Okay, to recap a little. Last weekend was a free weekend, so pretty much everyone made some sort of fun plan.
[Major tangent: The first people to do so were a group of five girls who (while I like them a lot... in fact I'm with them a lot) are the closest thing approaching a clique in this group. But emphasis on the word approaching. This is to say, they are not at all exclusive, but they have found that they like each other, and therefore end up being together a lot. James and I have spoken a lot about all these interesting social dynamics. Not everyone is having an easy time of it. And that's hard to see. What's also hard is there is not always a clear-cut solution. There is a lot of maturity and kindness in this group, but people just have different expectations and desires; some are much more whole-group oriented, and some want to enjoy the whole group while spending separate time with the people they click with most. So back to the weekend, these five girls were the first to make arrangements. And there was some tension about other people not being included. I found out about their plans after they were finalized, and felt kind of miffed that they hadn't very vocally invited the whole group. So a second round of reservations was made for this same little trip they had planned, during which James, Nick and I really tried to invite everyone. Ultimately, only the three of us were in this second round. So there were two trips this weekend; one, our group of seven; another group of five, and a group of three, and two individuals (one in the hospital with fever, and one hiking the foothills of N. India). That was kind of a weird thing, mostly because the main division between the group of seven and everyone else matches with a more organic division that has developed in the group as a whole. Anyway, there is a danger to over-thinking-over-talking all of this. The point being, ongoing efforts need to be made towards making the whole-group experience really good.]
Our group of seven went to Pushkar, south of Delhi, in Rajahstan. It is a holy city in the desert, that is centered around a holy lake beneath a Brahma temple. The weekend was amazing. We stayed at this country-style resort (thatched roof cottages), rustic but with all the amenities, (including A.C) that was totally luxurious and wonderful. Took a couple dips in the pool, which for me was a very mundane highlight, but a highlight none the less=my first chance to swim since I got to India... felt heavenly. In Pushkar proper we visited a Hindu temple, and then performed the ritual of Puja at the holy lake's edge. In Puja, we were in pairs, each with a Brahman guide who walked us thru the ceremony. It is done with prayer and recitations, and a plate of holy items including string (fire), and red powder dye for creating the forehead tilak, your third eye, god's eye. One of the intense parts of the ritual is how personalized it is. You are asked your mother and father and family members' names; you say the names of people you have lost, and say their names in a special prayer. My eyes were wet at the end. Finally, we throw the contents of the plate into the water, after being doused in it ourselves.
We did some serious walking around the markets of Pushkar and very much enjoyed being out of Delhi. Had some delicious meals. On saturday evening, we took a camel-pulled sunset ride through the hilly desert near our resort. Nice to meet our camels Rama and Brahma, both Hindu gods, don't you know! The group vibe was very awesome and very relaxed and we all got closer over the weekend (a double-edged sword, see above).
This week has been intense, as I've explained, but it's very nearly over. Plenty of class time and double-lecture days, on top of our 3 hr. morning sessions of Hindi. Currently, we are moving at a breakneck pace in Hindi, thru a constant state of confusion and anxiety. We have learned a new grammar structure (two chapters in our books) every morning for the past two weeks. When it comes to Hindi, many of us (including myself) are half-way to a nervous breakdown. But a light-hearted nervous breakdown.
This Sunday morning at 5:30 am, we are embarking on our longest excursion yet (eight days of steady travel on the road, trains, and a short plain flight). We will be going to Varnassi to do some serious field research and training. This will include architectural site drawings; visiting plenty of temples; seeing some absolutely top-notch classical Indian music performances (sitar and tablaa); and doing the travel thing. All of us need it, and it will be very nice to get out of the intense in-class thing for a while. Storm-Ji spoke to us this morning about the third-week rut, which normally happens. She explained that around this time, ppl. typically begin getting homesick, feeling frustrated with each other and Delhi, and generally go thru a period of hardening, being less receptive to the experience. Basically everyone in the class was nodding their heads as she described all of this. It was a nice validation, and it continues to amuse and delight me how astute she is. I love her. So, the third-week rut will be a passing thing, but I am no exception to this experience. I've had a cold (along with seven others) for the past couple days, and am very under--Mom, you're probably saying "yeah underslept and getting sick--THAT's a new thing for you." Well, I'm drinking lots of fluids, and doing the whole homeopathic thing, so I should be on the road to recovery in no time flat. Also, I'll be catching up on my sleep in a serious way.
My thoughts are with everyone at home and I hope all you important people are doing well. love, Bunny
P.S. Because there are three nicks on the program and only five guys (James' real name is Nick), Storm-Ji decided that I would be "Bunny," about two weeks ago. Bunny is a very common nick-name, oddly enough, for big, tough guys in India. So most everyone has been calling me Bunny much of the time, (James even said it to me when we were at home alone the other day) and it is a small source of amusement for the group.
... and some nice photos from pushkar, taken by Rachel
steps of Hindu temple
nick with a boy
People at the edge of the holy lake, bathing (this was the Ganesh festival, which is why there are so many people).
James, Nick, Emily, Kylie, and me on the steps near the holy lake.
... and some photos taken by me:
pushkar street at night
women air their fabric at the holy lake in Pushkar so that it absorbs the lake's essense
because cows are holy, they are pretty much allowed to go where-ever they want... although you will see street vendors shoo-ing them away from their vegetables. I am endlessly delighted by all these cows.
this cute boy asked me to take is photo. I was a little wary, because beggars and children often use this tactically, asking you for payment after the photo is taken. But this was just a cute boy who wanted his photo taken.
three nicks enjoy good company
these two seemed to be in love. We watched the cow lick the dog (with the dog occasionally craning upwards to lick the cow in return) for several minutes. When the dog trotted off, the cow looked after it longingly.
the view from our hotel in Pushkar. very beautiful
1 comment:
Lots of very good stuff in this posting- too much to respond to right now: it is midnight here, and I'm getting up to go to Yom Kippur services with Steve in the morning. I was thinking how much I appreciate a religion which incorporated holy bodies of water in which one is to be immersed- if that exists in Judaism, it is limited to places that I don't know about in Israel, or to other types of ritual bathing, like the mikvah, which happens to be something specifically for women. Maybe it is the thought of spending four hours in temple tomorrow, but I kind of wish I could go hold some chartreuse fabric by a lake and absorb some essence. Perhaps more thoughts later. L,H.
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