Visual Sociology in India

Hi everyone.

Well, it's been another long day or so. We LOVED Haridwar with its crisp clean air, beautiful rocks, walk-able paths, and, of course, the green, green Ganges running through it. We wandered down to the river upon arrival...to be greeted by Indian students who were also on a trip. How many photos can we take of one another? A LOT!

Some of the BU SOCIOLOGY majors headed away from the group (what's new, right?) and we found a lovely little beach complete with beach cow and beach dog. It was fun to stick our toes in the water but, brrr…. cold! After lunch, many of the women enjoyed getting their hands hennaed and we all did a bit of shopping as we walked around town. After a lovely and relaxed afternoon, it was off to the ghats for a night-time deepmala ceremony and more time shopping at the local market. Oh, the stories I could tell! But, heck, I'm tired, so I'll let your sons/daughters tell you about their adventures that night.

We had an early night back at the hotel (9pm) so we could pack and have dinner. Have you ever heard of room service calling you back and saying "The mac and cheese is bad for you. Your order has been canceled?" Well, such things happen in India as Marti, Heather, and Taylor can attest. Again, good spirits prevailed although, sadly, back up room service didn't make it!

Today we left Haridwar for Delhi and a visit to the lovely B'ahai temple. Shaped like a giant lotus, it's hard to believe something could be so solid yet so light and airy. Too much to say about this so I’ll try to let pictures (or students) do the talking. We make a fast stop at McDonalds and S'barro. The food many of us never eat--scoff at, even--suddenly tasted like a bit of heaven. (Do I hear a haiku ode to french fries, anyone?) I think this means we must be ready to go home? Then, we made a stop at Fab India where, even I the non-shopper shopped. I'm not sure, but I think it's India's equivalent to Old Navy!

Continue reading "Last night in Delhi, on the way to the airport. Mixed Emotions about coming home!" »

Posted by Dr. Andi Stepnick at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

We just stopped for a quick bite and while having ‘class’ outside an Indian man took our photo. The timing couldn’t have been better as we were, again, discussing the “guidelines” of visual documentation. On a whim, I decided to ask the man why he wanted our photo. Luckily, our guide Raj was able to translate. It turns out the man is from a “famous” Hindi paper (the name of which doesn't come to me right now) and wanted to put our photo in it. Since 26/11, many people-especially Americans-have canceled their trips to India and the economic influence will be felt by many. He wanted to show his readers that some of us are still coming to see India.

We’re not sure the photo will make it into the paper, but if anyone feels like googling, have at it! We told him we were from Belmont University. And, as I think of it, it makes Belmont’s ‘From here to anywhere’ seem pretty darn appropriate!

Continue reading "We're in a Hindi paper? And..some haiku." »

Posted by Dr. Andi Stepnick at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I just woke up here on this train in India en route from Jaipur to Varanasi. Besides the 30 to 60 minutes in the cold wait station, it's been surprisingly fun and not uncomfortable! I think we're about to start the choreography for our Bollywood dance number any second now, to the annoyance of the other car passengers. I will make no comments on the restrooms, because we have varying opinions on if it is in fact the worst we have come across so far, nor will I pay any attention to Taylor's trying to blame me for all of the crumbs falling on his bottom bunk.

Yesterday we got to spend a few more hours in a market, which was just so great. I didn't buy anything; I'm still getting along just fine with my Punjabi suits that I bought (hand tailored) at the last bazaar. Earlier that morning we went to mother Theresa's home, and we played with the kids and met some of the beautiful people who stay there. I'm glad it's there, but by American standards it was a medical nightmare. Wonderful but heartbreaking. Exactly why I'm going into nursing. More later…

Posted by Esme at 03:30 AM | Permalink

HI all,

We've made it back to Delhi for a night's rest...after a lovely two days in Varanasi...which Liz is going to blog about any minute now. (We had a bear of a time getting internet connection there and, of course, there was no internet on our 24 hour train ride. BUT...it was a good opportunity to live out our motto of MOFA: mishap = opportunity for adventure! )

So...I'm back tracking a bit here...

January 1st was a day of contrasts…perhaps symbolic of the peaks and valleys you might experience in a typical year. We started out on the road to Agra and along the way made a quick stop along the roadside to see a ‘brick factory.’ Really, it was just a handful of people, mostly children it appeared, hand patting mud together into brick form. We could see into the fields rows upon rows of gray bricks. The moment we stepped off the bus a few children ran up to us, then more children, then even more children….as if a pied piper (this time in the form of a tourist bus) was calling them.

Continue reading "Back to Delhi - "MOFA"" »

Posted by Dr. Andi Stepnick at 09:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Our last day in Agra was absolutely fantastic. We spent the morning at the Missionaries of Charity - Mother Teresa's Home, where we spent time with children and some mentally/physically handicapped adults. The lessons were immense, and the people we met (not to mention the consequential experiences) were nothing short of amazing and life-changing. After playing with one of the infants in a crib, who loved her small tambourine and played it very well on rhythm, as well as giggling uncontrollably at presence, I went to the next room over. Beyond the steel, low lit passageways, I came to a room of about twenty beds, of which about six were filled. I sat on the floor next to a boy named Banu, a patient with cerebral palsy who touched me so deeply. He had a beautiful spirit, and when Dr. Stepnick, Heather, and I were hanging out with him, and with Bariani (the girl in the photo that Dr. Stepnick is swinging), when we would say his name "Banu" he would smile and laugh ever so deeply. And some construction workers were cutting down a tree outside the window, and when it fell, we all jumped, and Banu just laughed and laughed at us.

We also ventured over to the mentally/physically handicapped adult section of the Home where we met some incredible people who loved to have their picture taken. We just all laughed and talked about things for the few minutes that we had together.

We drove over and toured around the Agra Fort, where we saw another view of the Taj Mahal in the distance and learned of the area's rich history.

During the evening, we walked around the market areas of Agra searching for things for our friends back home and getting a small taste of the night atmosphere in Agra. After dodging taxis, motorcycles, bikes, and cows, we made it well throught the evening without a scratch... although we smelled and saw some very interesting things along the way.

We were scheduled to board a train to Veranasi at 11:30 PM... But, as India public transportation is known for its lax time schedules, we boarded a little after 12:30 AM. The supposed 11-hour train ride (to which were to arrive around noon) turned into a 22-hour train ride, due to fog and a whole list of other circumstances that we're not really quite sure about. Haha, but the journey is the destination, is it not?

We passed the time making conversations, catching up on journal entries, or succumbing to and enjoying lots of Benadryl-induced sleeping. We jumped in the Hotel India in Varanasi around 10:30 PM, got some spring rolls via Room Service, and now I'm on the way to bed.

Coming up, we will be attending some Hindu ceremonies on the Ganges River, both at sunrise and sunset (in which some of us might be taking a spiritual dip in the river) and a few other adventures. Stay tuned.

Cheers,
chris

P.S. No doubt. I know it's sad but I am actually kinda missing the Wendy's late night double stack with cheese at this very moment. 2 AM and Wendy's dollar menu: a college kid's dream for sure.

Posted by Chris at 04:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

It’s nearly midnight here and New Year's music is thumping from the lobby party below, but we’ve all gone to bed after nearly 15 hour day. We started out after breakfast to the orphanage run by SOS Villages Jaipur . As we end the year, I wanted students to have the opportunity to “give back” to India a little of what she is giving to us. If a picture is worth a thousand words then perhaps the photos I’m uploading will tell the story of the group of sweet, funny, and highly energetic children that we met today. We played for about four hours, sharing songs (e.g., Itsy Bitsy Spider ) and games (e.g. tag) and running around a lot! (Thank your local elementary school teacher / this stuff is exhausting!) As we got back on the bus to leave one of the students said, “I’d be happy to skip all the other stuff and just stay here today and another said he could stay there for a year. This could easily outrank the Taj as the highlight of our trip.

Following the orphanage we had lunch and left for Jantar Mantar, an amazing observatory built in 1728. Here we wandered through a garden of ancient mechanisms once used for telling time, latitude, altitude, and much more. Amazingly, they still work today. Again, I'll let the pictures talk, but...keep in mind the pictures thus far have been mine (except for Newark) and I'm working quickly with a teensy Cannon...not like some of the semipros we've got among the students! Look for their AMAZING photos soon once we find time to upload them!

Continue reading "Orphanage visit, Jantar Mantar, and Bollywood!" »

Posted by Dr. Andi Stepnick at 11:34 AM | Permalink

Sorry for the delay, everyone! We’re having an amazing time, but we haven’t been able to get the internet since last night and we’re just now getting settled into our Jaipur hotel at 10pm after a long and exciting day.

Our first day in Delhi began bright and early at 7:30 with an orientation and a Visual Sociology class over a breakfast of Indian food--naan, dal, chai tea, and curried potatoes. Fortified and somewhat rested from our 14 hour flight, we began our tour with a visit to see the site where Gandhi was assassinated on his way to evening prayer.

As the ‘father’ of modern India, this was an important stop to give students an understanding of how India gained independence from Britain and, more specifically, about the path of non-violence that Gandhi espoused. We wandered the grounds for a good while, walking along a path lined with plaques that cited quotes by Gandhi that had students and faculty alike saying “hmmm, yes, yes…” (One of Gandhi’s ideas about the purpose of education emerged later that night as a few students and I discussed the meaning of life back in the hotel lobby.) For most of us, this stop was a powerful start our trip and in some ways an act of ‘witness’ to seemingly senseless violence which India knows all too well, especially in recent days. In times when Gandhi’s ideas about nonviolence seem all too readily abandoned, students seemed pleased to be reminded of alternative ways of seeing and acting on the world.

Continue reading "Delhi and Jaipur Adventures" »

Posted by Dr. Andi Stepnick at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Hello Everybody! My wonderful family, and Bryan! We made it to Newark! And we have been bonding in the airport. Oh, the sweet culture of the Jersey airport… We are camped out in a corner discussing music, school, and our trip expectations. We have also been people watching, oh, so fun, and even exploring the airport through pictures. All is well and we are having a BLAST!

(Click image to see larger size)

Posted by Erin at 05:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Oh, East is East and West is West , and never the twain shall meet, Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God’s great Judgment Seat.
---from Rudyard Kipling’s The Ballad of East and West.

Born in Mumbai and raised with Hindi as his first language, Kipling was a credible judge of the relationship between the Eastern and Western ends of the earth. To be sure, there are more divisions in the world than East and West, but in the crossing of one such line, I hope to gain a much greater understanding of why separation exists and how to bridge it. There is just something so….magical about India that appealed to me in first hearing about this study abroad opportunity. After having fallen in love with sociology in my Intro class, I knew that studying this country under Dr. Stepnck was a once in a lifetime chance. This class combines sociology with photography, which is an art form that I have always dreamed of exploring. In fact, I always promised myself that I would take a photography course once I got to college, but I never dreamed that it would look anything like this! I expect my experiences on this trip to be another huge step in the personal growth that has been taking place since my time at Belmont University. Since transferring to Belmont, God has revealed to me my heart for human rights and social justice, as well as the career path by which I can best thrive in His will. In the same way that I had no idea what I was in for in August of 2007, I cannot even dream what to anticipate from this time in India.

Continue reading "The Ballad of East and West" »

Posted by Esme at 04:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)