Made it to the pink city!
So here I am in Jaipur - finally. And I have found an internet cafe.I arrived last night at 7pm. The flight was not cancelled and everything went smoothly. At the airport, I was met by my AIESEC contacts - Himanshu and four others. They brought me flowers and some water and juice - so lovely. Part of the reception package here is to have a 'home stay' for two days or so, where you live with an AIESECer and their family before being moved to the trainee house. So we dropped my bags off at Himanshu's house, where I also met his mother (she is very kind). Afterwards we went straight to a trainee dinner. Every few weeks or so AIESEC Jaipur has a dinner for all the current Jaipur trainees to attend. Last night we ate in a place called Uncle Sam's Pizza - some familiar food! Himanshu keeps joking about how health conscious I am - alcohol handwash before all meals, etc. He promises me that I won't get ill, but I'm not sure whether I should believe him or not. I am, however, yet to meet a trainee who has got sick here - a source of great comfort.After the dinner we left to meet up with the trainees that had already left, but were unsure as to where they had gone. We stopped off where we thought they were, only to be approached by some poor people. A little girl waved at me, and I made the silly mistake of waving back. She came closer and motioned for food/money, and was followed by a sister and her mother, carrying a tiny baby in her arm. Himanshu shouted at them in Hindi, and was quite harsh with his words. He says that if you give to one, they all surround you - and even though I'm working on a project called HOPE, I can't give anything to them. A further concern is that they could just be collecting money for a ringleader, and seeing none of it themselves - or that they use the money, but only to buy alcohol. My travel guides say that the only useful thing you can give is food, such as fruit.We eventually found the pub, and stayed there for a short while. Then we dropped several trainees home, and I found out where I might be living. I will most likely stay in a guest house complex that is already home to a lot of trainees. It is very near to my work and close to Himanshu's house. I will probably share a room with an American girl called Michelle (which won't do anything to correct my accent), who I met at the dinner. She seems very open and friendly. Himanshu says that nearly all trainees share rooms, as it's cost effective for them and also gives them company, stopping them from feeling lonely etc. The room was very large, with a fan and an air conditioning unit, along with an ensuite shower and a real toilet! (No toilet paper, but that can be worked on. At least it wasn't a hole in the ground.) It seemed quite clean ... no mosquitos, and some ants outside but my repellent should be fine to stop them biting. The trainees say that the landlords clean your room for you and take good care of the tenants. Sleep didn't come easily last night - it was cool enough, but the downside of the AC unit was that it was very noisy. I then woke at 6am to the troubling sight of people walking around the room - Himanshu and another girl with a large suitcase. It turns out that one of the trainees had arrived in Delhi at midnight, and had been conned into paying a lot of money to get a taxi to Jaipur. Luckily she had Himanshu's address. Although it was frustrating to be woken, it was expected that the other trainee would sleep until midday or so (as she had had no sleep so far), which made me feel comfortable to do the same. So I am no longer tired! Her name is Tessa, and she is from Holland. She is very friendly and this is her first time here too.After waking today I had a blissfully cool shower (no hot water needed - I never thought I would be so happy to have a cold shower), followed by lunch from Himanshu's Mum. We had chapatis and ladyfinger vegetables (am I supposed to have heard of those?), and Himanshu showed us how to eat. You wash your hands, then rip off a small portion of a chapati with your hand (I still can't do it one handed, but he says not to worry), and use it to scoop up some of the food or curry that is on offer. It was very tasty. (I'm not sure I will lose weight here as easily as I first thought.) His Mum then gave us ice cream - something that I am not supposed to eat, incase it has been made with unpasteurised milk. However, it's so hard to refuse what you're being offered, and I do think I am far more health conscious than the other trainees who have so far had few problems. (The only one being a sore toe, from falling waist deep into some mud after the monsoon rain - I hope I don't get to try out that experience.)I felt very contented today when I was told that we could go to an internet cafe. However, I had not realised how we would go to one: by motorcycle! Here, half of the drivers use them instead of cars. Ok, so here's the deal: I have never ridden on the back of a motorcycle before, even in England, where I consider the roads and drivers to be far safer than here. Never would I voluntarily choose to ride on the back of one. Yet Himanshu insisted that I would be fine (even without a helmet, another source of great concern), and as he was giving me a lift I couldn't really argue. It was both one of the scariest and most exhilarating things I have ever done. Himanshu has gone to the AIESEC office to do some work, and his friend that also came with us to the cafe is taking us back. We will probably go by cycle rickshaw - another new experience.
Jaipur still ... only calling!
I am now in India, but yes, you guessed it, not quite yet in Jaipur. Not even on my way, in fact - but I am, however, staying in a 5* hotel.My flight from London to Delhi was trouble free (although not turbulence free), with a delicious lamb curry being served. Anybody about to book a holiday - fly with Virgin! I had my curry in the reassuring company of Friends and Will & Grace, presented to me on a flat screen in the back of the chair in front. I failed to get any sleep though (shallow leg room), so I apologise in advance for any contemplative ramblings.The first thing you notice when descending into India is how dry the land is. Further up in the air, the patchwork fields could just have easily been my own England. But later on in the descent, it soon becomes apparent that these fields are not grass fields. Everything is made up of brown dirt with patches of hay here and there. It really was out of this world - I felt that I had landed in the middle of a desert.Customs was a smooth process, as was exchanging money. The toilets, however, were an experience. (Note to all female travellers: bring toilet tissue to India). The relative calm ended here though; as soon as I had fully gone through arrivals, I was bombarded by offers for pre-paid taxis. People working in booths on either side, all shouting "Miss, miss, here! Excuse me, miss!". They called with such urgency that I thought I had done something horrendously wrong. Unfortunately though, this enthusiasm was only directed to their own line of business - for when I asked for directions to the Indian Airlines shuttle bus, they continued in the same manner: "Yes miss, pre-paid taxi here!".After finally locating the bus I travelled to the other terminal, where I was due to make my domestic flight to Jaipur. However, as soon as I arrived it became clear that my flight had been cancelled. At first I wondered if I was being tricked, as every person who notified me of the cancellation immediately felt the need to add a "however I can get you a nice car, lovely car ..." line. After the frustrating realisation that I had not been, the airline offered me the choice of a taxi to Jaipur or overnight accomodation with a flight out tomorrow. I would have preferred to finish my journey today, but the Indian lady who had been advising me said that she herself would feel unsafe making the taxi ride alone. So, I chose the latter option, and here I am typing this from a 5* hotel called Ashok (http://www.theashok.com).It is beautiful, and I feel very privileged to be here, although particularly shameful too. On the taxi ride over from the airport, a tiny girl of age 6, perhaps, tapped on my window in a traffic jam. She waved at me and I waved back, and then she pointed to some shabby newspapers in her hand. She held up two tiny fingers - she was asking me for a mere 2Rs. (100Rs is the equivalent of 1 pound 20 pence - you do the maths.) I shook my head in a very sorrowful no, to which she responded by putting her hand to her mouth in an eating gesture. She wanted money to buy food. Again I shook my head, but the surprising thing was that she did not seem upset. Not even discontented, in fact - she just started to suck on some fruit she'd been holding, and even waved me goodbye. My India Culture Smart guide tells me that a lot of poor people are not resentful towards the rich - it is simply karma. Hinduism, the chief religion in India, does not believe in the "seize the opportunity" ethos that most of the Western world does. They believe in karma, the notion of what goes around comes around. If Indians live in poverty, it's because they were bad people in an earlier life - it's simply bad karma, not a fault of the wealthy. I'm not entirely sure what my take on this is, but I'm definitely not in strong agreement with the notion. I certainly remembered the little girl when tucking into my lunch here, and especially when leaving so much to waste.Moving on to the heat and other miscellanous musings. We were informed upon arrival that it was 35C in Delhi. Yes, it is hot, but it's not unbearable. The intense fog from the monsoon season means that I am yet to see the sun shining . I had to tie my hair back, but my fringe is fine left down. The rain, whilst warm, is still pleasantly cooling. Mosquitos are not ever present, as I thought they would be. (I'm not even sure that I can correctly determine what is and what isn't one yet.) The roads have lanes, but they are not respected - trying to relax in a taxi is unheard of, with horns blaring every few seconds or so. Men stand around in groups, appearing to do nothing. Little children sit on large mud mounds which resemble roundabouts. Street stalls and street sellars appear to be common. People are kind and friendly, although frequently this is with a purchase in mind. (Walking through the shops in the hotel here, the owners [nearly all men] stand outside, all poised to say hello and give a polite nod.)Hopefully I should fly to Jaipur tomorrow evening. The flight was cancelled due to the monsoons, I think, so I hope that the same won't happen tomorrow. I shall write an update when I can next find an internet cafe.Much love to all.P.S. To those who wrote me letters (you know who are you are) - thank you so very much for them. I will reply to you all individually soon.P.P.S. I think I've just discovered my first bite. I wonder how long I will find them exciting for.
Street scene
Browsing the Lonely Planet Images website, I stumbled upon this street scene image from Old Jaipur. So colourful!
Punctures, flights and a tikka massala
After much research on different vaccinations, I finally decided which ones to get: Hepatitis A, Hepatatis B , Rabies and Typhoid. (Note that all of these are on top of the recommended Polio, Tetanus and BGC immunisations that I have already had ... India doesn't ask for much, does she.) You'd think that having reached this decision, the only thing left to do would be to actually get the injections. Yes, I thought so too. However, the pharmacy at Boots decided to poke some fun, causing great amusement with the Rabies vaccination:Nurse: Let me take the second dose from you, to keep it in the fridge for your next appointment.Me: Were they meant to have been kept in the fridge?Nurse: Yes, otherwise they're only 60% effective.Me: I didn't keep them in the fridge.Nurse: [PAUSE] Boots didn't tell you to?No, Boots did not tell me to keep the £60 vaccinations in the fridge. The prospect of paying a further £60 and booking yet another appointment with the nurse was not appealing. Kicking up a big fuss at Boots, however, was. Unfortunately (well, fortunately really), they were very apologetic and quickly swapped the warm doses for their chilled equivalents. My hopes of a mini slanging match dashed, I finally got the injections (or "punctures" as my brother so aptly names them). Apparently, I am "one of those that bleed", and I was given two circular plasters to stem the flow - one of which my friend later confused with a nicotine patch. Not quite the sympathy-leading-to-a-free-drink that the nurse promised I would get. Two more on Monday, another two on Thursday and the final two out in India.Checked my pigeon hole for post today, and was disappointed to find nothing that resembled flight tickets. On closer inspection, though, I found one of those very exciting cards telling you that something of importance is waiting behind the counter. Something that, today, had arrived by special delivery. Lo and behold, my flight tickets had arrived! An attractive cardboard wallet containing my cheque-book sized tickets. Lots of sheets of paper glued together on one side - I don't remember my Jersey flight tickets being this complicated. Must be an indication of a long journey.I finished my day with one of Sainsbury's chicken tikka massala ready meals, in a poor attempt to bridge the gap from English to Indian food. Having failed to taste any flavour in the low-fat option, today I opted for the normal version. However, I think it must just be Sainsburys. This one was not particularly enticing either - long live Tesco, I say. Well, it was either a problem with Sainsburys or with my microwave heating skills. Perhaps I shouldn't assume it was the first.
Flights, visa ... tick, tick
Two things done at last.Flights were booked yesterday at the very reasonable price of £430 (reasonable for booking only three weeks in advance, at least) by the wonderful hoodaki.com. On second thoughts, perhaps I shouldn't call them wonderful until the tickets have actually arrived and my debit card has been correctly charged.Today I went to the High Commission of India in London to get my VISA. The service was very efficient - only about an hour and a half in total. (Yes, that is efficient - the US embassy takes a full day, I hear.) Hot though, and a lot of hustle and bustle accompanied by the gentle wafts of incense. Like a little piece of India gone astray, perhaps.Returning to my VISA. It's very cool! A giant sticker with shiny bits on it, that uses up a whole page of my otherwise blank passport. And what's more, they decided to give me a business one. I feel very important.
MATCHED!
Right. I am sitting at my desk getting frustrated at the lack of information about rabies vaccinations. Then I see that a new email has arrived. (The wonders of Microsoft Outlook - it checks for me once a minute.) It reads as follows:Hey Sam ,
CONGRATS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My TN has Accepted you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so now you are MATCHED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)))))Oh my GOD ... I am actually going to India now!This will be short, as my to-do list currently goes something like this:- Pick up rabies prescription- Book flights- Book insurance- Get a VISA- Revise (this list is, of course, in no particular order)I think I should listen to Himanshu:"Y do u panick so much...:))))))))))))))))"With that, I shall leave you.
Application for traineeship: sent!
Today I finally mustered up the courage to send my application to Himanshu. Himanshu is my traineeship manager in Jaipur. He tells me that I have a "very bright" chance of being accepted by Pratham (the company for which I want to work), especially now that I have extended my availability from 11 to almost 13 weeks. 13 weeks ... yes, that's quite a long time. I made a travel insurance enquiry several days ago, and they gave me a quote for the "ninety-one" days that I had requested. I think that just about brought it home!So, now I sit back and wait for Himanshu to respond. He has to show my entire application to Pratham, who will then make the final decision. If they say yes, I have to drop everything and start making arrangements: flights are getting more expensive by the hour, the time left to have jabs is running out, and I am still yet to book insurance. I do, however, have a suitcase now. A very beautiful suitcase, in fact, so I must definitely find somewhere to go with it now. And as if all of this wasn't hectic enough, Prelims (Oxford's first year exams) start in two weeks tomorrow. Enough said.
Introduction
(Fingers crossed) I'm going to India this summer, and I thought that keeping an online blog would be a great way to keep in touch with everybody back home (and of course, a wonderful means for procrastination).
I'll start by giving a few details about myself. My name is Samantha (Sam), and I'm at the end of my first year at the University of Oxford. I study Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Wadham College. I'm going to India with AIESEC, which is (drumroll please) the world's largest, not for profit student organisation. Our work involves the placement of international graduates on what we call traineeships. Students with a local committee at their university can either work for AIESEC (what I do) or go abroad with them (what I ... am also now doing). In my opinion, AIESEC is the best form of professional and personal development that you can get whilst studying. I consider myself to be a very different person now, 8 months after first joining.
To avoid deviating from the title of "Introduction", I shall finish this message here. Feel free to post me lots and lots of comments.
