Fortunately, the City Palace, which was our first desination for the day, did not open until 10am so I got to sleep in a little- until about 9am!Arachana and I got to eat breakfast together at the house before heading out to see more of Jaipur.City Palace was beautiful, but was similar to the one I saw in Mysore.City Palace is actually still occupied by the royal family and only a portion of it is open to the public.We walked around for a while and after seeing all the rooms went to the Janter Manter, which is an astrological site. Archana and I enjoyed the placed and listened in as some of the tour guides explained what each structure meant.I was interested in what they all meant, but not enough to spend the few hundred rupees to hear ALL about it. Needless to say, what I learned was perfectly sufficient.Because my bus back to Delhi was at 2pm, we left the old part of the city to head towards the bus station.Mandeep had suggested that we stop at McDonald's to pick something up for me to eat on the bus.We did indeed go there to get me something to eat, which is somewhat ironic considering I never eat there when I'm home, but I knew it was safe and I'd be okay for the bus ride.Saying goodbye to Archana was far sadder than I had ever imagined, I mean I had only known her for less then at this point, but we spent a wonderful day together.After a couple of hours on the bus I was totally fine because I was excited to get back to Maninder and Teena.Unfortunately, you can never be too sure how long it will take you to get anywhere in India because the traffic is absolutely outrageous!I got back almost an hour later than I had anticipated, which again made Teen and Maninder late to the wedding reception, which I had been invited to on Friday night.After being incredibly antzy and asking the guy sitting next to me on the bus a million times how far we still are, I was greeted by Maninder's smiling face J.We rushed home so I could quickly change into one of Jiya's outfits so Teena, Maninder, and I could head to the party.Being at the party and seeing how Indian's celebrate a wedding was so cool!As you scan the room you can spot almost every color of the rainbow and like Jews, they love to dance and eat.In fact, the wedding celebration is about a week long!The only way to really explain it is through pictures, which can be found below.The bride and groom looked incredibly happy and it was a love marriage for those of you who are wondering.Everyone was dressed beautifully and I was thrilled to be part of the celebration and do some more dancing!Because the three of us (Teena, Maninder, and I) were heading to Agra the next day, we again had to skip out early, which was sad because this was after all the wedding reception of his best friend's son.Frankly I was exhausted, but I was thrilled to be there.As soon as we got home I completely crashed because again, I knew I'd be waking up early to head to Agra to see the Taj Mahal!
I don't think I can remember the last time I woke up at 4:15am, but I popped out of bed to take a nice hot shower, excited for my trip to Jaipur.God bless Teena and Maninder for waking up to leave the house at 5am to take me to the bus. I actually couldn't believe it, but I was thrilled that they dropped me off- made me feel like I was home.As I walked onto the bus I was somewhat sad leaving them because I hadn't had any time with them, but I knew I was headed to more family and that I'd be back the next day.After about a six hour ride of being in and out of sleep, I finally arrived in Jaipur and was greeted by Mandeep, Maninder's nephew and Harv's (dad's friend) cousin.Mandeep is a communication officer in the Indian army and has been stationed in Jaipur for the past year or so.His wife and family lives right outside Delhi for the children's schooling.Mandeep and I took a ride in the army truck, which was my sweet ride for my stay in Jaipur, to where I would be staying at the officer's guesthouse.Sadly (for me), Mandeep had planned a trip to Goa with his wife and had to leave the night I arrived.So, Mandeep and I had a few hours together in which we talked and went out to lunch.When Mandeep had to leave to take the train to meet his wife, he left me in the wonderful hands of Captain Archana.Because she is basically my age, we had a ton to talk about and by the end of my stay, I felt like she was an old girlfriend who I just hadn't seen in a while.Captain Archana and I headed out in the army jeep to a few sights in Jaipur including the Hava Mahal (pronounced Hawa), Jal Mahal, and Amber (pronounced Amair) Fort.These three places were great, but my favorite by far was the Amber Fort.A section of Jaipur is walledand to get to any of these places you have to drive through these pink gates.I forgot to mentioned that everything in Jaipur is this interesting color pink, hence the nickname of the city.Anyway, you can see the walls of the city that surround the older section including the fort.The drive to the top was quite steep, but when we got to the top- wow!From the top you can see so much of the beautiful city!I highly encourage those of you who are interested to read a little about the Amber Fort- the history is very interesting! After walking around and taking in the view, we walked to a coffee shop.Archana and I sat and talked while sipping our coffee for a little while and then headed down to where the jeep was waiting for us because we had to get tickets for the sound and light show.It took us far less time than we thought, so we went back to the Jal Mahal, which was cool because we got to see it all lit up!I also drank coconut water right out of a fresh coconut! (Sarah Parkes, that was my first for that day!)The taste was eh, but it's really good for you and the experience of holding a fruit and drinking the water from it was fun!Then to the sound and light show, which told the history of the city and did sound and lights against the front view of the fort- so cool!This was also the only thing that Archana had never seen so I was happy she was experiencing something for the first time.Shopping was next on the agenda (by the way, if it sounds like I did a lot in a short period of time, it's because I did- the itinerary was crazy, but we got it all in!) and I was taken to a market where Archana did some sweet bargaining! I got some very nice things and am excited about showing them to all of you when I get home!Although shopping was great, I got to a point where food was all I could think about so the shopping stopped and we headed home to get ready for dinner.Candles and Cuisine was Archana's choice and the food was very yummy, but a little spicy for my taste.Dinner was lovely and I enjoyed the time with Archana, but by this point, at 11pm, I was exhausted so we headed home to share life stories, look at pictures, and get some rest.Next day was to be just as busy!
Before getting on the plane to head to Delhi, I was incredibly anxious and nervous because of the way everyone talked about how it would be.However, something absolutely incredible happened! One of dad's dearest friends is from India and has family in both Delhi and Agra.When I stepped off the plane at about 8pm, I was greeted by three wonderful people- Jiya, Teena, and Maninder.Maninder is the uncle of dad's friend, Teena is his wife, and Jiya is their beautiful daughter in law.Once I got my bags, which sadly they made me check because it weighed too much, we hopped into the car and started driving.What I found out about ten minutes into the carride, was that we were headed to a pre-wedding party! Luckily, I was somewhat dressed for the occasion as I wore an outfit to school that I had bought in India.Maninder informed me that he told his good friend, whose son's wedding it was, that he was bringing a famous artist from New York so I was to play the part.I was happy to play along, but bent it slightly to say that I was a children's book artist because at least it was sort of my field.Of course this never came up in conversation, but I was completely prepared if it had.As soon as we walked into the party, we were all greeted with open arms by the family of the groom.It was clear just how much these two men care about each other and he was thrilled to have me there! He even pulled Jiya and me onto the dancefloor- yes, that's right I got my groove on at an India party =).Also, at an Indian wedding they put Henna, Mhandi (spelling?) in Hindi, on everyone's hand.The dude drawing on my hands did an awesome job!I was totally caught off gaurd with the night's events but I had a great time getting to know Maninder, Teen, and Jiya, and above all was thrilled to be there with them in safe hands.Because I was leaving for Jaipur in the early morning, we left the party on the early side, which I felt bad about because we had arrived late due to my flight arrival time.About an hour later we pulled up to a magnificent home in the Friend's Colony in the southern part of Delhi.The house was decorated beautifully and the room I was to stay in was beyond comfortable.By the time I got to sleep I was only in for about a four hour nap as I had to make a 6am bus to get to Jaipur in the morning so I quickly got into bed and fell fast asleep.
The past couple of days have not been as interesting as the first few. However, I have greatly enjoyed getting to know more of the people at school and spending time with them. Yesterday was a bit of a rough day teaching as one of the teachers seemed to feel that my explanation of the material was no sufficient and as a result decided to teach over me. Although she may have been making sure that the classroom was being conducted the way she liked it, I felt slightly insulted. Luckily, my supervisor happen to be in the room to witness this exchange and I was able to debrief with her afterwards. Also, I will only be in this classroom until the end of the week so soon, this will no longer be my issue. The truth is that this teacher, along with the others in this room, happens to be a fantastic educator. What I don't appreciate are her expectation and her attitude with the students. As a teacher, we always want to set the bar as high as humanly possible so that the students reach for the stars. However, it is not to the point at which students feel as though making a mistake is the worst thing that could possibly ever happen. Clearly I was and still am quite frustrated with this and nicely decided to bring it up with another teacher. What I have learned is that in India, there actually is no room for error because any error you make brings you just one millimeter below the next person, which puts you closer to the bottom. In India, education is actually your only way to succeed (so I've been told) and therefore, if you are not willing to put in your absolute best, well, as my dad would say, you're SOL. Another interesting thing to note about the students at this school is that 1) they almost all never see their parents because they are some hotsy totsy big shots who travel the world doing "amazing things" and these children are raised by their maids, drivers, and others 2) the parents couldn't care less about anything school related because they feel as though they have "done their duty" by sending their children and do not need to be involved and 3) when the parents do come to school it is somewhat of a fashion show and the parents are not terribly interested in what is going on in school with their child.
Something else interesting that I'm learning is that everyone has an interesting story that they love to share. It is incredible to me how much we keep to ourselves (for the most part) as Americans. Meanwhile, Indians are glad to share their life story with you without warning or invitation. Personally, this is great because I don't have to ask questions- the information is given. Then, I also do not have to worry about asking further questions. In addition to Mythri and Anupa, my two closest friends at the moment, there is not Kalpana who is absolutely wonderful and Ram. Granted all of these people are at least ten years my senior but regardless, they are intellectually stimulating and great fun to be around. Kalpana is a specialty teacher who works primarily with 4th and 5th grade math and science. She is beyond brilliant and has a degree in micobiology and after spending all too much time in the lab, she realized there was more to life and so she started in the high school, but decided she wanted to move down to elementary (good choice).
Now I'm just enjoying the company of the lovely people I have met and am gearing up for my big trip to Delhi this weekend, which as of today is a trip that I am VERY excited about rather than a source of anxiety thanks to some wonderful people from home as well as here in India =)
When I woke up, the sun was not shining, but it was the perfect dreary, rainy Sunday to stay in to eat and watch television.I spent the day discussing curricula, lesson plans, and life with Rekha while watching her cook all the delicious food she insisted on feeding me all day.The is no doubt that the food is spicy, but my taste buds are getting used to it and I continue to enjoy trying everything new.Although I was perfectly content where I was, I needed to get back to Gina's to get ready for school and I wanted to be welcomed back so I did not want to overstay my welcome. Rekha called Vishnu and in about twenty minutes I was back to Gina's.
Then! I called the people who I have been e-mailing with down the street.Turns out they are friends of friends, but they are Jewish and Israeli so I was eager to meet them and they were happy to have me over.When I knocked on the door, Ofer, a five year old little boy, answered the door.I was also greeted by Sivan, the mom, Ari, the dad, and Tal an adorable two year old little girl.Ari was busy with some work for a while, but talking with Sivan, spending time with the kids, and hearing Hebrew was perhaps the warmest feeling I've had since I got here.Nothing made me happier then knowing that they are right down the street and so happy to have my company.Sivan and I spent time talking while I enjoyed her company as well as Ofer and Tal's and before I knew it I had been there quite some time.She told me about the few Israeli families who live near the Chabad house, which is about 40 minutes away.According to Sivan, the majority of Chabad go-ers are business men who come in for however long and want to observe Shabbat.As a result, they have begun to move services and meals to hotels in the city where they get a cheaper price and host these Shabbatot- I look forward to experiencing this at least once while I am here.If nothing else, at least I have somewhere to go for Channukah!After plenty of conversation, Ari came out of his office and we all ate dinner together. Sivan repeatedly mentioned how much the kids seemed to be enjoying my company and it seems they have found their new babysitter! Too bad I won't be here for very long, plus any salary in rupees is not exactly very much, but of course I would not do it for the money.The Bloch (pronounced Block- how weird?!) family are definitely new friends of mine and I was invited back anytime I want.
Today was my first day of actual teaching with standard four.The morning was spent running around trying to find a copier to make copies for my lesson.I should not have waited, but Rekha assured me this would be alright.In the end, I was ready and excited for my first lesson with them.Because I used the whiteboard, the students were extra engaged for this was the first time they had been the whiteboard being used.The classroom teachers gave great feedback and it was great to see them taking pictures of what I was doing with their students.I also think they felt it was a nice break and they even stepped out of the room while I was teaching for a bit.This was reassuring and I was surprised, but I was not even nervous about teaching today! The more I teach, the more confident I am in my abilities and the more I realize how much I love this profession!
After school today, I stayed after to help Mythri with the play, but I ended up chatting with Anupa and not doing very much work.It was great company and I was in no rush to get home, so being there to see what they are doing was nice.Mythri drove me and one other teacher home after practice was over.After dropping off the other teacher, Mythri asked if I wanted to go for coffee so I of course said yes and we sat for almost two hours talking and getting to know each other better.Her life is beyond complicated, which I have concluded is masked by her humor and sarcasm.Regardless, she has a good heart and I enjoy spending time with her.Anupa also has extended various invitations to me, so I'm certainly excited about the time I'll get to spend with both of them while I'm here.They may be a few years older than me, but when we are all together the age does not feel like much.I am looking forward to spending more time with both of them!
Now I am heading to finish up my work for tomorrow and read up on Delhi a little bit so I actually know what I'm looking at when I get there this weekend!
Sleeping was a challenge because of the crackers that went off all night, but eventually I passed out (apparently the opium in the dessert helped this along haha).When I woke up at 5am on a Saturday, I wondered what I was thinking getting up to spend a day touring.Rekha did a lot of talking on the way from her house to the bus stop where the tour would begin, but I have concluded that she enjoys the intellegent conversation as well as my feedback on what she is trying to implement in the school.Rekha is incredibly bright and has spectacular instincts, but she seems to be struggling with the direction in where she sees the school taking.I am of course happy to help her out and it's been fun looking through various curricula and am thrilled that she values my opinion so much!
I got on a Karnataka State Bus Tour to find that I was the only foreigner until Tommi (I have no idea how she spells her name) from Japan sat down next to me on the bus.When she got on the bus I was thrilled to know I was not the only one traveling alone and knew I had someone to keep me company all day throughout the tour.We visited a number of temples, the Maharasha Palace, a fort of some kind, and a beautiful garden.The temples were nice to see although they seemed to all look the same to me so by the third one I was less than impressed.The palace was gorgeous and 65% of it is still occupied by the royal family.Also another interesting thing that I did not realize is that when you visit certain places in India, you are required to remove your shoes as a way of keeping out the flith from the outside.I assumed it was a respect thing, but apparently that is the reasoning.My biggest concern was that I wouldn't get my shoes back and I'd have to walk around India for the rest of the day barefoot, but then I realized the majority of India already does that! On the hygenic note, unfortunately I experienced a true public bathroom in India and realized how unfortunate it was for me that I had to go.Luckily, I found the balance between drinking enough so that I didn't get dehydrated, but not too much that I would have to go to the bathroom again! (for those who are wondering, I was successful in this endevour and only went twice the whole day and reminded hydrated!) Switching back to the site-seeing, the gardens were amazing and there was a singing foutain that I enjoyed very much- it was a perfect end to the day.The toughest part of the day was getting used to everyone staring at me.Apparently it is not known that staring is quite rude, but I've gotten used to knowing that everyone will stare mostly out of curiosity.
The ride home from Mysore took forever even though I slept most of the way and I have to admit that I was relieved to be back in Rekha's hands when I pulled up to where she had dropped me earlier that day.I was proud of myself for traveling the day on my own, but at the same time there was a certain comfort in being back in her hands as well as with her family.Entering Rekha's home again was such a great feeling and I could not wait to shower, get into bed, and sleep until whenever I woke up.Saturday was the longest day ever, but it was a great experience and I slept forever!
Diwali began with sleeping in (finally) and having a nice leisurely breakfast that Gina kindly made for me.It consisted of grilled cheese and eggs with onions and tomatoes- so perfect, so American!We then got picked up my Rekha's driver, Vishnu, who took us to Commercial Street, which apparently is well known for it's shopping.I think I mentioned earlier that everyone here has a driver or a company of drivers that they trust and use on a regular basis.Apparently Vishnu and his company of drivers have been used by Rekha's family for over 15 years so she was confident in his ability to watch over me for a few hours.
Commercial Street reminded me a lot of Ben Yehuda Street in the way that it is set up and the shops.There are some nice indoor shops where the price is fixed as well as the little kiosks that sell bangles, scarfs, and such where the prices can be bargained.Shopping with Gina, and spending the afternoon getting to know her better, was wonderful!The more time I spend with the people here, the more fascinating I find their lives!
After our shopping time adn grabbing a bite to eat at a place called Woody's, I called Vishnu, to come get me to take me to Rekha's for Diwali.On the way to Rekha's, Gina suggested that he drive me by a parliment building, which was very impressive, and the Lalbaugh Botanical Gardens, which were beautiful!Due to political issues, visitors are no longer allowed in the parliment building but it was interesting looking from the outside.The gardens were beautiful and there were a lot of people around so I was happy that Vishnu was with me.He kindly drove me through and made sure I was okay, and also took pictures of me at the gardens.As we drove from the gardens to Rekha's, there were certain areas where I prayed that he would not stop to let me out and say that this was Rekha's house.My assumption was that Rekha is well off and lives in a very nice home, but I suppose that anything could have been possible, which was why I was nervous.Of course I was not disappointed and they live in a beautiful apartment in a safe part of town.
At Rekha's, I was greeted by her ENTIRE family, her parents, her dad's brother and his wife, her brother, her other brother with his wife and son, and then her two children.Spending the afternoon with them was very nice and slightly made me feel like I was at Aunt Penney and Uncle David's for Thanksgiving.There was an endless amount of food and family that kept piling in- it was wonderful! I slightly felt on the outside especially when they switched to speaking Hindi, but I was happy to sit back and watch regardless.When everyone arrived and we finished eating the first course, we went up to the roof to light crackers.For Diwali, they light hundreds of crackers and apparently it's even bigger in the north!From the roof, we could see a beautiful skyline of Bangalore and all the fireworks that were being lit.The night was great, I was so happy to be with a family, but I went to bed early to get ready for a long day of traveling in Mysore!
