" The Ghats You Ghatta See" -Shalini (Cait)

We took the train to Varanasi on Friday night without any difficulties. Shalini and I were in 2AC class, which meant that we were in a compartment with 2-tiered bunks and excessive air conditioning. The train itself was quite an experience. At every stop, venders would get on and walk through the train selling snacks and beverages. Thus, there was a constant chorus of "chai chai chai chai" and "cofi cofi cofi cofi" throughout the journey. Jonathon, Shalini, and I played cards to pass the time, especially Egyptian Ratscrew, a fast-paced game which the object is to be the first to slap the pile of cards. I assure you that what it lacks in intellectual sophistication, we made up for in enthusiasm (or in Shalini's case, outright violence).The train, which was supposed to be 12 hours, was mercifully only an hour late...all in all, enormously successful by Indian standards.

After we checking into our hotel, we freshened up and headed into Varanasi. We walked around the town and saw the ghats, but due to the blistering heat, which at about 120 F even put Delhi to shame, soon headed to the restaurant where we had arranged to met Felix. After a much-needed refreshment of lassis and mango juice, Shalini and I said good-bye to the boys and headed back to our hotel for some R&R. They met up with us later for a dip in the pool before Felix caught a train back to Delhi.

That evening, Jon, Shal, and I took a night tour of the Ganges. This involved going out in a little boat with our guide Raju, who explained all the ins and outs of the river, like who could be cremated on the banks and what all the buildings we passed were. There were several cremations going on at this time, and we also saw a dead body floating in the water, which made the final decision for us as to whether we were going to take a dip in the water (fun fact: for water to be "safe," the concentration of a certain kind of bacteria should be <50/ mL; in the Ganges, it is more than 1 million). We rowed to the main ghat downstream where the evening ceremonies, involving a colorful display of lights and costumes and drums and chanting, were taking place. We watched them from the water, along with many other boats, and each lit an offering of lotus flowers in small wooden dishes, and set them out on the river. The whole spectacle was truly spectacular.

Chillin in Delhi (Cait)

Shalini and Jonathon eating questionable fried train food en route to Varanasi

Our buddy Felix...no, a different Felix

The man, the legend: Paul Frey.

Tuesday afternoon we arrived back in good old Vasant Kunj. During our absence, a new roommate had turned up! Lisa is a 22-yr old med student at Newcastle Univ., though she's from Northern Ireland. The shadowing she'll be doing over the summer is part of her medical training; she'll be doing one month here and then another month back in Ireland. She seems very sweet, and we LOVE her accent. She even offers to get us something from the store while she's out. The beginning of a beautifuuul friendship.

When we get to the office Wednesday morning, we are surprised to hear that we won't be going to the slum this week. Instead, we'll be working in the office writing a grant proposal for Asha. Asha is applying for money from the Japanese embassy to buy two mobile health clinic vans, which will allow them to provide health services to 4-5 new slum areas throughout the city. So for the next few days, Shalini and I look through old proposals and annual reports and talk to different staff members to collect the information needed to explain the practical dimensions of the project, Asha as an organization, and the expected benefits to the slum communities. It's really interesting and a nice break from the usual routine, and we love hanging out with Felix and Paul, two of Asha's staff who work in the office with us; we're pretty sure we keep them from actually getting work done though, because will interrupt them all the time with "If you could go anywhere in India for a weekend trip, where would you go?" and "Paul, can you call the bus station for us to see if they have tickets left on the bus to Jaipur, pretty pleaseeee?" all the time. They put up with us remarkably well.

We also make plans to go to Varanasi with a big group, but Sam, Sean, and Michelle's train ticket's are inexplicably cancelled at the last minute and everything else is sold out, so in the end only Shalini, Jonathon, and I are going. We're disappointed about the others but excited to see the oldest and holiest city in India!! If only the train wasn't 13 hours long...

Wedding: Monday (Shalini)

Monday was the day of all of the main wedding ceremonies. We began preparing earlier today, learning from yesterday how long it would take us to get ready. Again, Mrs. Khandelwal was amazing and so helpful, lending us jewelry and telling me in particular, how to look more Indian. I wore lipstick for my first time haha. We then watched as the groom's family all arrived and we helped greet them with flowers. We were so included in this entire process! The bride's brother urged us to help out, and we were so happy to do so. We put flower bracelets on the female members of the groom's family. The groom himself arrived on a horse that was decked out in rich, colorful trappings. The entire thing was such an awesome spectacle.

Cait and I then watched the entire wedding ceremony. This must have been 3 hours long, but we were so intrigued by it all! The bride enters under this veil that was held up by male members of her family. She looked absolutely beautiful, and Cait and I are now convinced that a wedding is not a wedding, unless it is an Indian wedding. The coolest part was when they light the fire and the couple walks around it seven times.

After this, we waited in line to congratulate the new couple, after witnessing an Indian wedding tradition in which the bride's family steals the groom's shoes during the ceremony, which he then has to buy back from them. The whole thing involves a lot of good-natured bargaining, so fun to watch! We then saw the ceremony where the bride's family says goodbye. This was quite sad and emotional, and it was truly emblematic of how close-knit Indian families are. Getting to experience such a personal event as a wedding during our time here was truly an unforgettable experience, and we feel incredibly fortunate to have been welcomed so warmly by this wonderful family.

Mumbai Day 2

On Sunday we donned our first sarees. This took quite a long time to figure out how to accomplish. We then went to another hotel where there was a terrific display of entertainment by professionals (this included a sand table artist, which Cait was very impressed by), as well as skits and dances by the family members themselves, for the wedding couple.

Seeing this display of family made us so appreciative to have been invited to the wedding. Indian families are very large in number, but they all care so much about one another, which was evidenced as different members of the family each prepared and performed their dance pieces for the couple. What a privilege to have been in Mumbai for all of this!

The evening was equally wonderful. We heard a performance by a famous Indian singer, who sang a song that even I recognized!! It's called Mahi Ve, and it's from a very popular Bollywood movie. We then danced with the family. These people are so wonderful, we cannot tell you how much fun they all are! And such terrific dancers! We had a fantastic time.

We were also really unprepared for the wedding, however, in terms of our clothing apparel. Working in a slum everyday just entails wearing a simple kurta and pants. But this wedding called for much more. We are so grateful to the Khandelwals for all of their assistance in getting us dressed, and to everyone who lended us their salwar kameezes and jewellery. We were so overwhelmed by the generosity of the entire family as we were taken completely out of our element and welcomed into this fantastic and colorful Indian culture.

Bombay Wedding : Day 1 (Cait)

Bachelorette Party
Henna hands!
Indian dancer
Sweet Mughal-style hats

Saturday, June 19

We get to the airport, check-in, and link up with the first batch of Khandelwals that we will meet over the course of the weekend. We packed light for this trip, not wanting to slow the travel process down by checking luggage, but we quickly realize that we are the only ones without large rolling suitcases (and later realize the wardrobe deficiencies that result from such thirfty ways when packing for a wedding). After a two hour flight, we touch down in Mumbai where we are met by more relatives and ushered to the caravan of cars they have waiting to take us to the Grand Hyatt Hotel (which we are informed is "like 7 star quality yah").

Waiting in line to get our room keys from the front desk, we are offered drinks, appetizers , chocolates, and warm towls by uniformed waiters carrying trays and circulating around the lobby in search of weary travelers to refresh. They also place malas around our necks, the traditional flower garlands given as a sign of welcome.

After stopping by our room, we head downstairs to the Ballroom where the little booklet waiting for us in our room tells us lunch is being held for the wedding guests. After a little confusion as to where that is exactly (there was literally food everywhere, but as we would quickly learn... nowhere to sit), we find ourselves seated in a room along one side of a very long white table along with many other guests. Waiters come by with trays of different kinds of wonderful Indian dishes, from which we select and place on the silver platter in front of us. After stuffing ourselves to the point where we swear we are never eating again (lies), we go back upstairs to the bride's suite where all the women are getting henna painted on their hands.

The skill of the henna artists is amazing! They draw the most intricate and beautiful designs so quickly, and without ever pausing or making a mistake. In less than an hour both sides of my hands are encased in their beautiful designs, though Shalini's takes almost two hours (this is Shalini: I was all like "just a simple design please" and the henna artist was all like "no, traditional design" so now my hands are decked out with a peacock and a hen, respectively). At some point the whole group moved back downstairs, where we recline on raised cushions as the henna artists continue their work. More people arrive, and then a group of dancers and musicians enter, dressed in colorful costumes, and begin to perform. At first we just watch the dancers, but then we form a circle and someone calls out for different groups of relatives, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends to dance in the middle with the bride. This part was so fun to watch! The whole family is so happy and everyone is having the best time dancing together. We join in, too.

That evening, we go to a gathering in a brightly decorated room where singers and dancers perform. When we enter, we are given blue hats with feathers on them to wear, which Mallika's father tells us is the traditional garb that the Mughals wore. I think they're stylin' ; Shalini is less keen. The performance is great, and afterwards we eat dinner from an enormous and delicious buffet.

Later on, we attend the combined bachelor/ bachelorette party, which features dancers and an Indian "DJ from New York", who also breaks out into raps about different members of the wedding party during breaks between songs, as well as an enormous dancefloor. We have a great time and do our best to keep up with the Khandelwals who are all enthusiastic dancers. Shalini and I, I'm ashamed to admit, are some of the first to turn in for the evening, exhausted from our day, but the party, we hear the next morning, kept raging for another couple of hours.

June 14th through 18th (Shalini)

First off, our sincere and deepest apologies for keeping our readers in limbo this past week. Our blogging negligence was primarily due to the fact that we didn’t take computers with us to Mumbai. But here it is, in as much detail as we can remember.

Miss you all!

Tuesday June 15

Today started off conventionally, but after work, we needed to find a tailor to make the blouse for our second sari for the wedding. This was not an easy task. Apparently, pretty much everywhere is closed on a Tuesday. We went to this one tailor who we read up on, but she refused to make our blouse. Apparently, sari blouse making isn’t a desirable task. It takes four hours for good stitching and little reward. The women then told me, as Cait’s tour guide to take Cait somewhere else to get our blouses made. I told her that, deceivingly, I too was foreign, but she still couldn’t suggest a place for us to go. We hopped into an auto and went to a market, where everything was closed, and then to the mall, where there are no tailors. Then, in what we expected to be yet another futile effort, we went to another market. Asking around to find a tailor, we finally arrive at this small shop in the middle of the market, with a tailor who promises a reasonable price and will make our blouses in just two days! Awesome (or so we think… the tailoring job was actually terrible. The result: Cait’s blouse simply refused to button, and I ended up sporting an off-the-shoulder look because he made the shoulders too broad, alas). But we were happy at that moment, and headed home relieved and content.

Wednesday

Class in Mayapuri, and then our Sam, Sean, and Michelle come over and Sean makes delicious pasta as we watch more soccer.

Thursday

Today was a wonderful work day. We had games day with the children, and I am proud to say that I beat two 13 year olds boys at chess. This is quite a feat considering I haven’t played chess in like 10 years. Furthermore, there were two of them, so that’s like an accumulative intellect of a 26 year old, and I’m only 20! To say the least, I was real proud, and they were real impressed. I’m like the next Bobby Fischer, minus his apparent bigotry. We also played carrom board. This was another huge occasion in my life, because for the past two decades of my existence, my father has also raved about this boardgame, and I never understood what the big deal was… until now. Cait and I are officially addicted. I almost lost a nail trying to get the queen!

Thresi also took us out into the field (the Mayapuri slum) for an hour. It was really really hot out, but so worth the experience of seeing where more of our students lived, and meeting more CHVs. The proximity of the slum to the train tracks is so close, and it’s really almost scary to think of the inevitability of death or injury that entails from this marginal distance. But being out in field is something that will stick with Cait and I for the rest of our lives, and we are really learning a lot about the world, people, and ourselves through our experiences here in India.

When we got home, Felix’s friend Jonathon had come to visit, and live in the house for a couple of days until his NGO could find him residence in Delhi. He’s awesome and it’s always nice to have more friends! A girl from Northern Ireland will also be at the house when we come back from Mumbai.

That night we went to dinner with our Indian friends who we made by extension of our Penn friends, and watched the Argentina game. Later, we went out to a danceclub, but decided that we were too tired, so headed back home within the half hour.

Also, I have learned how to use all of my Indianness and bargain for an auto really well. With a few head bobs and a smile, I can broker some pretty good deals, if I may say so myself.

Friday

Today, we shadowed a doctor in a slum in Tigri. This opportunity was really once in a lifetime. We say patients who had tested positive for TB get recommended to a DOTS center (Directly Observed Treatment, Short Course). It’s really interesting to be able to actually see the reality of everything we’ve been learning in our global health courses, and everything we read about in our books in North America. We also were able to, hands-on, examine the stomachs of pregnant women to monitor the fetal growth. The people who worked in Tigri were so sweet and welcoming to us. They insisted that I try the food, and got mangoes and bottled water for Cait and I. One woman was immensely interested in our marital status. When Cait told her that she has no intention of marrying until she’s at least 30, the women looked grief stricken, and urged “no no bate, 25 MAX!”. We were then asked whether our parents met through love or arrangement. It was all quite culturally entertaining.

When we got home, we did laundry and packed, excited for our day tomorrow and our 10am departure time!

Vardaan Hospital (Cait)

Sometimes, it's impossible to differentiate the tourists from the Indians...

Making fajitas!

At Qutab Minar


Courtyard of Mayapuri Center



Monday, June 14

Monday evening after work Shalini and I jumped in a rickshaw and headed over to meet Mallika's aunt and uncle, Drs. Rajiv and Rekha, who own the Vardaan Hosptial in Delhi. Vardaan is a small private hospital which specializes in OB/GYN and pediatric medicine, and also serves as a sort of nursing home for some elderly in-patients. They showed us around and introduced us to many of the patients, many of whom were very talkative. One woman told us her lifestory, which was kind of a downer, about how her children have left her to move to (ironically) Chicago and Canada and she can't get a visa because of her health condition to join them. Then there was the friendly but slightly out-of-it old man who greeted Shalini with a "good to see you again," thinking they knew each other from their days in the army. Yes, yes, that is Cadet Shalini.

The hospital was great though, as was talking to Dr. Khandelwal about her work there, and how the hospital partners with an NGO similar to Asha to work with low-income kids and help them do well in school. Afterwards, we went back to the Khandelwal's house, where we met more of the family and ate an absolutely delicious dinner. We had a really interesting conversation with Mallika's grandfather about Ghandi and India's struggle for independence, and he very generously offered to take us to a Hindu temple sometime. Mallika's cousin, a doctor, also offered to show us around a government hospital...so excited to take them up on both offers!

(This is Shalini) I just want to emphasize how amazing this family was and how delicious the food was. Amazing. It was definitely a highlight of India thus far.
(Cait again) I agree wholeheartedly. The Khandelwals have been so awesome and we feel very lucky to have enjoyed their hospitality!