Almost every one of my latest entries here starts with “I haven’t written here for a while” or something like that. Well this one is no exception. A lot has happened since my last entry and it’s a shame I’m writing only now.
An important event was my hospitalization. After spending the night of Saturday the 1st of December in my toilet (not going into details) I was rather seriously de-hydrated. In fact, so seriously that I ended up, collapsing on my bedroom floor. I was rather scared and so was my host-family. Since the doctors don’t make house- calls, Sukhbir had to drive me to the hospital. The first place we went to had no doctors (of course there weren’t, it was Sunday after all). Therefore we had to drive in to the city centre, to the Guru Nanak Mission Hospital. I nearly fainted on my way there and in overall felt like dying, my vision was yellow and everything I heard, sounded distant (or like being in a large room, like a Church or something). When I told this to Sukhbir, his only reply was: “C’mon don’t be such a sissy”. I’m glad that I didn’t have the energy to punch him in the face because I swear, If I could have done it, I most certainly would have.The Guru Nanak Hospital had doctors and they admitted me instantly. I was attached to a dropper almost instantly and started getting minerals. I was (almost) asleep most of the day and by the evening was recovered enough to stand up. The detached the dropper for the night and I slept well. By Monday morning I felt great already and could go home. I didn’t go to school on the next day because I thought it might be a good idea to gain a little more strength.
I think the worst effect of this illness was that I have to fight with my host-mom every day. She thinks that my illness was caused by cold and tries to make me wear thermals and a winter hat (just like Sukhbir does). I can no longer take cold showers or wear T-shirts in the house, otherwise I’ll be scolded. In addition to that, every morning I have to wear my leather jacket on top of my school uniform. As if that wasn’t enough, Harleen has been trying to tell me that it is awfully bad for my health to take a shower in the evening. This exaggerated fear of cold is really getting on my nerves and I’m trying to avoid her presence as much as possible and hope that one day she will listen to me (for a change).
Last Sunday we went to see our relatives who live in a village nearby. It was great. Their house is nicer than ours and they have a lot of trees in the garden (I miss trees a lot since Punjab only has fields). We ate saag (spinach ), cooked on fire and sat outside the whole time. I truly enjoyed myself and plan to take their offer and go there for a weekend or so. I’d like to go on 13th of March when they gather wheat. It is a big festival for the “desis” (locals, rural people) and would be a great opportunity to see a festival celebrated in a village. Unfortunately our YFU Gangotri trip will be at about the same time.
There’s some new information on our social work. We won’t be quitting DPS after all and the social work will be just an after-school activity. Instead, DPS management (which has started to worry about us, not enjoying our school) has offered to “pack” our schedule which means that we got to choose whatever subjects we would like to study. This is great and I’m looking forward to the change.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Sunday, November 25, 2007
My first Wedding in India & Guru Nanak's birthday
Last Monday was thirst time I saw an Indian wedding, a part of it at least. It was actually a pre-wedding party. To my surprise I found myself (along with Sukhbir, naturally) in a drinking tent. It was sort of a separate place for drinkers (which in Punjab means to all the grown up men). The men offered me whiskey (can’t remember the name but it was a single malt whiskey) and as it would have been rude to reject it, I accepted their offer. However, I refused to let them pour soda in to my whiskey, which was accepted only because I’m a gora. After having my drink, I shifted to beer. To my surprise and disgust I found that they wanted to pour WHISKEY IN TO MY BEER!!!!I made my conclusions from that and decided that drinking is a new activity to Indians and they have really no idea how to do it (properly).No party is complete without a bhangra and the wedding was no exception. It was great fun, dancing with the locals and seeing old men doing Bhangra (Babe Bhangra Pound’ e Ne).
For the first time in India, I fell ill in the evening of Tuesday and remained ill for the following two days.
I went to school on Friday (23rd November) and found out that we had only one period (chemistry) and we played cricket for the rest of the day. Cricket went well and although our turn ended after I made my one and only hit (which scored us a run), I enjoyed it. After the game, Dan bowled me a couple of balls and I was able to hit every bowl. I must say that batting in cricket is by far easier than in baseball.Our school ended earlier because of the birthday of Guru Nanak (the first guru of the Sikhs). As I arrived home, I found that the house was locked and the gate key had not been left to the neighbors’ house. This meant that I had to climb our spiked wall. I was successful and didn’t hurt myself. After getting in, Sukhbir called and said he wanted to take me out for lunch. He did as he promised and we had mutton nan at some old place which is supposed to be famous for it (Jalandhar seems to be packed with old eating places which are famous for something).
The Birthday of Guru Nanak was on 24th November (yesterday). It is the most important festival for the Sikhs. Our visit to gurudwara showed that clearly, because it was totally over-crowded. It took us about an hour and a half to go through the whole process (getting in, listening to the hymns, getting out, having langar, etc.). In fact the event was so important that my family broke their promise, not to celebrate any festival for a year. When I asked Harleen about it, she just said that it is, after all, “Dada Ji’s “ birthday. We burnt quite a few crackers and although it can’t be compared to Diwali (in terms of fireworks), I enjoyed the evening. Saturday was also important for an other reason: the grand final of “Amul Star voice of India. It was won by Ishmit, a sikh from Ludhiana. Those who aren’t familiar with Indian pop-culture and the shows which are on, will not understand the importance of Star voice of India, but I guarantee that it is VERY important.
Fireworks on Dada Ji's birthday
As most of the people (our family included) choose to go to the bigger gurudwaras on celebrations, the smaller ones celebrate the events on the following day.
Our local gurudwara was no exception. Today we went there to cook langar and distribute it. At first I helped the women cook chappatties and afterwards, to distribute the food. I have trouble describing how I felt after langar was over, but I can say that it felt good. I suppose it has to do with working with the locals and doing something with the community, there is just something satisfying about it. In fact, langar is the only thing in religion that makes sense to me. I feel that every religion should contribute to the society like Sikhism does.
Talking about contributing to the society, I might be quitting Delhi Public School soon and start with the social work. The point is that DPS has nothing to offer to me anymore. I have fallen behind in the studies and if I wanted to get back on track, I would have to study incredibly hard. Studying incredibly hard is, however, something which I have no intention of doing over here. Therefore, all I do in school is sit in the classroom and wait for the classes to be over. Even the interaction with my friends is minimal due to the hard studies and therefore I really have NOTHING to gain from going to school. Of course, YFU India is very understanding and is already dealing with the issue.
For the first time in India, I fell ill in the evening of Tuesday and remained ill for the following two days.
I went to school on Friday (23rd November) and found out that we had only one period (chemistry) and we played cricket for the rest of the day. Cricket went well and although our turn ended after I made my one and only hit (which scored us a run), I enjoyed it. After the game, Dan bowled me a couple of balls and I was able to hit every bowl. I must say that batting in cricket is by far easier than in baseball.Our school ended earlier because of the birthday of Guru Nanak (the first guru of the Sikhs). As I arrived home, I found that the house was locked and the gate key had not been left to the neighbors’ house. This meant that I had to climb our spiked wall. I was successful and didn’t hurt myself. After getting in, Sukhbir called and said he wanted to take me out for lunch. He did as he promised and we had mutton nan at some old place which is supposed to be famous for it (Jalandhar seems to be packed with old eating places which are famous for something).
The Birthday of Guru Nanak was on 24th November (yesterday). It is the most important festival for the Sikhs. Our visit to gurudwara showed that clearly, because it was totally over-crowded. It took us about an hour and a half to go through the whole process (getting in, listening to the hymns, getting out, having langar, etc.). In fact the event was so important that my family broke their promise, not to celebrate any festival for a year. When I asked Harleen about it, she just said that it is, after all, “Dada Ji’s “ birthday. We burnt quite a few crackers and although it can’t be compared to Diwali (in terms of fireworks), I enjoyed the evening. Saturday was also important for an other reason: the grand final of “Amul Star voice of India. It was won by Ishmit, a sikh from Ludhiana. Those who aren’t familiar with Indian pop-culture and the shows which are on, will not understand the importance of Star voice of India, but I guarantee that it is VERY important.
Fireworks on Dada Ji's birthday
As most of the people (our family included) choose to go to the bigger gurudwaras on celebrations, the smaller ones celebrate the events on the following day.
Our local gurudwara was no exception. Today we went there to cook langar and distribute it. At first I helped the women cook chappatties and afterwards, to distribute the food. I have trouble describing how I felt after langar was over, but I can say that it felt good. I suppose it has to do with working with the locals and doing something with the community, there is just something satisfying about it. In fact, langar is the only thing in religion that makes sense to me. I feel that every religion should contribute to the society like Sikhism does.
Talking about contributing to the society, I might be quitting Delhi Public School soon and start with the social work. The point is that DPS has nothing to offer to me anymore. I have fallen behind in the studies and if I wanted to get back on track, I would have to study incredibly hard. Studying incredibly hard is, however, something which I have no intention of doing over here. Therefore, all I do in school is sit in the classroom and wait for the classes to be over. Even the interaction with my friends is minimal due to the hard studies and therefore I really have NOTHING to gain from going to school. Of course, YFU India is very understanding and is already dealing with the issue.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Mid-term orientation
Yesterday I got back from our mid-term orientation. We spent two nights in Amritsar and two in Dalhousie.
The first day (11th November, Sunday) was spent on settling in and in the evening we had dinner in Ranjit’s Svaasa which is where Siim lives. The Svaasa seemed even more amazing than on my last visit and the food was delicious.
The next day was a mixture of discussing our lives in India and playing cricket. Before going to the dinner we went to Costa coffee where I ordered a big coffee. The trick is that they have no indication to exactly how big the coffee is. It turned out that it was a 600ml cup. This time we had dinner at Max’s house which (although it was no Svaasa) was magnificent. I suppose what made the evening special (better than the night before) was Max’s host-father who was once again overwhelmingly friendly.
As Max’s family owns a school which is on the same property as their house, we were able to play cricket which was great.
In the early morning of 13th November we went to see the golden temple and specially the ritual of taking the Guru Granth Sahib from the Akal Takht to The Harimandir Sahib.The ritual itself was nothing special, but I liked my visit to the temple more than I had before. I suppose the absence of heat and sunlight (which normally reflects from the white marble rather annoyingly) made the difference. There was a great rush to the Harimandir Sahib and therefore I (along with Mr. Ian, Sam and Siim) decided not to go there. I wanted to show the others the Sikh museum (which I had already seen) but it was closed until 7 AM (by the way, we went there around 5 AM). Therefore me and Sam went to have langar instead. Little did we know that at this time of the day, langar is merely tea, a very good tea, but tea nevertheless.
the 13th November was our departure date from Amritsar. We set off to Dalhousie around 9 AM and arrived in the afternoon. The second I stepped out of our car, I fell in love with the place. The air was clean, unlike the Punjabi air which forces me to take a shower 3 times a day. Dalhousie is such a peaceful place that it is hard to believe that it is India. The contrast between Punjab and Dalhousie is tremendous.
We had our lunch in a nearby restaurant and dinner at one of our rooms.
Next day we started our small hiking trip. Halfway through we took a different path with Sam. Our trail was moving up and it seemed more interesting, in fact it was more interesting than the other path and we raised couple of hundred meters from our initial road. The view to the mountains was even more excellent than it had been from down below and I think we made an excellent choice. This separate path had only one negative point to it: we missed the market where everybody bought their shawls.
When we reached the hotel, we took an hour to rest and headed to a place which was called mini Switzerland. As it was rather far from our hotel, we had to take the cars. The place itself was a large empty field in the midst of mountains (not exactly a valley). We all went horseback- riding which was good but could have been excellent if the horses would’ve been more obedient. I suppose they were just trained that way to make things safer for the customers.This time we had our dinner outside and it was an amazing meal. I was so full when we left the restaurant that I found it hard to move.
We took off early the next morning. Our car went through Amritsar and the other through Chandigarh so half of our journey was together and the second half, not. I was back home by 4PM the same day.Looking back I find that it was a great event and I wish to go back to the hills for some hiking.
The first day (11th November, Sunday) was spent on settling in and in the evening we had dinner in Ranjit’s Svaasa which is where Siim lives. The Svaasa seemed even more amazing than on my last visit and the food was delicious.
The next day was a mixture of discussing our lives in India and playing cricket. Before going to the dinner we went to Costa coffee where I ordered a big coffee. The trick is that they have no indication to exactly how big the coffee is. It turned out that it was a 600ml cup. This time we had dinner at Max’s house which (although it was no Svaasa) was magnificent. I suppose what made the evening special (better than the night before) was Max’s host-father who was once again overwhelmingly friendly.
As Max’s family owns a school which is on the same property as their house, we were able to play cricket which was great.
In the early morning of 13th November we went to see the golden temple and specially the ritual of taking the Guru Granth Sahib from the Akal Takht to The Harimandir Sahib.The ritual itself was nothing special, but I liked my visit to the temple more than I had before. I suppose the absence of heat and sunlight (which normally reflects from the white marble rather annoyingly) made the difference. There was a great rush to the Harimandir Sahib and therefore I (along with Mr. Ian, Sam and Siim) decided not to go there. I wanted to show the others the Sikh museum (which I had already seen) but it was closed until 7 AM (by the way, we went there around 5 AM). Therefore me and Sam went to have langar instead. Little did we know that at this time of the day, langar is merely tea, a very good tea, but tea nevertheless.
the 13th November was our departure date from Amritsar. We set off to Dalhousie around 9 AM and arrived in the afternoon. The second I stepped out of our car, I fell in love with the place. The air was clean, unlike the Punjabi air which forces me to take a shower 3 times a day. Dalhousie is such a peaceful place that it is hard to believe that it is India. The contrast between Punjab and Dalhousie is tremendous.
We had our lunch in a nearby restaurant and dinner at one of our rooms.
Next day we started our small hiking trip. Halfway through we took a different path with Sam. Our trail was moving up and it seemed more interesting, in fact it was more interesting than the other path and we raised couple of hundred meters from our initial road. The view to the mountains was even more excellent than it had been from down below and I think we made an excellent choice. This separate path had only one negative point to it: we missed the market where everybody bought their shawls.
When we reached the hotel, we took an hour to rest and headed to a place which was called mini Switzerland. As it was rather far from our hotel, we had to take the cars. The place itself was a large empty field in the midst of mountains (not exactly a valley). We all went horseback- riding which was good but could have been excellent if the horses would’ve been more obedient. I suppose they were just trained that way to make things safer for the customers.This time we had our dinner outside and it was an amazing meal. I was so full when we left the restaurant that I found it hard to move.
We took off early the next morning. Our car went through Amritsar and the other through Chandigarh so half of our journey was together and the second half, not. I was back home by 4PM the same day.Looking back I find that it was a great event and I wish to go back to the hills for some hiking.
The students and Sukhbir
Saturday, November 10, 2007
10th November
Happy Diwali, India!!!!
Yesterday, 9th November was Diwali, the most beloved festival in India. It is a festival of lights (and a celebration of new year). The hindus worship the god Lakshmi (the god of wealth) on this day and the Sikhs celebrate the return of their sixth Guru from his imprisonment. It is said that the Guru refused to return until the Maharajas were released and in connection to that, Diwali is also a festival of unity between different religions.
Since Sukhbir’s father died a few months back, our family did not celebrate Diwali (in fact, no festival will be celebrated for a year), however we did go to the Gurudwara and light some candles and pray to the god. Everybody else, though, decorated their houses with lights (just as we decorate Christmas trees), burned crackers and sent rockets into the sky. I must give it to the Indians: our New-Year fireworks are NOTHING comparing to the Indian Diwali fireworks, which are tremendously beautiful, massive and long-lasting (I think the major blasting lasted for 8 hours). Today I can still hear at least 4-5 blasts every minute. Diwali for Indians is like New-year and Christmas all in one since they exchange gifts as well as burn the cackers and although my family didn’t celebrate Diwali, Sukhbir and Harleen gave me a framed picture of me and my little host-brother (both in turbans and curta-pajamis) and a statue of laughing Buddha which brings good luck and happiness.
Yesterday, 9th November was Diwali, the most beloved festival in India. It is a festival of lights (and a celebration of new year). The hindus worship the god Lakshmi (the god of wealth) on this day and the Sikhs celebrate the return of their sixth Guru from his imprisonment. It is said that the Guru refused to return until the Maharajas were released and in connection to that, Diwali is also a festival of unity between different religions.
Since Sukhbir’s father died a few months back, our family did not celebrate Diwali (in fact, no festival will be celebrated for a year), however we did go to the Gurudwara and light some candles and pray to the god. Everybody else, though, decorated their houses with lights (just as we decorate Christmas trees), burned crackers and sent rockets into the sky. I must give it to the Indians: our New-Year fireworks are NOTHING comparing to the Indian Diwali fireworks, which are tremendously beautiful, massive and long-lasting (I think the major blasting lasted for 8 hours). Today I can still hear at least 4-5 blasts every minute. Diwali for Indians is like New-year and Christmas all in one since they exchange gifts as well as burn the cackers and although my family didn’t celebrate Diwali, Sukhbir and Harleen gave me a framed picture of me and my little host-brother (both in turbans and curta-pajamis) and a statue of laughing Buddha which brings good luck and happiness.
Below: a house, decorated for Diwali
Following pics: Fireworks on Diwali
If 9th November was important because of Diwali then 8th saw me in Chandigarh, viewing an event which was not much less important than Diwali: the cricket match between India and Pakistan.Me and Sam had Indian flags painted on our cheeks (just so that there would be no confusion about who we supported) and a lot of people gave us credit for supporting "the right team". Sadly our team lost but I enjoyed the match nevertheless and to be honest I must salute the Pakistanis who made an extraordinary game. One of their batsman, Younis Khan, hit 117 runs and although there is a huge rivalry (if not hatred) between India and Pakistan, after Younis Khan was out, everybody stood up and gave him an amazing applause. Perhaps that’s what sports and sportsmanship is all about: leaving aside your political and religious views and honoring people for who they are and what they do. It is funny how somewhat 5 months ago I didn’t know a thing about cricket and now I’m a devoted fan, I suppose it’s just so easy to get attached to it because India is all about cricket, in fact I would have to be very ignorant in order to not get involved in it.
Fan of india
Monday, November 5, 2007
6th November (after Agra trip)
I think, laziness is my biggest sin. I have had the time to write, the desire to write but I am just too lazy. I need to push myself to start writing every week (again), no matter what happens. I’m also determined to start writing a diary every day.
To get back to reporting my year in India…Our Agra trip is over now. It was amazing, of course. There is no way to describe Taj Mahal in words, nor can the overwhelming beauty of it be seen from the pictures, you must go and see it yourself. In addition to Taj, we saw quite a few beautiful places such as Fatehpur Sikri (a mosque and the Emperor’s palace) and Baby Taj. Although I am extremely happy to have been on the trip and to have seen what I saw, I must say that my appetite for traveling and tourism has been seriously decreased because in Agra I saw the tourists (in fact, I WAS a tourist over there) and I felt stupid and humiliated because everybody thought, we were one of them, somehow there is something unpleasant in that I can’t properly explain what I felt or why I felt it but I can say that I do not want to be taken as a tourist in India ( at least not yet). However the trip had a very positive effect on in a sense that I feel more concentrated and sure about what I want from my experience.
Me and Sukhbir, we have finally joined the gym. That is a major accomplishment since it took me about 3 months to get him this far. The gym is quite well equipped and we have personal trainers in the reach of an arm. The gym has (after a 3-day trial) made a custom schedule for us, which is great.
The school started again on last Tuesday. DPS has set in a new rule according to which we have to pay a fine of 100 rupees for every day we are absent. This is the height of ridiculousness since we are already paying to go to school. I shall see how Sanjeev Sir (my class teacher) will try to make me pay, since I was absent today.
8th November might see me in Chandigarh, watching the India vs. Pakistan cricket match if Aajushmaan can get us tickets. I’m truly looking forward to seeing that and hoping that the inner-political crisis in Pakistan will not have an effect on the game.
To get back to reporting my year in India…Our Agra trip is over now. It was amazing, of course. There is no way to describe Taj Mahal in words, nor can the overwhelming beauty of it be seen from the pictures, you must go and see it yourself. In addition to Taj, we saw quite a few beautiful places such as Fatehpur Sikri (a mosque and the Emperor’s palace) and Baby Taj. Although I am extremely happy to have been on the trip and to have seen what I saw, I must say that my appetite for traveling and tourism has been seriously decreased because in Agra I saw the tourists (in fact, I WAS a tourist over there) and I felt stupid and humiliated because everybody thought, we were one of them, somehow there is something unpleasant in that I can’t properly explain what I felt or why I felt it but I can say that I do not want to be taken as a tourist in India ( at least not yet). However the trip had a very positive effect on in a sense that I feel more concentrated and sure about what I want from my experience.
Me and Sukhbir, we have finally joined the gym. That is a major accomplishment since it took me about 3 months to get him this far. The gym is quite well equipped and we have personal trainers in the reach of an arm. The gym has (after a 3-day trial) made a custom schedule for us, which is great.
The school started again on last Tuesday. DPS has set in a new rule according to which we have to pay a fine of 100 rupees for every day we are absent. This is the height of ridiculousness since we are already paying to go to school. I shall see how Sanjeev Sir (my class teacher) will try to make me pay, since I was absent today.
8th November might see me in Chandigarh, watching the India vs. Pakistan cricket match if Aajushmaan can get us tickets. I’m truly looking forward to seeing that and hoping that the inner-political crisis in Pakistan will not have an effect on the game.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
For a while I have been too lazy to write here, so I’ll give you a short review of my past weeks. On 7th October was the get-together of all the host-families and –students. It was the first time I ever wore a turban (!!). I must admit that it is not at all as uncomfortable as it looks ( although Sukhbir didn’t mercy on me and made me wear a 6 meter turban while 4/4,5 meters would have been completely okay). Our mid-term orientation has been re-scheduled to 11th of November since the current weeks are full of festivals and many of the students would not have been able to come on 31st. My exam period is over and the autumn break has started. The break started out with Aajusmaan’ and Sam’s birthday on Saturday (that is to say, yesterday). It was an excellent party, the theme was “All American” in the honor of Sam. Of-course it was an All American party with a little Indian twist in it, since there was no alcohol served there (which is funny because the place was called “Alcoholique”). Thankfully I already know that I can enjoy a good party without liqueur.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
3 October--A long holiday has started
Our annual function on Saturday was amazing. I won’t go in to details but I can say that w I thought our show was going to be something like a normal school play but instead, I really felt like a star ( “Thousand Stars” was actually the name of the function). All the equipment (lighting, smoke machines, music, video displays, etc. ) must have cost a fortune. In fact, I’m even wondering if the SD group had a negative budget. Well I certainly got my Rs. 2500 back and even more. The experience of being taught by such professional choreographers and being part of a major show is something which can not be measured in rupees.
The Show marked the beginning of a long holiday. That is because our half-yearly exam period has started and during that period, we don’t have school. Our exams will last until 17. October and from 19th to 29th we will have the autumn break. And moreover, the YFU mid-term orientation will start on 31st October. All this means about 5 weeks of holidays.
There are news concerning the Agra trip, which me and Sam are going to take. Our 12 hour train ride will start in the evening of 23 October and we will be in Agra by the morning of 24th. We shall spend the 24th and 25th in Agra and start coming back in the evening of 25th. This means, we will have plenty of time to see both Taj Mahal and the famous Agra fort. I must say, that I’m very excited about this trip and very thankful to Sam without whose birthday wish, this trip would not have been possible. I feel that I have found a good friend in him. Everybody says that we are so different and even opposites, but then again, opposites attract, don’t they? I couldn’t have imagined to find an American friend from India, but I suppose that is how life is: we can not predict the upcoming.
The Show marked the beginning of a long holiday. That is because our half-yearly exam period has started and during that period, we don’t have school. Our exams will last until 17. October and from 19th to 29th we will have the autumn break. And moreover, the YFU mid-term orientation will start on 31st October. All this means about 5 weeks of holidays.
There are news concerning the Agra trip, which me and Sam are going to take. Our 12 hour train ride will start in the evening of 23 October and we will be in Agra by the morning of 24th. We shall spend the 24th and 25th in Agra and start coming back in the evening of 25th. This means, we will have plenty of time to see both Taj Mahal and the famous Agra fort. I must say, that I’m very excited about this trip and very thankful to Sam without whose birthday wish, this trip would not have been possible. I feel that I have found a good friend in him. Everybody says that we are so different and even opposites, but then again, opposites attract, don’t they? I couldn’t have imagined to find an American friend from India, but I suppose that is how life is: we can not predict the upcoming.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
26 Sept
I haven’t written here for a while because of our unreliable internet. It has been down for over a week. However, I have a lot to report about.
First and the most importantly, our stay here might be extended by six weeks (Y). If everything goes as I hope it will, YFU will find us some community work after our school is over. We will stay in our current families and cities. I was really excited to hear about this plan as I have always thought that 9 months are way too short time to stay here. Besides, if I would go home in April, I would have 5 months till the starting of my school.
The second important news is that I am going to see Taj Mahal. It is all thanks to Sam whose birthday is coming on 20th October and whose birthday wish is to visit the Taj Mahal. At first we were supposed to go there with Sam’s host-family but as none of the Indians are actually interested in seeing it, Sam’s family suggested us to go alone. I am perfectly happy with that, since it is going to be a whole new experience (and perhaps even a challenge) to travel on our own. I just hope that YFU has no objections to that.
To leave aside the important news, I have spent my week, dancing. The Shiamak Dawal (don’t know the spellings) classes are wonderful. Although I know that these instructors of ours are just doing their jobs, I can’t help but admire their professionalism and enthusiasm. After all, getting 40 Indian youngsters to do the same thing for an hour is an accomplishment on its own. In any case by now I am fully enjoying my stay here.
Another news which might not sound so important to you but is of the highest importance to me is that instead of gaining weight, I have lost 8 kg since I came here. I am weighing 67 kilos (over 4 years I think).
P.S. If Mr. Ian from YFU is reading this, he might be glad to know that the school has agreed to increase the number of my Hindi classes.
P.P.S. Today, three months ago I landed in India
First and the most importantly, our stay here might be extended by six weeks (Y). If everything goes as I hope it will, YFU will find us some community work after our school is over. We will stay in our current families and cities. I was really excited to hear about this plan as I have always thought that 9 months are way too short time to stay here. Besides, if I would go home in April, I would have 5 months till the starting of my school.
The second important news is that I am going to see Taj Mahal. It is all thanks to Sam whose birthday is coming on 20th October and whose birthday wish is to visit the Taj Mahal. At first we were supposed to go there with Sam’s host-family but as none of the Indians are actually interested in seeing it, Sam’s family suggested us to go alone. I am perfectly happy with that, since it is going to be a whole new experience (and perhaps even a challenge) to travel on our own. I just hope that YFU has no objections to that.
To leave aside the important news, I have spent my week, dancing. The Shiamak Dawal (don’t know the spellings) classes are wonderful. Although I know that these instructors of ours are just doing their jobs, I can’t help but admire their professionalism and enthusiasm. After all, getting 40 Indian youngsters to do the same thing for an hour is an accomplishment on its own. In any case by now I am fully enjoying my stay here.
Another news which might not sound so important to you but is of the highest importance to me is that instead of gaining weight, I have lost 8 kg since I came here. I am weighing 67 kilos (over 4 years I think).
P.S. If Mr. Ian from YFU is reading this, he might be glad to know that the school has agreed to increase the number of my Hindi classes.
P.P.S. Today, three months ago I landed in India
Sunday, September 16, 2007
16 Sept (busy week)
In my last post I wrote that I was accepted in to the school basketball team. Well, basketball practices were the events which filled every day of my previous week. We had practices in the morning (basically a couple of hours from the school time) and evening…every day. On last Sunday I had my first match. It was great, we practically killed the other team despite the fact that they had a lot of tall players. I suppose, height isn’t everything. However, it was just a practice match for the upcoming tournament on the next Friday-Saturday (which was yesterday). The tournament was held in a place called Nawan Shahar (navan sheher) in a boarding school. The school campus and the sports section were magnificent. The campus had an amazingly beautiful temple complex, which by its structure reminded me the Golden Temple. there was some hall (which was under construction) in the center and it was surrounded by water and separate temples for Sikhs and Muslim and Hindus (Gurdwara, Mosque and Temple, respectively). The only thing that got me wondering, was why would someone build something so beautiful for a boarding school in the middle of nowhere, in fact I even wonder, why would someone build such a state of the art school in the midst of fields.
In any case, the tournament was quite well organized and important. It even had TV coverage. We won 4 games out of 5 and came third in overall. We should have come at least second, because the team which we played in the semi-finals had collage students in it and that was illegal, but no-one cared about our complaints and they got their victory. I played with a jersey which had Yogesh written on it, because Yogesh was kicked out because of me and they couldn’t get a new jersey with one week. This caused me some trouble because a lot of people thought that I was Indian. The tournament was fun and I even got a nice tan. The sun has come out and every day is like the most beautiful Estonian summer day.
During the ending ceremony, when Bhangra dancers performed, all the teams joined them on the court and so did we. This was the first time I ever danced Bhangra (or something like that) and it felt great.
When I arrived yesterday (at 12.30 in the evening), I found a nice surprise: Sukhbir and Harleen had re-arranged my room. I now have a table and 4 chairs, a night lamp, an extra closet for my clothes and a lot of free space, since an entire section of my room was freed due to the removal of unnecessary furniture which was kept there earlier. The best thing, however, is that all the annoying pictures of my little brother are gone and replaced with pictures of gurus, Harimandir Sahib and a painting. I truly like it, my room feels so much bigger and at the same time, cozier.
Today, I went to a birthday party of three girls (three friends who happen to be born exactly on the same day and same year and go to the same class). I was a bit confused because I had no idea what to give them (who knows, what is and what is inappropriate here in India) and there was no-one to help me. The only thing, my host mother told me was that I can get all my gifts from a particular shop in Model Town. Therefore, I headed out for Model Town, where I found the shop as well as many others, closed. I had forgotten that the life there starts in the evening. However, I couldn’t wait until evening and had to improvise. I went to the best bakery shop in the city and bought three chocolate cakes.
Just as I reached home with my cakes, Sanchit, my friend, called that since they (he and Mantej) were in the area, they were going to pick me up early (about 3 hours earlier than they were supposed to) and that I can take my stuff and get ready at Sanchit’s place. That is exactly which I did. I even had a shower at his place. I couldn’t think of doing something like that in Estonia, but here it is completely normal, Indians’ attitude to homes is somewhat like “my home is yours” and that is literally how it works. I can feel myself totally home in my friends’ homes.
To get back to the topic, before we went to the party, we went to a florist and got some beautiful flowers for the girls.
The party started at 3 o’clock and ended at 7 o’clock. At first I was kind of critical about the length of the party but then remembered that this is India and this means no alcohol. It was very refreshing to find that Indians (and even me) can have fun without alcohol. We danced for almost all the time (the sound system was great). This was not the kind of dancing as we have in Estonia and I learned some nice moves.
I remember reading from Siim’s blog that he went to a birthday where there were only boys. Well I have to say that over half of the guests at the party today were girls. I suppose, it has to do with the type of people you hang out with, because I know that there are such kind of guys here who don’t talk to girls very much and even look down upon them. I’m glad to announce that it is not this way with my friends.
That’s about it,
Happy birthday, Gunjan, Garima and Additi !!!!!!
In any case, the tournament was quite well organized and important. It even had TV coverage. We won 4 games out of 5 and came third in overall. We should have come at least second, because the team which we played in the semi-finals had collage students in it and that was illegal, but no-one cared about our complaints and they got their victory. I played with a jersey which had Yogesh written on it, because Yogesh was kicked out because of me and they couldn’t get a new jersey with one week. This caused me some trouble because a lot of people thought that I was Indian. The tournament was fun and I even got a nice tan. The sun has come out and every day is like the most beautiful Estonian summer day.
During the ending ceremony, when Bhangra dancers performed, all the teams joined them on the court and so did we. This was the first time I ever danced Bhangra (or something like that) and it felt great.
When I arrived yesterday (at 12.30 in the evening), I found a nice surprise: Sukhbir and Harleen had re-arranged my room. I now have a table and 4 chairs, a night lamp, an extra closet for my clothes and a lot of free space, since an entire section of my room was freed due to the removal of unnecessary furniture which was kept there earlier. The best thing, however, is that all the annoying pictures of my little brother are gone and replaced with pictures of gurus, Harimandir Sahib and a painting. I truly like it, my room feels so much bigger and at the same time, cozier.
Today, I went to a birthday party of three girls (three friends who happen to be born exactly on the same day and same year and go to the same class). I was a bit confused because I had no idea what to give them (who knows, what is and what is inappropriate here in India) and there was no-one to help me. The only thing, my host mother told me was that I can get all my gifts from a particular shop in Model Town. Therefore, I headed out for Model Town, where I found the shop as well as many others, closed. I had forgotten that the life there starts in the evening. However, I couldn’t wait until evening and had to improvise. I went to the best bakery shop in the city and bought three chocolate cakes.
Just as I reached home with my cakes, Sanchit, my friend, called that since they (he and Mantej) were in the area, they were going to pick me up early (about 3 hours earlier than they were supposed to) and that I can take my stuff and get ready at Sanchit’s place. That is exactly which I did. I even had a shower at his place. I couldn’t think of doing something like that in Estonia, but here it is completely normal, Indians’ attitude to homes is somewhat like “my home is yours” and that is literally how it works. I can feel myself totally home in my friends’ homes.
To get back to the topic, before we went to the party, we went to a florist and got some beautiful flowers for the girls.
The party started at 3 o’clock and ended at 7 o’clock. At first I was kind of critical about the length of the party but then remembered that this is India and this means no alcohol. It was very refreshing to find that Indians (and even me) can have fun without alcohol. We danced for almost all the time (the sound system was great). This was not the kind of dancing as we have in Estonia and I learned some nice moves.
I remember reading from Siim’s blog that he went to a birthday where there were only boys. Well I have to say that over half of the guests at the party today were girls. I suppose, it has to do with the type of people you hang out with, because I know that there are such kind of guys here who don’t talk to girls very much and even look down upon them. I’m glad to announce that it is not this way with my friends.
That’s about it,
Happy birthday, Gunjan, Garima and Additi !!!!!!
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Wednesday was the teachers’ day at school. I gave a speech in front of the whole school and it was excellent. At least, that is what everybody says. I wore my curta and jeans on that day and it seemed to impress a lot of people. My classmates performed with a dance and I must say that Indians are (in general) very good dancers, it seems as if the majority of them are professionals. The day was nice and chilly. The school ended at 12.30 and I didn’t know which bus I should use to go home (since I usually stay back until 2 o’clock). Instead, one of my classmates invited me to his house for a lunch. Actually he wanted to take me on a city tour on that day but he had to go to Chandigarh. Anyway me, Mantedz and Santchit went to Santchit’s house (which was actually more like palace than a house) and had a lunch there. Afterwards the guys dropped me home and went for their tuitions.
Thursday and Friday were sort of pointless days in school, because most of the teachers were engaged with exams for the juniors. We didn’t have any proper classes, instead we just chatted and played truth & dear (which seems to be their favorite game).Also, on Friday was my first practice with the school basketball team. It lasted for 2 hours ( of our school-time). I seemed to impress our coach and my teammates, so they took me on pro-bail. However, my pro-bail didn’t last for a very long time and since this morning, I’m officially on the team. It would not have been so tough to get in, but they had already full team, which meant that someone was to be kicked out because of me. Well, they’ve done that now and I’m feeling good about it. I know I shouldn’t feel good about other people’s bad luck but I still feel kind of pleased because I know how tough it was to get in and I accomplished to prove myself.
I might go to my friend’s house to see today’s cricket match (India vs. England).
Thursday and Friday were sort of pointless days in school, because most of the teachers were engaged with exams for the juniors. We didn’t have any proper classes, instead we just chatted and played truth & dear (which seems to be their favorite game).Also, on Friday was my first practice with the school basketball team. It lasted for 2 hours ( of our school-time). I seemed to impress our coach and my teammates, so they took me on pro-bail. However, my pro-bail didn’t last for a very long time and since this morning, I’m officially on the team. It would not have been so tough to get in, but they had already full team, which meant that someone was to be kicked out because of me. Well, they’ve done that now and I’m feeling good about it. I know I shouldn’t feel good about other people’s bad luck but I still feel kind of pleased because I know how tough it was to get in and I accomplished to prove myself.
I might go to my friend’s house to see today’s cricket match (India vs. England).
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
4 September
My posting here seems to get more and more irregular in time. However, I’m trying my best to change that from now on.
I shall start from Tuesday, 28 August. It was a holiday, since there was a festival called rakhi. On that day, sisters tie thread to their brothers’ arms. This is to symbolically ask their protection. It is said that once up on a time, there was an empress who needed protection from her brother and tied a thread to his arm and that is where the festival comes from. The truth is that it used to be a Persian custom and Indians have just taken It over. I am glad to announce that I have a second sister now (although, no-one can replace Mirjam). I say this because on Tuesday morning, Raj came and tied a thread to my hand, and said that this is from Jashan Jot, her sister’s daughter (my so to say- host cousin) wants me to be her elder brother(note that in India, cousins, nieces and other female relatives are also called sisters and all male relatives, brothers). I was very pleased and bought her a nice book in return.
On Wednesday I went to school and gave my computer weekly test (which went really well), but nothing special or exciting happened.
I took Thursday off for myself, since this was the day when Guru Grand Sahib (the Sikh holy scripture) was taken to our house and since this is a cultural exchange, I wanted to be a part of the event. We cleaned out the entire sitting room and dining room and set up a sort of an altar-like thing on which the Guru Grand Sahib was kept. I would have expected the ceremony to be bit longer and more extravagant, but actually it was rather casual. In my previous post I said that the book would be read until Sunday but actually it was read only until Saturday. This meant that for 3 days, our house was turned into a temple. The worst thing about this was that I had to give my room for the priests, who read the scripture in shifts and therefore, needed to have a place to sleep.
Friday was pretty casual and nothing special happened except the tents were set up for Saturday.
Saturday was the culmination of series of events after the funeral. Early in the morning, the cooks came and started preparing for the langar (holy meal). In the afternoon, I took a shower and put on my curta-pajamis (traditional clothing) as this was the time when Guru Grand Sahib was brought from inside of the house to the huge tents outside. The guests started arriving about at the same time. Unfortunately I didn’t see how the scripture was brought out because I went to along with Sukhbir’s brother in law to pick up Yasmine and Mr. Ian Henderson (the YFU India chairman) from the train station. By the time we got back, the tent was already filled with people and there was a band of priests, singing the holy anthems. After some time, the scripture was taken back to the local Gurdwara. Now, the langar started and I helped to serve the food (along with Sukhbir’s friends) until all the guests had eaten. After most of the guests had left (approximately 200 people visited our house) I had my food. Sam, the American also came to the event. Me, him and Yasmine had a nice time, chatting. Although my first impression of Sam wasn’t very good (I found his body language and the way he speaks a bit weird), I realized rather quickly that he is a nice guy, a very honest and straightforward one.
At about 6 o’clock, we went to see Ian and Yasmine off and afterwards had incredibly good coffee at Café coffee day which is something like Indian Starbucks.
When we got back home, I was quite exhausted and was looking forward to sleeping in my own bed again.
When I woke up on Sunday, the house was already normal. The furniture was on its place and most of the relatives had left. In the afternoon we saw off Bobby, Rajbir and Jakbir (with her family). In the evening I went to Model Town to meet Sam. I introduced him to the world of gulfis, goulcappas (I don’t know the spelling), nimbu lemon (lemon juice with soda and spices) and one of my favorites-milk badam (sweet milk with almonds).
We chatteng and discussed our futures and life in India.I got back home rather early and almost immediately went out with Sukhbir to find a host family for the German girl. We didn’t have any luck, since the family we were supposed to meet wasn’t home. Instead, we headed to a restaurant and had chilli chicken with beer (Fosters which is made in Punjab). The chicken was delicious and Sukhbir introduced me to the restaurant manager so that whenever I want to go to the same place, I will have the best service (by the way, Indian service is usually very good anyway).
On Monday I didn’t have any periods because all the teachers and most of the students were preparing for the upcoming teachers’ day. I also participated in the student council meeting (which was so typical to India: totally un-efficient and yet, fun). After the school-day was over and I was in my math extra class, the principal of the school (Zema Ma’am) came to talk to me. She had heard rumors about me, not eating breakfast at home and was concerned. She wanted to arrange me breakfast in school. I had heard rumors about myself before (for instance some girl had heard that I ate a samossa at school and got food poisoning) but was nevertheless surprised to hear that such talks reach even the principal. I told her that I do have breakfast and that there was no need to arrange anything. This is a perfect example of everybody being concerned about my well-being over here. Zema ma’am also asked me how I like the school, how I feel myself and eventually, asked me to write an article about how I feel in DPS. This article will go to the local newspapers as a commercial for the school. I am happy to write it and fortunately they gave me over a month to do that.
Today is the birthday of lord Krishna. This means another holiday for me. Thank god for the Hindus and their endless amount of celebrations, festivals and gods. Tomorrow I’m going to give a speech for the teachers’ day function. The great thing is that I won’t have to wear my annoying uniform since there are no classes. Instead, I will wear my red curta with jeans.
Another long post is finished…I wonder if anybody bothers to read it?
I shall start from Tuesday, 28 August. It was a holiday, since there was a festival called rakhi. On that day, sisters tie thread to their brothers’ arms. This is to symbolically ask their protection. It is said that once up on a time, there was an empress who needed protection from her brother and tied a thread to his arm and that is where the festival comes from. The truth is that it used to be a Persian custom and Indians have just taken It over. I am glad to announce that I have a second sister now (although, no-one can replace Mirjam). I say this because on Tuesday morning, Raj came and tied a thread to my hand, and said that this is from Jashan Jot, her sister’s daughter (my so to say- host cousin) wants me to be her elder brother(note that in India, cousins, nieces and other female relatives are also called sisters and all male relatives, brothers). I was very pleased and bought her a nice book in return.
On Wednesday I went to school and gave my computer weekly test (which went really well), but nothing special or exciting happened.
I took Thursday off for myself, since this was the day when Guru Grand Sahib (the Sikh holy scripture) was taken to our house and since this is a cultural exchange, I wanted to be a part of the event. We cleaned out the entire sitting room and dining room and set up a sort of an altar-like thing on which the Guru Grand Sahib was kept. I would have expected the ceremony to be bit longer and more extravagant, but actually it was rather casual. In my previous post I said that the book would be read until Sunday but actually it was read only until Saturday. This meant that for 3 days, our house was turned into a temple. The worst thing about this was that I had to give my room for the priests, who read the scripture in shifts and therefore, needed to have a place to sleep.
Friday was pretty casual and nothing special happened except the tents were set up for Saturday.
Saturday was the culmination of series of events after the funeral. Early in the morning, the cooks came and started preparing for the langar (holy meal). In the afternoon, I took a shower and put on my curta-pajamis (traditional clothing) as this was the time when Guru Grand Sahib was brought from inside of the house to the huge tents outside. The guests started arriving about at the same time. Unfortunately I didn’t see how the scripture was brought out because I went to along with Sukhbir’s brother in law to pick up Yasmine and Mr. Ian Henderson (the YFU India chairman) from the train station. By the time we got back, the tent was already filled with people and there was a band of priests, singing the holy anthems. After some time, the scripture was taken back to the local Gurdwara. Now, the langar started and I helped to serve the food (along with Sukhbir’s friends) until all the guests had eaten. After most of the guests had left (approximately 200 people visited our house) I had my food. Sam, the American also came to the event. Me, him and Yasmine had a nice time, chatting. Although my first impression of Sam wasn’t very good (I found his body language and the way he speaks a bit weird), I realized rather quickly that he is a nice guy, a very honest and straightforward one.
At about 6 o’clock, we went to see Ian and Yasmine off and afterwards had incredibly good coffee at Café coffee day which is something like Indian Starbucks.
When we got back home, I was quite exhausted and was looking forward to sleeping in my own bed again.
When I woke up on Sunday, the house was already normal. The furniture was on its place and most of the relatives had left. In the afternoon we saw off Bobby, Rajbir and Jakbir (with her family). In the evening I went to Model Town to meet Sam. I introduced him to the world of gulfis, goulcappas (I don’t know the spelling), nimbu lemon (lemon juice with soda and spices) and one of my favorites-milk badam (sweet milk with almonds).
We chatteng and discussed our futures and life in India.I got back home rather early and almost immediately went out with Sukhbir to find a host family for the German girl. We didn’t have any luck, since the family we were supposed to meet wasn’t home. Instead, we headed to a restaurant and had chilli chicken with beer (Fosters which is made in Punjab). The chicken was delicious and Sukhbir introduced me to the restaurant manager so that whenever I want to go to the same place, I will have the best service (by the way, Indian service is usually very good anyway).
On Monday I didn’t have any periods because all the teachers and most of the students were preparing for the upcoming teachers’ day. I also participated in the student council meeting (which was so typical to India: totally un-efficient and yet, fun). After the school-day was over and I was in my math extra class, the principal of the school (Zema Ma’am) came to talk to me. She had heard rumors about me, not eating breakfast at home and was concerned. She wanted to arrange me breakfast in school. I had heard rumors about myself before (for instance some girl had heard that I ate a samossa at school and got food poisoning) but was nevertheless surprised to hear that such talks reach even the principal. I told her that I do have breakfast and that there was no need to arrange anything. This is a perfect example of everybody being concerned about my well-being over here. Zema ma’am also asked me how I like the school, how I feel myself and eventually, asked me to write an article about how I feel in DPS. This article will go to the local newspapers as a commercial for the school. I am happy to write it and fortunately they gave me over a month to do that.
Today is the birthday of lord Krishna. This means another holiday for me. Thank god for the Hindus and their endless amount of celebrations, festivals and gods. Tomorrow I’m going to give a speech for the teachers’ day function. The great thing is that I won’t have to wear my annoying uniform since there are no classes. Instead, I will wear my red curta with jeans.
Another long post is finished…I wonder if anybody bothers to read it?
Monday, August 27, 2007
27 August
Over a week has passed since my last post and I have so much to write about. I shall start off with the sad news, concerning my family, here. My host-grandfather died on Thursday. My respects to you, Ajaid and may you find peace. I didn’t go to school on Thursday because of this. The whole day was really exhausting. I must say that Indians put a lot of energy and time into their mourning. Our house was filled with people, with women crying loudly over Ajaid’s body and men quietly speaking. This crying and gathering lasted until about mid-day, when the body was washed and after that cremated. The cremation was done the “old way” which means, the body was placed on dry logs and covered in grease and cloth and layers of wood.After the pile was set on fire, we went on for prayers in the cremation place. These prayers were, of course not enough, so we went on to Gurdwara. After all those things, we had langar in our house. By the end of langar, it was about 3 o’clock in the afternoon, the ceremony had lasted for 8 hours and everybody was exhausted. Still, our house remained full of people till the evening. And the closest relatives even stayed the night.
I went to school on the next day and therefore didn’t see the gathering of ashes from the cremation place and dropping them into a holy river. However, Sukhbir’s sister told me that they held one place empty the whole time, while driving there (about 3 hours drive) just as he had been there with them. When they had dropped the ashes in to the river, they said to the ghost of Ajaid that this is his final resting place and he will not come back with them anymore.
The next following days were the time when the majority of friends, relatives (and the friends of relatives relatives) came to share our family’s grief. On Sunday, about the entire family went for a lunch at Sukhbir’s grandmother’s relatives place. For now, the major rush of guests is over (although we still get some 3-4 visits a-day) and only Harleen’s mother and Sukhbir’s elder sister have stayed with us.This is about to change quickly because from Thursday to Sunday, we will have a priest with a Guru Grand Sahib in our house. He will be reading (or actually singing) it loudly continuously till Sunday (if I have not misunderstood, 24 hours a-day). One of the family members will always have to sit there and listen
As always, there are positive sides of every event, even an event of such tragedy. I have met n number of very interesting people. I met Harleen’s brother Ajit (Bobby) and his wife for instance. Both of whom are very nice and intelligent people. I became very friendly with Bobby almost instantly.
Another person I met is Sukhbir’s elder sister Raj who flew over from US, I really like her and we have had several very interesting conversations.And last but not least, today I met Sukhbir’s “uncle” who is actually the father of one of his best friends. We had a nice conversation and he promised to take me to his golf club. I shall look forward to that. Today I had my physics practical. It was kind of fuddhu. I think I made some mistakes in calculations (we are not allowed to use calculator here) and therefore, the written part of my exam was not so good. On the other hand, my oral examination went perfectly. And one more thing: there will be a dance workshop in our school, in which the best choreographers will be teaching us. Our dancing will be a mixture of classical dances and traditional dances and pop-dances. I’m sure, we will have fun and I’m eagerly waiting 13 September, when the classes start.
I cant think of anything else to say, so I’m going to say good bye!
I went to school on the next day and therefore didn’t see the gathering of ashes from the cremation place and dropping them into a holy river. However, Sukhbir’s sister told me that they held one place empty the whole time, while driving there (about 3 hours drive) just as he had been there with them. When they had dropped the ashes in to the river, they said to the ghost of Ajaid that this is his final resting place and he will not come back with them anymore.
The next following days were the time when the majority of friends, relatives (and the friends of relatives relatives) came to share our family’s grief. On Sunday, about the entire family went for a lunch at Sukhbir’s grandmother’s relatives place. For now, the major rush of guests is over (although we still get some 3-4 visits a-day) and only Harleen’s mother and Sukhbir’s elder sister have stayed with us.This is about to change quickly because from Thursday to Sunday, we will have a priest with a Guru Grand Sahib in our house. He will be reading (or actually singing) it loudly continuously till Sunday (if I have not misunderstood, 24 hours a-day). One of the family members will always have to sit there and listen
As always, there are positive sides of every event, even an event of such tragedy. I have met n number of very interesting people. I met Harleen’s brother Ajit (Bobby) and his wife for instance. Both of whom are very nice and intelligent people. I became very friendly with Bobby almost instantly.
Another person I met is Sukhbir’s elder sister Raj who flew over from US, I really like her and we have had several very interesting conversations.And last but not least, today I met Sukhbir’s “uncle” who is actually the father of one of his best friends. We had a nice conversation and he promised to take me to his golf club. I shall look forward to that. Today I had my physics practical. It was kind of fuddhu. I think I made some mistakes in calculations (we are not allowed to use calculator here) and therefore, the written part of my exam was not so good. On the other hand, my oral examination went perfectly. And one more thing: there will be a dance workshop in our school, in which the best choreographers will be teaching us. Our dancing will be a mixture of classical dances and traditional dances and pop-dances. I’m sure, we will have fun and I’m eagerly waiting 13 September, when the classes start.
I cant think of anything else to say, so I’m going to say good bye!
Sunday, August 19, 2007
August 19
I have good news and bad news. The bad news is, that I can’t trust our made anymore, because she pulled a rather unpleasant trick on me. This Saturday we had school (only 3 periods). The thing is that on Saturdays our school-busses don’t use their normal routes and I was not aware of that, because I had not bothered to ask anyone as I was supposed to go to Chandigarh on Saturday. Of course I was an idiot and forgot again that I’m in India and things rarely go as they are supposed to. This means that our trip to Chandigarh was cancelled on Friday evening. To get back to the point, I waited for my usual bus in the morning and after a half an hour, I returned to have Sukhbir drop me off. On our way to school, we saw a DPS school-bus on the side of the road, so we pulled over and I got on to the bus (in case of emergency, we are allowed to use any route we want to). It appeared that this was actually the bus which I was supposed to catch and my regular number didn’t go on special occasions. Anyway, I got to school without any further problems. Our school-day was pointless in terms of education, but it was fun, because both the English teacher and Physics teacher allowed us to do what ever we wanted to. So we played “truth and dear” the whole time. Our day ended at 11.00 and the buses were supposed to leave at 12. 00. So, taking concern of the fact that I had no idea, where my bus was going to drop me (because of the irregular routes) and the fact that I would have had to wait some 1,5 hours for my bus, I decided to call Sukhbir (as we had previously agreed) but found out that my credit was 0. At first I couldn’t figure it out because I knew, my balance was about 300 Rs. Now, the first thing that came to my mind was to use the school pay-phone but that was broken. The school administrator’s phone didn’t work either. Therefore, I had to wait for 2 hours for our bus to leave (it was supposed to leave at 12. 00 but left about 13.00). The bus dropped me at the place where it had picked me up and, using all of my energy to remember the road, I caught a riksha and told him that I’ll show him the way (because he didn’t know, where New Garden Colony was). Knowing only the direction, but being able to guess, I managed to guide the riksha driver to our house and got home without further problems. However, a question remained about my credit. I started checking my outgoing calls and saw that 95% of them were made to unknown numbers. I also looked at the times when they were taken and saw that most of them were taken on Friday (something like 15 calls) at the time when I know, I was already in school, Harleen and Sukhbir at work and therefore, there was no-one at the house except the maid and Ajaid (Sukhbir’s father). I must mention that I don’t carry my cell-phone to school (except on this Saturday) and I knew there was only one person who could have used it, the maid. Unfortunately I can not put a PIN-code on my card and therefore, my phone was free to be used by our maid. As soon as Sukhbir came home, I told him about this and, keeping everything between the two of us, we are planning to nail that bastard. I mean, 300 Rs. Is not a VERY big money but the fact that she left me in a very bad situation (which might have been even worse) created anger in me. I think I’m going to have this money taken off her wage.
That was the bad news. The good news is that I’m getting along with my classmates very well and am feeling more and more comfortable every day. I won’t be able to go out with them this weekend due to lack of credit on my phone-card but that really doesn’t matter. At some point of time I’m going to see my classmate’s house and meet her parents, because I might be able to convince them to let her go on an exchange year. Also, I had a chemistry test last week (as well as English) and I’m hoping for positive results (in chemistry somewhere around 20 points out of 25 ) and in English, maximum.English seems to be the subject in which I’m the best at the moment and my teacher said on Thursday that I am the only good student in our class (she was exaggerating of course). I also got back my Math test with a score of 1, which is not exactly good, but is progress, comparing to the previous 0. Also, I understand the chapter which we are dealing at the moment rather well and I’m hoping for positive (or at least better) results on the next test.
The next news is that I’m going to have to give a speech on 5th September (the teachers’ day). The only thing is, that I’m supposed to say positive things about Indian educational system and the teachers, but all I can think is criticism.
That’s it for this week,
Bye.
That was the bad news. The good news is that I’m getting along with my classmates very well and am feeling more and more comfortable every day. I won’t be able to go out with them this weekend due to lack of credit on my phone-card but that really doesn’t matter. At some point of time I’m going to see my classmate’s house and meet her parents, because I might be able to convince them to let her go on an exchange year. Also, I had a chemistry test last week (as well as English) and I’m hoping for positive results (in chemistry somewhere around 20 points out of 25 ) and in English, maximum.English seems to be the subject in which I’m the best at the moment and my teacher said on Thursday that I am the only good student in our class (she was exaggerating of course). I also got back my Math test with a score of 1, which is not exactly good, but is progress, comparing to the previous 0. Also, I understand the chapter which we are dealing at the moment rather well and I’m hoping for positive (or at least better) results on the next test.
The next news is that I’m going to have to give a speech on 5th September (the teachers’ day). The only thing is, that I’m supposed to say positive things about Indian educational system and the teachers, but all I can think is criticism.
That’s it for this week,
Bye.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Independence Day
Happy Independence Day, India!! Today is the 60th birthday of what is frequently called “the largest democracy in the world”. Each and every newspaper is filled with Independence Day crap. It is hard to find any proper news. Although it is understandable that on such days, the news turn much attention to the past and so on, but to read from every piece of paper, how incredibly good and wonderful (if not to say flawless) it is in India is irritating. What happened to all of the poverty, where are the underprivileged people? How about corruption? No, they have not disappeared just like that. Of course we all know that India is a developing country (as is Estonia) with the problems, so typical to developing countries and is trying to overcome them, but I think it is immoral to only talk about the good things, while closing your eyes to everything else. Leaving aside the newspapers, the day is great. Since it is a holiday, the whole city is extremely quiet and peaceful. Yesterday I gave an interview to the school’s newspaper. It was pleasant and I met whole bunch of nice people again. Also, it is now certain that I will have some foreign company here in Jalandhar, as a new student from USA is coming here (they just found him a host-family). The guy is going to come to my school and possibly to my class. I’ll be looking forward to that.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Aug 12
Another week has passed and the surroundings seem to get more and more normal to me, I actually need to remind myself frequently that I’m in India. Not that I don’t know that, but it doesn’t seem so strange or foreign anymore. I guess it is a sign of me, starting to fit in. The previous week witnessed the ending of local district elections. Wednesday was the last day of elections and therefore, a holiday (this means- no more waking up at 5.30).The elections were a bit annoying but at the same time, more interesting than the ones in Estonia. Could you imagine Edgar Savisaar, walking in front of a parade (consisting of people whom he had paid some money- therefore in our case- the pensioners) and singing songs, stopping traffic and using any kind of drums to make noise? Besides the parades there were auto-rikshas with loud speakers on them and which drove around and shouted out election promises. Anyway it was once again an entirely new experience for me and I’m glad to have seen the event.On Saturday I went roaming with a guy from commerce section, Sarab J. It was really pleasant, although I’m not much of a biker person (usually they roam in cars but at that moment everybody were in tuitions and the cars were not available). We met a lot of people and I had a nice time, so I’ll be looking forward to next free days.
Saturday, August 4, 2007
4 Aug
Golden Temple & Amritsar
My host-mother woke me up today, asking me if I wanted to go to Amritsar. Well, you can try to guess what my answer was. In any case, I got to see the famous Golden Temple. The temple itself is rather small I must say (I mean the main part which is surrounded by amrit (the holy water) and didn’t look very impressive, but the whole complex is very beautiful. We spent there about 2 hours, I think. At first I thought, I would take a bath in the holy water, but afterwards re-decided because I really don’t believe in these things and thought it would be a bit impropriate. Anyway, we waited in a queue for quite a while to get in to the main part and afterwards visited different parts of the complex. This included the place where people go and sit on the ground and eat the food, given by the temple. These meals are actually good to the society because eating there doesn’t cost anything, so the poor people can have their meal over there. You can actually get as much food as you want to. Because of the free food, there are a people from very different layers of society and it is interesting to all of them sitting on the ground and eating side-by-side. After visiting the temple, I saw the Sikh museum (which is actually a part of the temple). There were a lot of bloody paintings of ancient battles (between the Sikh and the Moghuls) and the Sikh martyrs and, to my surprise, the paintings of the so called “freedom fighters” who were responsible for the terrorist acts in the 1984. It only then occurred to me, exactly how violent the Sikh history is. After seeing that, we went to a beautiful garden near the temple, where a massacre had taken place (sorry, but I don’t know the datum). Nowadays there are monuments and truly very-very beautiful gardens.
In addition, I couldn’t miss a chance to see how Siim is living, so we went to the spa in which he lives. Siim gave me a tour around the property. That’s one hell of a building, I must say. Anyway, it was nice to speak Estonian again (although we had to concentrate in order to do so, because we are already so used to English).
My host-mother woke me up today, asking me if I wanted to go to Amritsar. Well, you can try to guess what my answer was. In any case, I got to see the famous Golden Temple. The temple itself is rather small I must say (I mean the main part which is surrounded by amrit (the holy water) and didn’t look very impressive, but the whole complex is very beautiful. We spent there about 2 hours, I think. At first I thought, I would take a bath in the holy water, but afterwards re-decided because I really don’t believe in these things and thought it would be a bit impropriate. Anyway, we waited in a queue for quite a while to get in to the main part and afterwards visited different parts of the complex. This included the place where people go and sit on the ground and eat the food, given by the temple. These meals are actually good to the society because eating there doesn’t cost anything, so the poor people can have their meal over there. You can actually get as much food as you want to. Because of the free food, there are a people from very different layers of society and it is interesting to all of them sitting on the ground and eating side-by-side. After visiting the temple, I saw the Sikh museum (which is actually a part of the temple). There were a lot of bloody paintings of ancient battles (between the Sikh and the Moghuls) and the Sikh martyrs and, to my surprise, the paintings of the so called “freedom fighters” who were responsible for the terrorist acts in the 1984. It only then occurred to me, exactly how violent the Sikh history is. After seeing that, we went to a beautiful garden near the temple, where a massacre had taken place (sorry, but I don’t know the datum). Nowadays there are monuments and truly very-very beautiful gardens.
In addition, I couldn’t miss a chance to see how Siim is living, so we went to the spa in which he lives. Siim gave me a tour around the property. That’s one hell of a building, I must say. Anyway, it was nice to speak Estonian again (although we had to concentrate in order to do so, because we are already so used to English).
Friday, August 3, 2007
About schoolmates
I’ve just read Siim’s post in wich he describes the behavior of his classmates and realized that I had completely forgotten to do that.I must say that I agree with Siim on the childishness: their behavior would definitely seem childish in Estonia, but as we are in India and I am trying my best to be culturally sensitive, I look past that. Just as Siim’s classmates, some of mine are into porn. They don’t watch it in school as the ones in Amritsar, but they sure do it at home. I know this because a guy offered to lend me a movie and after my investigation it came out that it was a so called “bad movie”. But these screwballs are exeptions (whom I’m trying to keep away from) and in general, the guys are great. Of course everybody asks a lot of questions. Surprisingly, one of the most frequent questions is: “do you have a girlfriend” and it seems to be almost impossible to explain them, why I don’t have a girlfriend, because, as one of my friends explained, Indians think that every western guy has several girlfriends ( a rather odd misconception, I must say). Then there is the uncomfortable question about, how do I like Indian girls. You may ask why is this uncomfortable? Well, you see, I’m a nice guy and I don’t want to insult anybody, but I don’t see any beautiful girls around me (don’t get me wrong, they are nice and friendly, just not beautiful), therefore, I must sneak around this question. I have also read from Siim’s blog that it is compulsory for every school to have morning prayers. Well in my school there are no such things as prayers, so I must disagree with Siim on this. Although, this is probably not Siim’s mistake, but someone who has explained it to him.
3 August
I haven’t posted for a while due to network problems (I’ll try to write more regularly hence forward. Anyhow, the school’s great. I got a birthday invitation for next Sunday, I’m kind of excited about this. I am looking forward to seeing what kind of parties do Indian teenagers have. From what I know, there will be no alcohol (It is actually considered to be a sin to drink alcohol). My schedule is now filled with extra classes in Physics, Chemistry, Math and Hindi. Hindi doesn’t seem to bee very difficult to learn, but this only applies for the oral part of it. The letters and vocals are a bit complicated. I gave my first test in this school (Math) and got 0 points, but I’m not very sad about that because about 75% of our class failed and there were about 3 tests with score 0. On Wednesday, we had our weekly test in English (literature) and I’m feeling rather confident about the results. Yesterday I played basketball with my friends and instantly felt really well, because they were no mach to me J . It seems that Indians are just not meant for basketball. I think it would be the other way around, if we had played cricket, though.
One of the purposes of exchange year is to start respecting your own country and culture more. The weird thing is, I already respect our e-country and our gorgeous girls a lot more than I used to (you don’t know what you got until you lose it).
Mihkel in Incredible India
One of the purposes of exchange year is to start respecting your own country and culture more. The weird thing is, I already respect our e-country and our gorgeous girls a lot more than I used to (you don’t know what you got until you lose it).
Mihkel in Incredible India
Saturday, July 28, 2007
1 Week in school
I’ve been going to school for a week now. My classmates are very friendly, so I had no trouble, making friends. I have a couple of phone numbers and e-mails for now. I find the Indian school system rather weird and not at all effective. School starts somewhere around 8 o’clock in the morning and ends at 12 o’clock. Most of the learning is done at home or in the after-school coaching (privet lessons, given by our school- and other school’s teachers), so when the Indians come to school, they already know everything, the teachers are about to teach and the teachers are aware of that. Therefore school is just for revision and most of the teachers don’t bother to explain anything. These private lessons have yet another effect: as the kids know that they have to start studying hard after school (usually 4-6 hours), they use their school-time just to relax and have fun. All this means that I (because I’m not taking coaching) have a lot trouble to understand anything in school.
On the on the other hand: I like the chemistry (in witch I have private extra classes), although they have different approach on chemistry (It seems to me as though their chemistry has a strong sense of physics in them). Also, the school has organized after-school Hindi classes for me.
P.S. I know, some of my previous posts are filled with horrible spelling mistakes. I am working on fixing them, but the blog server is making me trouble and for some reason, it doesn’t replace my posts.
Okay, bye, Mihkel Indias
On the on the other hand: I like the chemistry (in witch I have private extra classes), although they have different approach on chemistry (It seems to me as though their chemistry has a strong sense of physics in them). Also, the school has organized after-school Hindi classes for me.
P.S. I know, some of my previous posts are filled with horrible spelling mistakes. I am working on fixing them, but the blog server is making me trouble and for some reason, it doesn’t replace my posts.
Okay, bye, Mihkel Indias
Friday, July 20, 2007
Today I got the admission to DPS (Delhi public School). The name of the school is actually quite weird because the school is neither in Delhi, or a public school. Instead, it is a private school just outside Jalandhar.I think I had the most trouble, getting the admission, because non of the other students have had to pass an interview. I had to impress the school's principal, a member of the board (therefore one of the owners) and the school director. Anyway, I managed to do that and I'm in.We bought my school uniform today (white trousers, white shirt and really ugly black trainers).One of the school's rules is that no boy should have long hair (the school principal, a very nice lady, told me that they would cut off any pony-tail in their sight. Therefore I went to a hairdresser and had my hair cut. I am now officially a gel- guy and a slick guy in one person- but I really like it !!! :) As soon as I get a camera, I will post some pictures of me with my new haircut. Actually I am very relieved by this, it seems that a certain phase in my life is over and a new one has begun (like getting rid of my old skin and finding a shiny and slick skin underneath) but enough of that.The new school is quite far from my house, so I will have to take the school bus to get there. This will mean some extra expenses every month (fortunately not big expenses).That's all for now, I'll stay in contact
Thursday, July 19, 2007
No Apeejay for me
Finally something certain about the school: Apeejay board needs 10 days to make the decision about my admission. It is rather redicculous, the other schools have made the decision within one day. Anyway, this means that I won't be going to Apeejay because I simply can't afford to wait another 10 days ( I have allready waited 2 weeks). Tomorrow We will look up some other schools. I feel kind of pissed off at the moment, seems like nothing is moving.
Mr. Ian from the YFU office has heard about my big plans about going to one of the Ivy League Universities and recommended me to take the SAT test this autumn to know my level. He even offered me help in finding me a coach who could train me for this. I am quite sure that I will accept his offer and take the test. However, I will set things straight with the school primarily.
Totally off the subject: I am getting more and more proud of my country, our infrastructure and the way things work. I'm writing this because today I saw another episode of "Updating your passport in India"
Prologue
My hostfather Sukhbir wants to update his passport. He prepares a huge pile of documents, buys an application form and we go to the local passport office.
Episode 1
Since it is the monsoon season, it had been raining for a while. There was a huge puddle in front of the passport office's door, actually it was almost a pond. Some kind person had made a road of bricks ( one way traffic only) so that people could get to the office with nearly dry feet.
After making miracles, trying to keep the balance on the bricks, and finally inside the office, the real thing started. We had to get the application form filled by a proffessional (yes there are actually people who make their living with filling other people's forms). The guy was very busy and we had to wait for about 10 minutes to get to him. We found out, that two more documents are needed to fill the application and get the passport. So we got out of the office, walked a couple of blocks away from it and found ourselves from a small shop with a man and a type-writer in it.
Sukhbir talked some Punjabi with the man and the guy typed two documents for him. After that, the documents needed to be approved by a notary. Having that done, we went back to the passport office. There Sukhbir started to argue with the application-filler and the argument ended with us, leaving the office and with Sukhbir muttering something in his beard (something like: "We'll get it done ourselves...etc.").
Again we went to a small shop where a young Sikh man started filling Sukhbir's application.
Now it appears that we still haven't got all of the papers and we need to get Sukhbir's marriage confirmation. Therefore, we call the day successful and go back home to return to this process some other day.
Episode 2
A few days later, when we got the marriage confirmation, we return to the small shop where a guy sits with a type-writer. Now it appears that Sukhbir's wife needs to sign something. We go and pick her up (her name is Harleen, by the way) and again, start waiting in the queue. After half an hour waiting, we finally get the papers signed and typed and approved by the notary, but unfortunetly the time has run late and we need to pick up my little brother from his school.
...oh, well I guess we'll try another day..
Mr. Ian from the YFU office has heard about my big plans about going to one of the Ivy League Universities and recommended me to take the SAT test this autumn to know my level. He even offered me help in finding me a coach who could train me for this. I am quite sure that I will accept his offer and take the test. However, I will set things straight with the school primarily.
Totally off the subject: I am getting more and more proud of my country, our infrastructure and the way things work. I'm writing this because today I saw another episode of "Updating your passport in India"
Prologue
My hostfather Sukhbir wants to update his passport. He prepares a huge pile of documents, buys an application form and we go to the local passport office.
Episode 1
Since it is the monsoon season, it had been raining for a while. There was a huge puddle in front of the passport office's door, actually it was almost a pond. Some kind person had made a road of bricks ( one way traffic only) so that people could get to the office with nearly dry feet.
After making miracles, trying to keep the balance on the bricks, and finally inside the office, the real thing started. We had to get the application form filled by a proffessional (yes there are actually people who make their living with filling other people's forms). The guy was very busy and we had to wait for about 10 minutes to get to him. We found out, that two more documents are needed to fill the application and get the passport. So we got out of the office, walked a couple of blocks away from it and found ourselves from a small shop with a man and a type-writer in it.
Sukhbir talked some Punjabi with the man and the guy typed two documents for him. After that, the documents needed to be approved by a notary. Having that done, we went back to the passport office. There Sukhbir started to argue with the application-filler and the argument ended with us, leaving the office and with Sukhbir muttering something in his beard (something like: "We'll get it done ourselves...etc.").
Again we went to a small shop where a young Sikh man started filling Sukhbir's application.
Now it appears that we still haven't got all of the papers and we need to get Sukhbir's marriage confirmation. Therefore, we call the day successful and go back home to return to this process some other day.
Episode 2
A few days later, when we got the marriage confirmation, we return to the small shop where a guy sits with a type-writer. Now it appears that Sukhbir's wife needs to sign something. We go and pick her up (her name is Harleen, by the way) and again, start waiting in the queue. After half an hour waiting, we finally get the papers signed and typed and approved by the notary, but unfortunetly the time has run late and we need to pick up my little brother from his school.
...oh, well I guess we'll try another day..
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
In my previous post i wrote that I would get my admission on 16 July. Well today is the 18 th and I am HOPING to get it today.
Yesterday I went to Ludhiana with my host parents. Mother had to go to Sacred Heart ( Best school in Ludhiana) and father had to pick up Mr. Ian (the guy who runs YFU India) and a Belgian girl Natalia (hope I spelled it correctly) to get her placed into her new family.
Again, I had the wonderful chance to get to see more of India, and more families. Natalia's family was very warm and welcoming. We were welcomed with a tika party (it was the fourth time for me) and flowers. When we were about to leave, the family daughter came to me and handed me a gift. I was ofcourse very suprised and delighted, but I didn't open it until we got back to the car. Before opening, I said to myself: "hope it's not sweets (because I'm a bit concerned about my weight)". And guess what, it wasn't sweets. Instead, they had given me two parker pens and a key holder. I must say that i was in a deep shock for a while. I couldn't expect anything like this and the weirdest thing is that I had looked for Parker pens in Jalanhar-because they are my favourite- and hadn't found them. This was the best example of Indian hospitality.
That's it for now. I'll write again, when I get any information concerning my school.
Yesterday I went to Ludhiana with my host parents. Mother had to go to Sacred Heart ( Best school in Ludhiana) and father had to pick up Mr. Ian (the guy who runs YFU India) and a Belgian girl Natalia (hope I spelled it correctly) to get her placed into her new family.
Again, I had the wonderful chance to get to see more of India, and more families. Natalia's family was very warm and welcoming. We were welcomed with a tika party (it was the fourth time for me) and flowers. When we were about to leave, the family daughter came to me and handed me a gift. I was ofcourse very suprised and delighted, but I didn't open it until we got back to the car. Before opening, I said to myself: "hope it's not sweets (because I'm a bit concerned about my weight)". And guess what, it wasn't sweets. Instead, they had given me two parker pens and a key holder. I must say that i was in a deep shock for a while. I couldn't expect anything like this and the weirdest thing is that I had looked for Parker pens in Jalanhar-because they are my favourite- and hadn't found them. This was the best example of Indian hospitality.
That's it for now. I'll write again, when I get any information concerning my school.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Finally settled
Hi again! I am finally settled here in Jalandhar. After a week in Delhi I came here, stayed one night and then we were off to Shimla ( a gorgeus City in the Himalayas) to get a German girl Julia to her host-family. I had the wonderful opportunity to see this place thanks to the fact that my host-father Sukhbir is the YFU cordinator in Punjab. The trip lasted for 3 days, because on our way back we (or actually they) decided to spend the night in Chandigarh (I don't know the spelling).
Anyway, as I said I'm settled now. We live in a 3-bedroom house(one of them is mine(y)). The house is lovely,I couldn't possibly want anything better. The best thing is, that I have a wonderful family. I wonder if it is possible to feel homesick with such lovely people surrounding me.
Today I bought a cycle for myself (Rs. 4500 ) and I rode it through the city. I am going to use the bike to go to school. I will be going to the Apeejay, wich is one of the best schools around. Unfortunatly the Headmistress of the school is in USA and I won't get the admission until the 16 th.
Yesterday i had a chance to see Indian way of registrating. It took us 2 days and 1,5 hours of waiting, to get me registered.
Okay, what else...oh, the weather is hot :D
I'll post here again, when I have something to say.
Okay, bye-bye! I would like to say that I miss you all, but I don't (not yet)
Anyway, as I said I'm settled now. We live in a 3-bedroom house(one of them is mine(y)). The house is lovely,I couldn't possibly want anything better. The best thing is, that I have a wonderful family. I wonder if it is possible to feel homesick with such lovely people surrounding me.
Today I bought a cycle for myself (Rs. 4500 ) and I rode it through the city. I am going to use the bike to go to school. I will be going to the Apeejay, wich is one of the best schools around. Unfortunatly the Headmistress of the school is in USA and I won't get the admission until the 16 th.
Yesterday i had a chance to see Indian way of registrating. It took us 2 days and 1,5 hours of waiting, to get me registered.
Okay, what else...oh, the weather is hot :D
I'll post here again, when I have something to say.
Okay, bye-bye! I would like to say that I miss you all, but I don't (not yet)
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Hi, everybody, I haven't had the chance to post here before, so I will give you just a short review on what we (that's me and Siim Iiskyll) have done here. Anyway if you want to, you can read the details from Siim's blog:siimindias.blogspot.com
Basically we have had an orientation, during wich we were explained a little bit about India. Now, the way I understood it, India is a deeply religious country, evertything is guided by religion. It is also a very conservative country, with age-old traditions and stories, wich are taken as literal truth.
After, and during the orientation, we have been going sightseeing. There are incredible things and places to visit here in Delhi. I think the most interesting as well as shocking place is The Old Delhi (or just Delhi).
Old Delhi is something (or someone, because it is REALLY alive) wich no words are capeable of discribing, nevertheless I shall give it a try. It is the business area in Delhi. By business, I mean, it is like a HUGE market. There are narrow streets, alot of people, incredible wireing system, old houses and ofcourse countless shops and warehouses.
Our guide took us to his uncle's house and to the top of it's roof. The view was something totally undiscribeably shocking (come to think of it, all of Old Delhi is shocking).
When I look back at what I wrote, I understand that my words are incapeable of discribing this place. I can just say that it is something unique, something wich can be seen nowhere else.
The food
This is my favourite subject, here in India, beacause the food is really great and you have to eat on every step you take here (because it is not polite to refuse when somenone offers you food).
We have this incredible cook here in YFU India office. His name is Raju (I hope I spelled it correctly). Raju is without any doubt my favourite person in India, he is caring and warm and always ready to help. I am probably going to give him a present before I leave.
The place
we are situated in Southern Delhi, wich is the richest part of Delhi. At first I couldn't understand, why they call it rich, but after seeing the rest of the Delhi, I allready get it. The building itself is quite large and nice looking. YFU India owns the groundfloor. There are 2 bedrooms, 2 office rooms, conference room and two waiting rooms, so comparing to the YFU office in Estonia, it is huge (as is everything here in India). I really like the place, nice people and airconditioning( I have allready begun to love this magnificent gadget) make it totally pleasant.
Okay, I'm going to finish now, because...when you got to go, you got to go (inside joke).
your own happy Indian guy Mihkel, greeting his family and friends,
Mihkel Indias
xxx
Basically we have had an orientation, during wich we were explained a little bit about India. Now, the way I understood it, India is a deeply religious country, evertything is guided by religion. It is also a very conservative country, with age-old traditions and stories, wich are taken as literal truth.
After, and during the orientation, we have been going sightseeing. There are incredible things and places to visit here in Delhi. I think the most interesting as well as shocking place is The Old Delhi (or just Delhi).
Old Delhi is something (or someone, because it is REALLY alive) wich no words are capeable of discribing, nevertheless I shall give it a try. It is the business area in Delhi. By business, I mean, it is like a HUGE market. There are narrow streets, alot of people, incredible wireing system, old houses and ofcourse countless shops and warehouses.
Our guide took us to his uncle's house and to the top of it's roof. The view was something totally undiscribeably shocking (come to think of it, all of Old Delhi is shocking).
When I look back at what I wrote, I understand that my words are incapeable of discribing this place. I can just say that it is something unique, something wich can be seen nowhere else.
The food
This is my favourite subject, here in India, beacause the food is really great and you have to eat on every step you take here (because it is not polite to refuse when somenone offers you food).
We have this incredible cook here in YFU India office. His name is Raju (I hope I spelled it correctly). Raju is without any doubt my favourite person in India, he is caring and warm and always ready to help. I am probably going to give him a present before I leave.
The place
we are situated in Southern Delhi, wich is the richest part of Delhi. At first I couldn't understand, why they call it rich, but after seeing the rest of the Delhi, I allready get it. The building itself is quite large and nice looking. YFU India owns the groundfloor. There are 2 bedrooms, 2 office rooms, conference room and two waiting rooms, so comparing to the YFU office in Estonia, it is huge (as is everything here in India). I really like the place, nice people and airconditioning( I have allready begun to love this magnificent gadget) make it totally pleasant.
Okay, I'm going to finish now, because...when you got to go, you got to go (inside joke).
your own happy Indian guy Mihkel, greeting his family and friends,
Mihkel Indias
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