IncredibleIndia?

        I have put off the writing about India, because I am unsure of where to go with this blog. Prior to arrival a professor talked about the frustrations of India he had experienced while serving in the Peace Corps. He stated that this is a country of true complexity-where no generalizations can be made. It is also the land of constant sensory stimulation and culture shock. One statement, that held very true was there is no escaping India, you can’t go hide in a resort and not take part in the culture. It is everywhere and in everything. I then knew that India would pose both insight and questions.
When stepping off the boat in Chennai, I quickly became overwhelmed with the sense of humidity and heat. We were also greeted with many interesting, but not so kind smells. Walking down the gang way I knew that these next six days were going to be an experience.
Once getting through immigrations we were greeted by a plethora of rickshaw drivers. Attempting to negotiate a price was a game we were forced to learn as the week went on. We set off as a group to see a Hindu Temple. The intricate artwork and traditional practices were very intriguing to just stop and observe. There are many rules to be observed within the temple, such as you must walk in the clockwise direction around the grounds. As I set and took in the sights, I realized that the Hindu religion is so much more than a religion, it is a way of life. People’s lives revolve around the traditions and practices. After that we headed to a market/ mall. It reminds me of the J-town Mall but you can bargain in it. After getting a feeling of what India had to offer, we decided to get lunch. My friends and I broke down and got Pizza Hut. You may be wondering why in the hell I would eat pizza while in India, but I have tried so many new foods over the past 2 months that I was craving a small piece of home. On the other hand though, we did get a Indian pizza. It had spicy chicken and all of these crazy spices. I don’t know if it was that pizza, or the taste of pizza in general, but it was out of this world. After an amazing lunch, we headed back to the ship to gather up our bags and head to the airport.
I had heard through various sources that an independent trip to the Taj Mahal might not be the best decision, but I did it anyways. A group of 10 friends loaded into a six-seater van and where on our way. Sitting on top of each other for an hour and a half in a non air-conditioned van gave us an idea of the next 3 days. Upon arrival to the airport I looked at my boarding pass and saw that in all the hustle and bustle I had booked the wrong flight home. Instead of booking it on the 25th with the rest of the group I was headed home on the 24th.  If you know anything about me, you would have known that a panic attack was in the near future. I am proud to announce that the exact opposite situation occurred. I approached the counter with the mindset that this will work out and there is nothing that I need to get bent out of shape over. After much back and forth with the attendant at the counter, she was able to get me on my friends supposedly booked flight for a great deal. I could not have been more relived. Also, our flight had been delayed so I was not pressed for time at all in the airport, it worked out rather beautifully. Finally after a 2-hour flight we arrive in Delhi. This chaotic travel is a great parallel to the country of India, you never know what to expect. After checking into the hotel, we got a few hours of sleep before we were up and on our way to Agra.
Bright and early we hoped in the van with our drivers for the next 3 days and were on our way to the Taj. As we drove down the road, the obvious signs of complete desuetude and poverty hit you in the face. There was absolutely no avoidance. Take a scene of Slumdog Millionaire and I was standing in the middle of it. While most Indians argue that they don’t enjoy that movie because of the way their country is portrayed, it is in many areas very accurate. I felt sick inside as I reflected back on my life at home and how comfortably I live. I had a great deal of time for reflection, the 4-hour van ride turned into 6.5 hours.  We made a few pit stops along the way and visited some of the sights right inside Agra. We then stopped for lunch and then finally arrived at the Taj. I have always read that this is to be one of the Wonders of the World, and believe me it was. I hope that I one day marry someone who will build a memorial this nice in my honor. We were able to go inside and see all of the beautiful hand cut stones and the amazing architecture that had been constructed over the 22 year time period. We then headed to Agra Fort and learned a great deal about the history of Northern India. This semester I have become much more engaged in the history of the entire world and past events such as trading and colonization. Being able to interact with these places has made all of these ideas much more tangible and in return much more intriguing. We then checked into our hotel for the night, had dinner and then all hung out and played cards. One thing I can tell you about staying in non-western hotels, is that they are very different from Hiltons or your hotel of choice. In India, no one uses shower curtains. The bathroom is tile floor and the water just lands wherever. You also have to ask for the hot water to be turned on upon check in. Electricity has the potential to go out whenever as well.  It is not at all what we are used to, but that is all part of the fun.
The next morning we jetted off to Japuir, the pink city. Most of the buildings in the city are built out of a stone that has a very pink tint. We stopped at a The Palace, this building is the longest building in the city and is comprised of 3,000 windows. We also were able to go to this amazing conservatory. This was home to the world’s largest sundial. Seeing how a single man was able to make all of these amazing calculations was so fascinating. We now are so reliant on computers and calculators that we would never sit and take the time to do all of these calculations.  We also went to Amber Fort where we rode elephants. This was a neat experience. These creatures are HUGE. We then did some shopping and headed to our next hotel.
The next morning we woke up before the sun rose and headed to a tiger reserve and did a morning safari. We did not get to see a tiger, but we saw a leopard, a ton of monkeys, antelope and peacocks. After that we made our way back to Delhi to catch our flight home. The flight home was much less eventful and went rather smoothly.
On the last day I experienced the perfect rainy Sunday. We had planned to go to the open air market but it was pouring. So a small group of us jumped in a rickshaw and headed back to the mall. We did our last minute shopping and saw a Bollywood film. The movie was hilarious. The greatest part of all was how they portrayed Americans. Every American was either a slut or a hick, there was no in between. We then headed back to the ship, I was exhausted. India had taken everything out of me.
That is enough about my itinerary. There are a few things that I will never forget about India. First and foremost the driving, it was absolutely bizarre. More often than not there is not even a middle lane in the road. People don’t pay the least bit of attention to road signs or signals. They pass as if there is no tomorrow and it is unlike anything I have ever witnessed. Also the food, the 1st three meals it was great, and then it started to all become the same, and by the end I was not even able to look at non. Non is almost like a tortilla and is served at every meal. You use it to soak up all different types of curries and sauces. One thing that you don’t find a lot of in the north is meat. We were vegetarian for those three days. I just am unsure of how the people eat non with every meal.
As I reflect back on India, I am still unsure of what I think. I might be one of the few on the ship that did not fall head-over-heels for this country. I often think that India made me a person that I did not like being. I was never very comfortable and I never received the same warm welcome as everywhere else. I often had to argue with rickshaw drivers and was even called a greedy white American. I feel as if there is such disparity between classes is so tangible that change is far from happening. I felt so much hope for Ghana, but lacked that sense here. The people seemed so downtrodden that it was painful. I often wonder if I felt a lack of comfort and welcome because the poverty level caused so much pain, or if there is another underlying reason. I am still very confused. As I talk to people on the ship they talk about how great of an experience they had as they stayed in their 5-star Semester at Sea hotels and I wonder what side of India they saw that I didn’t. As we drove past the slums and families sleeping on the ground and in bridges, I cried, I would consider it far from amazing. I can tell you one thing for sure, India reaffirmed one thing, I am one of the luckiest girls in the world. I have an amazing family, a wonderful education, a financial security blanket, and a comfortable place to live. My world was challenged by India. In Ghana I felt a call to action, but in India on the other hand, I had no idea where to turn. One portion of India is booming in the industrial world, but most is just being completely ignored.
On a lighter note, last night we had the crew talent show. Our crew is made up of the most amazing people in the world. They clean our rooms, feed us, do our laundry and always are looking out for us. This ship would go nowhere without them. Usually we are only able to see them in their work attire as they are not permitted to socialize with the voyagers. Last night they gave us a show. They preformed everything from Frank Sanatra to John Mayer to Achey Breaky Heart. It was fantastic. It was so much fun for us to be able to see them in a completely different light, having so much fun and being their true selves.
We are so close to Singapore, we will be there in the morning. We will be there for 2 days and then have a day until we get to Vietnam. Asia is going to be VERY quick. I hope that all is well back home and can’t wait to see you all.