I haven't posted in a while so this one is going to have a bunch of random stuff in it:
So what have I done in India thus far which has been interesting. Well for the most part I've been taking classes here, walking around the small village of Hebbal next to my Hostel, struggling in communicating with the locals in Kannada and touring Karnataka (sometimes venturing into neighboring states such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala).
Highlights of class include yoga every morning at 6 am, which really kick starts your day though the morning can be rough, learning Hindi, which is going slowly but I am overly proud of everything I learn, and learning to play the Mridangam, an Indian drum native to Karnataka. I finally can sorta play an instrument. Check that one off the bucket list. But thats not all that interesting. The tours are probably the coolest part and so places I've visited include:
-Rural school
-Rural hospital
-Gomatta
-Several Hindu temples
-backwaters of Karnataka
-Mysore palace
-Ayurvedic hospital
-Nature reserve
And I think that's more or less it. The palace was beautiful (it's a palace) and came complete with artifacts given to the former King of Mysore from all over the world. Thrones made entirely of gold and the like. It was cool but I never really get the joy of looking at expensive things. They can be pretty but the materialism is somewhat of a turn off. Don't get me wrong everyone should see a pure gold throne once in their lives but I think this was my least favorite place I've visited thus far. Palace is pictured below.
If were going in order of least to most enjoyable I think next would be the rural hospital. Now this would normally be one of the most interesting places for me. Hospitals are fascinating, though somewhat depressing. However we didn't really get to see anything while there. The cool thing was that it was one of many rural hospitals in which admittance costs approximately $2 and treatments are more or less pro bono. The charge is about half of what it normally would be and that covers equipment etc.
The ayurvedic hospital is next just because it was cool to see the different equipment used. Ayurvedic medicine is mainly preventative and include oil massages, steam chambers (sounds creppy but isn't) and only naturally occuring herbal concoctions to cure anything from a headache to paralysis. I found it hard to believe that bark can cure paralysis but the people there believe it to be so. Whatever works for them, and who knows!
Then the nature reserve. The highlight of that trip was a half hour long soccer (the real football) game played with some local kids using a tiny orange as the ball. They have good foot-eye coordination. The bus tour of the reserve was cool but I had my heart set on seeing a tiger and instead saw a shitload of spotted deer. If you like spotted deer you probably died of happiness at that nature reserve. Below are some of the kids I played soccer with. They rock out.
The backwaters were beautiful and the best part was riding in a boat I forget the name of it but it is pictured above. The man paddling isn't even affiliated with us. He his daughter and his wife were fishing and we asked if we could take a ride and he took all 10 people in the group, then refused payment. One testament of how friendly the people here are. But more on that later. So yea, A boat ride happened and being on that small little boat in the middle of the river felt so beautiful. I could have stayed out there for days but unfortunately it only lasted a couple minutes.
Down to the top two! Well coming in second is the trip to the rural school. If you want to learn a language in a foreign country children are the ones to talk to. They don't care about your mistakes, want to teach you, want to talk to you and are overall just better human beings then most adults. Rural children are no exception and are in fact the least spoiled, cutest, coolest kids I've ever met. All these kids go to school for free as part of a affirmative action-like government program to reverse the acts of caste inequalities etc. The amazing thing is that there is a lot of support for these programs. Tons more than U.S. affirmative action. The highlight of this trip was dancing with the kids. Unfortunately I don't have a picture but we taught them the congo line, the macarena, the cotton eye joe and many moves that aren't really dances. Convulsions might be a more appropriate description. It was great.
And the #1 trip thus far has been Gomatta. This is the largest statue of a monotheistic idol in the world. Said scuplture is of Bahubali, a idol of Jainism. Now I'm not religious but the feel of the place was amazing. The statue stands on top of a mountain. In order to reach it you must climb 614 steps carved into the mountain.
So what have I done in India thus far which has been interesting. Well for the most part I've been taking classes here, walking around the small village of Hebbal next to my Hostel, struggling in communicating with the locals in Kannada and touring Karnataka (sometimes venturing into neighboring states such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala).
Highlights of class include yoga every morning at 6 am, which really kick starts your day though the morning can be rough, learning Hindi, which is going slowly but I am overly proud of everything I learn, and learning to play the Mridangam, an Indian drum native to Karnataka. I finally can sorta play an instrument. Check that one off the bucket list. But thats not all that interesting. The tours are probably the coolest part and so places I've visited include:
-Rural school
-Rural hospital
-Gomatta
-Several Hindu temples
-backwaters of Karnataka
-Mysore palace
-Ayurvedic hospital
-Nature reserve
And I think that's more or less it. The palace was beautiful (it's a palace) and came complete with artifacts given to the former King of Mysore from all over the world. Thrones made entirely of gold and the like. It was cool but I never really get the joy of looking at expensive things. They can be pretty but the materialism is somewhat of a turn off. Don't get me wrong everyone should see a pure gold throne once in their lives but I think this was my least favorite place I've visited thus far. Palace is pictured below.
If were going in order of least to most enjoyable I think next would be the rural hospital. Now this would normally be one of the most interesting places for me. Hospitals are fascinating, though somewhat depressing. However we didn't really get to see anything while there. The cool thing was that it was one of many rural hospitals in which admittance costs approximately $2 and treatments are more or less pro bono. The charge is about half of what it normally would be and that covers equipment etc.
The ayurvedic hospital is next just because it was cool to see the different equipment used. Ayurvedic medicine is mainly preventative and include oil massages, steam chambers (sounds creppy but isn't) and only naturally occuring herbal concoctions to cure anything from a headache to paralysis. I found it hard to believe that bark can cure paralysis but the people there believe it to be so. Whatever works for them, and who knows!
Then the nature reserve. The highlight of that trip was a half hour long soccer (the real football) game played with some local kids using a tiny orange as the ball. They have good foot-eye coordination. The bus tour of the reserve was cool but I had my heart set on seeing a tiger and instead saw a shitload of spotted deer. If you like spotted deer you probably died of happiness at that nature reserve. Below are some of the kids I played soccer with. They rock out.
Also here is a fun picture of some Indian nuns!
They look so happy!
The next area visited were the several temples. These were cool as everyone had the most intricate carvings I've ever seen. They all took like over 100 years to make and most were partially destroyed (like broken sculptures etc)by the Muslims when they invaded India. Thus they know longer function as temples since they have been tainted. Instead they're just tourist attractions. These were cool but as I'm really not religious they didn't affect me s much as some other people. The carving is beautiful and a lot of the sculpted walls depict stories from the Ramayana or the Mahabharata which is super cool but after seeing three I think I've had my fill of temples. Picture below
Down to the top two! Well coming in second is the trip to the rural school. If you want to learn a language in a foreign country children are the ones to talk to. They don't care about your mistakes, want to teach you, want to talk to you and are overall just better human beings then most adults. Rural children are no exception and are in fact the least spoiled, cutest, coolest kids I've ever met. All these kids go to school for free as part of a affirmative action-like government program to reverse the acts of caste inequalities etc. The amazing thing is that there is a lot of support for these programs. Tons more than U.S. affirmative action. The highlight of this trip was dancing with the kids. Unfortunately I don't have a picture but we taught them the congo line, the macarena, the cotton eye joe and many moves that aren't really dances. Convulsions might be a more appropriate description. It was great.
And the #1 trip thus far has been Gomatta. This is the largest statue of a monotheistic idol in the world. Said scuplture is of Bahubali, a idol of Jainism. Now I'm not religious but the feel of the place was amazing. The statue stands on top of a mountain. In order to reach it you must climb 614 steps carved into the mountain.
Once at the top and out of breath you finally get to see the statue. There were a group of worshipers there and the statue was so impressive that it just felt spiritual. The statue and I posed below:
If you are wondering why I look so awkward I was attempting to strike a similar pose a Bahubali but apparently only he can pull it off. He is actually doing standing yoga in the immortalized image. But the statue wasn't even the best part. The top of the mountain was covered by stone walls so you couldn't really see the view and on the side there was this old beaten up, end-of-gladiator-like door, and it opened p onto the side of the mountain. What sucks about the U.S. is that we would never have a side of the mountain door. Or if we did it would be off limits. But the view was amazing. And with the wind blowing it your face it was just one of the most peaceful experiences I've ever had. It almost felt like if I jumped off the mountain I'd be able to fly. But I decided not to try it. The picture doesn't so it justice but it is above anyway.
So that is what I've been up to. Yesterday some of my fellow classmates and I went to this party and somehow ended up on stage with a band dancing. That was also pretty memorable. Everyone wants to shake your hand here. It makes me slightly uncomfortable because of this anglo-privileged feel. Like when we was dancing on stage they wouldn't let any Indian kids dance with me, which was unfortunate because it made it less weird. It's a strange feeling. Well thats all for now. Sorry this post is so long. Who knows when the next one will be.
