Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Monday, May 24th, 2010. - Day 2.
7:30 PM. Bengaluru, India.
Today was the first true day of the environmental studies program. And quite the day it was. Over the course of breakfast, our last two participants arrived. Ready to take Bangalore by storm, the thirteen of us piled into a large van and off we went.
So we aren't disappointed when things inevitably fall through, Geeta tends not to share many plans with us; though it seems many of us prefer it that way. While we perhaps did not travel very far, it would seem like we traversed the city with our time spent weaving through multitudes of traffic.
Our first stop of the day was at Bangalore University. Originally an expansion of Mysore University, it eventually grew to be one of the largest on the subcontinent. We were taken to an outset of the university, an environmental studies centre, located on a protected area of forest. We heard an incredible lecture by Dr. Nagaraja covering much of India's environmental forest history. Next we ventured out into the heat and trekked various trails layed out in the forest. We were given a wealth of informatin: various native tree species, exotics, invasive pests, etc. They explained their processes of conservation and research including some innovative methods and experiments. They're doing some amazing work there. So much of India's flora has many applications. A few for drinks, many of which we tasted, and moved slowly as some Indian buffalo and their cattle egret companions weaved in and out of us. Wes stopped briefly to eat more seeds, photograph children playing in a lake, discuss water-harvesting and termite mounds and much more. The facility is remarkable and what's more, the staff is enormously passionate about their work.
Next came our lunch adventure. I should mention that on our way to the University outpost, we passed the Bangalore Parliament, the Red Court (supreme Court), and many temples. The architecture was truly impressive. Masive edificesa with a beautiful blend of Arabic, Greek, and British architecture. Truly impressive buildings. The route also yielded a chruch, mosque, and Hindu temple all in about one block, exhibiting India's immense religious diversity. Lunch's path however was much different. views of Bangalore's vast slums, mixed in with coconut and teak plantations, rock monoliths, a quarry on the side of the mountain,, and of course, people everywhere flew past us.
We arrived at a small cultural community and were served a very traditional Indian meal. Many of India's main staples laid out on a banana leaf as the monkeys (bonnet macaques) swarmed aroun the messy Americans like first baseman waiting for the steal. Needless to say we stuffed ourselves to the brim ith things I couldn't even begin to describe. An amazing cultural experience in itself, the food kept coming. And tasted incredible.
Finally we made our LONG trip back, stopping briefly at the big banyan tree, a massive showing of propagation. The tree grows tall and strong, drops vines from its branches which eventually take root and form new trunkes of the exact same tree. The tree has now expanded to close to 2.5-3 acres, with sprouts everywhere. Truly remarkable. I'm told there is a bigger one in Kolkata. After som more playing with monkeys, we dropped our guests (Geeta's contacts and our instructors) back at the University and returned home.
Exhausted, but desparate to catch up with our jet lag, we made an excursion for some coconut drinks and returned for a delicious snack of mangos and papayas.
~Wondering how anything could top Day 2...,
- David
7:30 PM. Bengaluru, India.
Today was the first true day of the environmental studies program. And quite the day it was. Over the course of breakfast, our last two participants arrived. Ready to take Bangalore by storm, the thirteen of us piled into a large van and off we went.
So we aren't disappointed when things inevitably fall through, Geeta tends not to share many plans with us; though it seems many of us prefer it that way. While we perhaps did not travel very far, it would seem like we traversed the city with our time spent weaving through multitudes of traffic.
Our first stop of the day was at Bangalore University. Originally an expansion of Mysore University, it eventually grew to be one of the largest on the subcontinent. We were taken to an outset of the university, an environmental studies centre, located on a protected area of forest. We heard an incredible lecture by Dr. Nagaraja covering much of India's environmental forest history. Next we ventured out into the heat and trekked various trails layed out in the forest. We were given a wealth of informatin: various native tree species, exotics, invasive pests, etc. They explained their processes of conservation and research including some innovative methods and experiments. They're doing some amazing work there. So much of India's flora has many applications. A few for drinks, many of which we tasted, and moved slowly as some Indian buffalo and their cattle egret companions weaved in and out of us. Wes stopped briefly to eat more seeds, photograph children playing in a lake, discuss water-harvesting and termite mounds and much more. The facility is remarkable and what's more, the staff is enormously passionate about their work.
Next came our lunch adventure. I should mention that on our way to the University outpost, we passed the Bangalore Parliament, the Red Court (supreme Court), and many temples. The architecture was truly impressive. Masive edificesa with a beautiful blend of Arabic, Greek, and British architecture. Truly impressive buildings. The route also yielded a chruch, mosque, and Hindu temple all in about one block, exhibiting India's immense religious diversity. Lunch's path however was much different. views of Bangalore's vast slums, mixed in with coconut and teak plantations, rock monoliths, a quarry on the side of the mountain,, and of course, people everywhere flew past us.
We arrived at a small cultural community and were served a very traditional Indian meal. Many of India's main staples laid out on a banana leaf as the monkeys (bonnet macaques) swarmed aroun the messy Americans like first baseman waiting for the steal. Needless to say we stuffed ourselves to the brim ith things I couldn't even begin to describe. An amazing cultural experience in itself, the food kept coming. And tasted incredible.
Finally we made our LONG trip back, stopping briefly at the big banyan tree, a massive showing of propagation. The tree grows tall and strong, drops vines from its branches which eventually take root and form new trunkes of the exact same tree. The tree has now expanded to close to 2.5-3 acres, with sprouts everywhere. Truly remarkable. I'm told there is a bigger one in Kolkata. After som more playing with monkeys, we dropped our guests (Geeta's contacts and our instructors) back at the University and returned home.
Exhausted, but desparate to catch up with our jet lag, we made an excursion for some coconut drinks and returned for a delicious snack of mangos and papayas.
~Wondering how anything could top Day 2...,
- David
Sunday, May 23rd, 2010. - Day 1
9:30 PM. Bengaluru, India.
A breakfast of corn flakes and boiled milk, an interesting omelette, some jam and bread, delicious tea, and a conversation with a very friendly, Chicago-loving, Indian gentleman later, and we're ready to start our days. We've decided those of us who are here will explore Bangalore with our GTA, Lisa, while our director, Geeta, waits to hear from the others.
After obtaining some "directions" from Geeta (i.e. "go through the tunnel with the men peeing, the stinkiest place is your landmark") we're off to explore. Bangalore is not unlike other major cities I've had the pleasure of visiting; Mexico City, New York City, even Rome. It has absurd traffic, masses of people, and endless construction.
The difference comes when you look more closely.
Peoplemove more slowly here (excluding the traffic of course). There seems to be little rush to get anywhere. High contrast from a bustling Manhattan. The pace however does not detract from a surge of cars, autorickshaws (autos), and most noticeably, people. We watched all of the afore-mentioned swell as the morning turned into afternoon. Side note: if you're in Bangalore to shop, everything's closed until noon on Sundays, and some places aren't even open at all, taking the hustle and bustle out of the early morning hours. Learned that the hard way.
We made our way arond the main shopping areas of Bangalore (lit: 'the town of boiled beans') and popped into various establishments. We bought 'tiffins' or small metal steal tins for carrying whatever; very handy; needs to catch on in the states.
The true adventure came when we wanted to head back, and spoke with auto driver after driver trying to find one who'd use his meter to take us home. I should note that these small, three-legged, covered, motorized bicyles were big enough to squish three adults in the back seat. Finally, one driver to take the FIVE of use for 100Rs. Some lap-sitting, seat sharing with the driver, high speeds, and some very close calls were all involved, but we made it back alive and with a study abroad newsletter story.
The rest of the day played out lazily. A brief cold shower and a short nap felt glorious after the two days of planes and the Kansas-like heat/humidity combo. We were woken to a group meeting at which four more of our group had arrived, and we had word that the final two were on their way. Our first lesson in Indian culture followed, with topics such as emotion, generosity, terms of address, and respect for elders. And finally the evning ended with a group dinner at a small diner-esque facility. Tomorrow we begin the program..., and work.
~Eyes half closed,
-David
9:30 PM. Bengaluru, India.
A breakfast of corn flakes and boiled milk, an interesting omelette, some jam and bread, delicious tea, and a conversation with a very friendly, Chicago-loving, Indian gentleman later, and we're ready to start our days. We've decided those of us who are here will explore Bangalore with our GTA, Lisa, while our director, Geeta, waits to hear from the others.
After obtaining some "directions" from Geeta (i.e. "go through the tunnel with the men peeing, the stinkiest place is your landmark") we're off to explore. Bangalore is not unlike other major cities I've had the pleasure of visiting; Mexico City, New York City, even Rome. It has absurd traffic, masses of people, and endless construction.
The difference comes when you look more closely.
Peoplemove more slowly here (excluding the traffic of course). There seems to be little rush to get anywhere. High contrast from a bustling Manhattan. The pace however does not detract from a surge of cars, autorickshaws (autos), and most noticeably, people. We watched all of the afore-mentioned swell as the morning turned into afternoon. Side note: if you're in Bangalore to shop, everything's closed until noon on Sundays, and some places aren't even open at all, taking the hustle and bustle out of the early morning hours. Learned that the hard way.
We made our way arond the main shopping areas of Bangalore (lit: 'the town of boiled beans') and popped into various establishments. We bought 'tiffins' or small metal steal tins for carrying whatever; very handy; needs to catch on in the states.
The true adventure came when we wanted to head back, and spoke with auto driver after driver trying to find one who'd use his meter to take us home. I should note that these small, three-legged, covered, motorized bicyles were big enough to squish three adults in the back seat. Finally, one driver to take the FIVE of use for 100Rs. Some lap-sitting, seat sharing with the driver, high speeds, and some very close calls were all involved, but we made it back alive and with a study abroad newsletter story.
The rest of the day played out lazily. A brief cold shower and a short nap felt glorious after the two days of planes and the Kansas-like heat/humidity combo. We were woken to a group meeting at which four more of our group had arrived, and we had word that the final two were on their way. Our first lesson in Indian culture followed, with topics such as emotion, generosity, terms of address, and respect for elders. And finally the evning ended with a group dinner at a small diner-esque facility. Tomorrow we begin the program..., and work.
~Eyes half closed,
-David
Sunday, May 23rd, 2010. Day 1.
07:00 AM. Bengaluru, India.
10,000 miles. And I'm halfway around the world. Made it through customs, alleviated an incredibly desparate bathroom need, collected my oversized backpack, changed some currency, and after probably paying far too much for an incredibly nerve-racking 'is this an official taxi?' ride, arrived at the United Theological College and crashed into a dorm room at 1:30 AM.
Now, up early and waiting for the festivities to begin, I start to process what's happening. A note from the director is an incredibly familiar sight after two days on a plane. One other member of our group was already asleep as I barged in exhausted. Another arrived a few hours later. I instantly fell asleep.
All technicalities. Here's where it starts. I woke up to birds chirping but confused...There's unfamiliar birds!? Oh yeah. India. Never really notice a chirping bird sound until you hear one that sounds totally different.
The student who arrived last night and I woke up around six thirty, and upon getting ready, meandered out to see this place in the daylight. NOt finding anyone we knew, we walked outside onto the college grounds. My jaw drops.
Every plant contained in the Tropics building of the KC Zoo plus about a thousand others have enveloped this place. The buildings are all very old stone, and a large pile of stone heads sits in the lawn at the front. I can't decide whether to be intimidated or impressed. There are critters that look ALMOST like our chipmunk and crow friends back home. Everything is lush, broad, and very tropical. We return to find our GTA and ponder together where all the others might be. We were supposed to be the last to arrive...
~From India, that's right..., India,
-David
07:00 AM. Bengaluru, India.
10,000 miles. And I'm halfway around the world. Made it through customs, alleviated an incredibly desparate bathroom need, collected my oversized backpack, changed some currency, and after probably paying far too much for an incredibly nerve-racking 'is this an official taxi?' ride, arrived at the United Theological College and crashed into a dorm room at 1:30 AM.
Now, up early and waiting for the festivities to begin, I start to process what's happening. A note from the director is an incredibly familiar sight after two days on a plane. One other member of our group was already asleep as I barged in exhausted. Another arrived a few hours later. I instantly fell asleep.
All technicalities. Here's where it starts. I woke up to birds chirping but confused...There's unfamiliar birds!? Oh yeah. India. Never really notice a chirping bird sound until you hear one that sounds totally different.
The student who arrived last night and I woke up around six thirty, and upon getting ready, meandered out to see this place in the daylight. NOt finding anyone we knew, we walked outside onto the college grounds. My jaw drops.
Every plant contained in the Tropics building of the KC Zoo plus about a thousand others have enveloped this place. The buildings are all very old stone, and a large pile of stone heads sits in the lawn at the front. I can't decide whether to be intimidated or impressed. There are critters that look ALMOST like our chipmunk and crow friends back home. Everything is lush, broad, and very tropical. We return to find our GTA and ponder together where all the others might be. We were supposed to be the last to arrive...
~From India, that's right..., India,
-David
Friday, May 21st, 2010:
07:00 AM. Paris, France.
I suppose there's no time like the present to begin this, though I'm not exactly sure how. After an ever-glorious three-thousand, six-hundred, and thirty some miles, I've come from New York City's John F. Kennedy airport, en route to Bangalore, India, and it's early. Much too early
As we begin our descent, and again as I make my way to my connecting gate, I heard the siren's call of Europe out of every glass window, beckoning me to stay. I was seeing nothing psectacular; green grass, and traditional buildings off in a very hazy distane, but the mere knowledge of Europe's presence is easily attainable. I shall have to return soon. Dream big, no?
I sit now at my gate, joined by a few other people, looking far more comfortable with our final destination than I am rapidly becoming. I think it's safe to say that I've convinced myself that the purpose of this trip is to get out on my own, make a change, discover new things, and hopefully learn some things about myself. So far, the evidence points to a good start. After all, I'm exhausted, nervous, have little more than this journal, a camera, and my passport, and I'm completely alone. Maybe I'll get lucky and meet a beautiful French girl on her way to India...?
~A thirty minute train ride from a metal tower that seems so far...,
- Au Bientot
07:00 AM. Paris, France.
I suppose there's no time like the present to begin this, though I'm not exactly sure how. After an ever-glorious three-thousand, six-hundred, and thirty some miles, I've come from New York City's John F. Kennedy airport, en route to Bangalore, India, and it's early. Much too early
As we begin our descent, and again as I make my way to my connecting gate, I heard the siren's call of Europe out of every glass window, beckoning me to stay. I was seeing nothing psectacular; green grass, and traditional buildings off in a very hazy distane, but the mere knowledge of Europe's presence is easily attainable. I shall have to return soon. Dream big, no?
I sit now at my gate, joined by a few other people, looking far more comfortable with our final destination than I am rapidly becoming. I think it's safe to say that I've convinced myself that the purpose of this trip is to get out on my own, make a change, discover new things, and hopefully learn some things about myself. So far, the evidence points to a good start. After all, I'm exhausted, nervous, have little more than this journal, a camera, and my passport, and I'm completely alone. Maybe I'll get lucky and meet a beautiful French girl on her way to India...?
~A thirty minute train ride from a metal tower that seems so far...,
- Au Bientot
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
I'm rapidly approaching the end of my second decade and I decided it was time for a change. As the Three would have it, I spotted an article in an alumni newsletter of the University of Kansas about a new study abroad program. Five months later, and I'm about to embark on an 82-day journey through the two most populous countries on the planet, only to return to the third.
I'm part of an environmental studies program going to the state of Karnataka in southern India. I depart for the 6 week journey on Friday, May 21st, and begin my longest trip outside of the state of Kansas. In an attempt to stray as far as possible from the ruby slipper-touting 'heartland of America', I plan on spending the time following this academic adventure cruising around northern India for the ensuing two weeks, before ending up in a country I'd only previously tried digging in my backyard to. I will remain in China, mostly under the wisdom and graciousness of a Chinese tourist company, until my return to 'the states' on August 10th.
The task of course is to find something out about myself I didn't know; a seemingly simple task for any old teenager putting up Lost! signs for their identity.
I shall update this blog as much as I can, though in much of where I will be, I can not rely on consistent internet access.
I will make every effort not to bore you whether I return with strange tales from the Orient, or wind up with nothing more than a journal full of environmental studies notes, and a small clay terracotta warrior souvenir.
Flying at 35,000 feet AWAY from the yellow brick road,
~David
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