Darjeeling: It's Transcendent.

Tomorrow we leave for Hyderabad (our South Indian excursion) so I figure I've got to get this blog out while I still remember what it is to be cold. 

(March 16-19)

Our group hopped off for the weekend with Sujoy, Arundhati, and Vinayak (the Dover Divas' host parents and brother) to the previously British hill station of Darjeeling. Let's start with getting there. The Salt Lake Crew walked into the bustling Sealdah train station like Flik from A Bug's Life walking into Bug City. We experienced our first Indian sleeper car, which was an adventure in itself. After a few rounds of Goosebumps and having a hijra solicit to us (google it), we hit the sack. The next day we hopped in a few jeeps and drove for hours up crazy hairpin turns--definitely the most psycho roads I have ever seen, any roads elsewhere pales by comparison. Sujoy raved and raved about the wonders of Darjeeling, of the hills and mountains, and indeed, the immediate surroundings proved truth to his words. According to him, 80 percent of the appeal of Darjeeling is the geographical makeup. This begs the question, what constitutes the other 20 percent. Old World Charm of course, Sujoy will tell you over and over throughout the weekend when admiring any sort of architecture or city planning. The British just don't make 'em like they used to (primarily because they were ruthless rulers and were rightly thrown out).

Old World Charm

Darjeeling is completely different from every place I have been in India to date. For starters, it's cold. The ethnicity of the people there looks more eastern (like Nepalese) than south Indian. There are a great deal of tourists, a few Europeans and Americans but mostly Indians, and the effect this has on the city is very interesting. Darjeeling is kind of cosmopolitan already because of the British history, but nowadays it is westernized enough to cater to those tourists, but still very much maintains its own culture without getting overly commercialized. It's just the perfect balance! Also, it's very developed with very little visible poverty, comparable to a European town.

It was a pretty packed weekend. We woke up at 4:30 and 3:30AM respectively to watch the sunrise with the mountains, which let me tell you, sure is something. The Kanchenjunga (3rd highest mountain in the world) is astonishing. You can't see it so well during the day because it is too foggy, so it is very much worth it to wake up so early. After the sun rises, we enjoyed a myriad of adventures throughout the day: A plethora of Buddhist monasteries and temples, a sick zoo (sick as in gnarly) that had a spot with a tiger across the path from a wolf pack (add that to favorite spots on earth), a cable car that goes over the tea fields which snapped eight years ago and killed people, etc.

Hills of tea

AHHHHH

Just a morning jaunt with my monkeys

You can see the shadow of our cable car... and we didn't even die

Kangchenjunga barely visible... but visible nonetheless

This is getting too long. I'll summarize. Darjeeling is like heaven on earth. It is crazy beautiful. Everyone seems happy there, and how could you not be?

The only graffiti I saw was a wall tagged with "I LOVE DARJEELING".

This next part is really more for my benefit, but feel free to read through it. Favorite times:

-Rapping to Encore/Numb remix at the gas station on the way

-The moment I realized all the clothes I brought for the weekend were purple (subliminal messages courtesy of my hair)

-Experiencing the abundance of old world charm around every bend

-All those minimuffins at that restaurant with the waiter in the argyle sweater

-Bartering in the markets (I'm a pro now. Not in my wildest dreams!)

-The market in the cemetery, one of many momo stops

-Ending the cable car ride perfectly alive

-Exploring and our whole youthful group meeting that dude from Wisconsin

-Frolicking in the the tea fields

-Initially unintentionally then very intentionally photobombing the people in front of us at 5AM

-Flat tires which cause us to dance to Aaron's Party (Come Get It) on the side of the road

-ANYTHING SUJOY SAID AT ALL

-When the sun turns orange and the mountains emerge from the morning fog and you are surrounded by wonderful friends and an unbelievable view

-Walking through the forest trails on the hill and knowing it doesn't really get better than this.

Return of Saturn tour

Just for the record, my hair is still pink from Holi. Just the top half, really, so it's nice and awkward.

I fear it will stay this way forever.

A poem.

There once was a man from Calcutta

Who developed a terrible stuttah

I heard he once said

That he'd like some bread 

But wouldn't have any b-b-buttah.

This one's for you, Barbara.

(March 9) Thanks to Grandma Barbara McGinnis, I had the opportunity to meet her sponsored child. Courtney and I joined Children International staff on a trip to his house for a few hours. As it turns out, people were playing Holi for the third day in a row and doing so with "bad" colors (colors that stain you 4-ev-er). Courtney and I were nervous pervouses as we wound through the neighborhoods and avoided eye contact with dark pink people. 

Skipping ahead to the visit: it was great! Harsha himself was a little shy, but his family and neighbors were all so welcoming and friendly. We all hung out and spoke Bangla (some better than others), while people fed us nonstop. The girls of the complex were a little more forward with their feelings.

Girls: So how long have you been in Kolkata?

Me: (proudly) Since January!

Girls: (accusingly) Why have you not visited us yet???

Me: Uh--

Girls: Are you staying here tonight? 

Me: I don--

Girls: When are you coming back?

Me: I'm n--

and so on. They were really great. I would like to go back a second time but I am fairly certain I will not have time. One thing I know for sure--Kakima would NEVER let me have a jumbo slumbo in that neighborhood, though I'd so very love to.

Harsha and me just shooting the breeze

Receiving blessings from the house

Harsha HATED smiling for cameras. Or something.

Our ride was going back to the main headquarters right near Courtney's house. I asked to be dropped off at any metro, for they all could get me home easy as pie. I confidently marched up the stairs only to be stopped by a guard. As it turned out, the metro was closed indefinitely for unknown reasons. Rita loose on the streets of Kolkata?

   

Game on.

I ask around, find a bus, seamlessly hop on, and get to my connection where I usually catch my auto rickshaws. Success! Despite being left alone in an unknown location, I got home smoother than the butter on the muffin. 

"I'll cut yo hair"

Brenna had Tiffany cut her hair short. The result was shorter than expected and a little uneven, so Brenna went someplace professional to get it fixed, which was even shorter. Upon seeing it, Kakima was greatly distressed. She lamented Brenna's hair, telling her how she used to be so beautiful and making all sorts of woeful noises. She then forbid Brenna from looking in the mirror until May (so she wouldn't get sad), then actually made Tiffany cover the mirror with a shawl. 

My house rocks.

Holi cats on toast

(March 8) Holi! What's it about! Who knows! Who cares! A holiday embodying the essence of India by combining color with chaos. If the Midwest tried it, there's no doubt it would just blow up because it would be too much to handle. BUT WAIT! You still haven't described the festivities in detail!  Cool your jets, kid. I'm getting there. 

Holi, the festival of colors, is pretty much about covering your friends/enemies/neutral strangers with color. In the process, you too will be covered in color. Yup, that's it. No point system, no benefit to avoiding the color. Color comes in harmless powder form or the much more serious liquid form. Some colors ("bad" colors) will pretty much dye you, your hair, your clothes and sometimes give you rashes. Totally worth it.

Holi started a day early for Brenna, Adam, and me. Outside the back gate of school, initially a few school friends but then mostly randos would run up to us and rub powder on our faces, wishing us a Happy Holi (the social implications of this are mind boggling). Brenna and a little girl bonded as the child ground powder into her face.

Fresh faced and fancy free

Cute and violent.

Day 2: Kakima and Kaka start things off right.

We head to Shreya's apartment complex and start with a little American tomfoolery on the rooftop. Things don't get too bad.

We challenge the local children. Things get a little more intense.

Life is great.

I slept over at Courtney and Kelsey's that night. After saying goodbye to Shreya, we got off our auto and began to walk to the metro. I glance to the right at the people paying for their auto. Wait, they are not emptying a coin purse into their hands, but rather, a powder packet. Realization sets in as our eyes meet with a shock, and my body enters flight mode. "RUN!!!!!!" I scream, and we zip to the entrance. Kelsey wasn't so lucky.

We emerge from the metro. It looks like a warzone. We spend the rest of the walk down the (mostly) barren streets and markets (unsuccessfully) avoiding the few brave souls. 

In summary: 

Holi is amazing. CSB|SJU 2013. It has been weeks and my hair is still pink. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Holi 2012. Boom.

I'll take you to the ball, Barbara Manatee.

On Monday, our Prayasam boss, Amlan, discussed our invite for the event they were having on Saturday called Connecting Girls, Inspiring Lives.

It was a surprise in two ways:

1) Prayasam wanted to recognize Tuktuki, a 16 year old girl who came from the slums who recently graduated cosmetology school and received third on a nationwide test, by unexpectedly giving her a kit of beauty products to use on her customers.

2) Becca and I were to plan it.

It all happened so quickly and smoothly I am not sure if I should feel suspicious or not. It started with an appreciation meal Amlan brought us because we'd been working so hard recently and he wanted to recognize that. Thanks, Amlan! Aww, we feel so loved. Chat chat chat. Yes we can come to that thing on Saturday you mentioned a few weeks ago.

Amlan proceeded to tell us Tuktuki's inspiring story. Tuktuki had a fairly hard life; her village had been destroyed by a natural disaster, so her family moved to Kolkata. Even before they moved, she had to drop out of school in order to start working to help her family. After they arrived in Kolkata, she was employed as domestic help and mistreated by some of her employers. Knowing she didn't want to live that way forever, she, with the help of Prayasam, started going to vocational school so she could learn other skills while still working at multiple households a day. Now she is sixteen, just graduated from beautician school, and about to start a job at a salon at the city center. She is an example of how to break the cycle of poverty by getting a job where she has rights and much better wages. The celebration fell on International Women's Day, and was to be focused on stopping child labor with a spotlight on Tuktuki's story. Amlan harbors the philosophy that we cannot individually encourage a thousand girls, but we can encourage just one, and she will inspire the thousands.

Then in the course of this motivational talk, all of a sudden Amlan, wily shmoozer that he is, whirlwinds us into a fantastical idea of what the event on Saturday could be in all its glory and splendor. Becca and I are Americans, he reminds us! We know drama! We know grandeur! We know how to throw a party! Becca and I are in charge of the ordeal. We dub it the Sakha Gala for the sake of pretentiousness. 

After a week of planning, writing, gift makeup shopping, and evading more work (so it actually amounted to us doing relatively little), we arrived tardily on Saturday, hauling along an enthusiastic Tiffany and a very drowsy Brenna. We, the staff at Prayasam, and like 50 youth leaders, hung out in lectures on stopping child domestic work (illegal but commonly accepted) and the importance of education, then watched youth-made documentaries. This one was made by my gal Sikha (a mere 13 year old), featuring my gal Apurna (talking at 2:30) and Tuktuki herself (2:00)--there are a whole bunch of things preventing girls who are poorer/living in rural areas from getting educated, including insufficient funds, pressure from family to drop out to help in the household and early marriage.

WATCH! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTXm6Fx7dr8&list=UUE61RMDmdRaFl58-16R5dSg&index=1&feature=plcp

After watching this and talking about it, Becca, Tiff and I presented roses to the girls for their achievements (Brenna had left by this time because she was falling asleep too hardcore during the lectures--even when Piyali was translating to her face. Brenna is serving as my Rosie abroad; my little narcoleptic baby). Finally, eventually, Tuktuki was recognized for her hard work and accomplishments and given the makeup case. That was a wonderful thing to see; she was so shy and humble, one could not help but be so happy for her! Everybody was so excited for her. Tiffany, Becca and I became her first clients as she gave the makeup a test run--international fashion strikes again.

Props to you, Sikha and Apurna!

When in India... take advantage of the privileges of your pale skin I guess

The lady of the hour herself--Tuktuki! (Also, lest you forgot how huge we are in comparison to Indians--Tiff is 5'3" for reference)

Cotton balls. Becca and I rolled them with our own bare hands.