Home Sweet Home (Jessica)

We made it back in one piece!! After finishing up another great week on the medical van, we started our trek to Mumbai. Once we reached Mumbai, we met up with some friends and went shopping! This experience was in one word, awesome. There were rows and rows of vendors selling everything you can imagine… CHEAP. We bought everything from tapestries to toy cars and with the help of our Indian friends we spent a fraction of what they wanted to charge us. I met the 100+ gift quota I had originally set for myself with ease. Whew!

After shopping we made our way to the airport a bit of a round-about way so we could see some of the famous spots in Mumbai…mind you it was pouring and I mean POURING the whole time. Despite the rain, we saw some really cool places, including the Gateway of India and a slum that is considered the largest in Asia. I was impressed.

Once we arrived to the airport things got a little hairy. We ended up having the time of our flight mixed up, and it was actually the night before! I almost threw up on the ticket man. The 9 ½ hour time difference, that whole concept of the day changing after midnight, and the complete and utter lack of sleep throughout our stay in India caught up with us and got us good. LUCKILY, Delta came through and with a small fee from the “shit happens” fund as Cindy calls it, we got on the next flight home. 24 hours later, we reached Atlanta safe and sound! My bed had never been more comfortable in my life J

Readjusting to here has been much easier, although going to the grocery store for the first time after I got back was pretty weird. I didn’t have to bargain with anyone and all the food was perfectly laid out waiting for me to pick it up. I paid with my debit card and left in my car. All of those things I had taken for granted before.

Traveling and studying abroad in India has really opened my eyes to just how different peoples’ lives can be. Small things we take for granted here make a huge difference in the lives of people there. In some parts of India, soap and running water is a luxury. I’m so thankful for what I have been blessed with and hope to continue to help others throughout my life.

On a lighter note, I’ve been eating a ton of meat since I got back. I didn’t really miss it while I was there, but after making some damn good steak fajitas yesterday, I’m re-addicted.

Thanks to everyone who kept up with our blog! We really appreciate your support throughout our journey! This trip has truly been a life-changing experience for us both.

Goa Going Gone... (Cindy)

Our time in India is sadly coming to a close, and we wanted to go out with a bang. We decided to head to Goa, a Portuguese-influenced beach town, for the weekend. The overnight trains are difficult to navigate here! Even if you have paid for tickets, you still might not have confirmed beds, which would mean a 10-hour journey sitting on a dirty floor. The train was an experience in and of itself--unlike other sleeper trains I've been on, there's no privacy on this one--at least in the second class, the only available option when we booked our tickets. We had beds across from an unfriendly family, and could smell urine wafting from the nearby toilets whenever the train stopped moving. I tried not to drink water for fear I'd have to use one, but I did muster up the courage once. Jessica and I had to hike up our pants before entering, and I had to pull my shirt up over my nose just to breathe. Needless to say, we were extremely grateful to ride back in an air-conditioned bus with beds that had pillows, mattresses and curtains. When discussing with an Indian friend of ours, he called us princesses, but I think most Americans we know would have agreed!

Goa was very different from the India we've seen so far. It was once occupied by the Portuguese, so many of its churches and other buildings have a European feel. Nestled among palm trees and brightly colored bungalows and larger homes, it has a more modern and Western quality. It's lush, and jungles are abundant--although it's dangerous to go during monsoon season. So no elephants this go around--sorry Jessica! We took an all-day bus tour with an eccentric young tour guide who sported a Miami-like vibe--and his name, even though he was Indian, was Ricky Fernandes. He told us Goa is laid-back and that people who live there don't like to work--they just relax and enjoy life. Not sure how people make a living, exactly, but I like the philosophy. We saw some beautiful churches (unlike other parts of India, the dominant religion here is Catholicism because of the Portuguese influence) and beaches, took a tour of an old Portuguese-style home, a quick look at an aquarium, and stopped quickly for some fenni, a famous Goan alcohol made from either coconuts or cashews.

The rainy season started this past weekend and it rained most of the day Sunday, but we did some shopping and walked around and relaxed in a cafe with some chai and a mango lassi. We even snuck in some seafood at a sweet little restaurant off of a cute side street. Then it was on the road again to head back for our final week--a bittersweet time for us. Just one or two more blog posts to come, and then we'll be able to talk to you all in person :).

Scenes From the Medical Van (Jessica)

So the last two weeks we spent at Kavailyadhama, the traditional medicine hospital. We had an amazing time and learned a ton about Ayurveda, meditation, and naturopathy. Now we’ve moved on to the rural/public health part of our study abroad. We travel to small rural villages on a medical van with a doctor, Dr. Vijay, and his assistant/driver.
















The van is sponsored by Sadhu Vaswani hospital which provides free health care to the surrounding villages and towns. Dr. Vijay distributes medicine to people in the small villages and to the indigenous people of India, or the Adivasi as they are called here.

This type of work has been so rewarding for us, we’ve really enjoyed every minute of it. We are taking the heights, weight, and ages of mainly children and adolescents and are planning on using the data to compare Indian growth patterns to American and other developed countries’ growth patterns. Our ultimate (looong term) goal is to reduce the rate of malnutrition in developing countries. We hope to find sustainable ways to help these families.

Many of the people that the medical van serves are elderly and we’ve noticed that the majority of the problems are related to calcium deficiencies, iron deficiencies, vitamin A deficiencies, and lack of protein in the diet. We created a rough version of a handout that we plan on distributing in the villages and hanging in schools and hospitals.

We are also working on a prevention handout focusing on the reduction of salt and fat in the diet because so many of the elderly people have high blood pressure. We were talking with Dr. Vijay today and he was saying that as the India as a country continues to develop, the rates of hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes, and heart disease have all increased. Physical activity decreases and overall diet quality decreases (with the introduction of the oh so popular McDonalds and friends) as the country has developed.

The people in the villages have been absolutely amazing. Every day we visit two different villages. The children laugh and play with us and the elders of the villages always go above and beyond to take care of us.

Being of the “red persuasion” myself, I always and I mean always turn bright red when it’s hot outside. I’m not sure if the people of India have seen a human being turn so red, but there’s a first for everything right? The people of the villages always give us water, invite us into their homes, offer us chai, and great food. We have been so lucky to be able to meet and interact with these people on such an intimate level. Experiences like this are few and far between. It has truly been life changing.

We’ve also developed some serious bargaining skillz. Everyone tries to overcharge us, but it ain’t happening. Well, not as badly, haha. They still probably charge us twice as much as they should, but when we first got here they were charging us 3-4 times the original amount. Baby steps ;)

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words (Cindy)

Locked the keys to my lock in my suitcase...slick move!















Organic section in an Indian grocery...makes me happy :).
















The swastik is an ancient Sanskrit symbol that actually represents good fortune.



















Sweet treats on the street (that we're not trying due to possible stomach issues)!















Fast food, Indian style.














Dr. Krishna, one of our Ayurvedic teachers, and Rob, a British chiropractor we met at Kaivalyadhama.














The one with the seat holds the bags!
















Karla Caves, ancient Buddhist caves, just a short walk from where we're staying...
















Jessica got an outfit at a local shop, and the two salesgirls walked us down the street to the tailor and told us how much they love wearing jeans. So cute!














Washing clothes in the river in a village area...
















A Spanish yogini (Raquel) from the ashram...














Frogs in the bathroom!




























Fresh musk melon...it's cantaloupe, but it tastes a bit different. Yum!














Everyone is always crying on Indian soaps!




























Dancing at home with Niki, the 9-year-old member of the family we're staying with. She's a trip...














...and dancing in the street...an Indian wedding!

Shopping and Shuttling (Cindy)

Getting around India, or at least Maharashtra, the state we’re working and traveling in, is pretty easy—we either take rickshaws or the train. Rickshaws are quite the experience—they are like small, cute cabs that are open on the sides—so you get a nice breeze when riding in them! They have three wheels and instead of a steering wheel, motorcycle-like handlebars, and they can fit through the narrowest of streets! The best part is they’re super cheap…most of our rides are about 50 rupees, just over a dollar, and there’s no tipping system. India also has a very good train system, but it’s different from what we’re used to, to say the least! There are cars specifically for women, which is nice—wonder if those would be popular at home??




















Food vendors, selling items like ice cream, fruit, Indian snacks and sweets (chikki) come through before the train takes off, and It’s sometimes hard to get a seat because of the crowds (India contains about 16% of the world’s population on less than 3% of the land). The cars are cooled with fans, not A/C, and fresh air from the open doors (can you imagine the lawsuits if the doors on American trains traveled like that?), and are filled with women in saris, some bare feet (that’s everywhere!) and Hindi gossip!

One of our latest trips took us to Pune, the second biggest city in the state next to Mumbai. We had shopping on the brain, and met up with some of our new friends from the ashram for a true Indian shopping experience. Saris are typically reserved for weddings and married women, and there’s an art to wrapping them—a complicated one—so we decided to go for pants and tunics, or suits, as they call them here. Think of the opposite of stopping into Anthropologie at Lenox…this is personalized attention with a cozy atmosphere. We climbed stairs up into a shop filled with rows and rows of bold fabrics, and were told to sit on mattresses. We had met up with some of our friends’ friends, so we had a large group of girls and a few guys with us. We were all spread out, and the salespeople kept tossing us different patterns. By the end of the experience, we were surrounded by a pile of beautiful cotton fabrics. It was hard to decide which ones to buy, but we both settled on a few favorites, after asking some of the other girls for their opinions!

We then went with them to look for saris for their female family members. We caught a glimpse of what it takes to put one on—it’s no easy feat! There are so many different materials, too—cotton, synthetics, sheers. We haven’t had time to had our fabrics made into “suits” yet, so if you know any great Indian tailors in the U.S., let us know…

Internet in and out!

Hey devoted fans, all six of you :)...our internet has been a bit unreliable, but we haven't forgotten about you! We will post some more info as soon as possible. Lots of goodies to come :).

Temples, temples, everywhere! (Cindy)

In India, Hindu temples can take many forms. Several nights ago, we visited Narindum temple, just a short walk from our ashram. The enormous and new Disney World-like structure has three large neon Sanskrit symbols hovering overhead: an om and two swastiks, which represents the yin/yang of life (which Hitler later borrowed and morphed the meaning of to promote evil). Visitors take their shoes off when entering to show respect, and ornate paintings and altars made with gold and diamonds add some glitz. Our Indian friends showed us how to perform some traditional blessings and prayers, which are really beautiful and simple. People also ring a large bell upon entering the temple, altering the gods that they are ready to pray. We finished up our visit by having a bit of a fashion show on the temple’s grand, sprawling steps.

Dr. Jagdish, the director of the ayurveda center at Kaivalyadhama, took us to Pune, a nearby city, a few days ago to show us a spiritual gathering that was taking place, and to take us to two well-known temples (we don't have a lot of photos of these, because you're not supposed to take pictures inside a temple). (We ate the best mangoes I've ever had on the way...they are super soft and sweet...see below!)

The Sai Baba temple was smaller and very open. Worshippers wait in line to meet the religious men and to bow down to the gods on a sacred stone. The spiritual leaders were happy to have us there, and gave each of us a coconut wrapped in flowers. They also give people small things to chew on, like small bites of sugar and seeds. The second temple, Dyaneshwar Samadhi, is thousands of years old, and people wait in line to enter these small, winding hallways that lead to the place of worship, where you bow down to the gods. Like everywhere else in India, it is very crowded, and you have to push your way through in order to maintain your place in line. There are small stands where you pay a few rupees and leave your shoes before entering the temple, and then pick them up again on the way out—not unlike the procedure at a bowling alley :).

And finally, last night we went out to dinner with our teachers (at a yummy Indian vegetarian restaurant—more on that later) and on the way, quickly stopped at a tiny temple (more like a hut, really) to offer up a quick prayer. The door was locked with bars on it, but inside a candle was lit, and there was a small statue of a god and religious paintings hanging on the rustic walls. Dr. Jagdish told us that it was located in a spiritual place, the northwest corner of the earth. The placement of things, both inside and outside the home, is an important concept in ayurveda, because it can either increase or decrease one’s energy, depending on where it is in relation to the sun.

Traditions are taken very seriously here. We went to pray briefly on the way to dinner last night, because it was a specific day of the moon cycle. It seems like a lot to remember, but I suppose it’s ingrained! Dr. Jagdish has also invited us to take part in a daily morning prayer, where he and the other practitioners pray to the god of medicine before treating clients. It’s a Sanskrit prayer, so we don’t know exactly what is being said, but you can sense the good intentions and energy regardless. At one point on the drive to Pune, Dr. Jagdish pulled the car over, turned off the engine and performed a silent prayer—because it was 5 p.m., the exact time necessary to pray. If nothing else, it slows you down to remember gratitude and to cultivate some stillness throughout your day. Three times a week at the ashram, they hold a chanting ceremony called evening pooja where pure herbs and ghee are placed into a small indoor fire to provide a sacred fume to help clean the environment and scare away evil spirits.

Before we moved on to our second rotation in a nearby village, Dr. Jagdish wanted Jessica and me to experience some ayurvedic treatments. We had a warm oil massage, an upper-body massage and steam treatment, and shirodhara, a really relaxing treatment that continuously drips warm oil on your head and scalp—my hair is still greasy two days later! Meant to remove toxins from various parts of your body, they have been very different from any massage or other treatment I’ve had in the states. During the massage, I was on a table without any sheet or much cushioning, and when you turn on your stomach, there’s no hole to place your head in, so your nose is kind of smushed into the table. It felt good, but definitely was not quite as relaxing as a massage in the states. The upper body treatment was also quite unique. After a nice face massage, I wasn’t quite prepared for some oil drops placed into my nose, which sort of burned my throat. After some steam, the practitioner burned some turmeric and instructed me to breathe in the smoke, then blow it out. The smoke was too much for me. She kind of laughed and I think she was getting annoyed, telling me I wasn’t breathing in. I thought she wouldn’t notice! My throat burned for a little while after that—not sure I am a fan of smoke inhalation as a treatment modality, but hey, what do I know.

So, about dinner with our instructors. We went to this casual restaurant with open sides, and they kindly ordered things with less spice for me and Jessica. We ordered a mushroom starter—it was kind of like fried sweet and sour mushrooms, a bit crispy and meaty. As our main courses, we shared paneer palak (which we call saag paneer at home), a spinach-cheese dish. Here, it was more smoothly blended and a brighter shade of green than what we’re used to. We also had butter dal, mixed vegetables with a flavorful sauce and butter chapatti (roti bread). To finish it off, we tried miniature pots of ice cream-the perfect size! It was my favorite meal here so far—flavorful but not too heavy. We are slowly learning how to eat with our hands and break off pieces of chapatti with one hand. Dr. Jagdish said eating with your hands gives you more flavor and good energy! I also recently heard that eating on the ground, which many Indians do and we tried many times at the ashram, helps you recognize when you’re full more quickly because you have to lean forward more to eat. Interesting, no?

Speaking of food, we are learning a lot of cooking and other preparation techniques, based in ayurvedic and other Indian principles. Here are a few scenes from the kitchen:

Yesterday, we arrived at our new location. We are staying with a sweet family in a small village. Jessica will have the full report up soon!