Travel Blog

Our Arrival

Our arrival in New Delhi was bumpy. After meeting at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, our only ways to identify each other were from a previous Zoom meeting. As such, we were not seated together on the flight, and sadly, some were not able to make it through customs to make the flight as there were delays in arriving and connecting flights. Upon arrival in the New Delhi airport, our Fulbright cohort attempted to collect our luggage and await the arrival of our Fulbright liaisons, Lynn, and Rajesh, to help guide us to our hotel. Several of us questioned whether or not we should try to exchange U.S. dollars for Indian rupees at the airport (as some banks did not offer that service stateside) but we were told that the hotel had an ATM to exchange. (I would suggest future travelers find a place to exchange even a small amount of cash into the denomination of wherever they are traveling before arrival as this became a much harder endeavor than it should have).

Though it was close to midnight when we left the airport, the heat was oppressive. In the 45 minute or so drive to our hotel, it was clear that many people (including families with young children were out) at this time of night because it was cooler than the day temps. It should also be noted that our arrival on July 2nd also coincided with “monsoon season” in New Delhi. Always check the temps/weather/season (if traveling to the opposite hemisphere) to ensure you are prepared for the elements you will face during travel!

The First Day in India

No rest for the weary, our day began early with a reception hosted by previous Fulbright fellows, many who had completed their fellowships in the U.S. in the years leading up to (and during) the COVID pandemic. We were welcomed warmly with a Tilak ceremony. Amid signs and people welcoming our cohort, we were adorned with a colorful paste that included marigold petals and grains applied to the forehead, which represents the third eye (the Ajna Chakra symbolizes wisdom and intuition). This application would be common as we visited many schools, functions, and institutions during our field experience. It was certainly a crash course on the Indian school system. It seems that the struggle between the privatization of schools is very similar with those facing the American public-school system today.

Perhaps the most harrowing experience of our first day was learning how traffic does and does not work in the second most populated city in the world. Traffic rules seem to be mere suggestions. At any point, whether you are traveling by bus, car, tuk-tuk (auto rikshaw), or on foot, the rules of the New Delhi road seem to prioritize cow traffic over anything else…and the rest is a chaotic, complicated, and intense tapestry of people working to get from point A to point B. Several times I had to shield my eyes because I was too stressed and anxious that I would see an animal be hit (never did) or that someone would careen into us (came close-but also did not happen). However, that did not deter some of us attempting to walk to the India gate from our hotel. We may have underestimated the distance as well as how many people would be out so late on a weeknight. Despite my efforts to explain that a group of Americans traveling without a local guide would put a target on our backs for any opportunistic thievery, the group did not move with the directness or cohesion needed to avoid such notice. Rather, the group splintered, and some were approached by those who would gladly take advantage of the situation. Long story short, we did not make it to the gate that evening, though we had a brief, but lovely vantage point of it before heading back to the hotel.

Back Home Again on the Farm

Perhaps one of our cohorts most enjoyable experiences from our first week was traveling to Rajesh’s home in the countryside of Uttar Pradesh outside of New Delhi (this required a farmer’s alarm clock as we left in the 4:00 hour to beat the intense heat). For some of us, this would be our only opportunity to experience a more rural India. Nestled amid rice fields, Rajesh’s family welcomed us with smiles, greetings, and so much generosity. Things move more slowly and quietly out in the countryside but were no less intriguing and beautiful. After our gracious hosts introduced themselves, we were provided a light breakfast, all the bottled beverages we could consume, and a tour of the grounds. Some of us were able to lend a hand in planting (I was able to help plant a pomegranate tree (fun fact, pomegranates are actually classified as a berry). The excursion also included a tractor ride to another farm where some of us were able to lend a hand in milking a cow, and where fresh bread was prepared for us over a small fire by women and children. We were also invited into the home of a local Hindu holy man whose home doubled as a temple and encompassed a tree at its center. A personal highlight was the family children guiding me to a bucket where they kept a newly found pet turtle. We discussed names and future plans for the animal, and they explained that they planned on returning it to the wild-but wanted to first share it with us during our visit. The excursion was hot, gritty, and required a significant amount of rallying on the part of exhausted American travelers. We also walked away with new experiences, unexpected moments of joy, laughter, and appreciation for a life without so much hustle and bustle (and, perhaps 1,000 pictures taken by everyone throughout the experience). 

Individual Assignments

After a week of touring local schools, institutions, temples, and even a robotics competition, it was time for our respective school assignments. Some groups were staying in New Delhi, some would be off to experience school in Chennai, while others went to Hyderabad. Initially, I was a bit jealous of those who would be able to have a completely different experience of the country, but I would not know at that time how valuable an experience lay before me with my own school placement. After lunch, we had a rare window of free time before Alex, Jordan and I would meet our school host, Gurpreet Singh. Henceforth known as Sweet, Sweet, Gurpreet. Gurpreet had hired a driver for us for the week. Though we were changing hotels, the school was located in a more remote part outside of New Delhi city proper and still took an hour to get to from the closer hotel. Once settled, we ventured to a nearby mall for dinner. Something I was not quite prepared for was the brick-and-mortar mall being a central hub for shopping, groceries, restaurants, and entertainment. In the United States, most malls are struggling to retain shoppers, but this is not our experience in India.

If you have never traveled to Asia, you should familiarize yourself with the cuisine before going. Moreover, you should familiarize yourself with how often people partake of local cuisine. As an example, when I taught in China one summer, I practiced with chopsticks for months before departure. However, I was not prepared for the fact that people eat Chinese food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. As much as I love fried rice, the smell of it at 7:00 in the morning after weeks would cause my stomach to flip. To this day, I don’t know if I’ve ever been more grateful for a stuffed crust pizza at a Pizza Hut as I was in Changzhou!

Due to this experience, I thought I was prepared for India. Indians pride themselves on their cuisine, and I can certainly respect that. However, if you have the sophisticated pallet of a toddler, as I do, those spices are intense and your threshold for being a good sport diminishes as the days pass. My first meal with our new host was at a Chinese restaurant at the mall. It had red wine and food that held no hint of curry, so I was just fine. We concluded our trip to the mall with a visit to the grocery store whereupon I purchased extra bottled water, foaming hand soap, Cadbury chocolate, and a garment I would need for one of our ceremonies. My quest to find Lysol spray was a bust.

It was a late night getting settled at the hotel and I was bothered by the smell of the room, but too tired to request another that night, so I repacked everything up and slept on a towel above the covers. This issue would become a bigger problem with the hotel and would serve as a bigger lesson in how rooted in misogyny India still is-and how relevant being the only woman (and an opinionated one, at that) traveling with 2 or 3 men would shape my experience during the trip. But before that, I have to recount our only free time to be a tourist the following day.

Sightseeing in a Monsoon

Before we ever made it to India, our host, Gurpreet, had requested from each of us some of the things we were hoping to see and experience while in New Delhi. As the trip culminated with a visit to the Taj Mahal, I requested a visit to the Qtab Minar, the Lotus Temple, as well as some local markets. To say that the weather was not cooperative would be a gross understatement. The monsoons hit us hard that weekend. Later, we would find out that it was more rain than New Delhi had gotten in one day in over 60 years. That did not deter our attempts to experience the city, however. Gurpreet had found a guide who met us at the Qtab Minar. There were two other duos of Fulbright teachers who stayed in New Delhi, and one met up with us there. We learned about the architecture of the Muslim moguls and the history of the structure as we sat under arches during bouts of intense deluge. There were a minimal number of people braving the elements that day, so we were free to move about wherever there was a slightly higher elevation. We forged even further to the Lotus Temple, a Bahai’ temple built to represent the lotus flower. Unfortunately, despite a temporary reprieve from the rain, the temple was closed, so we were unable to step foot inside. Sensing our disappointment, our guides offered to take us to a nearby Hindu temple instead. There are specific times of the day when curtains are pulled back, and scenes representing Vishnu, Lakshmi, and Hanuman among other deities are revealed. Due to our timing, we were invited to sit and watch the ceremony unfurl which culminated in chanting, dances, and reverence for the gilded depictions of Hinduism’s holiest figures.  It was a unique and welcoming opportunity that we felt grateful to be able to experience. The day concluded with a shared meal whereupon I was delighted to find both pasta and Diet Coke (not Coke Light-a particular pet peeve of mine) on the menu. Afterward, we were able to peruse a couple of market vendors, though our guides strongly encouraged us not to buy as they had better markets in mind.

Note: Should you ever have the opportunity to shop in a foreign market, do your research and practice your negotiation skills. Americans (or at least Midwesterners) are historically averse to the idea of haggling-even when it is expected. If you want the best deal, you must understand that very few things cannot be found at another stall, or another market, and that your only power is the ability to walk away.

Palm Squirrels and Peacocks and Peahens, Oh My!

With the monsoon season upon us, our luck was not much better the following day. As such, some of the sites we had hoped to see were unavailable. However, our guides wanted us to experience the Prime Ministers Museum (formerly known as the Nehru Museum and Library Society).

Upon approaching the museum, I thought I heard the unmistakable call of a peacock. To my shock, I spotted a peacock on TOP of the museum. I asked our host, “Is that a peacock walking up there on the roof?!”

He replied, “Yes.”

Me: “How did it get up there?”

Him: “It flew.”

Me: “They FLY?! How did I not know this?”

Him: “I don’t know.”

(After conducting research, I found that most peacocks and peahens in the U.S. have clipped wings so as to prevent them from flying off…also, they are not native to North America-so it wasn’t like I was asking about a pigeon.)

While waiting for the other New Delhi group to arrive, Alex, Jordan, and I remarked about our puzzlement over the small chipmunk/squirrel animals that seemed to dart around everywhere. Jordan said they looked like Guinea pigs and I told him that I did not think he knew what a Guinea pig looked like as the two do not resemble one another except that they appear to be small, furry, mammals. Later, I would learn these animals are called Palm Squirrels.

I will be honest; I did not enjoy much of this venture. The museum felt self-indulgent and felt very one-sided with regard to history. As an example, the exhibit on Indira Gandhi underscored the betrayal of her guards as assassins. There was no mention of her role in the anti-Sikh riots in the mid 1980’s which led to the assassination. The museum and exhibits seemed to be very nationalistic in nature. The only exhibit I appreciated was one about the role Mahatma Ghandi played in India’s independence from Britain. I could not find information about the great partition, which is what I was curious to learn more about.

We had lunch in the tiniest of cafeterias, but it was one of our best meals (and most affordable). We were able to obtain a souvenir in the gift shop. I selected a tote bag that had a message about empowering women. One of the men in our party asked to see it and when I showed it to him, he smiled and folded it back up and handed it to me. I didn’t realize this would be the pervasive sentiment from Indian men for the remainder of my experience.

Arrival at JV Jaffarpur Kalan

On the steamy morning of July 10th, a day when many other schools were closed due to flooding from the weekend’s rain, my group was picked up early at the hotel and taken by driver to what would be our school field experience for the week. There, we received an overwhelming welcome by students and staff complete with speeches, singing, and music. After meeting the principal and our coordinating staff teachers, we were assigned a liaison that would provide us with more of a detailed tour. It was no coincidence that I was paired with Aayushree, one of the top performing students, who I was delighted to discover was an independent, non-conforming feminist as my personal guide.

The morning had us formally meeting classrooms, introducing ourselves and what we taught, posing for pictures with staff, and familiarizing ourselves with the grounds. After a lunch with some of the teaching staff we would be working with, we wer supposed to visit a nearby elementary school. However, due to the flooding, they were closed. Promised with another opportunity to visit, instead, we toured a nearby vocational school that housed programs on automotive repair, electrical engineering, and garment fabrication. Though I was pleased to see young women working in the electrical engineering program, I was frustrated to hear the automotive repair instructor earnestly boast that the program was so simple, “even women could do it” in an attempt to seem progressive. Despite my fatigue and frustration, I couldn’t know the impact that the coming days would have on me long term…or the connections I would feel for our students and hosts within just one short week.