Turkey Day

HAH! You thought I wasn’t going to be able to do it, didn’t you? You thought I wasn’t going to be able to oppose all the forces working against me and post for two consecutive weeks (technically I did?) You’re wrong. Here I am.

It feels quite odd writing about Thanksgiving and November when Christmas is practically upon us. Either way, what is must be done will be done. Starting with the highlights from my trip in New Delhi. IF you don’t want to read much about monuments and travel, then skip to paragraph 9.

If you read my last post, you should remember that upon my first day in Delhi my great uncle got to take me around to the major Delhi sights, all of which we accomplished in an impressive six hours. Directly, after seeing some of my personal history, we took a stop at the Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India, which is only a short drive from my Grandfather’s child hood house. The mosque is made of solely red stone and marble, with a large center square that allows one to see directly across the meeting ground. I have always found the openness of mosques aesthetically appealing, and it was my favorite stop of the day.

Directly following, we traveled to a step well my grandfather hung out in when he was younger. The path up to the well had some beautiful graffiti that was almost the highlight of the trip. Little did I know that the well is only 5 minutes walking distance from AFS India headquarters and I would revisit it in the next few days.

Somewhere throughout the day we stopped at India Gate, a memorial and central hangout for the adolescent community. On the monument the names of some killed in war are inscribed. We also visited the Raj Ghat, which contains a cenotaph in memorial of Mahatma Gandhi, in the exact place he was cremated. These stops are a must see in Delhi, but I have never been a fan of monuments, so I was excited to move on. Somewhere in the middle we visited a Jain temple that was surrounded by a large garden and a statue of Mahavira upon a hill, which was also a step back into my family history.

Directly after, we visited the Qutab Minar and the Moghul gardens surrounding. Americans view ancient history as artifacts from the 1700’s, sometimes even later. For this reason, I relish any opportunity to experience something that precedes that date. The Qutab Minar was built in 1193 after the Moghul Empire defeated the last Hindu kingdom and successfully conquered India. The architecture around the gardens was a divergence from the typical Indian style. I enjoyed wandering the dilapidated arches and wondering just how they were put in place. The Qutab Minar concluded my day travelling the NCR and I spent the next three days in AIMUN as previously discussed.

On my last day of Delhi, or so I thought, I was riding on to the train station when I received quite an anxious call from my councilor back in Ahmedabad. My train ticket was yet to be confirmed. After quite some hassle, we came to the stark realization that Madison (the other American in Ahmedabad) and I would be stuck in Delhi for two more days. We were rushed to a hostel in the center of the city (which had a surprisingly beautiful ambiance and rooftop.) Except for the fact that I had only packed four days of clothes and was already on day five with two more to go, I took the train debacle as a school vacation given by god.

The next two days were spent lazing around AFS India headquarters, where I was able to revisit the step well and visit the lotus temple. This temple was the highlight of my sightseeing due to its teaching about a religion I had not yet discovered (any guesses?). The lotus temple is the center of the Baha’i religion in India. Baha’i is a young religion (300 years) that focuses on connecting all major religions to minimize violence and have one unified spirituality. I was unable to take pictures of the temple itself, but it resembled a large silver lotus. When I ventured inside, I was able to see the vast expanding ceiling that created quite the echo of the prayer service that was taking place. The service consisted of a reading from the Bible, the Qur’an, and the Vedas, a concept which I find extremely progressive. Karl Marx states, a quote I align with, “Religion is the Opium of people.” However, even if it is a religion, I found Baha’i to be a short trip to rehabilitation.

Here ends the travel section of my blog, I apologize for the length, but it had to be done. The next major event in my life was Thanksgiving. As for personal celebration, I did nothing. It’s not very easy to find a turkey in these parts of the world. I have stated before, I am volunteer assistant teaching a six and seventh grade English class two times a week. It has been a direct opportunity to express my communication skills, and I find it much more challenging than what I would have expected. Recently, the teacher has given me a much larger reign of duty and I have been able to conduct full classes by myself. On Thanksgiving, I also had this opportunity. I was able to design a lesson, focused on reading comprehension and vocabulary, with the article being the story of the original Thanksgiving. (It is quite the conversation discussing an American holiday where we eat birds to a classroom of vegetarians.) Not only had I impacted their acquisition of the English language, but I felt it was obvious that they also learned a sizeable amount about American culture in the experience. At the end I also had them make “thankyou” cards to someone they are thankful for, which in my opinion is a very important part of maturation. The experience is one of my largest accomplishments thus far, I feel I have positively influenced the Indian view of America, which is my main goal of being abroad. It has also been a chance for me to test out my skills as an educator, which is also my desired work path. This desire has been strongly reassured.

December 4th marked the official half way point of my journey. On one side of the coin it feels as if I have just arrived. However, on the other, when I look back on what I have done and how I have changed, I realize how much I have accomplished and learned. I posted a few months ago that I wasn’t satisfied with the way my exchange was going. I say now that that sentiment has dramatically changed. I am proud of the work I have done in teaching and I am proud of my positive personality change. My language skills are now exactly where I would want them to be. I can say with confidence that I look forward to my future in this country.

Merry Christmas! (I am proud of this blog too!) (Sorry for the length.)

Qutab Minar