new post, pt. 1

I have a lot of catching up to do again…I’m sorry I haven’t been very consistent about posting to the blog. I don’t really have an excuse except that sometimes I’m too tired, sometimes I’m in a bad mood after going out (the staring, honking, and spitting gets really irksome) and don’t want to make a cranky post, and other times I’d rather spend my computer time on skype or facebook. I do take notes on what I do each day in order to keep track of things for the sake of the blog. Anyways, this week went by really quickly, which is really nice because we go traveling next week.

On Saturday, we had a short workshop in the morning, but I slept through most of it after Nita ma’am encouraged me to follow my body’s signals rather than fight them. Eventually, Harshita came and woke me up so we could work on creating the materials. We worked with Mitali and Molashree, and the four of us made some of the 900 or so little blocks we’ll need for using the decimal boards. We used mud clay which comes from the river. Talk about finding local materials, huh Mom? We spent about 20 minutes working on those, and then we were called over for the potluck. Shipra, who can be a bit bossy/interruptive at times, demanded that we come over, and insisted that she serve me. Almost every teacher brought something, so by the time they were all finished proudly serving their contributions, my plate was full of unrecognizable food which they were eager for me to try. Dishes included a noodle dish (Avi, help me out with the name), fruit cake, chips, sandwiches stuffed with potatoes and spices, and many more…I ate slowly, and had to run and get more water at one point (spice alert), so I was the last person to finish eating, and a lot of people at the table had begun to urge me to eat faster, and make fun of the fact that I ate so slowly. It was perturbing because I felt pressured to try everything, but couldn’t eat quickly because I found many of the dishes extremely spicy. All in all, it was the most flavorfully eclectic meal I’ve ever had, and did enjoy nearly everything the teachers had brought. It was fun to get a chance to spend time with everyone outside of the workshop setting, as well.

After the potluck, we had a lazy afternoon. Abhijeet went to the Betawar campus, so Avi, Dost and I were left to keep ourselves busy in the guesthouse. Avi and I watched Angels and Demons on Dost’s laptop in her room while he napped in his. When Abhijeet came back, the four of us went out to run some errands. We dropped four of my kurtis off at the dry cleaners (when I bought them, the shopkeepers advised me to have them dry cleaned at least the first time after wearing them), walked around Lanka a bit, and Abhijeet and Dost picked up dinner while Avi and I walked back to Nirman. We had dhal and roti from some sketchy restaurant near Ravidass Gate, which is an easy landmark to look up if you want to visualize where I am (Nirman is just a few blocks down the street once you go through the gate). After dinner, the four of us spent the evening hanging out in the guesthouse, and Avi, Dost, and I watched Bruno to conclude the evening (cue CMC nostalgia).

On Sunday, I didn’t get up until 11:15. After waking up before 7 for yoga all week, it was a really nice treat to sleep in all morning. We had a pretty lazy early afternoon hanging out in Avi’s room, listening to music and reading the American magazines I’d bought at Seatac before leaving. We also enjoyed a nice snack of apples which Dost had bargained for with some of the cinnamon peanut butter my mom sent me in the package I got. It was so comforting to have such a purely American-feeling afternoon.

Around 3:30, the three of us went with Pushpa didi to her house, which is in Nagwa, just a short walk from Nirman. Avi had to go there as part of her research, Dost went along to help with Hindi-English translation, and I didn’t want to sit around by myself, so I joined them. She led us down the street that goes to Ravidass Gate and Lanka, but turned right onto the street that becomes a shortcut to Assi ghat (getting oriented…). We walked for less than five minutes, when she abruptly turned up and into a maze of shacks and houses. We saw Rani didi (one of the other women who clean) sitting on the stoop outside of a small shop with breath fresheners hanging from the walls. Then Pushpa didi led us through a small gully which let out into a large backyard area adorned with large piles of garbage, animal excrement, and frolicking goats. Kanti didi (the head cook) came out of one of the doorways and one of the Hindi speakers (Avi or Dost) explained to me that Pushpa had brought us by Kanti didi’s house. We sat there for a few minutes, and a large crowd of probably 12 children gathered. Kanti didi gave us fans and her neighbor (family member? I’m not sure…) pulled up a bench for Dost and me to sit on. After a few minutes, we went back out to the wider gully and continued on to Pushpa didi’s house. She lives in a good sized, primarily brick home. There are a few rooms contiguous rooms with real walls that all open out into an open, main area. We got to look into the rooms, but sat in the main area while Avi conducted her interview (with Dost’s help). Some of her children (and grandchildren?) gathered while we were sitting there. They ranged from probably 4 to 16 years. Because the power was out at the time, a couple of the girls had manual fans to try to keep us cool. This has happened at every home I’ve visited, and I feel guilty every time because I see them getting tired but am afraid it would be rude to offer to help. During her interview, Avi compiled a family tree of everyone living in their home (joint family), and it turned out that there are 23 of them living there. While we were sitting there, one of their goats came into the room and started licking the dirty dishes sitting on the ground…Dost commented on how unsanitary it was, while I was just stuck thinking about how pitiful it was to live in a home where goats can just walk through the living area as they please. Once they were finished with the interview, Pushpa and some of the kids took us upstairs, where there were a couple more rooms and a large roof area. Some of the kids were gathered around a TV watching something in Hindi in one of the rooms, while others were out on the roof area, waiting to show us their pigeons. Such a paradox –TV and goats and pigeons. Someone explained to me that they breed pigeons and then sell them for 150 rupees (about 3 dollars) apiece. We held pigeons, took pictures, and chatted a bit up there. I realized that their roof overlooks the yard we’d sat in and Kanti didi’s house. After a while, we went back downstairs, said thank you, and Pushpa didi’s husband (?) led us back out to the street from where we could navigate ourselves back to Nirman.

After returning to Nirman, we spent a few minutes getting ready, and then headed back out. Abhijeet led us to the southernmost end of Lanka, near the entrance to BHU, where we tried to find an auto that would take us to IP mall (the mall where we’ve gone shopping and saw the movie). We found one eventually, and it took about half an hour to get to the mall. The auto ride, which was relatively long, only cost 70 rupees total for the four of us. When we got there around 6, we got tickets to the 7:30 showing of Raavan, a new movie which is based around the Ramayan. After that, Avi and I insisted on eating dinner, though Dost and Abhijeet were adamant that it would be most logical to eat at 7 so we wouldn’t be hungry after the movie. Whatever. We were hungry, so they came with us upstairs to the food court where we had pizza, garlic bread (which was amazing), chat, and mint chocolate chip ice cream from Baskin and Robins (yesss) on a still-warm waffle cone. That worked for me. When we were finished, we still had a bit of time, so we went to Café Coffee Day, a European Starbucks competitor. We sat there and enjoyed the AC as well as chocolate cake. Yeah…we feasted that evening. Abhijeet and Dost went to McDonalds for dinner, and Avi and I stayed at the café. At one point, I noticed that they had ESPN on their TV, which was showing the Germany vs. England pregame coverage. So exciting! We stayed there until about 7:15 when Abhijeet and Dost finally insisted that we go up to the theater. We didn’t see any of the game, which really disappointed me. I felt like I’d gotten a momentary connection to the outside world, just to have it ripped away right before the game started. I became really anxious and isolated, which has begun to happen every time I feel overwhelmed by being so far removed from anything familiar. I called my mom, accidentally waking her up, to try and feel better, because the auditorium for our movie wasn’t open yet. We talked for a few minutes, and then the theater opened up. I didn’t hang up immediately, and Abhijeet began snapping his finger at me to indicate that it was time to go. That made things worse…I don’t like being treated like an animal. Though, I’m told, it’s just a part of the way people interact here. I know I can’t take it personally, but I can’t help being irritated by the little things that would be considered so rude and socially improper at home. Anyways…I really enjoyed the movie. Once again, it was all in Hindi, but the music (done by A.R. Rahman…same as Slumdog Millionaire) was phenomenal, and so was the cinematography. Also, because I’m familiar with the story of the Ramayan, I was able to pick up on some of the nuances of the film. Overall, it was exponentially more enjoyable than the previous movie we saw. After the movie ended, we had some trouble finding an auto that would take us back, but eventually Abhijeet got one. We began the journey home, when we suddenly hit traffic caused by a wedding. Abhijeet began arguing heatedly with the auto driver…Dost informed me that, because we had to take a different route, the driver was insisting on a higher price, which Abhijeet was having none of. Eventually we made it back, and relaxed until we went to bed.

On Monday morning, we had a very short workshop in which a few of the teachers, including Sushmita (I love her, she’s really sweet), took turns leading informal discussion on pets. A few of us took turns talking about our pets, and at one point, Nita ma’am was leading the group in the pronunciation of “Grace” and “Toby” because they’re such foreign names. Laughable. After the workshop, Harshita and I began working on compiling lesson plans based on the 1st grade math textbook. We spent a few hours working on that, and then she left. Before lunch, Avi introduced me to Sunita, who helps keep the school materials and library organized. Sunita is 18, but looks like she’s 10 or 12. Her family is extremely poor, as she openly admits. She doesn’t speak a lot of English, but, as she told Avi in Hindi, loves to meet people from other places so she can learn about other parts of the world. She hopes to learn more English; both her younger sisters, who go to the school here, are fluent. Sunita’s desire to learn is both impressive and humbling. She joined us for lunch, which was what it is everyday: dhal, rice, chapatti, and a couple of mushy, spicy vegetable dishes. The dhal has grown on me, and now that I know a little bit of Hindi, I have an easier time communicating to the cooks what I want and in what quantity. Also, Avi and I noticed that Kanti didi is a lot more friendly and motherly with us now that we’ve visited her house. She wanted to take us with her to the park, and took us each by the elbow when she was telling us about how nice it is. She’s a really rough-looking woman, but has a really kind smile. Anyway, after lunch, the new American intern, Alex, arrived. I’m no longer the only white person at Nirman! Not that it was really difficult before, but it’s nice to have someone to relate with on a cultural level. I had a meeting with Irfana around 2, while Avi and Dost went to Sushmita’s house for an interview. After my meeting, Alex and I walked into Lanka to run a few errands. I went to the ATM, bought nail polish, and recharged my phone money, and Alex got his picture taken at a photo studio so he could have passport sized photos – a requirement to get a SIM card. Shortly after we got back to Nirman, Harshita and Saloni came back, because we’d made plans to go out that evening. We had tea while we waited for Avi and Dost to get back, and headed out as soon as they returned. Dost and Alex took a rickshaw, while Avi and I rode with Harshita and Saloni on their scooties. I went with Saloni, she with Harshita, and we went to Vishwanath Temple at BHU. Before we went in, though, Saloni taught Avi and me to ride her scootie…so much fun! We rode on the side of the street where there’s parking, but no cars were there. After a few minutes of that, we went into the Temple, where the Hindus prayed and Alex and I respectfully observed. Afterwards, we went upstairs in the temple and sat outside for a bit. There was a nice breeze, which felt really pleasant. We then went back downstairs, returned to the entrance, collected our shoes, and headed back to the scooties. Before we left, though, we had mango shakes from one of the vendors outside the temple. They were amazing – we watched him blend the mangos, milk, and ice (yep…I was okay though) right in front of us. I love being in Varanasi during mango season! Once Alex and Dost were situated with a rickshaw, the girls went back to the scooties and headed to Godaulia, right near Harshita’s house. She led us to a small complex with a long hallway with different shops, and we stopped at one with a bunch of men sitting on the floor. We’d come for mehendi (henna), and I realized this was where we were getting it. Avi and I sat perfectly still on the floor for what felt like the longest 30 minutes of my life. The men did an excellent job…both of my hands, and both of Avi’s, were decorated extremely intricately. We both paid 150 rupees, which was a little steep, but Harshita reminded us that it’s wedding season so this is when they can make the most money. We left, and Harshita helped us negotiate a rickshaw back to Lanka. She also helped get money out of my wallet and put it in a more accessible place because Avi and I couldn’t move our hands very much. When we got back, we had to wait a bit longer before we could eat dinner, but it was worth the wait because Rangnath had asked the cooks to make us mashed potatos! They were actually delicious…and we ate them with chutney.

On Tuesday, I finally figured out how to reconfigure my laptop with the wifi, now that it’s fixed for real. I can’t overemphasize my excitement about that. It’s really nice not to have to rely on Abhijeet for his modem, which he shared generously, but there were always five of us wanting to use it. After breakfast, Harshita and I worked on lesson plans for 1st grade for a couple of hours before going back to the teachers’ resource room to help with more organization. We had to dust off books and put them onto shelves…pretty easy, but moderately monotonous. When we were finished, we all hung out until lunch. After lunch, I facebook crept for a few minutes in the library until Mamta arrived for Hindi lessons. By now she’s taught us the whole alphabet with pronunciations, so if I refer to my notes I can read and write small words in Hindi! Speaking, at least for me, has been much more difficult. After Hindi lessons, there was a going-away gathering for Avi which Rangnath had organized. He’s been really thorough in doing his job – he’s the new café manager and is constantly asking for feedback so he can improve. For Avi’s party, we had tea, lime water, French fries (!!!), samosas, and some type of sweet. I have a really hard time identifying Indian sweets…people keep telling me things are milk-based, but I really can’t figure it out. Regardless, they taste good. After Avi’s party, I went with Avi and Dost to Sunita’s house. We had to take two rickshaws: Sunita and me, Avi and Dost. While we rode through the city, Sunita and I talked a bit, but neither of us speaks enough of each other’s language to have a real conversation. At one point, she asked me how long I’ll be here, and when I told her “until 17th August,” her face lit up and she said, “you and I, together daily.” I actually almost cried. Even though I’m homesick constantly, there are still little things that make me so happy and grateful to be here. Sunita’s response to the duration of my stay in Varanasi was consistent with some of the teachers’ responses, too. It’s nice to feel wanted here, because it is really easy to feel overwhelmingly out of place. On the way to Sunita’s home, we got stuck in a bit of traffic. Classic Banarasi traffic = bottlenecking as a result of rickshaw drivers, bicyclists, and cars not waiting their turn on narrow streets. It gets really old. When we finally got off the rickshaws, Avi stopped to buy bananas for Sunita’s family. Then Sunita led us down and around some gullies and, after a few minutes, we arrived at her house. I would have walked right by it. There was just a door in a brick wall, which, I noticed as we were leaving, they had painted a festive green. We went inside, and found ourselves in a narrow courtyard with a few mud-walled, tapestry-roofed rooms opening into it. They also had two pets chained to the wall: a dog and a monkey. Her whole family welcomed us and led us to the only room in their home with four brick walls and a real roof. We sat on a mat on the floor, and two of the children fanned us. Guilt…Everyone chatted in Hindi for about half an hour, during which time Sunil (her younger brother who also works at Nirman) went and got us tea. I’ve noticed that the best tasting tea here is the sketchy stuff from street vendors that I really shouldn’t be drinking. He initially went to pour it into plastic cups for us, but their mother insisted on serving us out of small, terra cotta bowls. At one point, the conversation turned to me, and Avi introduced me to Sunita’s father in Hindi. He beamed and started rattling off about my name. Dost told me that he was saying that my name is beautiful and relates to something about love in Hindi. He also asked how long I’ll be in Varanasi, and when I told him, he said (in Hindi) that I should visit them “many, many, many, many more times.” Indian hospitality…remarkable. Sunita even asked me yesterday to come visit them again soon.

From Sunita’s house, we took a rickshaw to Harshita’s. We spent about an hour there, and her mom fed us a meal’s worth of amazing snacks. Indian hospitality, again! Her parents sat with us, and Avi, Dost, Saloni, Harshita, and her parents all chatted extensively in Hindi. After a while, we took rickshaws back to Nirman: Avi with Dost, me with Harshita and Saloni – they sat on the edges of the seat like pros. We all hung out in the guesthouse and went to sleep around 1:30…which wasn’t good because we got up at 4:15 the next morning. I’ll elaborate in the next post…

Ps. I realize I avoided writing this post all week because trying to describe the poverty I have now seen from the inside out is extremely difficult to think about and describe. I’ll write about Wednesday-Saturday later this evening.