Goodbye Batch 4!

Another semester has come to a close and ISP is sad to be saying goodbye to another group of students. Batch 4 - we have loved having you in India and are so excited to see what you will do in the future! We're taking a break for the summer but watch us this fall for new adventures with Batch #5. 

Travel Component: In Pictures

Ready for some train travel!
Most Indians travel on trains and ISP loves taking students along for the ride.

The end of semester trip is always highly anticipated by all of our ISP students. After several months of making Coimbatore their home, they are excited to take their journey to the North and keep learning from inspirational people and new experiences!

 

Checking out a temple.

This time our trip took us to 6 unique cities around incredible India. We started in Chennai, the capital of our home state of Tamil Nadu, and wound our way north to Delhi, home of the famous Taj Mahal.

 

A woman selling flowers for puja outside a temple.

Our first stop was Chennai where we realized that it could in fact get hotter than the sweltering summer climate we were experiencing in Coimbatore. Despite the weather, we had a great time learning about the diverse offerings of the city. Chennai has a rich history of Christianity in India so we took the opportunity to visit where St. Thomas was martyred and buried. 

The site where St. Thomas was martyred.

We also visited Shiamala Baby, a woman who transformed her own abusive past into an organization working to empower women in their own communities. She is one of the many amazing people we meet that our students like to call "cool people doing cool things".

 

Shiamala and the women she works with in a self-help group.

Next on the list was Calcutta, a city that played a prominent role in India's colonial background. We were excited to try kati rolls and spiced chai in clay cups before heading to Sari Bari. This NGO continues to be a highlight for ISP students. It focuses on providing an alternative source of income for women who want to leave the sex industry by teaching them to sew beautiful products from recycled saris. As we toured their workshop and learned about the organization we were encouraged by the courageous stories of the women working there.

 

Enjoying some roadside chai in clay cups.

Filled with twisting alleys and wandering holy men, Varanasi is filled to the brim with nooks and crannies to explore. As the holiest city in India it was the perfect place to learn more about Hinduism and Buddhism. 

Varanasi is famous for its ghats along the river.

On our walking tour we spent hours making our way down the ghats and seeing daily life on the holy river Ganga. Those of us who were early risers saw bathers and dhobis doing laundry on the riverbanks. Then in the evening we all headed to the ghats to watch the Ganga aarti, a fire worship ceremony to the holy river.

 

The daily Ganga aarti.

Of course a trip to the north would be incomplete without making our way to Agra, home of the Taj, and Delhi, the capital of India. Pulling into the train station in the early morning we had  a breakfast of puris before checking out the Agra Fort and the famed Taj Mahal. 

Jumping for joy at the Taj!

The Mughal architecture was stunning and we took the opportunity to not only soak in the history but also to taking some group snaps! Once we made our way to Delhi we took some much needed time to relax and wandered the city - seeing everything from the Lotus Temple to a lively Sufi singing performance at the tomb of a saint.

 

Sufi music at the Nizamuddin Dargah.

Our last destination was Dehradun, a gorgeous hill station nestled in the Himalayan foothills. In addition to debriefing the semester, we visited some organizations in the area focusing on social entrepreneurship and one that mentors Tibetans in the area. 

Riding in rickshaws.

One of the best ways of getting to know someone is over a meal, so we were delighted to share a lunch of buffalo momos with the mentees in the program! Then we spent time with one business that sells beautiful furniture and crafts while partnering with locals to work towards sustainability. And of course our trip would not be complete without some whitewater rafting down the Ganges!

 

Whitewater rafting.

All in all, our end of semester trip was two weeks of insane traveling around and witnessing India's vastness and complexity. We are excited to see how we can continue learning from these experiences! 

Ooty, or Ooh Tea!

It is getting hot here in Coimbatore so a few weeks ago ISP headed for the hills. Ooty is a hill station a few hours away where the British used to escape from the heat of India. Given the current heat here in CBE where it has been hovering around 100F (40C) for the past week, we were excited for cooler climates. 

Catching a cup of tea on the way up.

 Our first stop was the Toda tribe, one of the few remaining hill tribes in the Nilgiris. We sat down to talk with them and learn a little about their community and how it differs from wider Indian society. Their lives are closely tied to buffaloes, which not only produce the ghee and dairy products that they sell but are also revered in their worship. Even in the afterlife, the Toda believe that their buffalo journey on with them to sustain them.

Chatting with the Toda Tribe.

 Then we headed over to the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary for a safari ride! This continues to be a highlight for students as they look forward to peering out the windows for any signs of wild creatures. That evening we spotted a multitude of peacocks and sambar deer (which made us wonder if there were also rasam deer lurking about) and even a few wild elephants. No-one has seen a tiger yet though. Perhaps batch #5 will have better luck?

Seeing the elephant feeding at Mudumalai.

The next day we went back up the mountain to the town of Ooty. Aside from being renowned regionally for its homemade chocolate, Ooty's climate lends itself to some of the country's best tea. So off we went to learn about how tea is grown and picked!

Learning how tea is picked by hand.

Picking tea is an arduous process. The higher qualities of tea are plucked by hand and only new leaves are taken. A single plant also produces different grades of tea based on changes in its environment such as seasons or the age of the leaf when it is picked. It was amazing to wander through steep tea fields with tea workers and gain a new perspective on tea.

On to the manufacturing process!

From there we moved on to the factory, where the leaves are taken from the field. We learned that there's a whole hidden side to making tea. When we drink a cup we rarely think of the days that the leaves must dry before being rolled, chopped and fermented. We definitely came away with a greater appreciation for the many cups of chai that we consume here!

Hearing about Sisters International.

Another highlight was hearing from Rebecca Park who co-founded Sisters International, a non-profit dedicated to empowering young Indian girls and teaching them about social issues facing Indian women around the country. She saw that there were many organizations around India addressing social problems but few working on preventing them and was inspired to start her own organization. Now they run several conferences a year to inspire young women and are hoping to begin a similar project for boys soon as well. We left feeling inspired by the great work that she is doing for so many youth.

Enjoying the view of the tea fields.

All in all, it was a great weekend trip filled with tea, chocolate and inspiring visits!

Stay tuned for more updates from our travels.

In Pictures: Madurai

We are diving into the semester and time is flying by! A while ago, we had our first weekend trip and headed to the city of Madurai. As much as we love our home base of Coimbatore, we were excited to get out and explore another city.

ISP on the bus!

Leaving bright and early, we arrived into the bustling Madurai full of a delicious South Indian breakfast we had eaten on the way. We rolled right into the Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary (TTS), a quiet green campus hidden in the middle of a dusty city. Our first program of the afternoon was touring the college and learning about its mission before moving into a session on Dalit Theology, understanding the gospel through the lens of the oppressed. Jason Brownlee shared his thoughts on that afternoon: 

Learning about Dalit theology at TTS.

 "...we toured the seminary and got to talk with a few of the professors about the program. The seminary has an amazing complex. Separate from the busyness of the city, it is like an oasis in the desert. It has trees everywhere (including Teak, shout out to my Dad and the sailboat), chickens roaming around, cows for milking, and most of its own food is grown on the campus. Another part of the seminary is that its students spend one of their three years living in a slum. They do a lot of work for the Dalit (or Untouchable) caste, dialoguing mainly with the Christian Dalit community and how they can be representatives of Christ to the Indian community. It was a really cool seminary and I am glad our program is showing us the ways the Christian community is showing Christ in the Indian context. It was cool to see how Indians were meeting the needs of other Indians through the story of Christ."

A Hindu convert's interpretation of the birth of Christ at TTS.

 The evening was filled with activities out in the city! Students made it down a busy street to try jigarthanda, a special drink from Madurai. None of us could pronounce the name, let alone identify the interesting ingredients, but we all agreed that it was delicious and well worth the trip. From there we headed to the Thirumalai Nayak Palace where we settled in to watch a sound and light show that relayed the history of King Thirumalai and the city.  

Thirumalai Nayak palace lit up at night.
Credit: Kari Christensen

On the way back from the show students stumbled across a circus and managed to convince Kirk and the faculty to accompany them on their adventure. After catching part of the show, the students got up close and personal with the circus elephant! 

Kari face to face with the circus elephant.

We woke up on Saturday excited to be going to the Meenakshi Temple, one of the largest Hindu temple complexes in South India. As we wandered through, our guide explained the scenes around us - from depictions of Parvati and Meenakshi painted on the walls to intricate carvings on the many pillars scattered around the temple. Although we had been to one temple before in Coimbatore, it was the first time many students had been to one of this magnitude. With pujas and daily temple life swirling around us, there was a wealth of experiences to take in.  

View of the tank in the Meenakshi Temple.
Credit: Kari Christensen

Before heading home we had a few more stops to make. First was the Gandhi Museum. While a major part of it is devoted to understanding Gandhi's life and work the first section of it also details India's independence movement. Walking through, it was fascinating to trace the path that India has traveled to arrive where it is today. From there we said goodbye to Madurai but made one final stop at Arulagam, an HIV/AIDS hospice run by TTS. The hospice is set in a peaceful area away from the city where people who are affected by HIV/AIDS come for treatment and care. A group of children who are also affected live at the hospice. It was wonderful to spend time listening to how this seminary is making an impact by serving the community that is around them. 

QGP (quick group pic) at the Meenakshi Temple.

Jason shared a final reflection on the temple and the weekend: "I am trying to look past the cultural shock of seeing, smelling, and hearing the goings on of the temple and learn about the ways of the Hindu people. The term Hindu is such a complex word that my small view of it can’t begin to understand, so I will reserve my judgement and take the stance of a learner".

Thanks for reading! Watch for upcoming posts on our other weekend trips.

Alumni Post: Ashley Ober on Going Home

Adjusting back home is never easy. After studying abroad, it can be difficult to figure out how your experiences away fit into your life from before. Ashley Ober (Fall 2012) shares her thoughts on transitioning back home from India.

A Confession

by Ashley Ober

I promised myself that this time it would be different.  That my transition back from India wouldn’t mimic my transition from Ghana.  I told myself that I would be different and thought that through self-discipline and determination I could escape the ramifications of culture shock.  No one would feel the rockiness of my return home and everything would go smoothly.

I promised myself that I would internalize my cultural experience different than before.  I told myself that I would not take the weight of the world on my shoulders and that I would not claim sole responsibility for the poverty and hurt that inflicted many living in India.

I determined to come back a new person.  More confident, more spiritual, with a clearer understanding of where her life was headed during the end of schooling and post-graduation.

But I have a confession to make…India wrecked me.

It’s hard to even explain how exactly I feel so I’ll borrow a few words from someone who seemed to explain it quite beautifully.

“I wanted away, out from under what I had seen and felt. I talked about it a little bit, but it was so hard to explain, and so hard to go back into those places inside of me. I didn’t know how to tell my husband or my friends that [India] had done something bad inside of me, had demonstrated to me a part of myself I didn’t know I had.  For one of the first times in my life, my beliefs and perspectives bowed and flattened under the weight of my experience. Before I went there, I wanted to invest myself in the healing, in some small way, of [India]. But when I was there, I just wanted to leave, and I was ashamed and surprised by that part of myself. I wanted to shut my eyes and stop seeing the images of starving children.

I had to make things right within me. I had to confront the person I found on that trip, the one who wanted to fly home and pretend the whole things was not real. The one who, when faced with death and sickness, cried, instead of rising up like a prophet or a nurse.  That’s the trick I think. That’s why actually getting on a plane and going there is dangerous and very important. Because I could not forget about it, as desperately as I wanted to. Because once you see it, you will never be able to un-see it, and once you see it, you will be responsible for it, and for the self it reveals back to you.”
-Shauna Niequist “Broken Bottles”

I feel like something broke inside me; that piece of my spirit that was filled with hope that in the midst of the problems and the pain there was a hidden solution, and I was determined to find it.  I thought that if I went to India and immersed myself in the culture than I would find the cure , so I went and I immersed and came out with way more questions than solutions.  All the stats and poverty and hurt and problems sat on my hope and suffocated it.  Its still there, but I’ve got to do some digging to find it.

It’s hard to function sometimes.  Hard to study and remained focused in class when my mind begins to wander across the ocean to the friends I met and the people I got to know in the slums and on the streets, wondering how they are doing.  It’s weird to walk down the sidewalk and not have to walk around any people living or sleeping there.  It’s weird not to have a kid beside me, tugging on my shirt and calling me "Auntie".  Those things started to become normal for me and I’m still getting used to the transition and trying to understand why I saw the things I saw, because now I am responsible for it, and I have no idea what that looks like.

I have not, for one single second, ever regretted going to India and seeing and experiencing all that I did.  The unsettling discontent inside of me, the stirring in my spirit that craves for a different world, is one of the most fulfilling feelings I have ever had.

I hope that my confession not only moves you to explore the world around you, but also shows you that it is in the challenging and uncomfortable life experiences that God does some of the most beautiful renovations in the human heart.

Student Post: Kellie Carstensen on Home Stays!

Recently, students had a home stay, when they spend a weekend with a faculty or student from the college to get a taste of what their lives are like. Read about Kellie's experience which encompassed everything from herding goats to overwhelming amounts of food and hospitality.

Guests of Honor

by Kellie Carstensen

Kellie here! This weekend we did faculty home-stays, meaning that we went in groups of two (or 1 in Jason's case) to a professors house for Friday and Saturday to experience the real Indian life. I went with Abby to Sir Samuel Lovelyson's house, who is a professor of social work at the college. Jason actually didn't go to a professor's house, but he got to go home with his roommate Benzo.

Although these home-stays are intended to give us a taste of real Indian life, because of the way hospitality works here we felt more like spoiled guests than just another part of the family. We did get to witness some typical Indian living, but we were certainly fed above and beyond the normal.

Abby and I got to Sir Lovelyson's house and were immediately given tea, then "breakfast" a few hours later, then a huge lunch of fish and crab an hour after that, and then snacks a few hours later, and then dinner around 9 pm. I have never met more hospitality in my life, and my stomach probably has an extra pound or two to prove it.

In between all the eating Sir Lovelyson would tell us all about the social customs and concepts of Indian life in regards to marriage, family, and other issues. We also got to herd some goats roaming near his property, play shuttlecock, and visit some of his neighbors. One woman even gave us pure butter fresh made from her cow that morning... that was a new experience for sure.

Then in the evening he took us for a ride to the nearby "forest"(much drier foliage than how you would picture a forest) in this awesome Jeep:

His two kids came with us everywhere and loved having new friends to play with.

The sun set on the mountains around us and set an amazing landscape. We were right outside the limits of Coimbatore, I think, and the mountains gave us incredible views of the city below.

One of the mountains also has a Hindu temple on top of it, with a long set of stairs to climb to get there. We didn't actually go in the temple since it was almost dark, but we climbed the stairs to see the view.

That's me! And yes I got some weird looks because I had my scarf wrapped around my head, but it was mostly to protect my face against the ever persistent mosquitos.

By Friday night we were exhausted, so after dinner we conked out early in order to get a good nights rest. It was necessary too, because the next morning was Indian Republic Day so we had to get up by 7 am to have breakfast and go see the festivities. Republic Day is similar to Fourth of July in the U.S. since they are celebrating independence from British colonial rule, gained in 1947.

Sir Lovelyson's wife works at an elementary school nearby so we went there to watch the flag-raising ceremony and interact with the kids. It was fun to meet them all, but I will admit that for an introvert it got overwhelming very quickly. We were surrounded by the kids nonstop and they asked our names at least fifty times each, plus the constant attention is a lot for me to handle. We managed alright though and enjoyed their funny questions.

The rest of the day was followed by even more food. Once our host found out we loved fresh fruit we were lavished with every kind imaginable, including palm fruit which we had to squish out of the actual large nut with our fingers:

They also surprised us by taking us to get henna at a nearby shopping center. It happened rather quickly, but before I knew it I was plopped on a stool and had some guy piping beautiful designs onto my arms. I can't complain, but it was definitely a funny confusing moment. There again Indian hospitality beat us in any attempts to return the favor.

Overall it was a crazy two days, filled with more food than I could possibly ever eat and funny moments to last a lifetime. I am basically exhausted after all of that socialization, but that is an element of Indian culture I am still trying to adjust to. Thankfully, today we get some down time to do homework and relax. I am procrastinating a paper right now actually, so I am planning to go work on that next.

Bye!

In Pictures: Amazing Race: Coimbatore

After the family dosa, one of our favorite parts of orientation here at ISP is the Amazing Race. At that point, students have been here for a few days and are beginning to get their bearings in this new city so we send them off for their own adventures and exploration.

Welcome dinner with peer mentors and a family dosa to share!

They are given a list of landmarks to find around Coimbatore, braving buses and autos to find everything before meeting up with staff for a fabulous Indian dinner over which they share their stories. 

Kari meeting the local tailor.

After hunting for some local sites, each group was sent off to a different part of the city. Each area of town has its own distinct personality: Town Hall overflows with pedestrians, Gandhipuram is bustling with street-side stalls, and RS Puram is a sprawling shopping district. 

Wandering Town Hall.

Batch 4 proved to be rather competitive and each group completed their list, some even with time to spare!

Providence holding up the leaning tower on Race Course.

Abby and Jason discover Shah Rukh Khan movies.

Bekah and Abby making friends at the Gurudwara.

Adventuring in the poo market (flower market). 

We are excited to see what other adventures this semester has in store for us!