Trip to New Delhi

So the morning we left, me and 5 of my teammates including my CD (country director) Ben woke up at 3 am to catch our flight to Delhi. It was weird being up that early because the main roads were empty give or take a motorcycle or two that would cruise by. It was actually really weird and I think that will be the only time I experience that.

Anyways, the 2 hour flight was so blessedly short compared the bus rides I was used to, especially since we were considering a 32 hour bus ride cause it was cheaper. So when we arrived in Delhi, we thought it was going to be cooler than Hyderabad or at least the same since it’s farther north. We were wrong. It was drippin down the face and back like it owned me.




OUR first day there we took the A/C heaven metro to get us across the city where we caught an auto over to Gandhi’s house. We didn’t have much time because every freakin monument or cool place that we wanted to visit closed at 5, so we didn’t get to stay and see everything we wanted. But we managed to walk through some of the halls of the house as well as the path he took his last steps on. The path lead to the gardens of the property and over near the temple he prayed at for the last 144 days of his life. The whole experience was really cool.






















After that we bought goods from the sellers outside the entrance and took a walk down the wide, beautiful, clean roads that ran through that part of town. There were massive roundabouts everywhere so we chilled and played some ninja strike…which happens to be one of my favorite games to play. If you don’t know what it is, it’s a game where you stand in a circle and each person gets one turn, and by turn I mean movement, to try and hit the others hands. The person that is being attacked in addition has one move to dodge. I know it sounds dumb, but if you decide to not be so adult one day, give it a shot. It gets pretty intense.

The rest of the trip was really good besides the fact that we were all getting sick. I had woken up with a sore throat the morning we flew out, and by the end of the trip a few of my teammates were throwing up, we all at one point had 0 +/- 1 energy, and we all had rumbly bumblies.  We attribute the rumblies to what we figured thought to be contaminated water bottles that we all bought on the first day, as well as to heat stroke, and possibly to me.

BUUUUT that didn’t stop us from visiting cool places. Throughout the rest of our stay we were able to visit Gandhi’s grave, Humayun’s tomb/ its surrounding buildings, Qutub Minar, the Lotus Temple, the India Gate, underground bazaars, and other parts of the city. We rode rickshaws, trains, autos, the metro and taxis for transportations, and drank a crap load of water to keep from draining out in the heat.












Humayun’s tomb was really cool. It was like a precursor to seeing the Taj Mahal as it’s Mughal architecture was what influenced the Taj. There were different sections of the property, one of which led to some cool building used for who knows what. But the actual tomb was beautifully detailed. All of it, everything was actually. And the fact that it was built in the mid1500’s blew my mindskies.

 

As for the rest, we kinda flew through those. Qutub Minar was really awesome, and is the tallest minar in India. From afar it looks like twice the size of what it really is, but if you decided to walk 237 feet and then look back to where you took your first step, you would be able to get an idea how tall it is. At its base it measures a 46 foot diameter and is made out of sandstone/marble..(thanks Wikipedia for those fun facts)..When I walked up to its base, I was amazed at the detail that runs in layers up to the top. It was raaaaaad..for lack of a better description.




 

Anyways, I may or may not add more this post, but for now I will continue my adventure in Delhi which also extends to Jaipur and Agra through separate posts.My adventure in Delhi continues in my next posts.

The bus't night of my life

So this read concerns the bus ride home from  Goa'in to Goa. Cheesy. Yes, I'm on a role. But this bus ride is one of two experiences that I've had here in India where I felt like there was an above average possibility of physical harm or death. I say above average because there's been quite a few times where I've felt like I was in a position where bad things could happen. 

For the most part I thought the ride was fun and silly, but I was definitely nervous nearly the whole time. The road bumps that line nearly every road weren’t even a cause for the driver to slow down as we barreled over them.  My roommate Eliza was scared to death. And I mean that in the most real sense. I don’t blame her because it did seem like the driver was trying to kill us. 

Most of the group was car sick due to the insane driving, and we attempted to calm our bodies by going out into the hall to look out the windows. The hall was located on the right side of the bus, so every time we took a left turn we were thrown towards the window. It was black as night when we looked far-right through the windows. This was simply because it was night time. But when we looked to our left, the bus lights showed us just how nutso the whole operation was. It was insane enough that if you let what saw get to you, it quite literally felt like you were going to die by bus roll. On the other hand, if you let go of that fear, it felt like some crazy ride at an amusement park.  I personally chose to fit right in the middle of fear and fun because that allowed for the most exhilarating experience.  

I was like… “Am I gonna die this turn!!!!?? NOOOPE!!!!”....every time that left turn was made. 

We did ask the driver to slow down, but him and his crew (bus and truck drivers always have a crew of probably their closest bros with them), just laughed and said ok. Of course they didn’t, but what matters is that I am here now, living to tell my experience. 

OH! One more thing that was kinda funny. Along the way we stopped a few times to have a police officer search for liquor. Apparently smuggling alcohol across state borders is common  due to the fact that it’s significantly cheaper in Goa than in other states. The cabin behind our groups happened to get caught, but they would just pay the officer off every stop it was found, and then we would find ourselves back and merrily on our way.

So ya. That’s how the police work around here with just about everything.

Goa'in to Goa

GOAGOAGOAGOAGOAGOAGOAGOAGOAGOAGOAGOAGOAGOAGOAGOAGOAGOA

होली मोली थेरेस अ लोट फॉर में तो कात्च उप ओन ! translates into > Holy moly there’s a lot for me to catch up on! And I just discovered that I could write in Hindi!

So my brain is kind of exploding as I try to figure out what I’m gonna talk about…..I guess I’ll start off by rambling about my weekend trip to Goa which took place a month ago today! I’ll post about everything else l8tr.

SOOOOooooooo GOA…. known for its beaches and lush foliage, is located  661 km (410 miles) from Hyderabad on the west coast. We took a 12 hour bus ride which left on a Friday night (June 21), leaving us with only had a day and a half to enjoy the area. **If you read about the trip to  Bangalangalore, then you already know how terrible bus rides can be here. However, I do want to mention that this bus ride was soooo much nicer than first. This one was a sleeper with A/C, and there were four bunks to a room. Even though everyone that was in my cabin was my roommate at home, except for Eric, it ended up feeling like a sleep over as we squealed and laughed at dumb stuff. It was pretty fun. 

So we arrived on Saturday around 7 in the morn’. As we drove to our hotel I felt like I was driving through the roads in Kona on the island of Hawaii. It was so lush and green; quite the opposite of Hyderabad. It was funny because I automatically felt happier there because I felt like I was closer to nature. I know that sounds soooo dumb, but I find that I am happier when I’m outside surrounded by mother freakin nature. Of course the place had more of an Indian taste to it as we drove past rice fields, cow lined streets, and Indian peeps of course.

As we were pulling into our hotel we passed a few shop/shacks and I kid you not, I was freaking out in my mind when I saw the clothes they were selling. But it wasn’t just me that was stokedas. And because of the amount of stoke that we were all feeling, shopping was the first thing we did. We all managed to buy some really sweet pants (mainly the ones where the crotch is hangin by your ankles (super touristy I know)) and happened upon a Tibetan market that sold some of the coolest stuff I’ve seen this whole trip.  And might I add that all of it was at prices that would blow an Americans mind.

 I was able to learn how to really bargain there, though part of me felt guilty for buying such awesome stuff for so cheap.  On the other hand, it’s made me really disgusted thinking about how much money people are making in the States off of the same stuff. Take for example a pair of pants that I bought for about four bucks..(I probably could have gotten for cheaper had my group and I worked together).. In the states I’m guessing they would have sold anywhere between 30-50 dollars.   !!!Nearly 10X moarr than the original price!!! 

Anyways, bargaining was fun because you would ask them how much something was and they would start of by saying “Best price for you” or “______” and then would give some outrageous price (obvi because we were touristy people).  So I would cut it down more than half, go up a little, and start to walk away if they wouldn’t sell.  98% of the time they would agree in defeat, but it was nerve wracking walking away from something I was really, really, really, really, really stoked on; I felt like they weren’t going to agree with my price which would lead to them realizing how much I wanted it, thus giving them the ability to jack the prices.

Now that I think about it, I don’t know if that’s ever really happened. And I admit, in great shame, that when  I feel pressured to get something I think  I’m never gonna  see again, whether it’s due to lack of time or because the seller isn’t budging, then I give in and spend way more than I should. And whether or not you know, this is something I despise admitting. :( . BUT THEN I justify my seemingly rash decisions by telling myself that I still got it cheaper than I would have in the states :D Which is completely true. I swear.

But we didn’t just shop. The first day there my team and I hit up the beach, which was about a 10 minute walk from our hotel. **Now dress here in India is very very conservative; shirts covering the upper leg are most appropriate , and are to show little to no chest** So I wasn’t sure if it was ok if I could wear a bikini, but I was was told that it was gonna be OK since we thought the beach was gonna be filled with tourists dressed in the same manner. So I did. 

When we got to the beach we saw bagel (O) other tourists. Instead, and in baffling amazement, we found ourselves in the midst of thee biggest sausage fest. I probably saw a total of 5 women dispersed throughout the hundreds of men, and they happened to be wearing t-shirts over their swimsuits. I didn’t feel that uncomfortable being in a bikini, but had I known it was going to be that way, I wouldn’t have worn one. 

Anyways, the water was pretty dece I’m assuming it was due to a strong current or something. And you don’t mess with authority here in India, so we did. 

So the group went and set up our little sit down station while Lindsey and I went to build a sand castle. I love building sand castles. With moats.  And shells embedded in the walls. Love it.

As we were all doing our thang, we found ourselves being haggled to buy henna tattoos as well as jewelry and such as. It was pretty annoying cause they wouldn’t leave, but I ended up making friends with the henna tattoo lady as we talked. All the while, Indian men began would come up to me and Lindsey and try to get photos with us. That happens a lot here in India so we know how to deal with it. 

But when Lindsey and I returned to our headquarters with the rest of the group, we eventually found ourselves surrounded by a crowd about 40 dudes strong.  It was amazing how quickly they appeared. It was slightly humorous when it was just a few of them, but it got to the point where so many of them were trying to talk to us that it was not ok. It was very disconcerting and we ended up having to leave. LAME. But it blew our minds that people would even do that. I mean, why would anyone think that it’s ok to do that? But that’s not even the beginning. There’s so much of that stuff that happens here…….. 

Anyways, that was basically the whole trip. We did more shopping and a few of us cruised the beach before we left next day. 

Speaking of leaving the next day…. that bus ride home is what I believe to be the second most life threatening thing that has happened to me since I’ve been here in India. It was rainy and the driver was flooring it through these tiny windy roads. I was on the top bunk so I felt the turns more than the others on the bottom, and there were multiple times when I was thrown from one side of my bunk to the other. If you would like to read more about that experience, please visit my quick little post on it….I feel like I’ve already drawn this one out too long. Enjoy some extra fotos

This poor guy. He freaked out once he figure out what I was doing.

 Who can spot the peeing man?

New teammates! They're 3 weeks old!!

We got two new teammates!!! Lindsey and Brook!!! Like 3 weeks ago!!! Before they arrived I was decently unnerved because our whole group got along so well without them. I felt kinda threatened that they would ruin how sweet everything was going between the group. But I was also nervous because girls are a little bit harder for me to get along with.... :D

When they showed up it was fine, but I still wasn't sure how they were....I had gotten so used to being really goofy around my team that I wasn't sure if they could handle it. So I became a little bit more reserved in what I said just to see what they could handle.

It only took about 2 or 3 days for me to decide that I like both of them. Brook has a very strong, talkative, go getter personality and Lindsey is basically the same. It cool though cause I can joke and say anything I want with them being down. ****That's what basically determines whether I get along real well with anyone.

We will be getting two more teammates on the 15th this month, but sadly we will be losing our first teammate Jenny next week. :( . She's a really cool girl who loves Bollywood and studies film in Boston. She will be a missed soul in India.

Gandhi Hospital

My teammate Annie was wanting to start a project where we could help out with whatever  we could in the hospital, so we were able to get a tour of it with a woman named Solochina. She’s a member of the LDS ward here and is currently the head nurse of the cancer, poison, and HIV wing. 

When we showed up there were people sitting everywhere. . It’s a government hospital  so naturally there were tons of people there as the care is free, but I figured they were either waiting for medical attention, or they were waiting for family who already were. When we walked in I was super stunned to find the place dirty and crowded. People were sitting in the halls outside the rooms where their friends or family lay, and the whole place was pretty dirty. I don’t even know where to begin. The walls had stains on them, the windows looked as if they hadn’t been cleaned for a veerrry long time. The floors were dirty enough that I would never want to walk around bare foot through the halls, and it smelled wrank.  It was mind-blowing because I had it in my mind that it was going to be similar to hospitals in the states….and I hadn’t even prepared myself for anything different.   

 

Being on a tight schedule, we had to cruise through, but we managed to see a few wards.Tthe first being the ICU for newborn babies. We didn’t actually go in the room that the babies were in, but we got view them from outside. They were such small little babies, but we didn’t stay long and moved on to the pediatrics wing…That’s when I first realized that there is no privacy in that hospital. It was a room full of children in beds on either side of the room. I felt like I was tourist sight-seeing as we walked through quickly. The kids and their parents were watching us watch them. 

From there we visited either the Leper or Burn ward. I’m gonna go with the Leper ward……So we walked into a small room with about 10 patients lying on their beds.  Most of them sat up and let us inspect their deformities and ask them questions. Most of them didn’t speak English so we would ask Solochina about them and she would tell us how long they had been patients and what not. But it was cool because they could come to the hospital and they would be fed and taken care of and had a place to rest. I can’t remember exactly how it worked for them, but I think it was like they could come in every other day or something along those lines.

From there we went to the burn ward. That was probably the saddest thing I have ever seen. I have the image clearly in my mind of the first woman I saw. She was sitting on the side of her bed with her chest and stomach exposed. Third degree burns covered every part of her body, and her hair was gone.  When I looked into her eyes I saw someone who looked as if they had no will or desire to live. I’m not quite sure how to explain it, but my whole being felt heavy with sadness. I had to try so hard to conceal my grief as I looked over about 30 other patients, ranging from all ages, in the same condition. Solochina said that about 80% of the burns were due to suicide which broke my heart. I have never felt so sad walking between the beds through the middle of those women and their families.

Our last ward to visit was Solochina’s own. We entered a room where the patients each had various problems, but the first that we visited was a man in a coma with his wife holding on to him by the side. Solochina grabbed his file which had a big red Z+ written on the front. She told us that it meant that he had aids and in addition to that he had tuberculosis and that he wasn’t going to survive much longer. She told us that his wife didn’t know, but she couldn’t understand what was said because she didn’t speak English. We were then told that the wife was only 22 years old with 2 new babies at home. The wife started crying as she watched us talking there and I think it’s because our facial expressions expressed a bad situation. As soon as she started crying I had to try so hard to not cry. Not only for her husband’s, but for her future.

We visited a few more rooms, but the burn ward and the experience with the man and his wife were the most sad things I have experienced in a very, very long time. Additionally, we realized that we couldn’t really help out in any way because we didn’t have the certification to do most of what they needed, and we could not communicate with the patients due to the language barrier.

In the end it was a very interesting experience to see and feel such different things. But I would never want to work in such an environment as that one. The stress and sadness would overcome me as there was so much to do with few of those who could do it.