100 Years of Indian Cinema, Soumitra Chatterjee, and Street Food Festivals: Exploring Kolkata

Yesterday I went with two other Fulbrighters to an event held by my school. Every year, they hold a quiz contest. My coordinating teacher told me that although many schools hold large competitions like this quiz bowl, they're one of the only schools hold a themed event. It looks like I applied to this program the right year because this year's theme was "100 Years of Indian Cinema." Sounds perfect for the only cinema major in the program, right? Well, it gets even better (I know, you're probably wondering how could it get any better?!) The special guest was Soumitra Chatterjee, an actor who has been a presence in a large amount of Satyajit Ray's films. He was also a close friend of Ray's and spoke a bit about their relationship, though much of it was in Bangla. If you don't know who Satyajit Ray is, I implore you to do some research on him and his work. His films are absolutely remarkable and actually sparked my desire to live in India.

Soumitra Chatterjee's signature

I wrote about Ray in my Fulbright essay, so my coordinating teacher told Soumitra Chatterjee about me and arranged a meeting. Our meeting was quite brief... he was late to something so as he walked over to his car, making his way past all the people taking pictures of him and asking for his autograph, I hesitantly wandered over to him. I couldn't stop nervously laughing, but eventually I stopped when I had his attention. It was clear he was somewhat intrigued and excited by my being the only starstruck bideshi (foreigner in Bangla) there. I heard my coordinating teacher yell out "tell him about yourself! Give him your notebook!" So I quickly told him my name, that I studied Ray's films in college with one of my favorite professors, and that he was an extremely talented actor. Something like that anyway. He smiled and carefully wrote out a brief message, signature, and date. His writing was very hesitant... I doubt he writes in English much. I really appreciated the time he spent on it... I'm lucky my coordinating teacher was so aggressive on my behalf! As he finished, trailing off on the '3' in '2013,' I thanked him and we said our goodbyes. I watched him walk off to his car, continuing to push through the small crowd around him. I stood there staring at his signature, then him and his signature again for what felt like a while. Stacia, an ETA with me, and my coordinating teacher started to lead the way, both of them clearly very excited for me.

Stage of the "100 Years of Cinema" Quiz Contest

After that, Adizah, another ETA, joined us at the event and it really picked up. My favorite part of the quiz bowl were the questions on music. They would sample parts of songs and virtually all of the students passionately clapped, screamed, sang, or even jumped to their feet and danced. The room was filled with so much energy! I'm sure that was also partially inspired by the chocolate bars (with glucose energy!) that were being tossed and thrown to the most enthusiastic. The competition was fierce by the end, but eventually, my school won! I was so proud, even though I haven't officially joined their ranks yet. The girls representing my school were very young too. There were 2 Class IIX girls and 1 in Class IX (so 2 in 8th grade and 1 9th grader).

Adizah had read in the newspaper about a Street Food Festival taking place on Park Street, a relatively "happening" (or whatever the kids are saying these days) area. At this point, we hadn't experimented too much with street food, but we'd had futchka. We all reasoned that futchka was a big enough leap and decided to try and find it. We walked around for what felt like an hour, maybe more. I had chugged my water already a few hours earlier because I didn't like how heavy my bag was, and was starting to feel lightheaded. Two of us were losing hope (not admittedly at the time), but Adizah powered on and eventually led us to the right place.

We ordered every veg option

Much to our surprise, it wasn't a bunch of food stands--it was a lunch special at a restaurant in a hotel. We really didn't mind at this point since two of us weren't feeling so hot (although in a literal sense we were). We ordered all of the vegetarian options and to share. It took the waiter a while to understand that we wanted to order 5 dishes for 3 people, but eventually he got it. Everything was delicious! It was pretty spicy, but we enjoyed it. At the end of our meal, the waiter asked to take a picture with all of us. It was sweet, especially since he had been so helpful.

We tried to find a market that one of our Bangla teachers had told us about. After some unsuccessful wandering, we asked a young woman dressed in western clothing and a backpack for help, assuming she was a student who knew the area and spoke English. She told us that she didn't know of a market in the area, but suggested we take an auto conveniently located right next to us to another huge market. The auto(rickshaw) ride over there and wandering around the market was exactly how we wanted to explore Kolkata. We were able to experience so much of the city. The market was packed and full of lots of interesting items. People seemed more surprised than usual to see westerners. Most of the attention was pretty harmless, meaning mostly "HI!"'s and comments like that. There was one young boy, maybe middle school aged, we passed twice who was really excited about us. Normally I don't respond to people talking to me because a. it's usually not a good idea to respond and b. usually it's kind of creepy, but this boy was very genuine and seemed to have good intentions. He really wanted to shake my hand, so I obliged. I don't mind indulging attention like that sometimes, but usually only with children (or genuinely friendly people who are just curious about where you're from/why you're in Kolkata). Unfortunately, you also find some older men that come off as a bit creepy... they either touch you/follow you/say strange things to you. All of these happened to us this trip to the market, but as long as you're smart about it, it's not a huge problem.

Taking the metro home was a bit of a hassle, but it would be naive to expect anything less on a Saturday. I'm still full from the street food festival even though it was 7 hours ago. All in all, it was a really great day! I really love exploring Kolkata. There's so much to see, we've barely tapped into what it has to offer.

Chaos in Kolkata: (almost) everything you (may or may not have) wanted to know about the streets and transportation

Transportation and simply getting around in Kolkata really deserves a post of its own. I wish I had written more about this earlier in my experience because I adapted pretty quickly to these conditions (Rachel, another ETA, likes to joke it's because of my proximity to NYC back home). It's a completely different experience and adjustment for everyone. The most effective way to describe crossing the road would be to compare it to frogger, but with less rules. Autos, buses, taxis, cars, bikes, mopeds, etc. make up their own lanes and often break traffic laws. As long as you're aggressive and an opportunist, it's not too bad. If this sort of thing freaks you out, it will take some time to adjust, but not that long. For me, crossing the road was never too challenging. I suppose it's because when I'm looking at where I want to go, I want to get there in the most strategic and effective way possible. Whenever I have an opportunity to go, I go--speeding, honking, and aggressive cars, autos, and buses don't phase me. However, the beeping does make me angry. In India, a honk of the horn means a simple "hey, I'm here! Don't crash into me!" That makes it sound much more delicate of a situation than it actually is, but I enjoy that description. What often happens is that really horn-happy drivers will hold down their horns if you're crossing the street, and that drives me crazy. I have many "I clearly acknowledged your presence when I decided to cross the street, and unless you accelerate and aim for me, you will not hit me, so kindly stop beeping your horn, please." (note: the inner monologue is not usually that calm, especially when I'm on my morning commute).

Before arriving in India, we read and heard about how crowded the streets everywhere would be. It's true to an extent, but honestly it's really not that bad. I suppose it's possible that all of the warnings altered my expectations enough that it's not as shocking, but I really don't think it's a huge issue. The metro can be quite packed, but it quickly becomes a part of your commute that you deal with. I think it's probably different for everyone. I only mention this because one of my fears about coming here was feeling claustrophobic and being touched by so many people almost all of the time. You really don't end up in situations like that that often, and once you do a few times it becomes a part of the experience that you're used to.

I read a lot about the smells and sounds of Indian streets as well, and that holds true. You can always hear a cacophony horns blazing, usually even if you're inside. There are so many other sounds... for instance in my apartment, I can almost always hear construction, pots and pans clanging, sweeping (always sweeping...), pigeons making odd noises, etc. The air is thicker from pollution as well, but I don't notice that often. India has yet to perfect their sanitation infrastructure, leaving parts of the street covered in rotting garbage. You don't see many bottles because people collect them to refill and resell--make sure any water bottle you buy is sealed! If it's not, tell them and make them switch. There are a number of public bathrooms as well, and they rarely smell pleasant. 

As I briefly mentioned above, the metros and buses are often extremely crowded. I've only taken the buses a few times because I don't enjoy them, so all I can really say is that until you figure out what buses go where, it's quite a challenge. For more information and a humorous story, check out a post (and, if you haven't yet, *all* the posts) on my friend and cohort Adizah's blog. I am a personal fan of her bucket story and have listened to her rendition several times (many of those times by my request). Concerning the metro, the reason I don't like it as much is because it's so easy for people to gawk and leer at you. Also, it's often so crowded that you're literally squished up against people like sardines in a can. This is a bigger concern for women than it is for men, but fortunately there's a women's section. It doesn't exactly solve the problem, especially if the train is crowded anyway, but it helps. It's extremely cheap though... most rides are less than 10 cents when you convert it. When you can take it, it's convenient, but there's really only one line. Two technically, but the other line is further down south and I've never taken it before. Also, it stops running around 10pm (meaning all trains from 8pm on are *packed*) and doesn't open until 2pm on Sundays.

My favorite mode of transportation is the auto(rickshaw). It's cheap, fast, convenient, and frankly adorable. I mean come on, look at this little guy. What's not to love? The autos here run on fixed routes and rates, so as long as there's an auto running to where you want to go and you know how much it costs, you really wont run into a problem. It's rare for auto drivers to try and overcharge you, even if they can clearly see you're a westerner. If they do though, you can typically win the argument pretty quickly.

In the beginning of the program, we were really only allowed to take taxis. When we were with our facilitators (young people our age hired by Fulbright/USIEF to show us around in the beginning of the program), we never experienced problems with overcharging, not turning on the meter, or taking an indirect route. Taxis here have rate charts they need to follow, so as long as you have a copy of one and you make sure the taxi wallah turns on the meter, you wont be overcharged. It's hard to tell if they're not taking a direct route if you don't know the way, and even if you can tell, there's not much you can do in that situation. You could try to argue, but if you don't know the way, all you can do is make claims with no support. Taxis are a relatively expensive form of transportation here, so we don't take them unless we need to.

Another issue with taxis is at night, they often wont take you unless they can overcharge you. They'll either refuse to turn on the meter and demand a certain sum instead, which is always way too much (khub daami!--too expensive!). But, sometimes you really don't have a choice because late at night, they're the only option. Walking alone late at night is never a good idea for either gender, but especially women, as basically the whole world that follows international news to an extent knows. Sometimes they even wont take you because it's too close, too far, or they simply don't feel like it, which one of our Bangla teachers has complained about at least 3 times. "If a taxi wallah is on the road, he should have to take you, and by the meter--it's the law! No one is forcing him to drive his taxi at night..." 

All in all, getting around is very inexpensive and safe, so long as you're not taking cabs or walking, especially by yourself, very late at night. If any future travelers have questions, let me know!

I'm back!/Culture Shock

Apologies for the delay in posting once again. When I moved out of the hotel and into my apartment 3 weeks ago, I didn't realize I was losing more than air conditioning. Although we had all paid for internet access a while ago, most of us didn't actually have it until late last week due to some kind of security clearance issue. I was the last of the crowd to have an activated connection. Now that I have it, I am kind of missing life without it! I was far more productive. Despite all that, it is nice to have so I can check in with my family, look up local places I want to check out, try to stay updated on what's going on in the world, and, of course, blog.

More frustrating than not having internet access was not having a laptop at all. Once we moved in, I plugged in my dongle and installed the software that would supposedly allow me access to the interwebs. Not realizing it hasn't been activated yet, I decided to turn my laptop on and off and see if that helped. I forgot to eject the dongle and it corrupted my hard drive. I was angry at myself because it was such a simple mistake and I really didn't want to deal with going to the "apple store." A week later, I got my laptop back with all of my files backed up in a folder on my desktop. I'm lucky I didn't lose anything since I left my external hard drive at home (travel tip: bring it with you and have your laptop backed up already unless you have a new computer or something).

I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that not having my laptop contributed to my first night being so difficult. I wasn't sure if I wanted to write about this, but hopefully it helps someone somewhere (I'm looking at you, prospective ETAs!). I also don't want to romanticize my experience here (not everyone in Kolkata can be Tagore, after all). I want to provide you all with a more accurate depiction of what my life is really like here, capturing both the positive and negative aspects of my adventures.

***Note: the rest of this post is a relatively in depth account of the first time I experienced intense culture shock. It was hard to write with the knowledge that everyone who finds my blog can read it, but I think it could be useful to share. If you don't want to read it, you can jump down to the next two paragraphs or simply to the next post.***

The first night I spent in my apartment was by far my lowest moment in India. It took me hours to drift into some sort of sleep. Normally, I like to unwind and distract my very active mind before bed with a movie or TV show (I was a cinema major after all). At the very least, I like to listen to some calming music or a soundscape. Without my laptop, I couldn't use any of these things to help me. I had been so excited to finally leave the comforts of the hotel and begin my real adventures, but it was a much harder transition than I anticipated. I felt ashamed that I was having such a hard time with the heat, general dirty nature of the apartment, and not having any comforts of home with the exception of a small pillow I brought with me. I wondered why I had thought moving to India was a good idea. During orientation, several presenters on culture shock had mentioned that you *will* have lows and you *will* question your decision to come in the first place, but I was so excited about everything at the time that I didn't take the warnings seriously. I certainly didn't think it would happen so soon.

I started feeling like I was burning up, so I decided to jump in the shower. I think the deet from the bug spray I had used earlier reacted with the water on my skin, which left me with very localized burning sensations on my back and shoulders. I tried to sleep all of this off, but once I turned the lights off, I couldn't stop noticing the white noise from the fan. I just sat there listening to the whirring, still wondering why I had ever come to this place. The apartment was eerie, full of so many antiques and old trinkets that were all locked away. It didn't feel like home at all. The heartburn I had from a meal earlier in the day was suddenly intensified and I struggled to fight my body's instinct to throw up. I couldn't decide if I wanted to leave the light on or off, since one was too bright and the other was too dark. I felt terrified, which was soon replaced with feelings of shame and weakness. I missed my family, my friends, my room, my bed... I wanted to be anywhere but there. I felt so alone. Still, I knew this culture shock was all part of the process and that morning would come eventually. I knew that even though this felt anything but natural, it was.

I started to think instead about why I came here. As I mentioned in my first post, I have always wanted to travel. I love learning about new cultures and think it's a great way to challenge yourself and your thoughts/beliefs. No matter who you are or how much you've traveled, immersion in a new culture will always manage to surprise you. Opportunities like this Fulbright grant allow you to explore and learn more about yourself as well as another culture. As a "lost 20-something," this really intrigued me. Also, I am a huge believer in the power of education. Had I not taken this Fulbright, one of my options was to teach English in a high-need school in New York City. Before that, I had many opportunities to teach and tutor many different populations, all of which had a different set of specific needs. In all of these positions, I saw the difference an effective educator can make in someone's life. While the results are not always completely apparent or very measurable (which is understandable, as these things often take time), it's such an honor to witness a student grow and mature before your eyes, even if it's just one. In high school, I was one of these students. I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to help give my students here tools of knowledge and empowerment to hopefully improve their personal situations as well as to become agents of change in their communities. I'm teaching in an all girls' school, which is exciting because female empowerment is an issue of huge personal importance to me.

Thinking about this and writing down my thoughts in my journal a friend gave me for such occasions helped empower me to overcome my panic, anxiety, and culture shock. I'm glad that I had such an intense moment so early in my travels here because it has already helped make my experience more meaningful. It certainly inspired me to stop relying on technology as much, especially as a way to distract my mind from thoughts that seem unpleasant. While it was certainly a low, it provided me with a perspective that has really enhanced my experience here.

Humayun's Tomb and Qutub Mayar

 

The Beginning: My Taxi Ride in Delhi and The Oberoi

Note: I'm writing this about a week later.

Walking out of the airport onto the streets of Delhi was quite an experience. I was expecting to be assaulted with scents, sounds, and crowds of people. That was certainly true, but more than anything, I was overwhelmed with the services Fulbright arranged for us. I suppose it's because mostly everything is cheaper in India, but we were all greeted with many smiling faces, air conditioned cars, and, most important of all, cold water bottles and towels. All of this was in addition to the excitement I felt of landing in my first new country (besides Canada). Needless to say, it was a lot to handle.

The ride to our hotel was full of many surprises. I don't really know how to word this without it sounding silly, but I have quickly learned traveling and experiencing new cultures involves lots of opportunities to feel silly, so here goes: it was strange to see so much English surrounding me even though everything felt so foreign. As odd as it felt, there was something comforting about it. Driving however was absolutely intimidating, but I'll go more into detail on that later.

Some more things I was intrigued by: the amount of people peeing on the streets, how many men were comfortable holding each others' hands, and the intensity of people's stares. I later learned in a "Things That Will Surprise You" presentation how common the first two were. Concerning the third, we had talked about how sometimes people will stare or even leer at you for looking different. Still, I found it incredibly intimidating. It still is, but I've learned not to look back. If I'm walking in the streets, I'll look forward and past everyone. It helps a lot, but it's hard to block out what people say sometimes.

It was difficult to handle witnessing all the poverty around me as well. There's something about being a foreigner in a poorer country that makes it difficult to ignore beggars. It feels cruel, especially knowing that you come from a country that offers far more opportunities and that what might be a little to you is considered a lot to them. It's a really tough situation because often times, even if you give money to beggars, it doesn't actually go to them. This is especially true with children, who are frequently used to earn more sympathy money. Thinking about all of this often leaves me feeling guilty and frustrated.

Leaving the poverty behind the gates of our hotel and entering The Oberoi, one of the best hotels in Asia, was absolutely overwhelming. As we stepped out of the car, our bags were taken care of and we were greeted with floral leis, fresh juice, and friendly employees. They put a red dot on our heads that "represented peace and tranquility" and welcomed us into the air conditioned hotel. I could hardly believe what was happening. I had barely begun to process all I had witnessed.

My stay at the hotel was lovely, but I was torn between appreciating that and wanting to leave and explore India on my own. It felt more like an expensive vacation than the beginning of my Fulbright. My experience at The Oberoi Grand in Kolkata has been very similar, but we've been allowed to explore on our own more. Also, the hotel is right in the city, so it's easier for us to walk out and about.

Namaste!

That means "Welcome!" in Hindi. I've been meaning to write about my experiences in India since the day I arrived (June 25th... a little over a week ago), but better late than never!

My plane ride to India was quite an adventure in itself. I was on a nonstop 14.5 hour flight from JFK to New Delhi with at least 7 of the 15 other ETAs. None of us were assigned seats together, which I had mixed feelings about. Of course I would have liked to share the experience with someone, but I didn't mind having the time to myself to sleep and catch up on some of the many Bollywood movies available on the plane (thanks, Air India!). Either way, none of that ended up happening because the guy next to me started to talk to me before we took off, and continued talking to me for virtually the entire flight. 

One of the most memorable parts of the flight was experiencing "family style" dining. For our first meal, we were able to choose between a vegetarian or non-vegetarian meal, but they were all accompanied by a salad topped with a chili pepper. I told my plane friend that I normally couldn't handle really spicy food (I hiccup), but I wanted to test it out since I would be in India for 9 months. He insisted that I have some of the rice and vegetables (okra/ladies finger(?)/bindi... take your pick) with it. It seemed kind of strange to eat someone else's food on the plane, but eventually I complied. He asked to have some of my food, which was fair. After that, he would help himself to some of my meal every time it came around. I couldn't help remembering something one of the former ETAs from Nepal told us at our orientation in D.C. In Nepal, for instance, when you eat an orange on a bus, you're only really eating one slice because you have to share with everyone around you. I like to think of this experience on the plane as a transition to that kind of lifestyle!

Another funny event was when he suggested a movie to me. I started watching, but I was exhausted from all the shopping and packing leading up to the trip and started to fall asleep. Right as I was dozing off, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I tried to ignore it, but it became more persistant. Finally, I turned to my plane friend and responded with an exasperated what, to which he responded, "you can't sleep during the movie! I wont let you." I couldn't fall asleep after that, but I did watch a short Charlie Chaplin film. I was a bit frustrated at first, but it's a really amusing story now.

There were so many great moments with my seat buddy, but for brevity's sake, I wont go too in depth. But, he did invite me to an Indian wedding in Mumbai! The invitation was contingent on whether or not he could actually go himself, but my fingers are crossed. Attending an Indian wedding is on my to-do list. We ended the trip by taking selfies and, of course, one with our aviators on. It was very hard for me to take that picture without laughing.

Welcome to my Fulbright ETA Blog!

I thought I would take this time to welcome you all to my blog. I called it "indulging wanderlust" because I've been dying to see the world all my life, and now I'm finally able to begin my adventures!

My name is Christine, and, as you know, I am a Fulbright-Nehru 2013-2014 English Teaching Assistant in Kolkata, India. I've made this blog to reflect on my own experience as well as share them with you all. Please share your comments or any questions with me here, through e-mail, or any other way you have of contacting me. I'll do my best to respond quickly. Thank you all for reading!