Dear Santa…My 12 Christmas Wishes

A list of recent wishes, and what I’ve missed from home in the past 5 months! After number one, the other wishes are NOT in any order of importance.

1. I wish Health and Happiness for my family, friends, family friends, and friend’s families!!!
2. I wish I could sit around the Christmas tree with a fire in the fireplace, drink mom’s Spanish coquito, and snuggle with my kitties!
3. I wish to figure out what I will do in March and April, when I don’t have school.
4. I wish for a real pillow…such a small thing, but I would really appreciate it! I’m still sleeping on the travel neck pillow I bought for my flight!
5. I wish I could have a bowl of hot veggie dumpling soup right now! Mmmm
6. I wish that Obama’s approval ratings rise, and that the White House delivers its promises in 2010!
7. I wish I could have more freedom to be myself. In this conservative society, I often feel oppressed by the expectations placed on a teenage girl.
8. I wish that Mom and Mitzi finalize their travel plans to visit me!!!
9. I wish that my computer had space on it, so I could show you all my photos!
10. I wish that my Hindi continues to improve!
11. I wish that it would snow in Indore!
12. Lastly, I wish you all have a Very Merry Christmas and a Joy Filled New Year!

I'm still in India...though I've been neglecting my blog...

My sincere apologies for not writing in over two months! My parents often remind me that I have family and friends back home who are concerned about me and are interested in my exchange and my thoughts on India. And I have been leaving you all in the dust! I really feel loved knowing how much support I have at home. Two weeks ago, I was talking with my aunties Jude and Reina, and Reina told me how her brothers, whom I don’t think I’ve ever met, ask how I’m doing in India. For some reason that really made me smile, to know that some people just want to make sure that I have the best exchange possible!
My last journal entry was October 10th; that was 10 weeks ago! In this time, so much has happened (I’m happy to say)! I can’t possibly tackle all of it in one blog post, and honestly, I don’t think anyone would want to read a never-ending essay of my last two months. So my goal is to post as much as I can before I leave on Christmas day for my Rotary District Conference and then my ten-day Gujarat trip.
To be honest, this blog post should have come a lot earlier. I’ve learned from four years in high school that procrastination never pays off, and now I’m really feeling the need to catch up! I am almost ashamed to say that I only had four days of school in November, and just five in December, and yet I still didn’t write! But if you are reading this now, Thank You for sticking with me, and still showing interest in what I’m doing here, half way around the world!
~ Namaste ~

Chloe

Something I've Realized

In these past few weeks, I haven't written anything new. But actually, I have been kind of busy. For the first time since I've been here, I feel like there is a lot for me to do. In this time, I am still desperately trying to learn Hindi, but I can sadly say that it has hardly improved since the day I arrived here. We tried to find a class or a tutor, but nothing existed in the city. And the Hindi teacher at my school flatly said "No" when I asked for help with the language. So as I've been picking up a few words here and there, I realized why it is so difficult for me to learn!

First of all, it seems that Hindi consists of every phonetic change that makes foreign languages difficult for us Americans. What I mean is that, like German, V's and W's are switched, like Spanish, R's are rolled, and like no other language I've heard, B's and P's are usually followed by a semi-silent H sound, which is nearly impossible for me to recreate. Secondly, there are about three different ways in Hindi, to say any one English word. Lastly, words that sound the same to me, have entirely different meanings! For example; "kela", "kala", and "kaala" respectively mean "banana", "black", and "art"!

My goal, before I left for India, was to be able to order in Hindi at an Indian restaurant when I came home. I'm sticking with that goal. I'm confident that this level of Hindi proficiency can be attained by April! I think in this case, setting my goal quite low to begin with was a good thing, because I know I will not be disappointed in myself!

Navratri!

Navratri, meaning "Nine Nights", is a Hindu festival worshiping the Goddess Durga, who represents strength and power. It is celebrated in different ways by different people, some go to the temple for each of the nine days, some fast, and some even refrain from speaking completely! But the most common celebration is the traditional Garba from the state of Gujarat. Garba is a specific style of dance, performed by many people all at the same time. The changing music indicates which dance pattern is to start, and in which direction the large circles of men and women should rotate. Many people take this dance very seriously, going to daily classes for a full month before the festival begins. It is also a time for the men and women (mostly between 20 and 30 years old) to dress up in beautiful traditional outfits, and impress their friends. Girls wear a dress called a Ghagra Choli, which is a floor length skirt and matching cropped top, as well as a chunni, a long scarf draped over the shoulder. All three parts of the outfit are heavily decorated with beads and mirrors. In addition, one must wear anklets, bangles, shining necklaces and earrings, as well as jewelry worn in the hair and around the waist. Men are also very much interested in dressing up to the fullest, wearing puffy salwar pants, mirrored vests, turbans, and even earrings! Some girls, instead of buying a Ghagra Choli, rent 9 different dresses to wear a new style every night of the festival! My host mom said that this festival was not here in Indore (as it is not a tradition in the state of Madhya Pradesh) when she was my age, and she was excited for me to participate in it. She bought me a beautiful dress, and lent me her jewels to wear! It was so fun just getting dressed up! She was taking photos of me, and I said "Neeta, I feel like I am going to Prom again!" On Saturday night, at 9:30, I went with Neeta, her mother, sister-in-law Lena, and niece Radika to a large convention center for the Garba. There was a live music blaring, blinking strings of lights hanging from the ceiling, and over 2,000 people! I danced for a while in the circles with Lena, which was so much fun. At first I was nervous because I stood out so much(because of my skin and my height), I didn't know any of the dances, and at least five reporters were following me with video cameras as I danced! I just laughed off my mistakes and enjoyed the experience; it will be something that I remember for a long time! We were there for two hours, but then were all exhausted, and came home, but Neeta said that the Garba would continue until One AM! Last night, we went to a smaller Garba at 10:30, with only about 200 people there. Instead of dancing individually, there were two circles, one inside the other, and moving in opposite directions. Each person held two Dandiyas, painted wooden sticks, that you click with each person as you pass them in the circle. This was fun, but more difficult than just dancing! At one point, I came to sit down next to Neeta to take a rest, and there was a woman sitting in a chair near to us, with her eyes rolled back into her head. I thought that she was having a seizure, or was severely dehydrated, but Neeta just said to me, "She is OK, I'll explain it later." When we got home at midnight (can you see how crazy Indian's are for their festivals?) Neeta told me that before I came over to sit, that women had been wildly shaking in front of the statue of the Goddess Durga. A few women helped her sit down, and then began touching her feet as if worshiping her. Neeta said, "You won't believe me when I tell you this, but that woman had embodied the goddess." I was shocked, that is never what I would have guessed. She explained that especially during this festival, some people, who have such a devotion to religion, and such a power over their own minds, become completely detached from reality, and believe the god or goddess has replaced their human soul. And amazingly other people believe this too. That is why the other women were worshiping her, praying, and asking her for advice! Because they believed the goddess had come into this woman's form, and that they were speaking directly to the goddess. I had never heard of anything like this, and it amazes me what this woman was able to will her mind to do. This level of devotion to Gods and Goddesses is so common in India; the presence and importance of religion in everyday life is much greater than anything I've ever seen at home.

New York Times

My mom told me about this article from the New York Times, and I thought it was really a great commentary on the situation of women here in India, which I just wrote about in my last journal. Click HERE to see it!

Beauty Isn't Everywhere

Recently, one of my classmates said to me, “Chloe, what do you hate about India?” I couldn’t come up with an immediate response for her. I just said, that honestly, I think it is too soon for me to make any judgments. I’ve only been here for two months, and there is still so much I don’t know and don’t understand. But it got me thinking. There is a lot of beauty in this country, the people, the foods, the fabric, the exotic plants, the intricate dances, the extraordinary jewelry, the temples and palaces…but there is so much about this culture, which to me, is not beautiful.
First of all is the discrimination between the castes of people. Mahatma Gandhi worked all his life to bring peace, and abolish the caste system. But today, I still see so much segregation. Caste in this society is really a resilient force. Many people disagree with it, but it is so deep rooted; a perpetual circle that cannot be broken. Once in class, I asked a girl to explain the caste system to me. She was telling me about how it began, when different groups of people had distinct responsibilities in society. There were royal families, learned scholars, businesspeople, laborers, and untouchables. She began to explain how over the generations, these castes expanded, and people of different religions, or different areas of India, were given different statuses within society. She was trying to explain which people were viewed as the highest and another girl in my class who was sitting with us said, “Don’t tell her [me] that. You’re only saying they’re the highest because that is your caste.” They got into an argument about the status of people, and how the different castes are still viewed in society. Both of them had previously told me that the caste system does not exist anymore, and most people no longer judge people because of their last name, or the color of their skin. But they were so quick to get in an argument to defend their own castes, it is clear to me that this is something that still runs in the veins of all people.
Another thing that really upsets me is the inequality between men and women. I know that women still receive less pay than men in the US, and that education and job opportunities can be unevenly distributed, but, at least to me, it is not that evident in society. At home, I feel like I can do anything with my life, if there is a career I want to pursue, I can achieve it. At home, women have more rights and freedoms, more opportunities. It is amazing to me how many women here do not work; most of my classmates say their mothers are housewives. It really saddens me to see how husbands view their wives as being weak, and dominate over their every move. My host mom Neeta, a very hard-working and successful gynecologist, has explained a lot of this to me, because she is very independent, and she also hates to see wives so reliant on their husbands. She told me that often times, it is husbands who call to make an appointment for their wife, and that they will stay through the consultation, to know the situation, and make the final decision over what to do. Many women do not drive, and have to rely on their husbands or a driver. Many women agree to the idea that they should not say their husband’s name in public. For example, if it were my parents, my mom would have to say “Chloe’s Papa”! Some husbands choose the sari and jewelry their wife wears before leaving the house. All of these restrictions on women really bother me, but what upsets me the most is that the women accept it. We went to a grocery store the other week, called Big Bazaar. To enter the store, you have to take an escalator from the street level entrance. I asked Neeta why so many women were waiting outside of the store, and she said that they are afraid of taking the escalator, so clearly, in their minds, they feel weaker than their husbands. Many women today have a more modern view, and want to make their own living and pursue successful careers, but still the inequality in the numbers is astonishing. In the newspaper, I see articles about the rural villages, where wives are bought and sold, and young children are put into arranged marriages. This is an aspect of this culture that many people try to ignore, but because everything is so new to me, I cannot just forget about it, and act like this inequality doesn’t exist. The saddest part to me is the treatment of baby girls. For most families, having a boy child is ideal, and baby girls are just seen as a burden. Neeta has told me that, more often than I would ever think, pregnant women will have an abort their pregnancy if they know it is a girl. Or that women who have daughters, will continue having children until they get a son. A few weeks ago, Neeta was called in for an emergency cesarean. A 48-year-old woman with 6 daughters was pregnant again, after several miscarriages. The woman had a placenta previa, and when Neeta got to the hospital, there was no fetal heart beat due to the internal bleeding, and everyone thought that the child had died. When she did the cesarean, the baby was alive, and it turned out to be a son. Though the mother could have died from so much blood loss, all that mattered to her was that she finally had a son.
Everything about my experience here in the last two months has been eye opening, and though it is not all ‘pretty’, I am so glad I have come here. I am witness to a different culture; a different way of life, and what I think it has taught me is to never take for granted what I have at home.

Let Us Be Inspired By Two-Wheelers!

Something else I have realized, no matter what you have to carry, it is possible with a motorcycle, scooter, or bike. Have a family of four? No problem, you can all fit on one scooter. Need to deliver four televisions? No problem, just bungee them to the back of your motorcycle. Just bought a new full sized mattress? Don’t worry, just tie it to some scrap lumber, and bungee that to the back of your bicycle. Anything we think we need to do with four wheels, is possible with two!