KERALA!

Ah, my last excursion of the trip. It was a fantastic one too! I have to say it was one of my favorite places that I have visited here in India.

We arrived in Cochin...and my I was in awe when I saw the city. One of the cleanest places I have been to in India. Then we arrived at the hotel, it was a resort. The place was absolutely beautiful and live classical musicians were playing by the pool. After checking in, we went for a walk by the Arabian sea. I was amazed by what I saw. The fishing nets lining the beach and the people frolicking in the water. I ended up dipping my toes into the sea.

After that, we took a houseboat in the backwaters of Kerala. I enjoyed the beauty very much and the peace that was gained. It was fun observing the people because it was good Friday and to see the people walking towards the churches in the backwaters. The food was amazing of course and the pineapple chutney became a favorite of mine. Staying on the boat was fun and relaxing way to get a nice tan!

We also had the opportunity to stay at a resort. This was basically a lazy day by the pool and I got sunburnt.

Then we were off to the foothills of the mountains. On the way, we stopped at a rubber plantation and a pineapple plantation. It was cool to see how these processes were done. When we arrived at the destination, another resort of course! I had the opportunity to see how spices were grown and I enjoyed learning about the various spices. I also bought some! When we were touring the garden, they had the hottest chili in the world and I ate it. I survived... That night we went to a martial arts performance and that was neat to see. I also went to a dance performance. The performer was so young and talented.

I also traveled to Munnar. It is set in the beauty of the mountains. I didn't want to leave. I walked around and people watched. In the morning, the group went to learn about tea processing and that was fun!

The final place was the beach. A beachside resort was just what I needed. I swam in the Arabian sea and enjoyed the sunset. I forgot how much I enjoyed the beach and the sand. I wish I had a boogie board though!

I wish I had more time to write about this trip but I have to much to do for my finals!

This Little Light of Mine: Solar Lamps for Children in the Sundarbans

Hello all,
In India, I have had the opportunity to volunteer at Association for Social and Environmental Development. I have been working on a project to get solar lamps for children in the Sundarbans. The Sundarbans is a biosphere region located in West Bengal and is declared a world heritage site by UNESCO. Alternative energy sources are needed to preserve this area.

Children use dangerous kerosene lamps to study. The children can get injured or start fires from the use of these lamps. Using kerosene is the equivalent to smoking 20 cigarettes The lamps also give poor light for school work. Solar lamps will provide a safer and cleaner light source for the children.

25 dollars will give a solar lamp to a child in need. Give what you can and know that these children are receiving a wonderful gift. This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine. I want these children to realize their full potential through education. Here is the website to donate: http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/solar-lamps-for-students-in-sundarbans-india/ and there is also additional information on the issues that I was discussing is available.

Holi

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....

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.

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!

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

Ultimate Game of Chicken

I used to play chicken as a child but now it has a whole new meaning to it. Any form of transportation in India is going to have some fear inducing side effects. I have had some quite interesting experiences in getting around. Foot of course is the cheapest and sometimes the most convenient way to get around in the city. At the same time, it is a huge game of frogger. You have to navigate and be aggressive to get across the street. I learned that you can't wait for traffic to stop for you or otherwise you'll be there the whole day. I have successfully made it so far without getting killed or injured which I considered to be an accomplishment. In the end, this is the least fear inducing form of transportation. The metro isn't as bad. It can actually be quite fun to people watch. At the same time, you have to safe guard your belongings and look out for the creeps. The creeps is where the fear can come. The ones who eye you up, cat call or sometimes brush against you. It can be quite uncomfortable but not as scary. I feel safest on the metro because of the sheer number of people. As it gets later into the night, the metro becomes unsafe and a woman shouldn't take it after 9:30 by herself. The reason behind this is the trains become infrequent and stop at 11. Autos, tuck-tucks or rickshaws whatever you wish to call are one of the most iconic things from India. There cheap and great for short distances. Be ready to be smashed in with people and have no personal space. Autos break down a lot but the driver does find another auto for you. The scary part is that auto drivers are some of the craziest drivers out on the roads. In addition, sometimes you are only half in the auto and that leads to an adrenaline filled ride because you are holding on for dear life. Being that close to a bus where you feel like you could lose an arm is part of the Indian experience and it is now normal for me. Cars are a common way to go long distances but taxis are convenient for those short term in a hurry trips. Let me start by saying, getting into a taxi and learning your driver doesn't know where he is going is scary. Sometimes they just pretend they don't know. Driving around can be just as frightening as they don't really follow the traffic rules. Cars back up the street or run lights all the time even drive on the wrong side of the road. The video that I have posted is an experience driving back from an excursion and it gives you a taste of the driving style in India.Transportation is quite an experience in India. I have just learned to enjoy the ride.

As long as I don't die and I get to my destanation safely that is all that matters. Each form of trnasportation has its own pros and cons to it but sometimes the funnest part of the trip is getting there.