SIP Cultural Evening

I'm going to fast forward through the trip because it's an exhausting endeavor and write about something fresh in my mind-our performance! All semester long we've talked about the cultural evening and it didn't hit me until days before that we would actually be performing. The performance was a combination of dance, music, Hindi skits, and whatever else we felt like doing. I was in the Kuchipudi dance and a short Hindi skit which everyone loved. This was a truly Indian experience in all aspects. Let's start at the beginning. Our professor, who is great, had a wedding in the family and the date was set a long time ago for April 8. A few weeks ago this was announced as our date for the performance too. In case you didn't know, weddings are a HUGE deal here. Millions of rupees are spent to make super elaborate, beautiful, busy weddings. Obviously, the wedding came before us so we were placed in the hands of her assistant who has been in our class for a while. He's a really nice guy but doesn't speak much English so the day before the show we just ran it through a few times and there were some head bobs exchanged between him and a few others who had come to watch. So we were given some details-call was at 2, don't forget your bells and bangles, ect. After lunch we all excitedly and nervously head down to the auditorium to begin the day. The process of getting ready for an Indian dance is makeup, costume, hair, jewelery, bells, prayer, performance. Around 2:30 we start with the makeup. There were three makeup artists there and they really were artists. It was at least a 30 minute process and involved reshaping our lips, eyebrows, and eyelines to make us look classically Indian which I must say was a great success. In the middle of this we are running the piece on the stage for the first time, which actually isn't a bad space. It wasn't too deep, but wide enough to fit 14 of us pretty well. Then the costumes arrive. We had taken measurements a week before which were just bust, waist, leg length and oh wow, the costumes were a disaster! We passed them out and went to the hallway to try them on and, surprise, none of them fit. They were basically children's size. Our measurements were written clearly on the bag with our name on them and they were absolutely nowhere near our size. The thighs were supposed to be a little loose fitting, so our knees could bend, and many of us could not get them far past our knees. The same happened when we tried to squeeze the tops past our elbows. If it did get that far, it certainly did not hook for those of us with, ahem, larger parts. So there was a lot of swapping and seam ripping (and accidental ripping) and plenty of frustration. Some of us found one that was close enough so that was ok. In the meantime, the costume man has been called to bring a bunch of larger ones over; thirty minutes, he says. It's now around 4 and the show begins at 6. Between 4 and 5 we rehearse some more, eat some snacks, and sit around. At 5 the costumes go back on and the hair starts. There are 4 of us left completely without costumes. In the meantime, on go the wigs for those with short hair, fake buns the size of CDs, and braids that go down past our waists. Lots of weight and lots of bobby pins, but in the end so worth it because we looked and felt amazing. Oh, we still don't have costumes. As jewelry begins, we convince the guys to let us do our hair and the agree given we're getting a little too close to showtime. In goes my bun and a large clump of black hair is tied and braided into my own hair. Next thing I know, all of this elaborate jewelery is being tied around my bun, head, and neck. Wow there was a lot of it. Apart from trying to stick the earrings into my non-pierced ears, it was a swift and easy process. That's a lot of weight on one head but makes it surprisingly easier to keep a good posture and keeps you more aware of what your head is doing. Plus, we looked so cool. Next, our fingertips and toes were painted so they can be seen more easily from stage which is an excellent tradition. My nails are still hot pink, but it was pretty effective. Now there are 14 of us-we can hardly recognize each other-all done up in classical Indian hair and makeup. Ready to go, right? Whoops, forgot about those costumes. I should also say that while the process of sitting in the chair and being worked on was pretty ok, things started getting more crowded and crazier as time went by. The 14 of us crammed into a pretty small space turned into more helpers and more people yelling at this person and some more people trying to get costumes and small children running around. 5:30 comes around, a time when we would usually be 98% ready and everything set to go. There was no way we could have gone on by 6. The call comes that the costumes are at the front gate which is less than 5 minutes from the auditorium and was also a complete lie. We wait. The show is pushed back to 6:15. We wait. Show gets pushed back to 6:45. Sometime close to 6:30 the Vice Chancellor shows up so the show can't be pushed back anymore. We were second in the show, just following the sitar piece. Time's up so we get creative with multiple pieces of fabric and lots of safety pins and right as the last hook is in place, the new costumes arrive just as the show beings. Frantically, the three of us left (the fourth is on stage performing) throw on the first thing we see and finally, success! I even had time to do a quick pooja and put on my bells. It actually worked out rather well as the costume I got was a beautiful color and fit really well. I had little time to think about that because seconds later we were lined up, lights off, with flowers in hand. The crowd loved us. Those 10 minutes on stage were fantastic. Being in full costume and makeup gives you a real push into character and it was really exhilarating. Of course, there were the butterflies and the small mistakes (or big ones...) but it was unlike any other performance I've had and I really can't wait to do it again. This was a once in a lifetime experience for all of us and we definitely got the most out of it we could have. No time to think about it then because I was immediate put into a saree and rushed back on stage for my Hindi skit. Thankfully I hid my lines in my lap because I was so focused on dancing all day I completely neglected my lines. Last week my class of 7 put together a short and funny skit about a mother trying to marry her son off on a dating game show. We all had some clever lines and we got a great response from the audience. Overall, the show was a hit and was so much fun doing. This was another one of those extremely rewarding experiences that make my trip here so unique. Even if I keep with Indian dance, performing it back home will never be the same as being in India.

Our Own Spring Break

I have returned from my ten day trip to North India! We don't have spring break, so we decided to make our own. It was not so much of a spring break as it was a slightly stressful incredible learning experience. We started off with a 22 hour train ride in the 3rd tier a/c class. This is the structure of the Indian railway: 1st class (straight up Darjeeling Limited) which has your own closed off area and diner car and good service.; 2nd tier a/c which has two bunk beds (the bench that you sit on is also your bed) and they feed you and it's all grand; 3rd tier a/c is similar except it has 3 bunks rather than two, so just a little less expensive and more cramped; 2nd tier sleeper is cheaper than 3rd a/c but only has two bunks. the only food you get is what you pick up from the platform, your own food, or getting it from the millions of workers who sell chai and snacks (think the peanut and beer at baseball games); 3rd tier sleeper is the same but a little more crowded and then there is 2nd tier and 3rd tier general seating which is extremely cramped and uncomfortable. We travel by way of the 3rd tier sleeper which was not the most enjoyable of experiences. From Hyderabad to Delhi we took the 3rd tier a/c because of the 22 hour part, and that was good. The food was excellent: chicken masala, rice, daal, chapati, bread omlettes, mango juice, yummy desserts that could best be described as space food-esque sugar flakes. yum. And the food just kept coming. So food was a good way to keep of occupied and then we slept followed by a little bit of huddling under blankets because the a/c worked too well, then off to the busy streets of Delhi. Where to start with Delhi...wow. Everything can be romanticized upon seeing it through the window of a car through eyes that have been tainted by a false sleep on a train ride. The roads and new, there are flowers and huge government buildings. So we sped past those to the Pharanganj area which literally left me speechless. The main bazaar was one of the most crowded and ridiculous places I have ever been to. Way too overwhelming of an environment to stay in. Seeing how going low-budget traveling requires very little planning, we just waited the .25 seconds it takes for someone to offer you this or that and soon we were whisked away to find a hotel. A Lonely Planet is a good thing to have and it did lead us to the right area, but there are so many hotels you just kind of have to close your eyes and pick. We settled for the first one we found because we were exhausted and the room had a tv and room service so at the high price of 600rs/night (roughly $12) we unpacked and readied ourselves for the day in Old Delhi.
Anything labeled 'old' in India usually means Muslim, as far as my time here has tought me. Old City in Hyderabad is the Muslim district and Old Delhi is the leftovers from the Muslim empire. Apart from all the terrible things they did, they did bring a lot with them like fantastic architecture. Basically, they all had very good taste. So we took a rickshaw to the Red Fort, which if you can't tell is a fort made out of sandstone. Life on the inside of the Mughal Empire probably wasn't too shabby. Large lawns, quaint ponds, elaborate mosques...we took our time looking around and took frequent breaks to lounge on said lawns. This was also the first time we successfully were Indian residents. For tourist sites there is an Indian price which is usually 5-15 rupees and then there is the foreigner price which starts around 200rs. As we are registered through the Indian government as residents, a quick flash of a card and our price was drastically dropped. It was a good feeling. After some cold drinks and snacks on the lawn we walked past all the amazing shops in the bazaar in the fort and headed for Jama Masjid. The short time it took to leave the Red Fort and get to Jama Masjid was probably one of the craziest things I have experienced here. New to us were bicycle rickshaws. Thin, young Indian men pulling two or three people via bicycle. We decided it was something worth experiencing so for 50rs we were pedaled down the street to Meena Bazaar. It was kind of difficult to deal with someone physically struggling to wheel you down the street while cars and motorcycles zoomed by honking. It is a popular mode of transport but just because everyone's doing it does not mean I have to enjoy it. After a short fight where we refused to give our driver more money, we headed down the treacherous path that was the bazaar. It was a pretty amazing place and if I hadn't have been overstimulated with everything else, I could have done some decent shopping. There were hundreds of shoes, tacky children's clothes, all sorts of gifts, fresh fruit-you name it. The street was also lined with sick people. Here's the thing about sick people: the point is to feel bad for them so you give them more money, but often times it's just another scam. People wearing casts will sit for awhile and look miserable with a cast then if ignored will take it off and walk away. Babies are passed around to make it look like everyone is just looking out for 'their' child. Sometimes they are horribly sick. I gave money to a woman whose entire body had been burned, to the point where she didn't even have fingers and could not smile to thank me. Like everything in India, it takes finding a balance between helping those very much in need and naively handing out cash. After just a few moments in the bazaar we see what I hope I don't ever have to see again. A child stole something from a vendor and was running away and just in front of us the vendor catches up with him and drags him off to be beaten by an angry mob. The whole walk down a beggar attached himself to Abby and I and by attached I mean clung to our arms. But we finally made it to the wonderful masterpiece that is Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India built by Shah Jahan whose name you might recognize as he also commissioned the Taj Mahal. But as the trend goes, we can't go anywhere without some sort of squabble so we spent about ten minutes fighting the man at the gate. This is also a balancing act: at what point do you forfeit a fight and give into getting ripped off? Too much arguing becomes exhausting and accepting defeat is no fun either. First off, we were told the entrance fee is 200rs. Everyone, including Lonely Planet, knows this is a free site so we immediately told him no and he gave in since we obviously had some idea of what was going on. Erika and i both had on long pants and short sleeved shirts. At mosques it is required that shoulders be covered and we were respectfully dressed but this did not matter to ticketwala (-wala can be added to almost any noun to refer to someone who sells or manages that noun). He wanted our elbows covered so he pulls out the neon colored robes specifically aimed at humiliating tourists. Abby had her elbows covered and he tried hard to put one on her but we won that fight too. Ticketwala was not happy we had won twice so then he starts up about cameras. I have my dad's SLR which I just can't hide and most places you do have to pay extra to take pictures (this even applies to small children) so I handed over the 200rs, no problem, but then he wanted money from Abby whose digital camera was put away. This is where the bulk of the argument stood, convincing ticketwala that she was not going to take any pictures but he assured us that was not the problem it was just the fact that she had a camera on her. It got to the point where we were taking off the robes and getting ready to walk away that he finally gave in and just let us through. Like the Red Fort, we took our time strolling around, smiling awkwardly at those also forced to have the neon robes, and taking in the beauty. Our time was short lived as I let my guard down and a kid asked to have his picture taken and I said sure, forgetting that I had to pay him so I went to him and showed him I had deleted the picture and wasn't going to pay him and he was relentless and then got his buddies to harass me too so we had enough of that and left. We strolled around until we found a rickshaw and headed back to our hotel with comfy beds and a tv after a completely exhausting day. Even though this might sound like a terrible time, these aren't things that make me miserable or ruin anything for me. Had Delhi been my first city in India I might have felt different, but I feel comfortable with knowing the flow of things here so it wasn't anything too out of the ordinary. If every time I went out I had a grand old time, I wouldn't be getting the full perspective of Indian life. All in all, each experience is so important in creating my personal outlook and understanding of India.

Hampi and Holi

I have returned from a second successful trip to the distant lands outside Andhra Pradesh. Though I had never heard of Hampi before coming here, it was definitely a trip worth taking. Hampi used to be the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire but was invaded by Muslims in the 16th century. They destroyed a lot of the temples in an attempt to wipe out Hinduism but many still stand. Apart from temples there are very large boulders, caves, a river, palm trees, lots of animals, and hippies. We gave in and did a two hour tour with a local and he said Hampi has always been a large pilgrimage site but then the hippies got a hold of it and trashed a lot of important things. There are still plenty of strange people there, but hopefully now they are more respectful. We went into one cave that used to be a meditation site around two thousand years ago and it was pretty much trashed. It's a recognized UNESCO world heritage site but that doesn't mean everyone follows all the rules.
Back to the beginning. With only minor difficulty locating our seats/beds, we departed on the 10ish hour journey to Hospet, the city connecting to Hampi. The sleeper cars are like giant hallways full of bunk beds. Nothing glamorous, but definitely manageable. It was non a/c but with fans and open windows in the middle of the night we didn't have a problem and I actually slept a few hours! We got off the train right after sunrise and again with minor difficulty picked up our bus tickets for the return trip and then rickshawed it off to Shanthi Guest House. The tourism atmosphere of Hampi was similar to Goa: streets lined with huts, vendors, rooftop restaurants, and animals. Our guest house (I guess the closest word is motel, but rather than the sleeze of a motel it's just simple and kind of gross) was brightly colored with a tropical courtyard in the middle which was really nice. It's very easy to meet people, if only just for a quick conversation, in situations like that. There were a set of squat toilets in the back and two showers by the front with a communal sink in the middle but that wasn't bad at all. The rooms were two beds with an ineffective mosquito net and a small metal desk. "Bare necessities" as Baloo would call it. For 3$ a day you can't really complain though. After checking in we were told the temple elephant was having her morning bath so we headed down to the river to watch. I went down to help wash her which was really neat. My first elephant! Then hunger took over so we ate at a decent restaurant with a wonderful view and a massive fly problem. The bugs in Hampi are the worst. It was hard to even eat your food. After breakfast we stocked up on water and headed towards the ruins. We weren't exactly sure what to do so we just wandered around at our own pace with no plan in mind and stumbled across some great stuff. Nicole walked into a small room with bats. We found a giant single stone carving of Ganesha, many broken statues, lots of trash, and other cool things. We returned hot and sweaty for a rooftop lunch and wandered to the other end of the bazaar where we found a giant mountain. We were advised to go the next day because the trip down would be dark and scary so we made that our goal for the next day and continued at our leisurely pace observing the last bits of what was once a great empire. Opposite the mountain is a huge Shiva temple visible from almost anywhere we went in Hampi. It is still active and we ran into Lakshmi the elephant! We brought her some bananas (good karma) and if you give her a rupee she blesses you. We stayed with her for a while and these old Indian men had a great time getting blessings so we watched them too. Other than that we saw some deities and....monkeys. They are so cute but not things to be messed with. We saw them fight, attack some guy, and pee on someone. So that was the end of day one. We started bright and early the next day (we were told to climb the mountain for sunrise but no way were we getting up that early) so after nutella pancakes, eggs, toast, chai, lots of water, sunscreen, hats, and cameras we headed off. Matanga Hill is one of the coolest, most beautiful things I have ever seen and done. There are steps carved into the rocks which was really neat and slightly difficult. We mostly had on flip-flops and the rocks were slippery so barefoot was the way to go. We took breaks when we found shade and after some tough spots we made it to the top. It was stunning. There is a small Shiva temple at the top and if you climb on the roof you get a full panorama of Hampi which was so amazing. The temple itself was a cool building and it was so cool thinking about all the monks and pilgrims that made it up there and lived up there. That ended up being the coolest thing we did in Hampi by far so everything else just wasn't as exciting or pretty after that. After a lunch and some lounging about we met a local tour guide for a coracle ride and to see some more ruins. The coracles are strange bamboo and plastic boats that look like big baskets. They were nice to go on a quiet ride down the river but they can also spin in circles very fast, teacups style which was kind of sickening. Back on dry land we saw a wishing tree, meditation caves, and a market that was a place for dancing, marriages, food, ect. They had some strange kama sutra carvings (strange as in depicted people and animals though our tour guide said they were mythical. hmm) and one of the rooms was just light enough to make out all the bats on the ceiling which Nicole did not enjoy but I found pretty neat. Even though we were far below the good mountain, we still watched the sun set behind huge boulders and temples which was nice. Followed by dinner and, of course, dessert (nutella pancakes, a pot of cold chocolate-kind of like richer,Indian style chocolate milk- or hello to the queen-a bowl of basically chocolate soup with graham cracker cookies and bananas topped with ice cream. so so good) we went off to bed to once again start the day early. Goal for day three: Hanuman's birthplace and temple. We were told it was on the other side of the river and was a 600 step climb. Just a quick boat ride and rickshaw drive away, we found ourselves at the base of a giant white stone staircase. We brought much more water with us this time and it was maybe even hotter than the previous day but it was a regular staircase rather than the slightly carved rock from Matanga. We stopped a lot and found caves that were like natural a/c. the top wasn't such a great view and we had to take off our shoes and that rock was hot. Inside the small temple there was a monk and we left an offering and got a tilaka and ate some sugar. Then 600 steps back down which was ok because at the bottom I fed monkeys! Monkeys are straight up tiny people. These monkeys were used to taking food from people I'm sure and they were so polite! I paid 25cents for some little bananas and you break off a piece and they very gently took it from me. There was no fighting or competing or biting. Once I was distracted when I handed one over and I didn't let go immediately so the monkey very gently picked up my hand and took it off the banana. It was so cute. We'd heard that there were a lot of monkeys at Hanuman temple (afterall, Hanuman is a monkey) and it was nice to find good monkeys. Fast forward through all the lounging and being tired and get to the bus ride. It was actually on time which was nice but I don't think I will take a long distance bus in India ever again. We had a/c seats and the bus was pretty nice but it was incredibly bumpy and loud and Indian drivers use their horns to let people know they're there or to ask to move around so there was constant honking. The a/c cut off a lot and then it would get super cold. There was always something to keep me from falling asleep, it was awful. We also stopped in the middle of nowhere and I used what might have been the absolute worst (squat) toilet I've used in my life. We weren't exactly sure where to get off the bus and the driver's buddy helped us out but it was at least a 30min rickshaw ride from the bus stop which was rough. A few minutes in our Muslim driver stopped to go pray for a solid ten minutes which is fine that he was praying but we really just wanted to go home and the rest of the way our driver nodded off a few times and looked like he would just fall asleep. Ahh, the rickshaws.
While I wished I had a sweatshirt for that freezing morning drive, it is now officially summer. Happy Holi! Despite getting back at 7 this morning, we got up to go play and I'm so glad we did. We bought packs of colored powder and in celebration of the coming summer months, the powder is rubbed on people's faces. It's pretty gross and overwhelming and doesn't taste too good but the colors were wonderful and everyone looks so great. We went to the women's hostels and there were guards there so the men couldn't pass through our gate but we could go out. It was a fun game of them taunting us and we would run out and get covered in all colors and have water poured all over us and then we would run right back over the line. Some of the girls were just as bad as the boys. If someone came out clean there was an instant crowd to cover that person. I think if I could pick one holiday to be in India to celebrate it would be Holi. I don't think I'll ever experience something like that outside India. I didn't get to take any pictures since everything on you gets absolutely covered in powder, water, egg, and tomato. After much scrubbing I am still covered in dye but it was definitely not something I could have missed.
Let me just recap for you what a fantastic weekend I had. I did everything associated with what India is. We made this list on the bus ride: took a sleeper train, bathed an elephant, had an elephant bless me, fed elephants bananas, fed monkeys bananas, our first temple experience and tilaka, successful management of squat toilets, climbed a mountain mostly barefoot, rode a coracle, ate a sugar cane stick, walked 600 stairs to see the birthplace of a god, saw a snake charmer, found new and delicious foods (mostly desserts), sleeper bus, saw a kingfisher bird and some bats, and ended it all with a Holi celebration. This is why I am here. This is amazing. There are some things I miss about home...the people, the food, easy transportation, and some other minor comfort things but I can't believe how quickly this semester is going. We're trying to plan more trips and we're running out of weekends. Someone, after covering my face in a new coat of hot pink powder, asked me if I actually enjoyed this and I was like yeah, absolutely and he seemed surprised.
It has been a very long day so I should get some sleep. I'm not looking forward to the constant increase of heat, but other than that I am living the life here.

Indian Classical Dance

Let's talk about Indian dance. This is just a general overview since I don't know much myself but who doesn't love learning new things. 'Classical' is a sort of new term to define Indian dance and there are also traditional, tribal, folk, contemporary, and of course Bollywood dances.

Kuchipudi-the form I'm studying now. It originated in Andhra Pradesh, the state Hyderabad is in. Traditionally it was danced by males but now is predominately female. Like most Indian dance, it has theatrical elements and often tells a story though there are secular parts and pure dance. There are sharp foot stamps that go along with fluid upper body which accentuate the music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVuB-EQJbZc

Bharatnatyam is from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, also southern states, therefore have some similarities. If you've seen Indian dance before, it may have been this one as it is a very old tradition and widely popular. There's an old tradition of temple dancers called Devadasis and they often danced Bharatnatyam.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ToRU47nq-g&feature=fvw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVXGl59pg2E&feature=related

Speaking of Devadasis....Odissi, from Orissa (northeast of Andhra) is also similar in style. It often revolves around Krishna and uses the foot stamping like Kuchipudi. "Odissi is considered a dance of love, joy and intense passion, pure, divine and human."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwPtrEDSDnQ

Kathak is from northern India and means "the art of storytelling." Kathak is more about the feet than the hands and has a little more freedom for personal style in performance. Kathak is for both men and women and is another very popular style.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQzzQSMhSMo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcqpEWm-cG4

Manipuri is from Manipur in the northeast. So far things have been pretty normal, but now we're into what we would find a bit odd. Manipuri is a deeply traditional, folk-based danced that is still a part of their cultural identity. The movement itself is light and soft. I would love to wear one of these costumes sometime...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQI0T5Kjw9E&feature=related
In contrast to that is the male form which I think is absolutely amazing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hOWDVpUWqY

not to be confused with Kathak, Kathakali comes from Kerala in the south. There will be no confusion between the two when you watch it but it means "story-play" which is close to "the art of storytelling." Kathakali is most recognizable for its costume and makeup which is even more distinct than Manipuri. It is mostly performed by men and shows epic tales from works like the Ramayana. The performances begin at dusk and go well into the night. Each character can be easily recognized based off the makeup and there are very articulate and small gestures, like the movements in the face. While it obviously takes a lot of skill to isolate these muscles, Kathakali kind of freaks me out a little bit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl3UKV1z9lM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMquphTYM3w

and that leaves us with my favorite, Mohiniattam, which, if you can believe it, also comes from Kerala. It also began as a Devadasi form but the word itself means "beautiful women dance." It is usually a solo dance and the costume is white/off-white sari with gold and gold jewlery.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7tRx4ulhpQ

Ok, well I don't really have a favorite style but I am pretty partial to Kuchipudi as I know the most about it. Hopefully you found this slightly entertaining and educational. Dance is a huge part of Indian culture and history. Even though dance here doesn't pay much (story of my life) it comes with prestige and reverence.
My theory class is very interested in ballet and modern (mostly ballet) so I'm teaching class next week. I didn't think to even bring ballet shoes or tights with me, but I'll make do. I was excited to learn today that the masters students take Laban. In my practical Kuchipudi class we have a huge range of levels and we've just been drilling the movements and hopefully next week we will start choreography. It's strange to not dance as much as I do at home but Kuchipudi is a workout and some of the girls ask me for help outside class so I get a tiny bit of 'rehearsal' time.
I'll post a real blog some time in the future, but let's face it, dance is better than political strife or water buffalo.

vacation time!

Last week as we sat around rather bored in the common area, we decided it would be prime time to take a trip and what better place to go to than the beach. Minutes later we had booked a trip to Goa. I will spare the details about skipping classes and spending money, but it was a fantastic trip. Our friend is originally from Hyderabad but grew up in Denmark and apart from being a great friend, she is also pretty helpful. She had been to Palolem before so we were able to just wing it because she had a basic idea of everything. After a quick flight on Kingfisher Red (Kingfisher is to India but Budweiser is to the US, but was a little disappointed to find out they only served water on board) and an hour and a half taxi ride into the Goan mountains, we arrived at what was sort of like Panama City but classier, full of Europeans, and only slightly Indian. We stayed in little handmade huts that were literally just a bed with mosquito net and a wall separating that and the sink, toilet, and shower. They front porches had chairs and a table and a hammock so that was good times. Overall, each of us paid around 3$ a night and we only really slept there so it was all good. It was also conveniently located less than a minute's walk from the beach which was beautiful. Palolem was small enough to walk to either end of the beach and there were cool islands and mountains that we kayaked to one day (I like to kayak as much as anyone else, but the whole part about being on the ocean was not to good. I'll stick to land from now on). From our huts there were restaurants and bars and shops and numerous hagglers who followed you around all day. During the day the restaurants set out beach chairs and you can just chill, order a few drinks, take a nap; at night they pull those in and put out tables so you can eat and drink on the beach which was pretty cool. All the food I ate there was fantastic. It was a nice break from curry. We had spring rolls, french fries, hamburgers (BEEF!), momos (Tibetan dumbplings-my new favorite food), nutella pancakes, fried bananas with nutella (called filters for whatever reason), pizza, beef lasagna....I could go on. Since it's a tourist destination they have standards to live up to so all the food was good and our group only had minor stomach issues. There was a market just on the other side of our huts and they had everything. We basically bought new wardrobes because we packed Indian clothes and upon arrival see Europeans in bikinis and thongs. It was nice to be able to show beyond my elbows and knees. By whole new wardrobe I mean a shirt and some pants and a dress, people re-wear clothes pretty much every day which is actually a nice way to go about things. Not only did we have the same outfit, we avoided showers. We had a shower, but it just wasn't worth it. No one cares and it's not like we reek after five days so it all worked out. Shopping is exhausting though. It's a lot of the same stuff people are selling and people try so hard to get you to buy things and then when you find something you like you have to haggle the price down. I got some DVD's for 2$ so that was my shopping win for the weekend.
This trip made me realize two things about India. First off, you can't take anything for granted in India. Power, clean water, toilet paper, toilets in general, personal safety from riots and even the police (or especially the police), personal identity (it sucks to be a American female here), hot water, internet, well-prepared food...all things we have to think about. Second realization is that Hyderabad sucks. We were under the impression upon applying here that Hyderabad is one of the top Indian cities (it is...but only as far as population goes) and that it is well-developed and full of fun things to do. As this was our first trip outside Hyderabad, we didn't know any better than to just appreciate it for what it is. There is also this political mess going on about Hyderabad splitting into a different state, Telangana. I don't understand the whole of it, but I get it a lot better after seeing something new. Hyderabad has minimally paved roads, there is always construction going on, there is chaos everywhere and the poverty is out of control. Goa had wonderfully paved roads, established city communities (plus really cool old buildings-thanks, Portugal), the poverty wasn't as apparent, ect. It's not Hyderabad's fault it's an arid desert, but we do need help that we aren't getting from the government, hence wanting our own state to push change forward. Needless to say, we will be doing a lot more traveling. We flew this time but trains are are cheaper option. You get what you pay for and a 10 hour train ride does cut down on actual beach time, but we're already looking forward to exploring new parts of the country, especially before it gets to be unmanageably hot. Rajasthan, Pondicherry, Kerala, and Delhi are all in the lineup, which will of course be followed up to a trip to the Himalayas after the semester is over.
Apart from Goa, things are great here. We've had a lot of bandhs and canceled classes due to a murder at Osmania University (far from us, don't worry) and we've discovered we have dish tv, so there are many movies watched during bandhs because there's always a risk of police interrogation or transportation problems or nothing even being opened if we leave campus, so we just chill here. My Hindi is improving-I can read signs now...meaning I can pronounce them because Hindi makes a lot of sense and is all phonetic, but don't have the biggest vocabulary. It's strange to not have rehearsal. I only have 4 hours of dance classes a week and then a dance theory class and I'm finished after 5 everyday which is strange. Some of the girls are having a hard time picking up Kuchipudi so we get in some practice a few times a week, but I do miss the intense schedule I had back at Agnes. I have officially been in India a month. I haven't gotten sick and I'm not homesick so all is well. The first two weeks went by really slow and a few times I thought 'I have to be here for four months?!' but this month has flown by. We know the city pretty well and are working on making friends. That sounds lame, but it's hard to make friends here. It's not safe or socially acceptable to just go make some male friends if you're a white female. I have a few men in one of my classes from Burma that are really nice but beyond that it's totally different than at home. We get mixed reactions from the Indian girls. Some are jealous of the attention we get, some are really friendly, and some just don't want to be around the attention we get. Also women don't go out often so it's hard to find things to do. Going out for chai is always a good idea since it's a very social thing, or just awkwardly making friends in class. I went out with a guy who is Indian but grew up in Dubai and that was an experience. We went to the movies and we were both dressed in Western clothes and wow we got some strange reactions. He was really nice about it, but suggested we bring a big group of people next time because he wasn't used to and didn't like getting looked at. He also said he thinks a lot of Americans leave here with a certain ego because of all the attention we get. I think it's the opposite and is very humbling. I do not like the constant stares and weird people who want to shake my hand and people handing me their babies. I am not a celebrity and sometimes it's nice to sit and chat with someone or play with kids but by no means would I rather have that than just blending in. Anyway, he drove me back to campus after that and I was showing him around the massive 2,300 acres or something and we were followed by campus police. They didn't give us a lot of attitude but were still very rude and made us go back to my dorm and walked me to the door to make sure I went through it. However, I got a call from him later and he said they stopped him and made him get out of his car and physically hit him, tried to take away his keys, and arrest him. They took him to a holding cell and questioned him about why he was with a white girl, why we went down that road, why he was on campus, ect. They let him go, but that's still awful. There have been a few cases of American girls being raped so it was nice they came to check on me but after that was just uncalled for. There are a lot of very strange dynamics here....
anyway, onto pictures:
Our hut complex. Notice the luscious greenery.













Here is our backyard in Hyderabad. Notice the brown and uncared for land.










and a cute one of the roomie, Abby, and I out in the open ocean.

settling in

Even though we have a lot of down time, I somehow haven't had time to update. Where did I leave off...we went shopping around town and again at this awesome festival (I bought lots of presents). I did pretty good at bartering a few times but it's exhausting and sometimes it was just like whatever, it's still cheap, even though we were obviously getting ripped off. I met the tallest man in India (picture to follow) and he comes from a really poor family and has a lot of medical problems so he pays for medical bills by people paying to take pictures of him. While we waited for our henna to dry we sat and watched little kids play in a field. I'm not big on kids, but these little Indian kids are super cute. They come shake our hands and their parents take pictures with us. It's a little strange but we take pictures with them too so it evens out. That weekend we also went to Charminar which was exciting and a few palaces/museums which were interesting. That was our first food outside the dorm and it was pretty good and none of us got sick, which was the main concern. They had delicious fresh lime soda. I like sampling all the random snack foods and drinks-thumbs up cola and appy juice are my favorite so far and banana chips are good for snacking. I haven't exactly figured out my schedule yet, but I know I'm taking basic Hindi which I really like (and I'm not too shabby at it), Kuchipudi dance which is with all international students. The teacher is really cool and it's going to be half theory half practical and we do a mini-performance at the end. I talked to her since I'm more serious about dance and I might take lessons at her house, but the catch is that it's extra money and 10km from here. I went to the concept of Indian dance in textual tradition yesterday and I think I'm going to stick with it. She's altering the assignments for me since I don't speak Telugu or Sanskrit but a girl from the class is teaching me Sanskrit with diacritics so rather than translating material I just have to memorize it. I tried taking the advanced course in Buddhist philosophy but that teacher was way scary. I know a good bit about Buddhism but learned more conceptually whereas this class was about specific people and exact spellings of texts (again, I don't know Sanskrit so it was difficult for me). The worst part was the professor singled me out for every question and asked me the weirdest stuff. He was nice enough, but I don't think I could take that kind of pressure for the entire semester. I get singled out a lot in the textual dance class too, but it's friendly and not terrifying. We're trying to make local friends but mostly have made friends with the other international students who live in our dorm who are Phd students from the middle east. It's safe here and it's not scary going out, but it's always an adventure. We have to plan where we are going so we can specifically tell the auto rickshaw driver (most don't speak much English), decide on a price and stick to it, walk or bike two miles to the front gate, find a rickshaw which is never a problem because we attract a lot of attention, and drive at least 15 minutes into civilization and then repeat coming back. We took an adventure to the pharmacy which happened to be by a Domino's so we ate there. It was basically the same as home except the tomato sauce is a little sweeter and different, and was less than 100 rupees (2$) for a pizza and drink. I already think in rupees. I've adjusted to the traffic situation here. At first it was a little scary when a car drives by and I'm poking along on my fixed gear 20yr old bike, but everyone is very spatially aware and we have plenty of room. If you walk you often get picked up by some bus or offered a ride on a motorbike which is the scariest thing I've done so far. The weather is perfect. Some people are already a little sunburned and avoid the afternoon in the peak of the heat, but it's my ideal kind of weather and the clothes are much more suitable than jeans. We forget that it's winter here and babies are all bundled up and earmuffs are really in style now which is an interesting fashion statement. It does get chilly early in the morning and at night, but chilly as in maybe you need a sweater. There are so many dogs everywhere. Indians have a different attitude towards them and we see a lot of people kicking them and I just want to pet and feed them, but they are sick and have fleas and overall just not a good idea to touch. Today we had a really cute one (minus the fact that he was missing most of his hair and his face was covered in blood) and I think because we didn't kick him he followed us the entire mile to class and seemed pretty happy to be with us. There are pigs and dogs around our dorm and we often wake up to the sound of them fighting over food which is rather annoying. Even though we live in the middle of nowhere, I think it's better than being in the city. Less pollution, less noise, less people. There are Indian versions of a lot of American things that are pretty funny. We passed by a KFC and it was really fancy. Apparently it's really big here. Ben and Jerry's is called Ice and Jelly's. Cold Stone is called Cream Stone Creamery. Church's Chicken is Texas Chicken. Subway and Domino's stayed the same for whatever reason. It's funny that we bought traditional clothes and want to do really Indian things and everyone else is buying western clothes and try to act American. We get a lot of looks from women that are not nice when we wear Indian clothes but we get less attention from men which is a plus. So far everyone has been genuinely nice. There's no American front or deception. Like the girl offering to give me Sanskrit lessons. Unlike America where if something is supposed to be on time and is late, here it's just known and accepted that things don't run on time. India has a magical way of making everything work. I've had a little difficulty finding buildings and classrooms but always run into a professor or bus or something that takes me to exactly where I need to be. Like always, the dance department here gets the short end of the stick. The dance building (not a building, just a strip of rooms behind the art building) looks like a rundown motel. We squeezed 20 or so people in a tiny classroom with a chalkboard that was inconveniently shaped like a door. But no one complains and everyone has a positive attitude. They make the same kind of jokes we do about low budget complications. So overall, I've almost seamlessly adjusted to the Indian way of life and am having a great time. It's hard to believe I've only been here a week and a half. Our weekend plans are to go to a movie and hooka bar. Oh-I have a cell phone now. It's free for me to receive calls and texts so if you feel like calling me my number is +918142050254. The phones come with all sorts of popular Bollywood songs but we were told only weird people use them so everrrryone has the same basic nokia tune which I find funny for some reason.
until next time,
caroline