ish
busyy weekend. factoid.
Friday:
torture trip with AIFS group to pretty sad temples and such when compared to other things we have seen (oh, like the Taj Mahal, riding oliphants to the top of Akbar's fort, beaches, huge statues, huge tombs with dancers, etc.)
We had no clue where we were going or what we were seeing and we had no guide who could help us out, we had to keep taking our shoes off, and people kept taking our pictures and names for their "local newspapers." so creepy.
bottom line: unimpressed, but I don't think we would have been as unimpressed if we had known what we were looking at.
- woke up early (5:30 am!) only to wait around for hungover people to show up late and smoke a joint so he could get out of black out drunk stage
- I slept the absolute entire time we were in the car - Riane: "I'm pretty jealous of your narcolepsy." When I was not sleeping in an awkward position smushed between 2 unhappy people in the very back of the tiny car, I was awake with 1.) grumpy people 2.) an angry bladder because I confined it to a tiny car in the middle of nowhere after 2 bottles of water. lesson learned. 3.) thank god for a wandering mind that mentally writes stories and my ipod.
- rode 4 hours to these places with people that we have chosen not to spend time with in a tiny car with people far too large to be sharing small spaces with
- had to deal with unhappy breakups and unhappy people that didn't want to see anything.
Riane and I are normally happy people, who can find a lot to laugh at. We were the only ones with this ability on this trip.
-late night return with few good pictures.
Conclusion: never again.
Here are some pics anywayssss
elephant carving
ha
sorry, couldn't help it.
Good morning, sunshine.
sums up the day.
I think, one of the only remaning Jain temples in the area. cool. They made Tyler put a skirt on and they let me sit on the floor in the middle of one of their music sessions. I couldn't take any closer pictures :(
This was my favorite place, if I had one, and it is because I actually had a connection with this place.
I don't have any clue what it is and if I can even call it a connection if I am not a follower, no matter what type of religious sanctuary I go to, but just like if I were at a Methodist church, a Buddhist temple, or in a Muslim masjid - looking around at the architecture, watching the devout, listening to the music - I never fail to tear up and just stand in awe for a minute, soaking up my surroundings. It tends to happen more of the time when there is music that goes along with what I am seeing, in this case, 4 men on the ground chanting and playing strange instruments. It doesn't matter where or what. I have yet to figure out what causes me to become a basket case when I enter religious sites. The closest I have come to understanding this phenomenon is that I am in love, consumed with happiness, that the one thing that really makes one a believer, and a practitioner, is the complete faith and devotion they have. Real, true faith and devotion.
I think the singing just makes it resonate. It brings it to life, and fills the space and then, it pulls me in. And for that moment, no matter where I am, I believe too. I'm a follower, and my heart is just as light and packed with love for the deity and religion that is lifting these people from their everyday fetters.
And how can I not? I am surrounded by people that love what they are doing, who they are, what they believe in.
And I believe in love.
Typical. These men are inside a temple (The Temple of a Thousand Pillars) counting their money.
I have a thing for these puja bowls.
When is the last time you saw one of these inside your temple?
Happy group... Abhishek had to tell us to stop fake smiling.
Unattentive sacred cow with Barefoot Riane.
Like Barefoot Contessa, only doing far cooler things than Miss Contessa.
Nobody explained any of the pictures to us, so I have no clue, but imagine replacing Christian stained glass with this...
Look at that tree - see that small man hanging from the tree!? He climbed that tree with a belt on and band he holds and just wraps around the tree. then he shimmies up and collects liquor. Like, actual one shot knock you flat liquor.
Saturday:
Soccer finals - SIP team = winners of the tournment and a Rs. 2,000 ($40) check!!
I got tripped and took a few tumbles and now I have a swollen ankle that is unhappy, but Riane and I were strikers and had a few good passes, and teamwork! I scored one of the three goals. woot.
Mom :( one of the times I was tripped I fell pretty hard and ripped a hole in your capris you sent with me. I'm very sorry. I will replace them.
There was a little mishap with the other female team dealing with not getting a runners up check (that they also did not get last semester for their volleyball win), sexism, and racial discrimination (the team is from the northeast... they look pretty Chinese-y because they are from close to the India/China border so "true Indians" that look like you imagine Indians look discriminate against these people a lot. It is a huge deal, so not getting their check for various reasons made things really uncomfortable. If they had won, it wouldn't have been such a big deal, I don't think...) We offered to split our winnings in half, but someone in charge insisted they would soon get their money... so we took our money and threw a bonfire party out on the rocks near one of the lakes and invited the other team (who are very cool, speak English realllly well and have awesome style) to join in and we all had a fab. time.
Sunday:
Today we woke up early and went to spend time with "10th class" students in a nearby gov. run school and to talk with them about continuing their schooling and the opportunities beyond what they know. 6 students showed up to meet with us, and we had a good time, but we left unsure of what type of impression we have actually left on these kids. Here are 4 white kids from the US telling Indian students in a 2 room school that if they work hard (despite lack of funding, opportunities and options, equal rights, encouragement, etc) they can do so many things, that they can be whatever they want to be. We talked with them about all of these things they can't even comprehend, like majoring in fashion design or being an artist, like getting scholarships and what the hell is the internet!? What is a library? They probably thought we were stupid rich white americans with nothing to say of importance, like how to convince your poverty stricken families that you will be more helpful with education.
We leave those situations wondering what good we have actually done. We don't always feel good about our "good work" when we leave.
Then Riane and I had shopping to do for the super hot weather that is on its way:
out with the old shoes...
in with the new!
I got 2 shirts, 2 pairs of shoes, and a small purse for like $15.
schveet.
The only other totally awesome thing I did this weekend was read. Read. Read. Read.
This massive book, for a test I have on Wednesday. I have been having to read 50 pages a day.
But it has been turning into more pages because every time I sit down to read, my narcolepsy sets in and I have to make up for the reading I miss the day after. Where I fall asleep again. Never ending vicious napping cycle.
So that wasn't exactly short. Sorry. And that book right there is what I should be doing.
Thanks for the break!
