Today was SUCH a big day I can hardly remeber everything that happened but I'll sure try :)
Some students from the local university came to show us around Delhi which was amazing. It was nice to have young people who now the area and the language to connect with. We started by taking the metro to this amazing ISKCON temple, which is the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. It is more commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement. First off, the metro is AMAZING. It is so clean and organized. There is even a women's only car which is a life-saver. There are signs in pink on the ground separating even the platform into co-ed and women's only.
The metro is super new and it's not even done yet. There are places in Delhi that is does not yet connect to, but by the time it is done, the whole city should be on the metro line.
So anyway,this temple is crazy. First of all, it is huuuuuge. There are humongous stairs leading up to it with gardens and such, and the inside is also very impressive. There is one large room where everyone comes to worship Krishna. There is a large chandelier in the middle of the ceiling, along with many detailed frescoes of Krishna and his devoted followers. There is also a robot show where animatronic gods interact with one another. Can you imagine a robot Jesus show? Fascinating.
Then we went to an upscale market where I wanted to buy everything in sight but I knew I could find exact replicas elsewhere for much cheaper so I refrained. At the restaurant we went to, there was a cricket match on. Side note- cricket is quite popular in India. They actually won the 2011 World Cup! So like I was saying, cricket was on so I tried to get my guy friend to explain the rules to me, which sound very similar to baseball to me. When I mentioned this, all of the Indians at the table got very upset with me. (I still think it is similar to baseball...but I don't know the nuances of the game)
So today was the big day- I moved into my homestay!! And I couldn't be happier, really. I am with 5 other IES students, with 2 to a room. Our host mom is the sweetest lady in so many ways. She lives in a really big house and is all alone since her husband died a year ago. They used to host students together, and he made her promise that she would stay in the house so she could fill it up with more children. And that's what she wants us to be to her- her children. She has us call her auntie and she is all concerned with mostly our safety and stuffing us to the brim with food.
Today is an auspicious time to arrive auntie says, because it is Lohri. This is an Indian holiday that signifies the end of winter and you ask for blessings for the coming year. Families and/or communities get together around a bonfire and throw in popcorn and sweets. Auntie was kind enough to invite all 6 of us to her family and community celebration and we had a great time!
One of the things about this program is that it is inevitable that you will have someone or something in common with everyone. For example, a girl in the program with me knows someone that I know at IWU. And this evening, I met one of auntie's neighbors that sometimes lives in Michigan and knows where IWU is!! It really is a small world.
I'm off to bed, after unpacking. And I don't know how much sleeping I'll be doing because of how much partying there is in the streets. I have a distinct feeling this will be a common occurrence here in India...
ttfn
Some students from the local university came to show us around Delhi which was amazing. It was nice to have young people who now the area and the language to connect with. We started by taking the metro to this amazing ISKCON temple, which is the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. It is more commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement. First off, the metro is AMAZING. It is so clean and organized. There is even a women's only car which is a life-saver. There are signs in pink on the ground separating even the platform into co-ed and women's only.
So anyway,this temple is crazy. First of all, it is huuuuuge. There are humongous stairs leading up to it with gardens and such, and the inside is also very impressive. There is one large room where everyone comes to worship Krishna. There is a large chandelier in the middle of the ceiling, along with many detailed frescoes of Krishna and his devoted followers. There is also a robot show where animatronic gods interact with one another. Can you imagine a robot Jesus show? Fascinating.
Then we went to an upscale market where I wanted to buy everything in sight but I knew I could find exact replicas elsewhere for much cheaper so I refrained. At the restaurant we went to, there was a cricket match on. Side note- cricket is quite popular in India. They actually won the 2011 World Cup! So like I was saying, cricket was on so I tried to get my guy friend to explain the rules to me, which sound very similar to baseball to me. When I mentioned this, all of the Indians at the table got very upset with me. (I still think it is similar to baseball...but I don't know the nuances of the game)
So today was the big day- I moved into my homestay!! And I couldn't be happier, really. I am with 5 other IES students, with 2 to a room. Our host mom is the sweetest lady in so many ways. She lives in a really big house and is all alone since her husband died a year ago. They used to host students together, and he made her promise that she would stay in the house so she could fill it up with more children. And that's what she wants us to be to her- her children. She has us call her auntie and she is all concerned with mostly our safety and stuffing us to the brim with food.
Today is an auspicious time to arrive auntie says, because it is Lohri. This is an Indian holiday that signifies the end of winter and you ask for blessings for the coming year. Families and/or communities get together around a bonfire and throw in popcorn and sweets. Auntie was kind enough to invite all 6 of us to her family and community celebration and we had a great time!
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| Our Lohri fire :) |
I'm off to bed, after unpacking. And I don't know how much sleeping I'll be doing because of how much partying there is in the streets. I have a distinct feeling this will be a common occurrence here in India...
ttfn
WOW! Loving reading and seeing about it all.
ReplyDeleteDaddy
I'm so glad to read that you now have a more permanent location and that your "Mom" is so nice! Mine in Mexico was a lovely lady, and your Auntie E had a similar experience in another country!
ReplyDelete