Finding a place in Jaipur
Jaipur is definitely not Dharamsala or Ladakh. The city is fast-paced and loud; it takes five minutes to plan and execute a safe passage across a road (even with a pedestrian crossing clearly marked) and because it is wedding season, you can often hear the melodic strains of one or more brass bands wafting through your bedroom window from the neighbor's front yard, always right as you are drifting off to sleep.
On a more positive note, my ISPs here are fantastic. I'm taking extra Hindi classes, taught by the brilliant and only pretend-scary Bhavnaji, who lovingly kicks my butt every morning for two hours but gets me reading and writing and speaking in Hindi. I don't even know how I can convey to you readers how wonderful she is. She puts you on the spot and only speaks in Hindi and is one of the strictest teachers I've ever had, but she laughs with you when you make a mistake and makes it clear that she actually does like us.
I'm also taking kathak classes with Wade. Kathak is a Northern Indian dance style, a passionate and graceful form of storytelling which involves fast footwork and theatrical expressions. I was so afraid that the dance would be utterly foreign to me, but I soon found out that there are surprising similarities to ballet and flamenco, so I've been able to catch on quickly. And in our kathak classes, it's not just our teacher that's amazing- it's her entire family. Preeti is our dance teacher. She's tiny and energetic and never gets annoyed when Wade and I get silly and distracted. Her parents treat us like their grandchildren- they attend our dance classes and shower praise on us from the sidelines.
Her dad gives us lectures on culture and music and imparts gems of wisdom such as, "The best way for a female to attract a male is to walk like an elephant." (By this he means walk gracefully and with confidence, but I love the way he puts it.) Her mom gives us the BEST CHAI I've ever had, along with tasty homemade snacks and a surplus of hugs and kisses. Preeti's brother, Sam, lives in America but is home now and sings Eric Clapton songs beautifully. All in all, it's probably the first place in the entire trip that I've actually felt at home in.
After kathak classes, I have to grab myself a rickshaw (no easy feat when most drivers charge me thrice the fair rate and end up getting lost along the way anyways) and get over to my Bollywood dance class. this turns out being more like Indianized Backstreet Boys choreography, because the class is all guys. I was met with unspoken skepticism for the first few classes that seemed to stem from a belief that girls can't hiphop, but I stayed on, got their respect in the end and was even able to show them a few moves of my own.
Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving! We're celebrating with a Rajasthani feast tonight, which I am super excited about. I love the food here. This is an untested theory so far but I don't think I'll be getting tired of Indian food. Ever.
Comments
Hey, girl.
Thrilled to hear what you're involved in. Sound exciting and rewarding.
Morty and I are celebrating T'giving here with your family and Uncle Jon, etc. We're having a delightful time, but missing you!!!!!
Love from all of us. Keep well and safe and enjoying this incredible experience.
Posted by: am&m ep pa | November 28, 2008 2:21 AM
Just getting over a tremendous bout of Jet lag. You must know what we mean. China was amazing and exhausting; so much to see in such a vast country, Fascinated by your adventures, just take good care of yourself. keep copies, your letters would make part of a great book. Sorry we haven't written, but pretty impossible from where we've been.
Much love, safe journey , R and Z
Posted by: Grandma R and Z | December 7, 2008 5:47 PM