The first week +

Hello! I have been in India for a little over a week now. It is a very different place to say the least.



I arrived in Delhi and got scammed right off the bat in almost the exact way the guidebook told me to avoid. The taxi took me to a really expensive but horrible hotel that was not anywhere near where I wanted to go. Of course, I had no idea where i should have been going, so I didn

't do anything about it. The next day however, the hotel gave me a free ride to the "tourist office." Luckily, i love maps so i knew we weren't in the right place and I essentially got a free ride to almost where I wanted to go. I just left the rickshaw in the dust. I didn't stay long in Delhi, maybe 12 hours. But is very good to open my eyes to the craziness of India. THe main bazar was jampacked with locals, tourists and lots of people asking me for money. When I went to get my train ticket, there was a special office just for tourists and it was like heaven. The 12 hours really made me need some western comfort.



In the afternoon, I got on the sleeptrain and rode it for 16 hours to Gaya. Trains are really fun in India. There is a huge mix of people from rich businessmen to sadhus (holymen who leave thier family after they get old to search for enlightenment) to beggars. The latter two don't really have to pay, which is pretty cool. Riding out of Delhi was a very powerful expeiance. For at least an hour all I saw was a slum city. The poverty was unlike anything i have ever seen. Tiny houses, people washing in horribly green and trash filled water, but most of all, just so many people and all so poor. Eventually I made to Gaya, where I was met by Powan, Ranjan and Sanjay, who are the owners of the school I am working at.



The greated me by each one of them giving me a bueatiful marigold garland. I was pretty suprsied to see that they were only around 20 and none of them speak english as well as I had thought they would. THey took my to thier house and immediately told me to "take seat." EVeryone tells me to do this, i gues it is respectful to have me sit, but a lot of times i think its akward. I got to have my first chai and biskuts and spent most of the day driving around on a motorcycle delivering wedding invitations. This was really fun. THe roads are really craxy in india. THere are no lanes so the streets are like a battle zone. everyone just honks all the time and i don't know how there are not more accidents.



After spending the night in the house and not really having a place to sleep, I decided to stay in the Bhurmese monestary, where I have been very happy. I am meditating two hours everyday, sometimes in the meditation room where i stay and sometimes underneath the bodhi tree. That is pretty amazing. Without question there is an energy there, be it created by all the visitors or by teh place itself. Bodhgaya is prettymuch empty of tourists, which is a little disaponiting because I don't have too many people to talk to. But also, without the tourists i get to see the town in a much more indian way. I also stick out like a sore thumb so i am constatnly being hounded by people who say "hello freind", talk to me for 10 minutes and then ask me for money, to see their shool or to buy them books (which they would sell back for money). People are increadibly freindly, but i can't trust them at all. So meeting good people is a slow proces of weeding through many options. I have met two english speakers who stay here year round and have met a couple indians i think i can create a good relationship with.Being alone is strange and difficult but also rewarding. i am defintely lonely at times, but I think that is ok. all part of the experience. I am having one on one hindi lessons. I am very excited about this because i will be able to see more of what is really going on beyond the overlyfreindly english speakers.



I have been working at my school which has been very fun. The indian children are great, and teaching is fun: i like reading to the kids and acting things out. However, the school I am working at is defniately corrupt. I have learned that there are 800 NGO's in Bodhgaya, mnost of which just use a school, medical center, etc as a way to get sponsers from rich countries. It is a little strange spending time with my hosts when i know they run a corrupt school, but they are nice guys and I enjoy hanging out with them.



Most of my first week as been spent exploring Bodhgaya meeting people and doing things with Powan's sister's wedding. This has been sweet. One day I wnet to the groms house and watched Tilak, where people make offereings to the groom. I participated in this too and got put some sort of leaf on the grroms forehead. I'm sure i messed it up somehow. AFter the ceremony I ate a delicisou indian dinner sreved on banana leaf. BEfore we headed home, we went to a freinds house and secrectly drank a bottle of "For DEfense Personelle Only" whiskey. I made sure to ride home with the one kid who didn't drink. Another day of the wedding was for the bride. The first day was the man day and this way was the woman day. People blessed the bride with colored water, which turned into a huge colored water battle. BY the end, it looked like the whole room and everyperson in it had been tiedied. Prety crazy stuff. LAst night was the big party, which started with an hour long parade with a marching band, generator, lights and dancing. the envening finished with differ for about 300 people all sitting on a roof. the last night of the wedding, everyone spends the night and then gets up at 4 for the ceremony. that was very early. i gave a saree for a gift.

There is a hill that i can see in the distance, so i think i will try to climb that tomorrow.
Hopefully pitcures to come soon.