Easing my way in

I’m going to try and post twice a week but it looks like I’m easing my way into blogging. I still don’t know how people make it a daily habit! This week has gone by pretty fast and I can’t believe I’ve been here for two weeks already. I’m working on 3 articles right now: a film review (Pirates of the Caribbean), an article on the popularity of “yoga vacations,” and an article on animal rights. It’s hard to schedule interviews because of the language barrier, but I’m learning to speak slowly and repeat myself. Hopefully I’ll get to travel sometime next week—I really want to visit a yoga ashram in Madurai. It’s become quite popular (especially for rich women in the US) to take “yoga vacations.” These consist of two to three week holidays in Asia (especially India) where they practice yoga with a master and other students. There’s been quite an uproar in many of the Indian papers lately because the US is trying to patent many yoga positions. Despite the fact that yoga is over 6,000 years old, many commercial studios in America want rights to the art form (an article in the Hindu said it best with the title, “Can you patent wisdom?”) Indians are baffled by America’s attempt to commercialize such a sacred part of Indian culture. Many studios in the US (most notably Bikram Choudhury...aka, "hot yoga") ignore the meditation/spiritual aspects and just focus on the asanas (physical). I think it’s such an intriguing example of globalization (in my opinion, the negative aspects of our "flattening world"). 

Last weekend a group of us went to the backwaters of Kerala and spent time on a houseboat for one night. It was a great way to relax and I even got to see an elephant! We took a sleeper train with no air conditioning. The bathrooms were overflowing with sewage and I don’t think I’ve ever smelled something so putrid. A group of us are leaving for Mamallapurum (by the beach in Tamil Nadu) tonight and we are taking a sleeper bus (we’ll see how this differs from the sleeper train!) We were originally supposed to go to a beach in Kerala this weekend but there has been a chicken flu outbreak so the police are protecting the border between Tamil Nadu and Kerala. If I can get some more interviews next week, I may get to travel even more.

Mamallapurum was amazing last weekend. We spent most of our time by the sea and then we rented mopeds and drove around (no, for those of you who know me well, I did not drive, I was a passenger). It actually reminded me of a hippie California beach town—tons of artsy shops, quaint cafes, and a relaxing atmosphere. On Sunday we went to Pondicherry (now Puducherry)—a former French colony and now a union territory of India. I wish our school system (and others around the world as well) would focus on colonization and emphasize its enormous impact. I’ve really enjoyed my politics classes at USC (especially geopolitics) because we focused on the continuing effects of colonizing a country. While shopping in Pondicherrry, the shop owner (from Pakistan) gave our group a “little history lesson” about the British control of India. I was honestly kind of surprised that most of the British students didn’t seem to care or know much about their government’s role/impact in Asia. Ironically, the three Americans knew the most. I’m not trying to insult the British, but I’m beginning to realize that it’s not just the Americans who are “ignorant” or isolated. 

I can’t believe I’ve only been here for 3 weeks! Indian time is probably 100 times slower than Missouri time (which makes it a million times slower than L.A. time!) To me, my three weeks here have been more equivalent to three months. I have an interview with a veterinarian next week in Madurai and then I’m spending a day at a yoga ashram to interview people for my article on “yoga vacations”(this should happen the first week of July). I’m hoping to have five articles by the time I leave. It’s more difficult than it seems because scheduling interviews on “Indian time” is extremely difficult and at times very very frustrating. I usually have to go to the director three or four times to remind him that I need to set up an interview (going back to the States and setting things up is going to be much easier now!) The language barrier has been the hardest aspect but I’m actually learning to study facial expressions and body language more closely and this has helped immensely. 

Although my host family doesn’t speak much English, I’m learning to communicate with them as well (I’m even learning a few words in Tamil!) Today I’m off to Bangalore by sleeper train—a huge group of us travel together on the weekends. According to one of the translators in the office, “it’s the best city in India for shopping.” Sorry Mom.

First Post in India

I’m finally here in Sivakasi (I’ve been here for 5 days now but it feels much much longer). India has been so overwhelming that I haven’t had time or energy to write an entry, but now that I’m settling in, it doesn’t seem as daunting. Arriving at the Chennai airport was quite an experience. With no air conditioning and hundreds of people back to back (literally) in customs/ baggage claim, it took over an hour to get my luggage. I met a man from Projects Abroad named Pandi who took me to a hotel to rest before my train ride the next day. I knew it was going to be hot, but I’ve never experienced heat like this before. I was so nauseated the first few days that I could barely eat anything; I ended up drinking about 6 1-litre bottles of water a day (more water than I usually drink in a month!). I felt absolutely terrible because Pandi bought me a nice breakfast and lunch before the train ride and I couldn’t eat much of it. I’m still adjusting to eating with my hands (or ‘hand,’ you don’t eat with your left hand). I have to put my left hand between my knees to avoid the embarrassing mistake of accidentally using it. I’ve been experiencing a lot of “lost in translation moments.” In India, they shake their head to the side to say yes. After attempting (but failing miserably) to finish my dinner after the train, Pandi asked if I wanted more and I shook my head in the Western “no” motion. I ended up getting three more chapatis when I could barely stomach one. Now that I’ve been here for about a week, I’ve started to adjust to the heat and I can eat a little bit more.

I’m living with a host family and two other volunteers. We usually eat about 2 meals a day with the host family and then have lunch at a hotel near our office. For the first few days, we ate all three meals with the family, but this made us feel excluded from all the volunteers who live and eat at the hotel. We talked to some Projects Abroad workers and now we’re going to eat lunch with the other volunteers. It’s just a difficult situation because we did not want to offend the family. My host family is extremely nice but they speak absolutely no English (besides the basic greetings and numbers). Alisha (my roommate) and I might start to try and help them in the evenings (we have to be back by 8:30 every night). I have never had a curfew before so I feel so restricted--it is not acceptable for women to be out much later than this. 

It’s frustrating because women are basically second-class citizens in small town India (at least in the small town where I am living). Bigger cities are more progressive. In general, we cannot shake hands with males or sit next to them on the bus. Friederike, a girl I work with at the magazine, said she was sitting on the bus by herself and two men who wanted to sit down made her get up and stand for the two hour bus ride. It’s somewhat problematic when the women at the magazine go on interviews because men do not take us seriously (sometimes I haven’t even been acknowledged). Not all situations are like this—I have met many friendly men who are willing to talk and seem very curious (this could be because we are Western looking as well). Overall, the people in Sivakasi are extremely hospitable and welcoming (much more polite and generous than Americans). Projects Abroad gave us a “tour” of the city by rickshaw (a mini taxi) and we met “the richest man in Sivakasi” who is famous for his Indian tea. There were about four of us lounging around drinking tea (the chai tea in India is amazing!) and 30 or so townspeople surrounded us and just stared (it was somewhat unnerving!) I have become accustomed to walking into a café or shop and having everyone stare (for some reason it doesn’t bother me as much as some of the other volunteers). We are hoping to profile the “tea man” in the upcoming issue so the interview will be next week! 

So much more to say, but I’m off to the backwaters of Kerala (supposed to be absolutely gorgeous) for a boat tour. Eleven of us leave on an overnight train tonight and we will get back late on Sunday. I Promise to post pictures for my next post!

2 More Days!

It’s down to the wire now; only two more days before I leave the states! I’m going to St. Louis tomorrow to watch my brother swim and then I’m off to Chennai on Sunday. The total travel time is approximately 30 hours so I’ve made sure that I have an abundance of books, magazines, sudoku, and snacks. After I arrive in Chennai, (formerly known as Madras and the capital of Tamil Nadu) I will meet A Projects Abroad worker outside of baggage claim—I won’t be completely on my own in getting to Sivakasi! I have an 8-hour train ride to Sivakasi where my host family will meet me and help me get settled.

I’ve heard that staying with a host family facilitates assimilation and enriches the overall internship experience. I can’t wait to eat Indian food for 3 meals a day (vegetarianism is a must while I’m there). My roommate is from France and is participating in the conservation project. For those of you who haven’t heard of Projects Abroad (http://www.projects-abroad.org/), it’s a British Programme (from now on I while try to write in British English) that places volunteers across five continents in projects such as medicine, journalism, teaching, law, and conservation. It’s geared towards “gap year” students, as it’s quite popular for students in the UK to take a gap year after high school or university. I’m taking part in the journalism project in Sivakasi (located in the state of Tamil Nadu). It’s in the very south of India so the July heat will be nice and toasty. I’ve dealt with Missouri humidity, but I have a feeling it’s nothing compared to what I’m about to experience. 

I’m interning at a monthly magazine called the Sivakasi Times. Each month has a theme that focuses on local issues. I’m particularly interested in covering cultural, literary, and film events—Bollywood and Harry Potter, perhaps? I’m open (and fully hope) to expand my palate and write about environmental issues, news stories, sports, etc. The magazine is entirely run by volunteers so I will assist in editing, publishing, and the overall layout as well. I can’t wait to see what lies ahead!