Life on the streets

Life on the streets
I realize that I have been so involved in discussing the incredible academic learning experiences that Fulbright and USEFI have supplied that I have not reported on the general observations that I have seen.

The auto rickshaws are incredible. The first one we piled into after negotiations for the charge gave me an experience that I have never had before and do not want again. The driver was smoking POT! Talk about second hand smoke. And he was on the wrong side of the road. No I do not mean the English/Indian side but the wrong side. After shrieks of hysteria from us all, he turned and smiled that glazed look, and gradually weaved through the traffic to his correct space. I thanked God that we survived.

I have to tell you that it did not deter us as we took one again last night but this time we piled four people into the Tuk Tuk. Seeing as I was the lightest, I got the position sitting on the knees of the other three. I felt like my head was about to pop out of the roof on one of the bumps just like in the Fred Flinstone cartoons.

Another great experience was when we went to buy some books to compliment our curriculum project. At the end of our purchase at the college bookstore, they closed the doors, put on air conditioning and invited us to sit and have coffee with them. Nescafe INSTANT coffee. This is the type of experience I love as we get to meet the real people of India.

Today we are going to Agra by bus. This is where we will visit the Taj Mahal. A five hour journey through many small towns an rural areas. The Commonwealth Games will be held here in 2010, and they are busy building a Metro to transfer the visitors. What strikes me is that this money that is being spent to accommodate foreigners could be used to help the people who day to day barely survive and live in poverty.

These people are so friendly, smiling and waving at us as we travel by in our huge comfortable coach. Children are on their way to school in their smart uniforms. However, in the same area are those children who are just sitting mindlessly poking sticks in piles of rubbish doomed to spend their day how their social status of life dictated from birth. The caste system here continues to amaze me.

We have just seen our first Indian snake charmer who performed very willingly for our bus. I hope you enjoy the photo.

I am no longer excited by the cows walking down the rmain road or grazing in the central reservation. I realize that is a common occurrence now. I look for new experiences as I travel along.

Signing off for now…………