Sunday Funday

I am surrounded by music. I wake up in the middle of the night to prayer chants, walk into the living room and see music videos playing on tv, and just sitting in the classroom or walking on the street, it seems there is always Indian music coming from somewhere. For the most part it's wonderful, unless I'm trying to sleep.
This afternoon I am going with my housemate, Carly (who's really sweet by the way), to the Literature Festival. There are a few panel sessions that we want to check out, including one about American terrorism tactics, and its affect on a global level.
Last night at dinner, we got into a little bit of a political discussion with our homestay father. It's a subject I wasn't going to bring up unless asked about. He is very up to date on American politics and was interested to hear what we thought about Obama. I think he is also excited to see what changes are going to happen with the new administration.
Tonight, me and Carly were invited to see a screening of Slumdog Millionaire. It premiered here on Friday. The movie will be dubbed in Hindi, so that should make it even more interesting. I am eager to hear what my homestay family thinks of the movie. I have the soundtrack on my computer, and can't stop listening to it.
One last thought...it occurred to me that this trip has made me feel more aware of my gender than ever before. In the States, I feel comfortable pretty much going anywhere. Here in Rajasthan, women do not usually go out at night, and the wardrobe is incredibly conservative in comparison to the southern part of India. Rekaji, a homestay coordinator, was discussing cultural norms the other day, and said something that really disturbed me. She said, “We are told of our duties at a very young age, they are not our rights, we don't have rights.” This way of thinking seems archaic to me, but India is a deeply traditional place. However, everyone has rights, no matter what gender or class- we are all human beings. I am trying to find a balance between being respectful of the culture while still maintaining my own dignity.
Ok, time to go have some chai and crackers.
p.s. Random Indian tidbit: never, never leave shoes by books- it is considered extremely disrespectful because all books are considered holy.
oh yeah, here's a token cow pic: