-July 2, 2009
McLEOD GANJ [ONE OF THE TWO MAIN STREETS]
THE PANCHEN LAMA
[READ ABOVE]
TIBETANS THANK INDIA
TIBETAN PRAYER WHEELS
VIEW FROM BUDDHIST TEMPLE
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
The Dalai Lama? No, a Tibetan Lama!
Today we went on a excursion to a little bit outside of McLeod Ganj to see a Tibetan Lama talk about how they are trying to preserve their culture and how they got to where they are now. There are definitely a lot of shops in McLeod which you can buy souvenirs from and I know I'll definitely be coming up here quite often. The ride isn't to expensive as well, it's RS 200 which if you split with four people it roughly equals $1. After the discussion, we headed over to a Buddhist temple and His Holiness' house; unfortunately he wasn't there. We headed back for dinner and the rest of the day is kind of a blur.
-July 2, 2009
McLEOD GANJ [ONE OF THE TWO MAIN STREETS]
THE PANCHEN LAMA
[READ ABOVE]
TIBETANS THANK INDIA
TIBETAN PRAYER WHEELS
VIEW FROM BUDDHIST TEMPLE
-July 2, 2009
McLEOD GANJ [ONE OF THE TWO MAIN STREETS]
THE PANCHEN LAMA
[READ ABOVE]
TIBETANS THANK INDIA
TIBETAN PRAYER WHEELS
VIEW FROM BUDDHIST TEMPLE
Sick to my stomach...[literally]
Today was the start of pretty much a chain reaction or domino effect. Today was the day that I got sick, and I didn't pass it to other people; but it was pretty much the start of everyone else as well.
Being sick here is totally different, all the new bacteria and what not I guess taking its toll on your body really is different than being sick back home. I had to miss placement because I was sick, and it was only the second day of being here in Dharamsala. The staff says that most people get sick because of the adjustment. The altitude, the food and just everything in general takes a toll on your body the first week you're here. Gatorade really helps out when you're sick because the sound is of food is upsetting. You don't want to eat or even see food; and the thought of actually trying to digest it turns your stomach upside down. I just laid in bed today getting some rest.
How I hate being sick!
-July 1, 2009
Being sick here is totally different, all the new bacteria and what not I guess taking its toll on your body really is different than being sick back home. I had to miss placement because I was sick, and it was only the second day of being here in Dharamsala. The staff says that most people get sick because of the adjustment. The altitude, the food and just everything in general takes a toll on your body the first week you're here. Gatorade really helps out when you're sick because the sound is of food is upsetting. You don't want to eat or even see food; and the thought of actually trying to digest it turns your stomach upside down. I just laid in bed today getting some rest.
How I hate being sick!
-July 1, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
First day of Placement!
Today was the first day of placement and I met a lot of my students, it was quite hard to remember all of their names but I'm sure over time I'll have them. Today we pretty much introduced ourselves five times over and over again to the students about where we were from and what we do at home. It was like an ice breaker and definitely an ice breaker when I fell from my chair since the leg got stuck in the ground. The broke into four pieces (it was a plastic lawn chair) and I was a bit embarrassed since it was my first day with them. After placement, we had a drop off activity where we were taken to the Kotwali Bazaar and the group I was in had to find a fabric store, post office and a place to make copies. We found everything but the post office and I swore it felt like we walked down the entire mountain to find it. We then went back and had a debriefing about the activity and what we were able to find and what we didn't find. It was a good way to get us to know the bazaar better.
-June 30, 2009
-June 30, 2009
EXPLORING THE RIVER
POOPY WATER? NOPE- MUDDY WATER
VIEW OF THE MOUNTAIN
FROM THE RIVER
POOPY WATER? NOPE- MUDDY WATER
VIEW OF THE MOUNTAIN
FROM THE RIVER
Next Stop- Dharamsala
Today was our Kingfisher flight to Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh. The flight was only an hour on a small propeller plane which had ash tray pockets in the armrest and the leather all cracking and old. Outdated? We didn't fly to high, we were still able to see the roads, houses and hills. We landed in Gaggal airport and the drivers picked us up. There was a significant amount of difference in the temperature from Delhi and Dharamsala. The view of the mountains (Himalayan) is stunning from the house. There were some monkeys on the road just watching the cars and we passed and I guess HP's (Himachal Pradesh) version of Six Flags, which is Himalayan Wonder World (not really the same though). We have two houses here at the CCS home base but the one we're in isn't the same like the nice, main big one.
-June 29, 2009
Also, the day before was orientation. Bela talked to us about how CCS got started (which was actually in India which is really cool). After he headed out to a South Indian restaurant and ate there. The food was a bit spicy but good, and I got to try a mango lasse which was good! We then headed back and went out exploring and found a temple and just walked around for a bit.
-June 28, 2009
OUR PLANE
MONKEY ON THE ROAD
MAIN CCS HOUSE
HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINS
PANORAMIC VIEW OF THE HIMALAYANS
-June 29, 2009
Also, the day before was orientation. Bela talked to us about how CCS got started (which was actually in India which is really cool). After he headed out to a South Indian restaurant and ate there. The food was a bit spicy but good, and I got to try a mango lasse which was good! We then headed back and went out exploring and found a temple and just walked around for a bit.
-June 28, 2009
OUR PLANE
MONKEY ON THE ROAD
MAIN CCS HOUSE
HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINS
PANORAMIC VIEW OF THE HIMALAYANS Day two- Sight seeing New Delhi
So our second day, or rather my third day we went out to sight see New Delhi.
Not all of the volunteers were there and so only about a handful of us went. Of course, it was intensely hot and the day's high was 114! On the way to Humayun's tomb we stopped on the side of the road to see the Lotus temple which is looks exactly like it's name; a lotus flower. The tomb of Humayun was really elaborate and pretty, unfortunately the heat made us run back to the car pretty quickly. Then we saw the president's house as well as the Parliament buildings. Our last stop was the India gate which is India's version of the Arc de Triomphe. We literally almost fainted there since there was no shade and just open sun over us! We noticed some people trying to discretely take pictures of us from their cellphones which was kind of amusing. I think I'm quite over jetlag now which is good but not quite over the intense heat even when it's midnight!! There is a lot in store in these next 6 weeks!
-June 27, 2009
LOTUS TEMPLE
INSIDE HUMAYUN'S TOMB
INDIA GATE
Not all of the volunteers were there and so only about a handful of us went. Of course, it was intensely hot and the day's high was 114! On the way to Humayun's tomb we stopped on the side of the road to see the Lotus temple which is looks exactly like it's name; a lotus flower. The tomb of Humayun was really elaborate and pretty, unfortunately the heat made us run back to the car pretty quickly. Then we saw the president's house as well as the Parliament buildings. Our last stop was the India gate which is India's version of the Arc de Triomphe. We literally almost fainted there since there was no shade and just open sun over us! We noticed some people trying to discretely take pictures of us from their cellphones which was kind of amusing. I think I'm quite over jetlag now which is good but not quite over the intense heat even when it's midnight!! There is a lot in store in these next 6 weeks!
-June 27, 2009
LOTUS TEMPLE
INSIDE HUMAYUN'S TOMB
INDIA GATE
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Arriving in New Delhi... confused and jetlagged
So this is my second attempt to put this up. The first time it was erased, so let's try again!
Arriving in New Delhi was good. I woke up early the day of my flight, packed and ready to head out for the plane flight. I was there early so I just sat around waiting for the gate to open up. The weather was both nice in New York and London so both of my flights were good. There were movies, games and TV shows so I had a good time just using that. I saw Mall Cop while on the flight and about 20 minutes of Bolt. The Heathrow Airport was very interesting. It took me about 1/2 hour to get to my second gate and that was even in the same terminal. On my way to London, a lady on my flight flipped out on some lady behind her, on my aisle, because she was on her cellphone. She said that she was putting all of our lives in danger by using her cellphone or 'mobile phone' yet our plane was still refueling, definitely overreacted. The flight to New Delhi was long but fine and was happy when I finally landed in the capital of India.
When I got out of the plane, I was so surprised with how people reacted to the whole Swine flu thing. The staff in the airport wore masks and I was looked at a couple of times as if I was the starter of the outbreak. We were made to sign papers saying that we didn't have Swine flu or any of the symptoms. (One of the volunteers told me that the baby in front of them on the line started coughing and the nurses made the people behind and in front of the baby wear masks while they pulled aside the mother and the baby). I was picked up by the CCS driver and was surprised by the different first sights of India. The traffic in India is insane it's like being on the insane level of Frogger, Jai Ho was on the radio on the car ride, the driver's side is on the right hand side, a motorcycle can be a family vehicle for 4 and the India heat is crazy. It was really hot when I got here, around 111 but it reached on different days 113 and 116 while I was in New Delhi.
I got to meet some of the volunteers that had been in Dharamsala for 6 weeks and it was cool to talk to them. I just spent the day relaxing around the house trying to stay out of the Indian heat and slept through dinner so I was so tired. So yeah, jetlag + heat = India day one.
I got some really cool pictures over near Kabul, Afghanistan on my way into India of some mountain/ sand dunes things but apparently the picture doesn't download maybe later.
Arriving in New Delhi was good. I woke up early the day of my flight, packed and ready to head out for the plane flight. I was there early so I just sat around waiting for the gate to open up. The weather was both nice in New York and London so both of my flights were good. There were movies, games and TV shows so I had a good time just using that. I saw Mall Cop while on the flight and about 20 minutes of Bolt. The Heathrow Airport was very interesting. It took me about 1/2 hour to get to my second gate and that was even in the same terminal. On my way to London, a lady on my flight flipped out on some lady behind her, on my aisle, because she was on her cellphone. She said that she was putting all of our lives in danger by using her cellphone or 'mobile phone' yet our plane was still refueling, definitely overreacted. The flight to New Delhi was long but fine and was happy when I finally landed in the capital of India.
When I got out of the plane, I was so surprised with how people reacted to the whole Swine flu thing. The staff in the airport wore masks and I was looked at a couple of times as if I was the starter of the outbreak. We were made to sign papers saying that we didn't have Swine flu or any of the symptoms. (One of the volunteers told me that the baby in front of them on the line started coughing and the nurses made the people behind and in front of the baby wear masks while they pulled aside the mother and the baby). I was picked up by the CCS driver and was surprised by the different first sights of India. The traffic in India is insane it's like being on the insane level of Frogger, Jai Ho was on the radio on the car ride, the driver's side is on the right hand side, a motorcycle can be a family vehicle for 4 and the India heat is crazy. It was really hot when I got here, around 111 but it reached on different days 113 and 116 while I was in New Delhi.
I got to meet some of the volunteers that had been in Dharamsala for 6 weeks and it was cool to talk to them. I just spent the day relaxing around the house trying to stay out of the Indian heat and slept through dinner so I was so tired. So yeah, jetlag + heat = India day one.
I got some really cool pictures over near Kabul, Afghanistan on my way into India of some mountain/ sand dunes things but apparently the picture doesn't download maybe later.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Winding down; 6 days!
So here I am with only 6 days left before leaving for India. Not too much has happened within the last blog, except some last minute shopping and just really normal things I guess. But, I did finally receive my placement!
So I received news about my placement; it wasn't exactly what I had wanted but I'm happy now with it being that I know more about it now. I've been placed, along with another volunteer, to help out with an organization called "Woman's Team Badlav Ki Aur". This organization, though newly created 8 months ago, has a strong mission and goal. The organization, nestled in the village Khaniyara, focuses on helping women between the ages of 14-22 to learn conversational English, basic computer skills and other skills that may lead them to live better lives. Most of these women come from low or middle-class socio-economic backgrounds and have dropped out of school or college in order to learn English, computer and other skills.
My duty as a volunteer is to: support women in their pursuit of healthy and sustainable livelihoods; engage in discussions and exchange ideas on issues such as family health, women's rights, access to resources, income generation, etc; collaborate and support women on ongoing projects; teach conversational English and pronounciation; teach basic computer skills; and be a positive role model.
Even though it kind of sounds like a lot, most of it I guess intertwines with one another. I'm excited for this placement because I'll be able to teach English, which I really wanted to do, and most likely will be able to pick up Hindi from the women. Whether it is listening to their stories or just trying to talk with them one on one; I'm ready for the challenge.
So for these 6 days left. In that time I plan to: A) Have a get together with zome High School friends; B) Get my shots on Monday (which I'm dreading); C) Read, read, read; D) Pack; of course!; E) Study some more Hindi and F) Just over all prepare myself for this long flight with jetlag since there is a 10 1/2 hour time difference between New York and Dharamsala.
Time to prepare myself for spicy food, monsoon rain, a Hindi-speaking atmosphere, the Indian heat and a great experience!
So I received news about my placement; it wasn't exactly what I had wanted but I'm happy now with it being that I know more about it now. I've been placed, along with another volunteer, to help out with an organization called "Woman's Team Badlav Ki Aur". This organization, though newly created 8 months ago, has a strong mission and goal. The organization, nestled in the village Khaniyara, focuses on helping women between the ages of 14-22 to learn conversational English, basic computer skills and other skills that may lead them to live better lives. Most of these women come from low or middle-class socio-economic backgrounds and have dropped out of school or college in order to learn English, computer and other skills.
My duty as a volunteer is to: support women in their pursuit of healthy and sustainable livelihoods; engage in discussions and exchange ideas on issues such as family health, women's rights, access to resources, income generation, etc; collaborate and support women on ongoing projects; teach conversational English and pronounciation; teach basic computer skills; and be a positive role model.
Even though it kind of sounds like a lot, most of it I guess intertwines with one another. I'm excited for this placement because I'll be able to teach English, which I really wanted to do, and most likely will be able to pick up Hindi from the women. Whether it is listening to their stories or just trying to talk with them one on one; I'm ready for the challenge.
So for these 6 days left. In that time I plan to: A) Have a get together with zome High School friends; B) Get my shots on Monday (which I'm dreading); C) Read, read, read; D) Pack; of course!; E) Study some more Hindi and F) Just over all prepare myself for this long flight with jetlag since there is a 10 1/2 hour time difference between New York and Dharamsala.
Time to prepare myself for spicy food, monsoon rain, a Hindi-speaking atmosphere, the Indian heat and a great experience!
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