Kathmandu --> India

My week in Kathmandu passed really fast and I enjoyed everyday so much. It's amazing how much company can do to lighten up things. Basically Ayesha and I just enjoyed ourselves and relaxed. We slept in, watched movies, went around the city, bought a saree (the tradition indian clothes women wear) and talked a lot.
One of the reasons why I enjoyed being there was the fact that Kathmandu is very different from Delhi. It is less crowded and the poverty is in fact, quite surprisingly, less visible there. No slums at all, and not many people begging. The atmosphere was more charming, comfortable and there was more for me to see. One of the things I was very surprised with was how well two major religions co-exists in Nepal. There are Hindu temples many places, but just as many buddhists and the traditional clothing of buddist monks in red and orange colours were seen everywhere. In fact, often the temples were shared between the two religions. One room for hinduism and one for buddism. It stroke me that this was the first time I had actually seen two religions that had understood the message of religions as I see it: Toleration and acceptance of other religions and living in peaceful respect side by side. I wish more parts of the world would understand how to live that out in pracice as I saw in Kathmandu.
We travelled around by taxi aften, small white cars that charge around 100 nepali rupees for half an hour ride. That is equivalent to 10 Dkr or 2 US$. Otherwise we would take a mikro, which was a small bus where people sqeezed in. The mikro would have a young boy who would shout the destination of the mikro everytime the car stopped so that waiting people could hear where it was going.
There were lots of markets. Narrow streets with fruit and vegetable sellers on both sides, fish just lying on tables and huge lumps of meat without any further hyginics. I guess thats the kind of meat I would get really sick from eating. Lots of black market sellers sitting on the streets, selling clothes, mobile covers and belts in a pile infront of them on the ground. When you pass them, they shout at you to attract attention to their particular goods.
We lived with Ayeshas grandmother and grandfather. Two small children, a boy and a girl, around age 10 lived and worked in the house. They would do most of the cooking, cleaning and washing there needed to be done and they served Ayesha and I food in her room. First, I had difficulties getting use to it, but I realized that Nepal (and India for that matter) is such a different world from my own, that these two children were probably much better off, living and working in that house than living somewhere else. They didnt go to school, but they were about to later in life.
Generally, the cast system is still very much applied in both Nepal and India. I waited for my train to Delhi in a 'high cast waiting room' in India before going to Nepal and in Kathmandu, Ayesha explained to me that you could even see on the streets and the material which cast was suppose to live there. You could also see it on peoples names and sometimes even faces. Arranged marriages and marriages only within your own cast are also common procedure here.
It stroke me what a mixed world peope live in here. There are still bound by the old conservative traditions of their past, but still the influence from the Western world is massive. Everywhere, even in the poorest towns, you will find Coca Cola and Pepsi, and all the advitersment is portrayted with white people. You can see that the Western way of dressing is also very penetrating in the culture and especially young people seem to be living in a strange double world of their roots and the Western influences.

I am now back in Delhi and Sanna, my co-year from Finland has arrived. We are staying at Jahnvis sister's hostel and the girls there are very sweet and funny and help us with the small things we need. We will probably stay untill Sunday when Airiin finally arrives and then continue to Rajasthan and the school Fabindia. I am excited about reaching the place, also because I need to settle in one place after all the travelling around.
Keep writing me! :)

Nepal

I thought I should tell that I am currently not in India anymore, but in Nepal, more precise Kathmandu. Friday I thought about going to Nepal, because it is relatively close and because I have always wanted to see that country. Originally I wanted to volunteer in Nepal, but due to the bad circumstances in the country when we were to decide on a project, it became India instead. Anyway, Saturday I booked tickets for Kathmandu, Sunday I took a train back to Delhi and slept at Jahnvis sisters place in Delhi, Monday caught my flight to Kathmandu and was picked up by Ayesha. I am staying at her place and will be here a week untill I have to fly back to Delhi on Monday, because Sanna is arriving in India.
I have only been here for a day, but today we went around Kathmandu with 3 of Ayeshas friend of whom 2 had just graduated from Mahindra college (another UWC school which is located in India). I really like Kathmandu! It is much less crowded than Delhi and it has more charm and atmosphere to it. There are markets with only beads or religous figures or kites or fruits and vegetables and many other things. There are many temples all around the city. We saw the temple where the living goddess kumari lives. She is a 6 year old girl, who is worshiped as a living god. She is not allowed to come out of the temple, nor to touch the ground at all. So her life basically consists of coming out to a certain window at certain times and look down on the people who come and worship her and being carried around everywhere. When she reach puperty and becomes "impure" she will loose her status of a living goddess and a replacement will be found. She girls can be down to 3 years old when they are appointed. I couldnt help but thinking about that girl and what kind of life she must have. And how difficult everything will be for her when she cannot be a goddess anymore and all of a sudden has to lead a "normal" life. I dont think I would like being a living goddess.
Back to Kathmandu, so yes, I really enjoy being here. It is very good to have some company also in the late nights although I often talked to people I had just met in Rishikesh. Ayesha and I are talking a lot about UWC and I havent thought that much about how everything was ever since I came home, or talked that much about it and it actually feels good to remember everything again and watch pictures and talk about all the many crazy things that happened there.
Tomorrow we are going to meet Bhuti, who is leaving for the US Thursday, so I am lucky I just came in time to see her smiley face.
I hope to see some of the mountains as well. Kathmandu itself is in a value although it is surrended by mountains, it is limited what you can see from here. I am in love with mountains so I definitely have to enjoy some views from this Himalaya country.

PS. I have changed the settings so it is now possible to leave an anonymous comment, although I hope people will sign, it is more for those who do not have a blog account and still wish to leave a note, which always makes me happy when people do :)

Small things that stroke me

- Scooters. There are many motorbikes or scooters on the roads. In itself that isnt a weird thing considering the traffic is so chaotic that such a vehicle is by far the fastest to get anywhere, but the fact that the Indians overload their scooters with people. It is very common to see women sitting behind a male driver, but the women sit with both their legs on one side and all their colourful clothes flying in the wind after them. I have seen whole families all in one scooter, the father driving, a small kid infront of him, the mother back in that female-horse-riding-way with another child on her lap. I have tried to sit like that as well when I met Amit a day and he had a scooter. I was quite afraid cos he was driving very fast and sitting like that is not the safest position on a motorbike. Well, obviously, nothing bad happened.
- Monkeys. In Rishikesh where I am now, they seem as common as cows are everywhere else. Yesterday I saw a money stealing food from a little counter. The food was whiped in plastic, but the monkey seemed so familiar with city life that it even knew how to conquer that obstacle.
- Holy men. Specially in Rishikesh, since this is a kind of hole place, I have seen many of them. Very old men, wearing the charicteristic orange/red clothers. I saw two in trance, their eyes looked blinded and they were shaking and messing things I would never understand. They must have had contact with some higher god, Im sure.
- Men generally. They stare! I know I have mentioned it before, but I find it hard to get use to. Everywhere, they follow me with the eyes and they do not look away if I get contact with them. Rather the opposite. Never have I looked down in the ground so stifly and determined. But I do not feel treathened. Most of them are probably just curious because I am a girl, white, young and alone.
- Food. I like it very much. Here, they dont sign with 'vegetarian food'. They sign with 'non-veg' instead. Most Indians are vegetarians and I dont mind it, my stomach has untill now behaved very nicely. I'd like to keep it that way.
- Ganges river. I tiped my feet into it yesterday. It felt very good, soothing and cooling. It is probably true that there is something holy about that river too.
- Snake tamer. I saw one the other day at my breakfast. I heard a sound of a funny sharp flute with a drone, and saw this also guru-like-looking old man playing on an instrument I havent seen before. First I was only intersted in the instrument, trying to think of my now-seeming-very-distant-music-lessons where I probably came cross the name of this instrument in our world music classes. But suddenly I realized the actual purpose of the music. Infront of him there was a basket with a snake coming up from it! I couldnt believe my eyes, it was so much like an Aladin cartoon. The snake appeared more and more untill it started getting out of the basket and the nearest tourists were suddenly very busy getting out of their chairs and in safe distance. The snake tamer just took the snake and put it back in the basket. He continued playing and after some time he took out a second snake. In the end both snakes were crawling around him, tangleling around his flute, his face and body. Wow... Quite impressive to see. When he was done, he just put them back in. Later, I smiled at him and he waved to me as if we were old relatives.

There are much more, but right now this was all I could think of.
I am still doing good. Meanwhile of seeing all these things, I am relaxing a lot and reading Catch-22 that Pete once recommended in an English class.
Enjoyable day to everyone who is still honouring me with reading my blog :)

Heat, cows and gurus

My first week in India is now almost over. I have the same feeling as last time I tried to write about it. It's so hard to chooce the right words, to nail down exactly how this place is. Just have to start somewhere.
I am not in Delhi anymore. Jahnvi left for the US Sunday evening and that means I have to spend a bit more then two weeks on whatever I like untill Airiin and Sanna will come to India in the end of August or beginning of September, in fact Im not sure about the exact date of their arrival. The first thing I made sure of after Jahnvis departure was to get out of Delhi as soon as possible. The reason why I put it like that is the following:
Delhi is the most intense city Ive ever been in. The moment you put your feet on the street you are knocked down by a thousands impressions of the hectic life going on there. Small kids running around begging for money in dirty cloths, lots of people just sitting around not doing anything with a purpose I could predict, cabels hanging freely in the air everwhere, all the fasades of the houses and buildings look like they havent been maintained since they were build, which is probably the reason for their bad state, people with carrers stuff with all different kind of things they sell such as bananas, water, apples and other fruits, corns which have been burned over a little fire of coal next to the seller, helmets, blankets, belts and so on and so on. Everything seems like a chaos, there are loud noises constantly. All the time you hear horns blowing and people shouting. It is so hot that I was sweating constantly. There is garbage lying around everywhere and that applies for all the places I have seen untill now. In the morning you find people sleeping around the streets very openly. And then of course the cows that literally really does walk around everywhere on the streets.
One of the things I felt very ambivalent about seeing was the slums. Areas where people live in home made tents that look unstable and very unhealthy. In those areasa I saw people shitting on the middle of the road, washing themselves, having their whole life in extreme poverty and with no privacy. I didnt know what to feel. I felt very sorry that someone had to live their lives in this way, but also I felt that I couldnt relate to it in any way. It was like watching a film, a very lively film where I could hear, see, smell or even touch the objects, but it would never be real. Of course, I know that it is the reality for these people, but I just felt so distant from them. Despite the fact that I was in the same place and time of those people, we were in two entirely different worlds. Perhaps I am upsetting someone now, but this was what I concluded after thinking about it.
So after Jahnvi had left, all this chaos and hectics and pollution and traffic and obvious extreme poverty became a bit too much and so I left Delhi. Luckely, Jahnvis aboyfriend Amit was going with me because he had some business in a city near to my destination. And so now I am in Rishikesh, north east of Delhi. It is a very beautiful place by the Ganges river with many holy people walking around in orange clothes, but also foreigners, which is somehow a relief for me. Strange how I suddenly relate to any perhaps with the skin colour of white. Home, I need slightly more than that to feel a relation. I live in a nice hotel in the hills with a splendid view of the mountains and the river. Came today, so I havent seen much yet.
I dont exactly know what my plans are yet, since I have two weeks to go. But I will take a day at the time and if I get bored I will try and find other nice places around.
It feels good to be away from the city, but my week in Delhi was definitly worth it and it was great spending so much time with Jahnvi and her family. I got to talk a lot to them about the differences of our cultures and also learned crucal things such as how to get around and price levels.
I dont know if I write too much on this blog, if people really bother to read this far down, but anyways, here it is.
I am thinking about home, missing it and my friends, but I am doing well considering the situation.
Keep writing me!

India - first day

SO! Im here now. In the capital of India, Delhi. Oooh, god, dont know where to start. Let me start by describing the first thing that happened to me here, the drive from the airport.
I arrived in Delhi airport early Tuesday morning and was picked up by Jahnvi, my roommate in my first year or RCN, and her boyfriend. We took a taxi to go to Jahnvi's place and right away I saw that all the things I heard about India are true, but it's crazy seeing things with your own eyes. Firstly, yes there are cows walking around the street all over the place. They do not seem frightened of the cars at all, the just stand there and eat off the few trees around. I also saw a monkey on the way and a kamel, just standing there. There are wild dogs running around everywhere, I guess living my the eatable garbage they can find.
The first thing that shocked me on the taxi drive was the traffic. Don't think Ive ever tried anything more life-threatening (dont worry, mum, I will survive!) than driving here in Delhi. No one uses the lanes, so even though there is marked 3 lanes, there are 5 colums of vehicles. The traffic is a mixture of cars, bikes, walking people, rigshaws, and small kind-of-cars/motor operated bikes called autos, which are used to transport from 1 to I guess 6 people can fit in there, around. All of these different vehicles are trying to get past each other as fast as possible, in and out. They constantly use horns to warn each other and just to say "get out of my way" and so there is a hell lot of noise. The taxi driver used his horn all the time and also his arm out of the window to direct other cars out of his way. At some point the car infront of us stopped suddenly, we slowed down fast and the car behind us, which was of course kept no distance and driving at a very fast pace, drove right into us with a huge bump. I got a shock, but it wasnt worse than we were all jumping a bit and then that was it. So the two cars stopped in the middle of the road, the taxi driver got out and started shouting at the man who had hit us. I looked out of the back seat window and saw that a woman and a little child was in the front seat of the other car. The child was crying, but they were not injured. The front of the other car had lost a part and so I could see right into the motor, but apparently nothing had happened to the taxi, so the men just got back into their cars and drove on.
I remember my mother telling me about the hectic traffic of Casablanca in Morroco, when we use to live there, but still this is wilder than I had imagined.
All around the roads people are sitting, standing, talking and selling food, water and other small things. You can also see people living there, in small tents or lousy material, very slum-like.
I understand now what it means to live in a country with a 1 billion people population. There are people EVERYWHERE. Mainly men, but also women and few children.
Untill now I havent seen other white people than myself. I am stared at a lot and so I got the feeling that even though this is the capital, people are not that use to white people walking around.
Back to the taxi drive, we all survived it and arrived at Jahnvi's place. She lives in a SOS city and that was a really nice place. They live 10 kids in a house with a mother taking care of them. There were around 5 houses and a school, which was public.
I took a shower, which consisted of a bucket of water and a mug so I could poure water over my body with that. Then I slept, since I had basically been awake all night, didnt sleep much on the plane here.
In the evening we went into the center of Delhi, where Jahnvis sister lives at a hostel and I would sleep there. I ate with Jahnvi, her sister and boyfriend at this little place serving food on the street. The food here is really good actually, and I think I can get use to the many hot spicies.
Jahnvi is leaving for the US on Sunday and after that I will be on my own for 2 weeks. But I dont think I can stay in Delhi all that time. It's such a crowded, dense city, poluted, so much traffic and hectics and I will need to get away from here. So I am planning on visiting some places around that Jahnvi and her boyfriend is recommending me.
It surprised me that there are no places which are completely clean, pure or look Westernized. Yesterday I saw the place which is suppose to be a fashionable shopping place, and it still looked nothing like Europe. Today I saw Jahnvi's boyfriend's place, Amit is his name, by the way, and even though he is middle class with a good job and relatively high income, it was just a very small place with two rooms and a tiny bathroom. Very little furniture and madras on the floor. At some point there was a power cut, and because it was build in such a dense place with so many appartments, there were no windows and everything turned completely black. I think it was off for half an hour and Amit told me that it happened because there was a lack of electricity in Delhi, so sometimes they would cut it one place, to give it somewhere else.
I feel quite misplaced here, and I dont know how things will be when Jahnvi leaves, but Amit has promised to take a bit care of me and so I wont be completely lost.
But I am doing okay despite of this and it is breath taking to see such a different way of living and having a city. But I must admit that I am happy our work is not here in Delhi, but hopefully a more calm place.
I will very much appreciate to hear from people and thanks for the comments I already got. It is always a pleasure for me to hear from friends.
I hope everyone is doing good. Thanks for reading all the way down here :)

The Day before leaving

So, this is my last day before leaving my beloved Denmark for 8 long months. I still don't know what to feel or expect or how it will be to be away for that long. It's funny saying that after recently spending 2 years in Norway, but it really does feel longer mentally because it's in one go. Perhaps time'll just fly ahead, faster than a blink. Othertimes it might be like following a snail in the grass... so slow, but still you know it's moving steady and sure.
I'm trying to create images of India. I see a lot of people everywhere, trains stuffed with people, huge markets with living trade, men holding hands on the streets, long beards and turbans, tempels, spicies, colours, gold jewelery, loud hindi..... and so on and so on. The truth is I know very little about the country am I about to spend 8 months in. But hey, someone would probably say that's the charm of it.
I spent my last Saturday night with Mathias and Matt in Copenhagen, a city I will miss greatly undoubtly. It's hard saying goodbye all the time to people I care so much about, I havent done anything but saying goodbye to my friends this week. And still, I didnt see all I wanted to, didn't feel I had enough time. But on the other hand, I doubt I will ever feel completely ready to leave, no matter how long I wait, so better do it quick.
I will miss my family, friends, Copenhagen, Denmark. But saying this I must add that I am full of excitement, hopefullness, expectations, curiousity and I'm going into this with high spirits.
Wish me luck! As I wish to everyone who is going into something new this late Summer 2006, whether it is college, work, travelling, volunteering or something different.
:)

Barcelona

I came home from Barcelona lastFriday. I'd been there for 2 weeks with my family.
The city is quite amazing, and I fell in love with it almost immediately. Usually, I'm not too impressed with grand cities, but Barcelona had something to it that put a spell on me. Beautiful houses, hot, thick air even in the nights, lots of people on the streets any time, weird old shops selling stuff like old dolls, masks, hangers, and of course lots of really cool clothes, palm trees, a refreshing habour and so many other things that just created a perfect atmorsphere everywhere I went. I'll definitly go back some time.
The view of Barcelona from Gaudís parc is seen behind me.

My very first entry

Hello everybody!
Yep, I have decided to start a blog as many others have done before me. I figured it was a good idea since I will soon start to experience some (hopefully) exiting things that one or two might like to read about.
I finally received my visa for India today, so now I'm officially going. This Monday @ 13.55 I will wave my goodbyes to my dear family in Copenhagen Airport, fly to London Heathrow and from there, catch a plane directly to New Delhi, India. I will land at 6.15 local time Tuesday and Jahnvi will pick me up. I will stay with her and her family untill beginning of September when Airiin and Sanna are coming to India and the volunteer work will begin in Bali, Rajasthan on Fabindia school.
I don't know what to expect, don't know anything of what this will do to me or how things will be like. I have a return ticket on the 31st March 2007. That's 8 months from now! I have never been away from Denmark for that long, but I have this feeling that India is going to pull my legs away under me and leave me speechless and that time will fly ahead infront of me, unable to catch.
I hope to write about my experiences in India as often as possible on this blog. So please, give me comments, write me, contact me in any way. Luckely, we live in a small world today, where everything is possible, so keeping in contact shouldnt be a problem :)

Many warm hugs and expectations from
Liv