India Trip: Foreign is Foreign is Foreign

FROM 1/7/08:

It's been a few days.

Here's what has happened.

I sat at an airport for a while.

I sat some more.

I watched some cricket on TV.

We traveled to Vellore.

That was basically Sunday. Today, Monday, has been devoted not to sitting around idly at airports, but to sitting around idly at the CMC campus. Seeing as none of us are really into planning ahead no real planning ahead took place and, with a few exceptions here and there, we were generally unprepared for our first official day in Vellore. Had to talk to Sally, but in reality we had to talk to Samantha, or maybe Sandra or Susan, and then sign this, sign that, what was that?, repeat that?, and so on and so forth. It took only about 2 hours to, in able to avoid autorickshawing back into town, to make some sketchy photocopies of our drivers licenses so as to provide the school with small, passport size photos for our CMC IDs. Mine definitely looks like it was made in someone's garage. Oh wells, at least I am official now. Huzzah!

Speaking of autorickshawing, though, that's fun. Kind of like being chauffeured around in a go cart. Also crazy cheap. About $1.50 for three of us on a 10 minute ride. For those of you who don't know what an autorickshaw is, fun cultural fact #2, it's essentially a three wheeler with a small bench strapped to the back and a carriage cover placed over it all to make it look a little safer. They seem to essentially have replaced taxis in Vellore, which is fine with me because you cannot reach out and snatch thinks from passing bikers in a taxi. Not that I have done that. Yet.

Our accommodations are rather rustic; I feel like I am at camp. Complete with the separation of sexes lest any unchristian hanky panky take place. Paul and I lucked out I think with the Big Bungalow Annex. Though everything seems to be made out of cement and stone, we have a nice big bedroom, bathroom with separated shower to prevent the entire area from being flooded with water (apparently quite rare here), a kitchen without any appliances, and a screened in patio: my pride and joy. There's no AC but it's not needed now, and the toilet has some flushing issues, but all in all not a bad place to live. Being on the heavily vegetated college campus and with about 2 or 3 guards per a square foot it's actually pretty nice. The girls, however, seem to not have lucked out as much living essentially in a third world apartment block. The especially unlucky ones, Rachel and Rebecca, have/had a roach problem, but some aggressive counterinsurgency tactics by Katheryn and her insecticide fogger may have hopefully remedied that.

Amongst all this, what has really surprised me is not the people, poverty, or place we currently reside at, which I have not discussed in any great detail, but how generic the whole experience has been so far. Although it was a long, long time ago back when I was a sophomore in high school, I feel that my experience then to Honduras was much like this experience now. Though many of the details were different as clearly no one would confuse Honduras for India, the thoughts and feelings that I have so far felt have been essentially the same. Likewise with my experiences in Dubai and some cities in Europe. Looking back I suppose there is not necessarily any good reason why my thoughts and feelings would be any different as, despite the details, I am a first world traveler in a third world country in both instances, but regardless I have so far been unmoved and unstirred. Not that I feel I do not appreciate the reality of life as it is in India, in as much as I can as a first world traveler in a third world country, just that I feel it's the same story with different characters. I am sure I will get a great deal out of this trip, but, as of now, I do not think it will be because this is experience is anything new.