Game of the Blog

Here in India it is totally OK to stare. Ya it is a little weird at first, but you get used to it. The staring is increased significantly if you are white. Just yesterday McArthur and I were in the market area and an older lady walked in front of us and just stared and she kept staring and she kept staring and I would say she stared for at least a minute and it wasn't awkward for her, but it sure was for me. There were also a couple of guys probably my age who walked past and they stared at me and I decided I would stare back at them. And they didn't turn away for awhile, but just kept staring and I stared back. Then they turned, walked a little more and turned to stare again, but I was already staring at them and so they smiled and kept walking. Then they turned to stare again, but I was already staring at them, so they smiled and went on their way.

The game I am proposing that all of us play is to not stare at others, yet I have a better idea and invite you to play with me and invite others to play with you and report back on your success. 

I have decided that whenever someone is staring at me and they are close I will give them a fist bump. I talked to a couple of teenagers yesterday about fist bumps and they said they either shake hands or hug their friends, but never a fist bump. So I taught them the bump and encouraged them to teach their friends. I will see how many fist bumps I can get while here in India, but the bumps must be from people I don't know.

The same challenge applies to you. The game is to see how many fist bumps you can get from people you don't know.

This was a super cool 10 year old kid I met in the market yesterday and he agreed to share the fist bump with his friends. 

Good luck to all of you as you share your fist bumps with random strangers!

My New Home

When Kennedy created a blog of the first grandchild I realized I would have big shoes to fill when writing this blog! Well I have tried hard these last few days to take good pictures and many of them so that you can get a feel for what India is like and what my life in India will be like. This first picture is my new home while living in India. No it is not a typical Indian Home. It is surrounded by beautiful gardens of both vegetable and flower gardens. There are cows and geese and dogs. There is a swimming pool in the back yard. There are also a few servants. There are a couple that cook and some that clean. There is a guard at the gate and a couple of people who take care of the grounds. I never make my bed because it is done for me. I do not do my laundry or my dishes or cook or clean. Yes for all you wives out there this is a perfect place. Until.....

you see this. This is a picture of a street in Lucknow. It is a typical street that is narrow and small shops that line both sides of the road. The fact that there are not too many people in this picture is a miracle. India is full of people and although I am living in a rural area, there still seems to be way too many people. A few motorcycles can be seen in this photo. There are motorcycles everywhere in India. I rode on the back of a motorcycle with Ved (My Boss). I had no helmet on and had a short sleeve shirt. If we wrecked I was done for. Don;t worry Mom, Ved is a good driver! I drove my first motorcycle/scooter on Sunday by myself and for part of the ride I even gave McArthur a ride. It was strange to drive on the left side of the rode, but I did not get hit and I did not hit anyone. 

Saturday evening after work we went to the farm. The farm is my major project while here in India. On the way back from the farm we stopped to have a dessert called Paan. Here in India every time I take a bite of food it is like a party in my mouth with flavor. However, paan is packed with flavor. I have never tasted anything with such a wide mix of powerful flavors and I now have a quest to find something that trumps the flavors of paan. 

This picture is with Ved and McArthur who I am living with and two little Indian girls who decided they wanted to be part of the picture too. We attended a wedding anniversary celebration which was fun. I am dressed in traditional clothing along with Ved and McArthur. The other picture shows the woman whose anniversary was being celebrated. The blingy type of outfit she has on is very common for everyday dress standards. 

And So It Begins

I am not a Hobbit nerd. In fact I have not even read the books. However, I could not think of a better blog title than There and Back Again.

Up until this point in my life, traveling has been done in small trips except for a family vacation one year to Guatemala. But now I begin an epic journey far from home in a strange land called INDIA!

For some strange reason, of all places to go, I have wanted to go to India for a long time. This is a dual trip that will be for 8 weeks. The main reason for going is to fulfill a university requirement for my major in which I need to do an international experience. Part of my trip will deal with a style of farming called biodynamic farming. My research on this style of farming is fresh, but my goal is to learn as much as I can while in India, and when I come back home continue my research and hopefully get it published. However, that is a long run goal, but I am sure I will write a lot about the farming style while I am in India.

The other part of my trip will be fun. I want to see as much of India as possible and experience as much diversity as I can. I have not decided the outline for the blog; whether to make it a story or a timeline or just a list of epic or funny experiences that have happened to me or maybe a mixture of them all.

My hopes are that this blog of my journey includes more than just one journey, but includes many journeys.