Cricket World Cup Champions!

The last few days have been a transition out of my first week daze and into a real understanding of what my next few months are going to look like. After two more days of exploring Old City’s garment district, being woken up by the 5am call to prayer that echoed throughout the city, and experimenting with the impossible public transportation system, I finally moved in with my host family! The Sharma family consists two elderly parents, two sons (19 and 30), a daughter-in-law, a precious 3 year-old, and Anna, the family dog. They are all extremely warm and welcoming, and I couldn't feel more comfortable in their house. Mrs. Sharma-ji, the mother of the house who speaks less English than I do Hindi, is the sweetest woman and loves that I have been spending the evenings watching and helping her make dinner. The food is delicious- mostly chapati, dahl, sabzi (vegetables), and curd. On my first night I was feeling sick so they insisted that I drink watered down curd and salt.. definitely the opposite of what sounded appetizing, but it was my first night with them so, I took a deep breath and gulped. I have to admit, I felt much better in the morning!


The older son and his wife (the parents of Angel, the three year old) speak English very well and have taken to bringing me along with them to different places at night. Two nights ago I went to my first Indian celebration! With my party kurta on, I hopped in the packed car to head to a retirement party—a very big eventhere. There was more food, color, and music than anyone could imagine. I was very touched that the family wanted to bring me along and they happily introduced me to everyone. It was a beautiful celebration and the man of honor was sitting on a small stage dressed in the traditional Rajasthani dress to take pictures with all of the guests. I was surprised to find out that we were leaving after only about half an hour when everyone had gotten so dressed up! All day excitement had been building up for the night's India v. Pakistan match in the Cricket World Cup (semi-finals)! When we got back the 8 hour game was nearing its final hour so I stayed up and watched the Indian victory and the utter explosion of fireworks, huge crowds, and cheering thereafter.. so exciting! People stormed the streets with paint and fireworks, everyone more excited that they beat Pakistan than the fact the were going to the finals.


The next night we celebrated Angel's 3rd birthday with a small family party at a special outdoor restaurant. Angel spent the night running around the table with excitement and we even had special, spur of the moment, entertainment performed by a group of British tourists (65 yrs plus) who were letting loose to some Rhianna and Justin Bieber. I returned back to the house completely stuffed with food only to find that, wait... ice cream for dessert round two!


As if two nights of celebrations weren't enough, last night was the final match of the World Cup against Sri Lanka. FSD (Foundation for Sustainable Development) hosted a dinner and game watching party for all of the families and organizations at another outdoor venue (very popular in the summer). It was really fun to meet all of the other families and see how excited everyone was about the game. After a nerve wracking few hours, India won!!! Apparently the last World Cup they won was 24 years ago, so people went wild to make up for it! Driving home on the back of the family moped we doged fireworks in the street and the hoards of people shrieking with excitement. At home, we even set off a few of our own fireworks on the street to celebrate wahoo! 


I was glad to have the day off from work and parties today (sunday!) and to have some time to relax at home, wash some clothes, and find my way to an internet cafe. I think I'll spend the rest of the day perusing the isles of a little Ayurvedic medicine store and drinking some fresh squeezed sugarcane juice (summer specialty) on the side of the road... accha (sounds good)!

A warm (actually blisteringly hot) welcome into Jodhpur!

Where to even begin! I arrived in Jodhpur safe and sound yesterday afternoon after spending nine long hours in the Delhi airport. The flight into Jodhpur was breathtaking as we flew over the famous fort, palace, and clocktower, three landmarks that exceeded any expectation that I had after seeing picture after picture in the pile of India travel books I have accumulated over the past few months. I was met at the airport by the three women that make up the FSD office here, Sukie, Samita, and Madhu. The reality that I was actually in the city I had been imaging sunk in when I stepped outside and was met by the ridiculous heat-- a temperature that Samita tells me is nothing compared to late April and May.. yikes. Over lunch I learned a few things; 1. There are only two interns in Jodhpur for this session (I wSave Nowas expecting 8). 2.The other girl is having visa trouble and won't be here until the end of the week. 3. None of the people at GVSS (the NGO where I'll be working) speak English. Well then..basically I will be on my own. I was not expecting to have to exercise my go-with- the- flow skills half an hour into my Jodhpur experience, but I was also not surprised. We spent the rest of the day and night wandering around the Old City, a maze of tiny streets lined with blue buildings, fabrics, cows, chai and fruit stands, children, flower garlands, rickshaws, and an absence of any sort of traffic laws. We are staying at a hostel in the middle of the Old City that is right at the base of the massive Fort that at night, is lit from underneath setting the entire hill aglow. I was in such a daze the entire day!

Today Sukie and Samita took me shopping for the traditional shirts (kurtas) that many of the young women wear with white or black leggings.The shop keeper sat me down at the counter and proceeded to take out kurta after kurta as I made 'yes' and 'no' piles... a process I was promised wasn't as annoying as I felt I was being. After picking the top 10, I tried each of them on and modeled them for what had grown to be quite an audience- and a picky one at that! It was the most overwhelming and colorful shopping experience I've ever had! I walked out with four new kurtas and two pairs of leggings that I am to start wearing tomorrow! Despite the heat, we walked throughout more of the Old City, an experience I don't think I will ever grow tired of. The most memorable sight of the day was an 'accident' that involved a horse drawn cart and a motorcycle-- a a perfect representation of the coexisting worlds of modernity and tradition that fill everyday life here. No one was hurt and after the horse stumbled over the motorcycle that somehow ended up on its side in the middle of the road, everyone went on their way as if nothing had happened. Everywhere I look, I see something that is more breathtaking than the last. I just got back from my first real Bollywood movie! It was called 'Manu Weds Tanu' and supplied me with three hours of great music, dancing, and mellow drama... aka just my kind of romantic comedy!

Whether driving through the crazy streets, exploring Old City, or sitting at a chai stand in the middle of a bustling market, I cease to be amazed by the city's way of bursting at the seams with color, smells, sounds, tastes, and HEAT! And yes, it has only been two days. I am so ready to start working with GVSS and to move in with my host family at the end of the week! To be here is to be open minded, ready for anything, and to have every sense utter exhausted at the end of the day.. that, and to not get hit by the rickshaws. On to my next round of chana masala, chapati, and dahl!

And we're off!

After seven hours of neck crunching sleep on a redeye from Newark to Munich, it has finally hit me that my oh-so-far- away trip to India is finally beginning. After two weeks of nonstop packing, checklists, and painful visits to the travel clinic, I am more than happy to be stuck in Munich for a few hours with nothing to do but practice Hindi, wander the isles of the 18 duty free shops, and watch the swarms of German security guards whiz by on segways (apparently they're all the rage). I will arrive in Delhi tomorrow morning at 7:30 before flying into Jodhpur, an experience that I anticipate to be a bit more hectic than my day of European airport cafe- hopping... and yes, finding a coffee shop to plant myself in all day was my first order of business. Surprising, I know. Next stop, 105 degrees of hot desert sun.. any chance breathing techniques from Bikram will come in handy?

Also, check out the website for the NGO where I will be working- Gram Vikas Seva Sansthan or The Village Development Service Institute!

http://www.gvssjdr.org/