This is just a list of the posts that have pictures incase you missed them. Usually, if I add pictures, I end up adding them to an old post and I realize that people don't always look back on old ones. So the titles of posts with pictures from the beginning:
-Days 4 and 5
-Festival, Day 6
-Sat and Sun (I added pictures)
-Pictures
-Monsoon Season
-More Pictures
-New Family
-Factory Visit
-The Village
-Links
-Wedding Jewels and Hindu Temples
-Bhopal
-Happy Navaratri
-Dance Pictures
-Clothing
Friday, October 29
FOOD
I've had a request (Nonny...) to discuss the food I eat in India. This is a HUGE topic to cover but I'll do my best...
Before school every morning, my host mother cooks breakfast. I always have a glass of cold milk, sometimes with chocolate power in it. There are several things we most commonly eat for breakfast: toast and apples, corn flakes (one of the only cold cereals you can get here), oatmeal, we also have a traditional Indian breakfast that's very popular in this area of the country called pooha. Pooha is a rice-like grain that is cooked with seasoning and potatoes, it's a little heavier than what you would normally eat for breakfast in the U.S. but still very tasty. Sometimes pooha is also served with jelebie, a sweet.
If I don't have school and I'm up by 8ish, when my host parents have tea then I join them for some chai and "biscuits" (almost like cookies but not so sweet.)
I'm not going to lie and say I love any of the school food...
After second period we have snack which can consist of many things, there is always something to drink, luke-warm milk with flavoring, very strong juice, luke-warm tomato soup, or another milk dish with noodle type things in them. Then to eat there's chinese noodles, pasta, bread and jam or a potato based filling, and sometimes other traditional snacks that I don't know the name of...
I prefer the lunch to snack but I still usually eat very little. With both meals at school, you have to always eat everything that's on the plate at your place plus, if there's something not already on your plate when you arrive, you have to take some of that. One of the problems with the school food is that they have to dish out hundreds of plates of food before the bell is rung for lunch so when we take our seats, the food is far from being warm. I've learned a lot of the tricks from my classmates about how to avoid eating food you dislike but it's not always possible.
Lunch is always daal (sort of like a soup...) or something similar (I don't really know what qualifies as daal and not daal), "subsie" (not spelled right) which basically means vegetables and can be anything but at school it usually mostly potato, and rice or roti ( a flat bread). As a side note, I've noticed that here, potato is considered a vegetable and the main on at that, but at home, it's a starch and not on the same nutrition level as vegetables.
As I said, I usually have the minimal amount possible during the school lunch, so does Shruti (my host sister). When we get home, we are served a real lunch. I usually have roti, daal, and subsie. In some ways, it sounds similar to what is served at school except that the roti is made fresh and is still warm, at is the rest of the food, and the flavoring is much better. Roti, chapati, parata, are some of the many, very similar flat breads that are eaten at meals.
Dinner is eaten anytime between 7 and 10 depending on the day and when people are hungry. Again, we eat more roti or rice and vegetables as well as some kind of daal. The portions are bigger though. I sometimes have curd with the vegetable too or with a little sugar added after dinner.
The food I eat on a regular basis is different from all of the traditional dishes of which I don't know most of their names. In the house, we eat those dishes on some festivals or when at a party. After meals, many people like to have breath fresheners which is usually fennel, or other natural digestion aids.
My favorite vegetable is lady finger's which several of the other exchange students don't like but I do. My favorite dish so far, it a paneer dish that Shruti makes. Paneer is made from the milk that curdles when you add lemon and then compressed. Like tofu, it tends to take on a little of the flavor of whatever you cook it in. Speaking of tofu, I have eaten meat only twice since being here. Both times is was the same chicken dish at the same restaurant. It's advised not to eat fish anywhere except for in the coast and most other meat except for mutton are against a religion. Muslims don'r eat pork meat and Hindus are either vegetarian or don't eat any beef. The vegetarianism also translates to egg so many baked goods don't have egg. Ritu Grover, the coordinator eats chicken and egg, so I've had eggs for breakfast when staying at her house. The no egg diet makes it hard for me because I want to cook my host family something American but I have a hard time thinking of something I can cook that had not meat or egg and I can find all the ingredients here.
One of the common questions I get is "Veg or non-veg." When I tell people I'm non-veg at home, they all want to know what kind of meat I like best.
I honestly don't really miss meat and I'm trying to decide if I want to go back to eating it when I get home. I might also just cut out red meat.
Occasionally, I eat pizza, pastas, ice cream, and McDonald's food (vegetarian McDonald's). Usually I only eat these if I'm out with friends, traveling, or it's a special occasion like a birthday party.
It took me a little bit to get used to eating with my hands. The most difficult, it learning how to eat liquidy foods with a piece of roti. When eating utensils are used, it is usually a spoon. In fact, they give us both a spoon and fork when we have rice at school, but my friends told me that the fork is supposed to only be used to help push the food onto the spoon.
A person should always eat with their right hand and handle the serving utensils with their left if they have to. You always should wash your hands after eating with them and wash them before handling anything in the kitchen. My host mother insists in seeing everyone fed or served before she'll sit down to her own dinner which means that her meal times are extremely dependent on the family.
Indian table manners would NOT cut it in the U.S. besides eating with hands, people snort, cough, burp, fart, whatever at the table, at least in the house, in public it's not so bad. However, no matter where you are, some people eat REALLY loudly with their mouths wide open, talking, chewing as loudly as possible, slurping, and smacking their lips. Unfortunately, my obsessive pet peeve is people chewing loudly but I swear after having to live through a year of this in India I will NEVER complain about someone chewing loudly again. Some people I can barely stand to be in the room with when eating and have to leave as soon as possible to keep from loosing it...
The food in India is AMAZING, as I hoped it would be. Sometimes it can get really spicy but I'm getting more used to it and my host family doesn't really eat super spicy food anyways. All food though, is very flavorful whether it be salty, spicy, sweet, or any of the other hundreds of seasonings that there are.
Before school every morning, my host mother cooks breakfast. I always have a glass of cold milk, sometimes with chocolate power in it. There are several things we most commonly eat for breakfast: toast and apples, corn flakes (one of the only cold cereals you can get here), oatmeal, we also have a traditional Indian breakfast that's very popular in this area of the country called pooha. Pooha is a rice-like grain that is cooked with seasoning and potatoes, it's a little heavier than what you would normally eat for breakfast in the U.S. but still very tasty. Sometimes pooha is also served with jelebie, a sweet.
If I don't have school and I'm up by 8ish, when my host parents have tea then I join them for some chai and "biscuits" (almost like cookies but not so sweet.)
I'm not going to lie and say I love any of the school food...
After second period we have snack which can consist of many things, there is always something to drink, luke-warm milk with flavoring, very strong juice, luke-warm tomato soup, or another milk dish with noodle type things in them. Then to eat there's chinese noodles, pasta, bread and jam or a potato based filling, and sometimes other traditional snacks that I don't know the name of...
I prefer the lunch to snack but I still usually eat very little. With both meals at school, you have to always eat everything that's on the plate at your place plus, if there's something not already on your plate when you arrive, you have to take some of that. One of the problems with the school food is that they have to dish out hundreds of plates of food before the bell is rung for lunch so when we take our seats, the food is far from being warm. I've learned a lot of the tricks from my classmates about how to avoid eating food you dislike but it's not always possible.
Lunch is always daal (sort of like a soup...) or something similar (I don't really know what qualifies as daal and not daal), "subsie" (not spelled right) which basically means vegetables and can be anything but at school it usually mostly potato, and rice or roti ( a flat bread). As a side note, I've noticed that here, potato is considered a vegetable and the main on at that, but at home, it's a starch and not on the same nutrition level as vegetables.
As I said, I usually have the minimal amount possible during the school lunch, so does Shruti (my host sister). When we get home, we are served a real lunch. I usually have roti, daal, and subsie. In some ways, it sounds similar to what is served at school except that the roti is made fresh and is still warm, at is the rest of the food, and the flavoring is much better. Roti, chapati, parata, are some of the many, very similar flat breads that are eaten at meals.
Dinner is eaten anytime between 7 and 10 depending on the day and when people are hungry. Again, we eat more roti or rice and vegetables as well as some kind of daal. The portions are bigger though. I sometimes have curd with the vegetable too or with a little sugar added after dinner.
The food I eat on a regular basis is different from all of the traditional dishes of which I don't know most of their names. In the house, we eat those dishes on some festivals or when at a party. After meals, many people like to have breath fresheners which is usually fennel, or other natural digestion aids.
My favorite vegetable is lady finger's which several of the other exchange students don't like but I do. My favorite dish so far, it a paneer dish that Shruti makes. Paneer is made from the milk that curdles when you add lemon and then compressed. Like tofu, it tends to take on a little of the flavor of whatever you cook it in. Speaking of tofu, I have eaten meat only twice since being here. Both times is was the same chicken dish at the same restaurant. It's advised not to eat fish anywhere except for in the coast and most other meat except for mutton are against a religion. Muslims don'r eat pork meat and Hindus are either vegetarian or don't eat any beef. The vegetarianism also translates to egg so many baked goods don't have egg. Ritu Grover, the coordinator eats chicken and egg, so I've had eggs for breakfast when staying at her house. The no egg diet makes it hard for me because I want to cook my host family something American but I have a hard time thinking of something I can cook that had not meat or egg and I can find all the ingredients here.
One of the common questions I get is "Veg or non-veg." When I tell people I'm non-veg at home, they all want to know what kind of meat I like best.
I honestly don't really miss meat and I'm trying to decide if I want to go back to eating it when I get home. I might also just cut out red meat.
Occasionally, I eat pizza, pastas, ice cream, and McDonald's food (vegetarian McDonald's). Usually I only eat these if I'm out with friends, traveling, or it's a special occasion like a birthday party.
It took me a little bit to get used to eating with my hands. The most difficult, it learning how to eat liquidy foods with a piece of roti. When eating utensils are used, it is usually a spoon. In fact, they give us both a spoon and fork when we have rice at school, but my friends told me that the fork is supposed to only be used to help push the food onto the spoon.
A person should always eat with their right hand and handle the serving utensils with their left if they have to. You always should wash your hands after eating with them and wash them before handling anything in the kitchen. My host mother insists in seeing everyone fed or served before she'll sit down to her own dinner which means that her meal times are extremely dependent on the family.
Indian table manners would NOT cut it in the U.S. besides eating with hands, people snort, cough, burp, fart, whatever at the table, at least in the house, in public it's not so bad. However, no matter where you are, some people eat REALLY loudly with their mouths wide open, talking, chewing as loudly as possible, slurping, and smacking their lips. Unfortunately, my obsessive pet peeve is people chewing loudly but I swear after having to live through a year of this in India I will NEVER complain about someone chewing loudly again. Some people I can barely stand to be in the room with when eating and have to leave as soon as possible to keep from loosing it...
The food in India is AMAZING, as I hoped it would be. Sometimes it can get really spicy but I'm getting more used to it and my host family doesn't really eat super spicy food anyways. All food though, is very flavorful whether it be salty, spicy, sweet, or any of the other hundreds of seasonings that there are.
Wednesday, October 27
One More Festival
Yesterday was another festival. This one is only celebrated by married women, it's especially popular in the Punjabi caste. All of the married women at school were wearing nice saris and many of the had mehendi (henna) on their hands. Wives fasted all day yesterday and in the evening they did pooja and prayed for their husband's health, happiness, longevity, prosperity, and faithfulness. At one of the hotels in town, thousands of women got together and spent two hours praying. When the moon was out and clearly visible, a ceremony was preformed. For the ceremony, you have to face a certain direction even if it means standing in the street. After that, they could have dinner. Some people have really big family gatherings at night.
Shruti and I went to visit her old apartment building for dinner. We saw their old apartment and then had dinner with the couple across the hall. Shruti grew up with them living across the hall and she would go across and visit them as soon as she could walk, they are like her second parents. They were really nice and the wife was so excited to meet me.
Yesterday, on the bus, I talked to a kid on the school bus who asked me what country I was from. When I I told him I was from the U.S. he told me his sister went to college there, at a school in a really small school on the Canadian border called Dartmouth. I told him that was basically where I lived. The other younger kids on the bus were confused because they thought I was from Boston since when I explain where I'm from, I usually say "My state is Vermont, it's sort of near Boston." I wish I had a map of America that I could carry around in my pocket to show people where I'm actually from. I could also show people where other places they ask about are in relation to where I live. Some people assume that places like California are near to me even though I try to explain that I'm all the way on the other coast and that the Canada border it REALLY long, all the way across the top of the country.
Shruti and I went to visit her old apartment building for dinner. We saw their old apartment and then had dinner with the couple across the hall. Shruti grew up with them living across the hall and she would go across and visit them as soon as she could walk, they are like her second parents. They were really nice and the wife was so excited to meet me.
Yesterday, on the bus, I talked to a kid on the school bus who asked me what country I was from. When I I told him I was from the U.S. he told me his sister went to college there, at a school in a really small school on the Canadian border called Dartmouth. I told him that was basically where I lived. The other younger kids on the bus were confused because they thought I was from Boston since when I explain where I'm from, I usually say "My state is Vermont, it's sort of near Boston." I wish I had a map of America that I could carry around in my pocket to show people where I'm actually from. I could also show people where other places they ask about are in relation to where I live. Some people assume that places like California are near to me even though I try to explain that I'm all the way on the other coast and that the Canada border it REALLY long, all the way across the top of the country.
Monday, October 25
Rotary, Rotary, Rotary
This weekend was very busy. Saturday after school, we went to one last garba. It was a big celebration for all of the Rotary clubs in the city. An even t like this really gives you a perspective for the size of the Rotary community in the city. There were vendors, food, dress contests, female club members and the wives of club members from each club had prepared dances and competed. There was also open garba when everyone got a chance to dance. The night lasted very late but was very fun!
Sunday, was the official District Governor's visit to my the club that my host father it president of. We had her and a few other important people over for breakfast where Shruti, Lata, and I severed and ate separately. We didn't interact with the Rotarians much until the evening when we went to the District Governor meeting. Many Rotarians were there and again, the evening went very late, almost later than the dance. It was a very busy weekend but I had a fun especially because I got to dress up in Indian clothes all weekend. I wore a sari on Saturday and Sunday night I wore one of my salwar suits.
I have school all six days this week but it's the last week before Diwali break which I am really looking forward to. It's supposed to be a very big festival.
Sunday, was the official District Governor's visit to my the club that my host father it president of. We had her and a few other important people over for breakfast where Shruti, Lata, and I severed and ate separately. We didn't interact with the Rotarians much until the evening when we went to the District Governor meeting. Many Rotarians were there and again, the evening went very late, almost later than the dance. It was a very busy weekend but I had a fun especially because I got to dress up in Indian clothes all weekend. I wore a sari on Saturday and Sunday night I wore one of my salwar suits.
I have school all six days this week but it's the last week before Diwali break which I am really looking forward to. It's supposed to be a very big festival.
Thursday, October 21
Clothing
India is such a beautiful and vibrant country. The people have an ancient and colorful culture which is, perhaps, most obviously displayed through clothing.
Traditional Indian clothing varies from greatly across the country but almost everywhere, you'll find people wearing vibrant colors. On the streets of Indore, the city where I live, one will always find a medley of both the colorful "traditionals" and "westerns." On the most part, the grown and married women wear saris, kurtis, or salwar suits. From what I've seen, younger women and girls tend to lean towards wearing "westerns" but there are still many younger people who wear the traditional clothing as well. Jeans and t-shirts are very common, so is a combination of traditional and western, jeans with a short kurti on top. Most of my friends and host sisters have told me they much prefer westerns. One of my past host sister's looked at me like I was crazy when I said I wanted to buy lots of traditionals. When girls wear westerns they aren't like those that we wear at home, pants or skirts should be a respectable length (skirts usually go only a little above the knee at the shortest) and shirts usually don't show shoulders or too much chest. During festivals, you see many more girls in traditionals, especially when there is a major public event involved. The only time I've seen a girl wearing shorts is around the hose and even then, the shorts are fairly long by our standards.
For things like birthday parties, girls often dress up in "one pieces" (dresses) it doesn't seen so common for a casual dress to be worn during the day.
Most men and boys seem to wear westerns more than traditionals. It's certainly more common, on the street to see males in pants and t-shirts or button downs. I have seen many, many playboy t-shirts on young men too. Most of the men I've met who wear traditonals regularly are much older, in both of my host families the grandfathers wear traditionals on a regular basis. Again, during special events of major holidays, you'll see many more men wearing kurtis or other traditionals but the percentage is still lower than the women wearing them.
Clothing to school is a totally different story, forget lots of bright colors. All schools below college have uniforms. At my school, we have jeans and a white polo t-shirt for boys and girls can wear that or a denim top and white bottom salwar suit. Other schools vary, at some the boys have to wear slacks and button downs and ties. Girl's uniforms differ more, there are salwar suits, pleated skirts and blouses, pleated dresses and blouses, and sometimes for younger girls a sailor style dress. On the way to school in the morning, I try to memorize which school has which uniforms because once you know that, you can tell what school anyone goes to. Schools also have very specific rule like, girls have to have their hair up preferably in braids, no nail polish, no dangle earring, no jewelry etc.
Traditional clothing is my favorite. For the nine days festival, I got to wear and see some spectacular patterns and clothing! The jewelry isn't so bad either....
People ask me what traditional clothes in the US look like and I usually say that we don't have them. I guess I could describe native american clothing, or colonial clothing but that's not the same. I am almost jealous of these people who still wear the same style clothing that they have been wearing for hundreds of years. I wish we had a cultural heritage that old that was still so alive. Plus the clothing here is just gorgeous.
The pictures I'm adding are what I could find in way of examples for the clothing. Some of the pictures might be ones I've used before, there are also probably good examples of traditional wear in other posts too.
Traditional Indian clothing varies from greatly across the country but almost everywhere, you'll find people wearing vibrant colors. On the streets of Indore, the city where I live, one will always find a medley of both the colorful "traditionals" and "westerns." On the most part, the grown and married women wear saris, kurtis, or salwar suits. From what I've seen, younger women and girls tend to lean towards wearing "westerns" but there are still many younger people who wear the traditional clothing as well. Jeans and t-shirts are very common, so is a combination of traditional and western, jeans with a short kurti on top. Most of my friends and host sisters have told me they much prefer westerns. One of my past host sister's looked at me like I was crazy when I said I wanted to buy lots of traditionals. When girls wear westerns they aren't like those that we wear at home, pants or skirts should be a respectable length (skirts usually go only a little above the knee at the shortest) and shirts usually don't show shoulders or too much chest. During festivals, you see many more girls in traditionals, especially when there is a major public event involved. The only time I've seen a girl wearing shorts is around the hose and even then, the shorts are fairly long by our standards.
For things like birthday parties, girls often dress up in "one pieces" (dresses) it doesn't seen so common for a casual dress to be worn during the day.
Most men and boys seem to wear westerns more than traditionals. It's certainly more common, on the street to see males in pants and t-shirts or button downs. I have seen many, many playboy t-shirts on young men too. Most of the men I've met who wear traditonals regularly are much older, in both of my host families the grandfathers wear traditionals on a regular basis. Again, during special events of major holidays, you'll see many more men wearing kurtis or other traditionals but the percentage is still lower than the women wearing them.
Clothing to school is a totally different story, forget lots of bright colors. All schools below college have uniforms. At my school, we have jeans and a white polo t-shirt for boys and girls can wear that or a denim top and white bottom salwar suit. Other schools vary, at some the boys have to wear slacks and button downs and ties. Girl's uniforms differ more, there are salwar suits, pleated skirts and blouses, pleated dresses and blouses, and sometimes for younger girls a sailor style dress. On the way to school in the morning, I try to memorize which school has which uniforms because once you know that, you can tell what school anyone goes to. Schools also have very specific rule like, girls have to have their hair up preferably in braids, no nail polish, no dangle earring, no jewelry etc.
Traditional clothing is my favorite. For the nine days festival, I got to wear and see some spectacular patterns and clothing! The jewelry isn't so bad either....
People ask me what traditional clothes in the US look like and I usually say that we don't have them. I guess I could describe native american clothing, or colonial clothing but that's not the same. I am almost jealous of these people who still wear the same style clothing that they have been wearing for hundreds of years. I wish we had a cultural heritage that old that was still so alive. Plus the clothing here is just gorgeous.
The pictures I'm adding are what I could find in way of examples for the clothing. Some of the pictures might be ones I've used before, there are also probably good examples of traditional wear in other posts too.
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| At the garba on the night of Sebastian's birthday. Jordan (left) is wearing his kurti with jeans. I'm wearing a sari. Sebastian is wearing his "kurti pajamas," a traditional way for men to wear kurtis (the exchange student boys have a hard time getting used to wearing the close fitting pants). Hannah (right) is wearing lehenga. |
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| Very often, women wear traditional clothing out while men tend to wear western clothes. |
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| This night I was wearing lehenga and the others in this picture are all wearing saris. |
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| One of my kurtis. A kurti is usually worn with leggings or jeans and a scarf called a "stole" or "dupatta." |
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| This night I was wearing a salwar suit which is a kurti top with loose baggy pants and a scarf. The salwars are probably the most comfortable pants I have ever worn! |
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| Sebastian's birthday. My host sister was wearing a sari. A sari has three parts: a blouse which can be long or short and the sleeve sizes vary, a plane colored petty-coat skirt on the bottom, and then a very big piece of cloth that is wrapped around and tuck into the skirt and the draped of the shoulder. A lehenga also has three parts: a blouse the same as with a sari, a long skirt that is patterned and usually matches the blouse, and a piece of fabric smaller than with a sari that is tucked in a little to the skirt draped of the opposite side shoulder and then pinned in front. In the first picture, you can see how Hannah's lehenga is set up. |
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| We are each wearing a different style of traditional dress. |
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| The baggy pants of a salwar suit are VERY comfortable! |
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| An example of a school uniform, this was a school in Bhopal. |
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| Another traditional outfit for men here modeled by this little boy. |
Monday, October 18
Happy Dussehra
The night after Sebastian's birthday, there wasn’t dance but instead, a group of singers came and preformed and people danced to the music a little. For dinner, we went to the India equivalent of a baby shower. It was a HUGE function held in honor of a newborn baby boy. The mother and father sat on a stage receiving gifts and congratulations while a sister took care of the baby. There were hundreds of people there and it was a big, grand catered event. We wore our traditional clothing.
After that we stopped by the dance area and listened to a few songs. A few of my friends were there and we danced some. There were hundred of marigolds that people grabbed handfuls of and pulled the petals off then through in the air or at people while they were dancing. I also received large handfuls thrown into my hair upon arrival (teach the foreigner the traditions the hard way... : )...). It was very cool to step back and see the group of people dancing in a storm of yellow rain. It was another one of those instances that I wished I’d had my camera.
Friday was the last night of dance so it went pretty late. The little kids got all dressed up and did a costumed contest, there were also some small skits or songs to go with some of the contuses. The kids dressed up as everything from and ping-pong player and Beckham to Kishna and Rama.
Saturday after school we were able to just relax. Shruti had some friends over. There was a ceremony and some unofficial dancing but we didn't go. I could see and hear the music out my room window until late at night.
Saturday was the last day of Navaratri but Sunday was a whole new festival. Last night we celebrated Dussehra which is a holiday when evil is dispelled by the burning of idols of the ten headed devil, Ravana. All of the city both small and massive statues were built and burned all over the city and fireworks are were set off all evening. We went to see a massive one burnt down, it was in an area where thousands of people gathered. They started with fireworks and sparklers sort of sporadically set off. Approaching the climax though, the fireworks became more of a show worthy of the Fourth of July. The major event was the lighting of the idol. It was lit by a firework shot into it’s stomach and a few sparklers in it’s feet. The materials soon caught on fire and as the idol began to burn, hundreds more fireworks hidden inside the construction were set off. Seconds after it was lit, we could feel the heat from where we were, sitting on the roof of a third floor building way across the street. The construction it's self was probably taller than the building we were on. It was spectacular, really loud, and pretty awe-inspiring. In the neck of the giant Ravana there was a whole, huge box of fireworks which took several minutes to finish off.
Today (Monday) was a state holiday but my school decided to have a working day instead. We were one of the only schools to be in session today. On the way to school, I saw only one other school's bus when we usually see dozens of different schools picking up their students.
Just adding a note that I was mis-informed, the festival that ended on Saturday was not Diwali, someone had told me it was (I'm not saying who) so I wrote it wrongly on here. The festivals that just happened were only a taste of what Diwali (one of the most popular Hindu festivals) will be like.
Wednesday, October 13
Dance Pictures
Last night before going to dance we had a bunch of people over for dinner. They were all Rotary or exchange related people. It was Sebastian, from Colombia's birthday so we had a cake and passed around chocolate. We were taught some of the birthday traditions that I had not known. For example, you should always try to leave one candle burning because that represents your life. They also taught us the extra verses to "Happy Birthday." We learned the proper way to cut and feed others the cakes.
We all went over to the dance area and Hannah and I danced while the boys watched. We were all in traditional clothing and people took lots of pictures with us. When open garba came, the boys were very hesitant to dace but they did anyways. I had a great night last night but again, it was very late.
Tonight's dance is just open garba all night so I my host mother says I should not go so I can give my ankle a rest. We may go for a little bit because there will be some singing and so we can socialize.
We all went over to the dance area and Hannah and I danced while the boys watched. We were all in traditional clothing and people took lots of pictures with us. When open garba came, the boys were very hesitant to dace but they did anyways. I had a great night last night but again, it was very late.
Tonight's dance is just open garba all night so I my host mother says I should not go so I can give my ankle a rest. We may go for a little bit because there will be some singing and so we can socialize.
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| The "diya" dance with the small ceramic candles (the ones I'm using are electric). I'm in the center and my host sister is just behind me. |
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| My friend Shweta with her "dundee," the sticks we use for the garba dances. |
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| My host sister and I in the center of the hard packed dance area. |
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| My host mother, Lata, and sister, Shruti. |
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| My friend, Deepa, receiving her prize for that evening's "Best Dance Style." She's a very good dancer. |
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| My friend, the old woman who is really everyone's friends. She comes every night to the practices and actual dances but rarely daces. She helped me fix my sari one night and is always ready with a smile. |
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| Again, not very good at taking my own picture. This is as I was getting ready last night. |
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| Several of my friends preformed a special dance last night, They had to dance with those pots on their heads which was no easy feat (I tried one time). They were all really nervous but did super well. |
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| This is a picture of me dancing that Sebastian took last night. |
Monday, October 11
Dancing Fever!
I love dancing! We’re out until after 11 every night and it’s going to keep getting later every night as the festival progresses. All the late nights make for some difficult school mornings but it’s totally worth it! Tonight will be the fourth night of Diwali.
Each night, we’ve dressed up and saris or lehenga, lots of jewelry, and do our hair. I wear borrowed clothes from my host family. Unfortunately, I have to wear the same top every night because it’s the only one of theirs that fits my chest. Indian women, in general tend to be smaller busted.
A little after 8:30, the ceremony opens with chanting, singing and prayers in front of the idol and shrine set up on a little stage. The actual praying starts hours before the dancing, we can hear it amplified on speakers from our house.
To open the ceremony, everyone takes turns doing pooja which is taking this plate of candles, incense, and other things and moving it in a circle in front of the idol (I feel like I’m not explaining it well, it’s difficult without the correct terms). Then, after announcements we dance.
People of all ages come to watch and participate.
To open the ceremony, everyone takes turns doing pooja which is taking this plate of candles, incense, and other things and moving it in a circle in front of the idol (I feel like I’m not explaining it well, it’s difficult without the correct terms). Then, after announcements we dance.
People of all ages come to watch and participate.
Each night we do several of the choreographed dances. There is also best dancer of the night and best dresser contests. Last night, I won the best dancer award. I think, mostly because I’m a foreigner and they are really excited to have someone who wants to learn the traditional dances from them, and they were just being nice. Some little kids also do pop dances as solos or in pairs that they have put together themselves. They’re pretty good and really fun to watch.
Saturday was my friend’s birthday. She’s one of the best dancers in the group and is also has assisted in teaching and putting together all the dances we do. She was really dressed up and preformed an incredible solo dance. Some of the older women waved money over her head as a blessing. One of them was this one really old woman who comes to every practice and night, she’s really sweet. She danced a little with the birthday girl. On birthdays, it’s customary to shake hands with the person whose birthday it is rather than give them a hug or something (I’ve noticed that hugging is not as common as at home.) Shaking hand is very common, usually as a congratulations.
My favorite part of the night always comes at the very end when we have open garba and everyone dances in smaller groups and comes up with steps as they go. My friends help me follow their moves. It’s difficult because I’ve never even really seen some of these dances while these girls have grown up watching and dancing them. It's still a lot of fun, even though we're all very tired by the end of the night, the energy is very high. Last night, some of the boys (mostly middle school aged) decided to copy the girls moves, during open garba (it was very entertaining.)
This festival has been beneficial in so many ways for me. Not only have a learned some traditional dances, but it's all been in Hindi which was helped my language comprehension a lot (many of the women don't speak much English either), I have gotten to know the women and other girls in the neighborhood and made some friends. Plus, it's lots of fun and I always sleep well at night!
This festival has been beneficial in so many ways for me. Not only have a learned some traditional dances, but it's all been in Hindi which was helped my language comprehension a lot (many of the women don't speak much English either), I have gotten to know the women and other girls in the neighborhood and made some friends. Plus, it's lots of fun and I always sleep well at night!
Anyone who even slightly enjoys dancing would love this festival, I wish it lasted longer than just nine days!
Saturday, October 9
HAPPY NAVARATRI!
Today (Friday) is the first day of Navaratri, which means "nine day festival" which is exactly what it is. During the next nine days we will go to the dance area set up in the middle of the colony dressed up in traditional clothing and dance at 8 o’clock until sometime around 11. Tonight, all the dancers are wearing red sarees. I have a borrowed one from my host family. My host mother helped me put it on. There is lots of wrapping and folding and pinning involved. I’m also wearing some very nice looking faux jewels and red and gold bangles.
Hopefully I’ll be able to do all the dances but on Wednesday, during basketball, I twisted my ankle really badly. I have weak ankles so it’s not that big of a deal for me but everyone else was really worried. My mom made me stay home from school yesterday because she didn’t want me hobbling around the school. That also means, of course that I had to miss dance practice yesterday and the day before. I also couldn’t go to a friend’s birthday party on Wednesday.
Back to Diwali... during the festival the house is also cleaned and decorative oil lamps are put out to lead Rama home. I don’t know every detail of the traditions and I think many of them are no longer followed in today’s modern society. But I have noticed that, as according to tradition, firecrackers are a very important and popular part of the festival. At some point, it is traditional for brothers to go visit their sisters and follow some kind of ceremony there. I have heard that giving out sweets are is also very popular. I read too that Diwali is often that start of a new financial year for businesses. My last host mother told me that the time to go shopping is always during festivals because that’s when people have their sales.
I will try to take many pictures tonight and in the following days.
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| My host sister, Shruti, and I ready for dancing! |
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| Posing to show off our saris. The color theme was red. |
Monday, October 4
Movies Create Stereotypes
Just had my first day back at school after a four day weekend...
The four day weekend was unexpected but a nice surprise. Schools and other public places all over the state were closed on Thursday because of a decision the court was making. It was a precautionary measure in order to keep peace between religions. Nothing happened at all but people were mostly out of the streets by 2 and it was an unusually quiet night. There's been a dispute of a place where a mosque is built. It is also the supposed birth place of a Hindu god. Thousands of years ago there was a Hindu temple there at one point it was replaced with a mosque by Muslim invaders. For an extremely long time, the Islamic population had been worshiping there. Hindu's have been demanding that they be able to put a temple there now as it's maybe the birth place of a god and they were there first. The court decided on Thursday who the land belonged to and who could worship there. The decision was supposed to be made a week previously but the decision was postponed to this past week. Saturday was also the holiday celebrating Gandhi so there was no school then.
I've been reading the international page in the paper everyday to see what is said about the US and other countries. Almost articles directly about the US are from the Washington Post. There was one the other day though from Islamabad reporting on American interaction there. It's also interesting to see what is reported on, which of the Washington Post's articles are used. I have a feeling that they use any international article they can that involves India. Right now though, the news is mostly filled up with the Commonwealth Games which are taking place here. It's a really big deal and most of every section of the paper has something about them.
Saturday night my host father took my host mother and I to the movies. We saw Anjaana Anjaani which was about a man and a woman living in New York City during the stock market crash. The movie starts with them meeting as they both attempt to commit suicide (the man had worked for an insurance agency). The rest of their movie is their adventures together. They also travel to San Francisco and Las Vegas. Though the duo is Indian and the movie has in Hindi it was easy to tell where the Indian idea of Americans come from (the other day when show my friend, Hannah, and I a VERY small and backless top that's meant to be worm over another shirt my host mom said, "But in America they were stuff like this without anything under it all the time" I laughed and explained that, no we don't actually dress like that her response was that everyone thinks that's the way Americans dress though). From the red necks to the club goers the movie had many extreme stereo types of America. According to the movie, we wear skimpy clothes, party a lot, have very little family values, and can be very crude. Very much like the Hollywood depiction of Americans actually. It was cool to watch the movie and say "I've been there!" when looking at the Golden Gate and all the buildings in Vegas. It was a very fun movie but I don't think my host father was too impresses. My host sister liked it though.
On the way home my host father said, "That's not what the US is like at all is it?" and we had discussion about the Indian perceptions on America but the truths in the movie as well. For example, it's not that we don't have family values it's just that we express them in a different way than the people here. For example, when we get married or leave home for school and work we don't stay as close to home as possible.
It was really interesting to see the Indian version of NYC though.
The four day weekend was unexpected but a nice surprise. Schools and other public places all over the state were closed on Thursday because of a decision the court was making. It was a precautionary measure in order to keep peace between religions. Nothing happened at all but people were mostly out of the streets by 2 and it was an unusually quiet night. There's been a dispute of a place where a mosque is built. It is also the supposed birth place of a Hindu god. Thousands of years ago there was a Hindu temple there at one point it was replaced with a mosque by Muslim invaders. For an extremely long time, the Islamic population had been worshiping there. Hindu's have been demanding that they be able to put a temple there now as it's maybe the birth place of a god and they were there first. The court decided on Thursday who the land belonged to and who could worship there. The decision was supposed to be made a week previously but the decision was postponed to this past week. Saturday was also the holiday celebrating Gandhi so there was no school then.
I've been reading the international page in the paper everyday to see what is said about the US and other countries. Almost articles directly about the US are from the Washington Post. There was one the other day though from Islamabad reporting on American interaction there. It's also interesting to see what is reported on, which of the Washington Post's articles are used. I have a feeling that they use any international article they can that involves India. Right now though, the news is mostly filled up with the Commonwealth Games which are taking place here. It's a really big deal and most of every section of the paper has something about them.
Saturday night my host father took my host mother and I to the movies. We saw Anjaana Anjaani which was about a man and a woman living in New York City during the stock market crash. The movie starts with them meeting as they both attempt to commit suicide (the man had worked for an insurance agency). The rest of their movie is their adventures together. They also travel to San Francisco and Las Vegas. Though the duo is Indian and the movie has in Hindi it was easy to tell where the Indian idea of Americans come from (the other day when show my friend, Hannah, and I a VERY small and backless top that's meant to be worm over another shirt my host mom said, "But in America they were stuff like this without anything under it all the time" I laughed and explained that, no we don't actually dress like that her response was that everyone thinks that's the way Americans dress though). From the red necks to the club goers the movie had many extreme stereo types of America. According to the movie, we wear skimpy clothes, party a lot, have very little family values, and can be very crude. Very much like the Hollywood depiction of Americans actually. It was cool to watch the movie and say "I've been there!" when looking at the Golden Gate and all the buildings in Vegas. It was a very fun movie but I don't think my host father was too impresses. My host sister liked it though.
On the way home my host father said, "That's not what the US is like at all is it?" and we had discussion about the Indian perceptions on America but the truths in the movie as well. For example, it's not that we don't have family values it's just that we express them in a different way than the people here. For example, when we get married or leave home for school and work we don't stay as close to home as possible.
It was really interesting to see the Indian version of NYC though.
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