Week 3

I finally understand how Elphaba (from Wicked) feels. So many stares and stops in the street, I feel like a celebrity who has to run away from the crowds of people who want pictures. The problem is, if you stop for one, you have to stop for them all, because its a swarm of people wanting pictures and getting quite close. 

A lot of pictures this week as I was able to travel a bit. We went to Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, and Mumbai. 

Delhi we stayed with a Mormon family of eight children whose father is apart of the Embassy. They had a piano, a violin, and a Mormon church building, so I was very happy for the two days we stayed there. While in Delhi I was able to see some old ruins

Humayn's Tomb

And The Red Fort

On Sunday, after church we headed over to Agra to see the 

Taj Mahal 

And the Agra Fort

If you squint you can spy the Taj Mahal from the Agra fort.

 We then made our way to Jaipur where we spent about three days exploring. (I was ecstatic about the dry heat)

The City Palace had stunning architecture and doorways. I could've stayed in the armory forever, looking at the jewel studded handles and archerers rings.

We rode an Elephant up to the Amber Fort (A lot of forts, I know) You would think riding an elephant would be easy and you would look graceful doing so, haha, that is the opposite of what happened. But it was an amazing experience non-the-less.

There is this shop here called Anokhi. The shirt I'm wearing is actually a shirt from them. They do a thing called block printing, where the patterns are hand printed on. I had the opportunity to go to their museum and see their process and actually do some block printing myself!

 Then we traveled to Mumbai. We met up with Ved there, and spent the first day there in a restaurant for his launch meeting. The next day was my birthday, so we went to crepes for breakfast:) We then headed down to the India Gate and then hit up the beautiful Taj Mahal Palace Hotel for our last salad before heading back to the airport and Faizabad (were salad and non Indian food are not really available)



 

This week was very exciting, and I am so grateful to my host parents for being so gracious and letting me hitch along. 

Week 2

I made it! Week two accomplished! Probably the hardest most exhausting week of my life, is at a close and I could not be more grateful.
I started teaching this week at a country school about thirty minutes from the farm where I live. Figuring out what to teach is hard, and it has killed my voice in the process. Here's what I've learned:
-The culture here is very friendly, too friendly, like up in your business friendly. Everyone is wanting to talk to me the few words they know, such as:
"Hello"
"Good morning Ma'am"
"Good afternoon Ma'am"
"How are you?"
"I am fine."
That is the just of what they can speak and what they understand. They also ask for many pictures and autographs. They are constantly saying, "So joy you are here." "You are so beautiful."
-My accent is also a problem here, I have been told many times to speak slower and articulate my words more. I now talk at a snails pace with the most diction I've ever used. AL MOST. LIK E. THISS. AND. IT. IS. NEV ER. END ING. Its draining.
-Not to mention all the questions I've been getting:
"Do you know Bill Gates?"
"How is Trump?"
"How do you like India? The culture? The atmosphere? The climate? Do you like it more than America?"
"Where did you learn English?"
"Who are your best friends? Your family?"
"What is your aim?"
"Are you comfortable with me?"
"Can you show me pictures of your family? Can you send them to me?"
And those are just a few of the common questions, I've been asked a whole lot more.
-They're also not shy to ask for things. No, not ask, demand. I've been shadowed by a wonderful girl named Preeti (pronounced pretty), she's hoping to become an air stewardess but needs to know English to do so. She is beautiful and very sweet, loves american dresses. She's been very nice to have around to help translate, and has quickly become a friend. But here asking for something is not uncommon. So she asked me what I am going to bring home for her when I go to Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, and Mumbai. This surprised me, so I asked what she wanted and she said she wouldn't tell me I just had to bring her something. Odd. Very against everything I've been taught.
-The men are very okay with physical contact. Holding hands is a totally acceptable thing to do here. Its strange seeing two men you know aren't gay walking down the street holding hands.
-Monkeys are like squirrels here. People hate them.
-None of them have any imagination. They have been trained not to have one. It's frustrating.
I've learned a lot and continue to learn more and more every day. Its all very eye opening and gives me a huge appreciation for constant internet access and power that doesn't go out every hour. As hard as this week was, I am so proud of myself for getting through it and proving that I can do hard things.
I updated early as I leave for Delhi today! I'll be gone for a week, and I'll make sure to get lots of pictures cause I realize that's what I'm lacking. I'll end up spending my birthday in Mumbai!

Week 1

The people here are a lot more patient. The WiFi/internet here sucks, everything takes forever to load and if you want to talk to your parents, too bad, you're gonna cut out at least a dozen times. The government electricity only lasts about a third of the day, so they have to have back up generators if they want to keep the fans going and the air moving. This house is actually one of the only ones in the area to have electricity or air conditioning, so I can deal with the frequent black outs and the slow internet, because I've learned how much I really love constant cold air flow.
I've really been adopted as a daughter. I feel very loved and very taken care of. Actually, last Sunday, Ved took me and some of the Workaway people out to town to experience the feel and taste the very strange food. The food which my stomach has not quite become accustomed to; its only been a week and I'm already done with curry... While in town, Ved made me suck on tree bark, which was strangely sweet, but in like a newly cleaned bathroom sort of way.
So many little children on the street, it was about nine at night and the city was still going. The children were still begging, they stand there and watch you eat with their puppy dog eyes, they don't leave. Your heart hurts just looking at them, but you know that if you give them anything they'll never leave and all their friends will come to. That was the moment I wish I had all the money and food in the world.
Ved's oldest daughter, Sargam showed me around the thirty-six acre farm. Its a very stunning flat plain, very rain forest like. And so humid that the moment you step outside you're dripping with sweat and sticky with the heat, and no shower's gonna fix that.
I then was taken on a bike ride to a beautiful sacred pond that has been littered with plastics and trash, that's how all of India is, riddled with garbage everywhere. They believe that the inside of the house is their responsibility, but the outside is fair game. I was unable to get any pictures as I was a bit afraid to stop. The people here don't believe that staring is rude, and it defiantly pertained in this case. I have never been more stared at in my entire life, looks of interest, looks of disappointment, looks of lust. You can bet it made me feel unbelievably uncomfortable.
My days have finally been planned, starting tomorrow I volunteer at a women's co-op for an hour, teaching English. Then I make my way over to the school to help out under the english teachers, and every Wednesday I'll be teaching the lessons at the school, to 12-14 year olds. I'm terrified and feeling very unqualified. Where do I even begin? But, God is with me and through God I can do anything.
"I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandment unto the children of men, save He shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which He commandeth them." (1 Nephi 3:7)
I will have a girl shadowing me throughout my day, she is trying to learn english to become a flight attendant. I'm super excited about her, and having a friend my age. Haha.
I wont lie. This week's been hard. It has gone on forever and has been so draining. I'm calling it a game. A game that only extroverts can win. But I know that I will forever cherish this experience and how hard it was, because it has pushed me beyond what I thought were my limits. The rest of the nine weeks I'm here I will live by what President Hinkley's father told him , "Forget Yourself and Go to Work." I challenge you to do the same. Lets see if we can change the world:)

 Did you know that you can make 400% more money here if you can speak English?

 The woman from the Co-op. They're also sewing the clothes I'll be wearing while I'm here. They are huge pioneers here, as women aren't respected or really considered people. I'm so excited that I might be able to change their lives and the lives of the people around them.

My First Few Days

Saying goodbye to my family was extremely hard. Trying not to cry in an airport by myself while trying to go through security, not fun... haha.
The bright orange and red plane smelled of curry and alcohol, with a slight hint of coffee the whole time. No wifi, tv crashed about 4 hours into the flight, I had forgotten to download my audio books before I left, and I had an extremely hard time sleeping. So, I sat there counting down the hours while listening to my music and doodling. Oh, and another exciting feature, the guy next to me was watching Indian chick flicks the whole time. That was fun. But, you can guess how happy I was to get off that plane. Except I jumped right in to the most crazy, hectic place I could've ended up. I couldn't understand a soul, everything was oddly placed, it all was so confusing. I had to check in one of my bags about 4 times, it didn't fit in anything. So exhausted and sweaty (cause there's hardly any air conditioning) I finally make it to my gate only to find out it's been switched. Oh, how I love this journey...
The next plane ride was a piece of cake. McArthur (my host mom) was there at baggage claim to pick me up, the relief I had in that moment allowed me to breathe again. I literally ran to meet them. Zara (the 2 year old) was calling me dede (older sister) Brennan, it's now been shortened to just dede. The family's been so welcoming and kind with so many questions and things to learn. My jet lagged mind was having a very hard time comprehending. Haha.
The driving here is eccentric. People don't care about what side of the road you should drive on, or to stay on either side of the middle line. No, they drive in the middle of the road. Cars are rushing towards you at ridiculous speeds. Honking is used quite liberally, to let others know you're there, or not to cross or to get out of my way, or to not pull back on the street. Cows congregate in the center of the street, its illegal to run one over, you could be killed as they are the holy creature here. If you get carsick, this is not the place for you.
We drove to Kanpur from Lucknow to go to Ved (my host fathers) business meeting. Stayed the night, then make the 5 hour trek on the insane roads back to faizabad.
The food here, as expected, is quite exotic. I actually have had a hard time eating so far. It's jut so different. The jet lag hasn't helped any.
No building is exactly clean, they almost look like what we might classify as post apocalyptic. Every other apartment seems to be decorated with brightly colored drying clothes, plants, or billboards.
Finally got the the house in Faizabad. It is huge and very interesting. So many colors and paintings. I'm getting a tour today, so hopefully I'll be able to upload some pictures soon. 
So grateful for this incredible opportunity, hoping to make this feel more like home soon.