The Intrepid Explorer

Bob And Cooper are best friends

2010-11-28T10:22:00.000-08:00

Cooper at Big Bear

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Cooper's first American Friend

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Cooper swimming at Coronado but now on the way to Japan....

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Cooper arrives in the USA

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The Wedding Pictures

2008-08-13T02:29:00.000-07:00

Alas - the end is near

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We moved to a really nice ocean front hotel for our last day. We all relaxed and tried to regenerate a little in readiness for our long journey home (34 hours for me!) We were also lucky to see a wedding of a Tamal girl and an English boy. He actually fell off the elephant that was carrying him to his wedding. I do hope you have enjoyed reading the blog as much as I have writing it. I will look forward to reading it again to remember all of my memories from India and Sri Lanka.

This is me signing off for another experience - Colorado and Mesa Verde here we come.

2008-08-06T06:54:00.000-07:00

Pinnawala Elephant Sanctuary

We are now on our way to Colombo for the last three days of our visit. This morning we dropped into this sanctuary to see how they care for these elephants. We had a blast. It was incredible to be surrounded by animals in their natural environment. We also saw some being bottle fed as they had refused to take milk from their surrogate mother. Next they walked the whole herd to the river for bathing and fun. Karen was invited to take of her shoes and get into the water to wash an elephant. What an experience!

As we entered Colombo I could not help but notice the high profile of security around the city. I would say their was a checkpoint or just an armed soldier about every few hundred yards. They had just had world leaders meeting here for 3 days but now it was over, I was surprised that this level of security was still evident.

The afternoon was free so Karen and I took a tri-wheeler and did some shopping. As you know I am not a shopper but this was fun as we went to a craft shop where everything was made by the villagers we had met earlier in the week.

I have to say that after that I just enjoyed the facilities of this wonderful hotel and then crashed. Tomorrow is a full day of studies so I need to get a clear head.

Signing off and saying goodnight.

Ella finds a new home

2008-08-06T06:50:00.000-07:00

Ella finds a new home

Today was one of the best days of the whole educational experience. On the morning we visited home craft industries. We saw how people worked in their homes and produced the most exquisite crafts for sale in stores in Sri Lanka and beyond. One craftsman even produced work for Tiffany. We saw some age old craftsmanship and the prices were very nominal I comparison to how much time was spent on the design and manufacturing of these articles.

Next we traveled out in the rural areas and visited the 18th century murals of Medavela protected in a Maha Viharaya (temple) in the village of Medawala Raja. The temple was the size of a walk-in wardrobe in the USA but the murals had been maintained by the villagers with financial help from the government. It depicted one of the famous Jakata Tales which describes how a family deals with the death of their son as a celebration of life and not a sadness of death.

The villagers were incredibly friendly and welcomed us with open arms. They had prepared homemade tea and traditional cake for us to enjoy before they performed traditional dance and drumming in front of the whole village. We were surrounded by children and we were all in our elements of joy. The little girl you see in the photo was delightful and so enjoyed holding Ella. I am sorry to report that Ella loved her so much that she decided she wanted to spend the rest of her life in the country where she really belongs. It was hard to say goodbye to Ella but as we left the village and traveled in our bus along the lines of waving villagers, I knew she had found a fantastic new home.

This experience reminded me of my South African Fulbright and the final day we left Soweto and the villagers danced and sang to us as we boarded our bus to return to the USA. The warmth of these people is the most important memory for both experiences.

Now leaving the Heritage Hotel, Kandalama and off to Kandy

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These are some views of this fantastic eco-friendly hotel. It is also a great supporter of the local school that we visited. Stay here if you come to Sri Lanka.

Palace in the sky

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One of Asia’s major archaeological sites, this is truly an amazing experience. Built by Kasyapa (477-495AD) it could only have been built to satisfy the need of this king for power and attention. The story goes that he asked his father the king for his share of the kingdom and his father took him to a reservoir and gave him a handful of wter. He was not happy so he walled his father alive in his then palace. Now it is called the Lon's Staircase and I climbed right to the top!! It was surreal as I was the only one there. I could not imagine what it must have been like to live there or even how they managed to get up to the top.

Sigiriya

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Dambulla Caves

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I have never seen as many Buddhas in one area as these caves. The climb up 400+ steps was worth it.

In the evening we had a presentation on the world heritage site, Sigiriya, which we will visit tomorrow. This was followed by a scrumptious dinner where we all shared our thoughts on our travels so far.

Visit to Anuradhapura

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This is a huge temple which houses the collar bone of Buddha under an impressive stuppa. We saw many people dressed in white, the color of purity, parading around the stuppa carrying a huge colorful cloth and flowers. We sat and discussed our literature until sunset. When the lights came on it was even more impressive. One could not help to be moved to pray to which ever God was your choice.

CRZ TCHR drives the tuk tuk!!

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Free morning so we visited a school. Yeah!!!

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This village school was fun. They have installed solar heating in the field behind the school and they also grow their own vegetables. They compost too and use this to make the land more fertile. The school was Buddhist and had about 220 children ranging from year 1 to 12. We chatted a lot with the teachers and children and got to understand some of their problems and successes. One being that we took them CDs of USA songs and they had no player. Well guess what? Elizabeth, Jill and I went out and bought them one. It is a trade off - an elephant ride at the hotel or sharing with children. A no brainer.xox

Who can you see in the photo below?

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Mihintale Monastery

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A great visit to this 7th century Buddhist monastery was on todays agenda. We experienced meditation in our own cave. The wind was blowing gently, not a sound could be heard. Pure bliss. Later in the afternoon we visited the reservoir used by the monks and constructed to collect the natural rain water from the two surrounding hills. Several families were bathing or using the waters for beating their clothes clean against the rocks. We sat discussing literature about the formation while monkeys gathered and moved in closer, curious about us as we were about them.

Night out for dancing - all traditional

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In contrast - a private school

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Cute preschoolers unaware of surroundings

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Top Floor is a Pre School

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Victoria Monument Kolkata

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school bus

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slums

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Typical classroom

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Government school

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2008-07-29T19:22:00.000-07:00

28th July

40-minutes later and I am in Sri Lanka. What a beautiful lush green island surrounded by the Indian Ocean. Straight away we were picked up, taken to lunch and then off to the Slimline garment factory that makes underwear for shops like Victoria’s Secret, Marks and Spencer (UK) GAP and many other high profile shops. It was not as I expected and they really did a great job of providing support and extra activities for the young lady workers. I mean travel and food daily, bonus payments for production targets, a gym and sports field, and a great clean and safe environment. Typically, these girls only stay at the factory until they earn enough for a dowry or to start college. I am pleased that the owners value their workers and treat them accordingly. I am extremely happy that their customers also are willing to pay a little extra so this can happen, too.

We then traveled 4 hours North to Hotel Heritance in Kandallama. This is an incredible place reported to be the best in Sri Lanka. It is 100% eco friendly and it was built into a rock. We are looking forward to seeing it in day light so we can appreciate it fully. It has 3 swimming pools and amazing food. This is indeed a bonus. We will travel to sites of interest from here including tomorrow when we visit the place where Buddhism started. We have an incredible gentleman joining us and he will instruct us at the site.

I just read a sign on the window which says “Do not feed the monkeys!!” This is exciting as long as I am inside and they are out.

Signing off and collapsing in bed at 11:00pm as we have another early star tomorrow.

2008-07-29T19:21:00.002-07:00

Sunday 27th

The food in India is incredible. I just love the variety of fruit at every meal. Today I had Jack fruit and Star fruit. Of course the mango is their national fruit and they are so sweet.

We had three presentations today at the Center for Development studies and then it was off for a back water canoe ride and then to Kovalam beach. What fun! Did I also mention this hotel is small bungalows spread out around the main reception and they all have ocean view and a hammock in our own private porch area. I think this is our down time after 4 hectic weeks of academics. You should have seen the waves on the Arabian Sea as it is monsoon season. Several of the girls went in swimming despite the red warning flag. I decided to wet my feet and hold tight onto my umbrella. I got a lot of teasing as they said I looked soooooo English!!

Tonight we had our farewell to India dinner. Lots of food, great company and even some dancing. Well it is off to Sri Lanka tomorrow. I am so excited to get our intinerary tomorrow. I know we visit a garment factory and we will go to a tiger refuge, I cannot believe how lucky I am. Signing off for sleep now. Goodnight.

Saturday 26th July

Bangalore is unusually quiet as people are keeping off the streets. Today another huge series of bomb blasts have been experienced further north. India is on full alert. We are expecting high security when we leave tomorrow. We, however, visited the Venkatppa Art Gallery and a huge monolith entitled Bull Temple. On the evening we had our home stays and it was incredible. The people here are truly so pleasant and we were lucky as our hostess had been on a Fulbright exchange as a teacher in Yosemite. She had only 6 students in her class. This school educates all of the children of the park workers. It was great to experienceanother typical Indian family meal and home.

Friday evening 7/26/08

Diane, Mary, Corinsa, Cally and I were collected at our hotels and taken by auto rickshaw to meet Gorgon’s family in laws. The monsoon season is here and it came full blast as we were trying to negotiate rush hour traffic which was already spooked by the bombings. By the time we arrived, I was absolutely soaked and I was wearing my new Indian traditional outfit as I sat on the windward side. It reminded me of the joke, “Did you just come by bicycle?” Well I had! We met them at their sari shop and of course the girls had to try and buy first. It was fun and the shop looked like a tornado had hit it by the time they had finished.

We went to their house and met the mother and grandmother. What charming people. Indians insist on feeding guests first then they will sit down and eat when they are done. They had a house maid called Money who had lived with them since age 10. Her father was unable to feed Money and her sister so he brought them to the city and thankfully Money got a great home. Each year the family give her gold which she will use for her dowry when she marries. She is only 16 and they educate her at home until she has enough English to go to school. They think this will be the year she is accepted. You see she is from the country and children have to have a certain command of English before they are accepted in school. We had great food and chat and an open invitation to visit anytime we want. The sister and brother in law fund an NGO school further up north as well a working full time at an investment company. How neat would it be to volunteer in their school. The streets were deserted when we left this warm family home. The rain had now stopped and it was back to the hotel to pack ready to leave again for the final leg of our travels in India.

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Friday July 25th

We are now in Bangalore. The last few days have been a frenzy of school visits, dance exhibitions and a little bit of curriculum shopping.

Last night after our arrival we were introduced to a wonderful troup of Yakshagana dancers and musicians who portrayed part of the epic Ramayana through their arts. This is a classical art from that combines dance and dialogue tell a story. It was very vibrant and intriguing and I the dancers practice at least 4 hours daily to keep fit and master their performance. One young man was only 12 years old and he had been practicing since the age of 4.

Later that evening a group of us went out to shop and I purchased 2 traditional outfits. I will wear one tonight as we are going to visit the family of the fiancée of our tour guide, Gorgon. This will be a great experience for the five of us and we are excited. Now I have reviewed all of the etiquette about eating and greeting so I am culturally correct.

This morning we visited a private Academy of Creative Teaching. What an extremely interesting concept. They offer teacher training to schools as the common belief here is that the Bachelor of Education required to teach does not incorporate enough hands-on teaching or skills base. They also act as an accreditation agency for schools and they have just opened up an international school in an adjacent building. We had some staff development on mathematical thinking and met a professor who is academically brilliant and can answer questions from up to 100 people in the same order as they were received. His method was attributing values to actions in order to remember them. I think that was it!! The students performed a small skit on one of the Indian fables and it was marvelous. This will be a part of my curriculum too for my class next year especially as we have the stage.

On a negative note - today we have had several bomb blasts in Bangalore. Don’t worry, Ella is safe and sound. Our activities have been cancelled and everyone is feeling a little antsy as we have to stay in the hotel. On a typically positive note, tomorrow we are going to start with dessert first then salad for lunch as the food is fantastic!!

Hot and steamy

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A different school

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Tuesday July 22, 2008

Well we are now over half way into our travels. Today we visited an “elite” school called The Cathedral and John Connor School. The fees for this school are about 14000 rupees from k to 12. It is certainly the bet school we have seen so far. I made contacts with two teachers. One for Indian pen pals for next year, and the other for teaching students who speak English as a second language. However, she teaches Hindi as a second language! We are going to exchange strategies so we can ensure we reach these children and make their education successful. They were in the middle of preparing for this Year 10 exam that everyone fears so I went over to the primary school. They have about 40 :1 ratio with no aides. The children were excited about my visit and shared many of their favorite book titles and they were very similar to our classroom; Captain Underpants was a BIG favorite.

Later in the afternoon we had free choice so three of us visited the home industries that we were unsuccessful with earlier in the week. I bought three children’s outfits for our reader’s theaters from India. No bargaining here and you could peruse with leisure which is my type of shopping.

In the evening we had a yoga class which was great. We learned about how the institute started and their techniques and then we had a lesson. The voice of the instructor was so smooth that one of the part fell asleep at the beginning when we were getting in touch with our bodies and he did not wake up till near the end of the session. I know I have to get into yoga more when I return as the stretching and peacefulness was super and I slept so well last night. It was late when we returned so we grabbed room service and went to Cally’s room to watch an Indian movie about the street children of Bombay (Mumbaii now.) It was very sad but all too true.

Mumbai is definitely the most cosmopolitan city we have visited and it feels pretty safe although I would not want to go out and about by myself at night. We leave tomorrow for Bengaluru. We have three days there and two in Thiiruvananthapuram ( meaning the abode of the sacred snake god Anantha – I hope there are not lots of snakes there!!!) which is the very southern tip of India and then it is off to Sri Lanka. I am so excited about that. I hope you are all enjoying your summer too. Signing off….

School visit

2008-07-22T20:58:00.002-07:00

Muktangan NGO and Municipal School

One lady, Elizabeth Mehta, had a vision that she could use her 40 years of teaching experience to train 6 women from the lowest socio economic class and have them in turn educate preschool children from their own area. This vision has developed now into Muktangan School which educates children up to grade 5 and has plans to add a grade yearly up to grade 10. Three teachers share a classroom and each has from 8 to 15 students in a group. The teachers get one hour a day with a mentor teacher to plan the following lessons and discuss the needs of their students. These teachers now have a career, the children from these slum areas are getting a great education, and Liz Mehta is seeing her vision being surpassed. I want to tell you more about this school and share a video we all watched. The message here is if you believe in can happen then with hard work and a positive attitude then it probably will.

We spent all day at this school and it is high up on my list of best days in India. We especially enjoyed the singing and dancing in the pre K classes. Wait to you see the video of their British Indian accents and their own slant on singing popular songs like Hokey Pokey. We have another school visit tomorrow to an “elite” school so the comparisons will be interesting.

Karen and I decided to go and visit some home industries this evening where local people make and sell their wares. However, the place the taxi driver took us was not what we intended and we were looking at jewelry around $4000 and silk scarves for not much less! We hailed a taxi and were then taken to the wrong “Taj” hotel and had to get another one back to where we were staying. We have learned in India that people will pretend to know the way when you ask and they will direct you anyway. So far I have taken 3 taxis and never yet got to where I was intending☺

Mumbai

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Sunday July 20

We had a great tour of the city by our awesome tour guide Parvene who was very knowledgeable and pleasant. We observed some very British architecture and visited the Victoria Terminus Railway Station. On pillars at the entrance was a lion depicting Britain and a tiger for India. The station could have been Paddington Station in London.

We visited the beautiful campus of Mumbai University. What a pleasure it must be to study here.

Parvene, whose religious affiliation is Parsi, a group of people who left Persia when it was invaded by Arabs, took us to where her people took their dead. This land is prime real estate on the top of a hill and it houses 4 towers where the dead are placed for the vultures to come and eat them. They believe it is the last special thing they can do. However, now there are no vultures due to them eating animals that had DDT, other birds such as hawks do the deed as well as the people scattering limestone to help the bodies deteriorate. Well it does save on burial costs!

After a brief visit to the Prince of Wales Museum to see my relatives (as Jill Ji calls them,) several of us embarked upon a boat to Elphanta Island to see the caves housing huge sculptures relating to the Hindu gods. We really enjoyed the climb up to the caves but it was sweltering hot as usual and we must have lost pounds in perspiration. On our return to the mainland, however, we were sat on the wrong side of the boat and got splashed many times much to the amusement of the other visitors.

I am always amazed how important education is to the Indian culture. We met a young man who had just returned from Russia where he is studying to be a doctor. People will travel all over the world if the scholarship is a good one. Nearly all of the adults we have met have shared with us how much they worry at 10th grade due to the BIG test they take here to qualify them for advanced level and entry test to college in 12th grade. It is so hard to get into universities and many students go to school then take 2 – 3 hours tutoring in an evening just to give them an edge.

Photos to come later as the internet is SLOW!!!!!!!!

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2008-07-19T10:18:00.000-07:00

Friday July 18th

We all had a lazy morning as the pace is catching up on us. Later that day we went to Swabhumi, a cultural center which is focusing on preserving the ancient heritage of this country. Not too much there I am afraid although we had been told there was lots to buy. Maybe I am just too picky and not a shopper.

On our last evening in Kolkata we visited the neighborhood of Dr Mulick and had a very nice dinner at his house. We visited both Hndu and Muslim areas and temples and then a Catholic school called St. Aloysius. As all 16 of us paraded through the streets the neighborhood stood and watched and smiled. The people in India are just so incredibly friendly. We also met lots of people in the apartment block during dinner and had a great view from the roof tops of the block. The hospitality is so great and we were indebted to Dr Mullick for this taste of real Indian home-life.

Saturday July 19, 2008
We are staying at the Taj President in Mumbai. We checked in and immediately went out to see the home of Mahatma Gandhi when he was in Mumbai and it is also a museum now. We watched a 30 minute video of his life but the highlight for me was to meet the daughter of his second son, in other words, Gandhi’s granddaughter. It was so ironic that she was visiting today and came in to speak to us as I had met his other granddaughter, the daughter of his third son when I was in Durban, South Africa. She gave us an insight into her life with her grandfather and she shared that he always had time for his grandchildren even though he was so busy. He was also meticulous about the length of his white robe he wore as it had to be just above his knees. She told us that when Martin Luther King visited Gandhi at this home, he decided to stay as he felt a complete peace so they had to find him a bed for the night. She was a very gracious lady and I enjoyed listening to her very much.

I can tell you that Mumbai is very cosmopolitan and right beside the Arabian Sea. There are no cows here on the road although I did see one being led on a rope. There is not a lot of litter either, thank goodness. We will be here for 5 nights so I will sign off now and get some sleep.

Kolkata

2008-07-19T10:14:00.000-07:00

We leave Kolkata in the morning and I can hardly believe it. It has been action packed as usual. The highlight for me was spending time at a rural Muslim minority school , Sishu Bikash Academy, which was only one hour from the border with Bangladesh. The humidity was so intense there and several of us were very dehydrated. As I stood teaching in the classrooms I could not help but wonder why none of the children seemed bothered by the heat yet I was perspiring profusely to the point I thought I was going to melt! The students all ran to the bus as we pulled up outside and were so excited and keen to show us what they had learned. I spent time in an English classroom and they were reading the Bremen Town Musicians. I knew this book from my third grade class so I was able to have a conversation about the content. Two boys volunteered to read aloud for me and they did a great job. The children asked for my autograph and I felt like a rock star!!

I also visited a social studies class and did a mini lesson on USA and in particular, San Diego. The teacher asked me to tell them about the history of the USA but I did not think I had time☺ I decided to do an overview of California and its geographical position. Unlike the school in Varanasi, no one knew about Mickey Mouse. They did get the concept of where the USA was in the world by a super map I drew on the blackboard. However, I felt embarrassed as I kept breaking the new chalk with my heavy handedness.

We also walked around the village, guided by the principal and Dr Sunrit Mulllick and found that everyone was really happy and greeted us well. They obviously respected the principal of the school too. We came across a girl’s school and they were fantastic. They asked me to go into their classroom and I showed them my San Diego book and photos of my family on my laptop. They loved this a lot and I was sad to leave them. I promised to send them photos by mail that I took while I was there.

The time went too quickly and the guide had to come in to the school and get me as everyone was on the bus ready to leave and I was still having fun inside. On our return we observed the worst slums we have seen so far. The government is pushing these slums out into the suburbs of town. In the USA the suburbs are the place to live but not here!

Later that day we visited Victoria Monument and St Paul’s Cathedral which were very British in their architecture. They had a great historical timeline which helped cement some of the dates in place. What a great day!

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Mother Teresa

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Kolkata

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The hotel is beautiful. Kolkata is really westernized compared to where we have ben so far. Ella loves it here. Can you find her in the photos?

We went to see the Victoria Memorial as in Queen Victoria the former commonwealth ruler. WE had a presentation and the man kept calling the English "Little Brits!" I could not help but tell him that I was one of them at the end of the lecture:-)

Mother Teresa's building was very emotional. What a tiny lady with such a huge vision and heart. The photos do not do it justice but we could only photograph in certain areas.

Today is Wednesday and we are going to take a walking tour of Kolkata. It has been raining hard and it gets pretty muddy but it is also fun.

Thankfully my blog is up and running again.

More later.

2008-07-15T18:22:00.000-07:00

My Crazy Daughter

2008-07-15T18:19:00.001-07:00

This s what Justine is doing while I am in India. AND she told me to be careful!! I guess she is my daughter so what can we expect.

Varanasi to Kolkata by overnight train

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Varanasi to Kolkata by overnight train.

The evening reception was excellent. The sitar and tabla drum lulled me into having one of the best night’s sleep of the trip. I met another Fulbright scholar and his wife who are studying in Varnasi for 9 months. They are living with a family in the city and it was very interesting to hear about the day to day life of a family. I had no idea that every day for 4 hours they have power cuts during the time when business need the power. Families also only eat two meals a day so that took some getting used to also.

On Monday, July 4 we visited the prestigious Banaras Hindu University at the Malviya Center for Peace Research. We heard some interesting insights into the role of women and the difficulties experienced to advance through the ranks of education. We also visited the art museum on site and enjoyed viewing ancient relics – one being a crystal which was from100 BC and some magnificent miniature paintings. The rest of the afternoon was down time to prepare for our overnight trip to Kolkata. We had an incredible downpour and it was fascinating to see how quickly everywhere floods and how traffic stops. These monsoon conditions really cause turmoil and people plough through mud and water and just continue their life.

We now all definitely know that we brought too much luggage. We were allowed 2 x 50 pound bags from the states but only 1 bag here in India. Getting all of this on the train and trying to fit it under the bunk beds was nigh on impossible but our wonderful guide and USEFI representative were incredible.

One fact that I have not shared yet is that they have wild peacocks everywhere in India. The other fact while on the subject is that men just peeeeeee everywhere and continuously. We counted 21 and we had not even left Varanasi. We do not understand it and I know it is gross but the hygiene mentality is not here at all. Put that together with the cow poop and the litter just dumped everywhere and it is no wonder typhoid and hepatitis is rife.

Back to the train…….. I got the middle bunk of three and we were in a carriage with many others. I slept pretty well until I realized I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. It was easy walking the corridor as I could see the light at the end of the corridor but when I returned it was hard to see which was my bed and I had to gingerly feel to see if there was a body on the middle bunk or a space. One mistake later, I snuggled back into bed and awoke at 6:00am ready to spend another day.

We are staying at the Hotel Oberoi Grand in Kolkata and it is magnificent. We had the morning free and I bathed and relaxed while catching up on my blog. I am off to lunch now and then to a City Tour to acclimate us. We are also going to see Missionaries of Charity which is Mother Teresa’s charity. More to come later. I hope you are enjoying my travels as much as I am. Miss you all and please excuse any typos as time rushes by and internet is extremely expensive in the hotels but I do not want to sit in the Internet Cafes. xox

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Back streets of Varanasi and the ritual bathing in Ganges

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Photos

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Here are some more photos of my visit to the village.

2008-07-12T21:34:00.000-07:00

Sensory Overload

2008-07-12T21:26:00.001-07:00

Wow. It has been an intensely emotional 2 days. I have had to do a lot of contemplating to even decide what I wanted to share at this moment. I guess I am approaching sensory overload and it has to be experienced to be believed.

Yesterday, Saturday we went to visit a school. Yes, children do go to school Saturday but only the older ones. I visited a 6th grade class and they were playing Chinese whispers.. I gave the whisper California and that opened up some great conversations about my state. They were very interested and all knew about Disney. This school is moving to a non grade system and focuses on the whole child and not just pushing on academics. I interviews several students and they all agreed that they learned better this way. I loved the philosophy and we have been invited to go back and teach there for a period of time. Hmmmmmmmmmm. Said she thinking!

Later that day, a group of us went to a rural village to experience the real culture. It was fantastic. WE visited the school, the building were all of the laws were made, we met the leader who was a former MP (member of parliament), went to a pickle factory, visited the people in their homes, watched sari material being woven, and got followed all afternoon by a group of interested children. In short, we had a true experience. So far this was my most favorite day.

The evening turned out to be one of the scariest adventures and I will not go into too much detail, but basically a small group of seven of us took rickshaws into town to the banks of the Ganges to see the cremation ceremony for the Hindu religion. The burn the bodies after first washing them in the Ganges to wash away the impurities and ready them for a new life. They then remove all knots from clothing and the burial shroud and they are placed on a pyre (wood fire) and set alight, or cremated. Their skull is opened first so they remain fully open and this is done by the oldest member of the family. The family sit around as this is happening however, women are not allowed incase they cry as this is not a sad occasion. Family members shave their heads completely when someone dies and if their father is still dead, they shave moustaches too. The cost for this is 600Rupees where an organized cremation is 5 times that. The man who owns the cremation parlor is actually from the lowest caste but it is said that he got (his ancestors) got the first fire from Lord Vishnu so even the kind has to bow down to him and ask for fire. He is very rich! The burning ceremonies go on all day and ever day. People bring their dead to Varanasi for this purpose or they come here to just die. When we entered the observation tower we actually walked through these people who were awaiting their freedom to their next life. I was emotionally drained after this and was glad to take the crazy rickshaw back to the hotel to get an early night and be ready for our 5:00 am boat ride the next morning to see the sunrise and celebrations on the river.

India is truly the most fascination and thought provoking place that I have ever been to. The filth and poverty chokes you. Everywhere is piles of cow dung and garbage. It is a maze of dark alleys yet adorned with the most beautiful temples to Vishnu, Shiva or Braham. You are continuously surrounded by hawkers selling their goods – even at 5:00 am.! We rowed along the river edge and saw lots of people bathing in the waters to cleanse their souls. Yesterday we met a gentleman, Professor Vir Bhadra Mishra, who enlightened us about the plight and environmental concerns of this great river, Ganges or the Goddess Ganga. He himself had contracted, Hepatitis and typhoid through using the water for ritual purposes – and he is extremely intelligent. There are 60,000 dips in the river daily and one extremely religious day every 12 years over 8 million people come to bathe. He is trying to raise money and awareness so the river can be cleaned and to prevent the pollution from dead bodies (ritual), industrial waste, garbage, and open sewers. They are also trying to educate children in schools. His parting quote was,
“Not the longest, nor the mightiest, but definitely the most spiritual river.” I could see that first hand this morning and I hope you enjoy the photos. I chose not to post the dead body photo but you can imagine how I felt to know that the family of this man could not even afford the common burning pyre and he was returned to his god by being thrown in the river. Just down from this, was a girl brushing her teeth in the same water and next to her were some boys who were washing towels and sheets and spreading them out on the steps of the ghats to dry. It reminds me of the Mekong and the boat people I saw in Vietnam and how they use their river also for all aspects of life.

We have 2 hours of rest now and then we are off to Sarnath, which has exquisite Bhuddhist stupas, temples and monasteries and is where Bhudda, the great sage, attained enlightenment (Bhudda-hood). Anew order of religious doctrine (Dhamma) and a new order of monks (Sangha) was laid.

We have an official dinner this evening complete with sitar and tabla music presentations.

Signing off for now………………………….

Varanasi

2008-07-11T12:22:00.000-07:00

Varanasi – the world’s oldest (3500 years) cities on the banks of the River Ganges, is where we have traveled today. It is known as the home of culture and religion in the whole of India. It is also know as Kashi and Benares and is where the Rivers Varuna and Asi meet hence the name Varanasi. Devout Hindus make a pilgrimage to this city from all over the world. Tonight we saw a huge celebrtaion of death in the streets as it is thought to be ideal if one days or is buried in Veransi. Funeral pyres can be found along the banks of this great river. Along this river blocks of stairs have been built called ghats. This is where the pilgrims can bathe in the holy waters before they pray. Seeing as once can generally see dead animals, bodies, including babies (it is thought to be the perfect way so the baby can be reincarnated) in the water, we decided to give the bathing a miss! We did however go out o a row boat and watch Aarti, a Hindu celebration to the God of the river. It was quite the event as we say various ways of water and fire being used to honor the gods. We floated a basket of flowers and a lighted candle down the river to honor the god, too.

The journey to the Ghats was by pedal rickshaw and it was very hairy. We actually were involved in a number of fender benders as a cow blocked the road and the rickshaw I was in had to stop suddenly. This cumulative effect saw Mary being propelled in an unlady-like fashion onto the road. She is a great sport and it is something to tell the students☺

Varanasi is also famous for the Banaris Hindu University, and we were honored to have Professor MD.Toha discuss the Madarassa education system which is known as being the traditional seat of Islamic learning today.

We also lots of monkeys around the town. I hope you enjoy all the photos.

To end a perfect day, we were able to watch part of an Hindu wedding at our hotel and we were eve invited up to dance in the “moshpit” type dance with the groom as he awaited his wife’s arrival. I was the photographer☺ Finally our tour guide had his birthday today so we gave him a rendering of he Happy birthday song and enjoyed cake before we crashed out. Another fantastic day. Tomorrow we get to visit a primary school so I am very excited.

The best yet

2008-07-11T12:19:00.000-07:00

The Taj Mahal, Little Taj and Agra Fort.

This is surreal! I cannot believe that I am actually here as it has been a dream of mine for so long. It is worth the 5 hour each way drive. One disappointment, however, was that Ella the Elephant , our Room 7 mascot, was refused entry and was housed in a locker for the entire visit. Security is tight. We thought we may not even get her back. Don’t worry, we did!

The Taj Mahal is more beautiful than you can even imagine. There is an air of elegance and true love as you meander in contemplating silence along the mirrored pools to the entrance of this tomb. How romantic is this story. For those of you who do not know it, it goes like this:

The Taj was completed in 1653 by the great Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan iafter the death of his 3rd wife, Queen Mumtaz, whom he loved very much. She bore him 14 children and his first son. He loved her very much. She had a dream that her last baby spoke to her from the womb and this was a sign that she would die soon. She asked her husband the emperor to promise three things. One, that he would not marry again. Two, that he would build a special memorable tomb for her. Third, that he would look after their children. He completed his promise. The result is the Taj Mahal. Taj means crown and Majal means palace. The thinking is that the Taj Mahal is the best of ALL palaces in the world. I certainly agree.

Next we visited Little Taj. Not as palatial as the Taj Mahal but still beautiful. We were told that the people from Agra were trying to get it recognized as a World Heritage Site. That would make three of them in Agra which would be a world record.

Finally we went to Agra Fort which was built by Emperor Akbar between 1565 and 1573, where his grandson, Shah Jahan, was imprisoned by his 3 rd son, Aurangzeb, who had aspirations of becoming emperor. (This was after he had killed his three older brothers to get them out of the way.) Shah Jahan had to look out of the window of his cell each day and see the Taj. He shed rivers of tears for the last 8 years of his life .

You can see that now Ella is a real Indian. Both she and Ally got their official “bindis.” Ella also caused a stir as people were asking to photograph her. I did have a job to get her back from the little girl in the red. I guess the people from the Taj realized she would steal the limelight if she were given entry.

Another 12 + hour day but very rewarding.

We are now returning to Delhi for the night and flying out to historic Veranace tomorrow for 4 days. It is a very holy place and it featured on the movie “Water.” We will finally get to see the River Ganges but I will not be bathing in it! More to come……. Don’t forget to leave me a comment or a question.

Visit to the Taj Mahal, Agra

2008-07-10T10:16:00.000-07:00

My report will follow tomorrow but enjoy the photos.

Life on the streets

2008-07-10T10:09:00.000-07:00

Life on the streets
I realize that I have been so involved in discussing the incredible academic learning experiences that Fulbright and USEFI have supplied that I have not reported on the general observations that I have seen.

The auto rickshaws are incredible. The first one we piled into after negotiations for the charge gave me an experience that I have never had before and do not want again. The driver was smoking POT! Talk about second hand smoke. And he was on the wrong side of the road. No I do not mean the English/Indian side but the wrong side. After shrieks of hysteria from us all, he turned and smiled that glazed look, and gradually weaved through the traffic to his correct space. I thanked God that we survived.

I have to tell you that it did not deter us as we took one again last night but this time we piled four people into the Tuk Tuk. Seeing as I was the lightest, I got the position sitting on the knees of the other three. I felt like my head was about to pop out of the roof on one of the bumps just like in the Fred Flinstone cartoons.

Another great experience was when we went to buy some books to compliment our curriculum project. At the end of our purchase at the college bookstore, they closed the doors, put on air conditioning and invited us to sit and have coffee with them. Nescafe INSTANT coffee. This is the type of experience I love as we get to meet the real people of India.

Today we are going to Agra by bus. This is where we will visit the Taj Mahal. A five hour journey through many small towns an rural areas. The Commonwealth Games will be held here in 2010, and they are busy building a Metro to transfer the visitors. What strikes me is that this money that is being spent to accommodate foreigners could be used to help the people who day to day barely survive and live in poverty.

These people are so friendly, smiling and waving at us as we travel by in our huge comfortable coach. Children are on their way to school in their smart uniforms. However, in the same area are those children who are just sitting mindlessly poking sticks in piles of rubbish doomed to spend their day how their social status of life dictated from birth. The caste system here continues to amaze me.

We have just seen our first Indian snake charmer who performed very willingly for our bus. I hope you enjoy the photo.

I am no longer excited by the cows walking down the rmain road or grazing in the central reservation. I realize that is a common occurrence now. I look for new experiences as I travel along.

Signing off for now…………

2008-07-07T23:22:00.000-07:00

Holy Cow

2008-07-07T23:17:00.001-07:00

2008-07-07T23:14:00.000-07:00

A selection of photos for your perusal

2008-07-07T23:08:00.001-07:00

Off to Taj Mahal tomorrow and then leaving Delhi. Signing off for now.

Delhi Belly!

2008-07-07T21:48:00.000-07:00

Delhi Belly!!

Oh dear it has happened so soon. Four of us got Delhi Belly and we have been so careful. Several more were starting the grumbles this evening. I suspect it was from the dinner in Old Delhi last night but at least I was able to make the day whereas the others took a taxi home.

It was worth it as I listened to a panel of 5 religious leaders who described Judaism, Hinduism, Catholicism, Sikhism, and B’hai and how they are practiced in India. It was interesting that while the ladies of our group asked “to the point” questions that certain members of our panel where not used to such assertive young ladies.

Finally, we got to watch some Indian classical dancers and musicians, the renowned Odissi dancers.

An interesting fact is that these young ladies centuries ago would never marry as they were married to Vishnu. However, they could have babies if they adopted them. Now that is not the case in contemporary India and you may even see young boys playing the part of these maidens although their form is more aggressive and jerky.

I will leave you with some photos. Enjoy.

My favorite lecture so far

2008-07-07T21:47:00.001-07:00

Now it was back to academics with a lecture on the economics of India. Something I found interesting was that within the next 10 years, economists hope that the private sector will fund high school education and the government will focus on primary education and try to get this level up to speed with the rest of the world. This is part of the Universal Primary Education Plan.

Now what was definitely the BEST presentation of the visit so far was by an incredible gentleman, Professor Goswany, who critiqued art with us His voice and mannerisms were so soft and gentle that we could have listened to him all day. He recited poetry in Sanskrit and Hindi and it was like having story time with my favorite grandpa. Here are some awesome quotes about art that I will carry with me.

“Art is like a mistress who whispers in your ear, we have to tune our ears to listen carefully to what the art is saying to us.”

“The act of viewing is an act of energy and it is not a passive task.”

“The art of India is an art of silence as no one speaks about it and many pieces of art are not even signed.”

However, the best thing he said was “absolutely brilliant!” in an Indian English accent☺

Tombs and Towers

2008-07-07T21:38:00.000-07:00

Today we got to do some cultural activities. We went to visit Humyan’s Tomb which is the first true example of Mughal architecture in India. It was built in 1565AD by his senior widow, Bega Begam. There are several other prestigious Mughals buried there but it now only houses lots of bats!

Next we traveled to Qutab Minar (Light of Islam)to observe its soaring 73 m high tower built in 1193. It is built in a beautiful red brick and sandstone and marble nearer the top. It was built by the first Muslim ruler in Delhi but he died before its completion.

Ella loved this site. Can you find her?

Old Delhi

2008-07-07T21:24:00.000-07:00

You have to see the video of the streets to believe the noise. Yes, deafening as everyone honks the horn continuously. Dogs and beggars surround you especially young children who look at you with those longing eyes. We know, however, that if we give to one we will be mobbed. However, they are quiet mannered people and we never felt threatened. Everywhere we go people stop and stare. Some even take photos or just sit down to watch us more closely The pungent smells attack the senses and images of Tijuana flash into my mind.

We enter the Red Fort which is considered one of the finest pieces of architecture from the Mughal reign. It included a mosque and even a hareem for the first owner,Sha Jahan in 1638. The guide told us the gold and silver is now gone due to the British stripping it and removing precious diamonds (one holds prime position in the crown of the current queen of England) after independence from Britian was earned by India.

We went out to ear in small groups, mine being the vegetarian group and this caused quite a stir. People could not take their eyes of us as we entered the local restaurant and it continued until we left. I hope we get used to this. One local insisted that we visit Kashmere if we wanted to see the real India and he was most insistent. Not during this time of political unrest.

Finally. At nearly midnight we arrived at the hotel after being stuck in traffic which was stopped due to a long train crossing. No exercise as we had planned tonight as it is finish this blog then get some well earned zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz’s. I hope you are all enjoying the photos and video on this blog. See you soon.

Oh we are going to arrange a jolly good game of cricket against the math and science people and guess who will be umpire?

Namaste

Dabbling in Delhi

2008-07-07T21:21:00.000-07:00

Exercise was the order of the day especially if you could see the food that is available. The staff are so helpful and courteous and they eep encouraging us to eat more. Yikes. Tread mill, weights and yoga and I am feeling ready for anything.

We started with a presentation on news media by the chairman of CMS. He was an incredible person with several MA and a PhD. The big message was in rural areas, TV is the most popular, newspapers were the most credible, but radio was the most reliable.

Next we visited the National Museum in the capable hands of our museum expert, Dr. Shobhita Punja who made our morning fly by with us not wanting it to end. We even saw the remains of Buddah in an ornate golden tomb. It was remarkable that it was just positioned in a room with many of his statues and not in an area where it should receive respect and honor.

Now our first solo dabble into Delhi began.

We returned for Chinese lunch at the hotel and then 3 of us took a tuck tuck into the local market. I now know the meaning of scarey and we decided to take a taxi back. I bought some shadow puppets of Rama and Sita, Ganesh and the monkey king ready for my students to role play the Ramayana which is one of the legends I am investigating for my curriculum.

Two hours later, we were back at the hotel, changed, refreshed (in all of 10 minutes) and continued the fast pace to Old Delhi to see the Red Fort and a “Son et luniere” (light show story of the end of British Rule at the fort in the open air.

Enjoy the photos and follow on with this story in my next blog. I took video but it takes too long to download.

Our First Day

2008-07-07T18:50:00.000-07:00

The day broke as the cleaner greeted my room mate Mary and I with the words. “Good afternoon madam, may I clean your room?”

Good afternoon screamed I, Oh my goodness it is 12.10 pm and we have to shower, eat lunch and be ready to leave at 1:00 pm for Fulbright House, Deli and we hadn’t even opened a suitcase! Don’t worry, we made it.

The academics started straight away with two incredible presentations called Indian Educational System by Dr Janaki Rajan followed by Cultural History of India by Mr G C Joshi.

By 5.30 pm we were all struggling to keep awake so a lovely cuppa tea and a biscuit did the trick.

We were introduced to Mr Adam Grotsky, Executive Director of USEFI who told us the breaking news that India was to match the funds from Fulbright which would double the number of educators that could visit both countries to gain valuable insights to share.

Two more presentations followed before we had a ceremonial lamp lighting ceremony which was enjoyed by all. I was invited to present the first gift to our Delhi professors and then we went on to the lawn in a huge tent and had a wonderful dinner with teachers, Fulbright employees and many other invited guests. Networking was primetime and a good time was had by all.

I think we all slept better that night at least until 3:00 to 4:00 when jetlag hit.

CRZTCHR and Ella hit Delhi, India

2008-07-07T18:49:00.000-07:00

CRZTCHR and Ella hit Delhi, India

The journey was long but passed without incident. The layover in Frankfurt was 5 hours and the plane was overbooked but we all made it.

We are staying at the Taj Mahal Hotel and you can enjoy the welcome pictures as I get my bindi, an Indian custom.

Getting Internet is time consuming and costly so my blogs may be a little late but will be typed and ready to go when I am able to connect.

It is 4.30 am and we are just getting to bed!!! Let us see what the next day brings.

CRZTCHR and Ella hit Delhi, India

2008-07-07T18:47:00.001-07:00

Day 1 reception

2008-07-07T18:41:00.001-07:00

Crztchr and Ella hit Delhi, India

2008-07-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

Garment workers in the Free Trade Areas in Sri Lanka

2008-07-05T21:45:00.000-07:00

From the Frying Pan and into the Fire by Sandya Hewamanne.

Continuing our theme of Sri Lanka, we learned that Professor Hewamanne had spent nearly a year in a labor intense garment sweatshop just outside of Colombo. The area was a “free zone” meaning it did not have to conform to the labor zones of the country. She worked a 10- 15 hour day, earning only $2 per day and lived in a crowded guesthouse along side the other female garment workers. They had to step over their beds to get out of the room which was little more than a closet!

I had many questions:

Who were these girls?

· Unmarried women aged 17 – 23 from the rural areas

· Were willing to work for a pittance – men would demand more!

· Maybe saving for a dowry or education or just to send money home

· Will take any physical or verbal abuse handed out by the bosses

· Usually educated to at least high school level but some falsify records

· Some have a degree and cannot get a job

· Had to be prepared to be treated differently by men in the free zone and people from their villages because their work decisions did not conform to what a “nice girl” would do. These jobs produced a stigma as girls are usually protected by their father or brothers to keep them safe for their potential husband.

So did they really fall from the frying pan to the fire?

I am excited that we will visit this garment factory when we arrive in Sri Lanka in August and I will be able to do some first hand interviews and observations.

In the words of Dorinne Kondo 1997 describing the lives of these woman.

“The world of aesthetics is a site of struggle and a space where identities are created.”

Next we had a lecture entitled Islam in South Asia by Akbar Hyder.

Did you know:

· 1.4 Muslims live in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh individually more than any other country in the Muslim world.

· Islam started in Mecca and Medina in 622CE and was spread by migrant workers, merchants, mystics and warriors.

· Islam means “Submission to the will of God.”

· There are multiple modes of Islam just like in Christianity.

Later came a lecture about the Taj Mahal by Janice Leoshko. More to come when I visit with Ella the Elephant.

Lastly was a lecture on the Ramayana, one of the greatest epics from India (along with the Mahabharata) which was presented by Ian Woolsford and is told orally, in dance, music or art. It was recorded in the original Sanskrit and is known by every child in the Hindu world from a very young age. This will be a large part of my curriculum as I compare legends from India with ones from our own Native Americans. I intend to use this story of Rama and Sita to find out more about the culture of India and their gods.

Fun fact:

· A TV version is shown here in India and also a cartoon comic. When the show is on, India practically stops what it is doing as it is so popular.

Well folks, the day has arrived and I must pack to start my travels with Ella in India. Fulbright have prepared us well in Austin and will continue to do so when we start our visit.

Crztchr - a life long learner at University of Texas in Austin

2008-07-05T21:35:00.000-07:00

Our lectures today continue to be informative and thought provoking. The pieces are finally coming together.

Post Independence Politics and Civil War in Sr Lanka by Neil Devotta.

Professor Devotta was an energetic and knowledgeable gentleman. He paced the floor as he passionately informed us of the history behind the current situation with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the beautiful island of Sri Lanka.Following colonization by the Portuguese in 1505, Dutch in 1603 and the British in 1796 (who are credited with the 93% literacy rate on the island due to the good schools they created,) civil war threatens to undermine the progress that has been made to date.

Vellupila Prabhakaran, Leader of the terrorist group, the Tamil Tigers, continues to fight for independence from Sri Lanka and to name his new country, Eelam.. He operates like a multinational corporation receiving money from abroad, and owning lucrative businesses which support his quest for sole power. It is reported that they own their own airplanes for bombing raids, train suicide bombers (Black Tigers), and have forcibly removed children from their homes to train as child soldiers.At this point in time, there is no quest for a peace pact. The new government believe the LTTE will be successfully eradicated by the military. A split in the LTTE in 2004 helped the government reclaim part of the Eastern coastline but this political unrest is not helping the economy of the island as tourists are scared away by USA government travel warnings.

We will be spending 10 days in Sri Lanka and hope to safely see and learn more firsthand news about the current troubles

Austin Fun Fact

2008-07-05T21:31:00.000-07:00

Austin Fun Fact.

· Enjoy this photo of the Bats of Austin. We visited a bridge in Austin on the Lower Colorado River and watched the nightly retreat of thousands and thousands of bats on the hunt for “BLOOD!!!!!!!” no just kidding, insects. The swarm you see in the photo is the bat colony heading out in swarms. It looked just like a cartoon picture.

Crztchr learns Hindi!

2008-07-01T22:04:00.000-07:00

Namaste. Aap kaise hain? Aapkaa naam kyaa hai?

Basically it means "Hi, how are you?" What is your name?

Did you know that Figi, Mauritus, Venezuela and England have very large Hindi speaking populations. In fact, in Cambden, London they are wanting to have their police learn the language so they know how to communicate with their community.

Oh, something else I learned is, "Kitnaa huaa? Obviously it means, "How much is it?" Not that I will be buying any of that beautiful silk or jewelry:-)

Today we also had lectures on:

Six primary sources of social divisions of politics.

Women's education and child health in India.

Gendering the Call Centers.

Well it is an academic program and they were all incredible presentations.

On a lighter side, we went out on the Lower Colorado River on a paddle boat this evening and had Mexican food.

One more day of lectures tomorrow and then it is off to India. Hooray.

Enjoy the photos of some of my group on the dinner cruise this evening.

Namaste!

CRZTCHR hits Austin, Texas

2008-06-30T20:54:00.000-07:00

Well I started my day with an intense secondary search at the airport. I mean intense. They scanned everything and frisked me. Then I arrive at Austin but without my luggage. It is now 11:00 pm and they have not located it yet. What is this karma thing? The worrying point is that Ella the Elephant, our class mascot is in my luggage and she was to be the star in the crown of India. Fingers crossed for tomorrow, not to mention that I will be a little gross by then as it is forecast to be 99 degrees tomorrow. Tomorrow we start our academics at University of Austin in Texas.

Ella is lost -boo hoo! Anyone seen her flying around?

Some Interesting Facts

2008-06-29T03:11:00.000-07:00

There are over one billion people in India.
India is the 7th largest country in the world. It is as large as the whole of Europe.
It has 95 peaks above 24, 600 feet (7500 meters)
There are 22 official languages in India.
India’s diverse population includes Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains, Zoroastrians, Jews, and animists.”
There are “800 million people who live on less than $2 per day.”
“India is the world’s youngest country.
Fifty percent of India’s people are under the age of twenty-five. By 2015, there will be 550 million teenagers in India.”
“India is facing a severe water crisis. With 17 percent of the world’s population but only 4 percent of the world’s freshwater, India’s water resources are already stretched beyond capacity.”
A baby is born every 1/2 seconds depite birth control. The population is growing at a rate of 3% per year.
50% of the population is in a state of poverty. It is one of the poorest nations in the world.

Some great reads about India and Sri Lanka

2008-06-29T02:38:00.000-07:00

Fulbright Suggestions:

Stitching Identities in a Free Trade Zone

In Spite of the Gods Darsan:

Seeing the Divine Image in India

The Gujurat Series

Everyday Life in South Asia

My Booklist:

Eyewitness India

A Fine Balance

The Namesake

The Space Between Us

Culture Smart! India and Sri Lanka

Shantaram

The Inheritance of Loss

Gandhi

Holy Cow

More Books from Fellow Fulbrighters:

Homeless Bird

Untouchables

The Painter of Signs

Third Class Ticket

Nectar in a Sieve

A Handful of Rice

Train to Pakistan

Life Full of Holes

Learning about India Through Indian Eyes

Movies I have watched so far::

A Passage to India

Gandhi

The Namesake

Earth

Monsoon Wedding

The Jewel in the Crown

Any other suggestions?? Post please.

My favorite quote:

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." Mohandas Gandhi

My Travels

2008-06-29T02:29:00.000-07:00

These are the cities I’ll be visiting soon…

The calm before the storm - but it is not so calm:-)

2008-06-23T09:11:00.000-07:00

Friends, Romans, countrymen lend me your ears.

Do you like the photo of the crazy teacher in Rome last year? Well this year it is INDIA (or Inja as Bob mocks me!)

Just found this great Google blog site so I am thinking this will be the way to go. I am busy buying TIVA's, DEET bug spray, and reading, reading, reading! I cannot believe that we got all of these thick books to read only one week before our travels and education.

This is going to be a great experience and I am excited to share it with you.

Sooooo this was my trial and now I will push the button to see it it works.

CRZ TCHR signing off with 1 week to go..........................