Food for Thought

Spicy, Sweet, and everything Good A complete meal! Including the several pieces of mango on the side.

All the variety of food we get on a daily basis at the Tagore International Hostel

Lassi Faluda is a party in your mouth of pistachio ice cream, sugar, bubbles, rose water, vanilla milk, and gummies

Thali at Jaipur Cultural Heritage Village (Thali is like a curry buffet)

TEA Time! Chai or Masala Tea is a daily must and can be enjoyed at any time.

Chai. It is easily the best mixture of spicy, sweet, and strong tea in a little china cup that never seems to fill you up, even after maybe 3 servings. It is also my newest addiction. I am certain I will have to obtain some and learn how to make it the “masala” way before returning to the states.

But you can’t have tea time without having your main courses first. The food here is one of the richest and most enjoyable things I have come to love about India. Each day there are three servings, unless we go out on an excursion, in which case there are meals at local hip restaurants boasting of the best kababs in the region. Kababs and chicken tikka are some of my favorites, but I have also sampled chicken biryani, cauliflower curry, dahl (yellow lentil curry), mango pickle, spicy salad, naan, roti, rice, yellow rice, and a plethora more dishes. The variety seems endless.

Sweet tooth that I am, the best part is yet to come after the meal. The desert! Sometimes this includes authentic indian deserts such as rasmalai, hulva, or other custard and porridge sweets. Other times it is the softest, light as a cloud, sweetest ice cream I have ever tasted, in the flavors of mango, butterscotch, and vanilla. I could eat butterscotch icecream at all times, anytime. In the mornings, we usually get power shakes to boost our energy which include a mixture of either watermelon or pomegranate and raspberry. My breakfasts are no longer granola bars, they are full fledged meals boasting of toast with jam or butter, eggs, oatmeal, cereal, idleys (sponge cakes), pancakes, omelet, dosa (crispy pancakes), and chai.

Jungle Book

I live in the Jungle. No literally. Im next to balu's and sher khan's*; well maybe not quite, but I have definitely seen my share of wild animals.
Top most interesting animals
1. Elephant (hands down the coolest animal and most revered in India. They are considered divine beings. Riding one is definitely an out of this world experience).
2. Camel (you don't see people riding camels everyday down the road like its a normal form of transportation. These long legged humped creatures lolligag along the roads looking serene as their owners stare on with discomfort. Riding a camel wasn't the most comfortable form of transportation, but it was interesting).
3. Chameleon (My first time spotting this mysterious color changing creature was on my hiking trail when I saw its bright orange coating start to transform like transformers into a dark grey, matching the landscape it was sunbathing on).
4. Water Buffalo (These lumbering animals take daily swims in the less than sanitary lakes surrounding the city and our university. I've never seen so many buffalo in one place. It's like they are having a pool party, which I am surely not invited to).
5. Pinstriped Squirrels (Although we have squirrels in America, there is something truly astounding about these black striped critters that seem to test their boundaries. We actually have a mini farm in our bathroom at the hostel. In the windowsill is a family of squirrels who have built their nest out of odd tidbits and go back and forth to scourage the grounds for food. There is- I am assuming- a mother, father, and three baby squirrels).

There are of course a plethora of other wildlife surrounding me like the seven legged spider I saw crawling in the laundry room the other day, the huge beetle that fell from my lamp, the squirmy squiggly lizards that plague the bathrooms, and the one animal I would love to see at least once, Peacock; official bird of India.
I hear that peacocks come out early in the morning and late evenings, so maybe one of these days I will go for an early morning jog so that I can site these beautifully adorned birds.

*Balu in hindi means bear
*Sher - means lion

Learning Hindi...sounds and symbols?

लीर्निंग हिंदी -Learning Hindi

Learning Hindi is really just like learning a bunch of random vowel ending sounds with beautiful doodles and drawings. These actually make up the language. There are 18 languages in India. The two main ones are Hindi and English, but then each state has their own very differently constructed language. For example:

अस्फ्द्लालालाल (This is Hindi)
అస్డ్లఫ్జాద్;జ - This is in telegu (the native language of Hyderabad and the state of Andra Pradesh).

So look at the above symbols? Confused? I have been attempting to learn this foreign sanskrit based language for the past week and it is a challenge, but a fun one. I love making the symbols and saying the alphabet (only thing we have learned so far). By the end of the course the teacher says we should all be able to hold a decent conversation. Whether this will happen is determined by my motivation and ability to retain this. So far I'm pulling a Harry Potter and writing the letters over and over again on lined paper (minus the magic feathered pen). The alphabet consists of many vowel sounding letters. Some letters sound like humming as in the case of the letter (l), lalala (लाललाल), or laughing, (h), hahaha (ह्ह्ह्हह्ह).

I am anxious to begin learning the meaning behind this lovely music of words, but the letter symbols and vowel strokes are very logical. Once you get the hang of them, you are able to distinguish the letters anywhere and even pronounce the sound. Next step will be attaching a definition to what I have been learning.
We go over a few simple words each day, more so to practice the sounds and symbols then to memorize vocab. It is an entirely new concept of learning a language but I thoroughly enjoy it.
It will be interesting to track my progression in the next few weeks and I will be sure to keep you blogster readers updated!

If you feel Adventurous...

Today I was a rocketeer! Or rock climber. Along with Save the Rock Foundation and my fellow ISA group, we, (about 30 of us), went exploring in the vast underbrush of our University of Hyderabad. Who knew this campus was 24,000 acres large? Our adventures included lots of thorns, huge boulders and rocks, and buffalo lake. If you think climbing up a mountain or huge earthshaped boulders is hard, sliding down them is an even more dangerous feat. After climbing to the top and catching a glimpse of the water buffalo gawking at us humans trying to conquer the rocks, we make our way safely to the ground, feeling as if we have accomplished some great feat.
And all this is available in my backyard. You can bet that I will be going again and climbing maybe even higher mountains this time. The rock formations are extremely beautiful and give you a great view of the dense forest surrounding you everywhere. There were even a few cave like structures where the remains of late night bonfires and parties marked the walls. My favorite was the rock temple, literally shaped like a small room with an altar and elaborately piled roof of rocks.
The Save the Rock Foundation rock climbs and hikes to promote awareness of the natural landscape, beauty, and the mother earth around us. They like to find different rocks and mountains to climb around the city and usually organize a group of students, young adults, parents and children to accompany them on these awareness hikes. It is the equivalent to a marathon for breast cancer or diabetes except the terrain is much rockier.

Historical Hyderabad

We are going on a city tour of Hyderabad today. I am very excited to see my dad's old nook and also experience more of India.

Study in India Program, University of Hyderabad

Schedule for the City Tour – 18^th June, 2011

a) Chowhmalla Palace

b) Charminar

c) Mecca Masjid

d) Laad Bazar : known for its pearls, bangles and clothes

e) Lunch at Shadab: Excellent place for Biryani and Kebabs

f) Golconda Fort

Background Information

Charminar (Telugu: చార్ మినార్, Hindi: चार मीनार, Urdu: چار مینار,) meaning "Mosque of the Four Minarets" and "Four Towers" is the most famous mosque and monument in the city of Hyderabad, capital of the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah , the 5th ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty built Charminar in 1591 shortly after he had shifted his capital from Golkonda to what is now known as Hyderabad.^[1]. He built this famous structure to commemorate the elimination of a plague epidemic from this city. He is said to have prayed for the end of a plague that was ravaging his city and vowed to build a masjid (Islamic mosque) at the very place where he was praying. In 1591 while laying the foundation of Charminar, Quli Qutb shah prayed: "Oh Allah, bestow unto this city peace and prosperity. Let millions of men of all castes, creeds and religions make it their abode, like fish in the water." Today one can see the city as evidence of the prayer being answered.

Charminar has the signature style of Islamic architecture.^[6] This great tribute to aesthetics looks sturdy and solid from a distance but as one moves closer, it emerges as an elegant and romantic edifice proclaiming its architectural eminence in all its detail and dignity. Charminar looks equally spectacular at night when it is illuminated. Apart from being the core of the city’s cultural milieu, it has become a brand name.

Makkah Masjid (Telugu: మక్కా మసీదు, Urdu: مکہ مسجد) is one of the oldest mosques in Hyderabad, India and one of the largest mosques in India. Makkah Masjid is a listed heritage building located in the Old City of Hyderabad close to the historic landmarks of Charminar, Chowmahalla Palace and Laad Bazaar. Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah, the fifth ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty commissioned bricks to be made from the soil brought from Mecca, the holiest site of Islam and inducted them into the construction of the central arch of the mosque, thus rendering the mosque its name.

More than 8,000 workers were employed to build the mosque. Muhammed Qutub Shah personally laid the foundation stone of the 'mosque'

Chowmahalla Palace or Chowmahallat (4 Palaces), was a palace belonging to the Nizams of Hyderabad state. It was the seat of the Asaf Jahi dynasty and was the official residence of the Nizam. In Urdu, Chow means four and Mahalat (plural of Mahel) means palaces, hence the name Chowmahallat/four palaces. All ceremonial functions including the accession of the Nizams and receptions for the Governor-General were held at this palace. This is the oldest part of the palace, and has four palaces Afzal Mahal, Mahtab Mahal, Tahniyat Mahal and Aftab Mahal. It was built in the neo-classical style.

Golkonda, a ruined city of south-central India and capital of ancient Kingdom of Golkonda (c. 1364–1512), is situated 11 km west of Hyderabad.

The 13th century Golconda Fort was built by the Kakatiya kings. The city and fortress are built on a granite hill that is 120 meters (400 ft) high and is surrounded by massive crenelated ramparts. The beginnings of the fort date to 1143, when the Hindu Kakatiya dynasty ruled the area. The Kakatiya dynasty were followed by the state of Warangal, which was later conquered by the Islamic Bahmani Sultanat. The fort became the capital of a major province in the Sultanate and after its collapse the capital of the Qutb Shahi kings. The fort finally fell into ruins after a siege and its fall to Mughal emperor Aurangazeb.

Hospital Excursion - Health City, India

Get Well in Health City

Welcome to Jubilee Hills. Here you see houses that match America's elite and health clinics, pharmacies and billboards showing mothers with their young all culminating up to the grand treasure of the "health city"; Apollo Hospital. This is considered one of the best hospitals in India.
By no means can it compare with American hospitals, but by India's standards it is a 5 star. All the departments are listed along the far right wall when you walk in like the vietnam memorial depicting the names of its fighters, except here you see the surgeons and doctors names immortalized as the healers of the people.
It was definitely a journey getting to the HR department to inquire about internship or volunteer opportunities. It was like these people didn't know what we wanted to do. After getting sent to the blood bank and food department, we finally had someone write down the name and floor of where we were supposed to end up. We eventually found ourselves staring at the vast landscape, mountains and hills of Hyderabad on top of a 5 (technically 7) story building. Yes, I do mean the roof. The HR department was in prime location, look at the view! We went inside this glass department office on the roof and asked for Mr.Reddy.
But the story gets better...after explaining to the HR manager what we were trying to do, he said there would be an application to fill out and this would have to be approved by the vice president or someone important along those lines.
He gave us a white blank sheet of paper and told us to write what we want on it. Then he showed us to a very elaborate conference room fitted with leather chairs and a white board with a mahogany table and told us we could "deliberate" here. It was all very ironic and interesting, but we managed to complete the extensive application for his and his boss' review.
I do hope we (I and the other premed, health students) get an opportunity to work here. It would definitely be a valuable experience to see how the universal healthcare and quality of medicine is like in India.

Saree Style

Saree

Is it time for a new wardrobe?? I definitely thought so looking around me and seeing all the locals wear beautiful garments like the one above called a saree. They also wear elaborately designed long shirts or almost dresses with tights and scarfs (these can be called salvar kamis or kurtas). Never really having any of my own saree, I knew I had to get one and what better place than, well, India?

There is a process to getting the saree. Essentially this garment is a piece of cloth as long as a tablecloth, and its a one size literally fits all type deal because you are supposed to just wrap it around your body until it snuggly fits you. There are many different styles and some are more conservative than others, but in all, the effect is that of a prom dress.

Unique. That is one word to describe the plethora of sarees I see every day; the one my professor wears to class boasting of an elegance and intelligent demeanor, the one the local woman wears while carrying a jug on top of her head, the elaborate, flashy ones with all the gems and designs that the young girls wear to look fashionable, the simple ones the elders wear that emit a conservative attitude, and the one I too will be wearing within the next few days.

Shilparamam is the birthplace of my saree adventure. This is the craft village marketplace where I bartered for the fabric, obtaining it for a meer 500 rupees, or $10. The fabric was a beauty with bright orange flowers, peach stems and curly q's, and in its entirety a deep teal that looks like perfection against my skin tone. Little did I know I would need about ten more pieces to complete the entire garment and that these pieces would have to be specially tailor made to my measurements.

Getting a saree is an entire process and consumed my entire afternoon today. But it was definitely an experience learning what elements make up this traditional indian dress. From the thick cotton fold at the bottom, to the petticoat underneath the skirt portion, to my favorite, the half blouse that is styled as elaborately as you wish, the saree is truly designed as an exhibition of beauty. No saree is the same. I look at each girls and gasp with awe and delight; "That is soo pretty, oh wow this one is soo unique...ahh I love the color of that one". I have begun a habit now of photographing my favorite ones.

Although mine is more of a daily wear or casual wear saree, it is still extremely pretty. It has just the right amount of contrasted color and it is also bedazzled with silver gems/beads. The tailor will be cutting the neck in an almost heart shaped v neck line with a contrasting teal sleeve. The back is going to be a broad low v with teal lace in an elaborate border pattern. It all sounds exquisite so I am anxious to see the outcome of this traditional indian dress. All this will be done in two days at the cost of no more than 200 rupees or $4 = DEAL.

Moral of story: Shopping must be done in India and Sarees are the "it" item to purchase.

Priyanka

What is LIFE like in India?

WHAT is it really like in India??Elephant Riding in Jaipur at the Old Fort- City Palace

Some of the Children of India @ Taj Mahal in Agra Sweet Talkin' Vendor trying to sell me something I probably don't need

June 12, 2011 – Sunday

I’ve seen so many things and experienced so much that it will be difficult for me to describe it. I’m overloaded with all I have seen and yet its breathtaking to me. Three days and I’m sold! I love INDIA.

There’s so much here that I know you won’t experience elsewhere and that is what makes India so beautiful to me. Tell me where else do you fight for road space with not only cars, Motos and autos, but cows, elephants and camels?

The dusty mountains look at us majestically, boasting of a different era and expertly constructed fort or palace.

The children stare and smile at us with only the knowing look that we are different somehow.

It is sad to see some of them living through such hardship with the sparkle of hope still in their eyes as they trek through life’s rough road. Others are so cute you just want to pick them up, take them home and give them everything.

I saw a child today whose mother was begging us for food and money. This child was sleeping but behind its closed eyes I saw the pain of a burnt face and hunger.

Another noticeable thing in India are the vendors. Talk about motivation and dedication- these vendors will stop at nothing to convince you that you need what they are selling. This includes following you several miles to your next destination not even knowing what car you came in, in the first place..crazy! As tempting as it may be, you have to refrain from buying because these guys know that where you are is a tourist hot spot and they will charge you much higher for things you can find in much better quality for much cheaper in a smaller town. Not to mention that half of this stuff is completely useless and you will wake up in five years finding yourself questioning the motive behind buying that huge brass jar with the funny designs on it. But I have gotten a few things from fixed pricing stores. You see in India, there are rarely ever fixed prices, things can be bargained upon so that something that originally cost 500 rupees, costs 250 with a little of your sweet talk.

Till next blog...
Priyanka

Daring Adventures in Delhi

So I am in Delhi, India. I arrived late last night around 9 p.m. and got my taste of India when I walked outside the airport and the immense heat hit me like a tidal wave. It wasn't that hot (around 90 degrees and today is expected to be in the 100's!) But it is hotter than what I am used to, even being from Florida.
My journey to our hotel Mable Arch was a interesting albeit scary one. Imagine, honking horns, four cars next to you, in front of you, behind you, closer than bumper to bumper, make one wrong turn and your car gets scratched. People on motorcycles weaving in and out of the crowded cars and the many people walking the dusty streets of India everywhere. When we got to my hotel, my Dad's family and friends met me up there and took me to find some food or drink, but interestingly enough there is no 24 hours open joint here. Everything closes at like 10 or 11. It was still an exciting journey for me to see the street vendors cooking on metal scraps, the stray dogs posted up at every street corner, and the many makeshift beds out in the open where the impoverished lay their heads at night. The poverty is immense and it can break your heart to see.
When I came back to the hotel, I hung out with my group a little longer. We have already started bonding and getting close. Three of us were lucky enough to share the same flight in the same area on the plane. We all kind of randomly ended up in India this summer but we are definitely excited about being here. Rahul, our program director, is very reliable and makes sure we are taken care of. He will be showing us the city in the daylight today. Last night, I must admit I and my newly formed companions did do a little exploring in the nearby streets of Delhi. Today we are visiting Humayan's Tomb, Lodhi Gardens and a few other places of touristy interest.
The day has already started off well with some Mango juice, chai tea (India's specialty), and omelet with bread. Afterwards I got some chocolate biscuits from my Dad's Auntie who stopped by before work and then I went up to my room to hang with my friends before our excursions. They are actually all taking a nap due to the lag of jet lag. For some reason I am not that tired, but I am certain it will catch up with me soon.

Communicating with people back home is probably the only challenging part here, because right now its almost noon here and almost three am there.

More to come soon, including pictures; I have already taken 13 and I haven't even been here 13 hours. I tend to take thousands upon thousands of pictures when visiting places so I am sure I will collect a few hundred by the end of this week.

Priyanka