Starting Sunday, it's off to Delhi and Varanasi (or Banaras. it has two names) for me. I'll be gone for 10 days. I'm very excited about the trip. Varanasi is especially exciting, because I get to check out where I'll be spending the majority of my independant study month. I found out yesterday that there is a house in Varanasi that exists only for scholars to stay. A room is only a few thousand ruppees a month (about 45 dollars) and has a great cook. The environment should be really nice- very scholarly...
Just to whet your appetite for more pictures (they're coming as soon as I have my camera cord sent to me...), here's one of the whole group stolen from Kiira.

This weekend proved very therapeutic after the rush of the last few weeks. Dr. Storm (or Mary, as we had to call her all weekend) offered for some people to come to her country house, about three hours from Jaipur, for the weekend. Seven of us took advantage of this offer. We left early Saturday morning and got there by mid-morning. The house itself used to be a hunting palace for the maharaja. Mary and Guy (her husband) have a lease from the local maharaja for the house. It's located in a small village, with amazing views of the hills and countryside all around it. The house itself, due to the climate, is a of very open design: four bedrooms around big central areas, all opening onto big porches. The best part of the house, for us, was the beautiful pool. With the almost 100 degree weather and no air conditioning to retreat to, the pool is very appealing. We spent hours in the pool, reading, talking, swimming, basking in the sun and rejoicing in the fact that we weren't completely covered for once in our trip to India. We also went to a tiger reserve about 10 kilometers from the house. It's actually no longer home to any tigers (they were all poached and were declared gone in 2003, I believe), but we did get to see lots of monkeys, deer, antelopes, other antelope-like creatures, birds, and some others. The most exciting points had to be getting attacked by a swarm of people, mostly school children. They surrounded our jeep while we sat in the back and spoke very broken English and asked to shake our hands and have their pictures taken. My favorite comment was from an older man who did most of the talking to us. He told us "Jaipur is a very American city because Abraham Lincoln came here first". I believe he may have been referring to Bill Clinton's visit to Jaipur a few years ago (something Jaipurians are really proud of and talk about a lot), but you never know... On the way back out of the preserve, we also got attacked by a monkey. It jumped into the car, onto the dashboard, and stole food from our driver. It appears to have been set up, from the enjoyment our drivers got from our reaction (we all screamed- JB, who is afraid of monkeys, was the most entertaining). Besides that, we had the chance to eat fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob (with silverware- not our hands!) while drinking wine and cocktails. It was nice to be out of such Indian places for a few days, but also made us all ready to get back to our houses and families.
Next weekend, we're going to Delhi for a few days, then to Varanasi. I'm very excited about the trip- it's going to be a lot of fun and very interesting. I'm also excited to see Varanasi, since it's probably where I'll be spending most of my ISP month for research.
Today was "Sari day" for Laura and I- the first brave students to wear saris to class. It's more comfortable than I thought it would be. My mother put it on me, thankfully. I would have been a disaster at doing it myself. I now want more saris- useful as they'll be in the US... To celebrate our success in the saris, and to treat ourselves to a good night, some of us are going out to dinner- or we're calling it a Kitty party (something Indian women do sometimes- where they go out to eat as a group)- which should be nice. I haven't really done much without my family or professors since I got here. I was told I can be out until 10:00 tonight! It's better than my normal 6:00 curfew.
The high levels of incompetence here still amaze me. Somehow our cell phones are all getting cut off right now because forms weren't properly filed. Despite five people working at a coffee shop, it still takes a long time to get a drink. Stamps and envelopes don't stick at all, even if they're licked properly.
It's still hot as hell and everyone around me is getting sick (I still haven't had any serious problems, thank god...), but everyone is in better spirits. This may be the beginning of Phase 3!

Married Life...

So the honeymoon is over for most of us in our program. We've all, for the most part, hit "phase two" of culture shock (at the typical point in the program, as we're told). This is the point when we're all realizing slowly that we're not just here for a three week vacation. The inconveniences of India are starting to bother us and everyone's a bit on edge. Bugs and heat are a big problem. The monsoon is over, so the heat is rising again- it should get to over 100 for the next few weeks, supposedly. Our houses, beds, and lives in general are full of bugs, from bedbugs (who knew those actually existed?) to fleas (my personal enemy at the moment) to mosquitoes. We're all itchy, tired, and cranky. Schoolwork and the school schedule is also hitting a lot of us hard. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, my days are very long and tiring. I get picked up by my van (with 6 other people) at 6:30 AM to make it to school in time for 7:00 yoga. We then have class straight from 8:30 to 1:00, including three hours of Hindi and an hour and a half lecture. After lunch at the center, I have a folk dance practicum from 3-4, then back to an internet cafe or home to do work.

Phase two (our answer to "how are you feeling?" now) is pretty amusing. Everyone is becoming very sarcastic and funny. We're all a bit touchy and on edge, but the comments on India in general are very amusing. I am ready, however, for phase 3: the acceptance and appreciation of India.

Our class's project we've taken upon ourselves is to write a book that's sure to be a hit. The title is now "Why you hate my rickshaw? Let me count the ways: The Rickshaw Diaries". It's a compilation of our adventures, focusing on those that take place during or related to rickshaw roads. One of the current favorites took place on Monday. Four of us: Molly, Jessica, Caitlin, and I were on our way from class to our practicum. After battling with the rickshaw driver about price and holding an auction between two rickshaws, we got in the cheaper one (smaller, of course, which made the ride in 90-something degree weather much worse, since we were all stuffed in). We drove about two blocks, in the wrong direction, before the driver pulled over and said to us "this is my house- I'll be right back" and left us in his rickshaw while he went inside. He came back and tried to turn on the rickshaw back on, but it wouldn't turn over. His friend came to help, and they opened the engine cover, which released smoke into the air. To fix the engine problem, their obvious first choice was to pick up a rock from the road and beat it. After a few minutes of watching this, we all decided it wasn't worth it to wait for him, so we got out and started walking down the street to find a new rickshaw. Next thing we know, there's a honk behind us, and the driver and his friend pull up next to us in the now-running rickshaw. We stuff ourselves back in and take off. We went in a very strange direction- not the way I always take to that area. Soon, we pull into a crowded gas station. We sat around the station for a while, pulling into various areas, but never getting gas. Finally, we drive away again and eventually make it to our destination much later than we intended.

My homestay family and I have been bonding a lot lately. They like to take me for drives in the afternoon. I guess since there's really not that much "scenic" stuff, we often drive to parking lots and such. My first night, we drove to a mall so they could show me McDonald's and Pizza Hut. Last night, we went to a movie theater parking lot, then to the airport. I'm never quite sure the purpose of these drives, but I play along. I did get in a political debate with my father a few mornings ago. He argued in favor of the Iraq war, while I obviously argued against it. Luckily, the van came to pick me up from school before we got too into it.

I've been planning the trip for my (real) family's visit here in December, which is very exciting. I'm probably going to Pushkar this weekend with a bunch of people, which should be very fun. It'll be nice to get out of the city for a few days.
Despite the negative feelings promised by this phase of my trip, I'm still enjoying myself. People are all developing their own ways to battle the endless stares we get from everyone on the street when we go anywhere. My favorite is to take pictures of them. It completely turns the tables, and they also have no idea how to react. It's fun to watch them.

I'm going to hug the Verizon wireless employees and anyone in a store who doesn't try to sell me everything in their stores when I get home.

This week, our real lives here began. On Tuesday, I moved into my house with my homestay family, and on Thursday, I started classes at our program. Things are all going very well and I am still enjoying my adventures around here.
My family is very sweet. They are an older couple, parents of two girls who have both gotten married and moved out of Jaipur. That explains the appeal of the homestay kids for them- they found an interesting way to battle the empty nest syndrome. The house is a small but comfortable. I have my own room with two twin beds and my own attached bathroom, which is nice. My house is in a more residental part of town which is about 15 minutes away from the program center and the main part of the city. There are eight students in that area, however, and we all share a van that picks us up for school in the morning and takes us home in the afternoon. It's a very cramped ride, but nice to be with people.
My new parents are very devout Hindus, it turns out. On my second night in their house, my mother's sister was having the dedication of a temple to Shiva that her family had constructed on their land, which is call for a large celebration. I went out with my parents, my mother's father, and my mother's aunt. We drove (with me in the middle of the back seat, between two larger Indian women) for an hour out to the country. We took one wrong turn on the way out there, and ended up driving past mud huts and farm land- a real Indian village! There were water buffalos, goats, millet fields, and children all around. The mud huts were just like in movies of long ago.
We got to the shrine when most of the people involved had been there for hours. The ceremony itself involved the women and children bathing the statue inside the temple (the lingum) with 10,000 pours of a mixture of water and milk while chanting the same line with each pour. Meanwhile, a group of men sat outside chanting an entire Hindu scripture (I didn't catch which one), with accompanying hand motions and bowing at certain times. The scene was powerful to watch, with the millet blowing in the wind and hte sun slowly setting.
After the ceremony was finished, the real fun began. The family, an extended group of people of several generations, sat around outside the house and talked. I was a hit with the children who liked to show off their impressive English vocabulary. We ate dinner sitting on the floor off of plates made of leaves, with our hands, as we do in all meals here. After more socializing, we made our way home.

I've been enjoying my classes so far. Hindi is very intense- 3 hours every morning- but I feel like I'll learn a lot from it. The main lecture class is more intensly art history than I was ready for, but Dr. Storm- the director- is an amazing lecturer, so I think I'll enjoy it a lot.

India continues to confuse me at times. While no one seems to care to put any effort into the appearance of the city- the streets are full of trash and dirt, buildings appear to be left half-built, animals scavenge everywhere, and I have yet to find any trash cans in the entire city, they have some beautiful gardens, including a nice rose garden near my house.
Most things go very slow here- I am currently in the process of trying to get a cell phone- so far it's been the most confusing process with the guy helping us leaving often to watch his friends play computer games or talk on his cell phone. I think we're almost there, though. Hopefully I'll be done soon- my mother doesn't want me out past 6:00.

More time in India and the "honeymoon phase" of culture shock continues. We've been getting ourselves adjusted to Jaipur, our program center, and the adventures ahead of us. Everyone involved in the program is very nice. The two academic directors, Mia and Dr. Storm, are both really interesting people. Mia has studied studio art and, most in depth, Indian music. Dr. Storm has a law degree as well as a PHd in art history (of India, of course). They are both very nice and supportive of us.
I've been exploring the city more. Yesterday, partially as a result of being lost, and partially as a result of aimless wandering, I walked around a lot of the city. It's a lot less scary than I previously thought it would be. In the afternoon, we went to a big shopping area around here, which was intense, to say the least. People everywhere shoved their low-quality goods in our faces and begged us to come into small stores. My senses were all completely overloaded, but I enjoyed it greatly. Watching a girl, Jessica, bartering and arguing with salespeople was an experience.
Life in India itself is incredible. The sights, sounds, scents, and just overall atmosphere are all so hard to describe. Dirt is, indeed, everywhere. The scents are so difficult to describe. It is a strange combination of food, dirt, manure, body odor, and other unidentifiable smells. It's not a bad thing, however. The colors are more than I hoped for. The sarees are incredible. One of my favorite sights is that of a woman in a bright saree and a motorcycle helmet, on a motorcycle with her saree blowing in the wind.
The people here have an interesting sense of humor and humility. The rudeness and harassment is much less than I expected. The stares, however, are intense. Most of the people so rarely see Westerners that they find us exotic and watch our every moves.
I'm getting to know some people really well and enjoying a lot of their company. We're all going to have a lot of fun and bond while having these intense experiences.

I've now been in India for three days.
I've been having a great time so far. We got to Jaipur yesterday after a couple days in Delhi.
In Delhi, we went to a few orientation meetings, to a craft museum, and to some tombs. Everything was beautiful, but can't really beat the food. We have been eating so well; everywhere we've been has been an experience. We started out with breakfast on the lawn of our guest house with parrots (bright green ones!) in the trees to some restaurants that ranged from a fancy place to a mall foodcourt type by the side of the highway.

Today we had a program orientation, and then a scavenger hunt around Jaipur: our first time out on our own. It was really scary at first (crossing streets feels like a death wish), but by the end of the two hour excursion, we were all feeling a lot more confident. Tomorrow's a full day off so we can explore and shop at our leisure, then out to dinner at a restaurant that, supposedly, is Jaipur's answer to medieval times. We were told we could ride camels.

The scenery here is amazing. The anachronistic elements throw me off, but are exciting. You can see men in outfits straight out of the 70's next to women in bright saris and men driving camel-drawn carriages covered in timber. Everything is a bit overwhelming, but exciting and fun.

I move in with my host family on Tuesday. They appear to be sikh (the last name is Singh) and have a house pretty far from our program center- I'll spend time seeing Jaipur from a rickshaw. For now, we're staying in a really nice guest house with a nice center area that reminds me of the mexican courtyard idea and a family that runs it and cooks great food for us.
The program center itself is beautiful. We ate a great lunch today on the roof under a great shade area. Supposedly, that's how we'll spend most of our lunch-times.

I'll update more when I have more time. I hope all is well for everyone else.

Love!