- After being here for over 2 weeks, I have discovered that the milk I drink every day is actually Buffalo Milk...but I have yet to find out if it is milk from the Buffalo walking the streets, or from a farm. I’m hoping the latter, as the stray Buffalo eat a nutritious diet of trash from the dumpsters!
- I have passed by a store in the city called “Dr. Jain’s Cow Urine Therapy Health Clinic.” It is a refinery of cow urine…to be consumed by humans!!! Apparently it helps cure illnesses, but I will be staying far, far away. And I found out…Dr. Jain is my immediate neighbor!
- Last Sunday, my host family and I participated in a Rotary outing to the city Ujjain, which is about an hour away by car. I didn’t know what we were doing, but thought it would be something like a picnic. Along the way, we stopped for coal-grilled corn on the cob, from a small stand on the side of the highway. Delicious! It turned out to be a visit to the Sewadham Ashram, a community/asylum for about 350 people suffering from mental illness, physical disabilities, HIV/Aids, Leperacy, and much more. It is a completely volunteer-run and donation-funded place, and my Rotary Club was giving a donation. When we were there, we took a tour and saw all of the people living there, which was extremely difficult, but also quite amazing. I spoke with one of the volunteers, an elder man, who explained that about 15 years ago, he attempted to take his own life. He lived on, and came to the realization that he had a higher purpose; to serve others. So he has been volunteering at Sewadham ever since. He told me that he wished that when I go home, I can look back on my time in India, and remember a place where such humanity exists. He told me that Sudhir Goyal, the founder of Sewadham, was inspired by the work of Mother Theresa, and that she visited some years ago. Goyal was happy to have an American exchange student visit the ashram, and he had me video recorded talking about my impressions and thoughts, and also had me plant a tree in the garden by the children’s home. This was such an amazing opportunity, and I never considered anything like this when thinking about becoming an exchange student.
- This coming Saturday, I am giving a speech for the Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology. August 1st is Adolescent’s day, so I will be speaking about the importance of health education, from the perspective of an American adolescent. I am a little nervous, because I don’t know how many doctors will be there!
- A few nights ago, I cooked dinner for my family. They wanted pasta, and I knew I could make it, but the ingredients available over here are so different from home, I had to improvise. There is nothing like pasta sauce, crushed canned tomatoes, or tomato paste. Just one variety of tomato, a pale pinkish orange sandwich tomato. So I just had that, some onion, garlic, and green bell pepper to make an untraditional, yet yummy, pasta sauce. Just the smell reminded me of home!!!
- My favorite Hindi TV show is called “Khelo, Jito, Jeeyo” meaning “Play, Win, Live” in which contestants answer questions and perform tasks to win appliances, furniture, and a “modular kitchen” and if they get far enough, they can win an apartment flat. It doesn’t sound that exciting, but it is so much better than the Hindi soaps called “serials” that my family watches every night. I have also been watching BBC World News, which I like much better than the CT news channels!
- I am currently, along with my host mom, looking for some ‘hobby classes’. I will probably take some in henna designs, clay work, and some other Indian art. I am also going to start going to a yoga class that is down the street from my house, and I can walk there with one of my neighbors. I am also looking into some dance classes, and can either take western dance like jazz and hip hop, bollywood style dance, or traditional Indian dance. We’ll see what comes of that in the next few weeks!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Random Notes
I am calling this “random” because I haven’t written in a while and there is so much for me to say, and I know I couldn’t possibly write it all in a cohesive letter. So whatever comes to mind, I am going to write it!
First Impressions of School
I have started School. My first day was Monday July 20th, and I was shown the school, classes, dining hall by my neighbor Shalaka, who is in my class. I have been placed in 11th Grade, because 12th is all preparation for the Board exams, so that would not be beneficial/interesting to me at all. Wednesday the 22nd, we had the Solar Eclipse, which meant a holiday from school. Sadly, it was raining, so nothing was visible over my city. The rain continued, and flooded all the streets of Indore since there is no road drainage system, and school was cancelled on Thursday! I had to go back on Friday, and although my week felt complete after that, I had school on Saturday as well. Let me just say that a 6-day week is awful, and with today being Thursday, I don’t even feel the relief of tomorrow being Friday!
In school, I am in the Commerce Stream, and so my classes consist of Economics, Accountancy, Business Studies, and English. I also have an Optional Class, and I can choose between Hindi Literature(which is out of the question!), Math, or IP (Informatics Practices). I have been going to IP, which is a horrible class about computer programming. The subject, teacher, and classroom are all so dull and uninspiring, I would have to say that is my least favorite class. The school has two ‘exchange’ teachers this year, from China and Mexico. I thought I could maybe take one of those languages…but after going to the Chinese class a few days ago, I realized it was for 4th Grade! The little girls were so cute, but could not figure out why I was there. But at least I learned something…Wo jiao Chloe! So my search continues. I have already received a firm “no” from the Hindi teacher when asked about helping me learn the basics of the language. So tomorrow, I will try my last option, asking the Geography teacher if she would be willing to teach me, even though no other girl in my grade has opted for that class. If she can’t, I guess I will be switching into math, which I am hoping will be a little more stimulating than IP.
Also every week, I have one subject of PE, in which we have to line up in 4 lines in height order, and do simple movements and exercises, that don’t even raise the heart rate one beat! I also have one period in the library, one period called General Studies, which is a free period, and an craft class on Saturdays. My current project is making a pink, fluffy, stuffed dolphin! I know I am rambling, but everything about this school is so different, I have to tell it all!
My school, Sathya Sai, was founded 30 years ago by Sai Baba, and Indian man who is a self proclaimed reincarnate of a Hindi god. None of the students believe or follow him, but a few teachers, and the principal, are devotees of his teachings. Because of this, Sai Baba’s picture hangs in EVERY room in the school, dining hall and bathroom included! I feel like he is watching me, and honestly it is a little strange! Sai Baba has promised that he will visit the school, once it has become an all-girls school, but I don’t know the reason for this. In any way, the school has stopped admitting boys for the past few years, so the girls heavily outnumber the remaining boys. In school, the boys and girls are segregated at all cost. We have separate classrooms, separate hallways, separate dining halls, and even separate sections of the school bus! We are even not allowed to speak to each other, and I have seen a teacher yelling at a boy and girl for speaking in the hall!
As you can probably tell, this school is very strict. We have to wear a uniform everyday that consists of a heavy navy blue jean-like kurta (short-sleeved, knee-length tunic, that buttons up to the neck) and baby pink salwar (puffy pants that taper at the ankle), and a matching baby pink chunni (a 3-fold scarf-like thing that we drape and pin over our shoulders). The uniform also requires black clunky sneakers, mandatory calf-height white socks (that are checked by the teachers!) and a mandatory red hair elastic! And I have to wear my hair in a braid every day! Another way in which the school is strict, is lunch. We arrive in the lunch room, at 12, and all of the metal tables have already been lined with our metal plates and cups. When we sit, we are not allowed to eat the food in front of us until every girl has a seat, and we have prayed together. The food is actually pretty good, and usually consists of rice, daal (lentils), chipati (like a tortilla), some cooked vegetable, and some small portion of raw fruit or vegetable. But if you don’t like something you’re in trouble, because we are required to eat everything on our plate! Before you leave the dining hall, you must show your plate to a teacher, who will tell you to go sit down if you have just one pea remaining on your plate! I really feel like this school treats all of its students like young children, and it would be much more successful if it just gave its students some independence and responsibilities! As much as I thought I didn’t like CHS, it is really an amazing school when compared to this! Here, there is too much focus on order and discipline, and so little on the actual education.
But one good thing about the school is my class mates. They are all so interested in the US, and want to know why I am here if I have finished school already. Sometimes I ask myself the same thing! Already, one girl has brought in chocolates for me, another gave me a pair of earrings today, and another invited me to go shopping. So I am really glad that my classmates have been friendly, and understand that the school is so foreign to me! And today, a few of them told me that the school is planning a trip to Dubai that will be in a few months!! That would be so amazing to be able to visit another country while I am here, and I will be receiving info soon about the time, and itinerary of the trip. The girls said it may be about 30,000 Rupees, which is $600, so we’ll see!!!
If you have read all of this, I am impressed! Thanks for following me throughout my year through this blog!
In school, I am in the Commerce Stream, and so my classes consist of Economics, Accountancy, Business Studies, and English. I also have an Optional Class, and I can choose between Hindi Literature(which is out of the question!), Math, or IP (Informatics Practices). I have been going to IP, which is a horrible class about computer programming. The subject, teacher, and classroom are all so dull and uninspiring, I would have to say that is my least favorite class. The school has two ‘exchange’ teachers this year, from China and Mexico. I thought I could maybe take one of those languages…but after going to the Chinese class a few days ago, I realized it was for 4th Grade! The little girls were so cute, but could not figure out why I was there. But at least I learned something…Wo jiao Chloe! So my search continues. I have already received a firm “no” from the Hindi teacher when asked about helping me learn the basics of the language. So tomorrow, I will try my last option, asking the Geography teacher if she would be willing to teach me, even though no other girl in my grade has opted for that class. If she can’t, I guess I will be switching into math, which I am hoping will be a little more stimulating than IP.
Also every week, I have one subject of PE, in which we have to line up in 4 lines in height order, and do simple movements and exercises, that don’t even raise the heart rate one beat! I also have one period in the library, one period called General Studies, which is a free period, and an craft class on Saturdays. My current project is making a pink, fluffy, stuffed dolphin! I know I am rambling, but everything about this school is so different, I have to tell it all!
My school, Sathya Sai, was founded 30 years ago by Sai Baba, and Indian man who is a self proclaimed reincarnate of a Hindi god. None of the students believe or follow him, but a few teachers, and the principal, are devotees of his teachings. Because of this, Sai Baba’s picture hangs in EVERY room in the school, dining hall and bathroom included! I feel like he is watching me, and honestly it is a little strange! Sai Baba has promised that he will visit the school, once it has become an all-girls school, but I don’t know the reason for this. In any way, the school has stopped admitting boys for the past few years, so the girls heavily outnumber the remaining boys. In school, the boys and girls are segregated at all cost. We have separate classrooms, separate hallways, separate dining halls, and even separate sections of the school bus! We are even not allowed to speak to each other, and I have seen a teacher yelling at a boy and girl for speaking in the hall!
As you can probably tell, this school is very strict. We have to wear a uniform everyday that consists of a heavy navy blue jean-like kurta (short-sleeved, knee-length tunic, that buttons up to the neck) and baby pink salwar (puffy pants that taper at the ankle), and a matching baby pink chunni (a 3-fold scarf-like thing that we drape and pin over our shoulders). The uniform also requires black clunky sneakers, mandatory calf-height white socks (that are checked by the teachers!) and a mandatory red hair elastic! And I have to wear my hair in a braid every day! Another way in which the school is strict, is lunch. We arrive in the lunch room, at 12, and all of the metal tables have already been lined with our metal plates and cups. When we sit, we are not allowed to eat the food in front of us until every girl has a seat, and we have prayed together. The food is actually pretty good, and usually consists of rice, daal (lentils), chipati (like a tortilla), some cooked vegetable, and some small portion of raw fruit or vegetable. But if you don’t like something you’re in trouble, because we are required to eat everything on our plate! Before you leave the dining hall, you must show your plate to a teacher, who will tell you to go sit down if you have just one pea remaining on your plate! I really feel like this school treats all of its students like young children, and it would be much more successful if it just gave its students some independence and responsibilities! As much as I thought I didn’t like CHS, it is really an amazing school when compared to this! Here, there is too much focus on order and discipline, and so little on the actual education.
But one good thing about the school is my class mates. They are all so interested in the US, and want to know why I am here if I have finished school already. Sometimes I ask myself the same thing! Already, one girl has brought in chocolates for me, another gave me a pair of earrings today, and another invited me to go shopping. So I am really glad that my classmates have been friendly, and understand that the school is so foreign to me! And today, a few of them told me that the school is planning a trip to Dubai that will be in a few months!! That would be so amazing to be able to visit another country while I am here, and I will be receiving info soon about the time, and itinerary of the trip. The girls said it may be about 30,000 Rupees, which is $600, so we’ll see!!!
If you have read all of this, I am impressed! Thanks for following me throughout my year through this blog!
Monday, July 20, 2009
First Week Likes and Dislikes (In no particular order)
LIKE
-Instead of saying “so much” or “very much”, many Indians say “like any-ting”…”Ohh, she talks like any-ting!” or “Ohh you can sleep like any-ting!”
-Nobody can pronounce my name! If I tell someone Chloe, they say “Ohh Slovee?”
-Taxis called “auto rickshaws” that have three wheels and have no windows/doors/seatbelts and say “Honk Please” on the back bumper
-Reading English magazines and seeing the expressions used. My favorite example:
A woman writes into the magazine about not knowing the father of her baby, her husband or his brother, and the magazine’s reply is “Your tit-for-tat philosophy has gotten you into a soup!”
-At MacDonald’s, the McVeggie Sandwich is pronounced “McWedgie”
-Names of businesses… “Jaws Dentist”
-All foods! (Except papaya)
-Tea Bags are called “Dip-dip”
DISLIKE
-Physical Education at School!!! We are put into 4 lines in height order, and must do random movements, like jumping jacks minus the jumping!!! And then we just play tag…
-Driving in general, on the other side of the road…there are no rules, children sit in the lap of their parent who is driving (Britney Spears??)
-Having a girl clean my house everyday, who is probably the same age as me
-Seeing stray dogs, cows, and pigs everywhere, eating plants and garbage
-Seeing naked children playing and picking through piles of trash on the sides of the roads
-Seeing children walking in the middle of the streets, performing cartwheels and contortions, and walking on 10 ft stilts, trying to get money from cars/motorcycles/bikes
-Having to go through full security checks everywhere…entering a mall or movie theater
-The emphasis that pale skin is more beautiful, and ads for creams that lighten skin color
-Instead of saying “so much” or “very much”, many Indians say “like any-ting”…”Ohh, she talks like any-ting!” or “Ohh you can sleep like any-ting!”
-Nobody can pronounce my name! If I tell someone Chloe, they say “Ohh Slovee?”
-Taxis called “auto rickshaws” that have three wheels and have no windows/doors/seatbelts and say “Honk Please” on the back bumper
-Reading English magazines and seeing the expressions used. My favorite example:
A woman writes into the magazine about not knowing the father of her baby, her husband or his brother, and the magazine’s reply is “Your tit-for-tat philosophy has gotten you into a soup!”
-At MacDonald’s, the McVeggie Sandwich is pronounced “McWedgie”
-Names of businesses… “Jaws Dentist”
-All foods! (Except papaya)
-Tea Bags are called “Dip-dip”
DISLIKE
-Physical Education at School!!! We are put into 4 lines in height order, and must do random movements, like jumping jacks minus the jumping!!! And then we just play tag…
-Driving in general, on the other side of the road…there are no rules, children sit in the lap of their parent who is driving (Britney Spears??)
-Having a girl clean my house everyday, who is probably the same age as me
-Seeing stray dogs, cows, and pigs everywhere, eating plants and garbage
-Seeing naked children playing and picking through piles of trash on the sides of the roads
-Seeing children walking in the middle of the streets, performing cartwheels and contortions, and walking on 10 ft stilts, trying to get money from cars/motorcycles/bikes
-Having to go through full security checks everywhere…entering a mall or movie theater
-The emphasis that pale skin is more beautiful, and ads for creams that lighten skin color
The First Week "Wild/Stray Animal Count"
-1 Elephant (In the street)
-5 Camels (On the highway)
-2 Cats
-6 Goats
-1 Horse
-UNCOUNTABLE PIGS, DOGS, AND COWS (EVERYWHERE!)
-5 Camels (On the highway)
-2 Cats
-6 Goats
-1 Horse
-UNCOUNTABLE PIGS, DOGS, AND COWS (EVERYWHERE!)
Week One!
As of today, I have been in India for exactly one week. It is such a culture shock!!! Driving home from the airport, our car passed wild pigs on the side of the street, stray cows in the street, and people everywhere. These were sights I couldn’t have been prepared to see. I had been so excited to visit this country, but within just 15 minutes of my plane landing, I was exposed to so many foreign sights/sounds/smells, that I could only think “What am I doing here?” I was trying to keep an open mind about this new “family,” new food, and especially this new culture, but it was hard for me to feel comfortable without my luggage. Because of a flight delay at Bradley, my luggage was not loaded onto the plane at JFK. On Thursday morning, after 5 days of waiting, and hoping my unlocked suitcases would be fine, I was finally was reconnected with my luggage! When I opened it up and everything was there, I was so relieved.
This past week, I have already done so much; gone to get my school uniform (yes I have one, and it looks ridiculous), gone with my host mom while she had to perform and X-ray, gone to my school to meet the principal, vice principal, and director, gone to lunch and a fancy hotel, gone to a Rotary meeting and 9:30 PM and made my speech at 10:30, gone to a 4 story mall that just opened a month ago, gone to a Rakhee Exposition (Rakhee is a festival celebrating brothers and sisters, and the exposition was a one-day event selling designer gifts and clothes), met my host mom’s mother and sister-in-law, gone to see Harry Potter in an Imax Theater, and gone to MacDonald’s for a McVeggie!!! Just writing this makes me think of how much I have done. But still, I can’t believe that I am on the other side of the world from home!!! And I can’t believe I’m starting another year of high school tomorrow! What was I thinking? Graduation was just a few weeks ago!!!
Well anyway, I can say that already, this has been an eye opening experience, in good ways and bad. There is much to be admired about this country and its people, but there is also a lot that is disheartening, especially to a young naive American. Never before have I witnessed so much poverty, and it is really quite difficult for me to understand this way of life, and accept the permanence of the caste system. It is difficult for me to live with a middle class family who can afford a cook and a maid every day, and ignore the beggar children performing in the streets amongst the cars and trucks, but that is part of the culture, and this is where I have been placed. For me, I want to help these struggling people, but that is not accepted by society. It is not the duty, or responsibility, for those with wealth, to help those with nothing. I have already asked, and there is really no outlet for me to volunteer or do some service in this area. I know the purpose of this exchange is to study, but more than that, it is to become immersed in a new culture. But right now, I feel as though I am sheltered from the real culture of India. Though at the end of the day, I am so grateful for this opportunity, to broaden my view of the world, and expose my self to a completely different way of life.
This past week, I have already done so much; gone to get my school uniform (yes I have one, and it looks ridiculous), gone with my host mom while she had to perform and X-ray, gone to my school to meet the principal, vice principal, and director, gone to lunch and a fancy hotel, gone to a Rotary meeting and 9:30 PM and made my speech at 10:30, gone to a 4 story mall that just opened a month ago, gone to a Rakhee Exposition (Rakhee is a festival celebrating brothers and sisters, and the exposition was a one-day event selling designer gifts and clothes), met my host mom’s mother and sister-in-law, gone to see Harry Potter in an Imax Theater, and gone to MacDonald’s for a McVeggie!!! Just writing this makes me think of how much I have done. But still, I can’t believe that I am on the other side of the world from home!!! And I can’t believe I’m starting another year of high school tomorrow! What was I thinking? Graduation was just a few weeks ago!!!
Well anyway, I can say that already, this has been an eye opening experience, in good ways and bad. There is much to be admired about this country and its people, but there is also a lot that is disheartening, especially to a young naive American. Never before have I witnessed so much poverty, and it is really quite difficult for me to understand this way of life, and accept the permanence of the caste system. It is difficult for me to live with a middle class family who can afford a cook and a maid every day, and ignore the beggar children performing in the streets amongst the cars and trucks, but that is part of the culture, and this is where I have been placed. For me, I want to help these struggling people, but that is not accepted by society. It is not the duty, or responsibility, for those with wealth, to help those with nothing. I have already asked, and there is really no outlet for me to volunteer or do some service in this area. I know the purpose of this exchange is to study, but more than that, it is to become immersed in a new culture. But right now, I feel as though I am sheltered from the real culture of India. Though at the end of the day, I am so grateful for this opportunity, to broaden my view of the world, and expose my self to a completely different way of life.
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