Pictures from the Pink City

Thankful to be Abroad, but still missing the Motherland

Up until yesterday, I'd never really spent a 'major' holiday away from home. Those holidays considered as 'major' in my book would be the tri-fecta of wintertime wonders: Thankgiving, Christmas Eve, and of course, Christmas. I've spent my fair share of time away from home (I went to boarding school) but I've never really missed a 'major' holiday with the extended family. The only really negative thing about studying abroad in the fall: no Thanksgiving Dinner. 

The emphasis placed on Thanksgiving in America is clearly not appreciated abroad (surprise surprise), as I have been discovering over the past week. Everyday this week I've gone out in search of a potential location for a 'proper' Thanksgiving dinner, and I've been getting everything from mixed looks of confusing to flat out "no maim, we don't celebrate that". Well, that's a bummer. 

Sidenote, funny story: I'm going to quote my former roommate in Delhi, Emily, also looking for a proper Thanksgiving meal: "I just called the american consulate in kolkata to see if they knew were I could get a thanksgiving meal and the man on the phone told me i would have to call back tomorrow because it is an american holiday so no one is in the office. helpful." Oh, India.

But you know, that got me to thinking. Being in another country has opened me up to another culture, and I've been introduced to whole slew of new holidays I had NO idea existed. Take Diwali for example. I would consider this pretty embarrassing on my part, how could I have NOT known about one of Hinduism's biggest holidays? If fact, India might host the largest amount of holidays celebrated in the business calendar in the world. Indian students barely ever see a full 5 day week, (and I'm constantly running into cancelled interviews due to ANOTHER holiday) because there's always a random holiday in the calender. So with all those other holidays in mind, its no wonder there's no room in the Indian calendar to add another one about how the pilgrims and Native Americans first broke bread, that is continually celebrated with the tradition of overeating and way too much American football. 

Either way, missing the crazy large family filled meal got me to thinking about all the things I have to be thankful for. Yes, I'm totally about to get sappy and heartfelt here. Studying abroad has been an unforgettable and irreplaceable experience, and it never would have been possible without the support of all my family and friends currently enjoying the endless amount of post-turkey day sandwiches and black Friday shopping deals. I miss you all terribly, and hope that we can have Thanksgiving recreation meal when I get home... which is in 2 short weeks! (creeping up much faster than I expected....) 

In the meantime, I'll have to settle for celebration with my family abroad, and all of the incredible people I've met here in India. And you know, chicken shwarma and hummus for Thanksgiving Dinner isn't such a bad replacement! 

So here's a little message from abroad: Give thanks for all that you have (seeing people with so little to call their own has put this into real perspective for me at least), and cherish the time that you have to spend with your families (being 7,000 miles away also puts this point into great perspective), because you just really never know whats going to happen. Well, enough with my sappy lesson of the day. Happy Thanksgiving!

The land of the Hathis

Yesterday, I touched an elephant. And by touched I mean hugged her trunk, pet her, and fed her way too much sugarcane. Her name is Maaya, shes 40, has beautiful eyes and is  incredibly sweet. I might be in love. 

For whatever reason Juila, Charles and I had the miraculous luck of running into Salim, a rickshaw driver who drove his famed "Chapatti Express" around Jaipur claiming to show some of the most original and unseen sights in the city. Boy was he right. Salim was the one who took us to the underground location of the elephants that travel all around Jaipur, either walking up to the Amber Fort or carrying newly weds around on their wedding day. I'm not really sure how he knew about this place, but I will be eternally grateful. Where can you just hang out with elephants for the afternoon, for the equivalent of $1? Only in India. 

This past week has been work filled, but I feel like my ISP is coming along nicely. I currently have 7 solid non-double spaced pages (HUGE steps for me people, HUGE) and I am taking a break from writing to update the avid readers on my ever so interesting life in India. Hopefully later this week I will have the opportunity to interview a few Rajasthani Government Officials on the current policies and schemes for disabled populations, as well as the original doctors and engineers associated with the Jaipur Foot technologies. Not a bad work week schedule if you ask me. 

I ventured outside the boundaries of the Main BMVSS Malviya Nagar site last Wednesday, and took a trip to the original location in the SMS Hospital Complex. Reference: The SMS Hospital just happens to be the largest government run hospital in all of Rajasthan, and I went over by suggestion of the Director of BMVSS, without any real directions. Recipe for true adventure. I decided to travel via auto-rickshaw (my love/hate relationship with this form of transportation continues..) and was dropped off at the front door because naturally, he had no idea where the BMVSS campus was. So, I walked into the front gates and was clearly the ONLY white person there. Also, there was literally nothing in English. Good thing I've been learning Hindi, right? I found my way to the front door and tried my best to ask for directions to the BMVSS site in Hindi. I landed in the hospital commissioners office. (why do these things always happen?!) Once given the opportunity to explain myself, the commissioner turned out to be very helpful, and was also able to give me a short interview about the hospitals relationship... and he spoke English! He directed me to what I thought was the BMVSS campus... but turned out to be the Orthopaedic OPD (Out patient department). I strolled in, and naturally, once again got many, MANY looks. Oops, wrong place, once again. I was then led to yet another wrong location, and finally made my way into the surprisingly small BMVSS section of the hospital. 

This branch of BMVSS is the one that houses all of the patients travelling to Jaipur for new limbs. I found myself smack in the middle of the living space allotted for around 80 people per day by accident when I was looking for the main office, which I soon found out was not much of an office at all. Everything that is nice about the Malviya Nagar site is what the SMS Hospital Site is lacking. There is a pretty non-existent workspace, a shared office and training area, and of course, 80 odd beds scattered throughout all of the rooms in the building, which seemed to be set up like a hostel. Needless to say, eye opening experience. 

... buuut anyways, its late, I'm procrastinating, and my paper is calling my name. More to come though, promise! 

Week 1, Independent Study Project: Complete!

In the middle of the summer I probably would have laughed at you if you told me that conducting my own field work would be a breeze and that writing at 30 page paper about it would be a piece of cake. Today... I'd probably still laugh at you. But honestly, 1 out of 4 weeks down I can say that its not as bad as I thought. Actually its pretty fun! I mean I guess it should be, considering I chose to come to India, chose this particular program, and then chose the specific topic of my field work... so really, what room do I have to complain?

I started work at Jaipur Foot on Tuesday morning, bright and early, after I finallllly made it to their front door (reference lower post for rickshaw woes). Since then I've been spending my days with Pankaj, the technician that Dr. Pooja set me up to shadow, and he's been helping me with translation as well as explanation of the entire fabrication process of their different prosthetic limbs. Thus far, we've (I say we, I mean him) made a prosthetic arm all the way past the elbow, lower leg, upper leg, HIP replacement, and much much more. I've been spending about 5-6 hours a day there, so we really are becoming fast friends and he's been letting me help with small production stuff. I might even get to make my own prosthetic before I leave at the end of the month! Cross your fingers, because that would be freaking awesome.

Saturday Julia, Charles and I decided to take the day away from our NGOs (multiple hours with a language barrier and the sounds of heavy machinery in the background is pretttty tiring) and we did some exploring of the 'Pink City'. We started our afternoon bargaining at a few of the bazaars, and then headed up to the Tiger Fort, which overlooks the entire city. It was a bit of a hike to get to the top, but totally worth it because the view of the city was breathtaking. We stayed to look around the fort, walked the perimeter walls and watched the sunset over the city :). Not a bad way to spend a Saturday evening!

Sunset over Jaipur :)

Today Julia and I have been lounging around and working on our papers. I've spent most of the day processing my interviews and field notes, and I've finally come up with an ISP title: "Mainstreaming Physically Disabled Populations through Prosthetic Technologies: A Case Study of Jaipur Foot". If that sounds interesting to you, and you're up for a little light reading, PLEASE, be my guest! I'd love some outside editors, because writing is not my strongest suit (thanks engineering) and re-reading your own writing can sometimes get a little boring.

Last thing:  A little happy birthday shoutout to the many family members of mine that had birthdays this week! Mom, Dad, Grandma Porter... I miss you guys so much, and hope you all had FANTASTIC days!! Wish I could have been there to celebrate.. guess we'll just have to do birthdays take 2 when I get back?

#TransportationIssues

Flash forward: Thankfully these past 2.5 months have paid off, and I can finally say I feel somewhat comfortable getting around India. I can call a taxi, hail a rickshaw, navigate a train station, and (sometimes) navigate the neighborhood. I actually felt somewhat comfortable in Delhi, the city of 14 million. That's a pretty big step for me personally, because in the US I'm pretty addicted to my GPS. In fact, I don't actually feel comfortable driving long distances without it. Which is pretty embarrassing to admit, maybe I should work on that. So of course, since I finally felt comfortable, its time for me to move to a new city... 

Day 2 in Jaipur, rickshaw issues. Stand-by for a much needed rant. 

Why on earth would you tell someone you know where you're going, when CLEARLY you don't? This morning I reached my limit, after I spent 1.5 hours (yes, HOURS) in a rickshaw trying to get from the guesthouse to the NGO, easily a 20 minute journey. This is what I don't understand: why would a driver willingly agree to drive around in circles asking shopkeepers off the street the right directions? Am I supposed to pay him for this? I mean, he thinks so, but as a transportation 'expert' (as explained earlier), i know better.  Here are my solutions: either the rickshaws get some GPS systems (definitely not happening) ORRR they get some street signs for the roads in India. The second seems like a pretty good idea to me. I will say, it is pretty confusing not having road signs, but if your advertised profession is driving someone around the city, I personally think you should have a good handle on where you're going. Anyways, after finally finding the NGO (thanks to the many shopkeepers and other drivers we asked along the way) the driver demanded I pay double for the ride because 'we were driving for a very long time'.Well DUH we were driving around for a long time, you didn't know where you were! Maf ke-ji-yeee (my bad, in Hindi) I shouldn't have agreed to pay by the meter, but hell no rickshaw man, I'm not paying for that time you got me lost, and made me late. My argumentative side got the best of me, and the small bit of Hindi I know helped me to not pay the rickshaw driver. It also caused a bit of a crowd, and a small scene outside the gates of my NGO... oops. 


After our little altercation, my next instinct was to cower inside, and run away from the people that watched me argue my way out of an unfair wage. Thank God the people at BMVSS are like the rest of India, and don't really care about time because at this point, I was almost an hour late. Actually, when I told Pankaj (my new best friend and technician I'm shadowing) my epic travel story, he just laughed at me, told me to wash my hands, and help him with his mold. Typical India, you just never know what to expect. 

See ya Delhi, Helllllo Jaipur!

This past weekend was the last with our homestay family, and Sunday morning as we said our goodbyes it was hard to not tear up a little bit. Adil and Khadeeja (and of course Iman!) have been fantastic hosts and resources in the great expanse of India, and I am sad to say I'll miss them and the comfort of their home in an unfamiliar place. Our last weekend together we went to a few parties (tis the holiday season, seriously) and promised that when Emily and I get back to  Delhi we'll all go out for a reunion dinner. I'm already excited! Unfortunately our goodbyes were a little rushed, because of course  everyone left packing till the last minute. Emily and I spent our last night in Delhi in the program center (Khadeeja and Adil left town for Eid) and I woke up bright and early (3:45!!) to catch the morning train to Jaipur.

Monday morning we reached Jaipur, and immediately after stepping off the train, I took a deep breath, and..  didn't hack up a lung! The air is noticeably cleaner, and at this point in my trip, thats exactly what I need. Its already been a great few days. From our rooftop cafe at the guesthouse, we even saw a few stars. Yes folks, STARS! Who knew the air could get that clean? I'm pretty excited.

So this month I'm working with the NGO BMVSS, aka Jaipur Foot. I sent them an e-mail a few weeks ago explaining my project, and got an excited response, but since then hadn't had much contact. So Tuesday morning I resolved to call them and head into the NGO for the day, to check out the lay-of-the-land. Around 8:15, I called for the first time, no answer. They have 4 different phone numbers online, so I tried them all... no answer. Up until around 10 I called ... no answer. So.. in an effort to embrace being in India, I took a bold move and decided to just show up, without phone confirmation. Easily the most forward I've been in my life. Once I finally found the NGO, I walked in, introduced myself to the head technician (didn't know that at the time..) and he gave me a brief tour and then asked who I was there to see.. kindof backwards, but I went with it. So then, I landed myself in the chief founder/patrons office, on the suggestion of my program director. Mr. Mehta (the founder) welcomed me in, ushered me to a seat, and continued sorting his e-mails and exchanging calls with his personal secretary and kept looking at me saying 'ekk second', claiming he would be ready to talk very soon. No wonder they didn't answer my calls! So then, about 5 minutes later (mind you, I'm still sitting awkwardly across the desk) a woman walks in a starts participating in the e-mail and call exchange. Finally, after 15 minutes, they both look across the table and go, "So what's your name again?" .... Immediate internal response - oh my god, why did I come here?! -- It turned out to be fine, because once I said my name their faces lit up (the actually did know who I was, thank god!) And the 3 of us planned out my time at their NGO. Phew. The woman's name is Dr. Pooja, and now she's actually my ISP advisor.

But really, stressful first day, wouldn't you say? Its going to be a great experience I can already tell, but clearly being alone is putting me out of my comfort zone. Should be an interesting month..

Wedding Details, Finally!

How To Properly Tie an Indian Sari:
1) Put on the petticoat and blouse
2) Unwrap all 6 meters of fabric, and find the end that is less exciting
3) Take that end, and start to tuck it into the petticoat above your hip, and continue around till its wrapped once
4) Now that you have it wrapped once, take the other end, wrap it around your waist without tucking, and toss the proper amount you want sitting on your shoulder,  over your shoulder
5) At this point a lot of material should be floating around the front. Time to make some pleats! Make 5-6) pleats by folding the fabric, pin it, and tuck it into the front of your sari, below the belly button
7) Finally, take the piece draped over your shoulder, nicely fold it, and put in a pin. Now you have properly tied a sari!

Orrrrr....

1) Find a nice Indian woman who actually knows what she's doing, and have her do it.

Fortunately, I went for option 2, and Adil's sister helped to tie the sari's that I wore to the wedding festivities on Saturday and Sunday. Here were the final products (surprisingly comfortable once they were on):



Wedding festivities actually started Friday night with a 'small' family dinner and a traditional turmeric paste rubbing ceremony for the groom.. with 100 guests. We of course had dinner, met the fam. for the first time, and had our own little Bollywood dance party. Turns out Khadeeja is a very good dancer!
Saturday was the actual ceremony, and we went to the 'medium-sized' wedding around 8 PM... apparently still pretty early. Oh right there were 800 people there. That's medium!! We got there to find the groom on a stage sitting, and a small display of gifts off to the side. I asked where the bride was, and was told "She'll be here soon, don't worry.". Soon after arriving, the groom became surrounded by a dense crowd of men, and I found out that he was actually physically signing the legal wedding agreement, and all of those men were the witnesses. After he was finished signing, the paper was taken to another location (later determined to be the brides chambers) and a voice came over loud speakers, apparently giving play-by-play in Hindi. After a few minutes passed, the room erupted in cheers and congratulations.... they were married! Needless to say I was a little confused and very lost.. when exactly was the 'real' ceremony going to take place? Well, that WAS the real ceremony people, that's how Muslim Weddings work. So we all got some food (There was fortunately a crowd of kids related to the family our age.. some new people to talk to!) and the bride surfaced around 10 PM to finally be seen with her new husband. This was actually a love marriage, but the ceremony was still very traditional, because when she finally came to sit with him, he wasn't actually allowed to look at her until he saw her first through a mirror-- another special  ceremony that was performed later that night. So, all-in-all, pretty interesting and enlightening experience. Sunday was just a reception (smaller, about 500 people..) for the bride and groom, and we had the opportunity to talk to them and the family more about all of the traditions, and we shared a little about what our traditional wedding was like. Something I wasn't very fond of: Being the ONLY white people there. Not surprisingly, we drew some serious attention, even though I put a big effort into dressing in Indian clothes, and way too many times Emily and I were asked to take pictures, meet even more family, and shake multiple peoples hands. The price for being close to the wedding party I guess.

Today was our last day of  'classes'. Bittersweet. I took my Hindi Final, turned in my Hindi Final Project,  finish my field studies seminar, turned in my HHR paper.... and all thats left is my Independent Study Project. You could say I'm nervous/scared/excited all at the sammmme time when I think about leaving Delhi, and travelling out to Jaipur. As I am spending my days planning my life for the next month, its crazy to think that its actually not that far-fetched to think of myself out alone. I mean, i AM 21 years old, OFFICIALLY a real adult, in all cultures and legal settings. I'm not sure I'm totally ready for that responsibility, but for the next month, I'm going to get my first taste. Wish me luck, and look for some updates about my project!

PS- More pictures of the wedding are being added to the photo page! 

Diwali, Wedding, Halloween... oh my!

This morning, I had one of the craziest sensations... I woke up, rolled around, huddled back into my covers, and curled into the fetal position.. I WAS COLD. Ok Ok, I shouldn't be saying much, considering snow- pacalypse 2011 has hit the east coast ALREADY (its barely November Mother Nature, give us a break) but to be honest, I didn't think I'd be feeling anything close to winter over here. In fact I'm equipped with only one sweatshirt.. maybe I'll actually have to buy a few Indian sweaters? The change in weather helped me to realize - Today is November 1st. Where has time gone?! In a little less than a month, I'll be snuggled back in Ohio, and in a little less than a week, I'll be out of Delhi on my own completing my very own field work (details to come). Eeek!

This past week has been SUPER busy! As mentioned earlier, last Wednesday we celebrated the Hindu holiday of Diwali with our program teachers because Emily and I's host parents are Muslims, and were very busy in wedding preparations. We first did a traditional Diwali Puja, followed by some candle lighting, and then of course, fireworks outside! When I say fireworks I mean the sparklers and mini things that my family buys on the Fourth of July, but the rest of Delhi was NOT holding back, and for an entire night it sounded (and sometimes felt) like I was in a bomb shelter. After our little party with the program staff, Emily and I came home and took a walk around the neighborhood to experience a little 'real' Diwali. Turns out, we didn't have to walk far. We crossed our street and entered into the adjoining neighborhood, and just as we rounded the corner about 30 ft ahead, 3 boys were setting off the biggest firework I've seen at such a close range. Needless to say, I pulled Emily down, screamed a little bit, and ducked for my life behind a car. Naturally, that drew some attention and laughs from the neighbors (it was completely fine, literally EVERYONE was setting off big fireworks, apparently our US policies are too strict...) but it also got us invited into a families home where the mother and grandmother happily served us some fresh homemade mithai, and told us all about their Diwali. Indian hospitality is so overwhelming sometimes!

Diwali unfortunately helped land me with a seriously strong sinus infection. All those fireworks give off an absurd amount of air pollutants, and that mixed with the headcold from Varanasi turned into 750 Rs worth of meds from the chemist after I finally willed myself to the doctors office. (Sidenote: 750 Rs translates to $15, but by Indian standards, thats A LOT to spend on meds. Typically a visit to the chemist costs about 150 Rs, at most.) And also, the doctor ordered bloodwork and an x-ray as supplement to my checkup? Don't worry, didn't follow through with those, but thought you might find that interesting.

Annnd thats all I have for now.. I have a Hindi FINAL tomorrow, so I need to using this blog as procrastination and get back to studying. I promise to post wedding details and photos soon! Sorry to keep you all in suspense!