It's Good to be Home!

Interview at the village Anganwadi

My Co-researcher Shivani and I

My village home

Just returned from my first stay in the village! I wasn't there very long (2 days, 1 night), but I enjoyed my time. The biggest struggle is that my host family there doesn't speak English so it’s hard to get close to them. I have a co-researcher from a local college in Udaipur who goes with me to the village and translates, but I wish I could connect more personally with the people. I decided to do my first project on child health; I interviewed the head of the village Anganwadi (nursery), the Asha worker (village health assistant), 5 mothers with children, and 2 doctors at the community health center. I think we were successful in scheduling interviews and getting all our questions answered, but there didn't seem to be too many problems in the village (I’m happy about this, but it makes my project slightly more difficult). One of the ladies was so impressed that I was dressed in the appropriate attire and had Indian food packed in my lunch tiffin (packed by mommyji of course). I guess a group from abroad came to the village earlier and weren't very culturally sensitive. It’s nice to know that I’m not seen as a tourist. Not that I have anything against tourist, I just think once you take public transportation, eat the food every day, and live with a family you graduate from tourist to “temporary resident.”

Some after school fun

I really missed my urban host family while I was gone. Udaipur is comfortable now and this is home. It warmed my heart when I was dropped off and my host sister left her friends and ran to meet me at the end of the street to help me carry my things into the house. Mommyji was busy in the parlor with 3 clients, but she stopped to welcome me back. My family is just so cute, I am happy to be back.

Can't keep Americans away from our fast food

We are totally in academic mode now that our projects have begun. Denzell and I collaborated for our urban inquiry and focused on how globalization has affected the food in India. We went to two different malls and interviewed managers, workers, and customers at fast food restaurants. Udaipur has 4 fast food places and we went to all of them: McDonalds, Subway, KFC, and Pizza Hut. Of course we had to eat along the way haha. We originally wanted to interview the workers to see if they were treated fairly and if the company actually followed its policies, but we weren't able to separate them from their managers. It was obvious that the managers were worried about their image. One of the managers (I won’t disclose which) even told me that they “don’t sell junk food. It’s good and nutritious” Trust me…that was a lie!

We had a guest speaker for one of our lectures this week. She is an expert on the Indian caste system and she really sparked my interest in it. I couldn't help but relate the caste system to race in America. One of the biggest difference with the caste system is that you cannot look at a person and tell what caste they are from. While India is a “caste-less” society by law, it is still very much alive socially, especially in the villages. I might even do my final research project on something dealing with this highly complicated system.

View from the City Palace

Our group got a chance to visit Udaipur city palace earlier this week. I couldn't get over how big it was. Half of the palace is open to tourist and the other half is still used by the royal family. While the family has no political power, they are cultural royalty and are widely respected. The different personalities in our group create for excitement everywhere we go. We just can’t help but come up with a new inside joke each time we get together.

One of the gorgeous Saris at the wedding

Host Sister Reenu & I at the wedding

I finally got to go to an Indian wedding!!! It was nothing short of extravagant. Everything was big. There was a ton of food and even more people. The weddings are held outside in very large open spaces. The bride and groom sit on a stage as if they are sitting on a throne. There are lights and decorations everywhere. The women were extremely dressed up in gorgeous outfits. Who knows, I may walk down the aisle in a long white sari.

The bride and groom

I eat so much Chapati I wouldn't be surprised if I turn into it. I thought I ate it a lot in Uganda this summer, but that was nothing. It is customary to eat it here with basically every meal. I should be tired of it by now, and maybe I am, maybe it's just a habit now but a meal doesn't feel complete without it. 

Mommyji making Chapati

Mommyji pretending to let me help in the kitchen

Tomorrow is India’s Republic Day! We are going to one of the parades in the city. I can’t wait to take part in yet another fantastic cultural experience.

Until Next Time,
*Nicole 

So many beautiful sunsets