I'm taking advantage of my hour long break to catch up on some thoughts and recap the day. It is sad that my midday nap came nearly during a presentation 3 hours ago instead of now, but I guess that's jetlag for ya.
And I have some fun news... this blog will also serve as a vehicle for the MBA program catching up on a few students' spring breaks. That will be my 3rd official pr-ish blog for UT.
Also, I forgot to mention that we were in an earthquake yesterday. (My first one!) It occured while we were at IndiGo Airlines. We clearly were fine, but the walls were full of cracks once we left!
Anyway, I guess I should first explain what happened last night. After a wonderful group dinner at Q'ba in Chawndni Chowk, a few of us decided we wanted to see Old Delhi... aka "the real India." This required a trip on the metro, which was crazy. At about 9:50pm, my group (Rohit, Marian, Caroline x2, Robert, Kevin, Chris, Neka, Ryan, Amy and I) descended the steps into the Indian subway. The trip was 10 rupees ($.20) which first of all is crazy to me. Once we got to the platform, it was clear that we were 1) the only Americans, and 2) the only girls. We managed to all fit into a subway car, but we were so jam packed that I thought, "if this car breaks down we are toast. I will claustrophobically not be able to survive." It thinned out with a few stops, and then we were out. We ascended the stairs into a foreign world. It was dark out (clearly, because it was past 10pm) and the streets were covered in trash and liquid and stray dogs (both sleeping and scavaging) and homeless people in various states of sleep. Around us were a few open vendors/stores, and tons of traffic from motorcycles, pedicabs, and various small autos usually towering with something unfamiliar. When I say shops in India, I mean that you should imagine that public storage was street level, and every unit was its own store with stuff falling out from it.
Anyway, we first walked to the oldest Sikh temple in Delhi and saw the first high-rise, which was in shambles. Then we walked to a Hindu temple and Rohit explained how remarkable was that religions shared the same street. From there we kept going, and at about 10:40 we reached a dark alley that looked really shady. Rohit asked if wanted to keep going. While we probably should have said no, I think group-think set in and we figured we'd already gone this far so why not. We made our way through the alley and came across the steps of a huge mosque. While taking pictures, someone motioned to Rohit and they talked. Then Rohit came back and said, "okay guys. we need to go now." The urgency was obvious, so we headed out quickly. Between the scene I described earlier, the added fear, and the constant near misses of getting hit, I admit that all I could think about was getting back safely. We couldn't find any autorickshaws to take us, so we kept going. Finally we reached the metro at 11:05 in time for the second to last train at the station. I'll be honest, I was pretty damn happy to arrive back at the hotel. And I know Rohit was too... I felt so bad for him because he was entrusted with this group of Americans and he didn't quite expect it to be so scary. To make a long long long story short, I don't regret going at all. (Of course I'm safe and absolutely fine.) It was an experience I will never forget, though, and definitely was a side of India I never expected to see.
Anyway, this morning was a new day. After another huge breakfast, we headed out to Arkshardam and spent about 4 hours exploring the grounds, going through an exhibit that sadly reminded me of a Disneyland ride (think recorded voices, sound effects, and animatronics in at least 7 different rooms) and watching an Imax before hitting the food court. The place was beautiful, but having been built only in 2006, it didn't have the same feel as more historical building. It was neat to learn a different type of Hindu religion, though, and again - it was stunning. (Sorry, I will have pictures when I get back!) As for the food court, I tried something Rohit suggested and promptly spit it out in the trash while everyone watched me. I have no problems being adventurous food wise, but man it was horrible.
Next we went to Apollo Hospital Delhi, where we learned about healthcare in India and toured the hospital. It was really interesting, however I felt terrible that I kept nearly nodding off. Some takeaways were that traffic in India makes ambulances virtually worthless, so they send doctors on the ambulances to give patients a chance at survival. Also, attracting talent is a challenge and the government is working to change it. Lastly, the majority of hospital visits are paid for out of pocket. Insurance really isn't common except for corporate people and officials. From there, the whole group played a mean game of frogger crossing a crazy busy street to get to the bus.
Lastly we went to the Lotus Temple, which was a gift to India from the B'hai faith. It was beautiful, although the main attraction often seemed to be us, as people were taking our pictures all over the place!
The busride home was interesting too, and I'm anxious for dinner so I can continue a conversation with Rohit, Amit, and Angie about Indian expectations and culture clashes. We'll be heading to an alumni dinner soon, and then coming back to crash before our 5:00am wakeup call. We're taking the train to Agra to explore the city and then see the Taj Mahal at sunset.
Again, a few more thoughts about my experiences.
1) I am SO GLAD I am here with a McCombs Global Trip. And I'm not just saying that because they will be using this! I love going to these businesses and hearing their stories, expectations, challenges, and plans. I love sharing the experiences with so many of my friends. And I love that I didn't have to plan any of this myself. The fact that Rohit, who's pride is his homeland, gets to bring 20 of us back here with him... well that's just incredible. I can see how much he loves sharing his country, and I also can't say enough how thankful we all are for him.
2) I wonder how long it would take to be immune to all the chaos. Already I'm finding that I expect it or don't even notice at times. And that's just in two days.
3) It becomes increasingly easy to say "no" to beggers and vendors, but seeing the kids is heartbreaking.
4) I love getting served tea and cookies during meetings. It is the best. Why don't we do this in the US?!!
5) I am so dirty, I feel like I need to shower every time I come back to the hotel.
6) I so wish that Americans wore saris.
7) There is no way to capture into words the smells or the sounds here. But both are intense. (Maybe one day I will try.)
8) I am so very glad I am here.
Alright... I'm off to shower for the second time today and head to dinner in our big safe bus. No more adventures for tonight. :)
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
Old Delhi
A 10pm subway ride from New Delhi to old Delhi...
One hour navigating vendors, shops, autos, pedicabs, sleeping homeless people, stray dogs, people...
A sense of urgency and inability to comprehend everything I saw....
And now I am back, and safe, and a little bit in shock about the "real india."
One hour navigating vendors, shops, autos, pedicabs, sleeping homeless people, stray dogs, people...
A sense of urgency and inability to comprehend everything I saw....
And now I am back, and safe, and a little bit in shock about the "real india."
Chaos & Contrast
Today I finally saw the "real" India. And my takeaway is that this country is a remarkable demonstration of chaos and contrast.
Our guide today calls it "controlled chaos." Driving around today (and last night as well) confirmed that. There has to be some type of control, but to the eye everything looks like a chaotic mess. I'm not sure how there isn't a crash (auto rickshaw, bike, pedestrian, cars, buses) every second. Driving is insane. People walking across streets is insane. Bikes in traffic is insane. And then there is the chaos of walking around - people everywhere, trash everywhere, stray dogs everywhere. Even monkeys.
Then there is the contrast. The high rise building with slums outside of it. The trash lining the streets and outside buildings, but an immaculate interior upon entering. And of course the contrast in people, between poverty and higher class.
I am sure I could be more eloquent about this with more sleep, and I certainly will try, but essentially that is my takeaway for today.
As for my adventure since the last post, here's what we've done:
-last night Rohit finally got here! (yay for my local Indian friend/guide!) I was so happy to see him, and instantly felt much safer. Some of our group, including Marian, Paul, Christine, Amit, and Rohit all went down to the city center and wandered around. We went via autorickshaw, which was interesting. Think trying to cross traffic that has a green light in a tiny 3 wheeled thing. We had an authentic Indian dinner, and then went to India Gate at about midnight. It was very beautiful lit up at night.
-this morning I couldn't sleep, so I hit the gym at 5:30am for about 1.5 hours in anticipation of our breakfast buffet.
-breakfast buffet. insanity. more on that later.
-bus ride to PTC (Power Trading Company) India to hear the Chairman and his staff present.
-bus ride to IndiGo Airlines. Think Southwest Airlines of India. The president of the company spoke to us for about an hour, and he was pretty incredible.
-Qutar Minar
-drive by the Royal Parliament
-revisit India Gate at day
-quick rest at the hotel before we go out to Old Delhi.
So with that, I gotta run!
And yeah, this place is like no place I have ever been.
Our guide today calls it "controlled chaos." Driving around today (and last night as well) confirmed that. There has to be some type of control, but to the eye everything looks like a chaotic mess. I'm not sure how there isn't a crash (auto rickshaw, bike, pedestrian, cars, buses) every second. Driving is insane. People walking across streets is insane. Bikes in traffic is insane. And then there is the chaos of walking around - people everywhere, trash everywhere, stray dogs everywhere. Even monkeys.
Then there is the contrast. The high rise building with slums outside of it. The trash lining the streets and outside buildings, but an immaculate interior upon entering. And of course the contrast in people, between poverty and higher class.
I am sure I could be more eloquent about this with more sleep, and I certainly will try, but essentially that is my takeaway for today.
As for my adventure since the last post, here's what we've done:
-last night Rohit finally got here! (yay for my local Indian friend/guide!) I was so happy to see him, and instantly felt much safer. Some of our group, including Marian, Paul, Christine, Amit, and Rohit all went down to the city center and wandered around. We went via autorickshaw, which was interesting. Think trying to cross traffic that has a green light in a tiny 3 wheeled thing. We had an authentic Indian dinner, and then went to India Gate at about midnight. It was very beautiful lit up at night.
-this morning I couldn't sleep, so I hit the gym at 5:30am for about 1.5 hours in anticipation of our breakfast buffet.
-breakfast buffet. insanity. more on that later.
-bus ride to PTC (Power Trading Company) India to hear the Chairman and his staff present.
-bus ride to IndiGo Airlines. Think Southwest Airlines of India. The president of the company spoke to us for about an hour, and he was pretty incredible.
-Qutar Minar
-drive by the Royal Parliament
-revisit India Gate at day
-quick rest at the hotel before we go out to Old Delhi.
So with that, I gotta run!
And yeah, this place is like no place I have ever been.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
First Day in Delhi
I arrived in Delhi at 1:30am this morning. I was so happy to have Marian and Professor Doggett by my side to help navigate the airport/visa/taxi situations. Marian had booked us a room at the hotel next door to the Shangri La (in a wonderful effort to save about $100), and I was glad to see a bed! I slept from 3am until 12:30pm! So much for my ability to sleep on the plane. ;)
Arriving into the Delhi airport was different than I expected. It was very international. I'm not sure what I was expecting - but definitely a more local feel than I saw. I think I counted 1 woman in a sari. When I arrived at the visa desk, I friendly asked how the man behind the counter was doing. "Not Fine" he answered grumpily. Oh. Okay, I guess maybe I should not be so friendly! I was also expecting much more craziness on the way to the hotel. Maybe because it was 2:30am, but the city didn't seem all that different from a city in the US. Again, not sure what I was expecting, but it seemed like a lot of buildings with barbed wire around the perimeter, and not much else. what did surprise me was the security at the hotels. You have to go through 2-3 checkpoints to get in, including metal detectors and bag searches. I was not prepared for that.
Marian and I headed out this afternoon to explore and find an ATM. We made it as far as the ATM. Had we kept going, we would have walked right into a mosque. (Okay, that was different.) Also, the two of us trying to figure out how many rupees to get was funny. I'm still not sure we figured it out. We decided that since the shops were closed downtown, that we would just head back to the hotel, grab some food for the day, and wait for Rohit at 4pm. That was a good plan - we were able to relax for a bit, and now I have a few minutes to blog and send emails before heading out. I'm glad to have an experienced person to guide us, because Marian and I clearly didn't know what we were doing. :)
So... I anticipate seeing much more this evening and starting tomorrow. So far, it's pretty calm. The things most different I've seen so far are 1) the rickshaws, 2) the dying dog on the side of the sidewalk, 3) the mosque, and 4) the security.
Oh, one more thing - the hotels are so nice. Upon arrival at Shangri La, someone brought up fresh squeezed OJ to my room. Delicious! In the bathroom, in addition to soap and shampoo, there are toothbrushes, lotions, combs, personal kits, etc... Very upscale.
Alright, that's it for now. I'll check back in later!
Arriving into the Delhi airport was different than I expected. It was very international. I'm not sure what I was expecting - but definitely a more local feel than I saw. I think I counted 1 woman in a sari. When I arrived at the visa desk, I friendly asked how the man behind the counter was doing. "Not Fine" he answered grumpily. Oh. Okay, I guess maybe I should not be so friendly! I was also expecting much more craziness on the way to the hotel. Maybe because it was 2:30am, but the city didn't seem all that different from a city in the US. Again, not sure what I was expecting, but it seemed like a lot of buildings with barbed wire around the perimeter, and not much else. what did surprise me was the security at the hotels. You have to go through 2-3 checkpoints to get in, including metal detectors and bag searches. I was not prepared for that.
Marian and I headed out this afternoon to explore and find an ATM. We made it as far as the ATM. Had we kept going, we would have walked right into a mosque. (Okay, that was different.) Also, the two of us trying to figure out how many rupees to get was funny. I'm still not sure we figured it out. We decided that since the shops were closed downtown, that we would just head back to the hotel, grab some food for the day, and wait for Rohit at 4pm. That was a good plan - we were able to relax for a bit, and now I have a few minutes to blog and send emails before heading out. I'm glad to have an experienced person to guide us, because Marian and I clearly didn't know what we were doing. :)
So... I anticipate seeing much more this evening and starting tomorrow. So far, it's pretty calm. The things most different I've seen so far are 1) the rickshaws, 2) the dying dog on the side of the sidewalk, 3) the mosque, and 4) the security.
Oh, one more thing - the hotels are so nice. Upon arrival at Shangri La, someone brought up fresh squeezed OJ to my room. Delicious! In the bathroom, in addition to soap and shampoo, there are toothbrushes, lotions, combs, personal kits, etc... Very upscale.
Alright, that's it for now. I'll check back in later!
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
T- 2 days!!
Just thought I'd take a short study break to say that I'm heading to India in 48 hours!!! I should probably start thinking about packing at some point.
I've been immersed in "A Fine Balance" and I'm about 500 pages (of 650) in. I am reading it every chance I get - maybe to the ill-fate of my final exam on Friday - and I just love it. I feel like I have such a new perspective of India from reading this book. I am so appreciative of things like indoor plumbing, hot water, water (in general), and space. It will be crazy to see the slums in person...
I've been immersed in "A Fine Balance" and I'm about 500 pages (of 650) in. I am reading it every chance I get - maybe to the ill-fate of my final exam on Friday - and I just love it. I feel like I have such a new perspective of India from reading this book. I am so appreciative of things like indoor plumbing, hot water, water (in general), and space. It will be crazy to see the slums in person...
Thursday, February 23, 2012
7 more nights!
By seven more nights, I mean that I have 7 more nights until I am packing - last minute of course - for my trip!! Because I leave on March 2nd. And I can't wait!!
We watched presentations on Mumbai & Ahmadabad yesterday. I'm actually really excited to go to the Indian businesses and see how things are done. I can't even begin to imagine at this point.
I have so much that I'm thinking, but it's hard to put it into words. So, I will just say that I am so excited and can't wait to update this again from India! :)
We watched presentations on Mumbai & Ahmadabad yesterday. I'm actually really excited to go to the Indian businesses and see how things are done. I can't even begin to imagine at this point.
I have so much that I'm thinking, but it's hard to put it into words. So, I will just say that I am so excited and can't wait to update this again from India! :)
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Agra & The Clay Pit
Today we heard a presentation about Agra... most known for the Taj Mahal... and got pumped up about seeing the sites and experiencing Holi. A little factoid about the Taj Mahal... it was built as a memorial monument to a lost love. What a declaration!
After the presentation, a smaller group of us headed to the Clay Pit. To be honest, I really just wanted to go home. But... I said I would go... and low and behold there was one last chair waiting for me when I arrived. I sat between Steph & Professor Doggett, and I enjoyed getting to talk more with Doggett.
It is so hard for me to concentrate on classes these days. I just want the India trip to be here!!! :)
After the presentation, a smaller group of us headed to the Clay Pit. To be honest, I really just wanted to go home. But... I said I would go... and low and behold there was one last chair waiting for me when I arrived. I sat between Steph & Professor Doggett, and I enjoyed getting to talk more with Doggett.
It is so hard for me to concentrate on classes these days. I just want the India trip to be here!!! :)
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