I am soooooo hot......

It's so hot. It's so frickin hot. I'm blaming my lack of posting (yeah I know I said a new post everyday) on this insanely insufferable heat. It has been consistently over 100 º everyday for the past 2 weeks. The only thing that makes it a little easier is the fact everyone around me tells the temperature using celsius and I suck at conversions, so I hear 40º and convince myself that it's actually quite chilly out. All day I try to figure how long I can go without moving. It's not that I won't sweat if I don't move, it's that I won't feel myself sweating on myself. I'm in a constant state of sticky grimy grossness. Can you tell I don't particularly like warm weather? I know what you're thinking. "Nina, why on earth would you go to INDIA in the SUMMER if you don't like the HEAT?" (Do you like how I put some of your words in all caps for emphasis?? You're welcome.) Well I heard April wouldn't be that bad, that the real heat starts in May.

I heard wrong. So now I feel hot and betrayed. Woe is me. Yesterday I got stuck on a city bus packed to capacity for about a half hour. My host sister turned to me and said (in that lovely broken Hindi-English) "Nina, you have so much sweat all over your body." Yep, I sure do.

Luckily Corinne Rose, a long-term volunteer at Sambhali, has discovered a surefire way to get to sleep at night. SO if you ever find yourself in India during the summer and without AC this is what you need to do to get to sleep at night (that is unless you like sweating out your body weight and lying listlessly at 3 in the morning). Take 1 sheet. Run it under some water. Turn on your fan (although chances are it's probably been on for at least an hour in an effort to cool down your room). Lie under damp sheet. This sheet will be bone dry in 2 hours tops.

Now I would recommend that this is done while wearing the least amount of clothes, but seeing as how I am staying with a very sweet Indian family I would not like to dishonor them by telling you the amount of clothing I wear while doing this. You'll just have to guess, or ask me when you see me. That being said I'm gonna go soak a sheet.

eek, one week to go!

I have one week left in Jodhpur before making my way up to Rishikesh, where I'll be staying in an ashram for 3 weeks. In order to make up for lost time I will attempt to do a new post for everyday that I'm here.

Due to the Royal Wedding this post is going to have to be short because I have biscuits and tea to attend to, but I will leave you with a little video. A few days ago I went to Setrawa for the day to get to know our sister school. The school holds two programs, one earlier in the day for children who normally wouldn't be able to attend classes, and the second is an after-school tutoring program. These kids are from the second group and we just got done putting on a pretty rockin version of the 3 little pigs (guitar included). It's worth noting that the children that attend the Sambhali school are some of the best English speakers in their village. Pretty cool stuff, I dare you to not smile while watching this, go on, I dare you. 

Happy Holi (a little belatedly, but the sentiments the same!)

Holi, or the festival of colors, marks the coming of spring and is celebrated by throwing powdered colors, dousing each other with water, and lots and lots of alcohol. At least that’s how it was celebrated at the guest house, and the little bit of Jodhpur Rowan and I explored. 

As I mentioned Holi celebrates Spring’s arrival (or in my opinion sweltering heat that really should only be associated with the hottest days of summer, but whatever) and I’m sure is linked to some deity, but I’m having a very difficult time in India keeping my gods and festivals straight. Because we had a wedding coming up in the guest house all holi activities had to happen outdoors, and the groom-to-be prepped by slathering coconut oil over any exposed surfaces. Some of us wish he had spread that bit of knowledge as the colors can literally take weeks to wash out!! 

Holi is at it’s core a religious festival, but over the years it has turned into something of a massive water-fight. Westerners (especially women, go figure) are encouraged not to get into the fray as things can get kind of rough (one tradition is to rip people’s shirts off, fun!) and I noticed that a lot of the guest houses throw their own version of holi-lite. Our version was pretty fun as many of the grooms friends came over and treated it as a pre-bachelor party, party. Luckily my fellow volunteer Rowan was also of the mind that if your in India, and it’s holi, staying at the guest house is not totally ideal (I think she may also have a stubborn thumb). So during a lull we grabbed our cameras and sneaked into town. 

A note on traveling in India. Well really it’s a note on traveling anywhere. People love to share their experiences, and I’ve found that so much of what I do and where I go is based on someone’s opinions whether it’s through a guidebook or in conversation. This advice is extremely helpful, especially when you’re confronted with too many options, where should I stay, where should I eat, do I try and make the 8 hour round-trip train journey in the heat to see the Taj Mahal (I think not). That being said, some of the best experiences I've had was a result of getting lost and making do with the situation I'm in. Granted this has as much to do with my personality as it does with creating your own experiences, but really what I'm trying to say is, I'm glad I didn't listen to the warnings and went into town anyways.

It wasn't that crazy. Yes my shirt ripped. and yes boobs were grabbed at, and if your the type of person that would be really upset about that, then I would say don't go into any cities during Holi while traveling in India. Buuuuuuut if you, like me are wearing a grungy shirt that more likely than not ripped on it's own seeing as how there was a hole in it anyways, and really there just boobs, plus I did tae kwon do and I'd like to see anyone try and mess with me hiiiiiiiiiya, then go for it. Also because, it really wasn't that bad. I got to see for example that women don't really participate, preferring instead to watch from the side (I think this may be because their beautiful saris provide them with enough color to ring in 100 springs), and that seeing as how my friend Rowan and I didn't want to get caught in the middle of the fray many men helped us get around particularly crazy frrenzies. I think the video below is a good example of what to avoid, I especially like the guys on the motorcycle towards the end. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that sometimes people can surprise you, and if you're willing, stepping outside of your comfort zone can reveal some truly incredible experiences. I will conclude this story by saying that on our way home Rowan and I were hounded by many drunken men on motorcycles, and when the situation was getting a bit too hairy we were lucky enough to find a tuk tuk who would take us back to the guest house. Who knows what would have happened if the tuk tuk didn't show up, I'd rather focus on how grateful I am that I did. So it is also good to know your limits and realize that sometimes a situation is more than your capable of handling. I'd like to think that the reason I've had such great luck while being here in India is because, for the most part, I've been pretty good at trusting my gut and either going for it or deciding the Taj has been around for hundreds of years and it won't be too disappointed if I don't go see it this trip....

the moment you've all been waiting for....

OK I'll stop stalling and tell you about Sambhali Trust. Sambhali is a non-profit organization that began about 4 years ago to serve impoverished women in the city of Jodhpur. Space was rented from the Durag Niwas guest house so girls and woman who otherwise wouldn't have an opportunity to attend school are now able to receive classes in English, Hindi, math, and depending on what volunteers are there at the time, different arts and crafts. The really neat thing about the way the program is run is that these additional workshops offered to the girls allow them to really experience the world outside of Jodhpur. Volunteers come from all over the world and sometimes they help with english or maths classes, but in some instances you have women teaching knitting, quilting, or currently we have one volunteer teaching the girls about photography and two other volunteers working on theatre. Although these skills may not seem very marketable, the value they have for the girls is really immeasurable. Yesterday some of the volunteers put together an exhibition to showcase photography and theatre, and the girls had a blast. There was dancing, yummy snacks, and at the end the girls were awarded for their hard work with flowers and treats. Three of the girls from the photography workshop won clothes for having the strongest photos. If you have a chance check out the volunteer, Rowan Lange's blog, i to eye where she has some images that the girl's took. If you're interested you can purchase a print and this helps the girls to start earning an income, and could possibly spark the interest of a budding photographer!

The girls here are truly incredible. Although many of them come from the Dalit (untouchable) caste, the moment they are in the center all I see are big warm smiles and a truly contagious energy. At first I thought it would be hard to communicate, but luckily smiling and nodding goes a long way to making yourself understood. 

desert oasis...

Alritey, as promised a post on Jodhpur and the Durag Niwas guest house.

Upon arrival in Jodhpur I wanted to jump back on the train to Delhi. Immediately. Not only did I have no idea where I was going, or where I would be sleeping that night, but I found rickshaw drivers in Jodhpur to be waaaaaaay more aggressive than in Delhi. This meant everyone wanted to give me a ride and had the "perfect" hotel for me to stay in. Being the type of person who really likes to strike out on my own (that stubborn thumb of mine at work) I walked away from the hustle and bustle of the train station, Janet in tow, until I could find a quite place to pull out my guidebook and get a sense of my surroundings.

The problem is that I never have a sense of my surroundings. Ever. I'm the type of person that gets lost crossing the street. In fact, I DID get lost once crossing the street! For 3 HOURS!! In Fairfax, Virginia no less!! Luckily, traveling in Delhi for 2 days did act as a type of fortifier so I decided to try walking in the direction all the rickshaws were headed and try my luck. It seems like my luck ran out....

A constant struggle while traveling in India is cost. The exchange rate between rupees and dollars is around 45 rupees to the dollar. As a westerner you know that you're initially going to be told the "foreigner" rate as opposed to the indian rate. The struggle is that even though 500 rupees for a budget room means you're getting scammed, when you break it down its about $12 dollars which really isn't that bad. Many things may enter your mind when haggling here. Just from a sense of pride you don't want to be "had" but at the same time for a lot of people here the extra 20-100 rupees they get from offering their services to westerners is really how they make their income. That being said after my morning off the train I was not in the mood to be scammed, so haggle I did. I suck. I found a room for 250 rupees, and maybe if I was traveling with someone else would I have felt safe staying in that room, but considering I was on my own I didn't want to push the luck I felt was already running out. I decided to take a room at Shanti Bhawan Hotel, just for the sake of dropping Janet to search for better quarters on my own...

Which led me to Durag Niwas Guest House. Durag Niwas is run by Govind Rathore, who also founded Sambhali Trust. I found the website for the organization about a week before I left for India and was really going on a wish and a prayer that it would work out for me to stay there for 2 months as a volunteer. On top of that I showed up a day earlier than I anticipated which is why I bothered trying to find a room on my own in the first place. Showing up here felt like the first right decision I'd made in awhile, and it was. The guest house is the ideal retreat in this desert city, just far enough outside of the city for you to feel like you're both away from it all, and that it's just around the corner. Once inside you may forget you're in India except for all the conversations taking place around in Hindi. The real charm of the guest house is that you will also just as likely hear German, French, and blessedly English. I never realized how much I love my language! Ah, now I can relax. Despite my randomly popping up on their stoop they were able to find me a room for the night, and two hours later I had met my new BFF, Chili , and had agreed to stay on for the next two months as a volunteer to Sambhali Trust!

Chili

With my luck restored I retrieved Janet from the dreaded depths of Shanti Bhawan (shudder) and entered my desert oasis of durag niwas. This post is getting a little long (they all seem to do that : /) so I will save the next for Sambhali Trust and all the amazing things that go along with it!

in celebration of women...

I know I said my next post would deal with getting settled in Jodhpur and the organization I'm working for, but seeing as how this past Tuesday was International Women's Day a different posting feels more appropriate.

Sambhali Trust is an organization working towards empowering women in the city of Jodhpur and Setrawa, a rural village about two hours away. To realize this dream a free school was established to teach English, Hindi, Math, etc. Volunteers who come to the site hold workshops on a variety of subjects such as theatre, photography, health, and different arts & crafts skills. As a way to bring more funding to the program and allow the women and girls to start earning an income, sewing schools have been established along with the Sambhali Boutique, where a variety of products are sold. Govind Rathore, the founder of Sambhali and proprietor of the Durag Niwas guest house, has created a real asset for this community and provides for these women and girls an opportunity which wouldn't be available to many of them otherwise.

This being the case a very disheartening thing is happening. For a variety of reasons attendance to the center can easily be described as a bit spotty. Although the school is free many times girls do not receive support from their family or taunting from members of their community serves as an effective deterrent. Earlier this week we were informed that two girls, sisters Priyanka Ral and Priya, were no longer going to be able to attend the school as per their uncle's orders. Any girl that is told she can't attend the school is going to be a loss, but this was especially disheartening due to the aptitude Priyanka Ral had shown in the photography workshop. Then the next morning we found out that another girl, Radha, was being pulled from the school because of her parents.

Radha's situation is a bit different in that her parents were responding to a recent occurrence in our city of Jodhpur. This week an eight year old girl was raped by her 22-year old teacher, who had been assigned to the area through an NGO. The only reason her parent's found out about this is because of the blood they found on her sheets the next morning. That man is now in jail, but his family is planning to offer the victim's family around $6,000 in exchange for any charges being dropped. Now this girl's family is living in poverty so of course $6,000 is going to be hard to turn down, especially when the alternative is an expensive lawsuit which not only can they not afford, but they very well may lose. Not only has this man disgraced this girl and her family, but he's also given NGO's a bad name further hindering an already uphill battle. For example Radha's family pulled her from the school out of fear that something like this could happen to their daughter.

International Women's Day celebrates the achievements of women all around the world and recognizes the work women do every day in support of their families and communities. In light of stories like these it becomes obvious why a day like this is needed, because a girl born in the developing world faces a battlefield from day one. Everywhere she turns not only is she told that she's not capable, but people all around her treat her like an object to be used, as opposed to a person who has value. The real shame of course is that they do have value, we all do. Until this is realized not only are we holding back the dreams and achievement of millions of girls all around the world, but we are hindering our own growth whether that be economic, academic, in the arts, the possibilities are endless.

The Girl Effect

The above video is really wonderful, if you have 3 minutes take a look. Hopefully it will get you excited about the many possibilities there are in empowering women and girls all over the world! To end on a happier note, Rowan, the photography volunteer, and one of Sambhali's teachers, Tamana, went to talk to the girl's families and present all 3 are back in school! This is a really great achievement and a big win for those girls, but there are millions more girls out there who also deserve a chance.

planes, trains, and autorickshaws

After being on the move for quite a few days I have finally arrived to Jodhpur, the blue city, in Rajastahn. This is where I will be volunteering for the next 2 months with Sambhali Trust! My last day in Delhi involved some more sightseeing led by my very trustworthy and protective guide, Shafiq. Our day included a palm reading in which the first pronouncement was that I am very determined. After having some difficulty bending my thumb backwards Shafiq declared, “oh, you are very stubborn. It doesn’t matter what your parents tell you, when your mind’s made up, that’s it.” Yeah, no joke.

One of our stops was to the Lotus Temple house of worship, celebrating the Baha’i faith. This beautiful temple was built in 1986 in imitation of the lotus flower, and the Baha’i worshippers welcome folks from all over to visit the temple, as long as you take your shoes off and keep your mouth shut!

At the end of the day Shafiq and I made our way to the Old Delhi Train station where my overnight train to Delhi left at 8:55. A few words on Indian Rail travel. Firstly every guidebook and person you come across is going to tell you how necessary it is to experience traveling India by rail in order to really experience India. The second thing they’re going to say is how dangerous it is, especially, if you’re a foreigner, especially especially if you’re a female foreigner, especially especially especially if you’re a female foreigner traveling by yourself (and throw on top of that at night no less)… yeesh. So guarded with my chain, padlock, and trusty reporter Shafiq we waited for the Mandore Express to Jodhpur to arrive. As we waited in the train I tried many times to tell Shafiq I was fine, and that really he could go back to his hotel seeing as how he was literally falling asleep on his feet. “NO Nina! Even if your train does not leave until 11 o’clock, I will be here!” Luckily the train was running quite on time, so after introducing himself to my fellow passengers (a bunch of american high school girls on their way to a mission trip….oooo scary) with the charge that they look after me, Shafiq was on his way. But first he left me with the warning to not trust anyone, and to be safe. Somehow he didn’t see the irony in this, and it’s for this reason I am so grateful I am able to call this man my friend! 

The train was pretty uneventful, to be honest I got my best night of sleep since arriving! Next post will be about discovering my desert oasis, Durag Niwas, and the wonderful Sambhali Trust!