India

Leading up to India there was probably more build up on what to expect than any other country we have visited so far. I am not sure whether this is good or bad but I found that there is simply no way to prepare someone for this amazingly complex and resilient country.

Me and some friends barely got past security before we were hit by 5 people trying to give us rides in about three different modes of transportation. We finally negotiated a price for a car later to find out that what he had promised us was just to get us in the car. We eventually resolved it and only paid a fraction more than what we had originally said. I didn’t do much besides shop and get a feel for Chennai that first day and that was completely exhausting. The heat and humidity was intense and we were all sweating profusely. The driving was something I could have never imagined. All sorts of vehicles weaving around each other with no regard to lines or other rules. If they saw even the smallest gap they would drive right into it. Sometimes they would drive into oncoming traffic just to get around someone right before they were stopped by heavy traffic anyway. It was literally insane yet to them it seemed perfectly normal.

It was on the second day that I met my host Kiron for a home stay I had signed up for that was organized through SAS and a connection with a Rotary Club. This turned out to be one of the best things I have signed up for through SAS. I was paired with another SAS student named Jon who was unfortunately sick through the majority of our time with Kiron. After meeting we immediately went to a restaurant to get something to drink and get to know each other a bit more. He asked us what we had planned for the rest of our stay in India and I told him how I had booked a last minute flight up to Delhi to see the Bahai lotus temple but I didn’t really know what I would do once I got there. He immediately said don’t worry you will be taken care of once you get there. I was excited to hear this but I didn’t find out till later exactly what he meant.

We also met up with another host Paris and the two SAS students he was hosting. Kiron was good friends with Paris so we formed a little group. We chatted for a while and then headed across the street for some traditional Indian cuisine. Served in many tiny little coups we mixed different sauces and side dishes with rice and crispy bread on a banana leaf covered tray with our hands and then shoveled it into our mouths. It was flavorful, spicy, and delicious. I ate till I just could not eat any more. We then headed over to Paris’ house to watch a Bollywood movie and just relax till the Rotary program later on in the evening. I didn’t realize that almost all Bollywood movies are musicals with ridiculous music video type dance routines. They can also be up to 5 hours long. The plot of the movie I watched was serious but everything about it was absurd so I couldn’t help but laugh. For instance two of the main characters were played by the same actor and it was not even well disguised.

Anyway after we watched part of the movie we had to head out to the Rotary meeting at a hotel where they had put together a little program for all of us students and the members of the club that were hosting us. We heard from the main organizers as well the two what we call inter-port students for India which had been selected through this Rotary connection. They also had two amazing Indian dance performances for us which was just fantastic. I had no idea they were so big on dance in India and it was nothing like anything I had ever seen. First a pair of dancers and then three of them doing two very different types of India dance originating in two different geographical regions. I would soon find out that this was just the beginning of my evening.

Once this program was done we headed over to another hotel where the Rotary Club presidents were having their annual meeting which turned out to be more of a party. Before I knew what was happening there was crazy Indian dance music blaring in my ear and an outrageous dance floor with fog machines and lasers. I danced, dabbled at the buffet and hung out with a bunch of drunk businessmen. Needless to say it was nothing short of an interesting evening. We eventually headed back to Kiron’s flat sort of near the beach where I crashed for the night. He has a wife and two kids which I got to meet briefly but unfortunately his two sons had some sort of infection so he didn’t want me to be in to much contact with them.

The next morning we had to get up bright and early to go on a sight seeing tour of Chennai that had been organized for us by the Rotary Club. We would have rather stayed with our hosts but it was already arranged so we went. We saw some of I think the most famous landmarks in Chennai such as the Shore Temple, Krishna’s Butter Ball and a heritage village. It was a day of get on the bus get off the bus which is not really my favorite but it was cool to see all of these well know places. We also stopped at an alligator conservation place where I think they literally had thousands of alligators of all different types. One of the people that worked there let me and a couple other students hold a baby alligator but for just enough time to take a picture because we think he wasn’t really supposed to do that. All I remember is that it was weird how cold it was but I guess I should have expected that because they are cold blooded.

Later on that night we went shopping for some Indian clothing and Kiron bought Jon and I both shirts which was just so cool of him. His hospitality was greater than I ever expected from someone I had just met. In fact it was greater than the hospitality of people I have known my entire life. After we got our shirts we all went out to dinner including Paris’ wife and son as well as some visiting family members. We chatted and ate for a couple of hours and it was there that I found out just what Kiron meant when he said I would be taken care of when I got to Delhi the next day. He had contacted a friend there who was going to have his personal driver pick me up at the airport and take me to a good hotel that he had booked in advance and make sure I was completely taken care of for my stay there. Wow talk about hospitality I had only known this guy for about a day and the guy organizing everything for me had never even met me, all he had to know was that I was a friend of Kiron.

After dinner we went to go get some ice cream just down the street which turned out to be a bit of an experience in itself. I had a little cash on me and everyone was just hanging out outside the shop so I bought myself a couple of scoops. I found out later that I had made a big mistake. Paris was completely upset that I had paid for myself and I think a little insulted. The thought didn’t even cross my mind but I realized later that as a guest I was not to pay for anything as it would be an insult to my hosts. Let me tell you I will never do that again.

The next morning we got up and Kiron took us to a sweets shop where he bought us all boxes with a variety of Indian sweets in it for us to take back to the ship. We also had some fantastic coffee there. They made it like tea where they would mix the strong coffee with milk by pouring it back and forth between two large cups which made it so nice and frothy. We then headed back to the ship where I got ready to go on my trip to Delhi while the other students gave Kiron a tour around the ship. He said that the ship was way to small for him to live on months at a time and he didn’t know how we could do it. I told him it was difficult at times but you kind of get used to it.

He then was nice enough to take me to the airport to see me off. My flight was great and everything worked out just as he had said it would. I had a driver waiting for me at the airport holding a sign with my name on it, which was actually something I had always dreamt of. We then picked up Punkaj who was Kiron’s friend that had organized everything. He checked me in to a very nice hotel and even insisted on sending food up to my room. I didn’t know what to do with myself everything was going so perfectly.

The next morning Punkaj made sure I had transportation to the lotus temple where I spent the entire day. Seeing the structure close up was inspiring and so I just walked around for a while before I decided to enter the structure. I was slightly surprised at just how many visitors there were, not just from all over India but also all over the world. After sort of observing for a while I decided to enter the temple. Inside the air was cool and it was quiet for meditation and prayer. Waves of people were coming in and out through my entire visit. Some stayed longer than others but I didn’t pay much attention because I was focused on my own prayer and meditation. It gave me some much needed time to just sit and reflect on everywhere I have been and where I am going after this trip is over. After sitting for a while I got up and walked around the outside of the structure and read the 9 quotes that they have in the 9 corners of the lotus structure. It really is amazing to look up and see the curved pedal of the lotus structure seemingly unsupported. I don’t know exactly how much time I spent inside but I guess it was a while. When I emerged I introduced myself to one of the volunteer youth. He was from Nepal and had been there for about a month now. I told him I was from the United States and he told me that there was one youth also from the United States named Marcia so I went over to her post and introduced myself. We talked for a little while but then she had to go on lunch break so I walked back to the visitors center where I learned all about how the idea for the design of temple came about and how it was built.

The story is nothing short of amazing. Just the pure unified effort over the years it took to build this structure that seemed almost impossible at it’s time. Artisans and construction workers came together from all over India. Many language barriers had to be crossed due to the necessity for large coordinated efforts in order to pour the concrete correctly in the lotus shape. The story of how the lotus shape was chosen as the design was also a fascinating story. The architect in charge of coming up with the design had been deliberating for many months on what would be an appropriate expression of the Bahai’s of India. He had a passing conversation with a young man who had told him about the lotus but he did not give it much thought until he started to see the lotus blossom symbol everywhere he went. He couldn’t ignore it anymore and he found out it was recognized by almost all religions as a symbol of peace and unity which would be perfectly appropriate. He soon began to draw up the designs and it took some cutting edge architectural software to make sure the structure would be sound but his design is displayed almost perfectly in the final structure.

After leaving the visitors center I introduced myself to another volunteer youth who was from Brazil. We chatted for a while about her work at the temple and life in general. She had been there for about a month but unfortunately she had not really explored India at all because her work at the temple kept her so busy. It wasn’t long before she had to move on to her next post and by that time it was well past noon and I had not eaten so I decided it was probably time to go. I tried to tell the driver to bring me somewhere to get food but I think he must have misunderstood me because he brought me to a textile shop instead. Sort of confused I decided I would take a look inside. Like many other places I have been the sales people would not take no for an answer. They took me into a private room where I could sit comfortably as they pulled items and displayed them in front of me. At this point I kind of just wanted to get out of there but then I saw an outfit that I really liked and they got me hook line and sinker. Then as I discovered there were many more parts of the store and I had even more sales people telling me “just look, just look. Looking is free!” I ended up getting a few other little things and then booked it out of there. I thought it best to go back to the hotel to get some food and figure some things out. I thought I might go and explore the city of Delhi in the evening but it is so large and spread out and I was so tired from the day that I just crashed out. Also my contact Pankaj called and said that unfortunately he could not show me around because it was a special festival where wives fast all day to honor their husbands so he needed to be home.

I woke up the next morning not feeling so great but I got a ride from Pankaj to the airport and was met by Kiron. It took a while but I finally got to the port but then had to walk from the gate to where the ship was actually located. It was interesting to see all the work going on in the port as I walked towards the ship. Once I boarded the ship I was so exhausted from traveling and trying to process everything that I pretty much slept until the next morning. India was definitely a place unlike any I had ever been and almost impossible to explain. I know I only scratched the surface and to tell you the truth I will probably never totally understand all the complexities of that place.