Hard to believe more than a week has passed since my last post! Teaching is keeping me busy – busier than I would have expected.
Udaipur is steadily getting warmer, though yesterday we had a thunderstorm. I’ve never been so grateful for gray skies and clouds – it was such a refreshing change from the blasting heat of the sun in a clear, blue sky.
As for my kids, I now have all their names down and can more or less keep them under control. There are days that are worse than others – particularly when all the rascals decide to attend and make it their business to keep everything chaotic. But mostly, the kids are genuinely great and so excited to do our activities. Their favorite thing are the storybooks – none of them own books, so to be able to see a storybook is a huge treat for them. I have to hide it in my bag or else they bother me about during the whole class (I save the story for last), saying “Didi, book, book!”. As soon as I pull it out, they all gather claustrophobically close around me so that they can touch the pictures on the page and discuss among themselves what everything is. Even though they can’t understand any of the stories, I read it anyways, and have them count out or call out what colors certain things are. The other day, they all ended up standing around me, chattering and trying to touch the pages until I could barely turn to the next page. It’s one of my favorite parts of the day – I love how excited they are.
The most difficult part is the lack of resources. Mark and I spend a lot of time re-tracing our own connect the dots (15 copies of each, all by hand!) or create our own flashcards and posters. All our worksheets are handmade, and we often copy them by hand to make enough copies. It continues to remind me how lucky (and how much we take for granted!) we are to have so many facilities and materials available to us. Even with the meager things we have though, the kids are thrilled, which is also a harsh reminder of how little they have to begin with. We're hoping to do some side projects - such as paint the schools and fix some students' uniforms.
Last Wednesday we did a community visit, which meant we went into the village of the school where we teach. With a local coordinator to translate, we met the parents and grandparents of our students and could tell them how their child/grandchild was doing, whether or not he/she attended regularly, etc. Mostly, it was fascinating to see each student’s house and get to see how they lived. I’ve done plenty of village visits in my life, but this meant so much more because of the personal connection we have with our kids, even after only 2 weeks of teaching.
The living conditions (in the same village) ranged from poor to average to well off. In one or two huts, there were televisions and even DVD players, while the poorer families had 2 rooms (maximum) and all slept in the same room together. One house we stepped into had a baby calf tied up next to the pallets on the floor. It’s difficult to imagine how a family of 8 or 10 people (immediate family and often grandparents or aunts and uncles live together) crowded together, sometimes with chickens and goats in the same room. Yet every parent was cheerful and friendly when we spoke with them. The students (who followed us the entire time) were shy but so excited to show us their homes. They climbed trees to pick tamarind for us, ran to bring their younger siblings to introduce to us and generally wanted to show us everything about their lives outside school. It was an eye-opening visit – not so much because I was shocked by the poverty, but because it was the first time I could put it in the perspective of people I feel genuine affection for.
There are now 3 more volunteers who have just arrived, and it’s almost amusing to see their reactions to certain things – reactions that I remember perfectly from my first weeks here. Other tourists that I meet in town gripe about things like bucket showers and cockroaches in rooms, but I find myself enjoying how basic things are. Don’t get me wrong – I’ll probably be the first to enjoy a nice, hot shower when I get home – but I love how things are simpler here. I love dressing in long, flamboyantly colorful clothes, and I love being able to strike up a conversation with anyone without them thinking I’m strange for interrupting their “privacy” (a concept that does NOT exist here in India). I love the colors of India, and the busyness of everything.
Granted, I do not love everything. I’m sick again and had to miss school today – 2 of the other volunteers are also down with similar bouts of Indian fun. Sadly, in many ways I’m getting too used to it – it would be impossible for me to do half of what I had planned if I stayed home every time I started feeling nauseous.
But it’s all part of India keeping me on my toes! I am already planning ahead for the last leg of my time here (so hard to believe it’s slowly wrapping up), and it looks like I’ll be here for about 2 more weeks before getting in two more weeks of travel. And then, home. At this point it’s impossible for me to think about going home – India is so absurdly different that I can’t put home and India in the same thought. So we’ll see. Until then, Udaipur is still keeping me busy :)
Miss you all!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Teaching and all that jazz
Week one of teaching is done!
It's been a pretty intense couple of days, and it's definitely not an easy job.
My class - 2nd graders - should have around 20 kids enrolled, but so far I've only had a maximum of 11, which is apparently the norm. Of the 10 or so who regularly show up, 2 of them are girls, and they often sit huddled together at the back, shy, silent.
Surprisingly, I've managed to pick up all their names and match them with the right faces, which I'm quite proud of. I am referred to as "Didi" - my name is difficult for them, they often refer to female teachers or aunts and such as Didi, and I quite like it, actually.
The classroom is sparse and bare, with one or two handmade posters of the Alphabet barely sticking to the walls, and a portrait of one of the ministers of some department or another. There are windows, but no glass panes to them, which is wonderful to let the breeze through, particularly as temperatures continue to steadily increase.
As for resources, we are completely depedent upon our own creativity and skills to create exercises and sheets for them to work on. It's such a huge difference from ISB - I don't think I'd really thought about how lucky those students are until I found myself faced with creating a curriculum with little to no materials. The students have no paper of their own, and only several have pencils - most of which are the very last stubs of overly sharpened pencils. They are all dressed in uniform - blue, collared, short sleeve shirts and dark shorts - the girls wear skirts. All the kids are dirty, their uniforms tattered and ripped, but their shirts are always meticulously tucked into their pants. Most are barefoot, running across rocky, dirt covered paths to school, carrying bags that are torn at the seams and have no doubt been passed down for years through the family.
They all sit on the floor, on threadbare mats. We have a blackboard (on the days that we're in the classroom!) but the kids can't read in English so we often use it for picture drawing, and writing the numbers or the letters of the alphabet. Like all 7 year olds, these kids have attention spans of about 10 minutes, and we constantly have to switch exercises to keep them concentrated, particularly because they don't understand half of what we say to them. Right now, we are still revising the very basic principles - can they say their ABC's, can they recognize the letters when we take them out of their correct spot in the alphabet, numbers, basic vocabulary, etc. Many of the kids can recite their ABC's perfectly, but as soon as you present them with individual letters, they are utterly lost. On the other hand, I have one student who can already write and correctly spell words like "apple" and "banana", an impressive feat for a student who has only received English lessons since October. Coloring is so exciting for them - they don't own colored pencils, and they love having 20 minutes to color in pictures, which they proudly display to us, anticipating our "Very good!"s and other praise. They are starved for attention and reinforcement, so I give them time every day to work on drawing and exercises while I walk around and look at each picture. I draw smiley faces and checks on their papers, and they could not be happier.
The last two days this week we haven't been able to use the classroom (honestly, I'm not sure why) and so we've had to sit outside. Not only does it make it at least 5 times harder to keep their attention because of all the outdoor distractions, but it's hot. Mark and I are exhausted after an hour - luckily we can switch off teaching, while the other person does classroom control - but it reminds us how difficult the environmental conditions are. And how random the interruptions can be - on thursday, a baby goat jumped onto the platform where we were teaching. I attempted to move it away, but realized I had no clue what I was doing and just stood there stupidly thinking that I'd never dealt with a situation like this before. One of my students giggled, calmly picked it up and put it back on the ground.
I'm also reminded how different the teaching culture is between countries. One day, Mark and I had to send out one of the boys who couldn't stop distracting the others. 10 minutes later, we went to get him and found him sobbing - I was surprised because he hadn't seemed so upset at the time, but didn't think much of it - I just told him it wasn't bad and he could come back to the class. We found out afterwards from the local coordinator that a local teacher had slapped him across the face when he found out that the student had been sent out. Luckily, the coordinator intervened before he could continue, and explained that we did not want the students hit.
I don't think I've felt so guilty in my life - I hadn't even thought about how the other teachers would potentially react to seeing us punish one of their students. I will be much more careful next time I send a student out and make it as clear as possible that that is to be the ONLY punishment. Again, I think of how lucky my students at ISB are - being hit by a teacher is unthinkable and unimaginable. These kids aren't as lucky - being beaten is an everyday reality.
As for progress, who knows? I hope I'm doing this right - these are good kids who deserve a good chance, a shot at life. Sometimes, seeing them and how eager they are to show off their writing and drawing to me, I wonder how life will turn out for them. I see the kids who can't come to school, carrying buckets of water or working on the streets, and I wonder if school will make the difference for my kids. My students are so bright - they adore books, learning new songs, showing off their vocabulary to me. They are so enthusiastic and quick to grasp concepts. But will it be enough to get them out of their villages? I honestly don't know.
It's been a pretty intense couple of days, and it's definitely not an easy job.
My class - 2nd graders - should have around 20 kids enrolled, but so far I've only had a maximum of 11, which is apparently the norm. Of the 10 or so who regularly show up, 2 of them are girls, and they often sit huddled together at the back, shy, silent.
Surprisingly, I've managed to pick up all their names and match them with the right faces, which I'm quite proud of. I am referred to as "Didi" - my name is difficult for them, they often refer to female teachers or aunts and such as Didi, and I quite like it, actually.
The classroom is sparse and bare, with one or two handmade posters of the Alphabet barely sticking to the walls, and a portrait of one of the ministers of some department or another. There are windows, but no glass panes to them, which is wonderful to let the breeze through, particularly as temperatures continue to steadily increase.
As for resources, we are completely depedent upon our own creativity and skills to create exercises and sheets for them to work on. It's such a huge difference from ISB - I don't think I'd really thought about how lucky those students are until I found myself faced with creating a curriculum with little to no materials. The students have no paper of their own, and only several have pencils - most of which are the very last stubs of overly sharpened pencils. They are all dressed in uniform - blue, collared, short sleeve shirts and dark shorts - the girls wear skirts. All the kids are dirty, their uniforms tattered and ripped, but their shirts are always meticulously tucked into their pants. Most are barefoot, running across rocky, dirt covered paths to school, carrying bags that are torn at the seams and have no doubt been passed down for years through the family.
They all sit on the floor, on threadbare mats. We have a blackboard (on the days that we're in the classroom!) but the kids can't read in English so we often use it for picture drawing, and writing the numbers or the letters of the alphabet. Like all 7 year olds, these kids have attention spans of about 10 minutes, and we constantly have to switch exercises to keep them concentrated, particularly because they don't understand half of what we say to them. Right now, we are still revising the very basic principles - can they say their ABC's, can they recognize the letters when we take them out of their correct spot in the alphabet, numbers, basic vocabulary, etc. Many of the kids can recite their ABC's perfectly, but as soon as you present them with individual letters, they are utterly lost. On the other hand, I have one student who can already write and correctly spell words like "apple" and "banana", an impressive feat for a student who has only received English lessons since October. Coloring is so exciting for them - they don't own colored pencils, and they love having 20 minutes to color in pictures, which they proudly display to us, anticipating our "Very good!"s and other praise. They are starved for attention and reinforcement, so I give them time every day to work on drawing and exercises while I walk around and look at each picture. I draw smiley faces and checks on their papers, and they could not be happier.
The last two days this week we haven't been able to use the classroom (honestly, I'm not sure why) and so we've had to sit outside. Not only does it make it at least 5 times harder to keep their attention because of all the outdoor distractions, but it's hot. Mark and I are exhausted after an hour - luckily we can switch off teaching, while the other person does classroom control - but it reminds us how difficult the environmental conditions are. And how random the interruptions can be - on thursday, a baby goat jumped onto the platform where we were teaching. I attempted to move it away, but realized I had no clue what I was doing and just stood there stupidly thinking that I'd never dealt with a situation like this before. One of my students giggled, calmly picked it up and put it back on the ground.
I'm also reminded how different the teaching culture is between countries. One day, Mark and I had to send out one of the boys who couldn't stop distracting the others. 10 minutes later, we went to get him and found him sobbing - I was surprised because he hadn't seemed so upset at the time, but didn't think much of it - I just told him it wasn't bad and he could come back to the class. We found out afterwards from the local coordinator that a local teacher had slapped him across the face when he found out that the student had been sent out. Luckily, the coordinator intervened before he could continue, and explained that we did not want the students hit.
I don't think I've felt so guilty in my life - I hadn't even thought about how the other teachers would potentially react to seeing us punish one of their students. I will be much more careful next time I send a student out and make it as clear as possible that that is to be the ONLY punishment. Again, I think of how lucky my students at ISB are - being hit by a teacher is unthinkable and unimaginable. These kids aren't as lucky - being beaten is an everyday reality.
As for progress, who knows? I hope I'm doing this right - these are good kids who deserve a good chance, a shot at life. Sometimes, seeing them and how eager they are to show off their writing and drawing to me, I wonder how life will turn out for them. I see the kids who can't come to school, carrying buckets of water or working on the streets, and I wonder if school will make the difference for my kids. My students are so bright - they adore books, learning new songs, showing off their vocabulary to me. They are so enthusiastic and quick to grasp concepts. But will it be enough to get them out of their villages? I honestly don't know.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Udaipur - Take 2
So, I arrived back in Udaipur with a great sense of relief. Traveling is amazing, but so exhausting, which you don't realise until you get a chance to unpack and sleep in the same bed for more than 2 days.
Now, I'm getting settled into my new organisation. Tomorrow is my first day of teaching, which is exciting and a little nerve wracking. I have a second grade class in a little school about 20 km outside Udaipur's city center - it's set amidst the Aravalli Hills, and is just beautiful. We new volunteers went out there yesterday to see it, and met the kids, who are shy but very curious. I will be co-teaching with another volunteer, but he has to go to Delhi tomorrow so I'll start off on my own. A lot of it will be about getting them comfortable with having me around, so we'll play some introduction games, then I'll have them draw and color name tags (thank you 6L for great ideas!) and then I'll start some review to see where they stand on ABC's and numbers and basic vocabulary. It's been a month since they last had a volunteer English teacher, so I want to see how much they remember.
Overall, I'm really looking forward to it. I spent about 2 hours today doing lesson planning - I want to make sure I have backups in case something happens, or everything goes too fast - but I think the coloring will take time. We're working with really limited resources, which is such a change after ISB, so Mark and I are making most of the materials from scratch and are trying to come up with fun crafts projects we can do with basic materials. These kids rarely get access to colored pencils and drawing materials and the like, so I want to incorporate that aspect as much as possible into the classes. The students I'm teaching are all from tribal communities - their families all live in extremely poor conditions (all below the poverty line) and most of the kids are sent to school partly because a free lunch is included.
Next weekend is Holi, a huge festival in India which involves complete freedom from all normal social restraints and colored powders which are thrown on everyone. It should be interesting, to say the least, though my Indian friends told me to be very careful and be sure not to move outside alone as most of the men are drunk and high on bhang lassis. It also means that shops are closing down and attendance is going to be lower than usual this week, so that may affect the dynamic of my class. But like I said, we'll see how it goes! At any rate, keep your fingers crossed for me and wish me luck for tomorrow :)
Miss you all!
Now, I'm getting settled into my new organisation. Tomorrow is my first day of teaching, which is exciting and a little nerve wracking. I have a second grade class in a little school about 20 km outside Udaipur's city center - it's set amidst the Aravalli Hills, and is just beautiful. We new volunteers went out there yesterday to see it, and met the kids, who are shy but very curious. I will be co-teaching with another volunteer, but he has to go to Delhi tomorrow so I'll start off on my own. A lot of it will be about getting them comfortable with having me around, so we'll play some introduction games, then I'll have them draw and color name tags (thank you 6L for great ideas!) and then I'll start some review to see where they stand on ABC's and numbers and basic vocabulary. It's been a month since they last had a volunteer English teacher, so I want to see how much they remember.
Overall, I'm really looking forward to it. I spent about 2 hours today doing lesson planning - I want to make sure I have backups in case something happens, or everything goes too fast - but I think the coloring will take time. We're working with really limited resources, which is such a change after ISB, so Mark and I are making most of the materials from scratch and are trying to come up with fun crafts projects we can do with basic materials. These kids rarely get access to colored pencils and drawing materials and the like, so I want to incorporate that aspect as much as possible into the classes. The students I'm teaching are all from tribal communities - their families all live in extremely poor conditions (all below the poverty line) and most of the kids are sent to school partly because a free lunch is included.
Next weekend is Holi, a huge festival in India which involves complete freedom from all normal social restraints and colored powders which are thrown on everyone. It should be interesting, to say the least, though my Indian friends told me to be very careful and be sure not to move outside alone as most of the men are drunk and high on bhang lassis. It also means that shops are closing down and attendance is going to be lower than usual this week, so that may affect the dynamic of my class. But like I said, we'll see how it goes! At any rate, keep your fingers crossed for me and wish me luck for tomorrow :)
Miss you all!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Luxury India
Back in Delhi after a week of luxury, relaxation and calm - basically, all things that are not India.
Laura and I met Jigar after our 20 hr train ride in Delhi, where we moved into a beautiful 4 star hotel for two days, then headed to Jaipur for 2 days, and then spent one day in Agra.
Ok, so I know some of you will probably disapprove of this whole "luxury" traveling, but I like to think of it as another angle to view India from. Actually, coming from the backpacker version to the 4 star version of India is quite a cultural experience (and it was so great staying in quiet rooms and having real showers for a week, I won't lie!).
The deal was that we had a car for us the whole week, which drove us from city to city and took us to all the main sites every day. It was such a strange thing for me - having always relied on rickshaws and public transportation - to all of a sudden be in a huge van, with a/c and more than enough room. At every hotel, our bags were carried in, we were addressed as "sir" and "ma'am" and people seemed to go out of their way to make sure we were happy (which in my case was not an issue, since I have the lowest of standards these days). We stayed in gorgeous heritage hotels with peacocks scampering around the grounds, and with beautiful pools with flower mosaic patterns in the bottom. Breakfasts were amazing - fresh fruits and fruit juices and eggs and all the good food you could eat. We slept in four poster beds, were handed wreaths of flowers when we arrived, and had poolside entrances.
All in all, it was a surreal experience. How can you compare this India with the India of 100 rupee rooms, bucket showers and rats scurrying under the beds? Our hotels were filled with (mostly elderly) foreign couples, and those who want to see the beautiful sites of India without dealing with the hassle of India. In short, without really experiencing India.
Unfortunately, it's an easy illusion to sink into. After a week of being catered to, sleeping in quiet, dark, clean rooms, it's difficult to throw yourself back into the real world. Part of me understands how much easier it is to do Resort India - you are inevitably above and beyond the dirtiness and noise and uncomfortable parts of traveling here - but it is so unbelievably different from what I've experienced so far. I won't deny that I loved it - I would never be able to travel like that in most places of the world - but it's such a sheltered way to travel.
I've already talked about Delhi and Jaipur - but Agra needs to be described. I initially thought that I would bypass the Taj Mahal (so cliche, after all!) and everyone's seen it in pictures thousands of times. However, every Indian person I met was shocked and horrified when I explained my thoughts to them, and I thought I should give it a go.
With a whopping 750 rupee entrance (the most expensive site in India) I was on the verge of re-thinking my decision (thankfully Laura and Jigar were there so I really couldn't skip out on Agra). The free water bottle didn't seem like a good enough recompense either...
But how can I describe the Taj Mahal? To quote Wordsworth (thank you Mr. Roberts and IB English!) I can only describe it as sublime. It is, by far, one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen in my life - pictures do not even begin to do it justice. Perhaps it is also the story of the Shah and how he built it in memory of his wife, but there is an aura, a feeling of reverence and sanctity about it. As I saw it for the first time, through the arch of the entrance gate, I felt a shock - as if a curtain was pulled up, and something you hadn't expected to see was behind it. It is one of those places that you can't stop taking pictures of - I felt like my pictures weren't doing it justice, or that I kept needing to capture it one last time, even though every picture (in retrospect) looks more or less the same. As I was walking away from it, I had to resist the urge to walk backwards and keep my eyes on it the whole way.
There's a reason that it's the most visited monument in India - but it's something you only realize when you're standing there, trying to fathom how beautiful it is. Easily worth the entrance fee - though if it had been cheaper I wouldn't have hesitated to come back early the next morning and see it during the sunrise.
Now, I'm back in Delhi. I've met the other two new volunteers, and tonight we head of to Jodhpur (back in Rajasthan) for a two day excursion before going back to Udaipur. I'm excited and relieved to be going back - I'm ready to settle my bags down again for a little bit, and I've missed Udaipur. My first day of teaching is Monday, and it looks like I'll be working with 2nd graders. But I'll keep you all posted as I get settled in - so far, so good though.
Otherwise, all is well. No more sickness (knock on wood!) or other crises. What can I say? I guess it just takes time for India to grow on you :)
Miss you all!
Laura and I met Jigar after our 20 hr train ride in Delhi, where we moved into a beautiful 4 star hotel for two days, then headed to Jaipur for 2 days, and then spent one day in Agra.
Ok, so I know some of you will probably disapprove of this whole "luxury" traveling, but I like to think of it as another angle to view India from. Actually, coming from the backpacker version to the 4 star version of India is quite a cultural experience (and it was so great staying in quiet rooms and having real showers for a week, I won't lie!).
The deal was that we had a car for us the whole week, which drove us from city to city and took us to all the main sites every day. It was such a strange thing for me - having always relied on rickshaws and public transportation - to all of a sudden be in a huge van, with a/c and more than enough room. At every hotel, our bags were carried in, we were addressed as "sir" and "ma'am" and people seemed to go out of their way to make sure we were happy (which in my case was not an issue, since I have the lowest of standards these days). We stayed in gorgeous heritage hotels with peacocks scampering around the grounds, and with beautiful pools with flower mosaic patterns in the bottom. Breakfasts were amazing - fresh fruits and fruit juices and eggs and all the good food you could eat. We slept in four poster beds, were handed wreaths of flowers when we arrived, and had poolside entrances.
All in all, it was a surreal experience. How can you compare this India with the India of 100 rupee rooms, bucket showers and rats scurrying under the beds? Our hotels were filled with (mostly elderly) foreign couples, and those who want to see the beautiful sites of India without dealing with the hassle of India. In short, without really experiencing India.
Unfortunately, it's an easy illusion to sink into. After a week of being catered to, sleeping in quiet, dark, clean rooms, it's difficult to throw yourself back into the real world. Part of me understands how much easier it is to do Resort India - you are inevitably above and beyond the dirtiness and noise and uncomfortable parts of traveling here - but it is so unbelievably different from what I've experienced so far. I won't deny that I loved it - I would never be able to travel like that in most places of the world - but it's such a sheltered way to travel.
I've already talked about Delhi and Jaipur - but Agra needs to be described. I initially thought that I would bypass the Taj Mahal (so cliche, after all!) and everyone's seen it in pictures thousands of times. However, every Indian person I met was shocked and horrified when I explained my thoughts to them, and I thought I should give it a go.
With a whopping 750 rupee entrance (the most expensive site in India) I was on the verge of re-thinking my decision (thankfully Laura and Jigar were there so I really couldn't skip out on Agra). The free water bottle didn't seem like a good enough recompense either...
But how can I describe the Taj Mahal? To quote Wordsworth (thank you Mr. Roberts and IB English!) I can only describe it as sublime. It is, by far, one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen in my life - pictures do not even begin to do it justice. Perhaps it is also the story of the Shah and how he built it in memory of his wife, but there is an aura, a feeling of reverence and sanctity about it. As I saw it for the first time, through the arch of the entrance gate, I felt a shock - as if a curtain was pulled up, and something you hadn't expected to see was behind it. It is one of those places that you can't stop taking pictures of - I felt like my pictures weren't doing it justice, or that I kept needing to capture it one last time, even though every picture (in retrospect) looks more or less the same. As I was walking away from it, I had to resist the urge to walk backwards and keep my eyes on it the whole way.
There's a reason that it's the most visited monument in India - but it's something you only realize when you're standing there, trying to fathom how beautiful it is. Easily worth the entrance fee - though if it had been cheaper I wouldn't have hesitated to come back early the next morning and see it during the sunrise.
Now, I'm back in Delhi. I've met the other two new volunteers, and tonight we head of to Jodhpur (back in Rajasthan) for a two day excursion before going back to Udaipur. I'm excited and relieved to be going back - I'm ready to settle my bags down again for a little bit, and I've missed Udaipur. My first day of teaching is Monday, and it looks like I'll be working with 2nd graders. But I'll keep you all posted as I get settled in - so far, so good though.
Otherwise, all is well. No more sickness (knock on wood!) or other crises. What can I say? I guess it just takes time for India to grow on you :)
Miss you all!
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Deserts, camels and sun - oh my!
Yes, yes, cheesy title. I blame it on the intense soreness and pain that I'm praying will not cripple me for life.
If you think I'm exagerating, I dare you to ride a camel for two days and tell me how YOU feel post-trotting.
How can I describe this experience? It was one of the most intense, all encompassing things I can ever remember doing. As Laura and I signed ourselves off on this trek, we accepted that pain, heat and general discomfort would be a huge factor - but hey, it's only 2 days of your life, so why not? My experience with camels was limited - I'd done an hour long "walk" on a camel in Egypt for an evening, with a guide leading it the whole way. I wasn't too scared or worried.
We woke up at 6 am on Saturday morning, jumped into the jeep at 6:30 and took off 60 km away from the city of Jaisalmer. The group consisted of 5 girls - Laura, myself and 3 girls from the UK (who were, incidentally, perfect travel/camel companions). All you can see around you is the desert - sand and rather morose looking shrubs and prickles as far as the eye can see. We arrived around 7:30, met our 3 guides, who cooked us an enormous breakfast of eggs, toast, and huge cups of steaming chai. It was, incidentally, freezing - I was worried I was going to catch pneumonia from the jeep trip. By 7:30, as we watched the sun rise over the desert, it warmed slightly, until we were comfortable in fleeces and scarves.
We were introduced to our partners for the next two days - 5 rather disgruntled camels - and given an Intro to Camel lecture that lasted all of 5 minutes, in which were instructed on how to turn, stop and basically attempt to control our camels. Forgot the guides leading us - we were on our own!
My camel - Para is his name - I can affectionately describe as a grumpy, burping, unmannerly old man. He was one of the older ones of the pack, and took his leadership duties quite seriously. I climbed on as gracefully as possible - if you've ever gotten on a camel you know that grace and camel riding doesn't really work together - he jumped up a little too quickly for me, and the guide told me I was in the lead. Which caused a little bit of a shock for about 10 minutes, until I realized that Para knew the trail like the back of his hoof, and steadily sauntered off.
Despite some slight mishaps - a binge eating camel (Laura's!) who wouldn't stop deviating from the trail to eat - and some testosterone filled ones who tried to go for wandering females - everything was wonderful. We ambled on for about 3 or 4 hours (with a break at a village - the kids were nightmares and were trying to take all our stuff) until the noon sun made us stop. Luckily, there was an amazing breeze, but the sun beat down like nothing I've ever felt. Thank god for wearing long pants and long sleeve shirts - I would easily have fried otherwise.
THen a looooong break - from noon til 4, because of how hot it was. More chai, one of the best meals I've had in India (fresh chapatis, saffron rice, aloo subhji). Then, reading under the one tree that provided shade, naps. Generally, relaxation at its best.
At 4, we got back on our camels for another 2-3 hours. At this point, the soreness had kicked in, but it was still manageable. We arrived at beautiful, beautiful sand dunes (the rolling waves of sand, and everything!) which we trekked over until we arrived at our camp site for the night.
It was the first time I'd experienced absolute peace and quiet since getting to India. There was no trash anywhere to be found. In the distance, a lone shepherd herded his desert goats, and you could hear the faint clanging of a bell attached to one of them. We watched the sun fade behind the dunes, feeling peace like never before.
Then - our guide walked up the dunes with a tray of chai for us. For a fleeting moment, I understood what it must have felt like in Colonial India - the image of him walking up in his all white, flowing outfit and turban with a tray of chai cups was so alien to us all. He stayed and chatted with us for a while about how long he'd done this trip - 8 years - and how he was from one of the villages in the desert. He can navigate anywhere in the desert, but confessed that he gets lost in Jaisalmer. He's only 26, but he's been maneuvering through these deserts his whole life. I can't even begin to imagine what such a life would be like - though I can understand the passion and attachment that these people hold for their traditional lives, staying rather than moving to the dirty, crowded, polluted cities.
Then, another wonderful fresh meal. We all helped make the chapatis - which was fun - we claimed we had to work for our meals - and settled around the campfire for the evening.
They set out our beds for us - it was like a luxury hotel out in the stars. We had mattresses with clean sheets and a big comforter for the cold desert air - and everything was so perfect I could have been dreaming it all. We called it an early night -by 9:30 we were all tucked in - but I kept myself awake to look at the stars.
How can I describe the stars? There must have been hundreds of thousands of them, splashed across the dark night sky, everywhere. They were above us and stretched down to the tips of the sand dunes, as if they were melting into the sand. I saw at least 5 shooting stars, and the glittering sky was the last thing I saw before dozing off into one of the best sleeps I've had since getting to India.
Ok, I realize this is a long post, but part of my writing it all out allows me to re-live it, so bear with me! :)
We woke up around 6:30 the next morning, refreshed and ready (well, not physically) for another day in the saddle. We watched the sun rise, blood red, perfectly circular, in the sky. We ate another hearty breakfast (chai served to us in bed, how much better does life get!) and prepared our camels for another day.
We thought we'd mastered the whole camel riding thing - but today the guides seemed to want to polish our trotting skills. The one thing I've taken away from this experience is that speed and comfort don't work in harmony when camel riding - in fact, the slower, the better where I'm concerned. I think we did about an hour's worth of galloping yesterday - exhausting, and combined with seriously sore thigh muscles is... not always fun. And it was HOT. There was almost no breeze, and the sun felt like a furnace. On the plus side, Para was seriously listening to me and I was maneuvering him around, having a blast.
More lunch, more rest. The last 2 hours passed quickly and were also interminable. I spent the first hour and a half reflecting on how much I enjoyed camel riding - the last half hour bitterly praying to ever be able to walk again and would this camel ride never end??
Spotting the jeep in the distance was like finding an oasis. We stumbled off our camels - I actually had to use my arm to lift my leg off the saddle, staggered into the jeep, and tried not to smell the stench on us.
I've never been so exhausted and happy. It was, by far, one of the most amazing experiences of India. Maybe the 20 day safari next?
Today Laura and I are on to Delhi - I'm psyched for the 20 hour AC train ride - can use sleep and cool air. Then, the Golden Triangle tour until the 10th, when I meet my new program and am off again to Udaipur!
Until then...
Miss you all!
If you think I'm exagerating, I dare you to ride a camel for two days and tell me how YOU feel post-trotting.
How can I describe this experience? It was one of the most intense, all encompassing things I can ever remember doing. As Laura and I signed ourselves off on this trek, we accepted that pain, heat and general discomfort would be a huge factor - but hey, it's only 2 days of your life, so why not? My experience with camels was limited - I'd done an hour long "walk" on a camel in Egypt for an evening, with a guide leading it the whole way. I wasn't too scared or worried.
We woke up at 6 am on Saturday morning, jumped into the jeep at 6:30 and took off 60 km away from the city of Jaisalmer. The group consisted of 5 girls - Laura, myself and 3 girls from the UK (who were, incidentally, perfect travel/camel companions). All you can see around you is the desert - sand and rather morose looking shrubs and prickles as far as the eye can see. We arrived around 7:30, met our 3 guides, who cooked us an enormous breakfast of eggs, toast, and huge cups of steaming chai. It was, incidentally, freezing - I was worried I was going to catch pneumonia from the jeep trip. By 7:30, as we watched the sun rise over the desert, it warmed slightly, until we were comfortable in fleeces and scarves.
We were introduced to our partners for the next two days - 5 rather disgruntled camels - and given an Intro to Camel lecture that lasted all of 5 minutes, in which were instructed on how to turn, stop and basically attempt to control our camels. Forgot the guides leading us - we were on our own!
My camel - Para is his name - I can affectionately describe as a grumpy, burping, unmannerly old man. He was one of the older ones of the pack, and took his leadership duties quite seriously. I climbed on as gracefully as possible - if you've ever gotten on a camel you know that grace and camel riding doesn't really work together - he jumped up a little too quickly for me, and the guide told me I was in the lead. Which caused a little bit of a shock for about 10 minutes, until I realized that Para knew the trail like the back of his hoof, and steadily sauntered off.
Despite some slight mishaps - a binge eating camel (Laura's!) who wouldn't stop deviating from the trail to eat - and some testosterone filled ones who tried to go for wandering females - everything was wonderful. We ambled on for about 3 or 4 hours (with a break at a village - the kids were nightmares and were trying to take all our stuff) until the noon sun made us stop. Luckily, there was an amazing breeze, but the sun beat down like nothing I've ever felt. Thank god for wearing long pants and long sleeve shirts - I would easily have fried otherwise.
THen a looooong break - from noon til 4, because of how hot it was. More chai, one of the best meals I've had in India (fresh chapatis, saffron rice, aloo subhji). Then, reading under the one tree that provided shade, naps. Generally, relaxation at its best.
At 4, we got back on our camels for another 2-3 hours. At this point, the soreness had kicked in, but it was still manageable. We arrived at beautiful, beautiful sand dunes (the rolling waves of sand, and everything!) which we trekked over until we arrived at our camp site for the night.
It was the first time I'd experienced absolute peace and quiet since getting to India. There was no trash anywhere to be found. In the distance, a lone shepherd herded his desert goats, and you could hear the faint clanging of a bell attached to one of them. We watched the sun fade behind the dunes, feeling peace like never before.
Then - our guide walked up the dunes with a tray of chai for us. For a fleeting moment, I understood what it must have felt like in Colonial India - the image of him walking up in his all white, flowing outfit and turban with a tray of chai cups was so alien to us all. He stayed and chatted with us for a while about how long he'd done this trip - 8 years - and how he was from one of the villages in the desert. He can navigate anywhere in the desert, but confessed that he gets lost in Jaisalmer. He's only 26, but he's been maneuvering through these deserts his whole life. I can't even begin to imagine what such a life would be like - though I can understand the passion and attachment that these people hold for their traditional lives, staying rather than moving to the dirty, crowded, polluted cities.
Then, another wonderful fresh meal. We all helped make the chapatis - which was fun - we claimed we had to work for our meals - and settled around the campfire for the evening.
They set out our beds for us - it was like a luxury hotel out in the stars. We had mattresses with clean sheets and a big comforter for the cold desert air - and everything was so perfect I could have been dreaming it all. We called it an early night -by 9:30 we were all tucked in - but I kept myself awake to look at the stars.
How can I describe the stars? There must have been hundreds of thousands of them, splashed across the dark night sky, everywhere. They were above us and stretched down to the tips of the sand dunes, as if they were melting into the sand. I saw at least 5 shooting stars, and the glittering sky was the last thing I saw before dozing off into one of the best sleeps I've had since getting to India.
Ok, I realize this is a long post, but part of my writing it all out allows me to re-live it, so bear with me! :)
We woke up around 6:30 the next morning, refreshed and ready (well, not physically) for another day in the saddle. We watched the sun rise, blood red, perfectly circular, in the sky. We ate another hearty breakfast (chai served to us in bed, how much better does life get!) and prepared our camels for another day.
We thought we'd mastered the whole camel riding thing - but today the guides seemed to want to polish our trotting skills. The one thing I've taken away from this experience is that speed and comfort don't work in harmony when camel riding - in fact, the slower, the better where I'm concerned. I think we did about an hour's worth of galloping yesterday - exhausting, and combined with seriously sore thigh muscles is... not always fun. And it was HOT. There was almost no breeze, and the sun felt like a furnace. On the plus side, Para was seriously listening to me and I was maneuvering him around, having a blast.
More lunch, more rest. The last 2 hours passed quickly and were also interminable. I spent the first hour and a half reflecting on how much I enjoyed camel riding - the last half hour bitterly praying to ever be able to walk again and would this camel ride never end??
Spotting the jeep in the distance was like finding an oasis. We stumbled off our camels - I actually had to use my arm to lift my leg off the saddle, staggered into the jeep, and tried not to smell the stench on us.
I've never been so exhausted and happy. It was, by far, one of the most amazing experiences of India. Maybe the 20 day safari next?
Today Laura and I are on to Delhi - I'm psyched for the 20 hour AC train ride - can use sleep and cool air. Then, the Golden Triangle tour until the 10th, when I meet my new program and am off again to Udaipur!
Until then...
Miss you all!
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