We got to Udaipur about ten hours later, at 9 AM. We went to our hotel to freshen up. It's lakeside! The city is old and the streets are narrow.
My roomie was Shreya. There was a cockroach just chilling in our bathroom. Just really nonchalant. We went for breakfast. I got a Nutella crepe and fruit salad. It was the bomb deeze. We then went to the City Palace. Everything is so beautiful. All the marble and ivory is super cool and really detailed. The windows have screens made of marble and it filters the wind to make an A/C type thing. Elma, Quinn, and Aida all knew the physics behind this because of studying for the MCATs. Hilarious. We saw the room that Queen Victoria stayed in in 1942. Apparently she loved it. As a gift in return for her stay, she gave them a fan and electric lights. I found that pretty interesting. The palace is huge and in addition they have two summer palaces on the lake and one in the mountains for the monsoon season. There were no cameras allowed.
We walked down the street to see the temple. We walked up this huge flight of stairs and took our shoes off before entering. It's incredible. There were pictures of gods and kings on the wall. We paid a donation and got Holy water poured into our hands and then put on our foreheads. We sat on the mats and some ladies sang some religious chants and prayed. A man walked around and gave us presad (or blessed food) to eat. It was a sweet dough. I have never attended any type of religious ceremony (except my christening which I don't remember) so I really enjoyed this.
Some of the ladies wanted to shop, but Quinn, Jerry, Madan, and I went on a boat ride around the lake. It was fun and refreshing! Because Madan is from a place where it's mostly desert, he doesn't know how to swim. We assured him it would be alright because Quinn is a certified lifeguard. Holla! The boat ride showed off the backside of the City Palace as well as the palace in the lake and apparently the most expensive hotel in the world.
We got fresh coconuts off a street vendor and drank the juice and ate the flesh. It was delicious! We returned to the markets and drank chai! Quinn and I bought some spices at a shop next door. It was a family business passed down from male to male and they supplied to lots of restaurants in the area. Everything smelled so good.
We met up with the rest of the group and went for dinner. I had masala dosa! Yum. We watched the sun set over the lake. After that we returned to the museum part of the Palace and watched a series of Rajasthani folk dances! They were insane. There were puppets which were hilarious. A lady did a dance with ten pots on her head, representing how in the desert where there is not a lot of water, women would carry nine or ten buckets of water to their homes.
After we returned to our hotel where I am currently furiously typing this on my iPhone. It's bed time - night all!
Torry Harris
DWC Student Team Leader
Sikar, India: May 2012
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Friday, May 18, 2012
May 18th: On the way to Udaipur
Woke up and went to work! The power is still is not on.
A truck last night dropped off water for the reserve for showers and for laundry. So we all did laundry for this weekend. We had a cooking lessons with the ladies to make chapati! They laughed because mine was not round. I don't even think you would call mine oval.
After dinner we left for Udaipur. Driving through Sikar, there was a group of maybe more than a hundred boys, around my age, dancing in the street to music from a truck! They went ape when they saw us. It looked like so much fun! We think they were celebrating graduation. They were pulling on the tuk tuks and blowing kisses and singing and dancing toward us. It was a party; I wish I could have attended. Roni says it has been her favourite sight yet haha.
Torry Harris
DWC Student Team Leader
Sikar, India: May 2012
After dinner we left for Udaipur. Driving through Sikar, there was a group of maybe more than a hundred boys, around my age, dancing in the street to music from a truck! They went ape when they saw us. It looked like so much fun! We think they were celebrating graduation. They were pulling on the tuk tuks and blowing kisses and singing and dancing toward us. It was a party; I wish I could have attended. Roni says it has been her favourite sight yet haha.
Torry Harris
DWC Student Team Leader
Sikar, India: May 2012
May 17th: No Electricity
Last night I saw a praying mantis. It was life changing-ly gross.
There was the hugest storm last night. Quinn and I woke up because the lightening was lighting up our room. It rained so hard and was so windy. I have never seen anything like it. My flip flops ended up in the backyard with the cows and Buffy the Buffalo. Crazy town. While Quinn was looking for her flip flops, she found a bird hatching out of its egg! It was under some bamboo. We found the nest and Pankaj put the bird back in it.
We went to work at seven. It was my group and we had fun. Because of the storm, the camp's power has been out since this morning. There are no showers or laundry or Internet. There are no fans, which is the big killer. It's forty plus degrees. We're slowly dying - not actually.
The birds in the dining room are these grey fluff balls! They hop around! Eek! We saw one of them fly for the first time! I am so at one with nature.
Madan gave us a lesson on Hinduism. Hindus believe in a supreme soul, karma, gods and goddesses, and rebirth. People who currently have a poor life, Hindus believe it is because they did something bad in their past life (and vice versa with doing something good). I like when Madan says that you can still be a devoted Hindu even if you do not go to temple everyday. There are eighty four thousand rebirths before you become a human again. So if you are, you're lucky.
I forgot to mention some things about our trip to Banjara Basti yesterday. The little girl with the broken arm got her cast off! Also we learned that the boys who have yellow and brown teeth are because they chew tobacco. They're kids. That shouldn't happen.
We played cards this afternoon. The aces are e's and the jacks are d's, representing their Hindi names. I won, obviously. I painted Vic's nails. Immediately regretted that one (my nail polish melted). I tried to get people to play Big Booty. To no avail :(. Roni and I went on a walk waiting for dinner. We saw lots of children that came and talked to us. We peaced the scene when a huge buffalo came walking down the street toward us.
The women cooked dinner by candle light! We had to sleep on the roof because of the heat due to not having fans. We hauled all the mats up from the common room. The stars were beautiful; we found the big and little dipper.
We DEETed it up (insect repellant with strong deet). Hard. The Youth Touch fam slept outside too. They actually do it a lot in the summer months.
After about four hours (two AM) Vic woke up to thunder. Ten minutes later, the storm rolled in, just like the night previous. The family helped us move into the basement, where it is coolest.
The power is still not on.
Tomorrow we leave for Udaipur on a night train! It's dubbed the Venice of India.
Torry Harris
DWC Student Team Leader
Sikar, India: May 2012
There was the hugest storm last night. Quinn and I woke up because the lightening was lighting up our room. It rained so hard and was so windy. I have never seen anything like it. My flip flops ended up in the backyard with the cows and Buffy the Buffalo. Crazy town. While Quinn was looking for her flip flops, she found a bird hatching out of its egg! It was under some bamboo. We found the nest and Pankaj put the bird back in it.
We went to work at seven. It was my group and we had fun. Because of the storm, the camp's power has been out since this morning. There are no showers or laundry or Internet. There are no fans, which is the big killer. It's forty plus degrees. We're slowly dying - not actually.
The birds in the dining room are these grey fluff balls! They hop around! Eek! We saw one of them fly for the first time! I am so at one with nature.
Madan gave us a lesson on Hinduism. Hindus believe in a supreme soul, karma, gods and goddesses, and rebirth. People who currently have a poor life, Hindus believe it is because they did something bad in their past life (and vice versa with doing something good). I like when Madan says that you can still be a devoted Hindu even if you do not go to temple everyday. There are eighty four thousand rebirths before you become a human again. So if you are, you're lucky.
I forgot to mention some things about our trip to Banjara Basti yesterday. The little girl with the broken arm got her cast off! Also we learned that the boys who have yellow and brown teeth are because they chew tobacco. They're kids. That shouldn't happen.
We played cards this afternoon. The aces are e's and the jacks are d's, representing their Hindi names. I won, obviously. I painted Vic's nails. Immediately regretted that one (my nail polish melted). I tried to get people to play Big Booty. To no avail :(. Roni and I went on a walk waiting for dinner. We saw lots of children that came and talked to us. We peaced the scene when a huge buffalo came walking down the street toward us.
The women cooked dinner by candle light! We had to sleep on the roof because of the heat due to not having fans. We hauled all the mats up from the common room. The stars were beautiful; we found the big and little dipper.
We DEETed it up (insect repellant with strong deet). Hard. The Youth Touch fam slept outside too. They actually do it a lot in the summer months.
After about four hours (two AM) Vic woke up to thunder. Ten minutes later, the storm rolled in, just like the night previous. The family helped us move into the basement, where it is coolest.
The power is still not on.
Tomorrow we leave for Udaipur on a night train! It's dubbed the Venice of India.
Torry Harris
DWC Student Team Leader
Sikar, India: May 2012
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
May 16th: Banjara Basti children
Today was the funnest morning yet. I know "funnest" is not a word, but just roll with me people. We left for Banjara Basti at 7:30. It takes about twenty minutes to drive across the village. The kids were in class when we got there. We were all so excited! We got them in a line and the teacher washed their hands. This is why we brought donated soaps and shampoos etc over!
We then handed out chapati and some curried peppers. After that, they washed their own dishes from a tap and class resumed. Quinn and I sat in the back and helped two girls copy the English and Hindi alphabet as well as numbers, one to fifty, out. We clap and smile and give them hugs when they get them right. I could seriously do this forever. While this was happening, a boy that was sitting in front of me reached back and wiped the sweat off my forehead. It was the grossest and most precious thing I have ever witnessed. My heart swells every time I think about it.
We then handed out chapati and some curried peppers. After that, they washed their own dishes from a tap and class resumed. Quinn and I sat in the back and helped two girls copy the English and Hindi alphabet as well as numbers, one to fifty, out. We clap and smile and give them hugs when they get them right. I could seriously do this forever. While this was happening, a boy that was sitting in front of me reached back and wiped the sweat off my forehead. It was the grossest and most precious thing I have ever witnessed. My heart swells every time I think about it.
After the lesson we sang Head and Shoulders and then they sang us a song saying bye. It was adorable. We got to play a little more. I have never given so many airplane rides in my life. I read an English book out to a couple of students and chatted with the teacher. They walked us out to the tuk tuks. They give us loads of hugs and kisses. I didn't take a lot of photos cause I was having too much fun. We stopped at the store on the way home and got some things and then came home! This guy, probably around my age, was talking to us on his bike while we were sitting on the back of the tuk tuk. He asked me where we were from and if he spoke English well. He did! He said he goes to school and he wanted to become a doctor when he is older. Adorable. We're just waiting on lunch now. Work starts at five tonight.
Torry Harris
DWC Student Team Leader
Sikar, India: May 2012
Torry Harris
DWC Student Team Leader
Sikar, India: May 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
May 15th: Chai Tea
Today work started at 7. The first group moved gravel to make cement and are filling in the foundation of the bottom floor. Today has been super hot! After lunch, the women dressed us up in saris and Jerry was all done up by Madan's dad. It was so much fun!
We also learnt how to make the chai we drink everyday, it's easy to make and I plan on making it all the time at home :). It's made of black tea, milk, water, cardamon seeds, black pepper, and ginger.
Afterwards the second group (myself included!) go back to work at 5. Tomorrow we are visiting Banjara! So we get to sleep in till 6! I'm really excited!
Night all :)
Torry Harris
DWC Student Team Leader
Sikar, India: May 2012
We also learnt how to make the chai we drink everyday, it's easy to make and I plan on making it all the time at home :). It's made of black tea, milk, water, cardamon seeds, black pepper, and ginger.
Afterwards the second group (myself included!) go back to work at 5. Tomorrow we are visiting Banjara! So we get to sleep in till 6! I'm really excited!
Night all :)
Torry Harris
DWC Student Team Leader
Sikar, India: May 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
May 14th: Henna
Namaste!
Today we started work at 7 AM. There isn't much for us to do because the masons are doing work that actually needs skills haha. Not that we aren't skillful, but we're more like labour. Right now they are taking rocks we have collected and using cement to create a wall and then covering the top in more cement. It's crazy how they do it; it's like a puzzle. Then the sand that creates the trenches are pulled down to fill in either sides of the wall. So we split into halves and one group worked in the morning and one in the evening. Hopefully this won't persist; I really enjoy working. I have acquired my fifth bruise. I am pretty positive that this is the hardest I have ever worked in my life ha!
Things I like about India: I like how women ride sidesaddle on the motorcycles in their saris. I like how men hold hands when they're friends! It's adorable. They also sling their arms around each other. I like how Arun, Jerry, and Ronak hang out all the time. I like how the crew gets along so well. We have the same taste in music and clothes and boys and it's like a slumber party every night. I like how they use bamboo to hold things in place while working construction. I like how chapati is served with every meal and tea is served at four. I don't know how I will go without haha..
Things I don't like: Jerry is so the favourite of the ladies at Youth Touch. I'm jealous. And that's about it.
After work, Madan gave us a lesson on women and girls in India. It was really sad. The system of the dowry is still in place. It depends on the economic status of the family, but the dowry can include money, jewels, clothes, and even electronics. Rich families can spend millions. Families can save for ten years for the wedding. It's legitimately trying to buy a good life. If there are three girls or more, the family will end up really poor. Having a son is very important. If they have an ultrasound to check the sex of the baby, and find out it is a girl, they'll try to get an abortion. If it's too late, they may kill the child after birth. The parents give the best care to the boys. If a woman is widowed, she isn't allowed to wear henna or bangles or a bindhi; they aren't allowed to wear anything that make women beautiful here. Obviously, this doesn't begin to cover it, but these are just some things that stood out to me.
Priyanka (Madan's niece) and one of the wives (I will get her name!) did henna for us. We're so lucky. We're all just chillaxing before tea and round two of work.
Torry Harris
DWC Student Team Leader
Sikar, India: May 2012
Today we started work at 7 AM. There isn't much for us to do because the masons are doing work that actually needs skills haha. Not that we aren't skillful, but we're more like labour. Right now they are taking rocks we have collected and using cement to create a wall and then covering the top in more cement. It's crazy how they do it; it's like a puzzle. Then the sand that creates the trenches are pulled down to fill in either sides of the wall. So we split into halves and one group worked in the morning and one in the evening. Hopefully this won't persist; I really enjoy working. I have acquired my fifth bruise. I am pretty positive that this is the hardest I have ever worked in my life ha!
Things I like about India: I like how women ride sidesaddle on the motorcycles in their saris. I like how men hold hands when they're friends! It's adorable. They also sling their arms around each other. I like how Arun, Jerry, and Ronak hang out all the time. I like how the crew gets along so well. We have the same taste in music and clothes and boys and it's like a slumber party every night. I like how they use bamboo to hold things in place while working construction. I like how chapati is served with every meal and tea is served at four. I don't know how I will go without haha..
Things I don't like: Jerry is so the favourite of the ladies at Youth Touch. I'm jealous. And that's about it.
After work, Madan gave us a lesson on women and girls in India. It was really sad. The system of the dowry is still in place. It depends on the economic status of the family, but the dowry can include money, jewels, clothes, and even electronics. Rich families can spend millions. Families can save for ten years for the wedding. It's legitimately trying to buy a good life. If there are three girls or more, the family will end up really poor. Having a son is very important. If they have an ultrasound to check the sex of the baby, and find out it is a girl, they'll try to get an abortion. If it's too late, they may kill the child after birth. The parents give the best care to the boys. If a woman is widowed, she isn't allowed to wear henna or bangles or a bindhi; they aren't allowed to wear anything that make women beautiful here. Obviously, this doesn't begin to cover it, but these are just some things that stood out to me.
Priyanka (Madan's niece) and one of the wives (I will get her name!) did henna for us. We're so lucky. We're all just chillaxing before tea and round two of work.
Torry Harris
DWC Student Team Leader
Sikar, India: May 2012
Sunday, May 13, 2012
May 13th: Elephants, Birds, and Snakes
A very Happy Mother's Day to everyone out there. Especially my mama - I love you to the moon and back. I can't wait to see you in twenty-seven days. I was missing my family hard this weekend, let me tell you that.
We left our hotel at 7 AM. We walked a little bit to the highway to hail a tuk tuk. We got one and six more followed right away. Madan got us a deal and off we went to the Amber Palace! It was the most beautiful drive, past a huge lake and through mountains of red and yellow sands. About fifteen minutes in, we started seeing elephants walking up the street! We also saw a parade; it was people protesting having more girls attend school! So awesome.
The Amber Palace is incredible. It's huge. I'm embarrassed because my description is going to be lame and will never do it justice. It was built by six thousand workers in one hundred and thirty-seven years. Crazy.
I am just quickly going to say my piece on the elephant rides. I don't want to offend anyone who chose to go on one, but I had to refuse. All day the animals just climb up to the palace in the heat carrying tourists. Men sit on their heads and beat them with bull hooks. The conditions were disgusting. I know what you are probably thinking: so what if you didn't go on one? If there was no demand for elephant rides, there would be no such thing. Which should be the case. While Roni, Jerry, Melissa, and I were climbing up to the palace, in place of getting taken by an elephant, we noticed we were the only white people. What I am saying is that the only people who take elephant rides are Westerners. Just something to think about :). Anyway, the elephants were very, very beautiful and it's the closest I have ever been to one. They fling snot at the tourists. Hilarious.
When we were waiting for the elephant riders in the courtyard, I got some henna on my hands.
All my friends know how scared I am of birds. Especially the ones at UVic because they are massive. Anyway, right before this picture was taken a bird crapped on me and I was so hot and sweaty and tired I didn't even care. No one else cared either haha... Just a day in the life.
There was no room for Jaipur to expand so the king created New Jaipur (where we were visiting yesterday) on the right of the palace. There were these secret passageways that the king used to visit certain wives, so the others would not get jealous. One king had twelve wives... Since the royal women were under strict observation, they would have to use a small window in a darkened room to watch everything going on in the courtyard. They had the most beautiful mirror rooms. Dancers in colourful saris would put on performances for the royal families and it would create a disco ball effect. Too cool. The Queen also had these sun rooms where she would get massages or have company over. Everything is made of sandstone and marble. All the paint is, again, made of different vegetables and gets a coat of oil every couple years.
We saw snake charmers. Classic.
We drove back into town for lunch. After, we went to Hawa Mahal, the Wind Palace. It is part of the City Palace we visited yesterday. It was built in 1799. It has almost a thousand windows. The royal family would go here "to get wind" when it was really hot out. Also, the women would watch the proceedings of the market from above because they weren't allowed to go outside.
After we saw the Wind Palace we did a little more shopping in the markets. There was a monkey sitting there, just chillin'.
We took the 3:30 bus home and got to Sikar at about 6:45. We took a tuk tuk from town and got to Youth Touch at about 7. We saw a wild peacock on the way home :). We ate dinner at 7:30 and had chai. Obsessed. We then all went to bed!
Hope you had a fab Mother's Day! :)
Torry Harris
DWC Student Team Leader
Sikar, India: May 2012
We left our hotel at 7 AM. We walked a little bit to the highway to hail a tuk tuk. We got one and six more followed right away. Madan got us a deal and off we went to the Amber Palace! It was the most beautiful drive, past a huge lake and through mountains of red and yellow sands. About fifteen minutes in, we started seeing elephants walking up the street! We also saw a parade; it was people protesting having more girls attend school! So awesome.
The Amber Palace is incredible. It's huge. I'm embarrassed because my description is going to be lame and will never do it justice. It was built by six thousand workers in one hundred and thirty-seven years. Crazy.
I am just quickly going to say my piece on the elephant rides. I don't want to offend anyone who chose to go on one, but I had to refuse. All day the animals just climb up to the palace in the heat carrying tourists. Men sit on their heads and beat them with bull hooks. The conditions were disgusting. I know what you are probably thinking: so what if you didn't go on one? If there was no demand for elephant rides, there would be no such thing. Which should be the case. While Roni, Jerry, Melissa, and I were climbing up to the palace, in place of getting taken by an elephant, we noticed we were the only white people. What I am saying is that the only people who take elephant rides are Westerners. Just something to think about :). Anyway, the elephants were very, very beautiful and it's the closest I have ever been to one. They fling snot at the tourists. Hilarious.
When we were waiting for the elephant riders in the courtyard, I got some henna on my hands.
All my friends know how scared I am of birds. Especially the ones at UVic because they are massive. Anyway, right before this picture was taken a bird crapped on me and I was so hot and sweaty and tired I didn't even care. No one else cared either haha... Just a day in the life.
There was no room for Jaipur to expand so the king created New Jaipur (where we were visiting yesterday) on the right of the palace. There were these secret passageways that the king used to visit certain wives, so the others would not get jealous. One king had twelve wives... Since the royal women were under strict observation, they would have to use a small window in a darkened room to watch everything going on in the courtyard. They had the most beautiful mirror rooms. Dancers in colourful saris would put on performances for the royal families and it would create a disco ball effect. Too cool. The Queen also had these sun rooms where she would get massages or have company over. Everything is made of sandstone and marble. All the paint is, again, made of different vegetables and gets a coat of oil every couple years.
We saw snake charmers. Classic.
We drove back into town for lunch. After, we went to Hawa Mahal, the Wind Palace. It is part of the City Palace we visited yesterday. It was built in 1799. It has almost a thousand windows. The royal family would go here "to get wind" when it was really hot out. Also, the women would watch the proceedings of the market from above because they weren't allowed to go outside.
After we saw the Wind Palace we did a little more shopping in the markets. There was a monkey sitting there, just chillin'.
We took the 3:30 bus home and got to Sikar at about 6:45. We took a tuk tuk from town and got to Youth Touch at about 7. We saw a wild peacock on the way home :). We ate dinner at 7:30 and had chai. Obsessed. We then all went to bed!
Hope you had a fab Mother's Day! :)
Torry Harris
DWC Student Team Leader
Sikar, India: May 2012
Saturday, May 12, 2012
May 12th: Branching out - to Jaipur
I woke up at 5 AM like it was no big deal. The moon was still up! We left for Jaipur at 6. We then took a tuk tuk to the bus station in Sikar. Jaipur is the first planned city of India. It is surrounded by walls, just like Sikar is. The bus was crazytown. It was seriously like a roller coaster; we would be going over the uneven gravel of the road at top speed. We even did a little off roading haha. All the cities and villages we passed were really impoverished. I was pretty shocked; Banjara Basti is definitely not the only place that needs volunteer aid. I totally understand the statistics now (ie. around half the world lives on less than $2.50 a day). Most buildings are falling apart. I have to say, one huge change I would want to create is a recycling program. Is that ethnocentric of me? There is just garbage and plastic everywhere - all of the cities and on the side of the roads. The cows and stray dogs eat it.
The bus doesn't stop to pick anyone up or drop anyone off; it slows slightly and people jump on and off. I like when we drive and see all these older men hanging out on the side of the road. I've seen multiple of what I think are "gentleman's clubs." It looks like they are gossiping like teenage girls :). I also like the camel carts. Everyone here is so nonchalant about it. But come on, you've got this massive camel pulling your cart! It's the coolest thing.
We went through the beautiful gates of Jaipur; they are huge and pink with white detail. (Hence the nickname the Pink City.) The driving is of course nuts; I will never ever be scared to drive in any country again. I rocked the money belt all day! The first place we visited was the City Palace. Part of it is a museum, but the royal family still lives there. It was built from 1729-1732. We first took a tour through the Mubarak Mahal which had linens and costumes of the old royal families. They were beautiful. The most interesting one was of Sawai Madhosing I; his inseam of his pants were four feet. Like the space between his legs was over a meter wide... it was unbelievable. This was also the first day we saw other travelers.
All the paints on the buildings are made from vegetables and is the original paint. They use oil every couple years to keep the rich colour.
The second place we went to in the City Palace was Chandra Mahal where most rulers lived. It has four gates representing the four seasons. It also has the tower where the current royal family lives.
We then went to Bhadra Chowk that houses the largest silver urns in the world.
We then went to Diwan-I-Aam which was a meeting place for the king and the public.There were really cool paintings of all the previous kings. We climbed the stairs to the Queen's chambers (Maharani Palace) which is now a museum for old firearms and other weaponry. We saw Bhaggi Khana which housed old carriages that the Indians adopted from the Europeans.
We then went to the observatory across the street, Jantar Mantar. It was absolutely incredible. It is the largest in the world. Maharaja Jai Singh II had it built for him when he ruled. It has fourteen structures that measure time, astrology, and astronomy.
Samrat Yantra is the largest sundial in the observatory. It measures the time with the accuracy of two seconds. It was so crazy. The shadow moves six centimeters a minute.
Madan dropped Victoria, Melissa, Alex, and I off at McDonald's for lunch while the rest went to another more traditional restaurant. I am embarrassed at how happy we were. And there goes my vegetarian diet. Everyone wanted to take our pictures. Like people would come up to us and just want to pose with us. So funny, but kind of weird haha. What are you gonna do with that photo?!
Most of us cautiously walked to the market by ourselves. One of the tuk tuks was blasting "Barbie Girl" and we all sung along. It earned us a lot of staring. At one point we had to cross the street. Legitimately it was the funniest thing of my life. All of us were huddled in a group, scared for our lives. It was like out of movie; all of us clutching each other like the biggest tourists. Obviously we made across safely. After that one time, we walk around like locals :)...almost.
Everything is so busy all the time. Some participants in the group were trying out haggling for the first time. People laugh at us everywhere we go haha. After we shopped for awhile we went back to our hotel. While on the tuk tuk, Madan pointed out the temples in the middle of the road. There were lots of them. Very cool. We all showered up and then went for dinner down the street. It was on top of a roof and we saw the fireworks of a wedding. It was yummy. I had paneer dosa. We were all so tired; we just went straight to bed! We all were homesick for Sikar.
Torry Harris
DWC Student Team Leader
Sikar, India: May 2012
The bus doesn't stop to pick anyone up or drop anyone off; it slows slightly and people jump on and off. I like when we drive and see all these older men hanging out on the side of the road. I've seen multiple of what I think are "gentleman's clubs." It looks like they are gossiping like teenage girls :). I also like the camel carts. Everyone here is so nonchalant about it. But come on, you've got this massive camel pulling your cart! It's the coolest thing.
We went through the beautiful gates of Jaipur; they are huge and pink with white detail. (Hence the nickname the Pink City.) The driving is of course nuts; I will never ever be scared to drive in any country again. I rocked the money belt all day! The first place we visited was the City Palace. Part of it is a museum, but the royal family still lives there. It was built from 1729-1732. We first took a tour through the Mubarak Mahal which had linens and costumes of the old royal families. They were beautiful. The most interesting one was of Sawai Madhosing I; his inseam of his pants were four feet. Like the space between his legs was over a meter wide... it was unbelievable. This was also the first day we saw other travelers.
All the paints on the buildings are made from vegetables and is the original paint. They use oil every couple years to keep the rich colour.
The second place we went to in the City Palace was Chandra Mahal where most rulers lived. It has four gates representing the four seasons. It also has the tower where the current royal family lives.
We then went to Bhadra Chowk that houses the largest silver urns in the world.
We then went to Diwan-I-Aam which was a meeting place for the king and the public.There were really cool paintings of all the previous kings. We climbed the stairs to the Queen's chambers (Maharani Palace) which is now a museum for old firearms and other weaponry. We saw Bhaggi Khana which housed old carriages that the Indians adopted from the Europeans.
We then went to the observatory across the street, Jantar Mantar. It was absolutely incredible. It is the largest in the world. Maharaja Jai Singh II had it built for him when he ruled. It has fourteen structures that measure time, astrology, and astronomy.
Samrat Yantra is the largest sundial in the observatory. It measures the time with the accuracy of two seconds. It was so crazy. The shadow moves six centimeters a minute.
Madan dropped Victoria, Melissa, Alex, and I off at McDonald's for lunch while the rest went to another more traditional restaurant. I am embarrassed at how happy we were. And there goes my vegetarian diet. Everyone wanted to take our pictures. Like people would come up to us and just want to pose with us. So funny, but kind of weird haha. What are you gonna do with that photo?!
Most of us cautiously walked to the market by ourselves. One of the tuk tuks was blasting "Barbie Girl" and we all sung along. It earned us a lot of staring. At one point we had to cross the street. Legitimately it was the funniest thing of my life. All of us were huddled in a group, scared for our lives. It was like out of movie; all of us clutching each other like the biggest tourists. Obviously we made across safely. After that one time, we walk around like locals :)...almost.
Everything is so busy all the time. Some participants in the group were trying out haggling for the first time. People laugh at us everywhere we go haha. After we shopped for awhile we went back to our hotel. While on the tuk tuk, Madan pointed out the temples in the middle of the road. There were lots of them. Very cool. We all showered up and then went for dinner down the street. It was on top of a roof and we saw the fireworks of a wedding. It was yummy. I had paneer dosa. We were all so tired; we just went straight to bed! We all were homesick for Sikar.
Torry Harris
DWC Student Team Leader
Sikar, India: May 2012
Friday, May 11, 2012
May 11th: Cooking Lessons
Today we finished our first week of work. It feels good! There are more iron poles up, placed on the borders of the foundation creating the framework. There was no work for us to do this evening, but the women are going to give us a cooking lesson! We came home from work, showered and ate lunch and now are just hanging out. Some girls have tanned and done laundry. I fell asleep for like three hours. Whoops! I woke up just in time for tea.
Tomorrow morning we leave for the weekend to go to Jaipur. It is the capital (and the largest!) city of beautiful Rajasthan. We'll be going on elephant rides, shopping in markets as well as visiting monuments and temples. Madan is accompanying us.
I'm really digging the vegetarian diet here. I am going to see how long I can keep it up :)
Learning how to cook was so much fun! I loved it. First we took cut potatoes, chives, salt, and chili powder and mixed them together. Then we took bread and dipped it in water and pressed it down in our palms. We put the potato mixture in the middle of the bread and folded it up to make a ball. We then cooked those in boiling oil. They were so yum. We also watched how chapati was made. They don't have an oven, but use like stove top burners that we would take camping and just toss it on the fire!
After Madan sat us down and told us about our weekend. He says we can wear our "funny clothes." We stay pretty covered up here at camp and in the small village of Sikar.
Update on the baby birds: the mom feels comfortable enough to feed them even when we are sitting in the dining room!
Thanks for reading :).
Torry Harris
DWC Student Team Leader
Sikar, India: May 2012
Tomorrow morning we leave for the weekend to go to Jaipur. It is the capital (and the largest!) city of beautiful Rajasthan. We'll be going on elephant rides, shopping in markets as well as visiting monuments and temples. Madan is accompanying us.
I'm really digging the vegetarian diet here. I am going to see how long I can keep it up :)
Learning how to cook was so much fun! I loved it. First we took cut potatoes, chives, salt, and chili powder and mixed them together. Then we took bread and dipped it in water and pressed it down in our palms. We put the potato mixture in the middle of the bread and folded it up to make a ball. We then cooked those in boiling oil. They were so yum. We also watched how chapati was made. They don't have an oven, but use like stove top burners that we would take camping and just toss it on the fire!
After Madan sat us down and told us about our weekend. He says we can wear our "funny clothes." We stay pretty covered up here at camp and in the small village of Sikar.
Update on the baby birds: the mom feels comfortable enough to feed them even when we are sitting in the dining room!
Thanks for reading :).
Torry Harris
DWC Student Team Leader
Sikar, India: May 2012
Thursday, May 10, 2012
May 10th: Jatiya Bazaar in the rain
What a day! I got a private yoga lesson from Shreya this morning because all the other girls were tired! I'm such a lucky girl.
We went to work a little late because the contractor was checking our progress out. The construction workers have been making fourteen iron pillars that are the framework for the boarding house. It's so funny because they are all in flip flops, flared pants, and dress shirts. It's a lot different than Canada. It was super hot today. We sung so many songs :).
Everyone showered up and Quinn and I did laundry. We had a Hindi lesson from Arun. We learned the names of fruits and vegetables as well as animals.
We ate lunch and then took tuk tuks into town! Indian markets are chaos! Everyone is moving everywhere and honking to pass other vehicles. People are trying to buy things and there are cows roaming around. Everyone stares at us like celebrities! The locals love seeing blonde hair/blue eyes and always try to talk to us while driving by on their motorcycles. We went shopping and bought cookies that looked like oreos and lots of other various junk food. We're working girls :).
We went into Jatiya Bazaar. It's mainly Islamic. Sikar is surrounded by walls with seven gates leading in and out of the city. It rained and hailed so hard. The biggest raindrops I have ever seen for sure. The drainage system is rough and the streets aren't paved so there were huge puddles. Everything is located in a stall including their gas stations and pharmacies! Madan pointed out this stall and told us that in Rajasthan the more wealthy people fill clay pots with water and keep them in train stations, markets, and other common places so people who are less fortunate can come to drink it because they can't afford it themselves.
In the afternoon we drank tea and went back to work! We moved rock again and three more pillars were put up. We came back and all the showers were infested with the most ants I have ever seen in all my days of living. Ronak and Pankaj (Madan's son) used a hose to clean them out. Thank gosh. A couple of us played dodge ball.
Apparently the children we met in Banjara Basti are asking where we have been! They think we're their new teachers because that is what volunteers that visit here do. Hopefully we will get to go back and play sometime soon. Tomorrow we get lessons, in between work, from the women at Youth Touch on how to cook, Indian-style. I'm pumped! Off to bed! Night all!
Torry Harris
DWC Student Team Leader
Sikar, India: May 2012
We went to work a little late because the contractor was checking our progress out. The construction workers have been making fourteen iron pillars that are the framework for the boarding house. It's so funny because they are all in flip flops, flared pants, and dress shirts. It's a lot different than Canada. It was super hot today. We sung so many songs :).
Everyone showered up and Quinn and I did laundry. We had a Hindi lesson from Arun. We learned the names of fruits and vegetables as well as animals.
We ate lunch and then took tuk tuks into town! Indian markets are chaos! Everyone is moving everywhere and honking to pass other vehicles. People are trying to buy things and there are cows roaming around. Everyone stares at us like celebrities! The locals love seeing blonde hair/blue eyes and always try to talk to us while driving by on their motorcycles. We went shopping and bought cookies that looked like oreos and lots of other various junk food. We're working girls :).
We went into Jatiya Bazaar. It's mainly Islamic. Sikar is surrounded by walls with seven gates leading in and out of the city. It rained and hailed so hard. The biggest raindrops I have ever seen for sure. The drainage system is rough and the streets aren't paved so there were huge puddles. Everything is located in a stall including their gas stations and pharmacies! Madan pointed out this stall and told us that in Rajasthan the more wealthy people fill clay pots with water and keep them in train stations, markets, and other common places so people who are less fortunate can come to drink it because they can't afford it themselves.
In the afternoon we drank tea and went back to work! We moved rock again and three more pillars were put up. We came back and all the showers were infested with the most ants I have ever seen in all my days of living. Ronak and Pankaj (Madan's son) used a hose to clean them out. Thank gosh. A couple of us played dodge ball.
Apparently the children we met in Banjara Basti are asking where we have been! They think we're their new teachers because that is what volunteers that visit here do. Hopefully we will get to go back and play sometime soon. Tomorrow we get lessons, in between work, from the women at Youth Touch on how to cook, Indian-style. I'm pumped! Off to bed! Night all!
Torry Harris
DWC Student Team Leader
Sikar, India: May 2012
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