Happy Holi! I was lucky enough to be here during one of the most famous Indian festivals. It is the festival of colors and it is where you have colors thrown on you. A surely beautiful sight to be seen! Holi is the celebration of spring and is observed by Hindus.
Holika was given a shawl to protect her from fires. She carried Prahlad into the fire. A gust of wind came by and threw off her shawl. Meanwhile, Prahlad was praying to the god, Vishnu and was saved from the flames while Holika was burned to death. Holi is about the death of evil and marks new beginnings in the year. A bonfire is lit in remembrance of the incredible feat that was performed. More information can be found here: .
I'm going to let the pictures speak for themselves! Before and after photos are included....
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
World Cup Cricket
I had an amazing opportunity to attend a world cup match! The match was South Africa vs Ireland and it took place at Eden Gardens. Eden Gardens is one of the largest stadiums in the world and it can hold 150,000 people. I was pumped to go and experience India's national pastime. Don't have me explain how the game is played because I'm still a little confused(here is some info ). It was fun to learn a new sport at this type of an event. The craziness that filled the stadium air. I was interviewed a few times on who I was rooting for and sure my face is plastered on Indian ESPN. I saw many 4's, 6's, and wickets. I know this blog post isn't long but cricket is hard for me to explain and is one of those sports that is better explained by someone who grew up watching it.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Sundarbans
I haven't written for quite a while because I haven't had a computer. I had the amazing opportunity to go to a tiger reserve and a World Heritage site. It was a two hour drive and then an hour boat ride to the hotel. We were lucky in that we had beautiful weather for the boat ride. It was a nice relaxing ride. Once we arrived, we settled in and then went back on the boat to visit a observation area. The trees were interesting. The roots were sticking up and the tree looked like it was stilted. The a boat ride was gorgeous and to see all the birds flying low to the surface of the water. We disembarked for a view at the observational towers. We climbed up to get a spectacular view but sadly no tiger was found. I did see a monkey, a crocodile and a monitor lizard while there. We loaded back onto the boat just in time to see the sunset. It was gorgeous and the sun sets so quickly here.
The next morning, we had to be up at 5 am to be able to see the sunrise. I was happy that I got to see the sunrise, it was definitely worth being up that early. The colors were vibrant and how the sun hit the water was something else. We started looking for wildlife and tons of birds were out. In addition to the wildlife, people were out in their dingys fishing and hauling things. There were so many people out. The boat ride was nice and relaxing. We also stopped at different observational areas to spot the elusive tiger but again we had no luck. We did spot some deer. After the observational towers, we had breakfast on the boat. Breakfast consisted of fruit, lutchi, and local honey. It was all delicious especially the honey. After breakfast, we continued observing various wildlife until lunch. We went back to camp for lunch and it was delicious. After lunch, we took a short nap and some of us went back onto the boat for more of a ride. We went to different observational areas then in the morning. it was so nice to be on the boat, it reminded me so much of Minnesota's summers. The afternoon boat ride was much more for enjoyment and being in the mangrove forests. They cut the engine for us and to listen to the silence was wonderful. We stayed out way past sunset. The sunset was so stunning and especially with the egert that flew. After the sunset, I saw the stars. There were so many twinkling and so bright. I could have stayed out all night watching them. After a little star gazing, we headed back to camp for dinner. Dinner was delicious and I can't remember what I had!
The next morning, we went for a walk through the village. It was neat to see how people lived. We were quite the attraction. On the way back from the village, we took a rickshaw with a flat bed in the back. You can fit up to 6 people in the back.
I do have a video but the internet isn't fast enough to put it up. Once I get it loaded onto youtube, I will post it to my blog!
The next morning, we had to be up at 5 am to be able to see the sunrise. I was happy that I got to see the sunrise, it was definitely worth being up that early. The colors were vibrant and how the sun hit the water was something else. We started looking for wildlife and tons of birds were out. In addition to the wildlife, people were out in their dingys fishing and hauling things. There were so many people out. The boat ride was nice and relaxing. We also stopped at different observational areas to spot the elusive tiger but again we had no luck. We did spot some deer. After the observational towers, we had breakfast on the boat. Breakfast consisted of fruit, lutchi, and local honey. It was all delicious especially the honey. After breakfast, we continued observing various wildlife until lunch. We went back to camp for lunch and it was delicious. After lunch, we took a short nap and some of us went back onto the boat for more of a ride. We went to different observational areas then in the morning. it was so nice to be on the boat, it reminded me so much of Minnesota's summers. The afternoon boat ride was much more for enjoyment and being in the mangrove forests. They cut the engine for us and to listen to the silence was wonderful. We stayed out way past sunset. The sunset was so stunning and especially with the egert that flew. After the sunset, I saw the stars. There were so many twinkling and so bright. I could have stayed out all night watching them. After a little star gazing, we headed back to camp for dinner. Dinner was delicious and I can't remember what I had!
The next morning, we went for a walk through the village. It was neat to see how people lived. We were quite the attraction. On the way back from the village, we took a rickshaw with a flat bed in the back. You can fit up to 6 people in the back.
I do have a video but the internet isn't fast enough to put it up. Once I get it loaded onto youtube, I will post it to my blog!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Half Way Point
March has certainly sneaked up on me. I can't believe that this is the half way mark of study abroad. I don't think my life has ever so flown by. December seems like forever ago and I felt like I haven't been able to reflect on all my experiences.
I thought I would share with you guys some frustrations today because I have painted a rosy picture so far of my experience. Something that bothers me is the concept of Indian time. Things start late, I went to a play recently and it started 3 hours late. I almost left the performance but my friend was in it and I wanted to support her. I have just instituted a policy of adding at least 1-2 hours for things starting or arriving at your destination. Another frustration is travelling time and the amount of time I sit in traffic or waiting to get on public transportation. If I had all the time that I lost, I could write a novella(just kidding). Something that has definitely challenged me is the beggars on the street. I am grabbed, poked and followed down the street. I want them to keep their grubby paws off of me. It is sad that I have lost my sympathy towards them but they are ruthless in their advances. I walk fast and say jao(it means go away in bangla). There are other normal frustrations of living in a different culture such as communicatiion. Sometimes you don't understand all the gestures or the language. When you are lost and need directions to get to the metro, gesturing doesn't always do the trick. My last major frustration is school. It is a lot more strict then I am used to. I don't like that there is a dress code or they take attendance. In a lot of ways, they treat their students like high school students and not mature adults. Also the way education is delivered is through dictation and dictation is not fun. I think its hard to learn if you are not actively engaged in the material and actually questioning what is being taught.
Besides my frustrations, I want to share with you guys some of the things that I still need to accomplish. There is still a lot that I would like to see in Kolkata. I want to go to the Botannical Gardens for sure and explore some of the parks. I also need to make it to the Indian Muesum and some temples. I am hoping to go to a tiger reserve in the Himalayas soon and that needs to be planned. I do hope to continue to challenge myself with this trip and be open to all experiences. I think a lot of travelling is taking a jump off a cliff and not looking back, there is no other way to make an individual grow.
Bekkah
I thought I would share with you guys some frustrations today because I have painted a rosy picture so far of my experience. Something that bothers me is the concept of Indian time. Things start late, I went to a play recently and it started 3 hours late. I almost left the performance but my friend was in it and I wanted to support her. I have just instituted a policy of adding at least 1-2 hours for things starting or arriving at your destination. Another frustration is travelling time and the amount of time I sit in traffic or waiting to get on public transportation. If I had all the time that I lost, I could write a novella(just kidding). Something that has definitely challenged me is the beggars on the street. I am grabbed, poked and followed down the street. I want them to keep their grubby paws off of me. It is sad that I have lost my sympathy towards them but they are ruthless in their advances. I walk fast and say jao(it means go away in bangla). There are other normal frustrations of living in a different culture such as communicatiion. Sometimes you don't understand all the gestures or the language. When you are lost and need directions to get to the metro, gesturing doesn't always do the trick. My last major frustration is school. It is a lot more strict then I am used to. I don't like that there is a dress code or they take attendance. In a lot of ways, they treat their students like high school students and not mature adults. Also the way education is delivered is through dictation and dictation is not fun. I think its hard to learn if you are not actively engaged in the material and actually questioning what is being taught.
Besides my frustrations, I want to share with you guys some of the things that I still need to accomplish. There is still a lot that I would like to see in Kolkata. I want to go to the Botannical Gardens for sure and explore some of the parks. I also need to make it to the Indian Muesum and some temples. I am hoping to go to a tiger reserve in the Himalayas soon and that needs to be planned. I do hope to continue to challenge myself with this trip and be open to all experiences. I think a lot of travelling is taking a jump off a cliff and not looking back, there is no other way to make an individual grow.
Bekkah
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)