Mussoorie
Mussoorie is the most scenicly beautiful place I have ever been. We are in the foothills of the Himalayas, wearing our kurtas, sipping chai. Mist covers the mountains for most of the day, but when it clears we can see far down into what appears to be all of India. We are staying at the Hanifl Center of the international Woodstock School, which has great facilities, including a music room with several pianos which Allen and I are very excited for. It is a reprieve I am extremely grateful for after our 2 days (but what seemed like at least 2 weeks) in Dehli. We will be here for around 3 weeks in total, and then we will head to Varanasi which I imagine will be nothing like Mussoorie.
We have started Hindi classes, and my group has started service work in the Woodstock School Turner Garden; I will be joining them as soon as possible. My first impression of Hindi: it's not like spanish, which is the only language besides English that I "know" and "can speak." Hindi uses a different alphabet, a script, which looks more like random lines than letters. The masculine adjectives end in "a," which is counter intuitive to my Spanish knowledge of the feminine "la" article.
I have spent the last two days in bed with a fever and flu-like symptoms. One thing I recall clearly from orientation at Princeton is the multitude of "You will get sick" warnings from past participants and leaders. So as bad as it seems sometimes, I try to remind myself that I am just following in the steps of 3 years of BYP India volunteers. I went to the doctor today and was prescribed antibiotics which I hope will make me feel better soon.
The downside to being sick is having to drink Oral Rehydration Salts which taste terrible. But yesterday I discovered the plus side to being sick: Bollywood movies. Hannah, who was also not feeling well, and I watched "No One Killed Jessica" and "Om Shanti Om," and skipped to the dance numbers in a few other movies. For anyone looking for elaborate dance numbers and an extremely catchy theme song, I highly recommend "Om Shanti Om."
I am also extremely thankful to my supportive group and group leaders who have put up with my complaints, hung out with me, brought me food, woke up in the middle of the night for me, and helped me whenever I needed it. I am really focused on getting better so I can be 100% by the 16th when we meet the Dahli Lama!
Mussoorie is the most scenicly beautiful place I have ever been. We are in the foothills of the Himalayas, wearing our kurtas, sipping chai. Mist covers the mountains for most of the day, but when it clears we can see far down into what appears to be all of India. We are staying at the Hanifl Center of the international Woodstock School, which has great facilities, including a music room with several pianos which Allen and I are very excited for. It is a reprieve I am extremely grateful for after our 2 days (but what seemed like at least 2 weeks) in Dehli. We will be here for around 3 weeks in total, and then we will head to Varanasi which I imagine will be nothing like Mussoorie.
We have started Hindi classes, and my group has started service work in the Woodstock School Turner Garden; I will be joining them as soon as possible. My first impression of Hindi: it's not like spanish, which is the only language besides English that I "know" and "can speak." Hindi uses a different alphabet, a script, which looks more like random lines than letters. The masculine adjectives end in "a," which is counter intuitive to my Spanish knowledge of the feminine "la" article.
The downside to being sick is having to drink Oral Rehydration Salts which taste terrible. But yesterday I discovered the plus side to being sick: Bollywood movies. Hannah, who was also not feeling well, and I watched "No One Killed Jessica" and "Om Shanti Om," and skipped to the dance numbers in a few other movies. For anyone looking for elaborate dance numbers and an extremely catchy theme song, I highly recommend "Om Shanti Om."
I am also extremely thankful to my supportive group and group leaders who have put up with my complaints, hung out with me, brought me food, woke up in the middle of the night for me, and helped me whenever I needed it. I am really focused on getting better so I can be 100% by the 16th when we meet the Dahli Lama!
Ada,
ReplyDeleteThis is Dan Parker, your old VU Keeper Claire's dad. Brian passed on an email from your Mom about your Indian sojourn. I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Mali, West Africa, from 1984 to 1986, and your blog has brought back a lot of memories - from the shots and malaria medication to the sensory overload (esp. the smells) and the curious kids. And the sickness, to be sure. Looking back, I wish we had the www. and digital cameras "back then," or even VHS recorders. We did post more letters (that took 4 to 6 weeks to reach back home whenever we could get to one of the regional capitals, but my color film had to be sent to France for developing. Oh well, keep up your interesting blog and the Parkers will follow along. Btw, we've been Bollywood fans for years and I second your "Om Shanti Om" recommendation.
It's reassuring to hear about your similar less technology-involved international experience. Thanks so much for your message and thanks for following along!
DeleteHi Ada,
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to say hello. Sorry to hear you've been sick. Hope you're doing better now. I just read your blogs and they're great! I loved reading about your adventures. That's so great you're going to meet the Dali Lama. I heard him speak at UCLA years ago - it was excellent. Your mom told me you have access to a piano - I'm glad that worked out. Good luck with the rest of your journey. I'll keep checking out your blogs now and then.
Debra
Hi and thanks Debra! I was extremely excited when I found a piano, and will be looking to purchase a keyboard once I get settled more permanently.
DeleteThank you so much for these blogs Ada, I can't tell you how much I enjoy reading them. Stay safe and do good!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad, thank you for your comment!
DeleteHey how about a new blog post already?
ReplyDelete