Forests, Roadtrips, Elephants, Songs...and Leeches

Well, my last days in Jaipur were bittersweet. We all successfully finished our research papers and presentations, then zipped about getting all dressed up for our final banquet. I decided that one bright blue sari was my destiny. Everyone looked gorgeous for the event, and afterwards we danced with the wedding party that had been celebrating every night in the courtyard of our guesthouse. It was just a riot of color, music (they hoped to lure us to the dance floor by playing Shakira) and smiles. For the next day, I helped my friend make a slideshow of the semester and by the end all of us had just broken down crying! We have gotten so incredibly close and I will miss them all like sisters. We ran some final errands in the city, puttering along in rickshaws, bargaining for gifts, purchasing odds and ends, etc. Even as I walked at dusk through the chaotic jumble of life in the "Old City," Jaipur's famous sprawling market area, I breathed deeply (probably coughing a little as a result...) and gave thanks to Jaipur for all its challenges, its surprises, its lesson, its noises and smells, and its people. After most everyone had departed, I spent my last evening with Mami Ji and Papa Ji and celebrated MJ's birthday. Seeing the joy on their faces at enjoying a simple and loving celebration made me grin. I will always remember their home as a peaceful place. I wrote them a long letter in Hindi expressing what they have meant to me. They were proud that I got the "Best Hindi" Award at school.
From Jaipur I flew through Mumbai and Mangalore, arriving in Cochi, Kerala to meet my mom! We took the train with her students, followed up by a drive into the beautiful forest, where one student's grandfather lives. He lives on 50 acres of land filled with coconut palms, rubber trees, cocoa plant (heaven), and an assortment of other fruits, spices and vegetables. Basically it was paradise...leeches and all! Ajay's (mom's student's) grandfather led us through the real forest with a machete. We were hoping to see wild elephants, but unfortunately all we acme into contact with was leeches! Ew. We also took a road trip through national parks, even into the neighboring states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and we did see some wild elephants! They were pretty engrossed with twisting their trunks around grasses and munching with their mouths open. It was funny because Mom's students went crazy any time we spotted some deer, while we were ecstatic about the elephants. If elephants bothered our garden, maybe I would feel differently about them. All of us got a kick out of swinging from the hanging roots of banyan trees by the side of the road in Tamil Nadu.
We spent the 7-hour train ride back to Mom's Catholic college smacking roaches. Mom has been helping three students with Masters degrees with their English, as they arrive in the states in January to work on their teaching certifications through a partnership program in Maryland. Mom has gotten to be great friends with "the kids," as she calls them, and we spent a lot of time hanging out and laughing. They were all amazed, and perhaps aghast, by my infamous monkey call (which, by the way, has gotten me 3rd place in the Albemarle County fair, thank you very much! :)) Most days are bizarre here, but one night Mom and I sang Christmas songs at a dinner, then we were whisked outside to see a caroling truck. These trucks basically have huge speakers, mics, and lights strapped to them and they travel through neighborhoods blasting music. Our friends gave us their mics when they were done and insisted we sing again in front of everyone. I thought of it as a giant karaoke machine and had fun. Then Santa Claus rode up on a motorcycle. Anywho, now we have been at this "Nature Care and Yoga Centre" for a couple of days, leaving at the end of the week...It has been quite an adventure already, but I will save it for next week. I can't believe that on MONDAY, DECEMBER 28TH, which is only FIVE DAYS from this moment...that I will be in the United States of America. At home. In Charlottesville, Virginia. I am grinning already.

Dharamsala!

Hello all,
I have been back in Jaipur since Saturday but we have all been busy writing our research papers and preparing for our presentations. From the mountains I spent more than 30 hours traveling by jeep, train, bus and taxi to reach Dharamsala. I met up with my friend Brian, who is doing an SIT: Tibetan Studies program. We both had a lot of our research stipend left, so we ate some great food and talked about home at every long, multi-course meal. I tried to order fruit and some form of chocolate at every meal. It was nice to have a relaxing place to work on this paper, as both of us had to do that. I saw the Dalai Lama's residence, but otherwise I didn't have much energy for sightseeing. From Dharamsala I took the bus to Amritsar, where I saw the beautiful Golden Temple. The Temple sits in the middle of a square body of water with wide marble lining all sides. The walkway to the Temple was really crowded, but we waited for our turn to walk through the Temple itself, where God's name is sung or chanted 24 hours a day. The music is broadcast over speakers and it peacefully rings out across the waters. Outside of the Temple, my transition back to the city was pretty rough. All the noise, pollution, people heckling me, and craziness was too much to handle after such serenity in the mountains. I am tired of being seen mostly as a dollar sign in the city. I crashed on the train and thankfully made it back to Jaipur in one piece. I reunited with Mami Ji and Papa Ji in their peaceful home, then travelled back to the guesthouse to meet up with the rest of the students. It has been INCREDIBLY WONDERFUL to be back together again. We have laughed so much even though it has been a hard week, and these last few days will be a lot of fun.

Anyways, I can't believe I will be leaving Jaipur on Sunday...but I can't wait to see my mom! I will be home so soon. Love and miss you all.