A recap...

So although I sadly did not make it to Hampi after all, last weekend turned out to be one of the best I’ve had in India!

The train situation was impossible, and it turned out we were on the waiting list, which prevented us from travelling.  I know they say it’s all about the experience, but I am slightly ashamed to admit that I was somewhat relieved that I was not going to board the train when I saw it pass.  Uma is a teacher in standard three and it was her and her son that I had planned to go with.  Her son, Druv (sp?) was sadder than both of us combined and cried the entire ride back home. I think the auto guy was about to throw him out the large opening.  The rest of the night was spent relaxing, but Uma and I decide we would do a spa day to make up for our failed attempt at Hampi.  I spent most of the night playing with her adorable son and niece, Shreias (sp?).  It seemed they were quite fascinated by me and I was thrilled to play with them and listen to them giggle. The next morning we headed to the cricket stadium where the spa is located.  Apparently the cricket stadium is not just a stadium but also something closely related to a country club.  There was a pool, restaurant, salon, and a couple of other components.  Membership is needed to access all of these venues, but Uma’s father-in-law (who by the way is also her uncle, yes she married her first cousin...) is the chief commissioner of the stadium so we were granted access! After our wonderful treatments, which were slightly more invasive then I have previously witnessed, we ate lunch in her father-in-law’s office and spent some time there. During lunch I learned all about the game of cricket and was invited to a game on that Tuesday night!!

As we left the stadium after a wonderful afternoon I could not help but think that everything really does happen for a reason.  If we had gone to Hampi, I would have never made it to see a cricket match and although it would have been nice to see Hampi, I think in the end I enjoy the 50 yard line seats at the cricket match a little bit more.  A long day of relaxation it was indeed, which was followed by a roof top party to send off a friend of Shilpa’s friend.  Shilpa, who I believed I mentioned earlier, is a friend who I have really come to enjoy spending time with.  She is about 16 years older than I am, but as my mom pointed out, her life is no more settled than mine as she has been going from country to country for her job. Just now she is settling in Bangalore.  Anyway, Shilpa’s friend, Namita, is 32 years old and hated her job so she quit and is going to Zanzibar to help her friend start up a number of villas.  She kept insisting that I was brave for coming to India, but all I could think about how cool and brave it was going to Zanzibar and quitting her job! It’s meeting people like her that makes me appreciate those that refuse to be unhappy and are willing to take risks in their lives.  Everyone else at the gathering was so nice and included: a girl who is Indian, but grew up in America and actually attended Wisconsin, a married couple who lived in New Jersey for a few years but has settled back in India with their family, a French/Israeli Jew who travels back and forth from France to operate his technology business with his brother, and a few others I have met before.  Being there made me feel like such a baby in some respects, but very adult like and mature in others.

On Sunday, I met up with two of the teachers from school, Jhumki and Mohua.  Jhumki is one of my favourite people here at school and she is the other standard three teachers. Mohua is an art teacher and one of the sweetest, most cultured people I have ever met.  Both have incredibly interesting life stories and live in the same apartment complex.  During my time with them, they took me first to a crafts exhibition of some kind which basically had all of the goods found all over India in one location.  It is an understatement to say that my senses were over stimulated by everything there.  From there we went to pick up lunch during which time I learned about Mohua’s relationship with her son, which I admire greatly.  It seems that she is a truly selfless mother (as I know most if not all are) and misses her son a great deal who lives in France with his father.  When we drove back to their apartment to eat lunch, Mohua gave me all sorts of gifts. The first was the most beautiful Sari I have ever seen, which was originally gifted to her by her mother but since she has never worn it in the three years it has been sitting in her closet, she decided to gift it to me- I could not have been happier! Then, she pulled out a silver bracelet with a very modern design, which I happily wear every day now J.  Following came a very pretty scarf, which reminded her of a friend she has who is a silk distributor so after lunch we went to her house to see all of her goods.  This was an awesome experience! As we walked into a room that was probably meant to be a bedroom, silk was to be found everywhere! It was so much fun going through everything and of course buying a ton! After coffee and paying, we left to freshen up before heading to a Odici dance recital that was to be performed by a couple of the students from Aditi.  The recital was nice, but we were all somewhat done after a few numbers.  The little girls were very cute and excited about being on stage.  A wonderful weekend has come to a end with a lovely Indian dinner at a local place.

Last week was filled the awesome cricket match, of which I could not take pictures because you cannot take a camera into the stadium, the last night of Chanukah at the Israeli family’s house down the street, and an Indo- Brazilian music concert.  The cricket match was a blast and I enjoyed my time with Uma and her father-in-law.  The last night of Chanukah with the Bloch’s was lovely and I am so lucky to have made that connection while I’ve been here.  Going to the Indo- Brazilian concert sounds a lot cooler than it was, but hey- it’s all about the experience.  Then, Friday morning I took a VERY early bus to Coorg, one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited! More on Coorg to come...

Field Trip!

   Because I have been spending so much time with standard three and thoroughly enjoy being in their classroom, I was invited on their field trip! In social studies, or SOS as they call it, they are studying Jainism, which is one of main religions practiced in India.  Apparently, they are known to be quite wealthy and close knit in their small communities.  They do not believe in having external desires, worldly desires.  Also, they cover their mouths and clean off anything before they sit on it as to avoid killing any living thing.  On the way to the Jain temple I sat with one of the teachers who I have not had the pleasure of spending much time with.  During the forty-five minute ride, I learned her ENTIRE life story.  She has two children, one in London, the other in Washington, D.C.  The daughter in London has two twins who she is bringing to Bangalore to visit in the next few days.  Her son is younger, 29, and works for some time of government software company in DC, but lived in NYC to work on a project for a couple years.  She also went to NY in April, but lost 10 days on her trip due to that volcano that erupted delaying flights all over the world.  It's very interesting to hear all of these stories especially because they are all so different, but they all seem to have a common theme- they love to talk about their families and where they are in the world.  Also, having family in America is a sign of true success and wealth- interesting. Plus, they think that just because you are American, you are for whatever reason "better" than Indians. Indians also feel that their children are more successful if they marry and move to America to settle their lives there. I'm still working on understanding this one.
   The Jain temple was beautiful! The students seems to enjoy it, and I learned a lot about the temple as well as the religion thanks to the knowledge of the art teacher- Mahua.  She has an interesting story as well, but the details will sound like they come straight out of some Bollywood movie/ soap opera.  Anyway, Jhumki, the main classroom teacher in standard three, arranged for one of the mothers who came with us on the trip to take me to a Hindu temple after the Jain one when the students went back to school.  I went with Uma and Mahu as well as the mother and her daughter who is in our class.  The Hindu temple was nice, but it was dirty because of a Punja (some religious celebration) that took place the previous day.  More than anything I enjoyed the conversation in the car ride and the time spent with the teachers and mother of the student.  In fact, the mother lived in America for some time and went to NYU.  She now is a professor at one of the most prestigious universities in India teaching some branch of business management.  When in NY she worked in an investment banking firms whose names I recognized, but cannot remember.
   On another note, yesterday was the last day for the German exchange students.  As I walked towards my bus, I saw them exchange a tearful goodbye with the Indian students who they had spent the last two weeks getting to know.  All I could think about was how amazing this opportunity was for them and that they will remember it forever.  Even more, what would our world look like if we built more of these cultural gaps between such foreign nations...
   Later tonight I will be venturing to Hampi with another teacher from Aditi. It is known as a world heritage site and may be interesting to read about it if you have the time...pictures will of course be up upon my return. Wish me luck as I will be experiencing India trains for the first time! Shabbat shalom and chag channukah sameach!