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Singapore- Reflections Post-India

After my program in India was completed I was given the opportunity to travel to Singapore for a week. Although this isn’t home, it gave me a pretty good idea of what to expect when I do get home. Here are some things that surprised me about life outside of India.

Space: I am continually surprised by how much space there is. I don’t want to give the wrong impression because India wasn’t as crowded as I expected. You know in movies when it shows a scene from New York and it is shows is a massive clump of people moving along the sidewalks and crossing the streets. That is what I expected India to be like all the time. It is not that way. At all. Still, space is something that I had to get used to. When in the Singapore airport before I went through immigration I had to go down an escalator which lead me to a big empty room. I thought to myself, “wow there is nobody here.” Even while waiting in line I kept looking backwards into the room and thinking “there is so much room and nobody is using it.”

Food: I forgot what it is like to have meat with every meal. I am weirdly becoming overwhelmed by it. In India, meat was a rare treat that I had to buy for myself on the off chance that I went to a restaurant that served it. Even then, sometimes I did not order it. When I sit down to meals and see huge dishes of meat I have this feeling of “here we go again”. Meat is not nearly as appetizing to me anymore. I can do small portions and that is about it.

Gender: When walking around Delhi you will see quite a few security checks (malls, metro, etc.) In these checks men and women are always separated. Men use the metal detector in the open while women go behind a curtain. When I was departing the Singapore airport I obviously had to go through security in the airport. As I waited in line I was mindlessly watching the people in front of me. I was genuinely shocked when I saw a man go through the same metal detector as a woman. I thought he has gone through the wrong one and would have to come back to go to the men’s line. I was surprised to remember that not everything in the world is segregated.

I am also having my first experience with people coming up to me and saying “How was India?” I don’t know how to respond to that question. How do I sum up the past 3 ½ months? It was beautiful, ugly, challenging, rewarding, overwhelming, comfortable. Sometimes I wanted to lie in bed and cry while other times I could not stop smiling. I wish I could be given more direct questions like, How was the food, what did you wear, what did you learn, how was it adjusting to a new education system etc. It is so tough to explain my experience when there is really nothing to compare it to. This is my plea that my friends and family be patient with me and I will be patient with them.

In the mean time, here are some pictures from Singapore:

Just your average canal with boats in the middle of a mall.

All About ISP

My time doing my ISP has come and gone so much faster than expected! At the beginning of the month is seemed that I had all the time in the world. I was surprised at how quickly the weeks went past. It started with me navigating the New Delhi Railway station on my own. Luckily I found my train and my seat without too much trouble. I spent the first two weeks of my ISP in Varanasi. That city is so beautiful. I am thankful that I was able to spend some time there taking it all in. One of the best things to do in the city is spend time on the ghats by the Ganges. They are great places to sit and observe people in a variety of activities. In any given time you will see people bathing and performing other religious rituals by the water.

One afternoon I was sitting on the stairs of a ghat when I hear the loud MOO of a bull. This is not an uncommon sound to hear anywhere in India but this one was close enough to make me turn around. I turned around just in time to see a huge bull walking down the stairs right towards me. Now I am not one to be afraid of cows. I had been walking past cows everyday on my way to school for the past 2.5 months but this bull had horns and I wasn’t about to stand in his way. (Also, isn’t there a belief that cows can’t go down stairs? I’m here to say that isn’t true).

I did not take this photo (Thanks google!) but this is accurate to what was coming at me.

The second half of my ISP month was spent in McLeod Ganj. Since my research was completed and it was getting hot in Varanasi I decided that retreating to the mountains might be nice. Getting there required a 20 hour (always more because…. India) train ride and a 3 hour taxi ride. I wasn’t worried about this. I figured I could sleep through the night and if I charged my laptop I could watch movies during the day. Also, I splurged and bought the 2AC ticket which meant I only had to share my train “compartment” with 5 other people (men) instead of 7. Everything about traveling to the mountains went great. Oh, except that I got violently ill only a few hours into the train ride. I will spare the details but it was not good. Instead of sleeping through the night as planned I was up with the chills and going to use the bathroom (hole in train floor) every hour. Every other sickness I have will now be measured on a scale from 1 to this train ride. I was only sick for a few more days once I arrived in McLeod Ganj. I had a great time writing my paper, meeting new friends, and eating Tibetan food. I still cannot quite believe that it is over. Next step: presentations!

Rainy Days in Auckland

There were several waterfalls along the hike.

When I first arrived in New Zealand, the weather was consistently warm, with temperatures rarely getting below 75 degrees. Now, winter has come and the weather has definitely been cooler. The leaves are changing and the sky is cloudy more often. Even so, the weather has still been quite enjoyable. The last couple of weekends have been quite rainy, however. The rain kept us in our apartments for a lot of nights and we were becoming restless. As usual, we just wanted to get out of the city and explore the country! So, on a random Sunday morning, my friend Marc and I impulsively decided to make a trip out to The Pinnacles, a stunning mountain range in the Coromandel Forest Park.

We arrived at the base of the trail and the weather was beautiful, with only a few clouds in the sky. We started the hike into the forest and I knew right away we were in for a treat. The people who created the Pinnacles track carved into the mountainside what they call ‘the rock stair’, which is exactly as it sounds — a staircase made out of rock. Once we finished the rock stair, we reached the summit of The Pinnacles. We had to climb metal poles that were fastened into the rocks to reach the very top of the summit. Once we reached the top, we could see the many tree-covered peaks that lead to the Pacific Ocean on the horizon. It was one of the most jaw-dropping views I have seen in the North Island.

Saree not Sorry

This week I was given the opportunity to attend my first Indian wedding. I have been looking forward to this for weeks. The wedding was on a Wednesday which was interesting because most weddings that I have attended happen on weekends. Since I do not know how to put a Sari on I had to have some of the neighbors come over and help me. I was expecting 10 minutes of them helping me get dressed and that being it. Instead they fussed over me for about an hour. Everything from what earrings I should wear, why I didn’t have makeup with me, and trying to explain that you cannot brush curly hair. I left the house around 8pm to go to the house of the groom. There was no questioning where it was because the music could be heard from very far away. I was only there for a few minutes before to procession started. The wedding takes place near the bride’s house so there is a whole ceremony to transport the groom there. Outside of the house was a full band (think marching band) playing as loud as they could. The whole groom’s family goes out onto the main street where a car, decorated in flowers, is waiting. The groom gets in the back seat and everyone crowds around. From what I observed I think all the older female family members gave offerings and said prayers with him one by one. While this is going on everyone else stands behind the car and dances to the music. Then we start going down the road, stopping every few minutes to have a mini dance party. This is essentially a parade going down the road even though the road is not closed. It was crazy but everyone seemed to be very respectful of letting us through. After walking for about 20-30min we arrived at the ceremony location. All along the perimeter are tables with various kinds of food. At the front there is a stage with a couch on it. The setting was very informal. I didn’t even notice when the bride entered because there was no announcement of everyone to rise like I was used to.

Arranged marriage is still a very common thing in India. I have heard so many different sides to it that I am still not really sure what to think. This wedding was an arranged marriage. I was told that the bride and groom had not met prior to this day (not sure if that is actually true or not. In most marriages I have heard of they meet for the first time at their engagement party). The couple sits on the couch and all the family members come to get pictures taken. This takes hours. The couple just sits there, not talking to each other and not smiling. It was actually really hard for me to watch because the bride was very obviously trying to hold back tears. This is the part of arranged marriage that I struggle with. I believe it is normal to be nervous on your wedding day but it is another thing to be completely terrified.

So I did not actually see the couple get married. Indian weddings last until 3 or 4 in the morning and since it was a Wednesday I could not stay out that late. When I left at midnight I noticed many other people leaving as well. From what I can gather I believe only close relatives attend the actual ceremony of marriage.

It was a great experience to go to this wedding and it taught me a lot about Indian culture. I am hoping to one day be able to go to another and maybe stay the whole time.

I spent most of my night avoiding whatever these were.

My first Puja

Yesterday Cassie and I had a genuine “expect the unexpected” moment. Our host mom told us that we would be going with the family to Puja. She explained that someone in the family moved into a new house. Cassie and I decided to google “house warming Puja” to see what we were getting into. Everything we read explained a religious ceremony where prayers and sacrifices were offered to the gods. We prepared (and dressed!) for a religious service. Our family seemed to be taking it pretty seriously so all signs pointed to something religious. We were instructed to be home by 4 so that we could get ready and leave.
The morning on the Puja Cassie and I went to school like normal. The first sign that it was a holiday was that there were almost no people on the metro. By almost no people I mean I was able to stand without having to tough another person. This is greatly different than our normal commute. When we got off the metro and started walking to school we started to hear weird voices and songs but had no idea where it was coming from. We started to notice temporary speakers set up in trees and on poles. They were blasting what we assume was a prayer. It felt like an amusement park where ads are played throughout the park. It was the weirdest experience.
That night we went to Puja. When we arrived at the house music was blasting from the front door. It was then very obvious that this was a casual family gathering rather than an honored religious ceremony. Throughout the night we ate chicken nuggets, drank wine, and listened to Brittany Spears. I also ate some of the best Indian food I have had since being here. The whole experience was amazing. It was fun to be an observer and watch family members interact.

One of the most interesting parts of the evening for me was that every room in the house was open. It was very common to walk into a bedroom and just see people lying on the beds talking, snacking, or even sleeping. We did not eat dinner until 10:30pm so I totally understand why napping is a necessity.
Once dinner was done we had about a 1 hour drive back in which my host dad ran through red lights, stalled the car in the middle of intersections, and did u-turns in the middle of the road. India is full of surprises.

Good Morning Varanasi

Last week I had the privilege of traveling to the amazing city of Varanasi. This city is like nothing I have ever seen before and it was captivating. The purpose of this excursion was to travel in small groups and learn about a specific NGO. I visited the NGO Kiran Village that works differently abled adults and children on a variety of things from education to social integration. This organization was amazing to learn about. You will hear more about them from me soon because I have decided to do my independent study project (ISP) with them. ISP is a month-long project where students are able to choose a topic and do qualitative research on that topic for the last month of the program.

Another purpose of this trip was to practice conducting interviews in preparation of our upcoming ISP. We did two interviews in English and one interview in Hindi. I was incredibly nervous for my interviews because it is not in my personality to start a conversation with someone I hardly know. I am happy to report that the three interviews I did went very well and I was able to learn some great information. I am no longer so nervous about having to do interviews for my ISP in a week.

The professor that took my group to Varanasi actually grew up there and was excited to show us his favorite spots. It was great fun! We took a boat ride on the Ganges, drank Lassi, and met his family and friends.

Stickin’ Around Auckland

Such a beautiful view from the top of Lion Rock at Piha Beach.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been busy with essays and other tedious assignments for my courses. It hasn’t been easy balancing all of my school work with travel and adventures. I decided to buckle down and limit my travels to short day trips outside of the city for the last two weekends.

I was under the impression that most of the natural beauty in New Zealand was quite some distance from the city. Little did I know, West Auckland is home to some of the most beautiful beaches that I have ever seen. One day we drove out to Muriwai Beach, where the cliffs overlook the Tasman Sea. The beach was only 30 minutes from the city, yet it felt like I was hundreds of miles away from urban civilization.

Another short trip outside the city that I have had the pleasure of doing a couple of times now is Piha Beach. Piha is on Auckland’s west coast as well, roughly 20 minutes south of Muriwai. The beach just so happens to be the birthplace of surfing in New Zealand. I have been lucky enough to be able to surf there and although the tide is wildly strong, it is an absolute blast. I am finding myself to be continually amazed by the beauty of this country. Even right outside the city, there are some great finds.

The surf at Piha. The waves may look small, but they were vicious!

From Raro to Fiordland

We got to spend a day at a local elementary school in the Cooks! These kids demanded piggyback rides.

Two of the best weeks of my life just flew by. For mid-semester break, I had to the privilege of spending a week in the paradise that is the Cook Islands. It was an incredible time to be fully immersed into a beautiful, unique culture that welcomed us with open arms. This trip was organized with IES, the organization that I am studying abroad through. For a fair price, we had our airfare, lodging, meals, and numerous activities covered. I don’t even know where to begin with the adventures that we embarked on during this trip. I will touch on a few. One day, we went on a cross-island mountain bike tour where we picked fresh starfruit, bananas, coconuts, and more from trees. We biked along the shore and through the thick forest of the island.

Butterflyfish! One of the many beautiful species in the Cook Islands. — Butterfly fish! One of the many beautiful species in the Cook Islands.

It was magnificent. Another day, we went snorkeling in the crystal clear, coral filled waters. I got lucky enough to see hundreds of magnificent, bright fish, several Moray eels, and even an octopus. The Cooks are the definition of paradise.

After leaving the Cook Islands, I was beat. However, I had a another week of traveling planned down the South Island of New Zealand. I had no idea what I was in for. Flying into Queenstown was intense to say the least. The first snowfall of the year came early and it hit hard right as I landed. Three of my friends were supposed to meet me in Queenstown but their flights got pushed to different cities because of the dangerous conditions. It was a rough start. However, we all managed to meet up later in the night and get back on track. The first two days of the trip were remarkable.

We went on an overnight kayak tour through Doubtful Sound in Fiordland National Park. Kayaking through perfectly still waters surrounded by jagged, snow-capped mountaintops has been the most beautiful scenery I have experienced since being in New Zealand. Words and pictures can’t give it justice! After our kayaking trip, we went back to Queenstown where we explored the night life and ate at some of the iconic restaurants of the South Island. We capped off our trip by bungee jumping at the top of the Skyline Gondola in Queenstown. One week in the Cook Islands and one week on the South Island. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect mid-semester break.

{an afternoon at the finca}

Everyday we are responsible for our own lunches and get to venture out into town and find an almuerzo place. A traditional Ecuadorian almuerzo consists of a bowl of soup and a main plate of chicken or fish. Most of the almuerzo restaurants around town are really good, but there is one close to the university that is our favorite: ‘El Mas Querido’. The name “El Mas Querido’ literally translates to ‘The Most Liked/Wanted’ which is perfect because it really is, in my opinion, the best. Since we go to this restaurant everyday the owners of the restaurant have gotten to know us and come up and talk to us when we arrive.

Today one of the owners, Moises, invited us to his farm (finca) up in the highlands. The highlands are a completely different atmosphere compared to the main area of town; the air is less humid and it rains once a day, there is also green everywhere as ground cover and trees.

The view from El Junco in the highlands

We took a taxi up into the highlands, rolled up a dirt road to the farm and were greeted by a group of cows and chickens.

Overall it only took $2 for the taxi there and back so it was totally worth it! Once we got to the farm Moises took us on a walk through all the different fields, showing us tricks to know when the fruits are ripe and answering all our questions about the various fruits we were finding. A lot of the fruits found here are completely different from anything you would find in the States; take guava for example, the texture is like eating straight cotton but it has a flavor that makes you want to keep eating it.

The inside of the guava fruit

Walking through the piña field

One of my favorite things about Ecuador, and I know I’m going to miss when I come back is all the fresh fruit juice. Ecuadorians are able to take any fruit and whip it up into an incredible juice.

Guanabana

The gourds from this tree were originally used to carry water

Once we had our backpacks full of fruit and our hands sticky with mango juice we headed back to the main part of the farm were we played volleyball with Moises’ son, Brian, and took pictures in an old tree. To take the picture we had to climb an old, rickety ladder and position ourselves in the tree so Brian could be our little photographer. Once we got up in the tree a few of the branches were in the way; Moises took out his machete and just started hacking away at the branches, we could feel the vibrations of the machete through the rest of the tree and held on tight so we didn’t fall to the ground. After we took all the pictures we needed we heard the honk of the taxi and we packed up our stuff to head back.

Not that I haven’t been loving the beach life, because I have, but the trip to the farm was perfect timing and just what I needed to switch up the island monotony, and proved to me that sometimes you have the most fun when you do something out of the ordinary.

The Shire one day – Mt. Doom the next

Bag End. The hobbit hole where Bilbo and Frodo Baggins lived.

It has been quite some time since I have last posted. In the last few weeks, I have gone on many adventures including: skydiving, navigating through caves, climbing mountains, and more. I am adjusting more and more to this new life that I am living. It has just recently gotten to the point where I have been enjoying myself more in a relaxed manner. The first month was rather chaotic. I felt the need to squeeze in as much as I could in a short period of time every time I would travel. Now, I feel at ease when I have a day where I simply lay around.

With that being said, I have still been on some remarkable trips in the last few weeks that I have been wanting to write about. Traveling down to Matamata and getting a professional tour through Hobbiton was simply astonishing. Growing up, I watched The Lord of The Rings movies religiously and the films have always been engrained in my head. So, when I was wandering through the same hills and hobbit-holes that Frodo, Sam, and Bilbo all wandered through it felt like a dream from my childhood. It was truly magical.

One of the Emerald Lakes on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Absolutely beautiful, apart from the stench of sulfur.

After the peaceful tour of The Shire, our friends felt the urge to experience the polar opposite end of Middle-earth — Mt. Doom. We traveled down to the middle of the North Island and trekked the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, considered by many to be the best one-day hike in New Zealand. The rugged terrain of the crossing was 20 kilometers long, but we added the painfully steep Mt.Ngauruhoe (a.k.a. Mt.Doom) summit climb to the midpoint of our hike. It was an excruciating trek to the top, but once we were above the clouds, roughly 2,300 meters above sea level, there was no need to complain about sore legs. The sheer beauty of it all was all my mind wanted to focus on. These were the things that I dreamt about when planning my trip to this stunning country.

Trekking above the clouds to the summit of Mt. Doom

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Today one of the owners, Moises, invited us to his farm (finca) up in the highlands. The highlands are a completely different atmosphere compared to the main area of town; the air is less humid and it rains once a day, there is also green everywhere as ground cover and trees.

One of my favorite things about Ecuador, and I know I’m going to miss when I come back is all the fresh fruit juice. Ecuadorians are able to take any fruit and whip it up into an incredible juice.

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