Sorry it has taken me a while to update! I have been dealing with traveling, no electricity, sickness, etc.! But I am back now!
So last weekend, 7 of us interns took our first trip out of Delhi. We did the one thing my mom told me not to do while I was here- we headed straight for the Pakistani border :) But don't worry- it's actually a tourist attraction and it's safe. We didn't even go into Pakistan- we just saw it. So after a somewhat grueling 12 hour car ride (lots of road construction to blame for the long ride) we made it to the border. As soon as we got out of the car, we were whisked away in rickshaws, our purses were taken from us (we didn't realize we couldn't bring in bags- don't worry, we got them back), our water bottles were taken from us and we eventually made it to a very pushy line. Even a toddler pushed one of the interns! By the time we made it through the actual line, we realized we wouldn't be able to see the border show that is put on every night at the border due to the sheer number of people in front of us. Luckily, one of the interns was grabbed by the arm and taken to the "VIP" section- we learned that there is a special seating section for foreigners. After showing our American passports- or even student IDs- we were let into the "foreigner gallery" and we were able to see the whole show without any problems!
The show consists of chanting between the Indians and the Pakistanis, as well as extremely entertaining marching and kicking by the border guards, who wear extravagant fans on their hats!
At the end of the ceremony the flags are lowered. It was a great experience- I couldn't believe I was actually seeing Pakistan! Also, it was hands down the sweatiest I've ever been in my life! My clothes were drenched by the end of it!
After the show was over, we made our way to Amristar. We checked into our hotel and got ready to go to the Golden Temple. The Golden Temple is a huge Sikh temple and thousands of people make a pilgrimage to the temple every year. The temple itself is astonishingly beautiful and the entire complex has a calm and peaceful feeling to it that is the complete opposite of the hustle and bustle of Indian cities.
The most amazing part of the temple for me was the free meal available to anyone who comes to the temple, without regard to religion, caste or ethnicity.
It was a powerful experience to be seated on the ground with hundreds of others and served a simple, yet delicious meal. Outside the temple walls the caste system dominates daily life in India. Inside the temple, anyone can be served. I was humbled and grateful for the experience. (And the food really was delicious! Especially the rice pudding with chunks of fresh coconut- yum!)
We went to the temple both late at night and in the morning. In the morning, the temple was bursting with activity- people were waiting in line to enter the main temple, bathing in the sacred water, donating offerings, and listening to special music and sermons.
On the way out of Amritsar, we stopped to buy some handmade leather shoes! I made sure to buy a colorful pair that just screams India!
We then made the equally grueling trek back to New Delhi. We again faced road construction and traffic and we also had a sick driver. After 11 long hours, we made it home safe and sound!
We returned back to work Monday morning a little groggy- but it was worth it! I actually got sick this week as well- I am not sure what to blame for my sickness- whether it was something I ate, dehydration, heat stroke, or a little bit of all of the above. My plan for this weekend is to take things easy.
This week at work I started helping to write the petition for the Public Interest Litigation case I'm assisting with. I've never actually written a petition like this before and this one is going to be filed with the Supreme Court of India! Here's a good article that explains the case: http://www.hindu.com/mag/2011/06/12/stories/2011061250080300.htm
I also got my first taste of the approaching monsoon season this week. I took a rickshaw home the other night from dinner out with the other interns. As we were driving, rain started pouring down like crazy! By the time I made it back to my apartment I was drenched- it was almost as if I'd jumped into a swimming pool! A bad side effect of the heavy rains is the loss of electricity- I spent a sleepless night trying to adjust to the sweltering heat. I didn't realize how much I depended on my fan and AC until they were gone!
On a lighter note, I've been practicing my Hindi whenever I can! I apparently say hilarious things- at least I give people something to laugh at :) My very first attempt at saying "How are you?" came out "How chair you?" Ha! Also, the other day I was trying to tell the security guard at the office that I wanted to watch him turn on the AC so that I could do it myself the next day. He didn't want me to follow him- but I plead with him, trying to say "I want to watch!" I said this repeatedly and he gave me lots of funny looks. When I came back downstairs, some of the Indian interns informed me that I had actually been saying "I have to think! I have to think!" Oops!
Finally, I have to write about the animals we saw on our trip. I was shocked to see a huge clan of monkeys at our very first stop at a gas station. There must have been about 20 of them- some of the mommies had babies riding on their backs. They were just cruising down the side of the highway- I have no idea where they were going! Secondly, as I was using the bathroom at the border crossing- I looked down and saw something large and dark moving by my feet. It was just a frog- but that didn't stop me from telling the whole world that I had a frog in there with me- I screamed at the top of my lungs "frog! frog! frog!"
Ok, I think that is all for now! Hope you enjoyed my updates! On Wednesday I am going on a fact finding trip for one week to Gujarat for the case I'm working on.We will be interviewing the families of the girl who were vaccinated, as well as the public heath officials and workers. I will be updating again after my trip!
So last weekend, 7 of us interns took our first trip out of Delhi. We did the one thing my mom told me not to do while I was here- we headed straight for the Pakistani border :) But don't worry- it's actually a tourist attraction and it's safe. We didn't even go into Pakistan- we just saw it. So after a somewhat grueling 12 hour car ride (lots of road construction to blame for the long ride) we made it to the border. As soon as we got out of the car, we were whisked away in rickshaws, our purses were taken from us (we didn't realize we couldn't bring in bags- don't worry, we got them back), our water bottles were taken from us and we eventually made it to a very pushy line. Even a toddler pushed one of the interns! By the time we made it through the actual line, we realized we wouldn't be able to see the border show that is put on every night at the border due to the sheer number of people in front of us. Luckily, one of the interns was grabbed by the arm and taken to the "VIP" section- we learned that there is a special seating section for foreigners. After showing our American passports- or even student IDs- we were let into the "foreigner gallery" and we were able to see the whole show without any problems!
The show consists of chanting between the Indians and the Pakistanis, as well as extremely entertaining marching and kicking by the border guards, who wear extravagant fans on their hats!
At the end of the ceremony the flags are lowered. It was a great experience- I couldn't believe I was actually seeing Pakistan! Also, it was hands down the sweatiest I've ever been in my life! My clothes were drenched by the end of it!
After the show was over, we made our way to Amristar. We checked into our hotel and got ready to go to the Golden Temple. The Golden Temple is a huge Sikh temple and thousands of people make a pilgrimage to the temple every year. The temple itself is astonishingly beautiful and the entire complex has a calm and peaceful feeling to it that is the complete opposite of the hustle and bustle of Indian cities.
The most amazing part of the temple for me was the free meal available to anyone who comes to the temple, without regard to religion, caste or ethnicity.
It was a powerful experience to be seated on the ground with hundreds of others and served a simple, yet delicious meal. Outside the temple walls the caste system dominates daily life in India. Inside the temple, anyone can be served. I was humbled and grateful for the experience. (And the food really was delicious! Especially the rice pudding with chunks of fresh coconut- yum!)
We went to the temple both late at night and in the morning. In the morning, the temple was bursting with activity- people were waiting in line to enter the main temple, bathing in the sacred water, donating offerings, and listening to special music and sermons.
On the way out of Amritsar, we stopped to buy some handmade leather shoes! I made sure to buy a colorful pair that just screams India!
We then made the equally grueling trek back to New Delhi. We again faced road construction and traffic and we also had a sick driver. After 11 long hours, we made it home safe and sound!
We returned back to work Monday morning a little groggy- but it was worth it! I actually got sick this week as well- I am not sure what to blame for my sickness- whether it was something I ate, dehydration, heat stroke, or a little bit of all of the above. My plan for this weekend is to take things easy.
This week at work I started helping to write the petition for the Public Interest Litigation case I'm assisting with. I've never actually written a petition like this before and this one is going to be filed with the Supreme Court of India! Here's a good article that explains the case: http://www.hindu.com/mag/2011/06/12/stories/2011061250080300.htm
I also got my first taste of the approaching monsoon season this week. I took a rickshaw home the other night from dinner out with the other interns. As we were driving, rain started pouring down like crazy! By the time I made it back to my apartment I was drenched- it was almost as if I'd jumped into a swimming pool! A bad side effect of the heavy rains is the loss of electricity- I spent a sleepless night trying to adjust to the sweltering heat. I didn't realize how much I depended on my fan and AC until they were gone!
On a lighter note, I've been practicing my Hindi whenever I can! I apparently say hilarious things- at least I give people something to laugh at :) My very first attempt at saying "How are you?" came out "How chair you?" Ha! Also, the other day I was trying to tell the security guard at the office that I wanted to watch him turn on the AC so that I could do it myself the next day. He didn't want me to follow him- but I plead with him, trying to say "I want to watch!" I said this repeatedly and he gave me lots of funny looks. When I came back downstairs, some of the Indian interns informed me that I had actually been saying "I have to think! I have to think!" Oops!
Finally, I have to write about the animals we saw on our trip. I was shocked to see a huge clan of monkeys at our very first stop at a gas station. There must have been about 20 of them- some of the mommies had babies riding on their backs. They were just cruising down the side of the highway- I have no idea where they were going! Secondly, as I was using the bathroom at the border crossing- I looked down and saw something large and dark moving by my feet. It was just a frog- but that didn't stop me from telling the whole world that I had a frog in there with me- I screamed at the top of my lungs "frog! frog! frog!"
Ok, I think that is all for now! Hope you enjoyed my updates! On Wednesday I am going on a fact finding trip for one week to Gujarat for the case I'm working on.We will be interviewing the families of the girl who were vaccinated, as well as the public heath officials and workers. I will be updating again after my trip!
Me in front of a gate at Humayun's Tomb