Hello All,
Well, things are really settled down here. I think i've got my schedle down and things are falling into place.
This weekend was really laid back. I went to the temple district to buy a few things and then from Saturday night until Sunday afternoon I more or less just sat and read in my house. Then Last night I went out to eat and ate chicken for the first time since I got here. I've actually gotten into the habit of telling people that I'm a vegetarian because it seems to make things a lot more simple- and i don't really trust the meat preparation and storage here all that much. So the chicken was an interesting change. it seemed to have been fried (like most of the food here is, I would say)- and it had a crispy red outter layer and was SO hot i could barely eat it. It was alright (and one of the only things I've had since I got here that hasn't been spicy), but I think I'm going to stick to the veg. food for now.
Last night the family that lives below us made a huge pile of wood in our yard. They then took all of the dirt around the pile of wood and dug it up and then added buckets of water to it. Women would go with their jugs and fetch the water from the well and then carry it back on their heads and leave it with the men who would do the mixing. The shovels here are long and flat and the handles sort of come out at about a 20 degree angle from the blade. The men bend over and shovel between their legs- sort of like how dogs dig up dirt. So- then they took all of this mud that they had made and mixed it with small branches and leaves and put it all around the huge pile of wood. finally they had what looked like a 12 foot high pile of mud outside our house, and then they lit it on fire from an opening below. We asked what they were doing it for, and they explained to us that they were making coal (because they are the neighborhood ironers- after you get your clothes washed you take them to the family under us and they iron them on the side of the street). Anyway- it was an interesting process to see, and I thought I'd share it with anyone who's interested. It was only sort of problimatic when the wood was burning all night and filled our rooms with smoke. Emily even tried sleeping on the roof for awhile it was that bad.
It seems as though there's always something new here. Just when I think I'm starting to understand the patterns of the people that i'm living around, something new comes up and I'm completely surprised again. sometimes there are huge fires in our yard- and I still can't figure out what they're burning. maybe trash? Sometimes there is drumming for hours, and firecrackers going off and no one seems to notice- in fact, I asked the woman who lives below me about it and she said that there weren't ay firecackers- that all people were doing that day was praying.
I went out to the potter's village today. I go again tomorrow. I think I'm not very good at it- but the potter priest says I'm a really fast student because I'm already making really big pots. It's hard work, and i get sore doing it, and really muddy. I'm also getting much better at navigating the bus system to get out there.
Last week I went to a professor's house to talk about my fieldwork ideas. He is a man named Dianechu Carr (an odd coinsidence?). He's pretty old and extremely smart. He's been guest a guest lecturer all over Europe, and maybe in the US a few times and was formally the president of a theology university in India. We talked a lot about Christianity and some about Hindusim and the use of symbols in each. By the end of it I was so excited to learn about all of it, but also completely at a loss about what I want to specifically study.
That night I went to a Roman Catholic church with Eugene, a field assistant, to do a practice observation exercize. We got there thinking there was going to be an English mass, but I guess we were misinformed or something because it was in Tamil. The church was really amazing to see though. It was really big and really colorful. There were huge statues of mother mary and christ on the outside of the church with neon signs that said, in tamil, here is your mother. Inside there were a lot of statues of different saints and a few crusifixes, and a few statues of the mother mary. It was interesting to see how people prayed there. I haven't spent a lot of time (or any time maybe?) in a Roman Catholic chuch in the US, so I was trying to compare what I saw to Hindu worshiping techniques rather than to US Catholic worshiping techniques. A lot of people were kneeling down in the front and just praying silently, focusing on the crusifix or on the figure of Mary. At the end of the Mass a lot of people got up and touched one of the crusifixes and then would bring their hands to their eyes- a guesture that is really common in Hinduism and puja ceremonies. There were some other Hindu-type elements in the church. The women still wear sacred threads instead of wedding bands and I saw a few babies with black dots on their cheeks- put there to keep away the evil eye- a hindu superstition. Also, some people took their shoes off before they entered the church, although most kept them on still.
It was an interesting experience- although I still don't really know where I should go with my research. I'm tempted to mainly focus on Hindusim and then focus on Christianity later in my life... maybe just next year. Just keeping in mind the idea that while I'm in a Hindu culture it might be good to take advantage of that.
Either way I think I'm going to try to go to a temple in the next few days- maybe over the weekend- and do a similar type of observational exercize. It seems, however, that people are more likely to pay attention to me at a hindu temple than at the catholic church. So- in temples it gets kind of difficult to be an observer without effecting the enviroment that i'm observing and thus changing the results of what i'm seeing.
well, i guess that's the update for now. I have a tamil test on Thursday that I'm not really ready for, but am not really sure how to get ready for. I have four rolls of film being developed, and they're going to put them on a CD, so maybe i'll upload them onto my webshots account when I get them back.
I hope you are all well, thanks to those of you who are sending me emails!
much love
--- catie
25 September 2006
16 September 2006
hopefully a substantial update
so, i've been trying to start a blog that i can update regularly, but somehow the internet is being complicated. maybe it has to do with the connection here, or maybe it's just that i'm inept, but i'm finding it fairly difficult to access most blog sites.
so, until i have that figured out, i'm going to probably continue with the mass emails. sorry, again, for the lack of personal touch to these- but i just have a few things i think i'd like to tell most of everyone, and it makes more sense this way than writing it over and over again. but, please, write to me, and i'll respond more personally.
So, i guess it's been awhile since i talked to everyone. orientation here is over, and i'm all settled in (for the most part). There are still a few things that are sort of sketcy (like our cell phones working off and on...) and I had to go back to the police station and redo my paper work because i filled it out in green (i find this amusing because none of the papers have my proper name on them- they all leave out Miller- and the authorities don't mind that, they just don't like that i wrote in green...)- but for the most part everything is going okay.
I live above a really sweet family in a relatively quite suburb of Madurai. we're a 60 rupee auto rickshaw drive from the temple in the centre- just north east of the centre in a neighborhood called Park Town. The family I live above is a mother who's 27, her husband (also her uncle), and her two completely sweet sweet children- an 8 year old and 6 year old. The mother's name is Mutha, which means pearl, and she takes really good care of us. She and her 8 year old daughter, Santhya, made us dessert and brought it up for us. They feed us fruit and peanuts too. The peanuts here, by the way, are completely different. they're soft and taste like alfalfa sprouts. And when our family brought them up to Lauras room and we were eating them they just shelled them and threw the shells over their shoulders around Laura's room. Anyway, the family is really nice and takes really good care of us.
I go out into the village twice a week to do pottery with a potter priest in a hut. I have lectures twice a week and go to Tamil class twice a week. Somehow, even though i'm not in class a lot, I find that I'm constantly exhausted. It's also hard because the one time of the day that i'm sure to not have anything is right after lunch, but everything is closed then so i can't do any sort of errand running. I guess it's like a siesta, but they don't have a word for it.
Yesterday Emily, Laura, our program director, Shaker, and I went out into a village to go see part of this 15 day festival. It was a really long trip out there, and i got so carsick. The last leg of it we were in a private bus, crammed in with people all around us, and with insanely loud tamil music blaring. So we got out in this village, and went to find the priest. I guess the festival had already started, but it doesn't really 'take off' until next week.
So this is the story for the festival: a long time ago there was a mother who had seven daughters. The daughters got along really well with the mother's older sister. whenever she came to visit the daughters got so excited and they all loved eachother so much.However, the mother got really jealous of her sister. So, one day when the sister came to visit the mother hid her seven daughters under a chicken basket. Then when the sister left the mother lifted up the basket and found that her daughters had turned into seven little dolls. A goddess came and told her that her daughters would be restored to her only when she was free from jealousy. So, now, every year the priest in this village gets posessed by the goddess and selects seven little girls to represent the seven daughters. the seven girls are all prepubescent and have to stay within the temple for the 15 day. Then they are blessed with good fortune for the rest of their lives. I still have a hard time exactly connecting the myth with the festival and how they directly relate- but i thought it would still be interesting to see what was going on.
So we went and talked to the priest and he had the seven little girls all come out and see us. they lined up by height and all recieted a prayer for rain. We had to put the sacred ash on our heads, and eat a little bit- which i guess could be considered sort of weird 'cause it's burnt cow pies (in the north they use dead human body ash!), but i figure ash is ash.
Then we talked to the priest for about an hour and a half. At first it was really interesting, but then we started to realize that he was a little unreliable. he told us that his temple was 3000 years old and that the festival was that old also. then he told us that the goddess of his temple was originally called Durga, but now her name was changed. Then he told us the story of Durga (which is a really common story), and explained that she was the original goddess 3000 years ago, and now she goes by a different name in his temple. I found this interesting because Durga and the myths surrounding Durga aren't specific to any village- they're pan indian and relatively new, coming from a western influence. So, i wondered if he was trying to convince us that she was the original goddess, or if he was convinced of it and was just trying to tell us what he thought was true. Then this same sort of thing happened a few times. he told us all about his four sons, saying each one was smarter than the previous- each getting the highest marks in Tamil Nadu, running hospitals and software companies etc. Then he told us that he had traveled and worked all over the world and knows 15 languages without ever studying them- just because he is so spiritual and full of Shakti and energy from Durga. Then he went into a trans where he was speaking another language, but it wasn't any language any of us recognized- and he then continued as if nothing had happened.
so after an hour and a half we took some photos (which probably didn't turn out great 'cause it wasn't very good lighting in the temple), and then left. I guess it was mostly just interesting to observe how this priest presented himself. I guess it would be a really difficult (maybe impossible? i dont know) psychological study- but interesting to see how mysticism works psychologically. When i saw the woman being posessed at the last temple i was convinced that she was convinced she was being posessed- and here it seemed so mechanical as if he had produced it and was trying to sell it to us.
Anyway, that was sort of the adventure for yesterday. We also got some sacred cow-pie ash to bring home with us to our friends- so i have two little parcels in my room if anyone's interested.
i'm still pretty afraid of indian men in general. the two girls that i live with seem to be less afraid- and yesterday had some 18 year old guys up on our roof. But, for the most part the men here seem sort of sketchy. I guess that's a generalization- but it's pretty frequent that men call out to us and yell "white women!" in Tamil when we pass, or ask us if we're married (we all have started saying yes. Emily now apparently has a husband in the US named "Bob"). I think i'll feel a lot more comfortable when i know the language. According to the 18 year old guys on our roof yesterday, everyone at their school knows who we are- and that really weirds me out. I would much rather keep as low a profile as i can- even though that's pretty hard when we stick out so much.
For the most part, however, Indian people are so friendly. So many families invite us into their homes and try to feed us. They always ask if you've eaten, and what you ate, and when they can give you food. Our mom downstairs did a sort of henna type of design on our hands (maybe i mentioned this already?), flowers and mine is a swastica, and she braided our hair and put bindis on us and is eager to help put saris on us if we ever want to wear them.
well, the internet is starting to get even more sketchy, so i think i should sign off. plus lunch is due to happen in a minute or so.
I hope you're all well! keep me updated!
I'm missing all of you a lot, and trying to not think too much about the US right now- about fall in alaska and the beginning of school in NY. But, still, keep me up to date on all the happenings!
much love,
--- catie
so, until i have that figured out, i'm going to probably continue with the mass emails. sorry, again, for the lack of personal touch to these- but i just have a few things i think i'd like to tell most of everyone, and it makes more sense this way than writing it over and over again. but, please, write to me, and i'll respond more personally.
So, i guess it's been awhile since i talked to everyone. orientation here is over, and i'm all settled in (for the most part). There are still a few things that are sort of sketcy (like our cell phones working off and on...) and I had to go back to the police station and redo my paper work because i filled it out in green (i find this amusing because none of the papers have my proper name on them- they all leave out Miller- and the authorities don't mind that, they just don't like that i wrote in green...)- but for the most part everything is going okay.
I live above a really sweet family in a relatively quite suburb of Madurai. we're a 60 rupee auto rickshaw drive from the temple in the centre- just north east of the centre in a neighborhood called Park Town. The family I live above is a mother who's 27, her husband (also her uncle), and her two completely sweet sweet children- an 8 year old and 6 year old. The mother's name is Mutha, which means pearl, and she takes really good care of us. She and her 8 year old daughter, Santhya, made us dessert and brought it up for us. They feed us fruit and peanuts too. The peanuts here, by the way, are completely different. they're soft and taste like alfalfa sprouts. And when our family brought them up to Lauras room and we were eating them they just shelled them and threw the shells over their shoulders around Laura's room. Anyway, the family is really nice and takes really good care of us.
I go out into the village twice a week to do pottery with a potter priest in a hut. I have lectures twice a week and go to Tamil class twice a week. Somehow, even though i'm not in class a lot, I find that I'm constantly exhausted. It's also hard because the one time of the day that i'm sure to not have anything is right after lunch, but everything is closed then so i can't do any sort of errand running. I guess it's like a siesta, but they don't have a word for it.
Yesterday Emily, Laura, our program director, Shaker, and I went out into a village to go see part of this 15 day festival. It was a really long trip out there, and i got so carsick. The last leg of it we were in a private bus, crammed in with people all around us, and with insanely loud tamil music blaring. So we got out in this village, and went to find the priest. I guess the festival had already started, but it doesn't really 'take off' until next week.
So this is the story for the festival: a long time ago there was a mother who had seven daughters. The daughters got along really well with the mother's older sister. whenever she came to visit the daughters got so excited and they all loved eachother so much.However, the mother got really jealous of her sister. So, one day when the sister came to visit the mother hid her seven daughters under a chicken basket. Then when the sister left the mother lifted up the basket and found that her daughters had turned into seven little dolls. A goddess came and told her that her daughters would be restored to her only when she was free from jealousy. So, now, every year the priest in this village gets posessed by the goddess and selects seven little girls to represent the seven daughters. the seven girls are all prepubescent and have to stay within the temple for the 15 day. Then they are blessed with good fortune for the rest of their lives. I still have a hard time exactly connecting the myth with the festival and how they directly relate- but i thought it would still be interesting to see what was going on.
So we went and talked to the priest and he had the seven little girls all come out and see us. they lined up by height and all recieted a prayer for rain. We had to put the sacred ash on our heads, and eat a little bit- which i guess could be considered sort of weird 'cause it's burnt cow pies (in the north they use dead human body ash!), but i figure ash is ash.
Then we talked to the priest for about an hour and a half. At first it was really interesting, but then we started to realize that he was a little unreliable. he told us that his temple was 3000 years old and that the festival was that old also. then he told us that the goddess of his temple was originally called Durga, but now her name was changed. Then he told us the story of Durga (which is a really common story), and explained that she was the original goddess 3000 years ago, and now she goes by a different name in his temple. I found this interesting because Durga and the myths surrounding Durga aren't specific to any village- they're pan indian and relatively new, coming from a western influence. So, i wondered if he was trying to convince us that she was the original goddess, or if he was convinced of it and was just trying to tell us what he thought was true. Then this same sort of thing happened a few times. he told us all about his four sons, saying each one was smarter than the previous- each getting the highest marks in Tamil Nadu, running hospitals and software companies etc. Then he told us that he had traveled and worked all over the world and knows 15 languages without ever studying them- just because he is so spiritual and full of Shakti and energy from Durga. Then he went into a trans where he was speaking another language, but it wasn't any language any of us recognized- and he then continued as if nothing had happened.
so after an hour and a half we took some photos (which probably didn't turn out great 'cause it wasn't very good lighting in the temple), and then left. I guess it was mostly just interesting to observe how this priest presented himself. I guess it would be a really difficult (maybe impossible? i dont know) psychological study- but interesting to see how mysticism works psychologically. When i saw the woman being posessed at the last temple i was convinced that she was convinced she was being posessed- and here it seemed so mechanical as if he had produced it and was trying to sell it to us.
Anyway, that was sort of the adventure for yesterday. We also got some sacred cow-pie ash to bring home with us to our friends- so i have two little parcels in my room if anyone's interested.
i'm still pretty afraid of indian men in general. the two girls that i live with seem to be less afraid- and yesterday had some 18 year old guys up on our roof. But, for the most part the men here seem sort of sketchy. I guess that's a generalization- but it's pretty frequent that men call out to us and yell "white women!" in Tamil when we pass, or ask us if we're married (we all have started saying yes. Emily now apparently has a husband in the US named "Bob"). I think i'll feel a lot more comfortable when i know the language. According to the 18 year old guys on our roof yesterday, everyone at their school knows who we are- and that really weirds me out. I would much rather keep as low a profile as i can- even though that's pretty hard when we stick out so much.
For the most part, however, Indian people are so friendly. So many families invite us into their homes and try to feed us. They always ask if you've eaten, and what you ate, and when they can give you food. Our mom downstairs did a sort of henna type of design on our hands (maybe i mentioned this already?), flowers and mine is a swastica, and she braided our hair and put bindis on us and is eager to help put saris on us if we ever want to wear them.
well, the internet is starting to get even more sketchy, so i think i should sign off. plus lunch is due to happen in a minute or so.
I hope you're all well! keep me updated!
I'm missing all of you a lot, and trying to not think too much about the US right now- about fall in alaska and the beginning of school in NY. But, still, keep me up to date on all the happenings!
much love,
--- catie
14 September 2006
photos
alright- i made a webshots account. my username is Catie20 so i'm pretty sure you can all go and look at a few of my pictures. it takes awhile to upload them from this computer- and its kinda a huge process to move them from my computer to this one, so i wont be able to put up all the ones i've taken- but here are a few. i hope you are all well!
--- catie
http://community.webshots.com/album/554109051kkLqly
--- catie
http://community.webshots.com/album/554109051kkLqly
07 September 2006
cell phone
hey, just a quick note to tell you all that i got my cell phone. right now i don't have a lot of money on it- and i can't make international calls from it- but i can recieve international calls for free. SO... if you ever really need to get ahold of me or whatever--- it will probably cost a lot for you, but nothing for me. there is always the option, however, of getting a skype out account and calling me from that. it will probably be a lot cheaper- so, mom, emma, etc- if you guys want to be able to call me, maybe it's worth looking into? www.skype.com
so, here's my number (not counting international calling codes- which somehow seem complicated- i looked it up and it looks as though the international calling code to get out of the us is 011 and the india code is 91- sooo... if that makes more sense to someone besides me, maybe explain?)
my number:
994-409-7493
right now my ring tone is a little child giggling... just thought i'd share that info.
i'm going to go see if anyone will play pictionary with me. earlier i tried to do Reykjavik, but no one got it so i lost a point. i need to go try to gain that point back!
much love,
--- catie
so, here's my number (not counting international calling codes- which somehow seem complicated- i looked it up and it looks as though the international calling code to get out of the us is 011 and the india code is 91- sooo... if that makes more sense to someone besides me, maybe explain?)
my number:
994-409-7493
right now my ring tone is a little child giggling... just thought i'd share that info.
i'm going to go see if anyone will play pictionary with me. earlier i tried to do Reykjavik, but no one got it so i lost a point. i need to go try to gain that point back!
much love,
--- catie
05 September 2006
pottery
mom, will you forward these to all the people who i should be sending them to but who's address i don't have? Thanks!
So- I'm just writing a quick update to let you all know about my potter experience! Yesterday afternoon Shaker, the resident coordinater, took whoever wanted to out into the village to go see the potter/priest. For those who don't know we have one tutorial a semester and mine is going to be pottery. anyone who was interested in pottery was going to go out to the village (which is only me), but the other three girls on the trip came out too just to see what it was all about.
So, we took an auto rickshaw to the bus station, and then from there got a bus out to a stop that really looks like it is in the middle of nowhere. from there we walked for about 15 minutes on a dirt road scattered with cow pies, winding through a sugar cane field. The whole time a group of little boys on their way home from school were following us. At the end of it we got to a Sivite temple without any covering- just a lot of statues under a huge banion tree.
The potter came to visit us when we were walking into the village, and as we all walked towards his house more and more children began to follow us. By the time we were at the potter's house there were dozens of children surrounding us. First the potter set up a manual wheel, and put clay on it and we all took turns spinning it for him as we watched him work. When i was spinning the wheel he told me that i was getting to distracted by watching him, and not remebering to spin it fast enough. atleast i'm observant though? So then we all took turns making these little cups to keep oil in to light for puja and prayer, and the potter turned the wheele. None of us was very good- it was really really hard because his technique was so specific. He got really excited when it was my turn- and said that the first part of the process i did perfectly, and then i rushed too much on the second. Anyway, either he recognized me from the one time we met before (at this welcoming function that was this weekend), or he thought i had a lot of potential- because he told Shaker that I was going to be his student. I like to think he just thought I could get good.
Anyway, this entire time the children were standing around watching and more and more from the village were gatherine around, along with some elderly people, and some parents with babies. Towards the end we started to talk to the children and they got really really excited. They all wanted to shake our hands, and anytime we said anything in Tamil they'd laugh hysterically. Near the end they got out a paper and a pen and had us all write our names in Tamil over and over again like autographs. It was nice to be able to interact with all of the children, and they were all so excited to meet us (Shaker said we were probably the only foreign visitors they had ever seen in their village)- but the entire thing was also a little disheartening because all of the children were a little bit dirtier than the city children that we see shoppig with their parents- and they were all sick and coughing a lot.
It was an interesting experience though- and one i'm probably going to have to get use to because i'll be spending about three hours a week in the village doing potter with the potter. It sounds good to me, because i like how quiet and nice the village was. Oh, there were water buffalo everywhere, and dozens of paraqueets up in the palm trees above us- it was a really nice setting. I guess I'll be learning how to make little oil cups first, and eventually will work my way up to figurines of gods and other characters.
anyway, things here just got really stressful, so i have to go.
much love,
--- catie
So- I'm just writing a quick update to let you all know about my potter experience! Yesterday afternoon Shaker, the resident coordinater, took whoever wanted to out into the village to go see the potter/priest. For those who don't know we have one tutorial a semester and mine is going to be pottery. anyone who was interested in pottery was going to go out to the village (which is only me), but the other three girls on the trip came out too just to see what it was all about.
So, we took an auto rickshaw to the bus station, and then from there got a bus out to a stop that really looks like it is in the middle of nowhere. from there we walked for about 15 minutes on a dirt road scattered with cow pies, winding through a sugar cane field. The whole time a group of little boys on their way home from school were following us. At the end of it we got to a Sivite temple without any covering- just a lot of statues under a huge banion tree.
The potter came to visit us when we were walking into the village, and as we all walked towards his house more and more children began to follow us. By the time we were at the potter's house there were dozens of children surrounding us. First the potter set up a manual wheel, and put clay on it and we all took turns spinning it for him as we watched him work. When i was spinning the wheel he told me that i was getting to distracted by watching him, and not remebering to spin it fast enough. atleast i'm observant though? So then we all took turns making these little cups to keep oil in to light for puja and prayer, and the potter turned the wheele. None of us was very good- it was really really hard because his technique was so specific. He got really excited when it was my turn- and said that the first part of the process i did perfectly, and then i rushed too much on the second. Anyway, either he recognized me from the one time we met before (at this welcoming function that was this weekend), or he thought i had a lot of potential- because he told Shaker that I was going to be his student. I like to think he just thought I could get good.
Anyway, this entire time the children were standing around watching and more and more from the village were gatherine around, along with some elderly people, and some parents with babies. Towards the end we started to talk to the children and they got really really excited. They all wanted to shake our hands, and anytime we said anything in Tamil they'd laugh hysterically. Near the end they got out a paper and a pen and had us all write our names in Tamil over and over again like autographs. It was nice to be able to interact with all of the children, and they were all so excited to meet us (Shaker said we were probably the only foreign visitors they had ever seen in their village)- but the entire thing was also a little disheartening because all of the children were a little bit dirtier than the city children that we see shoppig with their parents- and they were all sick and coughing a lot.
It was an interesting experience though- and one i'm probably going to have to get use to because i'll be spending about three hours a week in the village doing potter with the potter. It sounds good to me, because i like how quiet and nice the village was. Oh, there were water buffalo everywhere, and dozens of paraqueets up in the palm trees above us- it was a really nice setting. I guess I'll be learning how to make little oil cups first, and eventually will work my way up to figurines of gods and other characters.
anyway, things here just got really stressful, so i have to go.
much love,
--- catie
04 September 2006
hello again
well, i should make this quick, but i thought i'd let you all know that i'm all moved into my new house!
i'm living with two other girls from my trip, Emily and Laura. i have my own room, which is light blue, and there's actually a western toilet in the apartment- which is alright... i have mixed feelings about it. the best part is the family we live above. we met them when we were looking at the apartment, and they are really nice and eager to have us there. There are a lot of children, most of which are really shy. two of the daughters came up and said hello to us- but our tamil is still extremely limited so pretty much we asked how they were, and then told them we didn't speak very good tamil, and then stood around awkwardly. i'm sure it will get better soon. Tomorrow we start our tamil classes. Emma- there's definitely room for you to stay if you want to come to India still! and anyone else, for that matter! Our house is on a dirt road, and all of our neighbors seem really nice. we dont really talk to or smile or wave at the men- partially because weve been told not to really, but also because we're getting a little to cautious after a lot of harassment so far. But the women and children are all really nice. Also, there are tons of goats and cows and dogs around where we live. they wander into our yard, and then out again. There are geckos in my apartment, and we saw a red iguana in our front yard. Ayway, it's a really nice living sitation so far- but then again i only moved in yesterday.
I went to the tailor yesterday after our yoga class to get some clothes that i would be comfortable in but that would also be appropriate for India. I've decided I'm not too big a fan of Salwar Kameez- although they're bearable, and i sort of have started to loath Saris... i don't know how the women here do it- yards and yards and yards of fabric all tied around you and pinned in and tightened... impossible to do anything in as far as i'm concerened, but still you see them riding bikes in them, and cleaning and going places. amazing!
well, i was going to give more of an update than this, but i have to go eat breakfast! i love indian breakfasts! they're soo good. then in the afternoon we're going to the potters village to meet the potter that i'm going to be doing my first semester tutorial with.
much love, and missing all of you! --- catie
oh ps! i saw the greatest procession in the street downtown yesterday with elephants and horses and hundreds upon hundreds of women and men and children and music and a holy man. it was so amazing and colorful!
that's it for now!
love,
-- catie
i'm living with two other girls from my trip, Emily and Laura. i have my own room, which is light blue, and there's actually a western toilet in the apartment- which is alright... i have mixed feelings about it. the best part is the family we live above. we met them when we were looking at the apartment, and they are really nice and eager to have us there. There are a lot of children, most of which are really shy. two of the daughters came up and said hello to us- but our tamil is still extremely limited so pretty much we asked how they were, and then told them we didn't speak very good tamil, and then stood around awkwardly. i'm sure it will get better soon. Tomorrow we start our tamil classes. Emma- there's definitely room for you to stay if you want to come to India still! and anyone else, for that matter! Our house is on a dirt road, and all of our neighbors seem really nice. we dont really talk to or smile or wave at the men- partially because weve been told not to really, but also because we're getting a little to cautious after a lot of harassment so far. But the women and children are all really nice. Also, there are tons of goats and cows and dogs around where we live. they wander into our yard, and then out again. There are geckos in my apartment, and we saw a red iguana in our front yard. Ayway, it's a really nice living sitation so far- but then again i only moved in yesterday.
I went to the tailor yesterday after our yoga class to get some clothes that i would be comfortable in but that would also be appropriate for India. I've decided I'm not too big a fan of Salwar Kameez- although they're bearable, and i sort of have started to loath Saris... i don't know how the women here do it- yards and yards and yards of fabric all tied around you and pinned in and tightened... impossible to do anything in as far as i'm concerened, but still you see them riding bikes in them, and cleaning and going places. amazing!
well, i was going to give more of an update than this, but i have to go eat breakfast! i love indian breakfasts! they're soo good. then in the afternoon we're going to the potters village to meet the potter that i'm going to be doing my first semester tutorial with.
much love, and missing all of you! --- catie
oh ps! i saw the greatest procession in the street downtown yesterday with elephants and horses and hundreds upon hundreds of women and men and children and music and a holy man. it was so amazing and colorful!
that's it for now!
love,
-- catie
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