We visited an orphanage today, home to 23 boys and located on the edge of the city. We had packed several bags of gifts for the kids--paper, pens, crayons, markers, etc--and we brought them to the orphanage. This orphanage is run by Udayan Care, and is part of a number of small group-home style orphanages throughout the city. The boys ranged in age from 8-18, and most were abandoned on the streets quite young, or taken from abusive and exploitative situations. Some were turned in by neighbors after their parents died. The boys were quite shy at first when we met them, and had to be persuaded to introduce themselves and tell us their favorite sports. They all study English, and each of them took turns to tell us their names and about their schools. The littlest boy sang us a song, which pretty much melted every heart in the room. And then the fun began. As cricket was universally the favorite sport of the kids, we challenged them to a game. Of course, none of us knew anything about cricket, but they agreed to show us. They tried very hard not to laugh too much as we ran around and batted and basically just screamed in laughter. We even found that we have our very own cricket star: Jess managed to stop the game by smacking the ball so hard it flew over a tree and onto a nearby roof. The kids could not stop laughing! It was quite fun. I don't think any of us understand the game of cricket any better, but still, it was great experience.
We also had the chance today to visit the famous Chandni Chowk, the ancient shopping street planned and built by Shah Jahan's daughter. (Shah Jahan is one of the greatest historic Moghuls of India, famous most of all for building the Taj Mahal). This area of the city is very old, with very narrow lanes and tiny shops and twists and turns and hidden doors and cows and merchants and people everywhere. We rode rickshaws to get to the center of the Chowk, which was quite an experience in itself. We piled into the rickshaws two by two, and the drivers--who were bicycling--just dove right into the multiple lanes of traffic. We moved along just inches away from trucks and cars and motorcycles, at times moving surprisingly fast, and other times just inching along at the pace of the traffic. When we slowed down, kids ran into the street to touch us and ask for money. The streets were packed with people and animals and kids and vehicles. When we got to the center, the maze of walkways was so small we had to walk. It's a good thing we had a guide at this point, because the lanes twisted and turned and switched back and we were completely turned around. The little shops lining the lanes were selling everything from freshly prepared food to colorful saris to wonderfully smelling spices. There were lots of shops selling sparkly fabric trims or jewelry, and our guide told us that the the word 'chandni' actually means 'glitter,' and that this area traditionally had always been a place for women to shop for fashionable glittery items (although apparently the name Chandni originally came from what used to be a reflective canal that ran down the main street). It was SO interesting to be there, and the sights and sounds and smells of the Chowk were really powerful and at times almost overwhelming.
Our time in the Chowk ended with a climb up the steep stairs to the Jama Masjid, an amazingly lovely old mosque built by Shah Jahan in the 1600s. It's at the top of a hill, with the Chowk between it and the Red Fort at the base of the hill. There was an amazing view out over the city, and the red stones shone in the sun. Of course, the sun also heated the stone in the mosque and we were barefoot (no shoes in an active mosque). All the ladies were asked to wear a colorful robe over our clothes as a mark of respect, so most of the students were in bright colors and patterns and walking around barefoot in this lovely place. We made a point to walk through the emperor's gate, which historically could only be passed through by an emperor riding an elephant up from his home in the Red Fort. I mean, why not? India's a democracy now, right?
We also managed a quick visit to India's Baha'i temple, which is built in the shape of a giant lotus blossom. It's a modern building, made of white concrete shaped into massive petals. The center of the temple is empty, and we had the chance to sit simply in silence in the peaceful space inside.
While some of the students have managed to jump right into India time, some of us--myself included--are still suffering from jet lag. We are doing so many amazing things, and having so many amazing experiences, that we are getting really tired. I'm pretty sure that as I write this almost everyone is in bed, or getting pretty close to it. We have another long and amazing day tomorrow planned. And tomorrow night, we get our first experience on a night train, which in India will be quite an experience in itself. I may not have a chance to update the blog tomorrow, but don't worry if that's the case. I'll update it as soon as I can. And hopefully, I'll be able to post some more photos too. The computer I'm using in our hotel is too old to interface with my camera, but hopefully we'll have better luck in Veranasi. Which reminds me--a different guide today gave us another Mark Twain quote, so I guess we'll be having the full Twain experience in India!
We also had the chance today to visit the famous Chandni Chowk, the ancient shopping street planned and built by Shah Jahan's daughter. (Shah Jahan is one of the greatest historic Moghuls of India, famous most of all for building the Taj Mahal). This area of the city is very old, with very narrow lanes and tiny shops and twists and turns and hidden doors and cows and merchants and people everywhere. We rode rickshaws to get to the center of the Chowk, which was quite an experience in itself. We piled into the rickshaws two by two, and the drivers--who were bicycling--just dove right into the multiple lanes of traffic. We moved along just inches away from trucks and cars and motorcycles, at times moving surprisingly fast, and other times just inching along at the pace of the traffic. When we slowed down, kids ran into the street to touch us and ask for money. The streets were packed with people and animals and kids and vehicles. When we got to the center, the maze of walkways was so small we had to walk. It's a good thing we had a guide at this point, because the lanes twisted and turned and switched back and we were completely turned around. The little shops lining the lanes were selling everything from freshly prepared food to colorful saris to wonderfully smelling spices. There were lots of shops selling sparkly fabric trims or jewelry, and our guide told us that the the word 'chandni' actually means 'glitter,' and that this area traditionally had always been a place for women to shop for fashionable glittery items (although apparently the name Chandni originally came from what used to be a reflective canal that ran down the main street). It was SO interesting to be there, and the sights and sounds and smells of the Chowk were really powerful and at times almost overwhelming.
Our time in the Chowk ended with a climb up the steep stairs to the Jama Masjid, an amazingly lovely old mosque built by Shah Jahan in the 1600s. It's at the top of a hill, with the Chowk between it and the Red Fort at the base of the hill. There was an amazing view out over the city, and the red stones shone in the sun. Of course, the sun also heated the stone in the mosque and we were barefoot (no shoes in an active mosque). All the ladies were asked to wear a colorful robe over our clothes as a mark of respect, so most of the students were in bright colors and patterns and walking around barefoot in this lovely place. We made a point to walk through the emperor's gate, which historically could only be passed through by an emperor riding an elephant up from his home in the Red Fort. I mean, why not? India's a democracy now, right?
We also managed a quick visit to India's Baha'i temple, which is built in the shape of a giant lotus blossom. It's a modern building, made of white concrete shaped into massive petals. The center of the temple is empty, and we had the chance to sit simply in silence in the peaceful space inside.
While some of the students have managed to jump right into India time, some of us--myself included--are still suffering from jet lag. We are doing so many amazing things, and having so many amazing experiences, that we are getting really tired. I'm pretty sure that as I write this almost everyone is in bed, or getting pretty close to it. We have another long and amazing day tomorrow planned. And tomorrow night, we get our first experience on a night train, which in India will be quite an experience in itself. I may not have a chance to update the blog tomorrow, but don't worry if that's the case. I'll update it as soon as I can. And hopefully, I'll be able to post some more photos too. The computer I'm using in our hotel is too old to interface with my camera, but hopefully we'll have better luck in Veranasi. Which reminds me--a different guide today gave us another Mark Twain quote, so I guess we'll be having the full Twain experience in India!
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