Laughing at my Hindi Mistakes

Namaste,

I thought I would share with you some of my fun learning Hindi. My understanding of Hindi is improving quite a bit as is my speaking. However, I frequently make mistakes, and some of them are funnier than others. Some can also be quite embarrassing. Not only do I often go, instead of come to school, and take rather than bring my book, but I also often mix up homophones. These can make for some hilarious situations. Here are some specific instances that have happened to me:

-          I put a house in my apple pie crust. (instead of butter)

-          I printed apples. (rather than peeled them)

-          I drove a watch. (instead of a car)

-          I commented on how beautiful the bottles were in the sky. (instead of the clouds)

-          I told my teacher my trees were cold. (instead of my feet)

-          I burped Hindi. (instead of studied Hindi)

-          My most embarrassing moment was when I told someone I had sex, rather than saying “I went running this morning.” [My teacher gave me this really funny look and asked (in English) what I was trying to stay. I told him I went running. Then, he handed me the dictionary to show me what I actually said. I won’t make that mistake again.]

As far as other things, I made one of my favorite Punjabi dishes on Monday night as part of my cooking class: saag (spinach) with corn flour roti. It was delicious. Last week, I also took two short hikes because my Fulbright friend came to visit Mussoorie. We went back to Flag Hill, to the Everest House, and a new hike for me was to Binag Tibba. We walked up to a temple. The entire trip was supposed to take six hours, but we were up in back in three. Afterwards, we stopped by the Everest House which was close by. I am attaching some pictures of these outings.

For Thanksgiving, I did not do anything special on the day of. However, this weekend, I attended two Thanksgiving dinners: one is a group of Americans and the other is with Language School students. I made pumpkin risotto which turned out really well (thanks to Mom sending me some vegetable broth) and apple crumble. Yum! You would think I was gaining weight here in India from all the good food I eat, but (un)fortunately for me, not everything is clean (no matter how hard I try to be hygienic, I have gotten sick a few times). Luckily, the meds seems to work, and I can get almost any prescription over the counter. I bought two doses of this medicine for 150 Rs (a.k.a. $3). It’s quite a deal! I guess I should take orders before I head back to the U.S.! Just kidding!

It’s fun for me to joke about the health system a bit, but it really is a big problem here in India. There really is no public health system and no primary care. Also, when you go to the doctor, they both over-prescribe and don’t really listen to what you need. Indeed many people don’t know what to do when they encounter a health issue or don’t have the funds to pay for their medicines and treatment. For example, a friend of mine who had a heart attack three years ago (he is in his thirties) waited five days before going to the hospital because his wife was out of town. By the time he went, a lot of damage had been done (which could have been prevented). Now, he is struggling both to pay for his medications and understand what medicines he is supposed to be taking and when. His wife works so hard because he is unable, but it is not enough. They have three beautiful children and are incredibly wonderful people.

I just finished reading Amartya Sen’s book India’s Development and Participation. Despite India’s recent rise in economic terms, there are so many problems to be worked out. Clean water obviously remains a problem across the entire country. Especially in big urban cities like Delhi, it’s impossible for anyone to drink the tap water without getting sick. Unfortunately, it’s not just cow manure, etc. you have to worry about. Industrial pollution is a huge problem. In addition, the education system has such a long way to go. Rather than funnel money into education, the Indian government chooses to invest more in the Indian military.

I don’t want to end on a bad note at all because despite all its problems, I really love India. The people here are more generous than they should be at times. The lifestyle is so vibrant, and the food is really good! It’s a work in progress, as is the U.S., but sometimes I wish they could invest in things like sewer systems and organized trash pick-up.

That’s it for now. Happy Holidays to everyone back home!

Lots of love,

Margaret

Yes, I know my eyes are closed, but here I am at Flag Hill in my Indian wool suit.

The November sunsets are quite famous here in Mussoorie. From this picture you can see the Winterline.

 The ascent of the trek to Binag Tibba.

 We reached the top already? This temple looked a lot farther away than it actually was.

 Some of the nice river views below.

This will hopefully make it on the Fulbright home page next year. Two water researchers jumping off a hill at the Everest House.

Here is the Everest House being taken over by goats.

Another beautiful sunset!

The Everest House and Diwali Pictures

The Everest House and Diwali Pictures

I think I forgot to mention it in my blogs, but George Everest, the famous British surveyor for whom Mount Everest is named, had a house in Mussoorie. I went there on the Monday after my trek. Here are some pictures from the property.

You can walk all around the property.

 This is the wishing well.

One of the views from the house.

 Unfortunately, the house itself has fallen into disrepair. It's really rundown with graffiti all over it. However, the scenery from the house is gorgeous!

 There is a small hill outside the house decorated with Tibetan prayer flags. It's really beautiful!

Here are the streets of Mussoorie decorated for Diwali!

As I mentioned in my blog, the sweet shops were packed!

I have two quick monkey stories for you.

On Monday, Hanuman, the Hindu monkey god, came after me. I'm not sure what this is telling me. Anyway, I was walking from my house with a bag full of buckwheat flour when I ran into a few monkeys on the path. They apparently wanted to make some roti because a monkey (with one arm) came at me with one and tried to steal my flour. Luckily, I moved swiftly, yelled fiercely, and got it away managing to hang onto my flour.

This morning I had a much scarier encounter. I was on my way to school and not carrying any food in my hands. All of a sudden, I came across a huge group of monkeys (the macaques which I hate!). I decided to walk past them as usual but got scared when I got up close. I backed away and picked up a rock which most people use to scare them. I through the rock in the monkeys' direction in an effort to make them run down the hill and away from me. My plan backfired because they all started chasing me! I ran away screaming and trying to hiss (not very effectively). Fortunately, they retreated but were still blocking the path. I didn't think I would be able to make it to school, especially because I was hiding right inside my neighbor's gate. After a minute or two, they moved on down the hill to pester someone else, and I made it to school.

I am back to carrying my umbrella now. (However, I think the monkeys are especially aggressive these days because there are so many fireworks going off all the time. Plus, people probably throw directly at the monkeys. I would probably attack too.) I am was lucky though because none of them bit me. I am saved from the rabies treatment for now. =)

Happy Diwali!

Namaskar all and Happy Diwali!

Coming back from Kuari Pass was a bit of a letdown at first, but the time has been well spent! I have been continuing my four hours of Hindi classes a day and picked up my first Garhwali class last week. My Hindi has made me quite functional here in India as I get to put it to use quite a bit. I really enjoy speaking with the people around me and understanding what I hear as I meet people walking down the street. It’s also a bonus when I leave Mussoorie because few people expect the white young American to speak Hindi. Rather, most Indians expect foreigners to come to India to do yoga and meditation.

Here is a quick note on the election to give you a feel for the Mussoorie-Indian perspective on the American presidential race. Every teacher at my school and outside (with whom I spoke) was in favor of Obama. It is really interesting to see the respect so many foreigners (both Indian and European) have for him. In addition, I sometimes felt like they were getting the information about the election much faster than me. I think my teacher actually knew Obama won before I did. In terms of policy (mostly foreign), one of the language teachers expressed his agreement with Obama’s stance on all issues, that is on everything about U.S. aid to Pakistan (not too surprising). As far as their attitudes towards Mitt Romney, I am not sure if they did not know much about him or disliked his policies. It did not seem like any of the people I met considered him a good alternative to Obama. As you can imagine, the school was a happy place on Wednesday.

After my classes and the presidential acceptance speech, I went to Delhi. I had some work which was really successful. On my way to Delhi, I met an organization in Dehradun which trains women who are becoming active in the local village councils (Panchayats) for the election process and performing their responsibilities. Beginning in 2008 in Uttarakhand, there is a 50 percent reserve for women to sit on the village councils. They make decisions which directly impact villages and their use of natural resources including clean drinking water. It was important for me to make a connection with this innovative organization as I become immersed in my research.

In Delhi, I met with my adviser who put me in touch with someone who will help me make my survey. They already had a questionnaire which I can use as a starting point, so I am working on some revisions currently. If all goes well, I will be testing my survey in December and the beginning of January before I get started with the actual interview process. I am feeling much better about the preparation for my research now that I have a starting point with my survey (which is the crux of my research). However, I still have lots of preparation and work ahead of me!

A quick note on my visit to my affiliation. I am working with a large economics research institute based in Delhi. When I visited their office on Friday, they had a Diwali celebration in which all these economists got on stage singing, dancing, and reciting poetry. Although I am sure they will stick to their day jobs, it was really fun to see them represent so many states in India and be proud of their diversity.

When you ask an Indian what good things the British did for India, you will get a variety of answers. However, there is one answer that almost everyone provides: the rail system. They are absolutely correct. One of my favorite things about India (as I have mentioned before) is the Indian rail system. Again, I took an overnight train from Dehradun to Delhi. In general, I find the public transportation here inexpensive, convenient, and mostly comfortable. Obviously, there are horror stories of packed trains and buses. However, the frequency of the transportation and the affordability is incredible! Here is the economic breakdown of my transportation to and from cities over the last weekend:

• ·          Bus Mussoorie to Dehradun (1.5 hours, leaves every hour) – 47 Rs (less than $1)

• ·         Train Dehradun to Delhi (10 hours, overnight – I slept great because they have beds!) – 650 Rs (about $13)

• ·         Bus back to Dehradun from Delhi (9 hours, overnight – Would have been fine if the roads were in better condition, but I still had a bed.) – 650 Rs ($13)

• ·         Bus from Rishikesh to Dehradun (I stopped for some rafting – see below.) (1.5 hours, I had a seat.) – 41 Rs (less than $1)

• ·         Vikram to my next bus in Dehradun (20 minutes) – 5 Rs

• ·         Deluxe bus back to Mussoorie from Dehradun (1.5 hours) – 75 Rs

Total Cost: 1468 Rs (less than $30)

I find it pretty unbelievable that I was able to get around to all these places by public transportation. In some cases, it cost me a bit more time, but I save time and money with the overnight trains. Also, I really enjoy the conversation which happens on the train and bus, especially in Hindi. For example, on my bus last night back from Rishikesh, I met two very nice Indian women. They could not believe that an American was sitting with them on the bus telling them in Hindi that she likes India and actually lives here. From talking with them, I actually met another really nice man who helped me save some time getting to my next bus. The ability to communicate in Hindi is incredible. I feel like I finally am starting to understand what is happening around me! Plus, people are really friendly and helpful!

I do have to say that the public transportation here is not entirely straightforward which is why one of two things is required: either you have to speak Hindi or make friends with someone who knows how to get around. For example, I got completely annoyed trying to set up my account to book my train ticket, but once it worked, I was happy. I was able to get it set up because one of my friends who is well-acquainted with India helped me. Also, I would have spent a lot longer on the bus than necessary if I had not spoken Hindi. However, because I made it clear where I wanted to go and what I was doing, some nice locals gave me the inside scoop. On the other hand, if you want to get from point A to B without the hassle, you can get charged the foreigners’ rate by taking a taxi (1,600 Rs one way from Rishikesh to Mussoorie). For me (when I have time and energy), I prefer the public transportation. It’s fun to look around and listen to people’s conversations. They are often talking about the mundane things of everyday life, much like we do in the U.S.

Even though India is a developing country, it has one up on the U.S. in my book. Although I had never looked into it very closely before, I would not be able to get from Cincinnati to Evansville easily without a car. I just looked up the Greyhound schedule for such a trip which would take between 8 and 14 hours by bus (I could drive myself in about 3 hours), and cost $54. Some parts of the U.S. are easier to access by public transportation, but in India, it is much more set up to reach all different areas. Even when I was out in the middle of the Himalayas, I would have been able to get a shared taxi all the way out to remote villages (those of which are accessible by highway). Despite other shortcomings (and there is plenty of room for improvement in the Indian transportation system), the power of public transportation puts all of India within reach.

Did I also mention, that you are able to cancel train and bus tickets booked in advance at any point, including after the train/bus has left? Talk about convenience! You only lose a very small percentage on the fare.

[One short note: Although public transportation is cheap for a Westerner like me, many people do not travel far outside their homes. Not only does travel itself cost money, but it also results in a loss of time when people could be working. For example, Bina (who works at my guesthouse) has never been to Delhi. However, she is able to go to Dehradun, the closest bigger city, when required.]

I know many people will be interested in my rafting trip, but I think it will be better told in the pictures, which will have to be posted at a later date. I had a wonderful time rafting on the Ganga outside Rishikesh (a sacred city where the Beetles stayed in an ashram – needless to say a lot of “hippies” end up there). The whole trip was about 35 km and took about six hours. We went over 3 or 4 class three rapids (one of which was a 3+). The water level was relatively low since the monsoon has been over for about two months. The class 1 rapids were also fun! We had pleasant weather, but the water was really cold (it’s a glacier fed river)! Luckily, we were provided wetsuits. I even jumped in for about a minute. Along the way, we even stopped off for lunch on a sandy beach along the river. It was a blast! Before going, I only had the Holiday World (amusement park) ride “Raging Rapids” for comparison. The good part about this trip was that I did not have to wait in line and the rapids were much more exciting!

Diwali began last night and the entire bazaar is decorated. Imagine Christmas with flowers instead of trees, fireworks, and lights everywhere. All the sweet shops have removed their normal tables and have tons of sweets everywhere. I went in a shop tonight and tasted at least 4 different types before buying a few as a gift. As I am writing this, I hear the firecrackers going off outside. I’m lucky to be safe inside right now. Diwali must be dreaded by all the doctors in India. Safety is not a top priority, and you better watch out if you see a young boy running down the street.

प्यार के साथ (With love),

Margaret

Pictures to be forthcoming (I will be getting them from my friends). I apologize for all the words. =)

Life in the Clouds: A Trek to Kuari Pass

Life in the Clouds: A Trek to Kuari Pass

Here is the story of my incredible trek to the high Himalayas (13,000 ft) last week in pictures.

We left last Sunday from Mussoorie at 6:00am and had a long day of driving to reach Auli where we spent the night in Mountain Shepherds’ (the company we went through) lodge. It was a long day of driving with really windy roads, but the drive was gorgeous! We stopped a few times for bathroom breaks, chai stops, and meals. Oh yea, and we stopped twice for tire repairs. The first time it was just a puncture that they tried to repair in a small town along the way. The second time the tire had to be replaced. It sounds really bad, but luckily our taxi driver’s friend stopped and helped him change the tire. It only took 15-20 minutes total.

A view from the drive to Auli.

A rest stop in in India.

 Our punctured tire after it had been repaired. This time, the driver actually had to change it. 

We had a great dinner in Auli at the lodge when we arrived. It was pitch black, so we couldn’t see the mountains yet (only the stars). However, when we woke up in the morning, we got gorgeous views of the snow peaks of the Himalayas. This included Nanda Devi, the highest peak in the Indian Himalayas. We were so close to these enormous mountains. It was quite magical and a bit cold! =)

 The lodge in Auli

Some provisions for our trek ready to be carried by the mules.

 The view I woke up to in the morning.

We started off our trek after breakfast. The first day, we hiked up to 8,000 feet and came back to sleep at about 7,000. All of our days were full of beautiful panoramic views of the Himalayas. The first day, we walked through gorgeous meadows.

 This is a view of Nanda Devi - the highest Himalaya in India and the most sacred. It is now a biosphere, so no one can make the ascent anymore.

 On the first day, we walked by a mundir (temple). These are some beautiful bells we saw.

These are two of the Mountain Shepherd guides. The guide on the right was with us for the entire trip. He is 23 years old from Lata Village which we visited later. I really enjoyed speaking only in Hindi with him (although he does know some English).

 More bells at the temple.

 Some of the beautiful meadows we saw on our first and second days.

 We had beautiful panoramas of the Himalayas.

 

One of the nice things about trekking in India is that you don’t have to carry your belongings or make your food. We had incredible meals made by Pushkar, our cook, and our sleeping bags, etc. were carried by mules. For dinner, we always had a dal, roti, rice, and vegetable as well as a sweet. My favorite breakfast was pancakes with honey, eggs, and these sweet, crunchy sesame seed snacks made of jaggery (sugar cane). Yum! 

 

On day 2, we left from our camp and hiked up to our next campsite through more meadows, across a ridge, along a beautiful pond, through the woods, and up to a nice campsite below Kuari Pass. We made it just in time. It was getting cold, and we woke up to snow on the ground the next morning. We had to amend our plans just a bit due to the snow. We made it as far as we could up to one of the summits of Kuari Pass which was covered in snow. Then, we descended to the same campsite as the previous night to warm up and eat some lunch. We would hike about 6 hours a day taking breaks in between to enjoy, take photos, etc. It was extremely cold in the nights, and we built fires to stay warm. One night, we all sang songs around the fire. We alternated between English, Hindi, Garhwali, and French songs. (We met two French backpackers the first night camping.) Even in my down sleeping bag, fleece liner, and three layers of wool socks, I still got cold sleeping in the tents. I would make the trek again in a heartbeat, but it was a bit cold in process.

I fell in love again with the beauty of the mountains. It was such a peaceful setting to walk along these ridges and stare out at the Himalayas. We saw some beautiful birds as well including two golden eagles. The wildlife was not around so much except for a few cows and goats along the way, but we did see some tracks which indicated there were bears and snow leopards nearby. As you can probably imagine, I had a really hard time leaving this incredible place.

 Our mules walking along the ridge.

 This was our lunch spot with Bijju (guide) walking in the background.

 The camp for night 2.

We woke up to a bit of snow after the second night. I was really lucky not have to wash the dishes in the cold water.

 This is the tent where all of our food was prepared and where the guides slept.

It looks cold right?

I was lucky to have brought lots of warm wool clothing which I bought in Mussoorie. I also found another use for my umbrella - hiking stick. It made me look a little like Mary Poppins but was really helpful to avoid slipping going both up and down.

 A snow storm rolling in forced us to head back to the camp for lunch.

 Here are all of our guides outside the tent (plus an extra who wanted to get in the picture). From left to right, Bijju (our guide), Pushkar (a fantastic cook!), Vinod (egg walla/carrier), Rani (mule man and singer with an infectious smile).

 The whole group of trekers and guides.

 Here I am along a ridge from which I could see the Himalayas on both sides.

 After walking at least 7 km a day for three days (11 km on the fourth day), one of my smart wool socks had enough.

We ended up cutting our trek one day short because of the snow, so we had an extra day where Bijju took us to his village, which is less than 140 km from Tibet. On the way, we saw some hot springs.

 We were stopped by some sheep traffic.

 Lata Village has both a summer and winter village which helps with staying cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The village is located in the middle of the mountains, near Nanda Devi, and a beautiful river. I have never seen stars so beautiful. Below is one of the women collecting grass for her animals to keep them alive in the winter. Bijju's mother at 65 years old was out all day collecting grass on the side of the mountain for their animals. It is hard work, but they still manage to smile and have such a positive outlook on life. Below are some pictures of the village.

 A woman carrying water from the tap.

 Two of the cute kids we met who had a school holiday for Eid.

The source of work in this village is farming. This woman is threshing some sort of grain.

 Bijju's cows. We drank some butter tea from these cows while we were there. It's quite a delicacy, and they added some bark from the Yew tree which is supposed to help cure cancer. I was not a huge fan but drank it without making too many faces.

 This temple in the village is over 2,000 years old.

 Bijju put bindis on all of our foreheads at the temple.

 Below is one of the houses used to store grass for the animals in the winter.

 Bijju's family. His dad in the center is 78 years old. He and his wife were married when she was 9 years old and he was 22. Child marriages are much less common now. Bijju's brother even had a love marriage.

 I tried to use the farming skills I learned at Navdanya to help harvest the amaranth and rajma. It was slow, but we actually cleared 4 of the terrace fields using sickles. For us it was fun, for them it's a daily routine.

 Bijju's sister-in-law and nephew

On our way back from Lata, we ran into another road block.

As you can probably tell, I had an incredible adventure to Kuari Pass and Lata Village. I really didn't want to leave. I am going to be planning another trek coming up or at least before I leave. One of my favorite parts was putting my Hindi to use with Bijju and the people in Lata. In Lata, the primary language is Garhwali, but most people also speak Hindi. Therefore, I was inspired to start learning Garhwali which I am beginning next week in addition to my Hindi classes.

All is well here! I hope you are all safe and doing well!

Lots of love,

Margaret