A Tribute to You

Of course, during my time here in India, I am extremely appreciative of my host parents for taking care of me, and providing me with the best experience they were capable of. I am thankful for my friends and family back home, and my exchange student friends in Gujarat, for keeping me sane and happy, and getting me through the times that needed getting through...

But here is a list of thanks, to the people here, who unknowingly made my year that much better, and that much more memorable!

Thanks to... the fitting room attendant in Pantaloons department store, who gave me a big hug and wished me a Happy Diwali during the Diwali festival. This was my first hug after arriving in India, and I appreciated how this lady, unlike so many others who just stare or point at me, accepted me, and welcomed me to be a part of the culture here.

Thanks to... a young boy at my school Sathya Sai, for giving me a friendship day bracelet! Friendship day is a popular holiday here, and most commonly, students exchange chocolates or bracelets. A few girls in my class gave me bracelets, but it was odd for me when they just dropped them on my desk while walking by. I had to stay after school that day to talk with my accounts teacher and try to understand the material (a lost cause). Because of some activity going on that day, he moved me into a grade 7 class room, where a few young boys were still studying. A few of them passed glances as I entered the room, and then they laughed and ran out of the room. One of them stayed though, and he smiled at me. He immediately began asking me questions about America, and why I had come to India. He seemed genuinly interested, and we kept talking for 10 minutes. When he had to leave, he gave me a small bracelet that said "Friends of the heart, Shall never part." It was such a small gesture, but it was the first time a student in the school had reached to me, and I was so grateful.

Thanks to...the five ladies in my train compartment who kept me company on an overnight train journey I took by myself. I am not sure if they were sisters or friends, but the image of those five ladies, all in sarees, with their legs crossed sitting on the train benches, shelling huge bags of green peas, is unforgettable. In broken English, they asked me so many questions, and offered me to shell some peas with them. They shared some snacks with me, and we went on like this, talking and shelling, for a few hours! Though I have so many other adventures travelling on Indian trains, I will always remember those five ladies!

Thanks to...a host family I had in Punjab for one night, during my North India tour. In Punjab, us exchange students were paired up with Rotarian hosts, who volunteered to host for one night. I went with two of my good friends Haley and Stine, to stay with an elderly couple. When we reached their home, Haley was really sick and went straight to sleep. Stine and I were talking with the couple for a little while, and the husband asked if we would prefer a "formal or casual dinner." We both said we were a bit exhausted, and would appreciate a casual dinner. Well, about 15 minutes later when the food was ready, they called us to come. I thought we would be eating at the dinner table, but soon realized, that through the door of their bedroom, I could see a vinyl tablecloth spread out on their bed. Needless to say, the four of us enjoyed a full Indian dinner, lounging on their not-so-big bed, and it was one of the most candid, and innocently hysterical moments of my year!

Thanks to... the girls in Kindergarden who took the school bus with me in the afternoons. These girls made every bus ride home entertaining, and made me laugh even when I wasn't feeling in the mood to. Everyday they would talk to me in Hindi and ask me to open their water bottles, or fill theirs up with my own water, or point to another girl and tell me something that she did. And I don't think some of them ever caught on that I couldn't understand a word they were speaking! They would ask me my name, and I would reply "Chloe". Bacause they didn't recognize this name, they tried to repeat it the way I had said it. After about a week, all the started calling me lovely. I was confused at first, but then realized they though Lovely was my name! When I would get on the bus they would grab at my uniform and say "Lovely didi" which means big sister (they called all the older girls on the bus didi). I thought this was so cute, I never told them they had my name wrong. I liked being Lovely didi! In my last week at school, they saw in my notebook I had out that I had written my name in Hindi. I pointed to it and said "this is my name" in Hindi. They sounded it out, and started whispering "Chloe" to eachother. The one girl on the bus who spoke english looked at me and said "But didi, you told us your name was Lovely!" That same girl became the translator for the others, who would ask her questions and she would ask me in English. One day, she asked me "Didi, do you eat eggs?" to which I replied yes. She said "Didi, do you eat meat?" and I answered no. She smiled and told the other girls, but then looked back at me and said "Didi, please don't eat eggs." The girls were so innocent and lively, and I could never focus on reading whatever book I had in my hands, because they would always distract me. One day, I heard they were playing some game in front of me. I looked up and thought it was "Rock, Paper, Scissors" but when I listened to what they were saying, it was soon clear this was no ordinary game! This was "Lady, Hunter, Tiger" where hunter kills tiger, tiger bites lady, and the lady gets to slap the hunter!

Lastly, Thanks to... a neighbor I met one time in my colony. I introduced myself, and she said "Oooh I like your name! Very spicy!" I thought it was so funny, no one had ever called me spicy!
That was until I came to know she thought my name was Clove...a spice.

Namaste! नमस्ते!

How is it that on one of my last blog entries while in India, that I JUST discovered how to type in Hindi on this program? How amazing is this!

नमस्ते। मेरा नाम कलोई गमर हैं।
Namaste. Meraa nam Chloe Gummer hain. = Hello. My name is Chloe Gummer

Quite amazing indeed!

What a Wonderful Ride!

Happy Easter everyone!

Well like I said, what a wonderful ride this has been. I have just 3 days left in India, two in Indore, and the last spent sitting in the Delhi International Airport for 14 hours! It is almost surreal that this time has come - but alas, I'm heading home. Though I was scheduled to return May 8th, I will now be arriving home April 8th. I feel the need to see, and be with my family right now, and I am very thankful that Rotary understood. My family is my number one prized possession, and though there is a great distance between us, they have stayed close by, in my heart (no matter how cliched that sounds, it is how I feel!).

I have almost finished my packing! I am proud to say that everything I wanted to bring home fits into my two suitcases, including my hula hoop, a Ganesh idol that I sculpted, 15 sets of bangles, and a few kg (not pounds!) of Indian sweets! It is strange to see my bedroom almost empty. It appears almost as it did when I first arrived here! Don't tell my hosts, but the only noticeable difference to the room after I leave will be a few stains on the walls where I killed unsuspecting mosquitoes. I guess I had to leave my mark in some way!

Even though the clock on my computer reads 1:42 AM, I will try to pump out a few blogs tonight that I had been planning on writing throughout the year, and never got around to doing!

Peace and Love,
Chloe