A South Indian Tour: Reflections on Time in Kerala and Tamil Nadu

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Before classes started (note: they still haven’t started, I’m still not sure when they are/what is happening exactly, we’re picking classes today, though) I went on a tour of the southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu (my school is in Tamil Nadu) with the other students in my program, as well as our fantastic program director, Professor Dr. Uncle Sunny Luke (a man of many names! We just called him Sunny or Dr. Luke).

Sunday, January 13: Saw 7^th century sculptures and stone carvings in Mahalbupuram, took an overnight train to Cochin.

Monday: Shopping, wandering around, and relaxing in the touristy beach city of Cochin. Only in India moment: when your bus driver pulls over so someone (Dr. Sunny Luke) can buy a fish off the side of the road.

Tuesday: Visited a wildlife sanctuary in Ernakulum that had mangrove trees and bats known as flying foxes, and visited a college so Dr. Sunny Luke could give a presentation about his stem cell research (yes, he is not only our program director but a renown geneticist!).

Wednesday: The day of endless patterns, Sunny’s wife took us shopping to buy traditional Indian attire: salwar kameez (silk top/pant/scarf outfit), kurta tops, and leggings. The patterns here are so vibrant and colorful. It’s beautiful and overwhelming. I spent about $60 US and bought two silk salvar kameez sets (pants, shirt/tunic, scarf), a kurta top, and a pair of leggings. We went to Sunny Luke’s house in Kottayam for dinner, and his wife, Philo, made delicious food, including spiced biryani rice and a fish curry. His house is beautiful! It’s in a gated community, overlooking water. It astounds me how friendly and welcoming people have been on our trip so far.

Thursday: Today was the most amazing day. Everything in India is a constant celebration! So much excitement and energy everywhere – this morning we went to a college for a cultural exchange (we sang America the Beautiful, Build Me Up Buttercup, and the Star Spangled Banner) and watched a performance of mudras – hand motions that tell stories. Dancing/performance art is very expressive in India, and uses all parts of the body, including hands, facial expressions, etc. As we left the cultural exchange, we realized we were in the midst of a welcoming parade (though only men were in it/dancing, surprise…). Hundreds of students walked with us, dancing and clapping, fireworks went off….it was pretty rowdy, really. We had a relaxing afternoon boating in Vembanattu, and on the way back to our hotel in the evening we ran into yet another parade, this time at a Hindu temple. There were people dancing, men with metal rods pierced through their mouths, a man riding an elephant, boys dancing with pots on their head…it was crazy. It just blows my mind how intense everything is here, there’s just so much going on all at one time, pretty much all the time (though not at the university, it’s much calmer). How do people function on a daily basis when everything looks like a constant celebration?

Friday: Attended another cultural exchange, this time at a women's college near Kumily.Talked to a student about gender inequalities, gender norms, etc. for Indian women, which was really interesting! Women in America have a lot more freedom to do things I hadn't even thought of until I came here, really...like walk around by ourselves at night, or wear whatever we want. During the cultural exchange, we watched performances of south Indian dance, classical music, and other arts/music/dances that are from southern India. Afterwards, some of the girls taught us a few dance moves!

Kumily is beautiful – it’s a bit what I pictured Darjeeling to look like. We visited a tea plantation, which was like a dream come true, walking through tea plants! Kumily is the spice capital of the world, so everything here is spicier than anywhere else I have been. Meat and fish are also more common, because of the higher Muslim/Christian population as well as the proximity to the ocean. Our hotel is really nice – there is a balcony that overlooks a field, with the highlands behind them. Monkeys play on trees nearby. Funny quote from Sunny about staying in Kumily: “You may hear a knock on your door at six in the morning. Do not worry, a bird will be there.” (This actually happened, by the way, a bird did knock on our door!)

Saturday: Another Sunny quote (he is hilarious, also): “I am like your Indian dad, just like you have a dad in the U.S. After the semester you may be so happy that you will change your name to Luke, I am your father!”

Kumily is my favorite place we’ve visited. Today, we went on a guided hike through the highlands, where we saw wild elepants (WILD! ELEPHANTS!) as well as some spiders and the state bird of Kerala, which is endangered. There are so many monkeys here, I think they are the squirrels of Kerala.

Sunday, we rode the train (and I have already posted about that semi-traumatic experience!). We got to Pondicherry early Monday morning, moved into our dorm rooms, and slept. Later on, we went to an Indian grocery store, where I bought the following for about $20 US. A blanket, a towel, a plastic bucket, a handkerchief, a plastic spoon, tape, 6 plantains, 2 oranges, a bag of pistachios, a bag of dried prunes, a vanilla candle, a box of incense (100% natural, chemical free, etc etc. smells a bit like dirt), a tupperware container, 7 chocolate bars, and 3 packages of tic-tacs.

Tuesday: Got our visas registered (only had to go to the visa office three times in one day to do so, oh, India), tried unsuccessfully to get the internet to work, and started looking at potential classes.

My next post will cover the challenges of planning classes in India, and my first week of classes. It’s…different here. Not as straightforward. Surprised?

 

 Our group wearing traditional indian attire. From left to right: Jackie, Lauren, Kara, me, Liz, Chris

 Wandering through a tea plantation near Kumily. I'm in a daze because of the prospect of being surrounded by tea...

Liz and I making super attractive faces near some crocodiles!

A man carting an elephant - probably to a Hindu temple.

Sari fabric. The patterns, colors, and materials are all so vibrant and beautiful here.

 

 Blurry picture taken on the first (note: fun, exciting, fewer cockroaches) train

 The ladies (minus Liz, who took this picture) sharing beer on a rooftop bar before the worst train experience of all time! (We are clearly not expecting what came next haha)