Last Wednesday was Holi, which is mostly celebrated in the
North, not the South – bummer, man, as I am suuuuuper South! – but some
students celebrated it. In the morning, I walked out of my independent study to
find some of my French friends ready to cover me in powder! People were running
around the social sciences/humanities buildings throwing colorful powder at
each other. In the evening I heard there was a Holi celebration going on in the
stadium, so I went with Arun and Shruti to check it out. Once we got there, I
realized that Shruti and I were the only girls participating, though there were
a few girls sitting in the stadium watching boys dance to Tamil music and throw
powder everywhere. I danced for a little bit, but felt…odd/uncomfortable being
the only woman there. It was super weird, but fun for the most part!
This weekend, the Americans, Arun and I went to Ooty, a
nearby hill station. So of course I got to play in tea plants again! Hooray! We
visited two botanical gardens/parks, a lake that was a mixture of a lake and a
small amusement park, several jaw-droppingly beautiful scenic lookouts over
mountains and tea plantations, and wandered through a tea plantation. We were
on a bus that took us all over Ooty and nearby Coonoor (for 150 rps or $3 for
the whole day, so cheap!) and we were also supposed to visit a tea museum, but
ran out of time, oh well.
On Sunday, Arun and I went to the Isha Yoga Centre near
Coimbatore. He has been studying Isha yoga for a few years, and is a volunteer
as well. The yoga centre was…awesome. I’m still at a loss of words about the
experience, honestly. It was so cool learning more about his traditions,
practices etc. and at the same time the place itself was really beautiful. Well
worth the 5.5 hours of bus travel to get there.
Also, since we were in a cooler climate, it was COLD at
night. Women were wearing sweaters over their saris, and many men wore jackets
or sweaters. I didn’t because it was ‘cold’ to them – maybe 60 degrees
Fahrenheit or 15 degrees Celcius – and it was so refreshing to feel cold
instead of constant, sweltering heat. It was so nice.
When I got back to Pondicherry after traveling 5.5 hrs
during the day Sunday on three buses, and then overnight on another one, the
sudden heat and tiredness caused me to get a terrible fever. Oops, my bad! I
went to the health center and explained what happened – basically, the change
in climate plus lack of sleep and lots of travel messed me up – and the doctor
said it was due to the change in climate, overexertion, etc. Okay. So she
prescribed 3 things to me – an antibiotic, a cough/cold medicine even though I
told her my throat wasn’t bothering me, and something I couldn’t find online so
I didn’t take it – and didn’t explain what anything was for. I am bad at taking
medicine to begin with, but if I don’t know why I should take it…hmm. Anyway.
It’s been interesting (to say the least) to try to get medical attention for
minor illnesses – mostly because I’m interested in international public health
haha. It’s very different than in the U.S., that’s for sure.
Happy Holi! With Arun
Shruti, my favorite Canadian, and I were two of the only girls there. India.
With Arun at Doddabetta peak, the highest elevation in Southern India and a scenic lookout!
At Lamb's Rock in Coonoor, cheesin'
It's hard for me to believe places this beautiful actually exist.
Arun surrounded by endless tea plants, Coonoor
Arun looks like a nice guy, if you like your guys to be purple and yellow. Wait! You're purple and yellow, too! It's a match!
ReplyDeleteGlad you're having a good time. Love, Dad