Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Struck By Delhi Belli
Monday, July 07 The morning began with a visit to the Humayun's Tomb - another magnificent home and then burying place for an extravagant emperor. The Mughal Empire was a period in the 1500's when the Persians invaded India. The sky is overcast but it is very hot. We are all still struggling with jet lag. Travelers can only drink bottled water - and for that matter must also use it for brushing your teeth. The staff member that accompanies our group on the bus hands out a liter of water to us twice a day to stay hydrated. He accidently gave me the bus drivers bottle that was sitting beside the day's supply -after chugging several mouthfuls I realized that I did not recall the tug of breaking the seal as I untwisted the cap. Then I really examined it to see it also had a different label. Indian people refill their bottles from the tap - traveler's are warned to be onguard for purchasing bottles that have the seal broken. The Foundation's staff member was very apologetic for his mistake but too late for me. Two hours later it was Delhi Belli for me with a taxi back to the hotel. I missed a great deal of the day's planned activities but nothing beats the comfort of the hotel and the proximity of the bathroom. Of, may this be my one and only experience with the infamous Delhi Belli!
The Streets Are Shocking
Sunday, July 06 The day begins at the U.S. Education Foundation of India complex for a panel discussion on student achievement. Key state directors are present. I was particularly interested in the streams (or tracks) that students must choose by grade eleven - either science, commerce, humanities or vocational. Everyone seems to want to be an engineer. Compulsory education ends at 14 years of age. The dropout rate is a very sensitive topic. Nine out of ten students who begin in grade 1 do not finish grade 12. Their illiterate population exceeds the total population of the US!! Students attend school on Saturdays for 210 days of the year versus our 180.
We went to visit the impressive Red Fort of a Mughal emperor made out of immense red sandstone with palaces and halls. Afterwards we had to get dinner on our own in "the streets" of Delhi. Words can not describe the mass of humanity. It was frightening in many ways. It was like walking among the crowd exiting a Bucs football game except non-stop. The smells, noise and visually shocking sights were a sensory overload. It became imperative to stare straight ahead making no eye contact or face relentless badgering of beggers or unwanted attention from the men. Fortunately, we have nine men among our group of sixteen. This is a big help. The traffic on the street was equally shocking. Rickshaws -auto and bike- compete for space among the cars and motorcycles. Lanes are created in a constant weaving, bumper to bumper fashion with cars only inches from you. All of this occurs in a constant background of car horns beeping. We depart shell shocked - hardly able to verbalize the experience.
We went to visit the impressive Red Fort of a Mughal emperor made out of immense red sandstone with palaces and halls. Afterwards we had to get dinner on our own in "the streets" of Delhi. Words can not describe the mass of humanity. It was frightening in many ways. It was like walking among the crowd exiting a Bucs football game except non-stop. The smells, noise and visually shocking sights were a sensory overload. It became imperative to stare straight ahead making no eye contact or face relentless badgering of beggers or unwanted attention from the men. Fortunately, we have nine men among our group of sixteen. This is a big help. The traffic on the street was equally shocking. Rickshaws -auto and bike- compete for space among the cars and motorcycles. Lanes are created in a constant weaving, bumper to bumper fashion with cars only inches from you. All of this occurs in a constant background of car horns beeping. We depart shell shocked - hardly able to verbalize the experience.
Pinch Me!!
Saturday, July 05: Thirty hours later my feet hit India soil at 12:35am on July 5. We were greeted with flowers but the best was that no one was missing luggage! A brief stop at the restroom was a jolt - a non-Western toilet. How nice it is to carry your own toilet paper. This left hand business is very strange!
The hotel's welcome was also impressive. The service is impeccable. We were annointed with a red dot on our forhead - my first - as a traditional welcome. This is truly a 5 star hotel. My roommate and I finally settled in to sleep at 3am knowing that we had to attend our first seminar on the Indian Educational System at 2pm.
The seminar was extremely interesting even in a fogged state. It is amazing that they have 21 official languages in India. The caste system is still a very real part of their life. The Fulbright Program then held a reception for us. I experimented cautiously with the food and enjoyed meeting my partner teacher. She is a lovely teacher of grade 11 physics at a local government school. The hotel bed is very appealing.
The hotel's welcome was also impressive. The service is impeccable. We were annointed with a red dot on our forhead - my first - as a traditional welcome. This is truly a 5 star hotel. My roommate and I finally settled in to sleep at 3am knowing that we had to attend our first seminar on the Indian Educational System at 2pm.
The seminar was extremely interesting even in a fogged state. It is amazing that they have 21 official languages in India. The caste system is still a very real part of their life. The Fulbright Program then held a reception for us. I experimented cautiously with the food and enjoyed meeting my partner teacher. She is a lovely teacher of grade 11 physics at a local government school. The hotel bed is very appealing.
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