The last six weeks volunteering in the detox center have certainly been a positive experience, and have opened my eyes in many ways. Along with working in the center, I have read the Alcoholics Anonymous big book (the AA bible), as well as A Million Little Pieces (a fascinating though exaggerated recovery of an addict), which have helped me to begin understanding of what it means to be an addict. What I hadn’t really comprehended about addiction (in fact this is one of The 12 Steps) is that it is essentially an incurable disease—once an addict, always an addict—and the only way to prevent a relapse is from completely obstaining from the substance.

The statistics can make working with addiction quite discouraging: in the best facilities in the world, patients have a 15% recovery rate. The privately funded NGO where I volunteer is somewhat below this number, and the government detox center here is around 1%.

There are currently 6 patients at the NGO where I work, and they are roughly half Indian and half Tibetan. Fortunately the Tibetans also speak Hindi, so the counselor and patients who know some English are able to translate for me. Still, the patients are a testament to the diversity of the region. There are rich and poor, old and young, professionals and illiterate.

Most of the patients of the Detox center are admitted by their families, but remain by their own choice. They have realized they have a problem, and want to change their lives. While I try to inspire them through discussions, music, and “recreation therapy,” I must admit that they have inspired me as well: they have many regrets, no jobs, and broken hearts, and they come greet me with a smile and a handshake, and are willing to spend 3-6 months locked in a tiny building…all for the prospect of beating their addictions. When we are singing together or playing a game of chess or carrom, it doesn’t feel like a detox center…we’re just a bunch of people sitting around a room having fun.

Food

Let’s see where do I begin with Indian food? Well Indian food varies significantly depending on where in the country you are, so I really can only speak for North Indian food. A home-made meal typically consists of a main dish, dal (lentil dish), salad (raw chunks of carrot, onion, radish), and a bread or rice.

Some of the most delicious dishes are made in a Tandoor (clay oven). For example, Nan is a bread that is made by skillfully slapping dough against the walls of the tandoor, and is absolutely delicious…especially if covered in garlic and butter.

I took a three day cooking class here with a woman who owns one of the best restaurants in town, so I now know some of the secrets of North Indian cooking. The most distinguishing trait of Indian food is the array of spices that are used: almost every dish—and I mean everything from the main course to the sweets to the chai—contains some combination of cardamom, cinnamon, chili pepper, cloves, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, ginger, paprika, and just a few others I’m forgetting. It amazes me how such a variety of seemingly complex dishes are made with very little equipment. Just about everything is prepared on a very basic gas stove—no ovens, no microwaves, and rarely refrigerators. I’m excited to try my hand at a few dishes when I return home!

Music

I’ve been spending much of my free time practicing my two new loves: the Sitar and Tabla. For those unfamiliar, the Sitar is a classical Indian stringed instrument somewhat similar to the guitar. Like the guitar it has frets (although they are movable), but unlike the guitar the majority of the strings serve as drones—that is they are simply played open, while the melody is carried on a single string. I’ve been taking sitar lessons with a professor of music who lives in the town, and also Tabla lessons with a professional player. My knowledge of the guitar has helped me learn fairly quickly, but lessons on tuning and the basic technique have been great help.

The Tabla is a set of 2 small drums that are used to accompany almost every kind of Indian music. Unlike Western hand drums, they are played primarily by hitting with single fingers. There is much more technique involved than in any drum I have played previously—different parts of the drum only centimeters apart make different sounds, so it requires much precision. It is certainly a very subtle instrument.

I’m still struggling to get a grasp of Indian music theory. Traditionally, Indian classical music has no notation—the different musical notes and types of strokes are represented by “boles” or words (much like do re mi …). These words are meant to mimic the sounds of the instrument—for example “Dha Dha Tite Kite Dha” sounds pretty much just like that! The timing is typically broken up into 8 or 16 beats but when played at full speed they can come very fast!

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Holi

So let me introduce you to one of the most fun holidays I’ve ever experienced: Near the beginning of March, children and adults alike gather and arm themselves with handfuls of brightly colored powdered dye, buckets of water, and squirt guns and ballons of colored water. While people typically starts the day wearing all white, within a few minutes there is hardly a person that can be found that is not muli-colored!

It is also a cause for much revelry—the locals indulge in drinking and a "special" drink called Bhang. But mostly it is a celebration of spring and of the coming of warmer weather. People of all ages act like children in a water fight, and there are many smiles and laughs. Even the local animals were not spared, the dogs, sheep and cattle (I suppose you could call one a Holi cow!) could be seen with dye in their fur for days.

Marriage

The Indian concept of relationships and marriage are one of the hardest things for my Western mind to comprehend, but here it goes…

The overwhelming majority of marriages in India are arranged marriages, although “love marriages” are becoming more popular, especially in more metropolitan parts of India. Here’s the way an arranged marriage typically works: when it becomes time for an individual to get married (usually in his/her parent’s eyes) the parents begin searching for suitors. For those who follow the traditional Hindi system, the partner must be in the same caste (and sometimes subcast, subsubcast, etc. as well). Arranged marriage often occurs at a fairly young age…there was recently an article in the newspaper citing that roughly half of Indian women are married by the age of 17! After marriage, children are expected quickly. It seems that dating is largely taboo in traditional society. Even for those who intend to have a love marriage, the relationship remains secret until a marriage proposal makes it “official.”

Another interesting tidbit I was amazed to find is that astrology can play an important part in finding an ideal mate. For many families, if the astrological signs don’t work together, than a marriage is out of the question.

There is a thick section that comes once a week with the newspaper here that is essentially a personals designed for people looking to marry. Nearly every one seems to tout some combination of fair skinned, handsome/beautiful, Engineer/Doctor/MBA, US/UK Visa, and many give astrological details. A discount is given for the advertisement if you are do not specify a caste for your future mate.

The actual marriage ceremony (especially in wealthier families) is an absolutely extravagant ordeal: It lasts for several days, with different ceremonies occurring on each day. It is currently marriage season here because of the comparatively nice weather, and I was lucky enough to attend a small part of one ceremony. The bride and groom and were brought into the room and onto a stage ceremoniously, each holding a wreath of flowers. With solemn faces they put the wreathes around each other (and said some words in Hindi). We all cheered and then they sat on a throne on the stage and we all went up to them and said congratulations and shook their hands and gave them gifts. Arguably the best part were these trays of delicious Indian snacks that were moved around the room with impressive frequency!

Exploring Dharamsala

So what is there to see/do in a quiet mountain village? There are a few local Hindi and Buddhist temples, which are quite stunning in the natural surrounding. The presence of the Dali Lama brings a vibrancy to McLeod Ganj, where there are many interesting shops and people. We met with the former personal translator of “His Holiness” a few days ago, and talked with him about Tibetan philosophy and his experiences with the Dali Lama.

The Tibetan fellows in the detox center told me about a concert that I simply could not miss (“The Mega Concert of the Year!”), so I gathered some volunteers and we found our way to this fairly large outdoor stage packed with monks. The show was supposed to start at 6:30, and by 7:30 they were still working on the sound check…this is what we call “Indian time!” Finally a few guys came on and started doing this horrible Karaoke to some Tibetan tunes. I learned that these were just the opening act to the The Yaks. But it started raining just as The Yaks were coming on and the show was canceled…what a bummer!

I’ve been on a mission to find a tabla and sitar teacher, which led me last week to a small music studio where a bunch of guys have put together a local band--some pretty talented musicians that play everything from English to Hindi to Tibetan music. They handed me an electric guitar and soon we were rocking out to Pink Floyd and Guns N Roses! It really was a blast.

The locals here are happy to sit and talk for hours about most anything here, and in addition to making some friends, this has allowed me to gain a better understanding of some of the many intricacies of Indian culture. Mr. Rena, the former city planner here, invited me and two other volunteers to his house for dinner the other day. His wife and daughter prepared a meal that literally could have fed us for a week: some 8 entrees, 2 chutneys, 2 desserts, 2 breads, and plenty of chai. The food was absolutely delicious! What surprised me the most was that while Mr. Rena and us three volunteers ate, Mrs. Rena, their daughter, and the uncle, stood over us and served us! There are always new surprises when it comes to Indian culture.

Trekking the Himalayas

Yesterday a group of us decided to show the local mountain range (the Doladar) what we’re made of. We started our trek at 8 am and marched uphill through rocks and snow approximately 9 km (and one vertical kilometer) up the mountain. It was the most serious mountain I’ve climbed—it took my full concentration at many points to find solid footing... hiking shoes would have been helpful!

Our guide of course mocked us by wearing only a tiny backpack and hardly breaking a sweat! We also had with us six other guides in the form of a pack of wild dogs that met us in town and, amazingly, followed us up and down the entire mountain. They took breaks with us and happily guarded us from any animals along the way. I was surprised that at no point did they beg for food…they were in it solely for the companionship and the joy of the trek.


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Hello Dharamsala

I arrived on Monday in Dharamsala, where I’ll be spending the next 7 weeks. D’sala is a small town at the base of the Himalayan mountains in Northern India. The atmosphere is totally different from Delhi: the air is fresh and clean, and everyone is very relaxed and friendly. The snow capped mountains are absolutely stunning. In clear weather, they rise from the ground so rapidly it looks as though there is a solid wall straight from the ground to the sky.

Dharamsala is really divided into two distinct towns: the primarily Indian town (where I am staying), and McLeod Ganj, a primarily Tibetan town which is home to the (exiled) Dali Lama. There is a fascinating mix of people and religions here!

I am volunteering at a detox center, working with 5 or so young men who are recovering drug and alcohol addicts. The work will certainly pose a different challenge than working with children!

Poverty

Many people told me before I came here that India is a wonderful place if you can get past the devastating poverty. After having seen some of this poverty firsthand, and after hearing several lectures from professors here, I’ll share my thoughts on this matter.

First of all, there is a saying here that India is a land of contradiction: for anything you say about India, the opposite is also true. So I will make the disclaimer here (perhaps I should have started this blog with this) that it is difficult to generalize.

Well let me start with some statistics. India has a population of roughly 1.3 billion. That’s 4 times the population of the US living in a land 1/3 the size. To get an idea of the density of people here, for every person you see (in the US), pretend there are twelve! Now the real mind-blowing statistic is that ¼ of this population lives on less than $1 a day, and ¾ of the population lives on less than $2 a day.

There are really two Indias, living right on top of each other. There is rich India, which in almost all respects is as advanced as any developed nation in the world. This ~7% of the population is well-educated and enjoys all the latest technology.

Globalization has of course had a large impact on India. The very high growth (>9%) that India has experienced is largely attributed to globalization—including the outsourcing of jobs from the developed world. But if one looks at the Indian population as a whole, this growth has been focused narrowly on the top 20% or so of the population.

The poor (and often uneducated) are largely left behind. For example, individuals working in the agricultural sector of India, where somewhere around 60% of the population works, have arguably suffered from globalization. The news here has focused recently on farmer suicides, of which over 1000 have occurred last year. Globalization causes the farmers to be at the mercy of volatile swings in prices that are out of their control. For example, an exceptional cotton crop in South America may cause an Indian cotton farmer to earn a fraction of his income the previous year.

In my opinion, what is lacking here is an adequate safety net provided by the government. This is very little trickle down across the vast chasm of rich and poor. Furthermore, grade school is not mandatory here, and government school teachers are terribly paid (and they often shirk their responsibilities). Add to this a strongly present (though not legally enforceable) caste system, and there is little-to-no opportunity for socio-economic movement.

Farewell Love!

I have seen off my darling girlfriend and companion for this past month. I will surely miss her company…and ability to dispose of large spiders! I no longer will have excuses to spend exorbitant amounts of time in jewelry and fabric stores, no longer wake up to a huge plate of Aunt Jamima pancakes in bed. But worst of all, I won’t have anyone to keep me warm during the cold winter nights in the mountains!

Kids

Well I promised more on my adorable little ragamuffins, so here it is. I have been having great fun trying to teach a group of 4-7 year olds (give or take). I found that a great challenge was asserting my authority: especially during the first few days, the kids would test me to see what they could get away with, and I had trouble controlling them with my limited Hindi. I solved this problem after observing the resident teacher with the kids on day. The solution: laying the smack down! While at first I was a bit wary of hitting the youngsters, I am now a full supporter. To put this in context, it is a very physical atmosphere in which I am working: when a child gets an answer right it’s a high-five. Since the children are used to being hit when they misbehave, by not doing so I lose my control over the class, and their learning suffers.

The kids are at various levels, with many working toward counting objects and writing numbers, and some are on the verge of learning addition. We also work on basic English words and letters. I also have worked a bit with the older kids 7-12, who are very sharp and enthusiastic to learn.

I couldn’t help working some science into the curriculum. We’ve made play-dough (and then played with it of course!), discovered what happens when you mix an acid and a base (and tested the pH of our tongues), and have discovered magnetism!

It’s amazing how little motivation the kids require. It is difficult to keep them sitting down when I take out a worksheet because of their excitement, and as soon as they finish they run over and ask for another!

Agra

Agra is home to the famous Taj Mahal, as well as some lesser known historical sites. We arrived in Agra Friday night and decided to stay in a budget hotel recommended by a guidebook. Now I’m not kidding when I say budget, it cost us each about $2.50 to stay the night. The room was spacious (although filthy).

Shortly after arriving I go to the bathroom to wash up. Out of the corner of my eye I think I see a little movement at the bottom of the sink…probably just my imagination…and I splash some water on my face. Wait, something is definitely crawling up the drain of the sink despite the deluge of water I am now pouring down upon it. Aaaaaaaaah! I run out of the bathroom. After regaining my courage (and roommates) we return to find a monstrous centipede chilling out in the sink. Now the picture here does not do this thing justice…this thing was easily half a foot long.

Anyway, back to the traveling. We got up at 6 am and got to the Taj to see the sunrise—absolutely beautiful in the morning light! We got some amazing pictures. The Taj Mahal is one of those historical wonders, like Versailles for example, that takes place amidst great poverty of common people. For all its magnificence, the Taj is simply a tomb for an inordinately wealthy prince and his bride.

As is the case in many countries, traveling solely to tourist destinations here will give you a very negative view of the people. Beggars and peddlers crowd around tourists in these destinations. I’ve found the people have very few morals with regard to this: they will lie to your face or make elaborate scams to get your money. This is really quite a shame because you must be wary of anyone near these places, and of course does not represent the majority of the Indian people.

Jaipur

For our first free weekend in India, five of us took a trip to Jaipur, a city 6 hours away from Delhi. We rented a driver for the weekend, who was a helpful and amusing guide, and took us out for “the best lassies in Jaipur” (a salty or sweet yogurt-based drink). We quickly found a favorite restaurant—a very authentic “down to earth” kind of place where you can get a delicious meal for well under $2. It was nice to breathe some fresh air after the Delhi smog, and the abrupt mountains and free space were a welcome change of scenery.

There are several palaces and forts in Jaipur, most of which are situated on the top of hills overlooking the area. The architecture of the buildings is quite unlike any I have seen before. Here I’ve shown a picture of the Wind Palace, a beautiful but bizarre structure in the middle of town that is only one room deep, though is several stories high. One of the most interesting places we visited was essentially a playground for astronomical study. There were all kinds of huge devices for measuring and tracking the position of celestial objects, and built over 100 years ago.

Shopping was another highlight of the trip. We bought scarves, wall hangings, and bed covers, but the best part was the haggling. Many ignorant tourists have taught shopkeepers to greatly overcharge. I found they would start with a price up to 10 times what an item is actually worth! The result is that it takes a long time to buy anything…but at least they give you free chi!

Dressing Up

It is important to look and act like a local to be accepted into the communities in which we are working. To the extent of the former, we went shopping the other day, and picked out some Indian attire. It is typical for women to wear a somewhat long and baggy shirt (camise) with a scarf (dupatta). The men here typically don’t dress all that differently than in the west—usually a button down or collared shirt. Showing skin here is generally not done, so short sleeves are hardly seen.

I couldn’t help myself and got a slightly more traditional long shirt complete with the pants—the waist is easily 4-5 feet across! The long sleeves are surprisingly comfortable, but that’s not saying too much considering this is the coldest time of year (70 degrees during the day, 50 at night). I’m not sure I’d be too happy wearing this stuff in the heat of summer.

So What am I doing in India?

I have come to India to participate in a program called Cross-Cultural Solutions (CCS). I am with an outstanding group of volunteers from across the US, Canada, and the UK. They range in age from about 8 to 60, and come from all walks of life (teacher, lawyer, costume designer, student, retiree, business owner, …).

The majority of us will be involved in some way in the education of underprivileged children and/or women. I am working as a teacher with an NGO called Mobile Creches. In India, large building complexes (corporate offices, malls, etc) are built not with heavy machinery, but by huge forces of migrating laborers. Despite laws ordering decent treatment and payment for these workers, they are often work in extremely harsh conditions for almost no pay, and typically live in shanty towns erected near the work site. Their children occupy themselves playing in rubble around the construction site, and often have little or no chance of entering government schools. Well, this was the case when a woman decided to take a few of these children in during the day to take them away from the danger of the construction site. And thus, Mobile Creches was born! Today, the creches take in hundreds of children daily, and offer meals, teaching, and health care in addition to safety.

And finally we get to my part: teaching these cute little rascals! I am charged with a group of 10-15 kids aged around 5-7. I am teaching basic math and english (basic phrases and alphabet). It’s been a blast, and also very challenging…but more on this later.

An Introduction to India

Perhaps the best introduction to India is a drive from the airport through Delhi: the landscape quickly tells you that you are no longer in “The West.” Near Delhi, the land is completely flat and covered with reddish-brown rocky earth. There are no hills in the distance, but this is not saying much because the visibility is extremely limited due to a persistent “fog” in the air, which is made up of some combination of dust, automobile pollution, and smoke from the many wood burning fires. The latter especially gives the air a very distinct smoky sort of smell.

But what most distinguishes the Delhi landscape is the people. Firstly, that they are everywhere. On the sides of the streets, on the median, and as far as one can see on either side. They are very colorful—the women especially wear colorful scarves with beautiful designs. They are almost all actively involved in some activity, be it cleaning, begging, or transporting huge quantities of baskets or other goods.

Indians hold animals in high regard, and hence there are also animals everywhere. There are many dust colored dogs, which are very peaceful and keep their distance. There are also cats, parrots, monkeys (so I’m told), and of course the famous cows, which are the most sacred and wander the streets completely unharmed. I was told if you need to cross a busy street, adopt a cow and lead it across the street and you will have no problems! I have also been told if you happen to be in a car that hits a cow, get out and run, because the people will quickly tip the car and/or set it on fire!

I have been to Europe and the driving there is crazy, but the drivers here make Europeans look like senior citizens on their way to church. To describe driving as a free-for-all is pretty accurate—there are not really defined lanes and leaving more than literally a few inches between the car in front of and next to you is unheard of. Everyone seems to be constantly honking, but I have learned that this is a polite caution to automobiles/pedestrians/animals that you are about to cut in front of them. In addition to cars and buses everywhere, there are these little lawnmower-engine powered “auto-rickshaws,” which will take you anywhere in the city for under a dollar (if you know how to bargain). Amazingly, the system works well; there are very few accidents (although I’d like to see some statistics on this).