and there were two squat toilets for all of us… as well as some lovely brown water coming out of the tap in the sink. It was definitely one of the most interesting experiences I have had thus far- and most definitely some amusing moments to remember far into the future, haha.

The very next day, we were whisked away to an organic farm where were able to speak to representatives from an NGO called BAIF. This organization, over the years, has helped local farmers start the process of organic farming, and as a result, the NGO has helped the lives of many farmer families to improve (well, from what they said anyway). It was interesting to see the type of work BAIF did but I was really curious to know what actual farmers had to say—and again, I was disappointed that we could not talk to them and see how their lives had truly been affected- how they’ve changed- how they’ve improved or not improved- what BAIF could do better, etc.

We then headed over to the primary health care center, which was about the size of a small house with 4 tiny rooms. We briefly learned about the lack of quality care as well as the lack of qualified doctors to take care of the villagers in the area. Here, again, we simply got a tour of the facility and learned of the major problems. There was no interaction with any of the people that were there at the time- or even the main doctor unfortunately. However, we were able to visit a ‘sub-center’ being run by a nurse. I was completely inspired by this woman. Having been affected by polio from a young age, she made it her life mission to make sure that other children would be prevented from ever being infected with such an awful disease. Despite her disability, we learned that her sub center is considered to be an IDEAL one- and she runs it all by herself. We were told she came from an extremely poor family, where the members herded the cattle of other families to make money. And yet, with hard work, she was able to follow the path she wanted in order to make her dream come true. Even though we spent a total of 30 minutes with her, I could tell how sincere and genuine she was- just from her demeanor- no explanation was needed. Her story stuck with me, and will continue to stick with me for a long time to come.

The next day, we were able to go inside of an actual tribal village in order to visit two artists- one who was a warli painter (a type of tribal village artwork), as well as a woman who makes sculptures out of paper maché. We were invited into the home of the woman and were able to watch her as she effortlessly (she did it with such ease but it seemed super difficult to me) created a beautiful turtle sculpture! During our short time in the village, were able to get the closest glimpse to what the lives of the villagers were like- simply from observation of course. I am sad to say that I was not able to interact with any of them and find out about the course of their actual lives but yet, as I look back, I am simply grateful for having at least been exposed to it all.

A few days ago, I learned from one of the directors of my program that many villagers, across all villages in India (not just the one we visited) begin their days at about 5am and work late until about 7pm at night. They then come home to do chores and eat a meager dinner and then sleep before they have to rise again. At most, they make anywhere from about 50-200 rupees a day. For them, every day is about survival. Yet having learned this, I was surprised to see that an overwhelming majority of the huts that we passed by had small satellite TV dishes attached to them. It helped me link to what I had been learning in my development economics course; even the rural poor want to move up along the ladder, but they are willing to spend the little money they make on luxuries such as TVs and mobiles rather than spending it on food. But then there are the many families who can’t even afford shelter and resort to begging every day. Disparities even among the poorest of the poor… it’s hard to take it all in sometimes.

I go on trips like the village visit, and I am astounded to see what I read about in my economics textbook come to life. As one of my classmates said a few weeks ago, I fully realized that the people in these villages aren’t ‘test subjects’ in experimentations. Rather, they are people. They have a hard life, a different life. But it’s not to say they are entirely miserable. They have their own lives, their own families. They smile and they laugh. They make the best of what they have, or so it seemed to me. However, by no means are they content with where they are. Many of them or even all of them want to move up in life- make sure their children have better lives etc.

The more I see, the more curious I become. I want to talk to these families and these individuals- where do they come from, what are their aspirations, what motivates them, what frustrates them. Yes, I was sad that this did not happen on my trip to Jawhar (the village I went to), but I was able to open my eyes and soak in what I could. I found out about my internship today and discovered that I will actually have the chance to interact with these same types of individuals here in Pune.

And on a personal level, I realized how minuscule my every day worries and stresses are in the grand scheme of things. I am not able to turn a blind eye to what I see, ever. I make sure to look at every little thing around me, including the poverty- regardless of whether I am in the city or I am in a village- and let it all seep in. I’m taking it day by day- not trying to rush through anything, for fear of missing the tiniest bit of information, or the smallest observation.

Each day, the list of questions I have grows. But I am receiving answers as well. And little by little, I am beginning to understand the complexities of this great India…

To end on a quote, for those who may, like me, forget how insignificant their worries can be:

“is everything as urgent as your stress would imply?” 

1 month!

It's been over a month since I've been here- weird! I can't describe the feeling of waking up every morning and walking down the street to breakfast or my classes. Firstly, it's great that I blend in and no one really ever looks at me as if I'm out of the ordinary. But beyond that, walking by the man who sells chai and samosas on the corner of my road, as well as the same shoe polisher a little ways down and realizing that they recognize me and acknowledge me with a smile or a nod-- it's an awesome feeling. I've never really stopped and talked to them but we seem to have some type of odd friendship and I can't help but smile each time I walk past.

India's really starting to become incredible and it's been a great feeling to finally have a routine here. But October is a couple days away and that's when things start to become super hectic. The first weekend of October, I'm going to a national park and 'roughing it' (according to my professor) with my environmental perspectives class (I feel like there'll be stories to tell after this). Then the entire group is going to Mumbai about a week and a half later. And just a week later after that, I'm off to Hyderabad for travel week! By the time I come back, it'll be November.

In other news, this past week on Tuesday, my environmental class went to the Bhaja caves about 1.5 hours outside of Pune. These were Buddhist caves from 2nd century B.C. Back in the day, these caves were a major stopping point for Greeks who came to get their wives pretty jewelry and silk! The caves were also along a very important trade route that started from the Arabian sea, which is why they were of such great importance.

The caves up close!

My environmental professor- being himself

On Thursday, we had the opportunity to meet with the head of the Corporate Social Responsibility sector from the 5th largest wind energy company in the world- Suzlon. I have to admit it was pretty bizarre seeing a GORGEOUS building smack dab in the middle of an area that had slums and shacks off to the side. And so a lot of people thought that it was ridiculously wasteful. However, I also have to say that for a company that has set their standards high and wants to make an international footprint, making a good impression for the outside world is a must. Also, as another student pointed out, if any of us had seen this type of building in the U.S. or in Europe, we wouldn't have thought twice about it. I completely agree with this point. The woman we met with told us a lot about various projects that Suzlon has started all over India in hopes of 'giving back' to the community. Hearing about all of them and seeing what type of work they have been doing impressed me a lot. I haven't seen this type of thinking very much in India thus far and from what I have heard- the idea of 'giving back' doesn't really exist for a lot of corporations here. However, Suzlon has taken several steps to ensure that the communities they are erecting wind turbines in aren't completely devastated as a result of their actions. For example, in Rajasthan (which is essentially a very windy and desert land), Suzlon has helped local villagers start the process of tree plantation. Through this process, there are now 85,000 surviving trees in Rajasthan & the growth of these trees are monitored daily. In Madhya Pradesh, Suzlon started a self help group of all women, in which the women are taught how to be strong and independent. They are given a voice and ultimately, they too, learn that they can do things on their own and not have to rely on others. In various states across India, Suzlon has also started a total of 446 schools in which young students are taught about the environment around them- what it is, why it's important, how to preserve it, etc. After hearing all of this and making sure that it's actually all true, I have to say I really enjoyed the opportunity of visiting the headquarters and learning things I had no clue about before.


Other than that, I did a ton of essay writing this past week, as well as errand-running. I finally set up a regular yoga time with an instructor. And today, after a long week, I went to a silk exhibition with a few friends and I am SO happy I went! The types of things that were being sold were absolutely gorgeous- from silk scarves, tops, kurtas, bags, jewelry, cooking utensils, decorations and soooo much more. The colors and beauty of it all was honestly overwhelming but I have to say I came out with some pretty awesome stuff-- all things I bargained for too! I also had a great time bonding with some of the vendors over the most random things. I realized that they are not all out to get the most money from you-- some of them are actually super friendly and love to talk about the things they do in their lives. For example, I met an awesome guy who, although is India, lived in Jamacia for 6 years. He told me about the amazing jerk chicken and how he was sadly, not able to find anything like it here (no surprise there). A few vendors, such as this man, really made me smile today and if it wasn't for them, I don't think today would have been such a great day.


The hot chai that I'm currently having as I type this is also helping, I must say. Tomorrow, all of us are headed to a tribal village about 8 hours away from Pune. There, we will be talking to the villagers, visiting their public health center as well as doing some other things we haven't really been told about yet (I've stopped asking questions and am just kind of rolling with it). But I'm sure that after my 3 days there, I will have lots of stories to tell. 


Til next time! Love to whoever actually continues to read this thing :) 


<3 Sai

The Indian Postal Service: It's an Experience.

In all seriousness, the experiences I've had thus far with the postal system here have been frustrating and yet so amusing all in one.

First, I went to the post office a few weeks back- which is about a 10 minute walk from where I take classes, so I thought.. not bad, I'll just get a few stamps and envelopes and mail out my letters. Little did I know I would be there for about a half hour- lost in translation- with the lady at the counter. I asked for 3 stamps to the US... she gave me 4. I then tried to ask her the process in which one actually mails out letters to the US and she just waved her hands at me and became angry that I could not speak Mahrati or Hindi. Lady was real angry. She essentially thought since I looked as though I was from the state of Maharashtra, I was simply refusing to speak the language, when in fact, I can't actually speak it! Now as many of you know- I never turn red but let me just say, my ears and face were bright red and I became extremely flustered as I was trying to get my questions across in a polite way. I then was able to explain to her how I wanted to mail two letters to the US and I FINALLY realized that it takes a total of one 10rupee and one 15rupee stamp for each letter you want to mail (25rupees total). In that moment I acknowledged that if I actually wanted to send out both letters there I was going to be stuck for another half hour, again, lost in translation. So I grabbed my stamps and left. Thanks to the staff back at the program center I was able to learn the actual process in how to go about mailing things (I really think they should have a lesson on this at orientation..) annnd I was able to learn a helpful phrase that I have been using:

"Hindi, Mahrati nahi.. Telugu ati hai" <- This means, I don't speak Hindi or Mahrati but I can speak Telugu, which is the language that is spoken in the state of India I was born in- Andhra Pradesh. The program staff told me that when I say this phrase they will know that this is the only reason why I speak English to them, so they won't feel the need to think as though I'm deliberately not speaking Mahrati. So yes, the language barrier is still pretty challenging here despite many knowing English. Most of the people I have encountered- such as restaurant workers, street vendors, rickshaw drivers don't really know English quite well so it's super helpful to pick up on certain Hindi and Mahrati phrases... working on it!

And then today, after an awesome day of just hanging out at a local coffee shop with some friends doing homework, I headed home after feeling productive. By the way, I had the greatest hazlenut cappuccino thanks to the suggestion of Megan ;) & it made me miss the dav SO much. Anyway, on the way home, I got a phone call from a man who claimed to have a package for me. He continued to speak in Hindi for about 5 minutes until I was finally able to get across to him that I could not speak the language. After mumbling something he hung up. I called him back and he magically began speaking Telugu... a language I actually know! He told me he would drop it off for me at my house. All packages sent to Alliance students go straight to the program center... so when he said house, I got confused. I proceeded to go to the program center and ask the guard if a parcel was dropped off. Here, again, no English so I had to stick to hand gestures and simplified words. No package. I then called back the same man who called me and weirdly enough, it was a different man, who just kept saying house, over and over. So again, frustrated, I decided to walk back towards my apartment and forget the whole thing. On the way, I got yet another call and as I passed by a man on a scooter, I realized it was him that was calling me! He pointed to me and with the little english he knew, he told me to get on the back of his scooter and he'd take me to my package.

At this point, I was real confused. But I got on the back of the two wheeler and once I did, it dawned on me-- what if this isn't the mailman?? I mean, he didn't look like it at all, he looked like any other regular man would. But in fact, it was him! He took me to my apartment and he clarified that yes, my package was dropped off at the architect's office who works next door to my apartment. After saying many thank yous, I picked up my package and brought it inside.

What was it? A dasara (an Indian holiday that is coming in about 2 weeks) gift from my wonderful parents of sweets, drinks, and roses :)

Productivity and presents. Good day? I think so.

<3 Sai 

Take a Deep Breath

So it's almost the end of another week- my 4th week here actually... crazy, right?!

We've been told this is when the 'honeymoon phase' of study abroad is over and the stress starts to pile on. Luckily, I haven't seen too much of this but I can already see how it can happen if I don't plan out my papers, field visits, and travel plans now. Amid all of this, I'm STILL trying to get my spring semester plans finalized.. which is proving to be the most frustrating thing of all time.

But after a great conversation about destressing with a friend here on the trip, I realized the importance of the phrase 'take a deep breath.' There are times here, on the walk to the program center, on the walk to class... or even just walking to get an ice cream cone where I have to remind myself: I'm in INDIA! It's really easy to lose sight of the important things and become fixated on the most minute details but while I'm here I'm making a huge effort to stop doing exactly this. Everything will work out in the end, and if it doesn't, it's not the end.

On the bright side...

• On Tuesday our Social Justice class saw a film on Ambedkar. It was extremely long.. but taught me a lot about the Dalit Movement here in India. It also gave me a lot of background knowledge (that I desperately needed) about many of the social justice movements of the past that are still continuing to this day. Although the acting was pretty... bad... the film was incredibly informative so I was thankful for that! 
• Today, we went to a bollywood/bhangra fusion class!!! It was awesome, and I can tell it's going to be a workout but that I'm going to love it nonetheless. I'm pretty sure that we were all laughing the entire hour and a half we were there :) We are currently learning how to dance to one of the songs from Om Shanti Om- this is a movie I have yet to see.. but it's definitely going on my to do list. 
• In addition to the delicious foods I have here on a daily basis, I've also made friends with the local ice cream store man (fyi there are about 50 ice cream stores just on the road that my college is on) - and am getting an ice cream cone every day. Thanks to my mom's suggestion, I'm testing out different flavors every day... hahah so far, my favorite has definitely been mango! So yeah, it's been great to incorporate ice cream into my daily diet. Fantastic, to be more accurate :P 
• I found a drink called "Mango Chill" (can you tell I'm obsessed with mango) at one of the nearby coffee shops and it's probably on the top 5 tastiest drinks I've ever had thus far. 
• I'm going shopping tomorrow with a few friends! Funky colored pants here I come 
• I bought PENS today!! That might sound crazy to some of you but I'm obsessed with Indian pens-- they write super well and so of course I got like 10 all at once today (all different colors of course). I am most likely going to not leave the country without buying at least 50 more... you think I'm kidding- I'm not. 
• I'm starting yoga at some point next week- finally
• Last but definitely not least-- my tickets for Hyderabad are officially booked! It's been years and years since I've been back and I'm excited to spend celebrate an authentic Diwali with family. For those of you who may not be aware, Diwali is a HUGE festival here in India. I think I can best describe it in pictures so you'll have to wait until the end of October for that! 

So that was just a small update but I'll definitely be posting again in a few days :) I'm using this weekend to catch up on a ton of work. But for now, sleep awaits me.

Love,

Sai 

Ganpati Bappa Morya!

My title says: Jai Lord Ganesha!

Who is Ganesha? One of the most popular Gods in Hinduism. Many of you may know this God as the 'elephant headed God.' The past 10 days have been devoted to Ganesh- who is known to be a God of prosperity and overcoming any type of hardships. Many Hindus pray or think of this God at the start of anything new- whether it be a journey, a job, or even school (including myself). It varies from family to family whether the festival is celebrated for all 10 days or just 2 days. My host mom celebrated it for about 2 days- beginning with a pooja on the first day.

On the first day, there is a small get up done in each home that celebrates in which a Ganesh idol is placed in an alter-type set up. The idol is decorated with all sorts of jewelry, flowers, colorful lights and lamps etc. When the decorations are done, a pooja is performed. I was fortunately able to participate in this and am very grateful for that. My host mom read out loud all the chants/mantras from a variety of books while I did aarthi (which is light from wicks soaked in ghee- which is then offered to the God). Since my host mom is still recovering from her open heart surgery, I was able to do more actions! For one, besides the main idol in all the homes that celebrate, when the pooja is done- there is a smaller Ganesh idol put on top of a plate that sits at the bottom of the main altar. As you read out all the chants from the book(s), you also have to bathe the tinier idol with a mix of water and milk while offering small flowers. The entire pooja took about 45 minutes and sometimes it can take way longer- especially if priests are invited inside of the home. However, my host mom decided to keep it simple and so we were done relatively early. Once the pooja is done, the food that has been prepared for the day (including modak- Ganesh's favorite sweet) has to be offered to the God first- so the plate of food is placed in front of the idol and after that, lunch can be eaten :)

This is the altar we set up (my host mom and I)- the plate at the bottom with the fire in it is the plate used to do the aarthi)

This is a close up of the main Ganesh idol we used-- this picture was taken AFTER the pooja which is why you see flowers at the front. Flowers are offered during the pooja itself. 

We had a delicious meal in fact and I was left incredibly full. We did the same thing as above before dinner and again for dinner on the 2nd day of the festival as well. Once a family is done celebrating the festival, the Ganpati idol is usually submerged into water- usually a river or a sea. My host mom, however, is ecofriendly and for this reason, she uses the same Ganpati idol every year and instead submerges the idol into a bucket of water for about 5 minutes and then brings it back out. She doesn't think it's very respectful to put the idol into water that is often polluted with sewage and other garbage. So despite people such as her, I do know (and have seen) that other families continue to practice the submersion of the idol into rivers/seas- which is pretty interesting to me, because I find what my host mom said to be incredibly true.

Today was the last day of the festival (the 10th day) and I got up early this morning to head over to Lakshmi Road with a few of the other people from the program. We were able to watch the procession of HUNDREDS of people go by as the cities 5 main idols were carried through the streets, over a course of 5 or so hours. We were only there from about 12-330 but I know that the processions that began early this morning go overnight until 8am TOMORROW... crazy! It was awesome watching everyone dance and sing. We ourselves were able to participate as well- so you bet we went out and danced with all the other people there! Flowers were thrown and people started throwing red powder EVERYWHERE (red is Ganesh's favorite color by the way) and so of course I went from brown to red in .5 seconds.. it was great. A lot of people were sad about missing Holi here but in a way, we got to experience what that would've been like (even though it was nothing in comparison).

A few of us after all the powder was thrown-- towards the end of our day

After a long day we walked back and I headed home.

As I type this, I have to say that I also realize that today is in fact, 9/11. A lot of us discussed how there was so much celebration here while in our minds, we acknowledged what a somber day this was for many back home. I thought back to where I was when 9/11 happened, how old I was, how little I knew, and how much suffering I saw in the aftermath of it all. Thoughts go out to every single person that was affected by this awful tragedy, as well as those who continue to fight in our nation's defense every single day. And at the end of the day, despite the fact that I am Indian, I am also American and am incredibly proud to call myself that & am so grateful for the freedom I'm able to exercise on a daily basis. I hope everyone back in the US stays safe and alert today- love to you all.

-Sai 

"When the huts are not happy, the palace is not happy"

Before I begin explaining the title of this post, I must apologize for not posting as much as I would have liked to in the past week. After a day of having internet, my computer's keyboard decided to break... so it's been in the repair shop all this time! Luckily however, it was finished today and I was able to go pick it up. But without my computer I was able to do a ton of reading and sleep a lot :P Yet now that it's back, I'm excited to add my photos and start recalling all the experiences I've had so far. First I have to mention my classes--

I am in love with my Contemporary India & Development Economics classes- the professors are by far some of the smartest individuals I have ever encountered. I feel truly grateful and am soaking in every bit that I'm learning each day. However, some of the other classes are a little frustrating for most of us as students. Very few of us have come in with knowledge regarding India's complicated history (seriously, complicated is an understatement). I'm slowly beginning to realize that things aren't black and white here- there are many, many contradictions but it's all about taking the time to learn the history and the culture- and learning that things can exist simultaneously; it doesn't have to be one or the other, especially here in this country. So I strongly believe that things will come a little more easy to me in the coming days and months but it'll just take some extra work now in these present days.

And in regards to the title of this post:

Today, we went on a field trip for our Contemporary India class. We visited the MIT School of Government- which is essentially a one year masters program for those getting a degree in political science. The MIT SOG is the first institute of its kind in India, and in fact, all of Asia as well; it serves to train future political leaders of India and is extremely rigorous. We were fortunate enough to meet the 7th batch, that will actually be inaugurated tomorrow by the chief of the BJP. These students are some of the best and the brightest, and it was truly phenomenal to see the passion they had for going into the field of politics. When asked what one of the biggest problems they hoped to tackle in the coming years, one student from Madya Pradesh responded with the quote I have used as my title. In explaining it, he went on to talk about the problem of corruption in India, how the education system needs to be improved, and how the agricultural population of India- rural India, and the poorest parts of India- need to be included in the political system. Without them, the entire nation as a whole suffers, which is what my title refers to. He went on to talk about how maternal healthcare and child healthcare need to be improved as well, and how if the youth, which is the biggest part of India's population today, is strong- then the entire nation will become strong.

Listening to him really brought a lot of things to the surface. In the past few months here in India, there have been many protests regarding Anna Hazare's demands for a corruption-free government and throughout the 3 weeks we have been here, we have gotten a variety of perspectives on them. Some believe that the Anna Hazare movement is being exaggerated, seeing as how some parts of India have been comparing him to God Ganpati (with the festival occurring presently). Others however, and most that we met at MIT today, seemed to believe that this was an extremely important movement in India. Many noted that actual common people were involved in the protests and that is something that has made this movement so distinct from others. And by and large, the idea seems to be that everyone here in India wants to see corruption gone- it pervades almost every aspect of the political system, despite being the world's largest democracy.

Beyond this, we also got to hear where each of the students came from (what state in India they were from) and just their thoughts on what they wanted to do once they finished the masters program. There were many that spoke of returning to their villages/districts and improving the conditions there while educating others and raising awareness. It was absolutely incredible listening to each and every one of them. It was strange and exciting to think that I was sitting in a room with students that could potentially solve future conflicts and become world leaders in the coming decades. And it was fascinating learning about all of the different parts of India- there were students from all over including Punjab, Gujarat, Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and more. It just once again, reinforced for me, the vastness of India and the immense amount of diversity that exists here.

All in all, today was an extremely enlightening day for me. I had contemporary India in the morning and then the field trip later on and from start to finish, I can say I learned so much. I look forward to how my perceptions and opinions will change over the coming months as I learn even more & I'll end this by including another quote said by one of the students:

"It's all about humanity- politics is not beyond humanity" 


Oh and this Sunday is the last day of the Ganpati festival so once that's over I will be writing a post explaining ALL about it :)

Namaskar

So it has officially been one week since I have arrived in India-- 

We spent a total of one night in Mumbai before we headed over to a retreat location in Durshet- which was about a 3 hour bus ride. For the next 3 days, we underwent orientation at a forest lodge. It was interesting to say the least, just because I've never really been camping or anything, but I saw a ton of unique insects and slimy creatures... took some pictures, so I'll add them as soon as I can! 

During orientation, we became introduced to the types of foods that we would be eating for the next 4 months, we went over things like culture shock & cultural sensitivity, etc. Beyond that, we also went on a hike up a mountain to visit two tribal villages. It was eye-opening seeing how the women of the village started their early mornings with all of the work they had for the day- including getting water from the well, washing their clothes and dishes in the rainwater, and preparing for the multitude of tasks that lay ahead of them. The trek was also filled with beautiful views of the scenery surrounding us, and LOTS of slips and falls. It is currently rainy season here, so there is intense rain pretty much every day. It's taking a lot to get used to but apparently it is supposed to end by the beginning of October... so I am looking forward to that!

After a long 3 days, we got on the bus and headed to PUNE! Once there, we were paired off into groups of 2 and each group was given an Indian buddy to show us around- where to eat, where to run errands & where to get stuff done. Later into the evening, we were dropped off at our homestays :)


I live with a 53 year old woman who is absolutely wonderful. Her son is a practicing lawyer in the Mumbai high courts & thus lives in Mumbai with his wife. I haven't met him yet but hopefully in the coming months I will have a chance to. As I have spent the last week or so getting to know my host mother, I have come to realize how lucky I was in being placed here. She had heart surgery in July so her health is not the greatest at the moment but she's incredibly strong & loves to talk and laugh. She has her own terrace and in her free time she loves to look after her plants and flowers. She uses some of these in her cooking as well! She uses her own mangoes to make sweet mango pickle (which is super yummy by the way), she uses her own garlic, and much more. I think my favorite though, is the fact that I am able to go up onto her terrace and pick myself some jasmine flowers... which is BY FAR my favorite flower, and smell. I'll have to get some pictures up asap :)

I am also super lucky to be living about a 5 minute walk from where the program center & classes are. So every morning I am able to leave the house at 750am, get to the program center at 8am, eat some yummy breakfast and then head over to classes at around 820! Unfortunately most others have about a 10-15 minute auto/rickshaw ride as they live a little whiles away from the main road that we are on.

Classes began on Monday and I'm taking: Environmental Perspectives, Development Economics, Social Justice, and Contemporary India. I like all of them so far and the professors seem to be great- especially for environmental perspectives. He's got an amazing sense of humor and is extremely witty- which I am definitely a fan of. My internship doesn't start until November but I think I like the way the program has set it up. I will have classes for the first 2 months (Sept & Oct) and the month of November is focused entirely on our internship- we will be working 6hrs a day, 5 days a week right up to the week we leave.

All in all, it has been anything but boring so far, here in Pune. I definitely miss AU and everyone in the states (a lot a lot) but I'm excited for what the coming weeks and months have in store for me... and of course, I'll be updating this blog now that I finally have some internet connection of my own. Stay tuned! :)

Love,

Sai

P.S.- Today is a holiday here in India known as Ganpati (for Lord Ganesh) so there are no classes. I did a puja with my host mom & even helped cook some food (yeah, for some of you reading this, shocked?) BUT I'm saving all this for another blog entry. Don't want to make this one too long ;)