Safe to say that Pune has been a completely different experience than Delhi...
A little note to my SRCC friends: us Americans have safely crossed the street numerous times on our own. While the traffic may not be as absurd as it was at our first stop, this is a huge deal. We're making progress.
Last time I wrote to you was before the crew headed out for dinner to celebrate Tessa's birthday. Boy, did we have quite the night. We did the most American thing possible by going to the Hard Rock Café. The night had a slow start as we had to wait for the taxis to arrive to the hotel and then make the half-hour trek (which turned into a bit longer as we got lost for a period of time).
Lucky for us, we realized as soon as we stepped foot in the door that the somewhat stressful journey was more than worth it. All eyes turned to us as we sat down at the table to begin our night, all the while dancing to the fantastic playlist blaring throughout the restaurant. After enjoying our food and a few other things, we decided that it was time to start the dance party. There was a huge dance floor not far from where we were sitting and we figured that we were the people to get the place bumping.
Our friend started the party by dancing on her own and we soon joined her as the Indian crowd started to circle around. Pretty soon we had the whole club going up, for real. We were told by numerous people that we brought the party and we were definitely the center of attention. Leave it to the Americans to turn a place into the perfect bash.
We spent waaaaaay too much money, but the experience was definitely one of the coolest nights of my life, so it's going under the category of when in India...
The squad woke up for our 9AM departure for a food and heritage tour. Although we were all pretty exhausted, the tour turned out to be much better than we anticipated. We traveled all around Pune, sampling dishes at four different places, which included a market with fresh coconut and some mango milkshake things (DELICIOUS), and stopping at various shops along the way. The tour gave us a chance to see the real streets of Pune, instead of just the surrounding area of our hotel.
The rest of the day was free for us to rest, and a couple of us headed to the Starbucks a few minutes away to enjoy a sweet, familiar taste. Note to all travelers: Starbs coffee is universal... what a pleasant surprise. After the coffee fix came a shower, about three hours of journaling, and movie night with Brady. I made it through Pitch Perfect but fell asleep about ten minutes into Frozen... my bad.
Today was a welcomed change of pace, as we headed to Fergusson College to meet the students that will accompany us through this leg of the journey. It was cool to meet even more people and we definitely had some great conversations as we met for the first time, ventured through a museum, and bonded over more Starbucks.
The day took a turn in a different direction as we left Fergusson to visit a school in the outskirts of Pune. We were all really excited for our first interaction with school-aged children, and they were definitely stoked when the Americans showed up. Jumping around and rushing to shake our hands and ask us questions in English, the students were both adorable and very friendly.
Initially, I was really enjoying this experience. It was great to see children that wouldn't normally have access to education receive an opportunity to learn. I became unnerved, however, when I realized that these students weren't necessarily learning school subjects, but rather skills that they can take back to their families when they complete grade 12.
I don't mean to say that this is a bad thing whatsoever; these children are developing the ability to contribute to their communities, which is a great thing. What bothered me, however, was the fact that they aren't receiving a standard education, meaning that they are not being prepared for higher levels of education. I'm just having trouble comprehending the fact that these children are being taught to simply survive, instead of being taught how to prosper and further themselves. They are all very intelligent and I was quite impressed by their English and knowledge of some American common places, but this skill-set education seems to be the only option for them for their entire lives. I'm deeply saddened that these students may not truly have an equal opportunity to receive more of a quality education.
This is yet another cultural difference that I expected, but wasn't truly mentally prepared for. I knew that not every child in India has the ability to be formally educated and pursue their intellectual interests, but the reality of it came crashing down today as I walked around the school. As I typically am when I experience conflicted feelings, I'm still trying to sort it all out, both mentally and emotionally. All I know is that although the children were all smiles, my heart is hurting. I'll let you know if I can string my thoughts together.
So here I am again, talking about an amazing experience and a world-view changing one. I'm a big ball of emotions. I probably just need a good cry.
India, you've got me feeling some type of way,
Kirst
A little note to my SRCC friends: us Americans have safely crossed the street numerous times on our own. While the traffic may not be as absurd as it was at our first stop, this is a huge deal. We're making progress.
Last time I wrote to you was before the crew headed out for dinner to celebrate Tessa's birthday. Boy, did we have quite the night. We did the most American thing possible by going to the Hard Rock Café. The night had a slow start as we had to wait for the taxis to arrive to the hotel and then make the half-hour trek (which turned into a bit longer as we got lost for a period of time).
Lucky for us, we realized as soon as we stepped foot in the door that the somewhat stressful journey was more than worth it. All eyes turned to us as we sat down at the table to begin our night, all the while dancing to the fantastic playlist blaring throughout the restaurant. After enjoying our food and a few other things, we decided that it was time to start the dance party. There was a huge dance floor not far from where we were sitting and we figured that we were the people to get the place bumping.
Our friend started the party by dancing on her own and we soon joined her as the Indian crowd started to circle around. Pretty soon we had the whole club going up, for real. We were told by numerous people that we brought the party and we were definitely the center of attention. Leave it to the Americans to turn a place into the perfect bash.
We spent waaaaaay too much money, but the experience was definitely one of the coolest nights of my life, so it's going under the category of when in India...
The squad woke up for our 9AM departure for a food and heritage tour. Although we were all pretty exhausted, the tour turned out to be much better than we anticipated. We traveled all around Pune, sampling dishes at four different places, which included a market with fresh coconut and some mango milkshake things (DELICIOUS), and stopping at various shops along the way. The tour gave us a chance to see the real streets of Pune, instead of just the surrounding area of our hotel.
The rest of the day was free for us to rest, and a couple of us headed to the Starbucks a few minutes away to enjoy a sweet, familiar taste. Note to all travelers: Starbs coffee is universal... what a pleasant surprise. After the coffee fix came a shower, about three hours of journaling, and movie night with Brady. I made it through Pitch Perfect but fell asleep about ten minutes into Frozen... my bad.Today was a welcomed change of pace, as we headed to Fergusson College to meet the students that will accompany us through this leg of the journey. It was cool to meet even more people and we definitely had some great conversations as we met for the first time, ventured through a museum, and bonded over more Starbucks.
The day took a turn in a different direction as we left Fergusson to visit a school in the outskirts of Pune. We were all really excited for our first interaction with school-aged children, and they were definitely stoked when the Americans showed up. Jumping around and rushing to shake our hands and ask us questions in English, the students were both adorable and very friendly.
Initially, I was really enjoying this experience. It was great to see children that wouldn't normally have access to education receive an opportunity to learn. I became unnerved, however, when I realized that these students weren't necessarily learning school subjects, but rather skills that they can take back to their families when they complete grade 12.
I don't mean to say that this is a bad thing whatsoever; these children are developing the ability to contribute to their communities, which is a great thing. What bothered me, however, was the fact that they aren't receiving a standard education, meaning that they are not being prepared for higher levels of education. I'm just having trouble comprehending the fact that these children are being taught to simply survive, instead of being taught how to prosper and further themselves. They are all very intelligent and I was quite impressed by their English and knowledge of some American common places, but this skill-set education seems to be the only option for them for their entire lives. I'm deeply saddened that these students may not truly have an equal opportunity to receive more of a quality education.
This is yet another cultural difference that I expected, but wasn't truly mentally prepared for. I knew that not every child in India has the ability to be formally educated and pursue their intellectual interests, but the reality of it came crashing down today as I walked around the school. As I typically am when I experience conflicted feelings, I'm still trying to sort it all out, both mentally and emotionally. All I know is that although the children were all smiles, my heart is hurting. I'll let you know if I can string my thoughts together.
So here I am again, talking about an amazing experience and a world-view changing one. I'm a big ball of emotions. I probably just need a good cry.
India, you've got me feeling some type of way,
Kirst
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