LeahinIndia
Leah Joined: August 3rd 2008
Logged in: March 10th 2010
Logged in: March 10th 2010
Travel Blog Posts
Election Morning
Everyday I have to answer numerous questions, including "Where from?", "What is your father?", and "What are you doing?" But these days most people don't get beyond the first question because they respond with some version this entry's title. It gives me a huge thrill, every time. So please excuse me while I rejoice for a little bit: WE DID IT! The morning after election day in the states, I biked through a deserted Madurai at five in the morning to join others at our program house in order to get the results as they came in. Getting up so early was actually great - it was odd to experience a 'peaceful' Madurai, with no traffic and no noises but the Muslim call to prayer. Anyway, I admit to getting rather emotional during Obama's acceptance speech. ... read more
So Naughty
Hi all, this is just to share a few more photos, and also mention that I added a few to the last entry - although for some reason, they're not all showing up when I click 'View Full Entry.' But if you click on the photos in the blog homepage, you'll see them. (Me and my new nose bling included!) Also, just to clarify - after my classes end this week, my group is taking a week-long tour of a few sites in South India. Then, we return to Madurai for our month-long Independent Study Project, where we all choose a topic, do a lot of research and field work, and then write a paper on it. Then I will travel on my own. So for those who thought I was coming home soon, I'm not ... read more
Kocu Bat
That’s last night’s tally alone, of course, but it was my first decisive victory in the ongoing war, so I thought I’d brag a little. This war would have been practically a suicide mission had I not possessed a magic weapon - what we call the Kocu Bat. (“Kocu” - koh-soo - is Tamil for “mosquito.”) The Kocu Bat is a rather ingenious piece of equipment which comes to Tamil Nad via China, according to my host father. It looks more or less like a tennis racket, except the strings are wires that, when you press a button, send an electric current through them. So, if you see a kocu buzzing its nasty little way towards you, you simply pick up the bat, push down on the button, swing the bat through the air, and basically ... read more
Ganesh Puja
Well. I have been thrown out into the sea of Foreigner-in-India Sickness, thrashed around, caught in the undertow, slammed against the rocks, swept ashore, pulled back in again, and at last have straggled onto dry land, weak but, finally, healthy. It began with a slight stomach problem. This escalated very rapidly into a full-out fever, although I couldn't quite get a precise temperature because, after feeling my neck and forearm (not the forehead!), my family announced the presence of fever, and resisted my attempts to ascertain just how bad it was. That was clearly an unnecessary step. (By the way, it's pretty unpleasant to have a bad fever in unrelenting 90-degree weather.) No sooner did the fever recede (with the help of advil) then a whopping monster cold set in, followed by a complete loss of ... read more
Front view from hotel room
Hi all, trying to upload photos. Sorry if you all got an annoying subscription email, and then no photos. I think it's supposed to be really easy, but this computer is doing some funky things, and there's a bunch of Indian men watching over my shoulder right now so I might quit before they all get uploaded. *apologetic head bob* ... read more
Not too much to say about that, it just cracked me up. It's the title of the DVD that I won for most accurately pinning the (demon) tail on Malinowski, the founder of modern anthropology (and, of course, a rather racist Imperialist too). I tried to convince my sisters that we should watch it instead of Mummy 3 the other day, but I failed. I guess Lindy Jones just didn't sound exciting enough. Not that it mattered anyway, since the power went out the moment we started watching. More on that later. So, things are good! I've been shamed into writing again by a friend who is managing to write in his blog every day. I'm not promising anything, though! I'm continuing to settle in. I wore my first sari yesterday! (Pictures coming soon, I promise. ... read more
Vanakkam everyone! I am finally in Madurai! After a very grueling three days of travel (minus the time change, but still a very long time) we arrived in Thanjavore where we stayed at a hotel and had a weeklong orientation. It was very nice there. Lots of mildly spicy food, and a nice breeze which came off the river (a river infested with sinkholes, crocodiles, and toxic chemicals, I might add). I like everyone on my group, we get along very well, and everyone seems very committed to cultural integration and awareness. We have been in Madurai for a few days now, and moved in with our host families the day before yesterday. My host family is mother, father, and two daughters, Preethi who is in her second year in Engineering school, and Babloo (that's a ... read more
