Mariel's Summer Adventures

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Hey Folks!! Summer is approaching and you know what that means....Time for my next travel adventure! 

This year I’ll be going to Shanghai to visit my good buddy, Kyle. More posts are a-coming!

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Looking back, my adventures in India seem like one hot, sunny, food-coma induced blur. Everything went by so fast but the sights, smells, people, and experiences in cities in and around New Delhi will forever remain memories. If there's one piece of advice that I could give to anyone visiting the country it would be this:

Eat everything and bring toilet paper.

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Snacks! They're everywhere! It seems that the delicious Indian treats will always be on the streets for you to smell, crave, and taste.

In the areas we visited, panipuri stands were always flooded with customers. Tea stands for chai are frequented by everyone, being that coffee shops are far less popular than in the U.S.  My personal favorite, the smoked corn (name unknown, sorry), was topped off with a delicious lime and salt mixture. 

For those with a sweet tooth, India might as well be considered the Mecca of desserts. Gulab jamuns were just as fun to watch being made as they were to eat! They looked like cute little round babies getting a bath in cauldron of sugar water. 

And if the 115°F (46°C) heat isn't enough for you, the street vendors will be happy to serve you some steamed milk in a cool ceramic cup! Not really sure about the logic behind that one...

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Mussoorie Loves Company

At first glance, the following items did not seem like a recipe for success:

One 6 hour car ride through treacherous, motion-sickness inducing traffic

3 pouty teenagers

2 angsty young adults

3 tired middle aged parents

Especially when day 1 of our scheduled weekend vacation looked like this...

And when the noise and crowds made it difficult to see the tourist town in a positive light...

And when the pollution acted as a distraction from the majestic foothills of the Himalayan mountains.

But then we noticed this cool abandoned building...

And this monkey eating some corn...

And this cow doing some window shopping...

And how cool the rocks around the waterfall looked...

And suddenly, we all came to the realization that Mussoorie is a placed with chaos and beauty all in one.

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This was a great pop song in India!

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Eat, sleep, repeat

the only things to do to beat the heat during the day.

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The best part of visiting the city of Patiala was getting to explore this 150 year old house and imagining the stories that exist in the dusty, cement walls. Sarah's mom grew up here and said that when she was little, she remembers keeping Muslims safe in the barn room during political turmoil between Pakistan and India!  

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While in Transit

just add dust, color, and traffic. Now you've got the perfect recipe for driving conditions in India!

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While in Chandigarh we took advantage of the easily accessible and trendy stores. This is what I found in one particular Indian Suit store

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While in Chandigarh, the capital of Punjab, I visited the Rock Garden. The creator of the site composed each sculpture out of recycled materials. Look closely at these photos and you will see plastic circuit breakers, pottery, stones, cement filled burlap sacks, and broken dishes.

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While sitting on a cement wall and drinking Limca...

Sarah: I have ants in my pants.

Me: Are you really saying that with a serious face right now?

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Took a Visit to the Golden Temple...

...and it was literally golden. As in, plated in actual gold.

Formerly known as Harmandir Sahib, the Golden Temple is a very famous Sikh Gurdwara located in Amritsar, Punjab. I've learned that in the Sikh religion, there are 10 Sikh gurus that have established Sikhism over time (there is an 11th one that is called Guru Grendhsahib). This particular Gurdwara was created by the 4th Guru (Guru Ramdasgji) with 4 entrances so that people from all religions can enter and worship. Although I "looked like an American tourist in an Indian movie" according to Sarah, I felt comfortable walking around and admiring all of the beauty.

As usual, there were crowds of people during the visit...

After a free meal and a tour of the kitchen (the Roti maker was HUGE, given that it needs to feed the thousands of visitors every day), as we left the Golden Temple, I was left with an everlasting mental image of the beauty of the Golden Temple.

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Off to India!

Now that the harsh winter is history and school is out for good (Literally. I'm a college graduate now. Weird.) There's only one thing left to do - write on my summmblr!

This summer I'll be traveling to Northern India with my best friend, Sarah. While she has visited the country before, I will enter this adventure with completely new eyes. The limited working knowledge of India that I have is based solely off of the delicious food I've eaten, the anecdotes from friends, and this movie:

Yes, that's a VHS. No, I'm not ashamed. This movie was a pivotal in shaping my childhood and interest in India.

I'm anticipating heat, sensory overload, yummy food and beautiful fabrics. Let's see what the next 3 weeks will bring me. Here's to another summer of adventure!

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Cape Town Conclusion

It's been a bit over a month since I've returned back to the States and everything I've been warned about regarding re-adjustment turned out to be true. Here are some examples of what I was told and how it came true:

"You're going to have reverse culture shock"

     Every time I make a right turn, I have a mini panic attack because I think I'm on the wrong side.

"Everyone will ask you, 'How was AFRICA?'"

      Beside the minimal I know about the entire continent thanks to my Twitter feed, I can't really say. What I do know is that SOUTH Africa was amazing, beautiful, inspiring, heartbreaking, delicious, hot, cold, in between, eye-opening and lovely.                               

"You'll become more frugal"

     $20 for one dinner? You can buy like, FIVE dinners at Eastern Bazaar for that amount!

Adjustment issues aside, I'm very happy to be home among my loved ones. Being apart for so long truly made me appreciate the solid support system I have here. While I was busy adventuring throughout the semester, I learned about ubuntu which is a South African philosophy that emphasizes the importance of community togetherness. It isn't just a word, it is a way of life that believes "I am, because we are." Because of ubuntu all of the  beautiful people I met, the memories I made, and the lessons I learned are now a part of me.

When I left for home in June, I refused to say goodbye for good. Cape Town was kind to me, and I will most definitely be returning.

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Service-Learning Adventures

As the semester comes to an end, I think it's an appropriate time to speak about the Capstone Projects that I'm proud to say my fellow Service-Learners worked hard on for the entire semester.

The above photo represents the hard work that a friend of mine contributed to the Ned Doman High School Resource room (as well as a majority of the Math department and school curriculum) in Athlone. The education system here has multiple categories of the math subject, depending on the level of literacy. "Maths" is the most basic form of math and often what many of the students struggle with. I'm proud to say that this special poster was a multiple artist collaboration. One of the artists being yours truly.

This wall was part of gallery that another good friend of mine put together. The creative display showed photos taken by youth who were infected with and/or affected by HIV or AIDS. Each photo taken was in response to various prompts that asked about themes such as: identity, community, family, and everyday life. The young artists from Khayelitsha Township who took these photos were taken to the Cape Town gallery to see their pieces on public display.

This is a tire installment meant for the ages of 1-4 year olds to play on in a community center located in the Phumlani Village. The day that this photo was taken an entire playground was constructed from the ground up by dedicated and hardworking individuals. Prior to the building of this playground, children of the community were left with nothing but debris and a dirt lot to play on.

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While walking to class one sunny day...

Construction Worker: I like your frizzy hair!

Me: Thanks!

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For one day every year, the marginalised of Cape Town, their culture ridiculed, their very lives uprooted and dumped on the outskirts of town, march triumphantly through the centre of the city. And if they are smirking, it is because they are taking the piss - a giant, raucous fuck-you to whites and to the bourgeoisie - deflected by the disarming lightness of laughter.

Excerpt from Jonny Steinberg's The Number: One Man's Search for Identity in the Cape Underworld and Prison Gangs explaining the tradition of the New Years Day Carnival.