December 2009
1 post
November 2009
10 posts
Apologies for the lack of blogging...
…but I have been so very busy producing my independent study project.
My project is a paper on Monument Conservation (hey Alice and Rina!) in Delhi and in Hyderabad, where I will be venturing to tomorrow morning. I am flying to Hyderabad where I will hang out for 5 days with my Advisor, Scott, who is currently heading the conservation project of a tomb of a courtesan/poet. I will meet with...
It is a crisp, fall day here in Delhi, at a frigid 75 degrees, and the sweater vests are out! A few people have straight-up winter jackets on, but the major trend for men (especially rickshaw drivers) is the sweater vest. Most are tasteful, but 1-out-of-20 is a gem of a vest, made of sparkly, furry yarn.
This week was the start of my ISP period and it has been very fun. Generally I do work during...
Diwali!
The true spirit of the Diwali season started for me with what we resentfully refer to as “the singing ladies.” At 5:30 am most mornings during the week of Diwali, we were awoken by live music. This music consisted of a low, eerie chanting of, “Ram, Ram, Hanuman, etc.” over a steady percussion of drums and bells. “Great,” I thought at first, “a Diwali Parade at 5:30. At least they will pass through...
October 2009
6 posts
September 2009
13 posts
Ramlila
Wednesday night, my actual host uncle (so my H-Father’s brother who lives upstairs) took me, Anna, H-sister Nandini, H-brother Surej and H-cousin Pial to the Ramlila. The Ramlila is one of the coolest things ever. Wikipedia it. Basically it is the enactment of the Ramiana, the epic story of Ram. It is complete with: singing, dancing, groovy music, Hanuman (the monkey god), lots of other...
My Life Right Now
Here is a typical school day for me:
I wake up at around 7:15, unless I have unluckily already been awoken by either: a) squawking birds, b) my host mother asking me what time I need to get up, c) the “guard” that walks around my neighborhood all night long but whose only job seems to be blowing a loud, screechy whistle, or d) discomfort from the insane amount of bug bites on my legs...
Amritsar
This past weekend we went to Amritsar via train. It was not like “Darjeeling Limited,” but they did bring us tea and fun snacks. It was a 6-hour ride through the country, mostly crops and fields, a few dried-out rivers. It was great to get out of Delhi for a bit and everyone’s’ moods were lifted.
Once in Amritsar, we drove to the India-Pakistan border to see the ceremony of the changing of the...
I am now living with my host family! They are amazing, and I immediately felt happier once they picked us up. Their house is small but as they say, “small house, big heart,” and boy is it true. I am living with another girl in the program, and we get along great. We have a host mother and father, whom we call aunty and uncle (a general term of endearment), a sister, Nandini, who...
Hello from THE FUTURE.
Hi!
Sorry no word for a while—internet and time have been scarce.
But i am here and I am safe! We are almost finished with Orientation where we have been learning about what is socially acceptable and things like that. We have been staying at an Ashram, which is very peaceful and large, with gardens and courtyards and students. We come to the program center everyday, which is where we have...