GSE India 2007 Sponsored by Rotary District 6000

Masala Tea Recipe

2007-01-28T11:38:00.000-05:00

As predicted, I was craving the spiced tea we had, so set out to make some for myself. I didn't make it to Gong Fu Tea yesterday to learn the ins and outs of looseleaf tea, so had to settle for some Twinings Darjeeling bag tea for the time being.

Anyway, I found a recipe online and then, as usual, did my own thing with it (you can see it here: http://www.recipedelights.com/recipes/beverages/masalatea.htm). It's not *as* good as what we had in India, but pretty tasty considering I'm cheating on some of the spices by buying the dried, inexpensive and/or ground stuff. So here goes:

Begin to heat up 2 cups of water in a saucepan.

Then add:
* 1/2 inch of fresh ginger root, cut into slices
* 1 star anise
* 3-4 black peppercorns
* 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
* 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
* 2 cloves
* 4 tsp sugar

Let the mixture boil 3-4 minutes, then add 3/4 cup milk (whole milk tastes best, but I used 2 percent, and it's fine) to the mixture and bring it just to a boil. Remove from heat, add enough tea for 2 (I used 2 tea bags), cover and let steep for 5 minutes. Strain and enjoy!

A few photos

2007-01-28T08:38:00.000-05:00

A monkey eating a leftover sandwich we left out. Oops! (Possibly the same monkey that attacked Jason.)

Traditional Indian dancers.

Amy and Kristie with some of the women at a Rotary Club meeting.

I told you there was a disco floor!

Music session in Pantnagar. I still have the song the little girl sang in my head!

The dancers I tried to describe.

Pantnagar schoolchildren at the health screening.

Jan 22, 23, 24, 25 (Kanpur, Aligharh, Delhi, Home)

2007-01-28T07:44:00.000-05:00

Since most of this is old news by now, I'll try to be brief ... but I did want to finish out the posts, so we'd all have a written record of the highlights. Sure, I'm only 4 days behind, but you'll be surprised at how much we did in those few days!

Jan 22
We had breakfast with another group of Rotarians, signaling our last official Rotary meeting of the trip. Number 15 by my count. It was a nice meeting, although I think the group may have thought we rushed out of a last-minute photo shoot too quickly. Alas, we had people to meet and things to do! Throughout the trip, we were never quite sure if the group we were with or group we were about to meet valued punctuality, so it was a delicate balance of not rushing out, but not arriving too late. In the end, I'm not sure we ever really did figure it out, but tried to be as apologetic and accomodating as possible.

So it was on to the hospital of Dr. Dubey, the patriarch of the family with whom we stayed in Kanpur. Being a private hospital, it was somewhat small compared to the giant complexes we typically see in bigger cities in the States - I think they said 40 beds. However, the personal touch was evident, and that's something we don't always see here at home. The hospital specializes in opthamalogy (Dr. Dubey and one of his sons are opthamologists) and neo-native intensive care.

Because of their speciality, and also passion for service to the community, they have an outreach program to screen poor patients living in rural areas for cataracts, and then provide free treatment and care for those willing to make the trek from their village to Kanpur (transportation and lodging provided by the program, of course). We were able to meet some of these patients, and while they didn't speak English, you could read the faces to know that some were very excited and some were nervous or scared. Most were older people, and Dr. Dubey had told us that in some cases, they had never been outside their village, or had never ridden in a car before. Through the life of the program, Dr. Dubey and his team have operated on something like 19,000 patients!

After lunch at "home" and a quick climb to the very top of the building to see a temple far in the distance, we were off for the Kanpur train station. As mentioned, Rotary very generously provided an excellent driver for the trip ... however, we had an itch to try out the Indian rail service, as it's known to be one of the best ways to see the country. Earlier in the day, we sent Srivan on with most of our luggage except a bag each with our valuables. Later in the afternoon we hit the express train for a 4 hour train to Aligarh. (The drive by car is about 8 hours.) This, for me, signaled the beginning of the end since we had begun our journey in Aligarh. A full circle.

We were picked up the train station, and taken to host homes for a quick chat/recap, and then a good night's rest.

Jan 23
After breakfast at our host homes, we packed up the car for the last time and headed to Delhi. It was fascinating to enter the city after having been in India for nearly 3 weeks, and to marvel at how we weren't as affected or overwhelmed by the noise, traffic, people and pollution. In fact, I found parts of the city to be quite clean and pleasant (there is a no honking ordinance in effect in some areas). It's all relative, isn't it?

We checked into another lovely hotel (we're 3 for 3; I like those odds) called Hotel Rajdoot. We then headed off to see some sights - India Gate, a long distance view of the Presidential Palace, shopping at Connaught Circle where we found lots of little last minute treasures to bring home. After a communal re-packing session, we went downstairs and had dinner at the hotel restaurant.

Jan 24
Our first stop was the National Gallery, which features ancient archaeological findings, a collection of Buddhist art, the many different styles of Indian miniature paintings (my favorite part), coins, manuscripts (which we didn't see because it was under renovation), Indian textiles, wood carvings, instruments, tribal artifacts. Outside the museum is a temple chariot encased in glass - it looks like a tank, only made of delicately carved wood.

We then shopped at the State Emporium - a kind of ped mall meets strip mall with a store for each of the states in India. Each features handicrafts, clothing and gift items representative for that state.

Then it was back to Connaught Circle for lunch, which was at an excellent Chinese restaurant called Zen. Strangely enough it was some of the spiciest food we had during the entire trip!

Then on to more shopping (this is the last of it, I swear) at Dilli Haat, and outdoor market. It's kind of a Disneyland for shoppers - it's quite large, and has many stalls with the bright colors of scarfs, stoles, shawls, fabric, handicrafts, sculptures, paintings, jewellry, pottery. There were even a few stations where you could get your portrait done in 15 minutes, or your name written on a piece of rice (I have never, ever understood the appeal of this? What do you do with a piece of rice with your name on it?). We exhausted ourselves and our rupees, then headed back to the hotel for an early dinner and to wait until it was time to head to the airport.

We sat at the bar, and had a lively chat with the bartender and some of the wait staff about our adventures in India. Then it was off to the airport for more waiting.

This part is boring so I'll sum it up: we were too early for the ticket counter, so waited in front of it with our luggage for a few hours. We checked in, got through security, then waited some more (unfortunately we were waiting with a gentleman who took his shoes off and seemed to be unaware of the, um, environment it created). We had two back-to-back 8 hour plane rides, then a short layover in Chicago, then home to Iowa. I think we counted up 30 hours of travel time in total.

We all had friends and/or family waiting for us, as well as a few local Rotarians! We took a few more pictures - it's only fitting - then headed our separate ways for a little down time. I speak for myself, and possibly the others, when I say I was missing them the very next day. The five of us have a special bond created by the memories we have of India, and I will hold that in a special place forever. This was an amazing trip, and I feel so very fortunate that I was selected to be a part of it.

Thanks again to the Rotary District 6000 for sponsoring us, as well as Rotary District 3110 in India for being such wonderful hosts and for arranging such a great trip. And thanks to all of you, dear readers, for following along. I hope you've enjoyed reading about our trip!

Kristie Bell

We're home!

2007-01-25T18:28:00.000-05:00

Well we're back in Iowa, after a 30+ hour journey from Delhi. It was an uneventful trip, just a little long. I plan to add to the blog in the next few days, so you can get the full picture ... but for now I'm just going to let myself be overwhelmed by the solitude and silence of my little house on my little street that I thought was not so quiet before travelling to India. Turns out it's incredibly quiet.

Namaste for now.

Jan 19, 20, 21 (Kanpur)

2007-01-22T02:51:00.000-05:00

(Post by Kristie)

Jan 19
As mentioned previously, we drove all day to get to Kanpur. It took a little longer because we opted for the highway (it's still really busy with people, carts, cows, camels, monkeys, motorcycles, buses, cars, you name it, but it's not as bumpy, which is nice in a car full of people and luggage!). Along the way we drove through several towns, but didn't stop to see any sights. We did stop once at a "truck stop" to get sodas -- those who want to spend some time resting are given wooden platforms. That's it. But it was clean and the people were nice, so we had a few sips of our drinks and then were on our way.

Kanpur is more of a metropolitan city, so it took some time to get through town to the home where we were welcomed. We saw a large street with lots of signs and activities - even a McDonalds and Pizza Hut. Then we went through a military area, and finally through some neighborhoods, one of which had a road that afforded us about two feet on either side of the vehicle before we would be scraping up against buildings. One fire at the side of the road had to be kicked to the side so we could pass. We thought we had seen it all, driving-wise. We were wrong.

After a quick visit at the past District Governor's house (and a quick round of Happy Birthday for his 7 year old grandson) we headed to our host home. The family has two flats in the same posh building and the hosts could not have been more welcoming or generous. Understanding our exhaustion, they set us up in our rooms and we were off for some peaceful sleep.

Jan 20
After a wonderful breakfast at the home where we're staying, we headed out to a shoe factory. Yes, my heart fluttered a bit when I heard this. (They only make men's shoes, but it was shoes all the same!) We were shown how the shoes were made from start to finish. I know I've said this before, but I will never look at shoes the same way again. It's a lot of manual labor and quality control processes. Absolutely fascinating. In the generous Indian spirit we've seen time and again, the owner offered a pair of shoes for each of us! So we're coming home well-heeled, so to speak.

Then we were off to a mall of sorts - our first on the trip. We had a nice lunch at an Indian restaurant there, then shopped for a while at the few stores (it was kind of a mini-mall). There was also a McDonalds there, so we went in to check out the menu. McVeggie seems to be the Big Mac of India. There were several similar items, and a few different ones. There was also a separate ice cream kiosk outside of the store, where they offered lots of different flavors of ice cream treats.

From there we went to a street fair/bazaar and shopped for a while. We all finally have the shopping thing down, so are feeling much more comfortable with how it all works! After this we were all tired so headed back to our host's home for a small break before our next Rotary Club meeting.

We headed out the meeting at a Rotarian's home. We arrived early, so he gave us a tour. The most striking thing we found was a disco dance floor with multi-colored lit panels straight out of 1972. I'm serious. There are 3 teenagers in the house, and I guess they like to dance. Again, you'll have to see the pictures. After the official part of the meeting was over, we were encouraged to dance, which was difficult to do considering the soundtrack we were listening to came from the WWE (a wrestling television program that's popular here as well as in the States). We came away unscathed, having only danced for a few minutes each. :)

Jan 21
Yesterday we had tea on the wonderful terrace of the host family's home. It's made from beautiful marble (all of the floors here are marble, but this is especially pretty) and is quite large. It was so nice to have a relaxing cup of tea and some nice conversation while being warmed by the sun.

We were then off to meet the Mayor of Kanpur, who is a newly elected official and just getting started in his 5 year term. It was a nice visit, and we heard about some of the initiatives he's working on.

Then we were off to see the Sisters of Charity house (the operation begun by Mother Theresa). Here we visited with residents and toured the home. The Rotary Club helps with some of their expenses, and provides whatever they need to keep the place running.

We then were whisked off to a press conference at the Kanpur Press Club, where we were asked several questions about our visit and opinions, and photographed quite a bit. It turns out, we made the news last night and were in the paper this morning! Must have been a slow news day.

From here we were taken to a lunch Rotary meeting and were treated with some excellent tabla playing by a young man, and traditional Indian dancing by two young women. And of course, we ate some more. At this point we had been fed 3 times already!

Next we were on to celebrate the 3rd birthday of our host's grandson Anant. It was fun to watch the little kids playing on swings and slides, and to see some traditions we don't have at home -- for example, the children are all given hats and then stand in front of an adult as he or she throws candy and confetti out into the crowd of them. They are exected to catch the sweets in their hats!

We also noticed at both birthday celebrations that the cutting of the cake is a much bigger deal than blowing out the candles. Anant's cake was an elaborate safari scene - it was a shame to cut into it!

After a quick check of email (and posting of the old news on the blog) we headed to another Rotary Club meeting at a really neat house with all sorts of collectibles from world travels. The people were generous and warm, as always, and the food was excellent. They had 4 black labs, and a little mini doberman, so I was able to get my dog fix without picking up a stray from the street, which I've been warned is not a good idea.

***
I have to run now, but will try to update at least once more before we leave for home. If not, we'll see you all soon!

Jan 17, 18 (Kashipur, Pantnagar)

2007-01-21T07:55:00.000-05:00

We've had a hard time getting connected - very busy the last few days. Here's an update I wrote on the 18th, but was unable to post because the cyber cafe was having server problems. Luckily Jason's stocked with tech toys, so we were able to save what I had written!

Jan 17 (cont)
After lunch at the hotel in Kashipur (Chinese food, sort of), we headed out for a short drive to Pantnagar. Pantnagar is an agricultural town that is really mostly a university campus as far as we can tell. The university is a land grant college, like Iowa State, and the similarities don't end there.

After dropping our bags at the International Guest House, we were given tours of the floriculture and horticulture fields. We tried a little guava, too! We then moved onto an impressive seed processing plant, where we were shown the equipment and given a short tutorial on how it all works. The university has an outreach program of sorts that has a mobile processing unit with its own generator that they take to rural communities. We even saw a few John Deere tractors!

Then we walked around a marketplace and purchased a few American staples -- potato chips and chocolate. After dinner (we ate a real dinner in addition to the junk food), we settled in back at the guest house for a good nights' sleep.

Jan 18 (Pantnagar)
At dinner the night before, we had been offered "bed tea" which sounded like such a lovely concept we all agreed. Really that's a romantic way to say room service, but we'll take it. So bed tea arrived at 7:30 and was delicious. After breakfast, we headed back to the market for calls home and a quick check of the email before we set off for a whirlwind tour of the university.
We saw the molecular biology and genetics lab, the mushroom research lab, and the fisheries lab. We then went to a school on campus where children were participating in a "health camp" -- kind of like the vision and hearing tests we all got in school when we were young, only they also check height and weight and a few others things. Anemia is a big problem, so they're trying to remedy the problem through treatment and education of the parents while the kids are still young. The children were so adorable in their little maroon and blue uniforms. They waited in line so patiently, it was impressive!

After lunch, we knew we had some engagement to attend, but the details were very sketchy. We figured we'd find out soon enough and were on our way. As we turned into a school gate, we realized why the details hadn't been given to us -- the girls' school had prepared a wonderful reception and program for us. Lining either side of the drive to the front of the school were girls around 14 years of age, all wearing identical navy blue uniforms with a white stole, singing and clapping their hands. I tried to make eye contact with as many of them as possible, and they gave such warm and happy smiles, I was touched and maybe a little overwhelmed.

We were given a quick tour around the facility, and then were seated at a table facing the student body in an open courtyard. It was a surreal experience to see all of those young womens' faces, so happy to see us. I kept thinking "We're not worthy! We're not worthy!" My face hurt from smiling. There were several dances performed -- one with younger girls in white frilly dresses, each with a letter from the word "welcome" on the front of their dress. The next consisted of 6 kids wearing what I can only describe as a black witch hat so that it covered their heads completely. A face had been fastened to their bellies, and they were carrying sticks as hands. I am not doing it justice at all; you'll have to see the pictures. Finally we saw a traditional dance performance of 8 of the girls. Four of them were dressed in traditional colorful costumes with heavy makeup and large bangles on their arms, ears and noses. The other four appeared to be dressed as young men. I was mesmerized by the intricate movements and scripting of both "roles." And for those family members who are reading, watch out at the next Thanksgiving dance contest. I have already been practicing the hip movements, and the team says I'm pretty good. :)

As we were getting ready to leave, we were suddenly surrounded by the girls shoving their notebooks and pens in our faces, asking for autographs. I have a new appreciation for those musicians and actors who are forced to deal with autograph seekers on a daily basis.

After a short rest, we were off to the Rotary meeting. It was a short but formal meeting with many members of the faculty in attendance. One of the Rotarians brought a guitar for Jason to use, so he sang one of his songs. Later in the evening, that same Rotarian and his daughter came to our guest house, and we had a music exchange of sorts. She sang traditional folk songs for us, while her father played tabla drums and his friend played a harmonium. Then Jason played a few songs. All in all, it was a fun way to interact and share our cultures.

***
Since then we've traveled 13 hours by car to arrive in Kanpur. I'll give more details later when we have a little more time. We're winding down, but still have many adventures in store!

Jan 16, 17 (Kashipur, Jim Corbett Park)

2007-01-17T00:45:00.000-05:00

(Post by Kristie)

Last I left off, were headed to Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve for a safari day. We boarded an open-air bus around 11 and set off - it was pretty much just our group and one newlywed couple we picked up along the way. After completing their own Indian adventure, they'll be moving to Schaumburg, IL. Small world!

The safari felt a lot like a tour through one of our Iowa state parks - it was very hilly (we can see the foothills of the Himalayas from here) and thick with forest and jungle growth except for the incredibly narrow path for vehicles. We had heard that only 30 vehicles can be in the park at any given time - but we did see several tours on these Jeep-like vehicles called Gypsies. As you might imagine, there aren't very many roads within the park so we often had to negotiate passing over roads and bridges that didn't seem wide enough, but always were. After traveling on Indian roads through crowded towns we were well prepared for a few close calls.

I was mesmerized during the first part of the trip at how quiet and calm and still and fresh the park was. To smell moss, trees, grass and damp earth was a nice change to the dust and smoke that greets us each day.

So here's the bad news: we didn't confirm seeing a tiger. But here's the good news: we decided that if we didn't stop to really check it out, we could convince ourselves that we had seen several. I personally counted 7. We also saw: spotted deer, barking deer, samba deer, monkeys, peackocks, a partridge, wild boars and a jackal. And a rare jungle fowl. (Okay, it was actually a red jungle fowl but rare jungle fowl sounds so much better. Almost like it's not just a wild chicken.)

Midway through we stopped at a lodging area to take a walk and look at the dry riverbed below (which we drove over and through several times - it was amazing to see all of these large smooth rocks for a distance in either direction and imagine it being filled with water during rainy season). We stupidly had left some of our lunch in the bus, and one particular monkey made quick work of stealing it as soon as we departed. I have a photo of him eating away at a sandwich on the side of the vehicle.

Jason thought he'd use this opportunity to take some shots of the monkeys, so he was following them around for a little while ... until one slowly started to approach him from the side. When Jason turned to look at what was approaching, the monkey bared his fangs! According to the story, Jason screamed like a girl and then ran away without actually getting a shot of the monkey trying to attack him, which he regrets today.

We continued on to an area that was more of a flat prairie with tall grasses ... and then headed back to our starting point. It was a long day, but a great adventure!

After reaching the hotel, we rested for a bit and then had dinner with the Rotarians at the hotel. Jesse had found some microwave popcorn somewhere along the way (he's been craving it the whole time!) so was happy to find that the hotel staff was more than willing to pop it for him. He understood that there was a microwave at the hotel, but was surprised to find that they had taken it out of the bag and popped it the old fashioned way, then delivered it in a basket! This hotel has excellent service and they make every effort to accomodate every request. We've been spoiled!

Jan 16
We slept in a bit this morning and are now checking email. We will have lunch back at the hotel, then set off for a 2-3 hour drive to Pant Nagar. We understand this is an agricultural area, so it will be interesting to compare it to home.

We have just a week left, yet so many things to still see and do. We're all missing home a bit, but are anxious for each new day in this amazing place. We're definitely creating memories for a lifetime. Thanks to all the love and support from home!

Jan 14, 15 (Bareilly, Kashipur)

2007-01-15T09:38:00.000-05:00

(Post by Kristie)

We had a fun time at the District Conference dinner on Saturday night - the highlight for me were all of the kids who ended up surrounding us at the end, asking us questions and teaching us new words in Hindi (turns out we had been using some of them incorrectly - go figure). At the end, we gave them all "Change Your View" Des Moines promotional CDs that have songs from Jason's band, so I am predicting the Nadas will have to do a tour here before too long. Ha ha!

Jan 14
After breakfast in our rooms, we headed back to the conference where we gave a short presentation about ourselves and our professions. Then we went back to the hotel for lunch. There was some sort of a communication breakdown because we only got about 2 of the 6 things we ordered, and were given other meals instead -- the good news is that it was all excellent. We have been mostly eating vegetarian (and that it was we ordered), but this meal consisted of tikka chicken and fried chicken and chicken spring rolls ... it ended up being a nice change of flavors.

A word about the food - it's a common assumption that (a) we want the non-veg and (b) we don't want it spicy. We've tried to communicate that this isn't necessarily the case, but to no avail. It's okay though, as I've mentioned the food continues to be fabulous - we haven't had a bad meal the entire time.

After lunch we went to an internet cafe for a short while just to check emails, then shopped around the area nearby our hotel for a while. For dinner, we ventured out to a restaurant that initially looked like a scary bar, but ended up being very cozy and delicious.

Jan 15
This morning we packed up our things and checked out of the lovely hotel Uberoi Anand. We headed off for a 3 hour trek to Kashipur where we are now. We are staying at an even lovelier hotel that only opened recently (Jan 1 or Dec 8 depending on who you talk to). After tea and then an excellent lunch (have I mentioned how good the food is?) we set off to see some industry in town.

Our first stop was at a paper mill which was fascinating. One of the owners is a Rotarian, and he walked us through from start to finish explaining the process. They make paper from sugar cane. (Dad, I saw a few pallet jacks and asked about forklifts - he said they have them but there weren't any around. Toyotas. Proud of me?)

After the paper mill, we went to India Glycols Limited - a huge biorefinery that starts with sugar cane. Their products end up in just about everything, including cosmetics, fertilizers, fabrics, you name it. They have some clients you'll recognize - BASF, Monsanto, Dupont. Amy was the group representative in that she asked the intelligent questions so that the rest of us looked like we understood what it all meant. :)

Now we're checking email, then off to find an ISD for phone calls home. Then dinner back at the hotel, and a quiet evening in. We are going on safari tomorrow at Jim Corbett park! Wish us luck in seeing some tigers!

Jan 10, 11, 12, 13 (Agra, Bisauli, Bareilly)

2007-01-13T06:17:00.000-05:00

(Post by Kristie)

Jan 10, cont. (Agra)
Last I left off, we had visited Agra Fort. I went back and reread what I wrote - I must have been in a hurry because what I saw really wasn't adequate. We only saw 25 percent of it -- the other 75 is Army-controlled. And what we saw was huge, so I'm not sure I can even comprehend how large it really is. It's massive. The super short version of the story goes that the man who built the Taj Mahal for his favorite wife had further plans to create an identical masoleum on the other side of the river, only in black marble instead of white. Because the construction of the Taj essentially bankrupted the community, his family took matters into their own hands, locking him up in one of the wings of Agra Fort. It sounds harsh, but wasn't when you see the digs -- beautiful white marble with colored intricate inlays similar to those at the Taj. A beautiful balcony from which you could presumably see for miles before the smog of pollution. We couldn't see it, but on a clear day, you can see the Taj Mahal from there -- so it's said that he spent his remaining days gazing at it. After his death, he was buried with his beloved wife at Taj.

We were quite amazed at the height of the railings at both the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. I am not exaggerating - they are only 2 feet off of the ground It would be so very easy to lose your footing and stumble to your death below. To all the moms shuddering with worry: we were very careful.

So after Agra Fort, we went shopping at a high-end department store that sold fine Kashmir-made rugs, jewelry, pashminas and marble items. After feeding us a lunch of grilled chicken (some of the first non-veg we've eaten), we were given a quick lesson on how the rugs are created, and then were given the State Fair Varied Industries Building demonstration on how durable and indestructable and beautiful the rugs are. So if you're not believing the salesman at this point, you will once you feel them. They are soft - so soft. Even the ones with lower knot counts. The guest home we were staying at had several of them, and I can vouch that they feel nice on the toes! A few members of the group were convinced they had to have one of these pricey heirloom-quality (and did I mention beautiful and indestructable?) pieces, although I'll let those parties communicate that on their own, either via telephone, face to face, or via a quick spousal check of the credit card balance. You'll love them!

We tried to do a little market shopping after that, but since none of us knew exactly what we wanted, in which size color and weight, and how many, and how much we were willing to pay, we were quickly exhausted and gave up on the idea. (Browsing does not exist in India.)

Later in the evening we were invited to the Rotary meeting held at the Agra Club, which was a colonial-era club for the British. India claimed it after the British left,and it is now an exclusive club that is very expensive to join. We've gotten mixed stories, but the one we are believing for obvious bragging rights is that we were only the second group of foreigners to be allowed into the club. Until December 2006, foreigners were not allowed into the building. During the meeting, the lights went out during my little presentation. Here's where I learned that I am unable to speak when it's pitch black - coworkers and friends, you might keep this knowledge handy when I'm being verbose. Thankfully our Rotarian friends pulled out their cell phones and illuminated the room until the lights came back on.

Jan 11 (Agra to Firozabad)
We left Agra on the morning of the 11th and headed to Firozabad - the "Glass City." We were greeted at the hospital that the Rotarians help run. The hospital provides inexpensive cataract surgeries -- much needed in the area because those who work in the glass factories often develop cataract problems at a much faster rate than most.

We then visited a few glass factories, which was another surreal experience. We are going to try to post a little video at some point - but may not be able to until we return. It is incredibly hard, hot manual labor -- hundreds of men performing minute tasks in the creation of chandelier light bulbs, glassware, bottles, vases, beads, paperweights, etc. Many don't wear shoes, no one wears protective gear, I didn't see safety glasses in the whole place. We asked about this and were told that the glass blowers refuse to wear them - it makes it too difficult to do their job well. It's a well-oiled machine whose parts happen to be human. These workers make anywhere from 400-1000 Rupees a day, which roughly translates to about $10-20. I will never sip wine from a Target-purchased wine glass and not think of this place.

We then had lunch with the Firozabad Rotarians on the lawn of the Firozabad club, then came back in the evening for dinner there as well. We were first served snacks in an upstairs room - chicken sausage bites and roasted peanuts with cilantro and onions which you were expected to flip into your mouth with a spoon without touching your lips. The rest of us did a pretty good job, Jason ended up with a spoon for himself.

Jan 12 (Firozabad to Bareilly by way of Bisauli)
This day was an intense road day - a long 5-hour trip over bumpy roads. I can't remember if I've described our vehicle - it really is quite nice. It's a Chevy Travera, I don't think they're sold in the states -- it's a mid-size SUV, but has two jump seats in the way back so seats 7 comfortably. (Comfort is a relative term.) We had a Firozabad Rotarian accompanying us, so it was a full load. The good thing is that it gave us some time to rest a little before the District Conference in Bareilly, and if you're not tired, there is ALWAYS something to look at. In fact, you miss things even when you're paying attention. We have an excellent driver, who has become the 6th member of the team, and he makes the ride as enjoyable as possible while keeping us out of massive potholes, away from large vans and buses, apart from the vehicles and the people and the rickshaws, all while swerving to avoid the cows that roam freely and know they are untouchable.

For lunch we stopped at the Bisauli Rotary Club for another outdoor lunch, which is really such a lovely treat. We've been colder than we thought here, so afternoons spent outdoors with the sun warming us is very nice. After the meeting, we piled back in the car and headed to Bareilly - another 2 hours - for the Rotary District Conference. We knew we'd be seeing a lot of the Rotarians we had met along the way, and were excited to reconnect with our gracious hosts from Aligarh.

After arriving in Bareilly, we checked into our hotel, and all agreed this was a little slice of heaven in the middle of the trip. Our hosts have been absolutely fabulous, but a little time in a hotel, where we don't have to feel like we're putting someone out, is a nice change of pace.

We then headed to the pre-conference dinner, where we got to see some of the friends we've collected along the way on this trip. It was fun to be in such a foreign place, but actually know a few people!

Jan 13 (Bareilly)
Whew - I've gotten us to today. We had tea in our rooms at the hotel (I will forever be craving this tea when I get back, I'm sure of it) then headed to the conference for breakfast, where they had a man frying eggs in pure fat with several spices sprinkled on - I think I could have eaten 4. My heart appreciates the fact that I only had one.

The conference kicked off about an hour late, but operates in much the same way that conferences do in the States. Except that instead of sitting on hard chairs, there were about a hundred love seats all lined up. One thing that is quite different is cell phone use. Here it is quite common for phones to ring during an entire presentation -- and for the phone's owner to stare at it quizzically before answering or shutting off the sound. A few even take calls during the presentation, without getting up to leave. Compounded by the fact that EVERYONE has a cell phone, it makes for a lot of mid-conference activity swirling about.

And that gets us to here. We are about to get something to eat, and then rest up before another conference dinner tonight. It's more of a formal affair, so we're looking forward to stepping it up a notch. I may actually do my hair.

Love to all - keep the posts coming - we love them! Sorry no photos -we're having trouble getting them uploaded.

Jan 8, 9, 10 (Vrindavan, Agra)

2007-01-10T02:00:00.000-05:00

(Post by Kristie)
Sorry we haven't posted in a few days, we haven't had a chance to use the Internet since leaving Aligarh. We are all safe and sound and happy and full. We're always full. Even when we are just sitting down to eat.

So last I wrote, we were leaving for what I thought was Mathura. It turns out we drove past Mathura and went to a nearby town called Vrindavan. It's a holy city, and we saw several temples there. But I'm getting ahead of myself. We arrived and were warmly welcomed by the Rotarians. We toured a hospital and had refreshments, then went on to a combination orphanage and old age home for ladies. We then toured a temple whose name I cannot remember (and didn't write down stupidly), but in addition to being a temple they also have a food production plant that makes and serves 65,000 meals a day to schoolchildren.

We then had lunch at a spa-like place called Ananda Krishna Van. It's a place many Westerners come to for rest, relaxation and worship. We also saw a new old age home for ladies that the Rotarians help maintain - the ladies were incredibly sweet, and their eyes were warm and smiles were genuine. They blessed us with arms upraised as we were leaving.

We also visited an art gallery with ornate paintings of Krishna with gold and other sparklies encrusted on the paintings. Later we went to the ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) temple, which was quite large and busy. There were loud drums and many people singing and dancing enthusiastically - a neat experience. Later that evening we had a Rotary meeting with the Vrindavan club. We all stayed at the club's president's home. They served us excellent ginger chai tea. Yum.

Jan 9
Yesterday a few of us woke up early (5:40) and went to yoga with the brother of the president of the Rotary club. It was a chilly 5 minute walk to a school, where we practiced in a large room with marble floors (all of the floors are marble here) covered in blankets. It was something I had hoped we'd get to do! We did some warm up exercises, and then a series of breathing exercises (pranayama), microexcercises (small movements to strengthen and tone), asanas (poses) and during the entire class we did laugh work which is exactly as it sounds - we laughed at jokes the teacher told, we laughed at one of Mitchell's jokes that Jason shared, we laughed at nothing at all. We did monkey laughs, teasing laughs, horse laughs, belly laughs, flirting laughs. We promise to teach you all when we get home. Ha ha!

After breakfast, we headed out of town to Agra, but first stopped to phone home and see a few of the shops nearby. We made our way to our host home, where we are all staying in fabulous accomodations - we really have a floor to ourselves.

Next was Taj Mahal. And it's as beautiful and awe-inspiring and surreal as you might imagine. It doesn't feel real even when you're touching it. It's mesmerizing as you walk towards it - you can't take your eyes off. We met a nice fellow from England named Henry, and he accompanied us on the visit. He's doing quite a bit of world traveling after graduating from college before starting to work.

After Taj, we headed back to our host's home where we were served refreshments and then dinner. After dinner we attempted "movie night" - all 5 of us huddled on a couch watching Jason's Mac play a Bollywood movie called "Neal & Nikki." Unfortunately, we all fell asleep after about 20 minutes, so movie night was cut short in favor of a good night's sleep.

Jan 10
Today we visited Agra Fort which was also incredible - it had a moat with crocs and a jungle with tigers at one time! And that brings us to now.

A couple of messages:
- Jesse would like his friends and family to know that he hasn't been able to get into his Hotmail account even when the rest of us have checked email - so if you haven't heard from him don't worry!
- We have a slow connection here today, so no photos. We'll post them as soon as we can get a better connection.

Love to all back home! Your personal emails are appreciated, as well as comments on the blog - so keep them coming.

January 6 & 7 (Aligarh)

2007-01-07T13:13:00.000-05:00

(Post by Kristie)
Here is a quick update on a few things we've experienced in the past few days...
Yesterday, we met up in the morning to visit the Muslim University library in Aligarh, and were allowed to see some precious artifacts. We saw manuscripts on parchment, as well as an ayurvedic medical manual written on palm fronds, secured together by string. After the library, we were shown the university's museum. It was under construction, but we were given a tour of what was available - mostly dioramas of wildlife and the food chain.

After a group lunch, we went to Raj Sons tailors, where the men were fitted for custom suits. They looked pretty sharp as the tailors draped fine wool over their shoulders in the fashion of a lapel so they could get an idea of what it would look like. Remember to compliment the guys on these sharp suits when they get home! Jason ordered one for each member of his band, and Jesse plans to wear his for his 2016 Presidential acceptance speech!

We finished the day at the Aligarh City Rotary Club - another club in the city.
Today we began with a group breakfast. Afterwards, we saw monkeys scampering atop buildings from the courtyard of the house! Then it was on to the girls' college, which is partly run by an endowment of one of the Rotary Club members' family. It is a beautiful piece of property with open spaces that are difficult to find in such a congested spot. Then we saw a temple that was also built by the same family. Later, we had a group lunch at a wonderful home with a large yard. We warmed ourselves by the sun and had refreshments. It's been colder than we expected, so the sun was a nice treat!

In the afternoon, we went shopping at the street vendors. We purchased scarves, jewelry and some other clothing items. We also got our first practice at walking the streets - it's quite dangerous. Our hostess, Parul, was very good at keeping us out of trouble!
Finally, tonight we had another Rotary club meeting. This time, we were treated to some music and a few dancers performing traditional Indian and Rajasthan dances - it was spectacular. And as always, the food is excellent. Alas, none of us will be coming home any skinnier as we may have thought at first.

We miss you, but are having so much fun. Off to Mathura tomorrow!

More photos

2007-01-07T12:54:00.000-05:00

Jason's thoughts on our arrival and driving in India

2007-01-06T14:37:00.000-05:00

(Posting by Jason)
Arriving in New Delhi Airport and our subsequent trip to Aligarh was an experience beyond written description. The airport was pleasant enough despite what I had read and heard would be a constant struggle through hordes of taxi drivers, security, porters, pickpockets, and scam artists. We were greeted by our host and driver, who guided us through the chaos and directly to our awaiting people mover and Landcruiser looking Chevy vehicle that does not exist in the states. The driver and several porters with dollar signs in their eyes and outstretched palms, loaded our baggage to the roof rack of the vehicle.

Now is where I should describe and list the sights and sounds of an Indian roadway. I could go into great detail about the cars, buses, cows, big diesel transport trucks, old bajaj scooters, royal enfield motorcycles, rickshaws, buffalo pulling carts, bicycles, monkeys, and pedestrians that were crammed sometimes 12 wide on a 2 lane immediately as we pulled away from the airport. I could try to describe the sounds as every vehicle all around us constantly give short or long bursts of there horns. I could try to differentiate between the musical and deafening horns of the ornately decorated and individually hand painted buses and trucks. I might allude to the plethora of music coming from the radios of the hundreds of cars pushing in around us. I could try to describe this to you. But it would be pointless, because I read the sections in books that describe Indian traffic and I was in total shock.

I also read travel journal of a friend who tried to describe what she experienced on the roads in India. Her writing was detailed and eloquent and I felt prepared me well. I was mistaken. There is no way to put in words the video game style driving tactic that every driver on the road employs. There are almost no rules of the road, or if there are, they are so foreign that I am unable to recognize them . Which must be the case because we spent the next 4 hours or so weaving, dodging, braking and accelerating in and around vehicles ranging from mopeds, to elephants, to 40 buses carrying triple their capacity. We would we be traveling at 60 mph in the opposing lane with 2 or three other vehicles heading the wrong direction passing a mass of other vehicles traveling slower or stopped in the correct lane only to squeeze into a gap impossibly small split seconds before coming face to face with a convoy coming from the other direction.

This “pole position” meets “frogger” style of driving is practiced by every driver in this city of 12 to 14 million in the country of probably 1.4 billion people by every single driver on the road all day every day as well as by us for the entirety of the 4 hour drive from New Delhi to Aligarh. You may think you understand, you may try to compare it to a new your city cab ride or rush hour traffic on the 10 in Los Angeles, but you have no idea. You would be better off imagining trying to make your way through the crowd in front of the grandstand on the busiest day at the Iowa state fair. Only instead of shuffling along people would be driving buses and tractors cars scooters and such. Nevermind. I can’t describe it.

I will say this…while it was frightening for us, our driver never got stresses, upset, angry. Our guide calmly slept in the back seat. I did not see a single accident, sign of anger or aggression. Not even a hint of road rage on the entire 150 kilometer trip. It must work for them somehow.

Upon Arriving in Aligarh we were met by a delegation of local Rotarians family and friends who will serve as our hosts and guides for the duration of our visit. They welcomed us like dignitaries and treated us as family. Shortly after arriving we sat down for a home cooked lunch that was better than any Indian food I have had in any restaurant anywhere at any price ever. One of our hosts told me that the Indians say “The way to please a guest’s heart is through their stomach”. These are extremely hospitable and kind people. They have a wonderful trip planned for us.

I would write more about the official dinner and reception, but it is 1 am and we have an appointment for tea at 7:30 am.

A few photos from Aligarh

2007-01-06T14:18:00.000-05:00

Elephants, Monkeys and Buses, Oh My!

2007-01-05T14:09:00.000-05:00

(Post by Kristie)
After breakfast at the Radisson, we headed on our way to Aligarh. We were quickly enveloped by a mass of cars - seven lanes of them spanning the three lanes painted on. Motorcycles and bikes weaved in and out, the whole time we heard honking horns. The horns are encouraged - especially by the buses, whose backsides proudly display "Blow Horn" to let them know where you're at.

The trip was a sensory overload of people and cars and more people and auto rickshaws and colors and dust and a few more people. We were all so very tired, but tried very hard to stay awake, dozing just a few times. We saw many interesting things on the way - monkeys and elephants and dogs (Gina - they looked Paraguayan purebreds!) and buses and waving children on the backs of buses who giggled when we smiled. But in all that there's something we didn't see - an accident. It's magic. Jesse keenly observed, "I think the white lines are merely a suggestion."

After arriving in Aligarh, we were graciously welcomed by some of the Rotary members and leaders, and were treated to a delicious lunch. From there, we settled in at our host houses - Jesse and Jason stayed at the first house, Amy and I traveled to another, and Brian to yet another - to take naps. Glorious naps.

Finally, we experienced our first Rotary Club meeting of the trip and were welcomed warmly by the members and their families. It was great fun to see children laughing and playing with each other at the meeting, and they were very fun to talk to afterwards. The meeting consisted of several presentations to Rotarian doctors who had been performing volunteer work at a free medical clinic. We gave our presentations, and then were presented with banners from the district as well as a "gift of love" - a trophy with our names printed on.

Now we're off to bed for a good night's sleep. We'll be here for a few more days, as our hosts smartly built in a few days of rest for us to regain our energy.

And a quick note for friends and family that are new to blogging - if you'd like to leave a comment, you can do so for all of us at the end of each post. Eventually posts start rotating off the front page, FYI.

Love to all back home!

We've arrived!

2007-01-04T22:53:00.000-05:00

We've arrived in Delhi and have stopped at the Radisson for a quick breakfast. We're checking email and will soon be off to Aligarth where we will be welcomed at our first Rotary meeting. This is just a quick note to let you know we're here -- more details to follow.

Off to India

2007-01-04T09:43:00.000-05:00

We're currently at Heathrow, waiting to get on our plane to Munich. From there, we'll travel to Delhi. Had a nice morning - breakfast at a place with good coffee ... then a walk past Buckingham Palace and Downing Street. We saw a man feeding the squirrels in the park - he would say "here boys" and they would scurry up to him. Stay tuned for more news and photos from India!

look kids . . . big ben parliment.

2007-01-03T20:23:00.000-05:00

Busy day in london town . . . . white tea for breakfast, Tower of London, wagamamma noodle shop, picadilly circus, National Gallery, Sherlock Homes for dinner, Jack the ripper walking tour, pub for a pint. what more can I say.

Hello from London

2007-01-02T11:30:00.000-05:00

We're here. We're tired. But we made the most of today ... after getting some coffee at the airport we took the train to a stop near our hotel, The Wellington. After a short break to wash up, we walked down to Parliament Square, took a quick trip through Saint Margaret's, saw Big Ben, the London Eye (we nearly went on it, but decided against it after eyeing the line). We then ate lunch at a restaurant called The Slug and the Lettuce - we all agreed we'd never eaten at a place with the word "slug" in it, but it was tasty nonetheless. We then went to Westminster Abbey and took a 1.5 hour tour with a man who was knowledgeable, yet strangely persistent that the Cloisters would be very cold this time of year. We went anyway - it wasn't so bad.

Oh, and somewhere along the way we also paid to use public restrooms. They were quite clean.

We're all in good spirits, if a bit tired. We're back at the hotel to take naps to rest up before a proper dinner at a pub nearby. Love to all back at home!

From Jesse

2006-12-30T18:43:00.000-05:00

Just a last minute addition to the site before I leave. I wanted to leave everyone my email through hotmail in case anyone needed to email me. My email is jdhindia@hotmail.com. Email often. Have a great new year!

Meet Brian Donaghy

2006-12-20T20:42:00.003-05:00

Meet Jason Walsmith

2006-12-20T20:42:00.001-05:00

On a basic level I am a storyteller. I tell stories through the songs I write as a musician and through the pictures I make as a photographer. On a practical level I am a small business owner. I see an epidemic in our country as small businesses are vanishing and being replaced by large international corporations. This homogenization of America is frightening and saddening to me. I would like to see how this globalization and rapid increase of access to technology affects the small businesses and local economy of Uttar Pradesh.

I hope to gain an outside perspective that will help me to survive as an individual and small business in this changing world. I hope to shed some of my ethnocentrism and find inspiration for future stories to tell, be they musical or a visual documentary of my travels to India that could in a small way affect change in our community.

Meet Amy Swenson

2006-12-20T20:39:00.000-05:00

It's a privilege to represent Iowa along side my GSE India team members. I fully anticipate being overwhelmed with the culture and am looking forward to meeting many interesting people. I'll travel with an open heart and an open mind as we haul ourselves (and our luggage) around Uttar Pradesh.

As a Communications Manager for the Iowa Energy Center I've had the good fortune of working with a great team who is focused on increasing Iowa's energy efficiency and renewable energy use. The trip will open my eyes beyond a Midwestern viewpoint – a huge benefit as I continue to work within the public relations field and volunteer with organizations that enhance the quality of life for Iowans including our newest citizens and long-time residents.

Mark and I have been married for three years and we live in Ames. I've been blessed with wonderful parents, six siblings, nine nieces & nephews and a great-niece or -nephew arriving soon.

I'm already looking forward to sharing the stories from this amazing trip with family and friends.

Meet Kristie Bell

2006-12-20T08:37:00.000-05:00

Hello! I'm Kristie Bell - a member of the GSE team and official blogger for the group. I grew up in Dubuque with two amazing parents and three incredible sisters, went to Iowa State University and moved to Des Moines after graduation. I've spent my career working in insurance marketing and communications departments, primarily focusing on web site marketing. I bought a house in 2003, and recently adopted a puppy named Paisley, a golden
retriever-border collie mix. In November, I became an aunt for the first time when beautiful, smart (!) baby Liv was born.

I'm so honored to represent Rotary District 6000 on this amazing journey to India. I truly feel blessed, and love to collect new experiences that continue to shape who I am. I will represent Rotary well as an intelligent, articulate and successful woman and I feel this experience will help make me a more well-rounded person.

I am excited to share this trip with the four other talented individuals on the team, and I am looking forward to getting to know them well as we begin this adventure of a lifetime.

Meet Jesse Hornback

2006-12-19T20:03:00.000-05:00

My name is Jesse Hornback. I am 29 years old and live in Sigourney, a small town (pop. 2,200) in Keokuk County, a rural county located in Southeast Iowa. I have lived there most of my life short of a few years. I have been married to my wife Crystal for approximately four years we have a 2½ year old daughter, Madelynn. I am employed as the Community Services Director for Keokuk County and have been there also approximately four years.

I see this upcoming trip through GSE as a chance of a lifetime and to grow both professionally and personally. It is unlikely that I will have the opportunity afforded to me anytime within the near future to travel literally half-way across the world to observe and take part in a country and culture that is so very different from ours and not to mention the extreme honor it is to represent Rotary Club District 6000, Iowa, and the United States as a whole. I will have the opportunity to see professionally as a local government official how India’s governmental process works first-hand and perhaps take something away that might benefit those that I serve but also perhaps offer something to my counterparts; an exhange of ideas which is true reason behind this trip. Personally, this is a chance to travel and see the world and share the things I see and do with my family not to mention memories I will carry with me forever. All of these things are the reasoning behind why I want to participate in this exchange.

I owe a big thank you to Rotary Club District 6000 for choosing me for this opportunity and also a thank you to the Washington Rotary for sponsoring my application. But I also owe a thank you most of all to my wife and daughter for giving me this chance although I know the biggest hardship will be on them.

As the trip nears (two weeks from today!), the anticipation grows. While I haven’t been at all nervous; I am starting to experience the last minute anxiety about immunizations, packing everything I need, and leaving my family for almost a month. Wish me luck (and my wife and daughter) and I will try to keep up to date as to my activities in India. Happy holidays!

Travel Itinerary

2006-12-10T21:12:00.000-05:00

Here is the most recent itinerary we've received:

Monday, January 1, 2007 - Leave Des Moines for London
January 2 - Arrive in London
January 4 - Leave London for Delhi
January 5 - Arrive in Delhi, Proceed to Aligarh
January 6-7 - In Aligarh
January 8 - In Mathura
January 9-10 - In Agra
January 11 - In Firozabad
January 12-13 - In Bareilly (Attending District Conference)
January 14 - In Nainital
January 15-16 - In Kashipur
January 17 - In Bareilly
January 18-20 - In Kanpur
January 21-22 - In Jhansi
January 23 - In Khajuraho
January 24-25 - In Aligarh
January 25 - Leave Delhi for Des Moines
January 25, 1:30 p.m. CT - Arrive in Des Moines

Welcome!

2006-12-10T15:19:00.000-05:00

This is the official "blog" for the 2007 Rotary District 6000-sponsored Group Study Exchange to India. We've created this blog to keep family, friends and Rotarians at home informed as we journey through the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Visit often - we plan to update as much as possible. And please feel free to leave comments!

- Kristie Bell