Taj Mahal and Agra Fort

After a crazy travel day on Thursday (have to get into this later) we met up with our whole group in Delhi and had a debrief session then we set out by bus on Friday to Agar. This was a long drive (almost 4 hours) but full of interesting things to look at such as peacocks, monkeys, lots of cows and some good conversation.  We stayed at a wonderful hotel, the Wyndham Grand Agra, it was beautiful but only had one night there as we left very early Saturday morning for the Taj. 

To protect the Taj Mahal from pollution you are not allowed to drive close to it therefore our bus parked about 1.5km away, we took a smaller golf cart and then walked the final half km.  We arrived some time between 6-6:30am to avoid the heat and the crowds. 

I am not sure what entrance we came in but you go through a big red archway that opens up to the gardens and reflecting pool and of course the Taj Mahal itself. 

It is inspiring how big it was and of course the symmetry of the buildings, especially when it was built over 500 years ago.  The marble was beautiful and the inlay still in tact after all these years.  We were able to go inside, with booties on or shoes off, although the tombs were actually downstairs they had replicas built above which we walked around.



View through arch/entrance way
 

Entrance to the Taj Mahal

Reflection Pool

 

Later, after going back to the hotel for breakfast, we went to the Fort.  This took over 90 years to build as many of Mughal kings would change the capital and move to different cities including Mumbai (Bombay) and Delhi.  This was the fort that Shah Jahan was imprisoned in and you can see the Taj Mahal over the river, we even saw the rooms he was imprisoned in.  The fort was very impressive.  We only saw a small fraction off it as not all the areas are open to the public but it was so big it would take days to tour it all.  I was also impressed by their technology as they build many of the rooms with a space between the walls where water was pumped in between to cool them down in the heat of the summer. 

 

 



View of the Taj Mahal in background
 

Room where Shah Jahan was imprisoned.  Could see Taj Mahal  from balcony
 

 

Reflections from Rajkot

*I started this post on Thursday morning but did not get a chance to finish before we went to the airport for Delhi (where there was limited Internet) consequently I am finish it now.

As we wrap up our 10 days in Rajkot I wanted to look back and reflect on all we have seen.  It has been a busy time with school visits and conversations with teachers.  I would have liked to have seen more cultural activities (never made it to a wedding) but overall it was very eyeopening. 
The biggest thing I take away is my understanding of the Indian education system.  Unfortunately to get a good education you need to have money to go to a private school. While the public schools are working hard they are just too many issues for them to be very successful.  The biggest issue is the lack of money and resources and large number of students, each class has an average of 40-50 students!  However what is interesting is the teachers in public school are actually qualified to teach, meaning they went to school and have a degree but they mostly teach with the chalk and talk method.  There is an immense amount of pressure to do well in school and do very well on the exam as that is the basis of getting into college.  Students chose either the state exam, national (All India exam), IB or Cambridge.  The other issue is one of language.  English unifies the nation so it is preferred and many private schools offer English while many of the public (not all) offer in the state/local language.  However Indians tend to know more languages than many others as they are all taught 3 languages, typically English, local/state, and Hindi, but many students also study French and German.

In speaking to many teachers and students I realized that there are the same concerns and issues whether in India or the U.S.  Teachers have challenging, stressful jobs, and have to deal with the issues of the curriculum and trying to help students successfully navigate life!

 

Visiting more schools

Our host Mala had arranged for us to visit three more schools within The Galaxy Education System. We visited the schools on Monday.  The first school we went to is the Metoda school.  This school was built by the Midtown Rotary club and educates students from the neighborhood of manufactoring area.  The students are taught in Gujarati but they do get English instruction.  Their tuition is subsidized by The Galaxy Education system so the parents pay 200 rupees a month. 

 We visited two more schools on Monday.   One school was a free school for 300 children chosen from neighborhood "slums".  They are chosen from local day cares/preschools and the parents have to fill out paperwork and are explained the program.  The school goes from preschool to 1st grade. The girls are then evaluated based on the principal and teachers observations and work to see if they should continue in an English medium school or if they would be better continuing on to a Gujarati school.  If they continue on within the Galaxy Education System their fees would be paid for by the school.

I was very impressed by the principal at this school.  She was very passionate about her work and was chosen by the Director to run this particular school for girls.  Without this opportunity these girls would end up at the local government school, if they attended any school, and the opportunities would not be as good for them.  Some of the challenges are simply getting the children in the preschool classes to sit down and follow the schedule of activities as many of these girls are left on their own monitored only by older children as their parents are working; therefore many of them spend their days wandering around doing as they please.  I also found the girls so eager to learn.

 

Our last school of the day was the Savani Pre School.   I was very impressed by the school; the building, classes, and the teachers.  The building was very inviting, the teachers really loved teaching and cared about the students and it seemed very fun. This was an English medium school and after Kindergarten students would attend 1st grade typically at another school within the Galaxy System.  

 

 

 

Adventures in Ahmedabad.....

* I started this post on Sunday but didn't have a chance to finish therefore I apologize for the confusion with dates/days.  This is also essentially a two part post; one about the cultural shock and one about our trip Saturday and I apologize for the length. 
Yesterday (Saturday) our host arranged for a local tour company to take us on a trip to Ahmedabad which is about 135 miles from Rajkot.  As Rajkot is a predominantly a business town there is really not a lot to do here so we were happy to travel and see some sites.

We left at 7am and it was a very long drive (almost 4 hours) and it turned out to be a very long day, mentally and physically, some of it due to the distance but some of it simply due to the cultural differences.  This not intended to be where I complain and I do not want to offend anyone but after 2 weeks in country I have hit a bit of a cultural overload and at times am ready for the comfort and familiarity of the western world.  My travel partner, Stacy, and I were talking about cultural shock and how the honeymoon period is over!  I think 3 weeks is feeling like a very long time to be here and we are experiencing so much that it is natural to have different feelings and emotions and I think yesterday (Saturday) they really hit hard.  There are differences in traffic, communication, hygenie, street environment (trash etc...),  food and general way of life. I do not want to be the ugly American and I feel we have recognized these differences but there is a point where it comes to a head and I think that point was Saturday for me.  I don't want everything to be the same; if we were all the same the world would be boring and I one of the reasons I wanted to do this program was to get out of my comfort zone and shake things up; and it certainly has done so!! LOL
The one area that is starting to bother me is the food.  I don't generally eat a lot of Indian food, those who know me know I do not like spicy food!  However it's not just the spice but the strange flavor and spice combinations that after almost 2 weeks here is getting to me; I need variety and even comfort, what I would do for a bowl of cereal even (they have it but it is advised to not drink the milk).  Our hotel has one of the best restaurants in town but some of the ways they prepare the food can be different to taste and the state is vegetarian so while some cities eat chicken or fish in Rajkot it is impossible to find meat in this town.  I am also craving a beer and a burger!  Just like in the U.S. there is different food in different parts of the country, below is a typical meal for this state from Saturday.  Our guide asked us if we wanted Gujarati food or Western; we were ready for western food but due to some miscommunication were taken to a Gujarati restaurant. 

This is rice, daal (a lentil mixture), rotti, some cooked vegetables (in this case okra with potatoes) and then paneer (cheese) in a sauce.  Buttermilk is also served as a drink. 





Another thing that is getting to me is the way we are stared at when we go out.  We have been told that Indians do not mean to be rude but it is very disconcerting to be constantly starred at wherever we go and it is starting to wear on me.  I realize some people may not have seen a foreigner before and I know we stand out as Stacy and I are both blond but the giggling and comments (in another language) and even the people coming up and trying touch us is a bit much.  I thought in Ahmedabad it would be different as it is a bigger city but it was even worse.  We were little celebrities with many people stopping to talk to us, we even had our picture taken a few times!

Now that I have had time to process these feelings from Saturday it is easier to put them in perspective.  This is normal anytime you are away from home.  I have less than a week left and I plan to make the most of it; even if it is very different from the U.S. at the same time we are all people and I think the discomfort in being away from home does not outway the people we have met and the things we have seen and experienced.

PART TWO:  The actual trip to Ahmedabad
On the way we stopped at a gas station as our tour guide wanted tea which we have come to realize is a common thing here in India.,  I don't know if it is a left over from British rule again but morning and afternoon tea breaks are common, some people even eat breakfast late (mid morning).  The gas station was not what we expected, lots of flies (LOTS) and I finally encountered an "Indian" toilet (check out the pictures below).  I did not use it as there was a western one but even that was not what I really wanted.  Some advice, be sure to bring toilet paper as most Indians do not use it but instead use a hose like contraption I guess like a bidet.

While the drive was long at times it was very pleasant and the Indian countryside is very pretty.  It was green and lush but we are told it is not always like this; right now it is Monsoon Season and the state has received a lot of rain.  we saw tons of Water Buffalo and I was also pleasantly surprised by the condition of the roads however there were still many cows on the highway and you had to slow suddenly to go around them.  Indian drivers are also pretty aggressive on the highways; pulling up right to someones tail and then beeping the horn so they move over. 

On our trip we stopped at Lothal, an ancient civilization which means "mound of the dead".  This is part of the Indus valley civilization and was founded around 2400 BCE.   There was a museum with artifacts (site was discovered in 1954), many of the artifacts were beads as they were known for that.  We were able to tour the remains of the original site and a guide explained some things to us though his English is limited.  They were very advanced for the time.  They had separate living areas for different groups/classes of people, an area to bury the dead, drains/gutters, water purification with charcoal, and a dock to trade with other civilizations.   To read more please check out these links: Lothal, and here.  What surprised me too was how the remains were just open and any one could technically walk all over them, there were no barriers or areas we could not walk through. 

Women gathering grass to feed the cattle. 

Drainage ditch
 

After Lothal we went to Ghandi's Ashram.  This is where he prayed, fasted and lead many of his followers, he even left for the Salt March from here. 

Our last place to visit was the Step Well, or Adalaj Well as it is also known.  This was my favorite place thus far, the design and detail was outstanding.  It was built in 1499 and is in great condition.  Stepwells are very common in this area; read here for more on the legend behind the well.  

 

Sites in Rajkot

On Friday Stacy and I were taken around Rajkot to visit historical sites and places of interest with our host Mala, a teacher from the school and three students from grades 5 & 6. 

We visited Gandhi's old high school, the Alfred High School, once owned by the British and for wealthy children it was all taught in English it is now a Gujarati Medium school for very poor children.  They are the children of day laborers and pay about 12 rupees each 6 months (there are about 60 rupees to the dollar).  Our host told us when India gained independence there was a shift in thinking from English language schools, which was forced on the Indians by the British, to local/region languages.  Due to this shift in thinking and strong nationalism many schools taught their students in the state language.  What was interesting to find out that Ghandi was not a very good student; he was average and in some areas even below average.  It goes to show you don't need to be a good student to accomplish great things!



Our student guides
 

Brief survey of the Old Alfred High School where Ghandi attended school.  You can imagine how regal it must have looked in the late 1800's (very British in design).  Today it is known as the Mohandas Ghandi High School




Ghandi's High School
 



After our visit to the high school we were taken to Rajkumar College which is a private boys and girls school.  This is one of the oldest schools in India and was originally built for the sons of the Kings and Princes.  It is an absolutely beautiful campus and reminded me again of many British schools and grounds.  It has a newer seperate girls school opened in 2011 but they built it in the original design.  What suprised me is this is considered a very good private school but it still teaches students in the traditional Indian way; memorization and recall.  They did have a wonderful art department which surpased the ones we have seen so far, even at the Galaxy Education System.  This intrigues me as when we considered what is a "good" school we (in this case Americans) consider the whole school and I would want my children to go to a school that was well rounded not one that has only one superior area. 

Brief view of the campus

 

Traditional Dance class

After visiting the school we went to the house Ghandi grew up in here in Rajkot.