Dehradun

Today I find myself in Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand.  It stands in stark contrast to the small city of Uttarkashi where I was yesterday.

Hotel in Uttarkashi: no heater, Indian toilet, one electrical outlet, power out most of the day, black and white tv with poor reception, no phone, no toilet paper, and one crappy towel.
Hotel in Dehradun: central heating, western toilet, 6 electrical outlets with continuous power, flat screen tv with great reception, phone, all the toilet paper we want, two very clean towels, laundry service, and lots of furniture.

In Dehradun we can go to the movies, eat McDonald's, Subway, and Pizza Hut. 

I can get a root canal from a dentist that speaks English with western style facilities.

While I enjoy the comforts here, I realize that there are some nice things about being in smaller towns.  In Uttarkashi and Srinagar we were treated very kindly.  They interviewed us for the local newspapers.  It is also easier to meet people.  We got to visit smaller villages and watch their ceremonies and festivals.

There are both good and bad things about big cities and small ones but I will enjoy the differences wherever I am.

Uttarkashi

We made it to Uttarkashi today.  We got up at 5:15am and went to the taxi stand at 5:45.  Our guide (a professor of folk music from the university who is from Uttarkashi) was already there and had reserved our spots on a jeep taxi (seats 10-11 people).  It is the best way to go.  Reserving a private car costs over $55 but the jeep is $5 per person.  The way it works is that you ask around if a jeep is going to a certain city and then wait to see if there are enough people who are going to fill or mostly fill the taxi. If not enough people want to go you have to take a bus or book a private taxi.  We left at 6:45 with 8 people.  We made a few stops along the way including for breakfast.  We arrived around 1pm.  It was a beautiful drive. 

 This is the view from where we stopped for breakfast.

Our hotel is definitely a step down ($7 a night).  There is no heater but we got an extra blanket. 
We had some lunch, saw a famous temple, took a nap, explored the market and had dinner.
Dinner was interesting: we ordered noodles and got something that looked like egg rolls with noodles inside.  They were delicious and served with a sweet 'n' sour coleslaw and mint chutney. Yum!!
We are having a great time.  We are going to meet the musicians tomorrow at 11am.

This is the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, dedicated to the god Shiva.

Culture Shock

The university had sent a driver to pick us up and take us to the apartment we will move to at the agreed time of 11am but when the hotel reception called, we couldn't understand her and the driver went away.  Several phone calls and a mass of confusion later, at 4pm, a driver came again.

The dive was long (just over half an hour).  We didn't go far-it is just that the town is long and narrow and there is a river running through the middle.  Also, there are only two bridges, one on either end of town that cross the river.  This was the first time I got to see most of the town.  I was in culture shock most of the drive.  I just kept thinking, "Are you serious?"  I don't know how to explain it besides culture shock.  The roads were terrible.  Some people live in houses.  Some people live in shacks made of sheet metal and tarps.  There is a dam that is being constructed.  We drove THROUGH the construction areas-never would that happen in the states.  Some men had hard hats, some didn't.  Women carry huge, heavy loads on top of their heads. Children fly kites from their roof tops.  Women gather to collect water at wells.  They had tried to build a massive bridge in the middle of town but it collapsed sometime ago and it sat in ruins.  Cars, huge trucks, and motorcycles all zoomed around so fast I don't know how we didn't get hit or run over any pedestrians.  In India, the law of the road is "the biggest wins".

Once we got to the apartment, I realized I had no idea what is standard for an Indian apartment in this area.  For example, there wasn't a tv or furniture except a bed and some plastic patio chairs.  There is not an oven, just a stove.  I don't think I saw a heater or air conditioner (it gets to freezing at night and in the 100s in the summer).  There was a ceiling fan.  I was grateful to see a shower head (we've been using a bucket in our hotel).  There is not a shower stall or curtain.  I think there was a fridge but I'm not sure. They are installing a "western" toilet for us (which I am very happy about). I don't remember seeing a closet.

As I write this, I don't want you to think that I am unhappy about any of this.  I'm in a bit of shock at somethings but there is not really a value judgement attached if that makes sense.  I'm not worried or upset.  I actually knew most of these things before I came but some how it's different in person. I am fluctuating between stages two and three of culture shock for those of you who know about the stages.  It's a process and I accept that.
For more on culture shock: http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/cultural-services/articles/cultureshock-stages.html

This is a picture of a herd of goats in the middle of town. You know, like you do . . .?

The Local Paper

Jason and I (mostly Jason) were interviewed for a local paper in Srinagar. We were shopping in the market, looking to buy cds of local musicians, when a journalist overheard us and asked us a few questions.  After hearing that Jason was doing his PhD research on Gharwal music, he asked if we could go with him next door to sit and talk because he wanted to write an article about it. We agreed and were led to a patio and given chai.  We talked for a bit while he had two other men wrote down what we said (he translated it into Hindi for them) and we posed for a few photos. 

Then he asked if we could talk for a few minutes to his English class that was next door.  We agreed and talked to them about the importance of learning English, what challenges they might face if they were to go to America to find work, and how the educational systems of the two countries differ.  That sounds like a lot but we were very brief and not as eloquent as I make it sound.  I have no idea if they understood what we said or not.  I don't think there English was very good yet.

The whole thing was a weird experience but fun.  A couple of things that I noted: students all stood when we entered or left the room and waited for us to sit before being seated, most of them were studying hotel management, humor is difficult to communicate.

In India, most marriages are arranged.  The bride and groom sometimes don't even meet until right before the wedding.  Marriages that aren't arranged are called "love marriages".  The journalist asked if we had a love marriage and we said yes.  He asked if there were arranged marriages in America.  It's kind of funny to me that Jason and my parents didn't meet one another until the week before our wedding and how that must seem so foreign/backwards to Indians.  I tried explaining that to the journalist but I don't think he understood me.

Inspiring Song

This song has been a theme the last week or so.
It's hard living in a hotel room for over 3 weeks with not much to do.  We leave the room maybe an hour every day to go to the market and get food.  Also the power is out at least 3-5 hours a day.  And there are only 4 channels in English to watch.  We are sick about every other day. I know that there are worse things in life but it hasn't been very pleasant. 

Dancing in the Minefields
by Andrew Peterson

We went dancing in the minefields
We went sailing in the storm
And it was harder than we dreamed
But I believe that's what the promise is for

"I do" are the two most famous last words
The beginning of the end
But to lose your life for another I've heard
Is a good place to begin

'Cause the only way to find your life
Is to lay your own life down
And I believe it's an easy price
For the life that we have found

And we're dancing in the minefields
We're sailing in the storm
This is harder than we dreamed
But I believe that's what the promise is for

So when I lose my way, find me
When I loose love's chains, bind me
At the end of all my faith, till the end of all my days
When I forget my name, remind me

'Cause we bear the light of the Son of Man
So there's nothing left to fear
So I'll walk with you in the shadowlands
Till the shadows disappear

'Cause he promised not to leave us
And his promises are true
So in the face of all this chaos, baby,
I can dance with you

And we're dancing in the minefields
We're sailing in the storm
This is harder than we dreamed
But I believe that's what the promise is for
That's what the promise is for

A New Year

I thought about making New Year Resolutions today but I have no idea what they would be.  I have no clue what this next year will be like.  What will I do?  Who will my friends be? All I know is that I'm in India.  I don't have a job and I'm not in school.  It's kind of liberating but at the same time, I have no idea what I'm going to do.  The answer to that will come in time.  For now, I will wait at my Lord's feet.  He is in control.  He has a plan and purpose for me that He will reveal in His time.  This is not easy for a someone with my personality but God will give me grace.