Hi all,
Sorry for the delayed blog post. I have been busy the past
week with some traveling!
I took the night train to and from Delhi (Thursday and
Monday nights). I now realize what a great way this is to travel! I was
skeptical at first and was lucky because I knew others who were on the same
train. Still, both experiences went off without a hitch! I arrived to the
stations about one hour before each train, boarded, and set up my bed. In the
nicer compartments on the night trains, you get your own bed, clean sheets, a
pillow, and a blanket. It’s really great! Then, there is a curtain you can use
to make your bed a bit more private. I rode in second class AC on the way to
Delhi and first class on the way back based on the ticket availability. I slept
like a baby on both trips. I selected the Mussoorie Express train because it’s
ten hours. This meant I could get a good night sleep and wake up in a new
place. The other option was to take the fast night train, but it is only 5 ½ hours,
which is barely enough time to fall asleep. In any case, the train itself is
wonderful because it is like being rocked to sleep. It’s sufficiently dark and
quiet (in my experience), and lying down is quite a luxury. I fell asleep
shortly after boarding both times and woke up at my destination. For all of the
inefficiencies in India, train travel is not one of them (thanks to the
British).
In Delhi, I met up with a few friends as well as my Fulbright
adviser at the economic research institute with which I am affiliated. On
Friday, I spent the day with my friend Sohini at the mall in Delhi. This was
like going back to the U.S. For lunch, we treated ourselves to Chili’s, a
restaurant I usually don’t visit in the U.S. However, it tasted like home to
me. I had some delicious quesadillas, black beans, and pico de gallo! It was
quite amazing! Although I have been eating well in Mussoorie, I have missed
some of these Mexican flavors which remind me of home.
I spent the rest of my time in Delhi with my friend Ashwin
(from Xavier), two of his childhood friends, and one of their fathers. We all
met in Delhi to participate in the Airtel half marathon. I actually had not
intended to run because my foot had been bothering me, and I hadn’t been
formally training. After starting the race, I could not help but finish. I
planned only to run to India Gate and then call it a day. However, the energy
of the thousands of people participating, all the music, and my love of running
got the better of me. I had to finish! I completely surprised myself by running
the entire race in 2 hours and 22 minutes! Apparently, all of the walking in
high altitude in Mussoorie paid off because I set a good pace and did not feel
winded throughout the race. I do have to mention that the course was very flat,
but I was still excited to have completed my first half marathon! Throughout
the race, there was a lot of music being played, water stations, and orange
stations (much like races in the U.S.). However, instead of t-shirts which are often
given out in the U.S., our goody bags included quite a bit of vitamins,
medicine, and energy drinks samples. My favorite freebie was the vitamin sample
for seniors. =) We had a really fun time at the race and got to catch up! For
my next half marathon, I will make sure to train at high altitudes!
On Monday, I met with my Fulbright adviser who works for the
economics research institute with which I am affiliated for my upcoming
research. He gave me a lot of really useful advice and some action items to
begin right now. My list of things to do keeps getting longer, but I see this
as a very good sign! My adviser is going to put me in touch with an institute
in Dehradun to help with my survey design. In addition, I am going to start
identifying the population with which I will be working so I can select my
sample. My official research does not begin until December, but I am going to
lay the groundwork now, so that I can get off to a positive start. In our discussion,
my adviser highlighted the importance of water management in the Indian
Himalayas. The whole country of India relies on the Himalayas as their source
of water in some way (through rivers, etc.). Therefore, it’s important to know
in particular how climates are changing. For example, over the last four years,
Uttarakashi (a district in the state of Uttarakhand) has been experiencing
extreme flooding. In mid-August, there was a cloud burst and lots of flooding
that killed over 150 people. Another concern he expressed was that rivers in
India may become seasonal due to changes in precipitation patterns and melting
of the glaciers. All of this is impacted by the construction of roads (through
drilling), dams, and other large infrastructure projects which cause
micro-climate change to the surrounding regions. India has already seen change
in the flow of the Yamuna River which flows behind the Taj Mahal in Agra. When
I visited two years ago, the Yamuna River which used to sit as a beautiful
backdrop to the Taj was completely dry. This becomes even more complicated for
Hindus who conduct their worship in the rivers. Many Hindus have stopped bathing
in the sacred waters because of the pollution and reduced flow of the once
abundant rivers (River of Love in an Age
of Pollution, David Haberman).
It is often disheartening to think of these large problems
and feel that there is nothing to be done. However, on Tuesday, I met with
HIMCON, the NGO I am working with in Uttarakhand. Through them, I see quite a
bit of hope. Their networks are bringing mountain villagers together to discuss
the issues of water management. Many of their projects focus on the providing
clean drinking water, harvesting rainwater, recharging natural springs, and
managing forests. Through their work in villages, they identify the needs of
the people involved, empower women to organize in their communities, and help
people help themselves. For Gandhi’s birthday (Tuesday, October 2), they held a
short program for the community in celebration of their accomplishments and
plans for the future. In particular, their small school helps educate the youth
of the villages in which they work learn how to care for their resources and
develop practical skills. Being with them is quite inspiring.
I came back to Mussoorie on Wednesday just in time for my
Hindi classes. I had a great opportunity to use my recently acquired Hindi
skills in speaking with the village people who attended the program on Tuesday.
However, my interaction showed me that I still have a lot to learn. I am so
grateful to have this preparation time during my language studies and am
looking forward to working with these communities in the coming months.
Thanks to all of you who have sent me email updates about
your own lives and thanks for reading. Stay in touch!
Margaret
Here I am after the successful completion of the half marathon.
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