Danielka Briceño '07
ACM India Studies - Pune, India
dbriceno@monm.edu
Miami, FL

October 23, 2006

Here is wrap up of all the places that I have been to so far and there is much more to come!

Himachal Pradesh

~~Kullu (Oct 7-8):
Sam and I were just there for one night and half a day. We just went to see the Dussehra Festival. Kullu is a tiny town that is between mountains and there are even smaller villages on them. It was very beautiful at night because it was really dark and all that you see are the lights from these small villages. It was amazing with a full moon. Our guesthouse was by the river so on the rooftop you can see the moonlight glisten over the water.

The Festival brings the town even more alive. There were so many people there! Many people from different parts of India come to see and celebrate this festival. I actually thought that I saw more diversity in this small town than in a thriving and booming city like Pune. There were people who looked Chinese but don't be mistaken, they are actually from India. People from India can look Chinese, Tibetan, Nepalese, Latino, and much more. This is because India is such a large country that borders many other countries. I was visiting a part of India where people live up in the mountains.

The Dussehra Festival was very nice to see. The people were even dressed differently than the typical saree or shalwar kameez outfits. They wear something that would withstand the cold weather in Kullu. Kullu was very breezy. There was even a fair with rides, many shops, food, candies, desserts, concerts, and dance performances. It was very crowded. It was like circus. Ha-ha.

~~Manali (Oct 8-12):
We took a bus that took 2 hours from Kullu. This bus ride was hilarious because there were people sitting on the roof, sitting on luggage in the front part of the bus. I mean, we were packed like sardines. In India, people try to fill in any empty space in a bus or train. Literally!

So where to begin? Manali is absolutely gorgeous! Samantha and I loved it so much that we decided to stay an extra day. We stayed in Old Manali, where it is much quieter than what we are used to in Pune. There is no loud traffic noise, no crowd, no stench of petroleum gas, and no crazy rickshaw drivers. Manali is very clean and all that you see is nature everywhere!

We went to village area, which is kind of touristy, called Vaishist. Here we saw many tourists and met these nice Israelis. It was nice to talk to someone else who is also traveling in India and to swap stories.

But then we headed past that area to an even smaller village and we walked for about 45 minutes. We were searching for Jogini Waterfall. It was so pretty on the way to the waterfall. We saw some snow peaks on the mountains from a far distance and there was greenery on the valleys. It was too amazing. We slept on a big rock over the many smaller waterfalls and even went in the water barefoot. The water was freezing!

We have also been to Rohtang Pass which I have mentioned before in my first entry. This is the best thing that I saw in Himachal Pradesh: The Himalayas! What is even cooler is that we rode horses on the way up to get an incredible view!

Delhi
~~Delhi (Oct 13-15)
We arrived in Delhi after taking an overnight bus from Manali, which tool about 17 hours. It was very looong! Delhi is actually a pretty clean place. It seemed like an actual city. But that is because much city planning was done to it. Pune, on the other hand, is a place that was not expected to become such a growing urban city. Some people say that Pune is "the next Mumbai".

Here in the capital of India, we saw the Laxmi Narayan Temple (a very modern Hindu temple), the Jama Masjid (a huge mosque), and the Red Fort on the 1st day. Then on Saturday we met up with some friends we met on the train during the beginning of our journey. The girls were Eti and Shikha. We spent the whole day with them and their sister Pinky and their father. It was a great break from actually looking around and being a tourist.

It was nice to spend time with a wonderful family. They took us to see the Qutub Minar Complez, which is like the ruins of a mosque and Islamic architecture. There were tombs in there too. Then the Sharmas took us to the Raj Ghat, where Gandhi's tomb is. It was very pretty because there were gardens that were well-maintained and there were stones with impacting quotes said by Gandhi in many different languages, including Spanish! It was really nice.

Then the Sharmas drove us to their home. It was such a great time. Of course, the Indian hospitality was there. The girls' mother was trying to feed us waaaaay too much! We finally tried "pani puri", a famous dish in Delhi. It is like a small crunchy hollow deep fried bread and then you pour limey spicy green water in the hollow thing and then eat in one quick bite. Ha-ha. It was a little bit different than anything we have tried. I don't think it was that bad but it was definitely not one of my fav's. Sam didn't like it all but then she was also feeling quite sick that day. She had pain in her stomach which is not a very good sign. I myself got sick too that night. It must have been the water.

**What buying train tickets in India is like**
Finally, on our last day, we wanted to book our ticket to Agra. What a mission! We went to the train station and went to the counters. One man sent us to another counter without us saying anything. He sent us to "the only ladies counter". So the lady from the "ladies only counter" tried to shoo us away to another ticket counter because she could not understand English (with an old lady trying to skip us and buying her ticket when we were talking to her). Nobody was willing to help us except the random people who came up to me and Sam, yelling, "Halo halo madam! Want to buy tickets? Come with me! I help you!" But we don't trust anyone who just come up to us like this, especially in Delhi. Usually it is a scam to get you to a private booking office or something where they want to charge you super extra. I don't know.

Sam and I were just frustrated. We went to the Foreign Booking Office and we thought we had it all figured out. But then we reach the ticketer and the man told us that he could not sell us the ticket because we had student visas and not foreign visas. We just left really aggravated. So went back to the first floor with the counters. We went to ask another person one more time, and he actually gave us an answer after 2 hours! We wanted to hug this man because he was the only one who actually gave us an answer. We had to go to a completely different building on that street to purchase our tickets. It's funny because a sign inside the train station says," Our Motto: Service with a Smile, Customer Satisfaction." Yeah, right.

On our final hours in Delhi, we went to see the India Gate, a big war memorial. There were many Indian tourists there too. Then we went to Connaught Place, where there are many shops, restaurants, and vendors in a huge circle. It was really cool. It was very modern-like with a park in the center. We ate at a really nice restaurant and received the best service ever. It was really nice after the train fiasco. We rode
a cyclo-rickshaw on the way back and then boarded our train.

Uttar Pradesh
~~Agra (Oct 15-17)
It took about 4 hours to reach Agra. We met an a guy from Argentina on the train which was really nice for me because he spoke Spanish! He was the first Latino that I met since my time in India. I was so happy! Of course, the three of us are going to Agra to see the famous Taj Mahal.

The next morning after breakfast, Sam and I walked to the entrance. We were actually staying in the Shah Jahn Guesthouse in the Taj Ganj, which is like a 5 minute walk from the Taj. We get there and we were stopped by security because I had a cell phone and a CD player. I had to put my "electronic devices" into the locker storage room. It was really funny but we carried on. Even the way the lady security guard checked me was too awkward. Ha-ha.

We finally enter and we can just see how enormous the Taj is. It was so pretty. I can't even express in words what seeing the Taj Mahal is like. Truly, if anyone goes to India, you have to see this monument. I mean....it is just something that one can not express what it is like. You have to go to experience it yourself. Sam and I stayed inside there the whole day since the entrance fee is 750 rupees (almost $20) and you cant reenter. So we slept on the grass in the garden area (which is also beautiful) and just
watched the people and small animals go by. We even saw monkeys, squirrels, and birds. I wrote some postcards to send home. It was very relaxing.

After dinner at Pizza Hut, Sam went to bed early and I stayed up because I had to figure out bus tickets and a way to see the Taj during sunrise. I actually met the Muslims who run the guesthouse. Their names were Ashu, Adil, Sameer, and Dilshad. We were all talking and they were asking me questions about American culture while I asked about Muslim culture in Agra. It was really enjoyable. My new friend Ashu said that he would take me and Sam to the east side of the Taj and across the river to see it in the sunrise. I was so excited!

The next morning we left at 6am and met up with Ashu. We walked past the east side entrance of the Taj (there were sooo many tourists there!) and then we kept walking. He took us to a path that we would have not known about on our own. When we reached the edge of the river, there were many Hindu families, mainly women and girls, who were praying to their gods. The women bathe in the water monthly as a ritual in hope to get a good husband. Ashu told us that they pray to everything such as trees, water, fire...and he made a comment that Hindus who are educated do not do these things. He says that these people go bathe in the dirty river water. It was funny the way he said it because he said this very casually and the river is really, really dirty (like I would totally not even put my foot in it). It is quite obvious to me that he does not like river bathing ritual but it does not mean that he does not like Hindus. One perception of America that I have noticed is that Muslims do not get along with Hindus in India. This is completely wrong. There are many towns and cities where there are Muslims and Hindus living together such as in Jaisalmer and Agra. I have yet to see any physical conflicts the way the American media perceives about India. If anything, there is conflict in the state of Jammu and Kashmir (which our visas so not allow us to enter) but not in the places that I have been to.

So the three of us rode a boat to cross the river and we watched the sunrise. This was something that I have never ever seen anything like it in my life! I mean...it was soo magnificent! You can see the sun's reflection and the Taj on the river and the way everything looked! Oh my god....I don't even know how to describe it. Even pictures can't explain the beauty of it. As the sun goes up even more, you see from a distance some precious stones shining. We didn't even see these stones when we were inside the complex! It was so amazing! Sam and I took many pictures but still...it is impossible to say what it was like....you must go see it for yourself!
 

October 12, 2006

Namaskaar Everyone!

It's been almost 3 months since I have been living in India. Sometimes I still can not believe that I am actually in India. The first 2 weeks during Orientation was a little hectic because of getting used to the city in Pune, Maharashtra. One of the most obvious things that you would notice about Pune is the people. There are so many people!!! Traffic is always crowded and you can see people walking, driving a scooter, bike, car, or rickshaw (3 wheeled mini-taxis). People also drive on the left side of the road. Road conditions are pretty bad in Pune. Road construction is always being done but there are still lots of potholes everywhere due to the monsoon season. It is October now so monsoon season is over. I definitely got used to carrying a chattri (umbrella) or wearing a rain jacket with me everyday.

I would say that the hardest thing for me to deal with was the language barrier. But then after taking Marathi classes for over 2 months, I feel very comfortable speaking and writing in Marathi. I speak to my family in Marathi and they can actually understand me. Most of the time they are correcting me because they really want me to speak well. Ha ha. But they feel very happy that I try.

After living with my host family, I feel like I am actually Indian. I only eat with my right hand and I sit on the floor. In my house we have no table. We have two bathrooms, one Indian toilet and one Western toilet. I have my own room even though there are only 2 rooms in my flat. There are 9 people (including me!) living in my flat in the suburbs of Pune. I live with my Baba (Father), Aai (Mother), Azoba (Grandfather), Kaka (Uncle or Father's Brother), Kaku (Father's Brother's Wife), Bahin (younger sister) and 2 cousins. My host family is so great! They always make sure that I am well-fed, which is sometimes waaaaay too much.

Hospitality in India is something that is very unique to their culture. If an Indian invites you over to their house, they will FEED you. And I am not talking about small snacks either! Ha ha...so whenever someone invites me over to their home, I make sure not to eat anything before because I know that I will be fed a meal. Indian culture is truly interesting. Family is considered very important. It is a way of life. I am the only one in the program (there are 17 of us American students) who lives with a joined family. That is why my family is sooo huge! But they are so wonderful.

I am actually on my 3 week break since first term is over. My friend Samantha and I are traveling alone around North India. We are in Himachal Pradesh and have been to Kullu and Manali. These towns are so beautiful. Yesterday in Manali we drove a Rohtang Pass, which is the road that leads up to a series of the Himalayas Mountains with snow peaks. It took about 2 hours on a jeep to get there. When we stopped, Samantha, Kislay, Chaman (our Indian friends that we met in Manali), and I rode on horses up to see the view. It was absolutely beautiful! We took many, many pictures. We would stop a couple of times to take more pics.

So now me and Sam are leaving Manali today to Delhi on a bus that takes 15-17 hours. We will reach Delhi tomorrow morning and stay there for 2 nights. We then plan to go to Agra to see the Taj Mahal and then go to Rajasthan to visit many cities. Last stop would Mumbai for 2 nights. I cant wait to meet even more people!

Acha! Ta ta!