Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Home Sweet Home
I am dropping a quick note to let y'all know that I am back home safe and sound. I arrived on Thanksgiving eve and had a lovely day with my family in New Hampshire. I've moved back up to Vermont and am fortunate to have a wonderful community here to help me readjust to America!
I will write once more soon to fill in some details, and I am certain I will title the post "Reverse Culture Shock." I just wanted to put out the good word to any of those blogspot fanatics who might still be checking this blog. The good word is actually 3- I am home!
Talk soon!
Love,
Kate
I will write once more soon to fill in some details, and I am certain I will title the post "Reverse Culture Shock." I just wanted to put out the good word to any of those blogspot fanatics who might still be checking this blog. The good word is actually 3- I am home!
Talk soon!
Love,
Kate
Friday, November 10, 2006
Photo(s?)!!
Wow. Technology will never cease to amaze me. I know that most of you are looking for photos of India and curious about what I am seeing, but instead I have posted my smiling face for my Mom! In the photo I am sitting in the train on the top bunk, there are 3 beds on top of each other, sweaty and basically enjoying the journey. I love public transportation. In India the train never has an empty seat, nor extra standing room for people or goods. Each car is full to the max and usually then some...
I am once again at our home base in Kolkata. The more time I am here the more homey it does indeed become. My initial disgust and confusion with these streets has transformed into a new appreciation for this city and its residents. It is unique. There is a wealth of love, human compassion, and endless possibilities to learn each time I step outside the doors of our hostel. It definately takes time though and I will not lie, I was repulsed by this city on day one. The constant stench in the air, the crows flocking in the heaps of trash which appeared everywhere I turned, the mangy dogs, and the children that are born into a life of begging. Babies before they learn their first word know how to extend their arm and gesture with their hand to their mouth in a request for some rupees or food. These are some reasons why it is a hard place. BUT it is also an inspiring place. People take care of each other.
I do not know why I have been so fortunate and blessed. I do not know why I have experienced such a plethora of beautiful moments and positive exchanges with people in different corners of the world. There is no point in trying to understand why. I have had a hard time on this trip, asking myself why I am here. I think it is only begining to unfold. It is selfish and is teaching me a lot about myself and that I am very thankful for. Now all I want to do is be home and share my happiness with the ones I love!
Tomorrow we will fly to Delhi and from there take a train to the northwestern state of Rajasthan. This is the last little leg of the journey and I apologize that this post is not so descriptive and more Me, Me, Me, reflecting.
This morning Robynne and I visited a Jain temple on the outskirts of the city. My knowledge of Jainism is slim, but I never turn down an opportunity to visit a temple. Nearly every religion in the world is practiced in India so there is no shortage of oppportunities! We took the metro (which is remarkable clean and cheap... 4 rupees for a one-way pass)and got off towards the end of the line. Interestingly, we were not once confronted by any beggars. They know where all of us foreigners sleep downtown! En route to the temple we happened upon a parade. Although we did not figure out the reason for the celebration, it was great to watch! There were lots of bands, kind of like high school marching band style, playing very old horns and striking drums. In between the music, which was played by groups of children and adults, there were carts wheeling religious paraphenelia. There were colorful flags and banners, but unfortunately I could not understand any of the Hindi. There is constantly something to celebrate around here! I forgot to mention that I did come during the most festive time of the year, Puja season! I believe it lasts about 2 months. In Varanasi we were lucky enough to be there for Dipdiwali (not sure at all how to spell that one). There were 300,000 people crowded along the ghats, in boats on the holy Ganges river and on every rooftop balcony for the celebration at sunset. It was another sort of festival of lights that coincided with the full moon. Along the ghats they lit thousands of candles in tiny clay jars. I am not exaggerating with the numbers here!! Also people send out prayer blessing candles on the river- little bits of wax with a wick surrounded by flower petals all placed in an innovative bowl made from a leaf that floats. It was incredible to be among such a throng of people and see the lights, absolutely beautiful.
Alright, I think it's about time to get up from behind this computer screen. I will atttempt to post a couple more photos... but no promises there.
I send all of my love and am anxiously looking forward to seeing many of you soon.
Thanks for reading!
I am once again at our home base in Kolkata. The more time I am here the more homey it does indeed become. My initial disgust and confusion with these streets has transformed into a new appreciation for this city and its residents. It is unique. There is a wealth of love, human compassion, and endless possibilities to learn each time I step outside the doors of our hostel. It definately takes time though and I will not lie, I was repulsed by this city on day one. The constant stench in the air, the crows flocking in the heaps of trash which appeared everywhere I turned, the mangy dogs, and the children that are born into a life of begging. Babies before they learn their first word know how to extend their arm and gesture with their hand to their mouth in a request for some rupees or food. These are some reasons why it is a hard place. BUT it is also an inspiring place. People take care of each other.
I do not know why I have been so fortunate and blessed. I do not know why I have experienced such a plethora of beautiful moments and positive exchanges with people in different corners of the world. There is no point in trying to understand why. I have had a hard time on this trip, asking myself why I am here. I think it is only begining to unfold. It is selfish and is teaching me a lot about myself and that I am very thankful for. Now all I want to do is be home and share my happiness with the ones I love!
Tomorrow we will fly to Delhi and from there take a train to the northwestern state of Rajasthan. This is the last little leg of the journey and I apologize that this post is not so descriptive and more Me, Me, Me, reflecting.
This morning Robynne and I visited a Jain temple on the outskirts of the city. My knowledge of Jainism is slim, but I never turn down an opportunity to visit a temple. Nearly every religion in the world is practiced in India so there is no shortage of oppportunities! We took the metro (which is remarkable clean and cheap... 4 rupees for a one-way pass)and got off towards the end of the line. Interestingly, we were not once confronted by any beggars. They know where all of us foreigners sleep downtown! En route to the temple we happened upon a parade. Although we did not figure out the reason for the celebration, it was great to watch! There were lots of bands, kind of like high school marching band style, playing very old horns and striking drums. In between the music, which was played by groups of children and adults, there were carts wheeling religious paraphenelia. There were colorful flags and banners, but unfortunately I could not understand any of the Hindi. There is constantly something to celebrate around here! I forgot to mention that I did come during the most festive time of the year, Puja season! I believe it lasts about 2 months. In Varanasi we were lucky enough to be there for Dipdiwali (not sure at all how to spell that one). There were 300,000 people crowded along the ghats, in boats on the holy Ganges river and on every rooftop balcony for the celebration at sunset. It was another sort of festival of lights that coincided with the full moon. Along the ghats they lit thousands of candles in tiny clay jars. I am not exaggerating with the numbers here!! Also people send out prayer blessing candles on the river- little bits of wax with a wick surrounded by flower petals all placed in an innovative bowl made from a leaf that floats. It was incredible to be among such a throng of people and see the lights, absolutely beautiful.
Alright, I think it's about time to get up from behind this computer screen. I will atttempt to post a couple more photos... but no promises there.
I send all of my love and am anxiously looking forward to seeing many of you soon.
Thanks for reading!
Flower Market Photo
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Bodhgaya and Varanasi via the crazy Indian railway
Hello everyone- We've been on the road and I've enjoyed spending time away from a computer screen, while at the same time craving contact with home. I want to share a little story that I hope paints a picture for you of how traveling in India can be.
The train station is a daunting place to say the least. The station is PACKED! People are everyone, travelers, beggars, thieves, families... you have to be on the watch all the time. We were headed to Bodhgaya, (where the Buddha became enlightened sitting under the Bodhi tree and hence, a holy Buddhist pilgrimage site)and we found the platform for our train, although we must wait for the train to arrive because we can not figure out where our car will be. We sit on our packs and wait. And Wait. A couple of trains pass through and everyone around us jumps to their feet and piles closely in a line in front of the rails... nope, it's just another local train. I have no clue why people are lining up. Two hours after our train was due to depart, there is a crazy exodus of people. Our train has arrived and it's at another platform. People start running, hundreds of people with their packages through the station. There was no announcement, just word of mouth that it'd changed. We have no clue what is going on and grab our packs and run with the crowd! I'm laughing and having fun at this point because it is such a hectic situation. People start jumping down to crossover the tracks and climbing through a parked train so that they can cut across to our train. Absolute madness! Later we realize these are general admission car passengers which are first come first serve, and therefore they ran to get in line. We were fine because we had a reserved seat, although it took 6 different people to get us in the right car! So basically people get to the station super early, camp out and wait... then lose their spot in line if the train shows up at another platform. Then these people stand up on the train overnight, packed like sardines because their cars are for standing room only. The police actually use their sticks and beat people in an attempt to quell some of the chaos... but people get angry if they miss the train, and I can not say I blame them.
India is crazy, I do not know how else to describe it sometimes.
We stayed in Bodhgaya for a few days and it has been my favorite place so far. People of all religions and walks of life come to this town to learn and walk around in the many temples, Tibetan, Japanese, Burmese, Bhutanese, Vietnamese and Taiwanese to name a few. I loved it because it has a small town feel to it and is very peaceful.
Now we are in Varanasi which is one of the oldest cities in the world and a holy pilgrimage site for Hindus right along the Ganges River. We took a sunrise boat ride this morning to view the ghats (sort of stairways built into the hill just off the river). Thousands of people bath here, pray, do yoga, send flower and candle offerings into the water, and there are even burning ghats. The burning ghats are where they perform cremating ceremonies, and it is a 24 hour occurance. It is considered an honor to be cremated here and have your ashes spread in the Ganges. I am amazed at how death rituals vary across cultures.
I am learning so much and am amazed daily by the resilence and kindness of Indian people. I look forward to coming home soon and sharing some of these experiences along with a few photos. Somethings are better explained over a cup of tea and a good conversation, face to face!
Be well and lots of love.
The train station is a daunting place to say the least. The station is PACKED! People are everyone, travelers, beggars, thieves, families... you have to be on the watch all the time. We were headed to Bodhgaya, (where the Buddha became enlightened sitting under the Bodhi tree and hence, a holy Buddhist pilgrimage site)and we found the platform for our train, although we must wait for the train to arrive because we can not figure out where our car will be. We sit on our packs and wait. And Wait. A couple of trains pass through and everyone around us jumps to their feet and piles closely in a line in front of the rails... nope, it's just another local train. I have no clue why people are lining up. Two hours after our train was due to depart, there is a crazy exodus of people. Our train has arrived and it's at another platform. People start running, hundreds of people with their packages through the station. There was no announcement, just word of mouth that it'd changed. We have no clue what is going on and grab our packs and run with the crowd! I'm laughing and having fun at this point because it is such a hectic situation. People start jumping down to crossover the tracks and climbing through a parked train so that they can cut across to our train. Absolute madness! Later we realize these are general admission car passengers which are first come first serve, and therefore they ran to get in line. We were fine because we had a reserved seat, although it took 6 different people to get us in the right car! So basically people get to the station super early, camp out and wait... then lose their spot in line if the train shows up at another platform. Then these people stand up on the train overnight, packed like sardines because their cars are for standing room only. The police actually use their sticks and beat people in an attempt to quell some of the chaos... but people get angry if they miss the train, and I can not say I blame them.
India is crazy, I do not know how else to describe it sometimes.
We stayed in Bodhgaya for a few days and it has been my favorite place so far. People of all religions and walks of life come to this town to learn and walk around in the many temples, Tibetan, Japanese, Burmese, Bhutanese, Vietnamese and Taiwanese to name a few. I loved it because it has a small town feel to it and is very peaceful.
Now we are in Varanasi which is one of the oldest cities in the world and a holy pilgrimage site for Hindus right along the Ganges River. We took a sunrise boat ride this morning to view the ghats (sort of stairways built into the hill just off the river). Thousands of people bath here, pray, do yoga, send flower and candle offerings into the water, and there are even burning ghats. The burning ghats are where they perform cremating ceremonies, and it is a 24 hour occurance. It is considered an honor to be cremated here and have your ashes spread in the Ganges. I am amazed at how death rituals vary across cultures.
I am learning so much and am amazed daily by the resilence and kindness of Indian people. I look forward to coming home soon and sharing some of these experiences along with a few photos. Somethings are better explained over a cup of tea and a good conversation, face to face!
Be well and lots of love.
