Today is my fifth day in India, and I am in love. This country is as beautiful as it is diverse, with dozens of languages, cultures, and styles of food and dress. In the midst of the color and heat of the past few days, I learned a few things that surprised me:
- Almost everyone speaks English! I knew it was taught in schools and thus commonly known, but I didn't realize its ubiquity. Not everyone is fluent, but everyone knows enough to communicate basic needs.
- I have mastered the infamous Indian head bobble. Or, at least, I can understand its meaning some of the time. A waggle with open eyes can mean anything from "yes" to "maybe not," depending on the situation and the vigor and depth of the bob. A bobble with closed eyes means "no." The gesture is actually pretty catchy; I've found myself participating subconsciously on more than one occasion.
- Move over, Italy; India has found 1000 ways to make carbs even more delicious. Breads, chapatis, sweets, biscuits, and my personal favorite, flakey parathas.
- Indian fashion is lovely for the women, although very hot: swaths and swaths of colorful fabric make saris and salwar kameez (pattern/color matching is not a concept here), and every woman looks very put-together, with nearly braided hair, jewelry, and occasionally fragrant jasmine tucked into their braids. South Indian men, on the other hand, either got the short end of the stick for fashion styles or fashion sense: they wear long skirt-like wraps called lungi, which would be fine if they were clean, and maybe worn with something other than a dirty old T-shirt. (This is not the case for all men, just more men than women.)
- Matching toe rings in the first toes are equivalent to wedding rings. I learned this after I bought a pair...oops!
- Not everywhere is hot! Kate and I visited the school where she used to teach, tucked away on top of a mountain in the western Ghats. It's 2000 meters above sea level, and the weather is perfect every day--70F with a cool breeze. It even gets chilly in the morning.
The school where Kate worked, located in Kodaikanal, is a private boarding school started by American missionaries. Although it catered primarily to white families in its inception, the students now mostly come from India or Korea, generally from very wealthy families. The campus is beautiful, a mix between Hogwarts, Princeton, and the set of a countryside Korean drama. See pictures below.
The school is around the corner from Coaker's Walk, where you can see the valley and plains, and on a clear day you can see all the way to Madurai. Kodaikanal is a popular destination for domestic tourists, especially in May when the rest of the country heats up.
To reach this idyllic vista, we hired a taxi for the 3 hour trek from Madurai. The last hour was uphill, entirely hairpin turns, and I relied on fresh air and Dramamine to settle my writhing stomach. Our taxi driver seemed intent on passing everyone else, but not necessarily traveling faster than them: he would pass someone, then go the exact same speed as them. I know, I wanted to tell the people now behind us, I hate this kind of driver too.
After spending two days with Kate's lovely former coworkers and friends, we journeyed not to Madurai again, but to Cochin, a city on the west coast with a booming tourism industry. This time, the taxi ride was 7 hours long --but only $150! Even more astounding, I didn't pee ONCE the whole time. I didn't know it was possible. We also saw bands of monkeys in the road, and Kate quickly informed me that here, monkeys are about as well liked as rats in the US. I thought they were cute and took pictures of them anyway.
We also encountered several homes with very loud loudspeakers outside, blaring Bollywood and classical Indian music. Apparently this is common--there is no such thing as "disturbing the peace," and everyone believes that the entire village wants to enjoy their 90's Bollywood selection. Needless to say, this would not fly in the US.
I'm out to enjoy my time in Cochin ( "God's Own Country")--sneak peek below :-)
- Almost everyone speaks English! I knew it was taught in schools and thus commonly known, but I didn't realize its ubiquity. Not everyone is fluent, but everyone knows enough to communicate basic needs.
- I have mastered the infamous Indian head bobble. Or, at least, I can understand its meaning some of the time. A waggle with open eyes can mean anything from "yes" to "maybe not," depending on the situation and the vigor and depth of the bob. A bobble with closed eyes means "no." The gesture is actually pretty catchy; I've found myself participating subconsciously on more than one occasion.
- Move over, Italy; India has found 1000 ways to make carbs even more delicious. Breads, chapatis, sweets, biscuits, and my personal favorite, flakey parathas.
- Indian fashion is lovely for the women, although very hot: swaths and swaths of colorful fabric make saris and salwar kameez (pattern/color matching is not a concept here), and every woman looks very put-together, with nearly braided hair, jewelry, and occasionally fragrant jasmine tucked into their braids. South Indian men, on the other hand, either got the short end of the stick for fashion styles or fashion sense: they wear long skirt-like wraps called lungi, which would be fine if they were clean, and maybe worn with something other than a dirty old T-shirt. (This is not the case for all men, just more men than women.)
- Matching toe rings in the first toes are equivalent to wedding rings. I learned this after I bought a pair...oops!
- Not everywhere is hot! Kate and I visited the school where she used to teach, tucked away on top of a mountain in the western Ghats. It's 2000 meters above sea level, and the weather is perfect every day--70F with a cool breeze. It even gets chilly in the morning.
The school where Kate worked, located in Kodaikanal, is a private boarding school started by American missionaries. Although it catered primarily to white families in its inception, the students now mostly come from India or Korea, generally from very wealthy families. The campus is beautiful, a mix between Hogwarts, Princeton, and the set of a countryside Korean drama. See pictures below.
The school is around the corner from Coaker's Walk, where you can see the valley and plains, and on a clear day you can see all the way to Madurai. Kodaikanal is a popular destination for domestic tourists, especially in May when the rest of the country heats up.
To reach this idyllic vista, we hired a taxi for the 3 hour trek from Madurai. The last hour was uphill, entirely hairpin turns, and I relied on fresh air and Dramamine to settle my writhing stomach. Our taxi driver seemed intent on passing everyone else, but not necessarily traveling faster than them: he would pass someone, then go the exact same speed as them. I know, I wanted to tell the people now behind us, I hate this kind of driver too.
After spending two days with Kate's lovely former coworkers and friends, we journeyed not to Madurai again, but to Cochin, a city on the west coast with a booming tourism industry. This time, the taxi ride was 7 hours long --but only $150! Even more astounding, I didn't pee ONCE the whole time. I didn't know it was possible. We also saw bands of monkeys in the road, and Kate quickly informed me that here, monkeys are about as well liked as rats in the US. I thought they were cute and took pictures of them anyway.
We also encountered several homes with very loud loudspeakers outside, blaring Bollywood and classical Indian music. Apparently this is common--there is no such thing as "disturbing the peace," and everyone believes that the entire village wants to enjoy their 90's Bollywood selection. Needless to say, this would not fly in the US.
I'm out to enjoy my time in Cochin ( "God's Own Country")--sneak peek below :-)
Looks like you are having fun and taking sim beautiful photos! I'm missing you back in the states.
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