So I have been out of my site for a month and a half. I
returned two days ago and managed to sleep for so long I missed two meals. I
had to take time to recover from over a month of voyaging around India and a
two week bout of conferences in the overwhelming city of Maputo. Here is the
run-down on my trip to India:
Meals:
We started our trip fresh out of a year in Africa. No we
were not looking for more ethnic food. We wanted really anything that wasn’t
rice and beans. We had some American days where believe it or not we had: McDonald’s,
Starbucks, Subway and the only Taco Bell
in India (so happy!!). None of these places serve beef by the way which I find
inspiring, but sad (I really wanted a cheeseburger!). We also went to a “real”
movie and got a “real” haircut. Now normally I wouldn’t condone this ridiculous
chain-store splurging behavior, but after a year in Africa we really wanted to
enjoy something that reminded us of home. After this over indulgence of
American crap, we moved on to what came to be one of my new dearest loves
–Indian food. I have always enjoyed Indian food, but never to the extent of
what happened to me there. I wanted it every day and never got sick of it. I
even came back to Mozambique craving it!
I even stole some sauce to take ack to Moz...
MMMMM...chicken and paneer!!
People:
Well one of the best things about being in Peace Corps is
the amazing connections that are made. We had two friends (shout out here to
the two Annas!) that hooked us up with people on the other side. We had a free
place to stay with an awesome American guy who brews beer in the first brewery
in Mumbai. (Barking Deer -check it out- delicious beer and food). We were also
connected with an Indian man named Bhavit who went to college in America. He
took time off work and out of his busy schedule to not only show us around, but introduce us to his friends and some
great food! He even picked us up from the airport when we first came in saving
us a lot of stress! If you read this: Muito Muito Brigada Bhavit!
I had many great experiences with all of the locals we
encountered. People were usually very helpful and easy to bargain with
(although apparently I can’t bargain and needed Jamie and her hardass approach
to help me.)
Clothes:
Wowie the colors were out of control! I loved it. Most women
wore traditional clothing, but unlike Mozambique, everything matched! Sarees
and tunics were on almost everybody and I swear I never saw the same one twice.
There was fabric everywhere! Our goal was to also find a great tunic to sport
in Africa (unfortunately mine shrunk and no longer fits- that’s what I get
after I use a macine dryer after a year without). We also bought and sported sarees,
which were not comfortable. Period. At least not any time during the 15+ hours
we were wearing them.
Teagan in a tunic and the Biddiah sisters sporting silk Sarees
What a beautiful bride and her sister agani in silk
sarees wrapped in the traditional Coorg way
Our attempt at sporting glittery sequiny sarees
The Wedding:
What a trip! It was a 3 day long extravaganza of food,
people, and tradition. We were in the southern region of India in a place
called Madikeri- Coorg. This area is unique because they have different traditions
than most of India. For example they wear their sarees in a completely
different fashion then those in other areas. At weddings the groom does not ride in on a horse, but on a
party bus (this is probably a newer addition
to the tradition). The bride had to sit for hours at her separate venue
welcoming and receiving guests as they were served food and beverages. She wore
so much jewelry and material that she must have been so tired by the end!
However, she looked beautiful and glowed in every way. On the third day when the
groom finally came to “get” her, her family’s cousins tried to prevent him from
taking her. When she finally made it to the groom’s venue his family tried to
prevent her from entering as she carried a vase of water on her head to show
strength and endurance. Sometimes this could go on for many hours, but only
lasted 3 hours as party goers danced and
were merry around her. The traditional wear was beautiful and all the Americans
tried to follow suit. It was rather hysterical actually, but hey we tried and
we had so much fun.
The bride greeting guests
The TAJ:
Well it is as magnificent as it sounds. You can just imagine
kings and queens frolicking about on the grounds and balconies. It has quite a
grand entrance and two “guest” houses on either side that are just as
magnificent. However…. The atmosphere these days leaves a lot lacking. We were
told as we went in not to buy anything because it was all fake and overpriced.
Basically everyone was just trying to cheat ya. Then we went into the box
office and the first thing we see was a giant rat on the way to the bathrooms
that we had to pay for even though we are about to pay 775 rupees to the 20 or
so the locals pay. We go to buy our tickets and not only does the guy try to
gyp us on our change, but he also tries to take money again for a ticket that
was already paid for. Can’t the government control this corruption a little
better, I mean this is the country’s main attraction and a world wonder. But I
guess as someone pointed out, they don’t have to because with or without care-
the masses will come.
The amount of people in that space was also unsettling and
makes the majestic experience feel more like a subway train. Despite my negativity at the atmosphere, I did enjoy the
experience.
Transportation:
Well after two 7-9 hour bus rides, two airplanes, taxis
and some chapas, we landed in good ole India in hopes of finding our friend standing
out front with a sign that said our lovely names on it. We weren’t quite that
lucky because he was late, but in the end it all worked out. Our friend’s nice
car, private (and inexpensive) drivers, some tuk-tuks (that fit all 5 of us)
and some taxis straight out of the 1950s were just a few of the many ways we
perused India. Transportation is easily and accessible and cheap in India,
although we avoided the unbelievably crowded and somewhat terrifying metros and
city busses both out of safety and comfort.
Relationships:
Team Colorado consisted of myself, my friend Jamie (who
lived in Colorado and is currently serving with me in Mozambique), my friend
Teagan from college, her boyfriend Nate and my mother.
Mommy dearest is taking the picture
For the most part we all traveled very well together.
Bickering between partners and family is a natural consequence of traveling.
Our goals were pretty similar, laugh, have fun, eat a lot, and see what we
could. In the end I was proud of our little travel posse for getting along so
well, and ya know it can always be worse (like if we had a person who nags, a
killer, a whiner, or an asshole along for the ride!).
Stories:
We were lucky enough to join the bride and her family at their beautiful family home to do the traditional custom of mehindi. A beautiful type of body art. This was so much fun! A beautiful location, wonderful people, and great food. Thanks Nali for letting us be a part of that!
After our nice dinner at a small southern Indian restaurant
under our friend’s apartment he offered us a traditional palette cleanser. We
watched as a street vendor created this odd concoction of ingredients that
included spices and licorice in a leaf coating. I am not sure what I expected
when I ate it, but the effect was immobilizing. It was like Christmas threw up
in my mouth. It tasted like I had decided to chew up some pot pouri for an
after dinner snack. It was so intense I couldn’t chew and think at the same
time. After two or three bites (that seemed to take forever) I couldn’t stand
it anymore. I cannot tell you if it was good or bad, I can only say it was
hella interesting.
At the wedding we were enjoying some refreshments and candid
camera activities, when my mother came up to me and was serioulsly thinking
about getting on the table to dance. Turns out her new awesome American friends
had encouraged this behavior. I felt like a mom when I said “how much have you
had to drink? Did you eat any dinner? No you cannot get on the table.” As much
as I may have wanted her to, we were at an Indian wedding not an American
bachelor party. But I remain proud that my mother still has it in her! Love you
mom!!
Car rides in India are worse than Mozambique. Yes I said that
and I meant it! Even in a private car the unpaved roads were treacherous. These
roads are similar to Mozambique, but what made them worse was the amount of
movement on them. There were cars, buses, motorcycles, bikes, tuk-tuks, carts,
dogs, cows, people, etc… within a 5 foot radius of you anywhere you go.
AGGGHHH!! And they all drive like crazy people. It’s like they have a 6th
sense! Amidst all of this we decided to charm our driver Gopi with a new
rendition of the 12 days of Christmas. Hopefully we will get a record deal and
you will get to hear it soon. This caused enough laughter to distract us from
heart attacks caused by looking out the windows.
In need of a good massage, we took the advice of some fellow
Americans and stopped at a massage center in the beautiful lake city of
Udaipur. We wandered into a restaurant and met an interesting man and his son
who proceeded to take us upstairs into a double massage room. Let’s just say we
didn’t get what we expected. What we did get was a lil soar and a lil violated.
In order to cleanse our chakras or whatever, they had to also massage our asses
and press hella hard on our bellybuttons…legit skills?- who knows. We left
feeling a lil better and a lot worse. Later we got a proper and cheaper Thai
massage in Delhi that relieved any tension Mozambique and India could muster
up. Lesson: take suggestions with a
grain of salt and do some research.
Anyway I have already written enough. Needless to say the
trip was unforgettable and the perfect escape from life in Africa. I can also
say I was happy to be back home in Homoine. My new home away from home! India
Ate Proxima!
We sold out of
the sweet peanuts and the chamussas first and then the cookies and brownies dinminished just as quickly. Everything was 5 mets which is equivalent to about 15 cents
and our profit was over 500 mets which is about 15 dollars. That doesn’t seem
like much, but with that we could buy: 2 t-shirts, or 33 coca colas or 12 and a
half plates of chicken with rice, or a 7 hour bus ride to the capital for one
person, or one night in a private bungalow in the beach. Our goal is to be self-sufficient enough to make
about 3180 mets or about 96 dollars. With this much money we can buy 12
t-shirts with our homemade logos that we can then use to present performances about
HIV/AIDS, malaria, children's rights, or whatever else we think up. We will
continue to work on this goal and will hopefully achieve it before I leave
this year. If you have any other simple craft ideas or recipes we can use
please feel free to comment or email me. Don’t offer to donate money as we want to make our
own profit, but if you have any leftover materials that you would like to send
for something like friendship bracelets or parts of earrings it would be
accepted graciously and I would bring back one
of whatever we make, just for you. I will keep you updated on our progress!
For Easter this year we decided to host an American style festa.
A few of our closest Peace Corps neighbors came to our house where we set-up
Easter egg dye (thanks mom!) and boiled more than a dozen brown eggs (no white
eggs here people!). We prepared homemade quiche and lemon tarts while the
neighborhood children learned how to use crayon to write their name and then
dye the egg. They put the stickers all over their heads and loved it. The next
day we woke up to ringing church bells and a sunny, clear sky. We made biscuits and gravy and mimosas and hid
the eggs over and over again. The Americans found them, then hid them for the
older Mozambican children and then for the younger children. The children loved it so much
that we hid them over and over until it was dark outside. It was very nice to
bring a little tradition here with my Mozambican/PC family.
