I can't believe it is our last evening in India. This trip has gone by so fast and we have done SO much.
We spent the last few days attending various discussions and presentations, seeing the Taj Mahal, going to a call center, and about 500 other things.
We have been very fortunate to meet with so many inspiring women. It is amazing to hear women speak about the progress they have made in a notoriously male-dominated society.
I don't have much time to write but I just wanted to post a final blog before we all go home. It's going to be hard to adjust back to life in America after spending ten days out here!
But it's okay, I'll just have to come back sometime...maybe as a graduate student at one of the schools we visited??
-Jessica
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
NIILM (by Jessica)
It has been a while since we have had time to write!
Things have been very crazy lately as we are all getting used to life in Indian Standard Time. I don't have enough time to write about everything, but off the top of my head right now...
Holi- Holi was SO MUCH FUN! We have some great pictures to post when we get home. It was a lot of fun to dance in the streets with everyone while people threw colored water down onto us from their apartments above. It was very different from how Americans celebrate holidays; the communal aspect of Holi with everyone joining together in the streets was reflective of the culture here in India. I still have spots of paint in my hair and on my arms!
Dharmsala- It was so, so incredible to go to the temple where the Dalai Lama was giving his spring teachings. We got to walk through the entire place while the monks were chanting and listening and then we got to walk right next to the Dalai Lama and see him in person. We later learned that NOBODY gets to do that and we had very special treatment during that trip through the temple. I can't even put it into words right now but it was an incredible experience.
The city was also beautiful and I liked being up in the mountains.
Again, it has been great to get to know Indian students and hear more about their lives and experiences. I like how in the classrooms the Indian students call their professors "Sir" and "Ma'm." One of my new friends from EMPI, Ashoo, told me about her family and how she wants to go into the textile business when she gets her Masters degree. After we celebrated Holi, she asked me about the holidays in America and I had to explain Halloween to her. She had never heard of it! I love being in a place that is so different from America and where the culture is not totally Americanized. There are certainly modern/American aspects here and there, but the Indian students are very proud of their culture.
I think it is time to go!
-Jessica
Things have been very crazy lately as we are all getting used to life in Indian Standard Time. I don't have enough time to write about everything, but off the top of my head right now...
Holi- Holi was SO MUCH FUN! We have some great pictures to post when we get home. It was a lot of fun to dance in the streets with everyone while people threw colored water down onto us from their apartments above. It was very different from how Americans celebrate holidays; the communal aspect of Holi with everyone joining together in the streets was reflective of the culture here in India. I still have spots of paint in my hair and on my arms!
Dharmsala- It was so, so incredible to go to the temple where the Dalai Lama was giving his spring teachings. We got to walk through the entire place while the monks were chanting and listening and then we got to walk right next to the Dalai Lama and see him in person. We later learned that NOBODY gets to do that and we had very special treatment during that trip through the temple. I can't even put it into words right now but it was an incredible experience.
The city was also beautiful and I liked being up in the mountains.
Again, it has been great to get to know Indian students and hear more about their lives and experiences. I like how in the classrooms the Indian students call their professors "Sir" and "Ma'm." One of my new friends from EMPI, Ashoo, told me about her family and how she wants to go into the textile business when she gets her Masters degree. After we celebrated Holi, she asked me about the holidays in America and I had to explain Halloween to her. She had never heard of it! I love being in a place that is so different from America and where the culture is not totally Americanized. There are certainly modern/American aspects here and there, but the Indian students are very proud of their culture.
I think it is time to go!
-Jessica
Finally have Internet! (Kyle)
So much has happened since my first post last Saturday. Unfortunately, I can not put it all down, but I'll do my best to provide an overview...
The Holi celebration last weekend was extremely fun but the colors have still not come out of some of my classmates hair and skin! It was neat to celebrate a holiday that the whole country was a part of. That same weekend we also saw some EMPI student presentations consisting of dance and music, a puppet show, and a monkey dance. We were so excited to see the monkies, but little did we know we would see so many more just hanging around in the streets off campus.
The sightseeing we did in Delhi was incredible. We saw the Lotus temple, the India Gate, the Ghandi memorial and many others. While sightseeing we were all dressed in beautiful Suris that EMPI gave to us. Don't worry...pictures to follow. While out we are treated like celebrities. It actually has become unbearable to always have our pictures taken by strangers or just to be stared at. When we took a group photo at the India Gate, surrounding visitors gathered to take their own "snaps" of us. It was different.
Our time spent in Dharmshala was also wonderful. Despite the motion sickness many of us felt from driving up and down the Himalayas, the things we did there were so fun! The most amazing thing for me was to see the Dalai Lama in person. We walked through the temple while he was teaching. My heart flipped and my eyes filled with tears instantly. When we all left the temple the majority of us were crying because it was so moving.
Following that we went to a Tiebetan monk monastary and the Norbulingka Institute (where we saw beautiful handicrafts being made by their students). I bought some beautiful frames (hand made and painted by the students). We also did some street shopping and the Jammu University students who were accompanying us to Dharmshala taught us how to bargain. They did not realize that bargaining doesn't really exist in the US, and that instead we have fixed prices.
After leaving the Himalayas we have come back to Delhi via train. This was something many of us could not handle. At that point, I was just feeling Indian culture overload and missed home. I am feeling much better today now that we are at NIILM campus, which is where I am writing from.
Hopefully, we will have another to chance to blog again, but the Internet has been difficult to access.
The Holi celebration last weekend was extremely fun but the colors have still not come out of some of my classmates hair and skin! It was neat to celebrate a holiday that the whole country was a part of. That same weekend we also saw some EMPI student presentations consisting of dance and music, a puppet show, and a monkey dance. We were so excited to see the monkies, but little did we know we would see so many more just hanging around in the streets off campus.
The sightseeing we did in Delhi was incredible. We saw the Lotus temple, the India Gate, the Ghandi memorial and many others. While sightseeing we were all dressed in beautiful Suris that EMPI gave to us. Don't worry...pictures to follow. While out we are treated like celebrities. It actually has become unbearable to always have our pictures taken by strangers or just to be stared at. When we took a group photo at the India Gate, surrounding visitors gathered to take their own "snaps" of us. It was different.
Our time spent in Dharmshala was also wonderful. Despite the motion sickness many of us felt from driving up and down the Himalayas, the things we did there were so fun! The most amazing thing for me was to see the Dalai Lama in person. We walked through the temple while he was teaching. My heart flipped and my eyes filled with tears instantly. When we all left the temple the majority of us were crying because it was so moving.
Following that we went to a Tiebetan monk monastary and the Norbulingka Institute (where we saw beautiful handicrafts being made by their students). I bought some beautiful frames (hand made and painted by the students). We also did some street shopping and the Jammu University students who were accompanying us to Dharmshala taught us how to bargain. They did not realize that bargaining doesn't really exist in the US, and that instead we have fixed prices.
After leaving the Himalayas we have come back to Delhi via train. This was something many of us could not handle. At that point, I was just feeling Indian culture overload and missed home. I am feeling much better today now that we are at NIILM campus, which is where I am writing from.
Hopefully, we will have another to chance to blog again, but the Internet has been difficult to access.
Thursday's Blog - Nicole
Since we have been so busy with activities and traveling, we haven't had access to the internet in a while; however, I am now taking this small bit of freetime to recap our adventures thus far:
My last blog left off with Saturday afternoon, so I will begin with Saturday evening. On Saturday evening the EMPI students performed an awesome talent show, which displayed the various dances and songs from the various Indian states. On Sunday, we celebrated "Holi," which is a huge holiday in India. Indians celebrate this holiday by throwing paint on each other. As we celebrated we got covered in paint (some girls still can't get the paint out of their hair)! Despite the messiness of Holi, we had an absolute blast interacting with the Indian students and learning about how they celebrate their important holidays. After the Holi celebration, the EMPI female students helped us get dressed in sarees (formal wear for Indian women). After we were all dressed, we hopped in a bus with the EMPI students to tour Delhi. As we toured the city we saw prominent attractions, including the Gate of India, the parliment building, Bhati House, and Ghandi's burial area. When we got out to explore these places we were the main attraction as Indians have probably never seen 20 American girls dressed in sarees .... they swarmed around us, taking our pictures, and asking to be in pictures with us. This was very overwhelming for all of us. After the tour, we arrived at our final destination, the Indian Habitat Center. At the center we were joined my the president of EMPI and other faculty members for dinner. The food was great and the company was even better! On Monday we woke up very early as we needed to reach the Delhi airport by 6:30am for our flight to Jammu. After the one hour plane ride, we arrived at Jammu and were graciously greeted the the University's faculty and students. We then went to the Jammu University guesthouse and had a traditional Indian breakfast with the students. After the breakfast we headed by bus to a small village (Nud village). At Nud village, we had a firsthand glimpse at rural life in India...from the crafts to the home to the energy system. After Nud village, we drove to Mansar where we enjoyed delicious Dogra food on the side of a lake. The landscape was absolutely beautiful and the food was delicious as well (although a bit spicer than other Indian food). After lunch, we packed in the bus again for a very long bus ride to Dharamshala (were the Dalai Lama was exiled to). The bus ride long and bumpy, which caused nausea among must of us. Half way through this adventure to Dharmshala we got out at a small village. This was my first time walking in a non-rural village and I must admit was a bit scared...children came up to us begging for money, adults selling oranges were in our faces asking us to buy their goods, and the smell of smoke was so strong that it was hard to breathe. After this break, we continued onto Dharmshala and eventually arrived there around midnight. On Tuesday, we had an absolutely wonderful day as we saw the Dalai Lama give his spring teaching firsthand. Although we could not take cameras into the temple, I will forever remember the hundreds of monks sitting and praying as the Dalai Lama spoke in Tibetan. It was an absolutely amazing experience that each and every one of us will remember forever!
Well, I must get going as we are scheduled to see a demonstration of Indian dancing in about 10 minutes! I will update the blog soon so everyone knows what I have been up to in incredible India! :) ps: I think we are going to an Indian McDonald's either tonight or tomorrow ... stay tuned for reviews of the restaurant!
My last blog left off with Saturday afternoon, so I will begin with Saturday evening. On Saturday evening the EMPI students performed an awesome talent show, which displayed the various dances and songs from the various Indian states. On Sunday, we celebrated "Holi," which is a huge holiday in India. Indians celebrate this holiday by throwing paint on each other. As we celebrated we got covered in paint (some girls still can't get the paint out of their hair)! Despite the messiness of Holi, we had an absolute blast interacting with the Indian students and learning about how they celebrate their important holidays. After the Holi celebration, the EMPI female students helped us get dressed in sarees (formal wear for Indian women). After we were all dressed, we hopped in a bus with the EMPI students to tour Delhi. As we toured the city we saw prominent attractions, including the Gate of India, the parliment building, Bhati House, and Ghandi's burial area. When we got out to explore these places we were the main attraction as Indians have probably never seen 20 American girls dressed in sarees .... they swarmed around us, taking our pictures, and asking to be in pictures with us. This was very overwhelming for all of us. After the tour, we arrived at our final destination, the Indian Habitat Center. At the center we were joined my the president of EMPI and other faculty members for dinner. The food was great and the company was even better! On Monday we woke up very early as we needed to reach the Delhi airport by 6:30am for our flight to Jammu. After the one hour plane ride, we arrived at Jammu and were graciously greeted the the University's faculty and students. We then went to the Jammu University guesthouse and had a traditional Indian breakfast with the students. After the breakfast we headed by bus to a small village (Nud village). At Nud village, we had a firsthand glimpse at rural life in India...from the crafts to the home to the energy system. After Nud village, we drove to Mansar where we enjoyed delicious Dogra food on the side of a lake. The landscape was absolutely beautiful and the food was delicious as well (although a bit spicer than other Indian food). After lunch, we packed in the bus again for a very long bus ride to Dharamshala (were the Dalai Lama was exiled to). The bus ride long and bumpy, which caused nausea among must of us. Half way through this adventure to Dharmshala we got out at a small village. This was my first time walking in a non-rural village and I must admit was a bit scared...children came up to us begging for money, adults selling oranges were in our faces asking us to buy their goods, and the smell of smoke was so strong that it was hard to breathe. After this break, we continued onto Dharmshala and eventually arrived there around midnight. On Tuesday, we had an absolutely wonderful day as we saw the Dalai Lama give his spring teaching firsthand. Although we could not take cameras into the temple, I will forever remember the hundreds of monks sitting and praying as the Dalai Lama spoke in Tibetan. It was an absolutely amazing experience that each and every one of us will remember forever!
Well, I must get going as we are scheduled to see a demonstration of Indian dancing in about 10 minutes! I will update the blog soon so everyone knows what I have been up to in incredible India! :) ps: I think we are going to an Indian McDonald's either tonight or tomorrow ... stay tuned for reviews of the restaurant!
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Our first day! (by Jessica)
Today has been so much fun and there is still so much to come!
I liked walking around and seeing the school children this morning. I also really liked the chai! It was so good and very different from what I've had in America.
This afternoon has been really exciting. We got to see monkeys!!! I was happy to see the monkeys but I felt bad for them because they didn't seem too happy. Well, they didn't seem too happy when the man made them dance. They seemed quite content when they got to eat bugs off of each other later on.
I am impressed by how hard the EMPI students work in their business programs. They told us that they do not have TVs because they have no time to watch anything. They wake up around 6 A.M. for mandatory work-outs then they have classes and homework until very late at night. It is also interesting to be on this campus after driving through what looked like very exterme poverty on the way here. It is a strange contrast between the tiny roadside shacks and this bright, beautiful campus filled with future global business leaders.
-Jessica R.
I liked walking around and seeing the school children this morning. I also really liked the chai! It was so good and very different from what I've had in America.
This afternoon has been really exciting. We got to see monkeys!!! I was happy to see the monkeys but I felt bad for them because they didn't seem too happy. Well, they didn't seem too happy when the man made them dance. They seemed quite content when they got to eat bugs off of each other later on.
I am impressed by how hard the EMPI students work in their business programs. They told us that they do not have TVs because they have no time to watch anything. They wake up around 6 A.M. for mandatory work-outs then they have classes and homework until very late at night. It is also interesting to be on this campus after driving through what looked like very exterme poverty on the way here. It is a strange contrast between the tiny roadside shacks and this bright, beautiful campus filled with future global business leaders.
-Jessica R.
1st Full Day in India - Nicole
Today is our first full day in India! We arrived late last night (Friday) in Delhi after a 13.5 hour plane ride. The plane ride was not that bad considering they played wonderful Indian films the entire trip and served delicious Indian cuisine. Upon our arrival at the Delhi airport, we were warmly welcomed by EMPI's students and staff; they presented each of us with a handmade rose garland. After a 20 minute bus ride to campus we were again welcomed by the business school's students and faculty. As we drove through the city to campus, we saw cows and dogs in the street...it was unreal!
Today we woke up at 7:30am (after going to bed at about 2am). We had a delicious Indian breakfast! Then, after getting ready, an Indian woman performed eyebrow treading of most of us (basically the Indian version of eyebrow waxing, but they don't use wax). After the eyebrow treading, we each got mendi on our hands and arms (some girls got it on their necks and legs too). They designs are so beautiful and elaborate! While the actual design process took only about 10 minutes, we had to wait for about an hour for the ink to dry. My design starts at my index finger and covers my entire hand and forearm (I took many pictures and the design will definitely still be there when I come home)! After the mendi, we ate a delicious Indian lunch and had a traditional Indian dessert. Next, we watched a puppet show, dancing monkies, and a guy blow fire (all traditional Indian customs and all so entertaining). After the performances, we danced to Indian (punjab) music. All 18 of us dancing was so much fun...I only wish I could dance like some of the real Indian dancers! :)
We are on a one hour break now. Many girls are resting from jet lag, but I am way too excited to sleep. I have had such an awesome time and it is only the first day! Since we are here during the Indian holiday, "Holi," we will be celebrating tonight and tomorrow. Indians celebrate Holi by throwing paint at each other ... I will definitely be writing about this experience in my next blog!
On Tuesday we are meeting the Dalai Lama! I am so excited for this! We are attending his teaching session and doing yoga/meditation. This is truly a one in a lifetime opportunity! In addition to visiting the Dalai Lama, we are also going to the Taj Mahal and site-seeing through Delhi and other cities. Saturday will be our shopping day! I think that I will definitely have to buy another suitcase for everything I plan on buying!
Alrighty, I am off to the culture show. I am looking forward to seeing the traditional Indian performances that the EMPI students have planned for us...it should be amazing! Check back and thanks for reading! :)
Today we woke up at 7:30am (after going to bed at about 2am). We had a delicious Indian breakfast! Then, after getting ready, an Indian woman performed eyebrow treading of most of us (basically the Indian version of eyebrow waxing, but they don't use wax). After the eyebrow treading, we each got mendi on our hands and arms (some girls got it on their necks and legs too). They designs are so beautiful and elaborate! While the actual design process took only about 10 minutes, we had to wait for about an hour for the ink to dry. My design starts at my index finger and covers my entire hand and forearm (I took many pictures and the design will definitely still be there when I come home)! After the mendi, we ate a delicious Indian lunch and had a traditional Indian dessert. Next, we watched a puppet show, dancing monkies, and a guy blow fire (all traditional Indian customs and all so entertaining). After the performances, we danced to Indian (punjab) music. All 18 of us dancing was so much fun...I only wish I could dance like some of the real Indian dancers! :)
We are on a one hour break now. Many girls are resting from jet lag, but I am way too excited to sleep. I have had such an awesome time and it is only the first day! Since we are here during the Indian holiday, "Holi," we will be celebrating tonight and tomorrow. Indians celebrate Holi by throwing paint at each other ... I will definitely be writing about this experience in my next blog!
On Tuesday we are meeting the Dalai Lama! I am so excited for this! We are attending his teaching session and doing yoga/meditation. This is truly a one in a lifetime opportunity! In addition to visiting the Dalai Lama, we are also going to the Taj Mahal and site-seeing through Delhi and other cities. Saturday will be our shopping day! I think that I will definitely have to buy another suitcase for everything I plan on buying!
Alrighty, I am off to the culture show. I am looking forward to seeing the traditional Indian performances that the EMPI students have planned for us...it should be amazing! Check back and thanks for reading! :)
Friday, March 2, 2007
I'm in India! - Kyle
I am so happy to be here! The flight was long, but I slept for most of it. The plane was so big, I could not even believe it. Each person had their own personal TV with remote and three meals were served!
The EMPI business school campus is beautiful. We have been interacting with four female students mostly, and they are so sweet. Actually one of their names, which is Numrita (not sure about the spelling) means sweet.
The hosts have been so warm and welcoming. They have been feeding us a lot and stocked up the dorms with lots of food (and chocolate). The interactions have been so positive. We will be staying on campus today, and not shopping as originally planned. The shops are closed due to the Holi celebration which will begin this afternoon.
I am excited to meet more people and learn more about the culture in India.
The EMPI business school campus is beautiful. We have been interacting with four female students mostly, and they are so sweet. Actually one of their names, which is Numrita (not sure about the spelling) means sweet.
The hosts have been so warm and welcoming. They have been feeding us a lot and stocked up the dorms with lots of food (and chocolate). The interactions have been so positive. We will be staying on campus today, and not shopping as originally planned. The shops are closed due to the Holi celebration which will begin this afternoon.
I am excited to meet more people and learn more about the culture in India.
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