After 8 hours on the bus today we saw (and came back from) the Taj Mahal. During the tour the idea of organizing a project of this magnitude while still attempting symmetry was probably the most daunting. The size of these sites. After getting back I made sure to get some internet to look into the site. The “management team” was actually 37 individuals in charge of specific portions of the design and execution. Larger portions such as the layout were left to a single person (One designer, one architect, one inlayer and one mason) and construction was performed by craftsman under their supervision. From my initial inspection of the documents available to me at this time, it appears that the majority of work was in fact from a master template. With twenty thousand people working on this project over the 20 years of its construction there is and was a monumental amount of coordination without any of the digital tools we take for granted. The building itself was spectacular, the onion dome is without question a feat of engineering and I would hazard that current approaches w2ould make making something like that impossible even today. There is something incredibly awe inspiring about seeing something that people have made without the use of existing tech. The most interesting approach was the use of the bamboo scaffolding. The scaffold allowed for the generation of the dome as well as the distribution of the stresses in the dome during construction. It seems they are using the same technique on the minaret that is being repaired in the north east corner of the compound. Again like yesterday I wish I could have had some signage or research done on the location. I was originally expecting the ever present signage describing and explaining what it is that I am looking at. The epitaphs in calligraphy are beautiful sayings and knowing and translating some of them would have just added to the grandness of the location. I would love to see a group of Indian preservationists handle the making of a more interactive experience without the requirement for the tour guide or the local historian. Perhaps someone at the college would be interested in undertaking this kind of project.

Last night we landed in India, and I can honestly say that the entire flight experience after getting on a plane after already being awake for 24 hours was fascinating. The flight itself was a bit of a fever dream and landing around 2AM did not help that process. The lighting and smog made for a very surreal cushioned world feel on landing and there is a lot to be said for the abject thrill (and a tiny bit of terror) during our first bus ride.

During the drive to the hotel, the infrastructure was particularly fascinating as we drove through. Many buildings were in a state of disrepair and I found myself wondering who built them. Buildings are always built with a purpose, and to have so many structures that appear disused indicates a fascinating shift in population demographics. Historically this kind of shift is gradual (unless there is an instance of a mass disaster) and can be seen in every country. I was heavily reminded of the buildings in and around Detroit where the city had to raze 10% of the structures to bring back growth to the area. Unlike in Detroit however I am shocked how courteous and polite everyone is. As a New Englander, I traditionally am used to a reasonable amount of standoffishness, but everyone here has been incredibly welcoming.

Today we went to the tallest minaret as well as the red fort (with some rather droll shopping in between) and I was interested how little educational plaques were on or around the monuments. This is something that is common across the world, but I am always a little disappointed to not have more access to information. Next time, I will be sure to find an itinerary and research the locations so I can appreciate them a bit more.

All in all, I think the hardest thing for me to handle was my inability to brush my teeth without using the sink water. For some reason I can do this while camping, but the second the sink is in front of me it becomes an impossibly messy task in which I manage to use a half bottle of water in a process that should have taken less than a few mouthfuls.

While it may be the first day, I am optimistic about the rest of the trip. Tomorrow we will visit the Taj Mahal as well as take a rather aggressively long bus ride.

We’ve done and seen so much in the short time we’ve been here, I can’t believe it’s only been a week! On our first day in Delhi, we visited Qutub Minar (built in 1193!) and the Gandhi Memorial Museum. Both sites were beautiful and informative, but I especially enjoyed Qutub Minar. Being as the US is such a young country, we don’t have many historical sites older than a few hundred years. It was exciting to see architecture built so distantly in the past and still standing proudly. The next day, we traveled 4 hours to Agra in order to visit the majestic Taj Mahal. It is my dream to travel all over the world, so I was happy to cross one of the famous Seven Wonders of the World off my list.

As our time in Delhi came to an end, we discovered that we couldn’t fly directly to Hubli as originally planned. We flew to Goa instead, and drove 5 hours over mountains and through rainforest to Hubli. Goa is renowned worldwide for its beaches and tropical landscape, and all of us were in awe of the beauty we witnessed just simply passing through. The impromptu road trip ended up being a blessing in disguise, and honestly a highlight of our travels in my opinion, as we were able to experience an aspect of India that we probably would have otherwise missed out on.

The Indian students were anxiously awaiting our arrival in Hubli. I wasn’t sure what to expect from them, but I quickly found that every single student had a kind smile to offer and words of welcome. They have gone out of their way to make sure we are comfortable and happy, and as someone who has never left their home country, words can’t express how much I appreciate that. It is so pleasing to me that even though we’re from completely different cultures, every day so far has been filled with nothing but fun, laughter, and bonding. I can easily say that my favorite part of the trip so far hasn’t been witnessing the Taj Mahal or the amazing landscape in Goa, but the connections I’ve formed with my classmates, American and Indian alike.

It has been a year for me studying in The United States of America, but i never understood Americans the way i am understanding them in Hubli, India. In less than a week’s time i got to know some of the amazing things about my fellow Americans.

They saw Taj Mahal and, on the other hand they saw small children begging on the streets, the two extremes of India, but i was amazed to see the way they reacted. They were concerned about those small children rather being ignorant. Maybe first time in their lives they experienced full of bumpy ride from Goa to Hubli, but they praised beautiful journey instead of complaining. They celebrated their birthday with Indian students the way they would have celebrated in States. Very easily they accepted the all-new food menu, which included spices, oil etc. and they liked it. Fans of Boston Red Sox played cricket for the first time with Indians with full of passion. Normally they sleeps around 10 pm back in U.S. wakes up till 1.30 am just to chat with Indian students.They were thrilled to hold live snake in their hands. Visiting various Indian NGOs and working on their respective projects passionately to help these NGOs to improve. Spoiling their New Year’s Eve by sitting in a flight to India, shows the enthusiasm and dedication of American students.

I have never seen someone accepting so many changes in such a short span of time, so beautifully. Being an Indian, I am proud to be in U.S.

One of the most important lessons I have learned from India is to be grateful for what I have. I, just as many Americans, am never satisfied. I am always looking for more – more money, nicer possessions, a better living space, more, more, more. As I sit mired in my unhappiness and lust for more, there are kids here in India who would love to have the very things that I am unhappy with.

Once every year, it seems, my family undertakes another round of renovations to our house – a kitchen update, a hot tub inside a gazebo in the backyard, bathroom updates, bedrooms updates, hallway updates. We are never satisfied with anything; we see our old surroundings as outdated and ugly. We can’t understand how anyone would be satisfied with this level of grotesqueness. We get mottled down in our constant need for improvement but what we don’t think about is that there are people that could not even dream to afford our house, let alone improve upon it. We should think about this. We should still engage in our renovations because we can, but we should remember not to get too frustrated for doing so is almost an insult. We should remember that what we see as ugly, outdated and unfit for living is not only perfectly acceptable in other parts of the world, it is a luxury.

Perhaps, this also confronts me with the largest social problem when communicating with someone else in a developing country. I have to censor myself for fear of being seen as gloating. What we take for granted in the United States is not given in India.

From a person who is constantly learning by observing his environment, this is what I have learned: be grateful.

– Christopher R. F. Lentrichia

The first part of our trip in Delhi, did indeed cause me great despair.  My traveling companions are a delight, the hotel we stayed in comfortable and welcoming.  But the experience in this large city was far from delightful.  The Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque, the Taj Mahal, and the Red Fort spoke of times when India was indeed a great and ancient power.  But my contemporary experience was filled with desperate people in the areas we went to.    At every turn people were trying to scam us – sometimes successfully.  When we were in situations that were ‘safe’, I kept waiting to find out how we’d been cheated – not able to relax and enjoy the experience. As a nurse practitioner, I found the acres of deeply poor people living in trash filled lots absolutely devastating. The image below captures this feeling – a creature that was once beautiful, now wretched.

a

I was reluctant to write a post that reflected poorly on our host country – until I arrived in Hubli and realized that what I’d seen was not representative of India.  Hubli is an inland city, in the south west.  Here is a city filled with people going to work, school children walking unattended to and from school, and several universities, including BVB, where we are attending class.  The energy is palpable in our work groups – we are generating ideas to improve social issues.  The students are young, optimistic, intelligent – and did I say fun?  We spend time laughing, sharing the quirks of our cultures (did you know that there are no toaster ovens in Hubli?), and enjoying the company of one another.  I feel energized, optimistic, and adventurous!  This image captures the India I will remember – smart, cute, and growing!

!

This trip is the fulfillment of one of my lifelong dreams and I have to say what I’ve seen and experienced has far surpassed what I could have imagined.  I didn’t think anything like this opportunity would be available to me as a husband and father of two with more responsibilites than time to fulfill them.

Every single place we’ve been is so alive with activity and there doesn’t seem a dull moment to be had in this country.  Delhi was bustling and alive with people everywhere doing everything.  We saw otherworldly beauty as well as the stark pain that so often go hand in hand.  The Taj Mahal and the Red Fort gave us a glimpse of the majesty of the great Mughal kings.  Every other sight as we traveled gave us the vision of a place as different from our home as seemingly possible as well as diverse.

Our drive from Goa to Hubli has been one of my favorite sights so far.  Driving up the mountains along the beautiful road up almost into the clouds fascinated me.

Our arrival in Hubli was met with as warm of a welcome as I’ve received anywhere; it’s as if we were family long lost and well missed.  Since we’ve been here our projects have kept us busy, but the relationships created already have brought us great joy and companionship.

Today was really special, it was Jake’s birthday so he got his birthday bumps or “kicks in the ass” as we might put it.  Our friends at BVB taught us cricket and procured one of the best cakes I’ve ever had.  I saw the city of Hubli from the back of a vespa and a motorcycle (first time I’d been on either), a truly exhilarating experience.  We’ve been welcomed and made to feel special and it’s made all the difference in making this a truly wonderful experience.

India is a woman – India is a woman but she is not a supermodel who wears the Rosso Corsa while she sits in her vineyard, enjoying the finer points in life. She does not have silver arrows or anything close to white precision engineering. She never wore the Bleu de France, either. She used to wear British Racing Green but that color has since faded to the drab color it always was before she put on her makeup. In reality, she has no racing color. Still, she has a charm about her. Although she has a sense of charm, she is no place for the weary traveler who just wants to rest and have a little peace. Even though she does not wear the Cunningham Racing Stripes like America, she is the real underdog. She is the one that nobody ever expects to win. She has features she is embarrassed of, and even the ones she isn’t are not something any other girl would be proud of. Still, there is something oddly lovable about her. Although, she comes off as rough and unmannered upon first impressions, she is warm, giving, kind and pure of heart. She does not come in the name of one god or another, giving only false hope that things will get better. She understands her flaws, openly admits them and has sworn that she will fix them even if it is not until her dying day.

India is not pretty; she stands a shelled shadow of her former self, like a hummingbird that has lost its grace. She is trying now to regain it and although she faces many obstacles, some of which are not her fault, I am confident that she will do it. I am also confident that I will not be alive to see it, but someday India will be beautiful again. She has hope. Hope for a better tomorrow, even if nothing else. She does not pretend she has anything besides hope, but her hope is more beautiful and more powerful than any tangible manifestation imaginable. Someday she will wear vibrant racing colors once again and they will not just be makeup. Someday, she will race alongside the other beautiful colors and know that she has accomplished this by herself and only by herself. When they ask her why she will tell them that she has a soul that has suffered defeat one too many times and although she has deep scars, she decided that she will never lose again.

I have grown strangely fond of India

– Christopher R. F. Lentricchia