Heading up

Hello all,

We're back in Calcutta now, after spending the week in Jamshedpur, a smallish mining town in the plains of India. This was our second rural Indian town, much different than Almora, which was a rural town in the Himalayas. Jamshedpur was a new town-- new sidewalks, fountains, even new autorickshaws that have some get-up-and-go. Yesterday we logged our fastest auto ride ever. In Jamshedpur, our days consisted of teaching WISE camp and prepping for WISE camp / becoming regulars at Cafe Coffee Day, an excellent coffee chain with strong black coffee. WISE Camp is a program funded by grant money that connects 16 and 17 year old female students in the science and technology stream (think career field) in India with students of the same interest and age in America. Technology (weblogs) and photos from digital cameras are these students' communication tools that should enable them to discuss everything from careers to culture. The Indian students were very bright; we had some great discussions about the two cultures, technology and the idea of development itself (here's a clip): "if an iPod is placed in a car in India, can that be called development?" One student replied "no, that's only luxury." Just using technology can be misinterpreted as development, so what makes the use of technology development (I guess I'm asking you). On our last day of camp, in the paper (The Calcutta Telegraph) there was an article about a young man who killed himself because of a computer glitch that affected the outcome of his high stakes exam to be a doctor. These students are under such pressure to succeed, and while that's true the world over, it was strange for me, age 23, to see these students, 16, so focused and driven toward careers and success, whether that's personal or parental. I see the advantage and disadvantage of being pushed to decide what to do at such a young age. The camp was quite a new experience for me: I never imagined I would be the one teaching other people how to use technology. Quite frankly, it was a surprise to find out how much I knew and how much I've learned, just as a result of preparing for this trip.

It's nice to be back in Calcutta. It's not that I missed the incessant sounds of honking or the water buffalo and cows parading down the street. It's not that I missed the street vendors and the advertisements and the smell of fish and rain and the crush of people. I think I just enjoy being in big foreign places, and it's not like home, but Calcutta is homey to me because of the friends we have here, like Gitangali. Tonight it's Indian classical music and a movie preview. Tomorrow, I'm hoping to see the 6 am flower market and then we fly to Nepal.

And then we shall hike to Everest base camp. Which means no pictures, posts or emails for awhile, but then you can expect a surge. Little Pentax and I will do our best to bring the beauty of the scenery back to you. For me, seeing the mountains is a big part of the trip, and part of why I had trouble with the fog and rain in Nainital and Almora. I think the mountains be amazing; I'm looking forward to seeing them, and to having to work for it on the hike. As far as my own development goes, I'm thinking a lot about all kinds of things, but no major epiphanies to report. Traveling is what you make of it, just like any other average day. So far, I love my family very much. That I know for sure. This experience is making me a tougher person and tougher woman; that's what I want to believe.

If you didn't know, China wants to build a road to Everest base camp. Is that being reported in the American news, and how are Americans reacting?

Miss you all; Thanks for all your emails, encouragment and enthusiasm.

For D.B.M.S. English school students

Thank you so much for your enthusiasm and participation in WISE camp 2007. I have more pictures for you and your teacher that will be available on the same flickr account as the technology photos by Sunday, June 24. If you wish, copy the URL and add the new photos to your posts for the American students.

I will keep up posts about Jamie and Sameer and my travels until July 24th. Check back for pictures of Everest. The three of us had a great time working with you, and best of luck with your stream choices and high stakes exams!

Keep in touch, and I'll respond to all your posts; go ahead and leave them here. =)

Jamie, Sameer, Principal of D.B.M.S. English School, and Jenny; photo taken for WISE camp 2007 (Women in Science and Engineering). We are here in Jamshedpur teaching 16 and 17 year old young women about technology. These young women have created blogs so they can communicate with young women in America, and share information and create contacts in the field of IT (Information Technology). We have been teaching for three days now; these women have taught me a lot about expectations for young people in India, as well as their feelings about technology vs. luxury and why or why not India feels it should keep pace with the U.S. I think they've taught us more than we have taught them. Our class concludes Friday, when the three of us return to Calcutta.

Nainital (tal means lake)

Nainital (tal means lake)
Originally uploaded by travel.jenny

Nainital Lake-- fog and the cuts in the line of the hills. the row boats are for tourist purposes. In the foothills there are several relatively small, natural lakes such as this.

Buddhist prayer flags

Buddhist prayer flags
Originally uploaded by travel.jenny

Buddhist prayer flags are strung between the trees. If you scan the hillside from the lake, you can see the colorful flags among the green of the trees.

Reclining Buddha

Reclining Buddha
Originally uploaded by travel.jenny

For Arista: Reclining Buddha, Bangkok, Thailand, housed inside Wat Pho (see June 11 spire picture).

Langoor monkeys

Langoor monkeys
Originally uploaded by travel.jenny

Langoor monkeys on a side street in Nainital, which is a small lake town buried in the foothills of the Himalayas. Monkeys are everywhere-- these monkeys get quite tall, like about 3.5 to 4 feet (it seemed) and are extremely well groomed.

Red Fort, Old Delhi

Red Fort, Old Delhi
Originally uploaded by travel.jenny

Jamie and Jenny at Red Fort in Old Delhi, New Delhi. Red Fort is where Old Jack (the Bristish Flag) came down Aug 15 1947 and the first flag of India was raised. The fort was built by Persian Kings, and was later used as a fort for the British.

Streets of Calcutta

Hi Everyone,

Well, right now Sameer and I are in a cyber cafe in Kolkata, and all the directions for this blog are in Chinese. I can't figure out how to post pictures, and we'll how well I do guessing the "post" button based on characters, pictures, and font colors. I have great pictures and hope to be posting more photos, as fate and my fortune will have it.

A week, for a traveler, is quite a long time. We have traveled from Delhi, the capital of India, to Nainital, a small lake town buried in the foothills of the Himalayas and covered in fog. Jamie and I spent our time in Nainital just the two of us, and we learned alot about traveling as two white women. In some ways, we became part of the tourist attractions wiht our large backpacks and Jamie's blonde hair; in other ways, I think we're just something to be curious about and stare at. It is uncomfortable at times, but also part of the job description of traveling to a place that sees few white skinned people. We encountered a lot of rain in Nainital, where monsoon rains were just beginning. We took in more tea and conversation than sights, but watching the rain was enjoyable, and Mom, a monsoon rain sounds like a plane taking off over your head, if you happen to be inside. It is a rain that stops traffic and demands to be viewed. Since we had done most of the activities we were interested in doing (hikes and mango icecream), Jamie and I decided to leave Nainital and take up Sameer's invitation to join him in Almora, which is a rural village to the north. The taxi ride there was beautiful and exciting, and the town of Almora was stunning--like a horseshoe of color and clean, flapping clothing rimming the ridges of these bright green, jagged himalayan foothills. We visited Jageshwar, a Hindi temple, in the rain, and we spent time at the Center, which is where Sameer and his coworkers base their work for the Mountain Project. G.P. and Anu, who run the Center, were very generous to us, and we met several young women from Kashmir studying food processing who happened to be at the Center for a study trip and conference. I gave away my conditioner, and had an interesting talk about boyfriends. G.P. taught me about changing mindsets, and that a person really gains nothing with a new culture until first the mindset is understood. So I have endeavored to change my mindset to better understand this vast place I am guest to.

On the overnight train back to Delhi, we met two Nols leaders with their group of students-- this was enjoyable for me because I finally got to hear an American accent, which to me sounds Australian. I've been curious about what my accent sounds like since I began talking to people in Bangkok.

...and if you're still with me and this post, here I am now in Calcutta, which is the old British way to spell Kolkata. I like it here; I've enjoyed Delhi and Calcutta the most. Calcutta is impressive to me for its enviornmentalism. Here, Indians grow corn on top of landfills. There are also no to go cups, pastries off the street are packaged in newspaper, and all glass bottles are saved, recapped and rebottled. At a Bengalise restaurant (Bengal is the state Calcutta is in), we had an excellent conversation with Gitangalee (our hostess here) about white people who come to India to institute change. In me, this conversation raised the question of cultural exchange--where is the reverse peace corps, where people from this side of the world come to our side, and teach conservation. I've been showring with only one bucket of water; it is surprisingly easy and takes less energy than a shower. I've appreciated India for it's lessons in the difference between necessary and excess baggage.

I spent part of this morning face down on my knees, dry heaving in the streets of Calcutta. (travel tip: don't take malaria pills before breakfast). This experience put me in an contemplative mood. Posibly because last night, returning from Oceans 13 at the theatre, we walked the streets to return "home". Seeing people sleeping in the humid night air created a different relationship than in the day, when people who beg approach and you just keep walking. These people really look sweet, and young, and homeless, when asleep; and at night, I was able to take it in and not feel defensive or like I couldn't stop walking. And really take a look for once. In Calcutta, Mother Teresa did a lot of her work with street children. And this morning, I was on my knees dry heaving, sharing these same streets. I don't think this entry is quite composed, or fully explored, but this is India for me. In some ways I feel it is a physical hazing--flea bites, mosquitoes, malarai pills, prickly skin conditions, the feel of a woman brushing her baby's hand on your leg as you sit in the autorickshaw and wait for the light to turn. In many other ways, India is an emotional hazing-- confusing, consolidating, and like a great introduction to something important I want to be part of.

Lots of love to you all, Today is my one year graduation from UO, so special hello to class 06 readers and the interesting feelings this date may raise. Take care, and keep up the search! -Jenny

I'm still learning how to use this blog-- if you click on the pictures, I added some information about what I've learned. Next time I'll post near the pictures, but I'll always try and include an informative photo tag (as best I can). I am going to try and update this once a week; I left Monday, June 4th, and today is Monday, June 11th. So keep checking in, and thanks everyone for their help!

The trip so far has been incredible. I was nervous to leave, but was oddly comforted with my layover in Tokyo-- I was able to speak some Japanese with my seatmates and help an old Japanese man order coffee. Thailand was an incredible, fast, personal experience. As the plane approached the Bangkok international airport, a lightening storm with lots of visible cloud-to-cloud contact turned the whole sky this purple-fried white color. Once landed and in the queue for the public taxi, the dry lightening storm was still going overhead, and as I approached the city, it started gushing rain. This too, was oddly comforting. The Wendy House, where I stayed, was superb-- I recieved lots of help and good advice from the guests and staff there, and even someone to talk to and listen to pop music with at 4am when I couldn't sleep. I was only to be in Bangkok for a day and a half. On Tuesday morning, after breakfast of boiled rice, on recommendation from a Canadian round the world traveller, I took a fast, narrow boat up this channel to an area with several wats (thai word for temple). I met an Australian couple who gave me a lift on a tuk-tuk, which is a colorful, vespa like vehicle with ample seating in the back and some serious traffic-navigation deftness. I met several tourists, saw many beautiful statues and spires, saw the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha, which I recommend if anyone wants to sit and be quiet with their self. My favorite part of Bangkok were the transportation options: this small boat up the channel with tarps and ropes, the tuk tuk, and the public boat, which operates like a city bus with stops at certain docks along the way. Using this public boat and no words, one Buddhist monk helped me find my way to the Skytrain, which runs around the city, and which I was able to take back to the guesthouse. The next day I walked in the city, but wasn't able to do as much as I was on my way to India.

India. While waiting in the Bangkok waiting area, I could tell I was traveling to India. I felt I was adopted by the entire plane and many families in the wait area. I'm having such a lovely time here: The food is great. So great. I haven't been sick at all. We're eating vegetarian, and drinking lots of tea boiled with condensed milk. The heat is strong-- Dehli, where we have spent the last few days, was experiencing a heat wave. The Dehli Times paper had "stairway to hell" written across the front page, followed by a graph of the rising heat. It was 48.5 degrees celcius. In Delhi, we adjusted to the heat and purchased tickets for our next busy month of travel. We saw Red Fort, which, while built and used by Persian Kings several hundred years ago, Red Fort was the place where Old Jack (The name for the British Flag) came down and the Indian flag was raised on Aug. 15 1947. The following day we went to Lotus Temple, a place of worship for the Bahai'i faith. It was shaped like a lotus. Last night we took a train from Delhi to Nanital, a small cute lake town nestled in the foothills of the Himilayas. And I mean nestled. We slept at the Delhi train station last night because we arrived too late for a taxi. Mostly, we spent the night outside, though we did have a super hot temporary lodging place. I watched the sunrise this morning and heard the Muslim call to prayer and Hindi prayer music broadcast from someone with a boombox in the station. It was amazing. At 5 am this morning, we took a cab up through the foothills to get to Nanital (the train station was just a stop and not connected to a town). We kept the windows down until the first Monsoon rain. The smell of wet eucalyptus I will never forget, nor the fog or winding roads nor the Bollywood slow jams.

I'm a little unsure what to say on this, or how much it is possible to share. I'm realizing that loving a place is not like loving a person; it is a stranger thing. I'm grateful to be in India right now. My travelling companions-- Sameer and Jamie-- are wonderful.

Here is my travel schedule until we reach Pune, which is south and west of Mumbai (Bombay). Pune is where Sameer's mom Hema lives, and this is the place where Jamie will teach her creative writing class.

June 11-14: Nanital
June 14: overnight train to Delhi, fly to Kolkutta (Calcutta)
June 15-17: stay in Calcutta
June 17: Jimshedpur to assist Sameer on projects (more details to follow)

Then back to Calcutta, and a flight to Kathmandu, and a trek to Everest base camp, provided the weather holds.

Take care, all of you. I'm not sure how this blog will change as I do, or as the trip does, but I promise to keep it as informative, inspiring and interesting as my life here seems to be! -J

Wat Pho, Thailand

Wat Pho, Thailand
Originally uploaded by travel.jenny

Autorickshaw in Motion

IMGP0865
Originally uploaded by travel.jenny

Dog Mountain & Leaving Home

Dog Mountain
Originally uploaded by travel.jenny

This is a photo from a hike last Saturday on Dog Mountain. Go-- the flowers were beautiful and I've never seen Mt. St. Helens look so bright.

I am leaving home this afternoon to see a small piece of the Kingdom of Siam, otherwise known as Thailand. Bangkok is said to be the city of angels. I'm looking forward to a short stay in a funky guest house and to taking the Skytrain and the express boat to see the Emerald Buddha.

I'm going to try and post once a week. Bye to Portland and all my friends.