#2 of 3: India

Wow, India. One of the first thing people said when they found out we were going to India was, "You know what India stands for, don't you? I'd Never Do It Again." After being here for a week, I guess I can understand how they'd say that! Let me clarify: how they'd say that on first impression. After you get over the sensory overload and culture shock, you realize that India is a BEAUTIFUL culture, filled with depth and rich experiences and wisdom. Instead of journaling about India, I'm just going to give you some sensory experiences we've had so far.

Sight

1. Our first experience of the Indian culture were the stewardesses, who all wear matching saris as their official dress. Beautiful!

2. We quickly observed that Indian people dress up to travel. We felt a little out of place in our sweatpants and t-shirts!

3. My first visual overload in the actual country of India came in the form of trash...and trash, and trash, and more trash! There's no such thing as a garbage can, and it doesn't seem to faze anyone!

4. The power lines. A picture says a thousand words.

5. A shocking site was seeing all the naked kids in Delhi. I saw one little naked boy (probably around 3 years old) running down the median of a 6-lane highway...no parent in site.

6. Monkeys are EVERYWHERE! It's actually kind of scary, because they've been known to attack people...one of them actually ran after our friend Laura. The key is indifference, don't look them in the eye (which is why there are no pictures yet!)

7. The homeless or less fortunate people just lay anywhere they can, and no one pays them any mind. It was a shock to us, but the locals didn't bat an eye.

8. The women's outfits are BEAUTIFUL! So many colors, so ornate, so pretty. Even very poor women have a beautiful outfit. They may only have one, but it's beautiful!

9. The view on our walk to school is SPECTACULAR. Truly breathtaking!

10. It's totally normal to see a cow walking down the middle of the street, surrounded by cars and motorcycles.

Smell
1. You would be surprised by how gross a place can smell when it's chronically moldy.

2. There is monkey poop and cow poop and dog poop everywhere. And when I say everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE (including the cuff of my pant leg!).

3. The Delhi airport SMELLED! The Delhi streets SMELLED! The Centaur Hotel SMELLED! But once you get past the initial shock, you realize that the smells aren't necessarily bad. One person commended that they felt they had never really used their sense of smell before coming here...the smells here are so rich!

4. You quickly learn to carry deodorant with you, and forgive body odor smells from your colleagues. We just all sweat, multiple times during the day from the walks at school!

5. The air around Woodstock is that crisp, clean mountain air...like an air freshener, but real!

Taste

1. The Indian food is really different, but actually really good! We found that there are many different types of curry, so even though all the food is spicy it's not all the same taste.

2. We went to a Pizza Hut in Dehran Dun, and a cute coffee shop in Mussoorie. I'm a little shocked at the things that are available here, I didn't quite expect it.

3. Mutton is goat in India (and used often), and the milk is definitely not cow milk...we haven't dared ask.

4. All fresh fruits and vegetables are OFF LIMITS if you can't peel them. Once we get settled we'll be able to eat more fresh produce...but only AFTER soaking them in water filled with potassium crystals.

5. Mango...need I say more?!

Touch

1. First, everything is HOT in Delhi. You sweat through your clothes sitting in the taxi, your pants stick to your legs, and your hair quickly goes into a ponytail.

2. Second, everything is WET in Mussoorie. There's something special about crawling into damp sheets or putting on a damp shirt. And, monsoons have barely begun! It pours every night, but our days have been surprisingly rain free. Not for long!

3. My favorite touch so far has been the hugs I've gotten from our new friends, which came when I decided to break down and cry after breakfast on Monday. Good touches!

4. This isn't a "me" touch, but we quickly noticed men holding hands or walking with their arms around each others waists. Apparently, it's completely normal for men to show their affection to friends in this physical way. Different than the West!

Sound

1. The horns in India are a language unto their own. We quickly discovered that honking is actually a kindness....if someone doesn't see you in their blind spot, it's your fault because you didn't honk to let them know you were there!

2. I was reading my Bible on our porch yesterday morning, and heard what sounded like human footsteps running across our tin roof. A few seconds later, a languor monkey crawled onto our gutter, not 3 feet away from where I was sitting. Since then, I don't wonder what's on the roof...I know it's the monkey pacing back and forth.

3. Every night there are big, thundering rainstorms! It's very exciting, and has helped to fill the jet lagged sleepless hours.

4. The accents here have been quite difficult at times...I have to ask people to repeat their names three or four times, "very slowly please!"

5. The locusts here are deafening!

6. We keep hearing these "horror" stories of people falling off the road, and of seeing big scorpions and spiders...I've decided I can wait to have those experiences!

Other Experiences

1. Tuesday morning we had 2 ayahs, 2 phones calls, a fellow Woodstock worker and the bread guy stop by before 8:30 Am. Definitely different than living in Iowa!

2. Laundry is proving to be quite a quandary here. Since it's so humid, NOTHING DRIES! And, washer/dryers are considered luxury items, definitely not normal. I hand-washed some clothes two days ago, and they're still WET...not damp, WET!

3. Ayahs are maid-servants that most of the staff hire to do household chores. It's been confusing, but we'll probably hire someone to do general cleaning and laundry/ironing...probably for two days a week.

4. The Bazaar was SUCH an interesting experience! The shops are all connected, and are often little more than a hole in the wall. We saw cobblers, tailors, electricians, grocers, hotels, restaurants, a Hindu temple, you name it! The most interesting part is that there is NO order to the chaos in these stores. Basically, you just rummage around the shelves until you find something you want.

5. To get clothes is a very interesting process. You can buy things at bigger stores that are pre-made, but not in Mussoorie...so if we want to get some shirts or pants, we go to a fabric guy, pick out the fabric you want, and bring it to the tailor. You explain what you want, he draws a pictures, and it's ready in a week and a half or so. It's actually really neat, everything is so personal, and ou get to know people really fast!

6. The Bread Guy: is SO cool! He knocked on our door Monday morning and invited us to see his "box" of breads...he had probably 20 loaves of freshly baked bread, and bags of all different kinds of cookies. We bought a loaf of bread for 30 rupees (about 75 cents!), and a bag of cookies for 40 rupees. He also let us know that we can special order cinnamon bread, cinnamon buns, garlic bread, etc. etc. whenever we want. How cool!

Neat Pictures

(cows along our train ride...the cows here are holy, so they can go wherever they want, but no one really takes care of them, so their ribs are always showing)

(a man picking up garbage on the train tracks...lots of little jobs to keep people employed)

(a sweet looking old dude!)

(a sign on the train station...I felt thankful that I had someone taking us to Woodstock!)

(from January to April, a certain religion sends it's young men on a pilgrimmage to pick up water from it's holy river. This is what the men carried to bring the water home...and there would be hundreds of them in a row! It was really neat)

(a beggar sitting on a public bench)

(women walking right next to our train...dressed beautifully as always!)

(the VERY crazy traffic in Delhi)

(a guy sleeping at the train station...surrounded by men working and lots of activity)

(an all around sweet picture!)