I still haven't figured out the right clothes to wear- long pants and sleeves are too warm, but wearing short sleeves and capris has resulted in a mosquito feeding frenzy. Hope those malaria pills do their job.
Last week was very busy at the NGO, but I enjoyed myself. I got the chance to sit in on literacy training. Women of all ages where in the center for three days for intensive training. It was the third, and final round for these groups. I was basically learning right along with them- forming sentences and picking out letters. I find reading and writing Hindi is much easier than speaking it. I am still at the very beginning level when it comes to verbal communication, but have become quite skilled in conveying my thoughts with hand and facial motions.
Here's a photo from the literacy session:
Last Thursday I went with a colleague to a village six hours out of Udaipur. We took a lovely government bus that had no air, half cushioned seats, and people packed in like sardines. Throw in the smell of onions and body odor, and you have a very long busride. The roads are not maintained in the rural areas, so I found myself literally hanging onto the handle on the seat in front of me in an effort to brace myself for the massive bumps in the road. The purpose for the trip was to follow-up with women from a village to check on their literacy development. They had went through the trainings, and ASTHA wants to check and see if they continue with their studies. Many did quite well, and others were helped too much by their male family members. After a bit, we had to ask the men to leave because they were too much of a distraction.
I had my back faced to a corner of the room, without noticing what had filtered in behind me. Foreigners are very, well...foreign to villagers, so they tend to observe me closely. When I saw what happened, I had to take a picture (I tried to squeeze them all into the frame):
We made it there and back safely, so I consider the trip a success. I also had a great time getting to know Hemlata- my colleague. She is very sweet, and had many questions for me, and also filled me in on her secret boyfriend, whom she wants to marry. I learned alot about the marriage rituals from her. She seems to be in a minority here because she believes in marrying for love. I have talked to many others who still think that the parents should decide on a suitor; based on caste, economic status, and family.
Then we got deliriously tired of riding the bus, so I gave her a headphone, and we listened to my ipod (or “FM” as she kept calling it).
Two of my fellow MSIDer's came to visit me this weekend. Maggie and Anna are interning in Jaipur, and need a little time away. It was so nice to spend time with them. Carly was supposed to come, but needed to leave for work in the field, so the three of them are planning another visit here. We didn't do too many touristy things. They mainly wanted to relax. Udaipur is way more chill than Japiur- and less dusty and smelly. We did some shopping in the Old City, ate American, Thai, and Israeli food, and had some brews. Each time I see non-Indian food on the menu, I order it. I do love Indian food, but also need a change in my diet once and awhile.
We also went to a salon and got our hair did. They got hair cuts, and I got a hair oil. It's a combination of coconut and almond oil. Then they give a massage, and steam, then finally shampoo and condition. The total cost for this magicalness was $4US. Um, yes, I have found a Sunday tradition. The positive reaction that I got when I came back to the house made me realize how scrubby I've become. They looked surprised by the different, more cleaned-up version of me. That was the first time I've had my hair blow dryed or had product since January. Frankly, I'm not too concerned with makeup or hair while I'm here, but I'm also not above getting pampered a little.
Udaipur has more amenities than I expected. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to experience rural, village culture with my fieldwork, while also having conveniences available to me in the city. The salon and coffeeshop are places of comfort for me.
A gym two buildings down from my homestay just opened. So, I am now a member (for a month) of an Indian gym. Didn't expect that. I already feel much better. It gets too hot to do much activity outside, and with everything closing down at 10pm, I have alot of energy built up. The gym is small, but new. I found that my version of working out is strange to most others in the gym. The manager actually approached me this morning to check on me. He said he saw me get on two cardio machines, and was worried I would sweat too much. Uh..I thought that was the point. I told him I would be fine. My yoga pants and Converse are not normal attire here, but I don't know how women can work out in the pantsuits. That baffles me. They also have spin bikes there, which has made me real excited. However, just like any other place in India, there are men everywhere (as strange as it may sound, that's not something I'm excited about here). This morning there were five, male trainers wondering around, and only one other female working out. Oh well, I got my headphones and some good music.
Time to start the two papers due before the end of the week. MSID has the mid-internship meeting in Jaipur this weekend. More importantly, I get to see the girls again.
Here are some photos of Udaipur I took over the weekend:
No comments:
Post a Comment