Hello!

I recently spent six days in India, and nothing could have prepared me for what I experienced. The sights and the smells were like nothing I could have imagined. The entire country is over populated, and about two thirds of the people live in severe poverty. India has come a long way as economy over the past ten years but the way people live is heart breaking. Driving down the road you see garbage, tents and animals everywhere. Beggars line the streets, ranging from children to people with severe deformities. You walk by hundreds of these people everyday and it is so hard to ignore. I was able to visit different areas all around the country and most every place had these issues.

Walking off the ship and jumping in my first rickshaw was an adventure of its own. I had never ridden in a rickshaw before and it was a lot different than riding in your average taxi. It was quite a scene to have three American students stuffed in the backseat of an Indian rickshaw, holding on for dear life and unsure of where we were going. I learned quickly the way rickshaw drivers operate. The drivers get gas money if they bring tourists to different gift shops, whether you ask to go there or not. So every rickshaw ride I had I ended up going to a store for the sole purpose of the rickshaw drivers getting gas money. The first couple times I was fine with it because I knew they needed the help, but when I specifically asked not to go to a store and I needed to get back to my ship before it left, it became a little bit of an issue. I also had a rickshaw driver who showed us a notebook book containing notes from different Semester at Sea students dating back to 1999. He said it was his point of reference to prove to us students he is a trustworthy and honest man.

I was able to visit Agra, where the Taj Mahal is located. There were a few different venues we visited before the Taj but nothing compared. The Taj Mahal was incredible. I am taking a world architecture class on the ship and learned all about the details of the it and seeing it only made the lessons come to life. The architecture and detail is outstanding. It is the coolest venue I have seen so far. As you can imagine there were people everywhere. It was not uncommon for people with blonde hair to be asked to be in a picture with the local people. I got a great shot with some random Indian man and I, it was definitely the most awkward picture I have yet to take. I went inside the Taj Mahal and it was nothing like I expected. It is a mausoleum, so the inside was pitch black with only one small room containing two tombs. It was extremely creepy walking inside and not seeing anything but two tombs. I got out of there as quickly as possible. I left after the sun went down and the Taj Mahal glows in the moonlight.

The following day I visited the city of Varanarsi. Varanasi is the holiest city in the world. It is where Buddha gave his first sermon and is the deeply rooted in Hinduism and Buddhism. It was definitely the most interesting and religious place I have yet to visit. Varanasi also has the holiest river in the world, the Ganges River. The Ganges River has an evening ceremony every night. I was able to visit this celebration and I have never experienced anything like it. The group I was with all took bicycle rickshaws through the streets to get to the Ganges River. The streets were absolutely packed with people. Being on a bicycle we were right in the middle of anything and everything you could imagine. It was absolute chaos as we made our way down to the river. The smells and sights were what I would describe as interesting. Once I safely arrived at the river I saw the evening celebration. There were many people there, tourists and locals. There was a large prayer ceremony and people were lighting candles and letting of prayers into the holiest river in hopes of answers. As we stood there and watched the ceremony many kids came up to us asking to buy different things from us. They were adorable and we saw the poverty they lived in and all felt for them. There were kids ranging from all ages selling miscellaneous items. If students wouldn't buy they would tell them 'you are breaking my heart.' It was hard not to buy from them because we knew they needed the money, but there were such large numbers of them it was to difficult. Once the ceremony was over all of us students had to weave our way through the masses of people to find our bicycle drivers. As we tried not to get lost in the crowd the power goes off in the streets and we are wondering around in the dark. It was the most scared I have been on the trip, especially since the drivers were parked in an alley way. I frantically made it back to my driver and was so relieved to have found him waving me down. As we drove through the streets to leave the area, we had a little boy running after us the entire way. He ran through traffic and through dangerous area just at the attempt to sell us something he had in hand. We kept telling him to slow down and be careful but he persisted the entire way.

The following morning I woke up before sunrise to see the morning celebration at the Ganges River. This was a completely different experience than the night. My group and I took a quiet boat ride down the river and were able to witness everything happening on the side. The Ganges River is the holiest, and also the dirtiest river in the world. It is tradition to put dead bodies in the river, and unfortunately it also contains sewage and other unimaginable. The Indian people's faith is rooted so deeply in the river, that they don't see this river as being dirty. The Ganges River is extremely powerful and great leaders such as Ghandi lie within it. It is tradition every morning at sunrise for the Indian people to bath in the water. I saw people drinking it and brushing their teeth with it as well. My tour guide said 'Faith is blind, knowledge has eyes.' I thought that described our situation perfectly. As I watched all the people bath in the water, I find it amazing how deeply the Hindu people believe in the power of the river. I also saw a cremation on the side of the river. Our guide explained to us the tradition, but all I could think about was what I was seeing. It was the most religious sight and experience I have ever had.

Before we arrived to India our deans told us India would change us forever. I believe it has. It really opened my eyes to the poverty people all around the world are enduring. A group of students and I were at the train station, and we all had boxed dinner with us that most weren't going to eat. There was a large group of small, probably orphaned, boys running around and talking to us. We all compiled our food into one box and gave it to one of the boys in the group. He had the biggest smile on his face and ran off to share with his friends. It was the little things people did for the Indian people along the way that I believe made an impact. It is just hard to imagine living in the filth and disparity all of the country lives in. It was an experience of a lifetime, and if I get the chance to visit again I will want to try to understand the Indian way of life, because from my point of view it is hard to fully understand. I will never forget India, especially the smells.

I am now off to Singapore, the cleanest country in the world!

Ash