Cockroaches, mice, and Indian trains- oh my.

We got back from the South Indian tour two days ago in the morning, but before I post about that I wanted to give everyone a description of the train journey from Madurai to Villapuram that we took last night.  Our train was supposed to leave at 11pm, when we got to the train station after an exceptionally long dinner to prolong time spent in a restaurant rather than the station (where considerable amounts of fries, naan and beer were partaken of), Sunny Uncle (our program director who is amazing) realized that the person booked the wrong tickets for us… the train we were scheduled to be on left at 11am.  What to do? Get a spot on another train. Seems easy enough right? For those who have been in an Indian train station you will understand when I saw no, it was not easy. 

We had to go get 7 open seats (basically buy 7 more tickets) for the train we were supposed to take.  To do this Kara, Lauren and I got into the “Ladies Only” line, and with help from Sunny got the open tickets.  This involved lots of pushing, and talking to the baby the woman in front of us was holding.  These open seats are exactly what they sound like… you sit wherever is open.  Since information regarding the train number, platform number and departure time were not clear, Kara and I headed to the information desk.  A man who spoke heavily accented English helped us, but only after we had to ask him to repeat it several times.  We also were not used to others trying to physically push you in line to get closer- but we pushed back.  There is no private space in India- there isn’t enough room for it.

Weighed down with our clothes and purchases from the previous eight days we forced our way into a coach to find a train operator to see where some empty spots were.  There were none. He advised to wait for the next train, which was in 30 minutes.  It seemed like all of our problems were taken care of- we would get seats on the next train and sleep until our arrival in Villapuram.  Again, we were wrong.  We did get spots on the next train, but they weren’t “seats.” Lauren slept on the floor near the bathroom, I hung out in that area for a while before commandeering the end of a bench a woman was mostly not using for sleeping.  Leala was in the same position in another bench across from me with a sleeping mother and her young daughter.  Kara, Jackie, Chris and Sunny Luke were a car away- with only the bathrooms separating us.

This was one of the worst nights I have had in my life.  Being uncomfortable is not a fun thing, but it is do-able.  What got me was the state of the train.  This train was DIRTY.  Much dirtier than the previous one we rode to start the South India journey.  Not dirty as in dusty, dirty as in cockroaches crawling on the floors, walls, and benches, the constant smell of feces from the toilets whenever the train stopped moving, the mouse that lived in our car, and the constant hacking of two older gentlemen who might have needed medical treatment- and in India you don’t cover your mouth.

Around 4am, after a constant shifting of positions, mostly hunched over trying to avoid the middle bench (and at one point lying down next to the woman whose bench I was stealing- when you hit a certain point of exhaustion, you just don’t care), a family got off the train.  Lauren, Leala and I immediately overtook their spots.  I think I got about an hour of sleep.  I found that the longer the train travelled, the less I was worried about sleeping on a sheet on the bench, and the more I was worried about avoiding the various insects while trying to stifle the nausea I was experiencing because of the fecal smell. 

Though the train and some of its inhabitant were disgusting, in typical Indian fashion there were a few good souls who pointed out the empty beds, the woman who allowed me to sleep next to her (I wish I was in my right mind at the time to thank her more fully), and a man who made sure we knew when the next train to Pondicherry left  (we were taking a bus back, but he didn’t understand that).  I was struck by the overwhelming kindness of some of the Indian people- I think they have a more communal, “we’re all in this together” mentality.  In the US the focus of people is their own comfort, space, and privacy.

            The person I would most like to thank, however, is Dr. Prof. Sunny Uncle Luke  (a man of many names, mostly we just call him Sunny Luke).  A 60 year- old man made this journey with us with no complaints- and when things went wrong, though he was furious, he turned it into a learning opportunity for the Indian railway system for our group.  He has taken care of the six of us for the past two weeks, and on Wednesday he is, as he put, “cutting the umbilical cord!”  I don’t know what we’ll do without him- probably make a lot of mistakes and have many unanswered questions about Indian society and culture.  I would not have made it through the train journey, or South Indian tour without him.  Thank you Sunny Uncle.

The girls at dinner! R-L: Kara, Leala, Lauren, Jackie

Chris and I manning the other side of the table.

Train station nightmare.

How I put on this face I have no idea.

"India is not another country, it is another planet!"

The title of this blog post is from Dr. Sunny Luke, our program director- I thought it was more than fitting for my first post.  The past few days have been quite an experience. I have so much to say but it is difficult to get it all down. I left for India on the 7^th and got there on the 9^th at about 2am.  Luckily, both my bags made it.  After sleeping for several hours Leala, Kara and I walked around what I now know is the Tamil side (as opposed to the French side) of Puducherry.  First thoughts: loud, the smell, lots of colors, dirty but beautiful too.  The traffic in India is insane- it is exactly like what you’ve seen in the movies.  The only rule seems to be that honking frequently is necessary. As I write this I can hear continuous honking from the streets below. Other than that there are no rules.

We are staying in the Hotel Suguru- known for its restaurant where we have eaten every meal.  In the morning I usually have idly- rice cakes with different sauces/ toppings, for lunch it’s more rice and toppings (today paneer pulao- cheese and spiced rice with a onion yogurt relish), and for dinner we have eaten both dosa and naan- delicious.  Puducherry is about 95% vegetarian, which awesome. I haven’t had meat since I got here and I haven’t missed it. In India you only eat with your right hand, and you don’t usually use utensils.  It was hard at first but after learning it, I find it a pretty refined technique.  You pick up the food and use you thumb in a sweeping motion to push it off you hand and into your mouth. If done correctly the only thing messy should be your fingers.

Yesterday the IISAC program director, Dr. Sunny Luke, lectured us on Indian culture (mostly on dealing with the opposite sex), and Pondicherry University.  Indian girls and boys are basically raised to be strangers, and boys will take any type of attention from American women/ foreigners as a sign of interest or a come on.  The girls of the program have to be very careful with how we interact with Indian men in case we give off the wrong signal.  It is worrisome, because the natural American reaction to seeing someone is a quick smile.  Dr. Luke advised us against this.

Pondicherry University is HUGE compared to Hendrix.  Most schools are, but PU stretches across 800 acres.  We plan on using bikes to get around and to go to the shops nearby to get what we need.  We didn’t pick our classes, but told Mani- Mani (if that is how you spell her name), and assistant to Dr. Luke, which subjects we were interested in and she is going to type up a list of the classes in these subjects that we may choose from.  I am interested in Philosophy, Sociology, Environmental Studies and Physical Education (I would like to take a field hockey class).

Today we had our Visas validated, which only took about an hour. Then we went on a tour through the botanical garden, walked on the beach, and after lunch visited Auroville, which is an intentional community known worldwide about 20 minutes outside of Puducherry.  It was great to visit.  Auroville is very quiet and peaceful.  I couldn’t hear and cars, and the air was cleaner.  It was a much-needed break, as the city can feel overwhelming after a while.  Tonight is our last night at hotel Suguru.  Tomorrow we leave at night by train to start our South India Tour- first stop in Cochin.  Leala and I capped off our last night with a beer, Indian music videos, and blogging before our big trip.  If anyone has any questions please post a comment or send me an email!

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A creek/ river that runs under a bridge on the Tamil side of Puducherry.

Breakfast the first morning in Hotel Suguru- I can't remember the name of it, but it was wonderful.

The street when you walk outside the hotel (taken on my first walk)

Thali- an Indian lunch. You eat the sauces and sides in a certain order and after the bread is finished they put white rice in the middle- everything eaten with just the right hand.

Our bathroom in Hotel Suguru- notice the shower.

In the botanical gardens in Puducherry today.

The meditation center in Auroville- only those who live there  are allowed in.

A huge tree (can't remember the type) in Auroville.  The branches grow twigs that eventually become extra trunks and root into the ground.

The toy/small train path in the botanical gardens- we went for a ride, it was like being at Disney World.

The Eve of Departure

Tomorrow I leave for India. I fly out of Philadelphia at 6:25pm to Heathrow in London.  Leala (another junior from Hendrix also going- who is amazing) and I will meet in Heathrow and catch the plane to Chennai, India together.  We arrive in Chennai at 1am India time, and from there our program will pick us up and take us to Pondicherry.
I think I have most of my stuff together.  Packing has been slow going as I try not to overpack, which I always do.  Mostly my bag is full of medicine... just in case. My room is a veritable mess and at this point it's quite like a maze and scavenger hunt rolled into one as I try to find the items I need while simultaneously walking through the room.
It's all becoming very real now and I wonder what I have gotten myself into.  I'm concerned about dressing and acting properly for Indian society and culture, but I am hoping that this is something I will pick up on as the semester goes.