India's Next Top Model

Tyra Banks would be proud. Well, probably not. The dresses we wore were not exactly top model designs. And the stage was not exactly spouting fire. But I was still a model.

                The other week a girl stopped me and asked if I would be a model. There is a fashion design class at the college and a fashion show for a big state competition. So some other girls and myself were given dresses to try on. Gaudy is not the word to describe these dresses. Overdone. Crazy. Its as if they put every style, fabric, design, and bling imaginable into every piece!

                If we had any idea what we were getting ourselves into we would not have agreed to take part in this show. The girls told us that we had practice every day from 8-5 which is insane! On Friday we showed up at 8 and of course since we are on Indian time they didn’t start practicing till after 9. So on Saturday we decided to be Indian and so showed up at 9 thinking that practice would be just about starting. Instead, they told us that it had just finished but would start again at 10:30. We live about a 20 minute walk from college so walking all the way back did not appeal to us. Instead we sat around and did a bit of homework. Then we showed up at exactly 10:30 and ended up sitting around until after 12 when we ran through our sequence once. We kept sitting there because we were told that practice was still going on. We found ourselves just sitting around doing nothing. It turned out that we were at school for 12 hours and literally practiced for 15 minutes! This is a prime example of India time.

                Part of the problem was that whenever someone would give instructions, they would speak in Tamil so we never had any idea what was going on! Even the modeling coach would tell people where to walk and how to pose in Tamil!! Very difficult to know what we were supposed to be doing!

                 Anyways, the show went off without a hitch and was actually very fun.  The crowd was crazy and it was fun to have friends in the audience. Since I was appearing in two different sequences and dresses it was definitely a struggle to get changed in time and remember all the different moves. I’m glad that I’ve had this experience, but I’m so thankful it is over!

Maduri

This weekend we went to the city of Madurai. We left at 5am Saturday morning and stayed at a seminary in town. We took a tour of the facilities and ate lunch. Afterward we visited several sites where the seminary ministered like an old people’s home and a shelter for abused women. Then we toured a big Gandhi museum which was very interesting. Next we went to a sound and lights show in a palace. Right before they allowed us to enter the palace we saw an auto-rickshaw come out of the gates SPEWING smoke. It REEKED. We could not see a foot in front of our face because of the dense smoke. Interestingly, this was the insect repellent sprayed before every show! It definitely did not work. Or maybe it did and the mosquitoes would have been even worse without it. Either way, we spent most of the show covered by our dupattas or scarves.

                Side note: I am so thankful for our dupattas. Though they can be very annoying because we sometimes forget to grab them before we leave. It is also very hot to walk with something wrapped around your neck! However, when bugs are surrounding you- it becomes a mosquito net. When something smells foul- it becomes a gas mask. When it gets cool in the evenings- it becomes a blanket. When you are trying to sleep on the bus ride- it becomes a pillow. When there is nothing to dry your hands on- it becomes a towel. And when you just need a moment alone- you can throw it over your head.

                The next morning we had a small worship service. Then we went to the Meenakshi Temple. It was so crazy packed because at least 15,000 people visit the temple everyday! We had to weave our way through the throngs of people. Then we left our shoes at a nearby shop and walked the rest of the way barefoot. How to describe the temple? Big. Crowded. Sad. The temple was huge with an outer and inner court and then lots of hallways and rooms inside. It had several high towers on the outside. It was so crowded with people everywhere. But the temple was also crowded with replicas of gods. The entire outside of each tower was completely covered. We joked that if someone could find an inch of free space they would win a prize. Inside the temple was completely covered with statues everywhere and little tiny alcoves with more gods. It was saddening to see all the people praying to, worshiping, and offering sacrifices to all these gods. They would ‘clothe’ the gods, bring food to feed them, and pour oil on the gods. The statues had label signs because there were so many thousand that no one could possibly remember the name of each god!

                On our way back to Coimbatore we stopped at a orphanage for HIV+ kids. We got to play with them out on their playground. They called us ‘Auntie’ and were absolutely adorable. It was good to get back to Coimbatore and our apartment buildings which feel more like ‘home’.

                Busy week ahead of me with lots of classes, grocery shopping (which takes several hours), and my Indian fashion show debut!!! Stay tuned.

Food

The food here is great-but full of extremes! Extremely hot or extremely sweet. We eat lunch in the ‘Mess’ or university cafeteria with the other students. Rice is obviously the staple and then there are loads of different sauces to be mixed in.

                One lunch we went to a restaurant  where we were served a full meal for 75 rupees- about a dollar and a half. First they brought us a banana leaf plate which we were told to sprinkle some water on to wash it. Next a man came around a dumped a huge amount of rice on our banana leaf. Later they brought about 6 sauces which we mixed around with our right hand.  At the end of the meal there is some sort of extremely sweet soupy stuff to take. I can never drink more than 1 or 2 sips!

                On the other hand, there is a lot of modern/western food here. I’ve gone to a coffee shop called Coffee Day (like Starbucks) with some of my friends were we got Mango smoothies, ice cream and cake, and various iced coffees to share. Delicious. My very favorite is a mint/lemon iced drink that is so cool and refreshing! When we aren’t eating in the Mess or eating out, it’s all about the fruit-bananas, apples, oranges, and pineapples are all we have in our fridge.

Transportation

For the  most part, we just walk everywhere. The university is about a 15 min walk from our apartments. With the crazy traffic whizzing by it was initially very scary to cross the road. Now, we strut out like pros-avoiding auto-rickshaws, motorcycles, and cars.

                Sometime we take the bus to markets downtown. It is the cheapest and most common way to travel and thus the most crowded. Women sit in the front and men in the back. But we don’t always sit. Usually I find myself standing crushed up against people and trying to hold on to keep from swaying out the open door! Meanwhile the driver is blaring his horn several times a minute and some sort of Hindi music eliminates any chance for conversations!

                My favorite way to travel is by rickshaw because it is the fastest and the most exciting. For some reason, I trust these drivers even as they are swinging out around cars and we are close enough to high five the person in the car next to us! And it’s not too expensive when you squeeze 9 people into the car!

                The only mode of transportation I haven’t tried is motorcycle, although it looks really squished. I’ve seen 5 people on 1 so far and I’m hoping to spot 1 with 6 passengers to top my record!

'Head Bobble'

The ‘Head Bobble’ is present in every conversation here. It means yes, no, and maybe by a shake/nod/bobble of the head. It’s an art that must be perfected but comes naturally to the Indians. We students have spent many minutes in the mirror trying to master this art. While it is somewhat comical, it can also be a bit frustrating as there is no definitive answer.

                A prime example of this happened to me 3 days ago. We were split into groups of 4 and sent all over Coimbatore to find different shops. My group was told to do go downtown to a busy market. We boarded the public bus which was very crowded and asked the tout which stop for the Poo Market (Flower market). Every time the bus stopped we would ask, “Is this the stop?” Head bobble. “Poo market?” Head bobble. “Yes or no? Do we get off?” A simultaneous nod and shake is very hard to read. Luckily we did get off at the right stop. And my head bobble is coming along nicely.

It's Hot, but Beautiful

Well I'm here, as my sister so kindly informed you of!
My flights were messed up leaving Kenya but I made it to Mumbai where I met up with the rest of the group and we flew to Coimbatore together. My group is wonderful! There are 10 girls and 1 guy from all across America.
It is definitely hot here as the majority of the time the electricity is off! We have 2 apartments with 5 girls in each. They are very adequate with a few challenges. Filtered water only comes in from 7-7:30 every morning so we have to make sure to have one person fill it and the gas bomb is difficult to work. The shower only lightly mists so a bucket bath is the best option.
In the past couple of days we have toured the college we will be attending, gone to an Indian church, rode a couple of rickshaws through CRAZY traffic, and gone shopping. Shopping for clothes was so much fun! Thankfully we had some Indian girls with us to teach us which kind of pants and tops are the most fashionable and good quality etc! We had to ride the bus to get there where guys are in the back and girls in the front. Quite crowded and loud but fun.
Hopefully I'l be able to get on again soon to tell about Amazing Race Coimbatore and the 'head bobble'. However, we're about to go shopping for some school supplies and clothes for our first day of school tomorrow!

In Coimbatore

Hi everyone.  This is actually Hannah's sister, but I wanted to let everyone know that Hannah made it to India.  She had some stressors along the way, namely that her flight to Mumbai actually hadn't been booked, and she literally got one of the last tickets at the last minute.  I'm sure she's had lots of adventures since then but is busy with orientation and settling in.  She will update this when she's able.

Thanks for your prayers everyone!

On my way!

I can't believe it. Tomorrow at 6:40pm I will be on my way to India! My bags are (mostly) packed and I am (mostly) ready.

I hope to be able to share with you some of the experiences I will have over the next four months in Coimbatore, India as I study and travel. I hope you enjoy! Please make sure to write me or Skype me sometime!

As I begin, I think I'l make a list of what I'm looking forward to and what I'm afraid of.

Excited
-to ride an elephant
-buy and wear lots of salwar kamiz
-eat Indian food
-learn how to cook Indian food so I can make more of it
-make new friends
-see the sights

Afraid of
-big snakes and bugs
-REALLY spicy food
-the overwhelmingness of India on the senses
-the many new and unexpected challenges India will bring