This one is for the girls.

From my perspective, One of the biggest differences between being in Southern India (Bangalore) and where I am now in north / central India (Hyderabad) is the religious presence. If you paid attention in social studies class then you already know that India is rich in history and culture dating back centuries. It's the birth place of some of the worlds major religions and those religions are still practiced here today. I personally appreciate how India has established harmony among so many different religions including Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Christianity and Muslim. That said, in Bangalore most of the Indian people I met practiced Hindu, Christianity, or Buddhism. There were a few Muslims identifiable by the burqa which Muslim women wear to conceal their bodies and faces but since I have come to Hyderabad I've seen many many more burqas and I'm finding myself conflicted by this. The materials used to create burqas are beautiful. They are soft, flowing and adorned with jeweled details yet they are so restrictive, masking the true identity of the individual beneath the garb. I'm also conflicted because I believe in a person's right to religion but as a teacher I can't help but question the potential lost by a woman who isn't permited to chooses wether or not to veil her face. While I recognize there are many forward thinking Muslims who live all over the world, my experience here in India has been different so while I am conflicted, I am also thankful.  I am thankful because we have been given a gift in being born in a culture that is making strides toward equality. Where, historically, women like Gloria Steinem, Mae Jamison, and Georgia O'Keefe have paved a path for us to continue building on and I wonder.  Where you will take your path? What will you do with your unveiled potential? What do you want to be when you grow up? A doctor? A neurologist? An engineer? A policy maker?

Moving on...

     So, as you know, I've spent the last few days in Bangelore which is in Southern India. The temperatures were warm but mild (usually in the low 80's), there was a constant breeze, and my hotel was very comfortable! I learned  A LOT while I was in Bangelore but boy was I tired!  If you follow the Propel Montour Instagram, you may have seen some pictures of me dabbling in some of India's culture.  For example, new friends and  I visited a Dodda Ganeshana Gudi (Bull Temple) which is over 500 years old. To be respectful to the Hindu religion I had to remove my shoes upon entering the temple.  Inside the temple was an enormous statue of a sacred bull. People place offerings at the temple regularly and once a year hold s nut festival to  cover the bull in oils  and celebrate offerings. As I exited the temple a religious fellow placed a red dot on my forehead. This dot is not to be confused with a bindi. Instead, this dot represents "Devine sight" and could be compared to the marking Catholics wear on their forehead on Ash Wednesday. Then, since I was indulging in the culture, I bought a string of jasmine to wear in my hair as so many Indian women do. 

     Now I am in Hyderabad which is easiest to explain as being in the middle of India. The difference in temperature when I stepped off my prop plane further north was immediately detectable and the monsoon season is clearly in effect. My hotel is comfortable but not as clean as most Americans would prefer and the TV isn't even a flat screen! But despite the differences I am very excited now that I'm in Hyderabad preparing for my field experience. I am looking forward to meeting the host teacher who will be helping me learn more about the culture here in Hyderabad, the school system, and Jubilee Hills School! I can't wait to try new foods now that I'm in the north because cuisines change as you travel through out India influenced by resources and ancient civilizations.  So stay tuned all, there is plenty more adventure to come!

Same or different, what do you think?

http://youtu.be/8yQRNCcPmQ4

Its my turn to learn!

There was little time to blog about all of the things I have learned today but keep checking back for answers to your questions!  Until then, here is a little teaser about my day:

http://youtu.be/djkcdhWaKSg

Lunch time!

The food here in India looks different than what we are used to in Pittsburgh and across the rest of America but it is REALLY REALLY good!  It is mostly vegitarian fare but they do offer a few meat dishes although I didn't try any of those.  To answer a question from Mrs. Dunn`s class, yes some of the food is very spicey but not all of it is.  I tried six different dishes at lunch today and only two of them tasted hot so the current ratio of spicey food verses non spicey is....... (insert answer in comment field below).

Out for a walk

I took a short walk this morning.  It was 11:30 AM here in Bangalore but it was only 2:00AM in Pittsburgh (more dojo points to the first person to comment the correct diffence between time zones).  On my walk I passed a few cows, watched a gentlman press sugar cane into a juice, and learned a little bit about the game of cricket.   I didn't get any pictures of the cows but you can see the batting cages below that are used for cricket practice.  Luckily, most people here in India speak two languages, Hindi and English, so communication has very easy.  Did you know that cricket is the worlds second most popular sport?  This is why talking with people who live differently than you is so much fun, because you are always learning something new! Has anyone at Propel Montour ever played cricket?

We're in the Money!

One of the very first things we did upon arrival into India was to convert United States dollar bills into Indian Rupees.  I gave the attendant $7.84 and this is what I got in return.  So who's money is more valuable?  Our dollar or the Indian Rupee?  Can you figure out the converstion rate?  I'm giving away dojo points again!

I'm leaving on a jet plane....

To get to Bangalore I had to first fly to Washington DC and then to Frankfurt Germany where I changed planes one final time.  I left Pitsburgh at 2:30PM on Saturday and arrived in Bangalore India at 4:00PM (your time) on Sunday. 5 Dojo points to the first person who can use their math skills to figure out how many hours it took me to get to India!

Its almost time to go.

Before I left Pittsburgh for my month long venture to India I went for a long run, cuddled with my dog, and packed a jar of peanutbutter.  Warhol wonders: what do you think you would miss if you were going to be away from home for a whole month?