My first week as an Intern...

Well, what can I say? I’m living in the most amazing house with two amazing roommates. Our cook is named Sheetha, and she makes us three wonderful Indian meals a day. I wake up every morning at 6:30 and walk 10 minutes to a temple, where I take free yoga lessons. At 7:30, I walk back home and prepare for my day. Graciously, Sheetha cooks us breakfast and serves us chai, and sends us away with our lunch as we walk to the CFI (Children’s Future India) office every morning at 9:30. This is where we are interning! My two roommates are medical interns, and I am a social work intern. The first day, we were invited to the CFI hospital to watch a surgeon perform tubal ligations on six women. As I entered the room, I couldn’t believe what I saw. CFI provides free “family planning” surgeries (including vasectomy’s, tubal ligations, and abortions) for low-income families. Because these surgeries are free, the patients are given local anesthesia which means they are awake and can feel some pain. As I watched the surgeon dig into the women’s stomachs, pull out their fallopian tubes, tie them and cut them, I became quite nauseous. So, I left the room before he was finished and didn’t feel very good for the rest of the day! Good thing I’m not planning on being a doctor…

For the first week, we all observed the HIV/AIDS aspect of CFI. Every day, we traveled to different villages and observed HIV/AIDS awareness seminars, games, and teachings in the middle schools on HIV/AIDS. In all of these places, we were served so well. We were served juice, soda, chips, sweets, flowers, blessings, and love from every place we entered. I am in awe of their hospitality. The greatest challenge I have faced thus far has been the language barrier. I am learning more Hindi and Marathi, but slowly. I want to speak with the locals so much, but they know very little English and I know very little Marathi (the local language). BUT, I am determined to learn more!
I have weekends off, and this weekend I will be doing homework, writing reports for CFI on what I have observed, going to the movies (there is a new movie called Hadippa, which is a Bollywood film), and going to buy a sari! Tomorrow (Sunday), there is a gynecological camp that Jessica and I have been invited to, where we would assist the gynecologists in female check-ups and STI (STD) treatments. I hope I’m helpful! I’ll post again soon… wish me luck!!

Sept 17-Sept 20th: Train and Arrival to Pen!

Photo: The family I met on the train!
The train to Mumbai was loooonnnggg. It took 2 days to get there, with barely any sleep. I paid for the Non-AC Sleeper Coach, which was super cheap ($8 for the whole trip!), but extremely unsanitary. Nonetheless, I was glad I saved so much money. I ended up sitting with two wonderful families, which made me feel very safe. One family was just a mother and her daughter, and the other was a husband, wife, grandmas, uncle, and auntie. We talked the whole time, and I learned a lot more Hindi! For example, if you want to ask, “What is your name?”, you say “Apka naam kya hai?”. They shared all their food with me, and I shared everything I had with them. It was so nice to have such sweet company on the train. It made all of my worries go away.
The next morning, the family asked if I could come with them and stay at their house one night. It was so nice, but I had already made plans to get picked up in Mumbai at a certain time. So, we had a very long goodbye as they expressed their “very sad feelings” about leaving me. They said I was a part of the family now, and that I needed to visit next time I was in India. When they left, Asma and her mom were still there and they didn’t depart the train until 8pm that night.
I encountered a beggar boy on the train, who I made friends with. He was so happy that we were friends, and we had a lot of laughs together. He had no family, and traveled on trains asking for money, eating when he could, and sleeping anywhere. He was immensely dirty, but had the biggest smile on his face all the time. I wondered why he was so happy. He couldn’t have been older than 8 years old, and this made me very sad. Why doesn’t the Indian government do anything about these children?? They’re all over India, surviving on their own while they can. Very sad. At one point, he just got off the train. He was ready to take on another city.
The other family left, and they also invited me to their house. It is amazing how hospitable the people are here. When entering someone’s home in India, you are treated as a god. The belief here is that guests are “like gods”, and they serve you treats, meals, and food. Often, they give flowers and other gifts to guests and are very grateful to have someone in their home. I had to decline the offer, but I so badly wanted to go with them.
Luckily, I met two boys that asked me to meet their family. I went to their sleeping area, and their mom, auntie, and sister invited me to sleep near them. WHEW, I was glad! So, I moved my stuff and slept near them!
The next morning, we arrived to Mumbai at 3:30am. I had met a man of the name Shah in Agra one week before, and he offered to pick me up and let me stay at his and his wife’s house for one night! But, he picked me up and unfortunately had to go to the airport and fly to Delhi because his brother had gotten very sick. Kindly, he brought me to a safe hotel and paid for my stay, which was the most expensive room I had stayed in yet. The hotel was Rs. 2,640, which is about $56 per night! I couldn’t believe it! I asked him to bring me to a cheaper hotel, because I couldn’t afford it and he refused. Instead, he paid for it graciously, wished me well, and left. The kindness in India is unbelievable.
I went to McDonalds in Mumbai, and it was great! Similarly, they have chicken burgers and ice cream and French fries. But, they don’t have beef! The majority of Indians are Hindu, and Hindu’s believe cows are holy. So, they do not eat beef. Even mentioning eating a cow is offensive. I happily ate a chicken burger in this air-conditioned American-like fast-food restaurant, and I felt great. HA HA.
The next day, I met up with my fellow interns at a guesthouse in Mumbai! And, I had met one of them, Reid, at an orientation in Corvallis before India. I couldn’t believe it! The other one, Jessica, is from Alaska. From here, we drove to Pen, which is about 2 ½ hours south of Mumbai. And, we arrived to our house… our large bunglow in a small town called Pen, that will be living in for the next 10 weeks. YAY!!!

September 16th- Last Day in Rishikesh!

Yoga was much more difficult today than any of the other days. It was filled I went to breakfast with my friends, Lindsey and Edden, and we went all out. We ordered about six dishes, including banana porridge, chocolate pancakes, fruit salad, eggs, toast, hashbrowns, cheese tomato toast, and of course mineral water and tea. All of this came to a whopping total of Rs. 310 (about $6)!!! We couldn’t believe it. Gotta love India.
Although it was my last day in Rishikesh, I was feeling quite fatigued. So, I finished my Peace Corps application online, and rested until 5pm when I had a spectacular massage. She pulled, stretched and rubbed until I felt like jello. It was soooooo necessary.
I spent my last night at dinner next to the Ganges with Lindsey and Edden. And, funny enough, some people I had met in Jaipur were at the same restaurant! It’s amazing the same places tourists go to, and at the same time! Lindsey started feeling sick and had to go back to the cottage, but I had to go to the ATM. So, Edden and I went on a half hour walk to the ATM. On our way back, we encountered a hippie-looking Indian man asking if we wanted to “Ganga” and a dog who seemed like he had some issues similar to rabies that freaked me out. We stopped to push an enormously heavy cart pulled by an elderly man up a hill. Lastly, we walked through this alley that was completely surrounded by monkeys. As cute as they are, I was so scared b/c of how dangerous they can be- especially in numbers. So, I walked behind Edden slowly the whole time up the stairs and we walked right next to monkeys on the stairs on all around us. I was afraid I was going to get bitten! We got out bite-free, though, and I was so relieved!! What a night.

September 15th: 2nd Waterfall

This morning I went to yoga and had breakfast with my Canadian friend, Ali. Afterwards, we walked around town a bit, got lunch, and then trekked to another waterfall about 2 miles away. On the way, there were tons of monkeys jumping through the trees. I obtained a large stick that I carried with me the whole way to scare the monkeys away if they chose to attack. Although, I didn’t end up needing it, it made me feel safe! Ha Ha. The waterfall was not as big as the one I had seen a couple days before, but was still absolutely gorgeous. I was glad for the exercise too, since I had eaten so much earlier! There is so much natural beauty in India, and I am so privileged to have gotten to see some of it.
Unfortunately, most towns and cities in India are completely littered with trash and animal/human feces. However, they seem to take care of the Himalayas and the Ganges. There are people that come and pick up the trash, similar to the ones that we always see on the side of the freeways in America. It’s nice to know they try and preserve some of the most beautiful natural wonders of the world.
I spent the rest of the night simply resting.

September 14th, A day of Rest

After yoga and trekking, my body was so sore! So, I spent the day around the village area where my cottage is centered. The highlight of my day was walking to town and buying a grapefruit, which are the size of melons here. The funny thing is that the skin is so thick that there is barely any fruit in it! Nonetheless, it was still yummy. I also bought a whole cucumber that I had to peel. Often, I cannot eat fresh fruits and veggies around town, because they cut and wash them in dirty water. But, I’m safe when I peel these things myself. That’s pretty much all I did today, and I was satisfied.

Himalayan Waterfall

Today, I hiked about 3 ½ miles with my new Scottish friend, Trent, along the dirt road overlooking the Ganges. Doesn’t that sound pleasant? Well, it wasn’t actually. If you’ve watched my video clip I posted on Facebook showing the way Indians drive, you’ll know what I mean! Along this dirt road there had been a huge landslide. This meant traffic about two miles up the road. When the traffic finally started moving, the angry drivers whizzed by honking their loudest horns (each truck has a few different horn options) in my ears! When they passed by, the dust would fly in my face and into my eyes. On top of these things, India doesn’t have sidewalks. And, apparently they don’t have safety railings up mountains either. So, here we are miles up this dirt road getting honked at, dust in our eyes, up a mountain with no railing or sidewalk in the 100 degree humid air. We were unable to walk by the mountainside, because the landslide covered part of the road.

When we finally arrived to the entrance of the trek up to the waterfall, we took a small break, drank some water, and paid the Rs.30 (less than $1) each to enter. While sitting, we met this Israeli couple with whom we hiked up the mountain with. The mountain was pretty steep, so we took a few breaks to take photos and rest for a while. There were a couple pools underneath each waterfall, and the one at the top was the biggest. When we got to the pool, tons of people were swimming in it! I saw my American friend up there, and that was comforting. My friends swam, and I ate a Cliff Bar and watched. Oh, how I love Cliff Bars. Plus, I had a massive headache, so swimming didn’t sound good to me.

We finally arrived back to our cottages about 5 hours from when we started. After dinner, I went straight to bed. What a multi-faceted day! Filled with struggle, pain, heat, laughter, fun, beauty, and food. 

Rishikesh- 2nd day

1st photo: Ganges, 2nd: some locals chilling by the river, 3rd: me on Lakshman Juhla, 4th: view of Ganges from bridge, 5th: monkey eating banana, 6th: my yoga room/instructor, 7th: Himalayas and Ganges. This is the view I get to see every day!

Today, I woke up bright and early for a yoga class! As I walked up three stories, I entered a quiet room, windows open and breeze flowing, with two yoga mats laying on the marble floor. Little did I know, I paid $4 for an hour 1/2 one-on-one "Himalayan Yoga" session! This is unheard of in the U.S. I told my yoga instructor I was a beginner, and he proceeded to teach me everything. He first taught me how to meditate and one of the mantra's they repeat before beginning. It was so relaxing. Then, he taught me many stretches and moved my body to increase the stretch. During the poses, he did the same thing. I learned so much, and felt so comfortable and relaxed with him. Afterwards, he performed acupressure on my hands and then massaged my back repeating, "you will be quite sore tomorrow. this may help some." I was so pleased with my yoga class, and felt so lucky to have such a wonderful teacher all to myself!

I also walked across Lakshman Jhula (which is spelled a variety of different ways, I've noticed). This is a bridge across the Ganges that is often surrounded by monkeys. This time, I only saw monkeys at the end of the bridge, but they were eating bananas that someone kept giving them. It was so cute! I'm still amazed that every animal in India just wanders around as people do. The town was pretty cool, and I bought a gorgeous wrap around skirt that has two sides to it for Rs.125 (less than $3)! I love that!

At 5pm, I had an ayurvedic massage for an hour for $6! In America, professional massages are about $60/hour. I'll admit, though, that the massage was not as good as the ones I've had in the U.S. The bed was on the floor, and the woman just stood in the room watching as I undressed. When I lied down, she poured oil all over my back and started slapping it. While there were some good rubs here and there, I was mostly uncomfortable. Then, as I turned over to lie on my back, there was no blanket to cover! My chest was completely exposed, which is something new for me during a massage. Thankfully, it didn't seem to phase her as I am sure she sees a few chests a day. This made me a little more comfortable. However, all in all, the massage did not meet my expectations. I have another massage scheduled on the 16th at a different place, so let's hope there's no slapping involved!!

Rishikesh-1st day

1st photo: India cappuccinos- consist of milk, chocolate, cinnamon, and an inch of froth, 2nd photo: two cobras slithering around my neck!, 3rd photo: the cobra man playing his magical instrument, 4th: my lovely hotel room, 5th: view of Ganges and Himalayas from the bus.

When I first arrived to Rishikesh, I was in utter awe of the beauty around me. As the bus drove through the lower Himalayas to Rishikesh, the Ganges surrounded every bridge. There had been much rain, so it was flowing quite fast. But, it was absolutely glorious. As I departed from the bus, I was mobbed by men asking me if I needed a rickshaw to my hotel. Well, let's just say I have learned a thing or two from my previous experiences. Therefore, I told them no, avoided eye contact, and walked away. I quickly came upon two young women and asked them where my hotel cottage was, called: Mount Valley Mama Cottage. They told me I needed to take a rickshaw, b/c it was up further in the mountains a few miles away. So, I walked towards the direction of the hotel until this man drove up asking if I needed a ride. I looked into his eyes and saw his honesty and kindness, which I had been looking for. I was so relieved and only paid Rs.30 (less than $1). Whew! I arrived and found out that Mama Cottage was full, but Green Valley Peace Cottage right next door had an open room. For Rs.150 (a little over $3) per night, I am staying on the first floor where I get my own room, bathroom, and hot water!!!!!! I couldn't believe it! I was forgetting all the things that had happened to me in Jaipur and felt completely safe here. This small community on the hilltop overlooking the Ganges River and the Himalayas is a haven for travelers. There are cottages and guesthouses surrounded by small multi-cuisine restaurants, massage spas, and yoga centers. I have met people from Israel, France, Germany, Scotland, Canada, Morocco, America, Italy, and many other places here. So great!

After settling in and showering, I had my favorite breakfast since coming to India ("banana milk porridge"). I felt so at peace, as no one was hassling me, men were not staring, and I was surrounded my nature. Afterwards, there was an Indian man sitting outside the restaurant with this really cool instrument thing and a basket in front of him. I thought nothing of the basket, but asked him to play his instrument. As he began playing, he lifted the top off the basket and out came 2 Cobras!!! Ah! I was freaked out. I mean, I've seen Cobras before in India, but not that close. As he played, they flared out and their heads started moving. Afterwards, he insisted that I let him put them around my neck. I know they take the venom out of their mouths, but I still thought he was crazy! Everyone around him was saying the Cobras don't bite, and eventually I gave in. It felt so weird with them around my neck, and after we got some pictures in I asked him to take them off of me. I was quite sure they wanted to bite my face off. Made for good photos, though.

The day was restful and wonderful. Thank you, Jonathan Poe, for suggesting this place to me. I didn't think I'd ever experience such an exquisite retreat. WOW.

Train to Rishikesh- September 10

I took a train ride from Jaipur to New Delhi, which took 5 1/2 hours. From there, I needed to buy a ticket to Haridwar. I was so lost in the train station, because there were no signs pointing to the direction of the ticket booth! I was searching all over, when I saw this guy with a really kind face and he looked like a student. Perfect! So, I approached him and asked him where the ticket booth was. He had no idea, but he helped me find it. Then, graciously, he helped me buy the ticket (which was an incredibly stressful thing, since everyone said the train was full. Nobody spoke English, so I had to rely on the guy I was with to help me)! Finally, after getting the ticket, he helped me get to my platform and waited with me until my train arrived! He told me about his wife and his little baby and had me talk to his wife on the phone. He kept saying, "I am so lucky to be helping you. An American." Wow, what a crazy thought... Lucky to help an American? I said, "I am lucky you are helping me!!!" ha ha ha.

So, I said good bye and off I went for a 6 1/2 hour train ride to Haridwar... The train ride was long, but I slept the whole way. Some of the Indians on the train woke me up when we arrived at the correct train station, and I was so thankful! Otherwise, I would have slept through it!

Trip to Jaipur- September 8th-10th

Today was filled with all sorts of weird things. The first part of the day was nice, because I simply rested. I went to the internet shop (they are all over the place), where I met a great little family that owned the shop. Connected to the shop, behind it, is their home! Which is quite common. The shop is like a little hole in a wall, and there is a door in the back that leads to their house. It's very cute, and the family was very welcoming. I sat with them for hours, as they assisted me in buying my train tickets online. We had ice cream, which is sold at every corner for less than $1 each. It's great. 

At 6pm, I took a train from Agra to Jaipur, which is in Rajasthan. It was about a 5 hour train ride, and I met some great people on the train that helped me practice my Hindi. Upon arriving in Jaipur, I was mobbed by taxi drivers. "Hello ma'am, yes here I am. You take rickshaw? I will take u where u need to go!" I chose the first one that approached me, which I will not do again. He led me to his younger brother who ended up being my taxi driver. He's 24, and a typical guy. Except, my experience is that the Indian men are much more forward. In southern India, the feel is much more different- it is very traditional there, the men are respectful and rarely look women in the eye (same with women to men). However, in Jaipur (north), it is a city full of tourists! There is a huge scam all throughout India, but especially in Jaipur, called the Gem Scam, which you can read about at the website. The taxi driver brought me to my hotel and insisted that I try the hotel next door to mine. I compared the two, and his did seem better. But, when I met the owner and his employees, I knew they were all slime balls. I negotiated a fairly good price, though, and all I wanted to do was sleep. The taxi driver convinced me to hire him the following day for an all day trip around Jaipur, where he would show me everything. For the lost cost of Rs. 300 (about $6 for the whole day), I accepted. He picked me up at 10am the next day, and brought me to many wonderful places. I saw the monkey temple, which is surrounded by monkeys, the King's graveyard, the observatory, and the water palace. That night, we attended a fair that they nightly only half and hour away from Jaipur. The fair/festival is called Chokhi Dhani, which is famous and written about in all India guide books! For only $6, we entered a new world. There are traditional Indian dancers all around that I watched, singing, Indian folk dance, magicians, puppet plays, camel rides, elephant rides (which was closed the night i went), and a large dinner provided!! The dinner was served in a large restaurant, where we sat at these long tables on cushions on the floor. We were served several portions of every kind of Indian curry dish. It was so yummy! 

Now to the scary stuff: Throughout the day, this taxi driver was trying to convince me that having a boyfriend in the U.S. doesn't mean anything in India. He told me how many girls come to Jaipur and have boyfriends, but they spend the night with Indian men, because "their boyfriends will never know". I insisted that despite what others may do, I am 100% faithful to Shane and only Shane. Hoping he would let it go, I tried to enjoy the sights. However, after Chokhi Dhani, when he was bringing me home, he asked if i wanted to "get a room with him". I refused him more times that I've ever had to say no before. Finally, he said: "Where did you learn this word, NO? It's very bad- you should say YES to everything." I was disgusted. Thank God he brought me safely to my hotel! I am so glad I was strong enough to say no, otherwise it could have been a complete disaster. Apparently, many women go to Jaipur just to have sex with the men there. It's absolutely despicable. I paid him when he left, and he apologized. Throughout his apology, however, he kept saying: "nobody ever forgets the sex they have with me". I wanted to scream at him. We had plans to meet one of his friends whose wife was German the next day, and I really wanted to still because I wanted to see their baby. We planned on him picking me up at 11am, but I had to go to the train station to confirm my ticket. So, I asked one of the guys outside my hotel to tell him I was going to be late. Right before I went to the train station, I stopped at an internet station. The men that worked there knew where I was staying, and this is how I learned about the "playboys" and the "gem scam" in Jaipur. They told me not to trust them, because they will tell me that they have a friend who has a German wife, and gain my trust this way! I couldn't believe it, because they explained everything I had experienced. Then, after bringing me to the German couple that own a jewelry store, they would somehow try and convince me to bring many precious gems to America to sell for lots of money. Of course, a down payment is required, and then the person gets in trouble at the border and often arrested. After learning these things, I decided not to speak to the taxi man any more. MUCH TO MY SURPRISE, he followed me to the train station and tapped on my shoulder while I was in line. "Kelly, why were you not at your hotel?" I explained to him that I was going to be late, but that I decided I didn't want to go afterall. He asked me why and insisted that I go with him. I made quite a few loud responses in the train station and outside to embarrass him and make him leave me alone. He continued to follow me for a couple hours. I went to a police stand and asked them to tell him to leave me alone. However, as soon as I left, there he was again. After awhile, he left me alone. I needed a taxi to bring me back to my hotel, and someone approached me telling me we could walk. I didn't know who he was, but he started telling me about his friend that has a German wife! Immediately, I knew he was part of the scam too! As soon as I got to my hotel, I gathered my things, hired a trustworthy taxi driver, and before leaving I was bombarded by my old taxi driver and his friends insisting that I tell them I am ignoring them. I told them I was finished with them, and that I no longer wanted to talk to them. I asked them to leave me alone, and then my taxi man drove me away. The entire day, I was scared that he would find me. After eating, I went to the train station and boarded my train hoping to God that he wasn't following me. I was able to calm down after an hour on the train, and I was so glad I was out of there! But, all I wanted to do was go home. I felt violated, disrespected, and there was nowhere I could go. I felt like every man that I talk thinks dirty thoughts about me, and I was disgusted. 

Taj Mahal, Sept. 7

First pic: a man hand-carving a marble table, 2nd: weaving a wool rug!, 3rd pic: me in front of Agra Fort, 4th: feeding a cow that wandered into the hotel restaurant (a regular occurrence), 5th: mama monkey and baby walking across rail of my hotel, 6th: Taj Mahal, 7th: I am holding the Taj!!, 8th: posing in front of Taj, 9th: AMAZING VIEW of Taj. Wow, was the Taj Mahal absolutely 

magnificent. I mean, it's more magnificent than one can imagine! I had only seen pictures before, and they definitely didn't do justice. As I entered the pearly gates of the Taj with a ticket purchased at the mere price of Rs. 750 (about $15), I was approached by a tour guide. Since this was such a big adventure, I hired him (Ali), and he took photos of me as well as explained the history of the Taj. I spent about an hour and 1/2 there simply in awe of the beauty. The Taj Mahal is made entirely of marble and semi-precious stones. Built by about 22,000 workers, every part of the Taj is symmetrical. It is amazing. Here are some photos of the Taj Mahal, and I hope you all can experience it with your own eyes some day! 

After this experience, I headed back to my hotel, which is a 1 minute walk from the western gate of the Taj. Truly unbelievable! There was a great view of the Taj on the rooftop of my hotel, which I enjoyed very much. When I walked up to the rooftop, I was carrying 2 bananas in a bag. Apparently, the monkeys can smell the bananas because one came up to me! He walked directly towards me and pawed my leg for a banana. Pretty scared, as I am told monkeys often carry diseases and often bite people, I gave him one banana. After this, I was so excited to watch him eat it right in front of me! Literally, a foot away from me. Naturally, he walked up to me again for my other banana. Good thing bananas cost nearly nothing here! This was an experience in itself, and I am proud to say I have survived my monkey encounter with some great pictures and a video of the monkey eating the banana. Today was a good day.