DC to Delhi

I wanted to write a final post about DC but wasn't able to, so hopefully I'll be able to get some photos up soon. A brief synopsis: We (IHP group) stayed in the basement of a church called The Pilgrimage, in Dupont Circle bordering Georgetown-- it was like a hostel with bunkbeds and a kitchen/lounge. Class lectures and discussions were held in a room upstairs in the church, and there were lots of site visits, including the Institue for Policy Studies, World Bank, IFPRI (International Food Policy Research Institute), and Conservation International, involving power point presentations and lots of questions. I got to explore DC quite a bit and really like Dupont Circle and the neighboring Adams Morgan neighborhood. One night I went out for Peruvian food in Adams Morgan with Jessie, Audrey, Kayla, Emma, and Majandra (who's from Peru and said it was really authentic) and had vegan cebiche. The next day we went to a really big craft fair called Crafty Bastards with a lot of silkscreened shirts and poster, handmade clothes, and buttons galore. Later in the week about 6 of us walked through the major monument area and all the way to Earth Care Corps in Anacostia and then took the metro to the Anacostia community history museum, then up to Columbia Heights, and walked back to the Pilgrimage. My first impressions of DC were based on K street (financial/NGO district) and thought it was all so business-y, but it after seeing different neighborhoods it has a lot more character than I expected.

A 14.5-hour flight of endless sunsets took the group from Chicago to Delhi, and the flight was really pleasant as transportation goes. The only downside was that sitting for so long made my feet swell up (which was a shock when I finally laid down in the hotel and noticed), but the UPSIDE was that there was almost no turbulence, good Indian food (vegetarian!), and a beautiful view of the night sky (even the northern lights at one point, on the other side of the plane).
We were greeted at the Delhi airport by the IHP India country coordinator Savysaatchi, and two professors- George and Aseem. Upon arrival we were given roses, water, chocolates, and when we go to the hotel/hostel had a welcome with incense, marigold garlands, and red for our foreheads (called Aarti I think ?)

  Yesterday was a super long day and I'm running out of time at this internet cafe so here we go:
-A brief introduction/info session from the IHP india team (including tea & samosa snack time on the roof)
- A walk around our block, went into a beautiful temple
- Walked to Khan Market, went in Fab India and was overwhelmed by amazing fabric
-Ate a crazy delicious lunch in the hostel cafeteria
-Took the metro (clean, cool tokens for admissions, but most crowded train I have ever seen.. quickly learned that the first car is Ladies Only) to Panar Ganj and walked around a hippy market (Audrey fox: think the santee alley of delhi), then to Connaught place which is an upscale rotunda and at the city center
-Back to the hotel by autorickshaw, which is a GREAT mode of transportation and super inexpensive
-Had a candle-lighting official welcome ceremony to burn the negative things and illuminate positivity as we move into the India program, then a great dinner, and bed

Rad.

As in radical, which is definitely what IHP RG is. In a good way! A weeklong retreat in West Virginia was a whirlwind: 20+ new friends who are essentially family, intense "community building" discussions and orientation, and some crazy alternative education. 

We're learning all sorts of things, all at once. In brief: education is indoctrination (see "Schooling the World" documentary), capitalism creates poverty, sustainability is a useless term, and the economy is a belief. This might not make sense to you, and it doesn't really make sense to me (yet?) but that's the point-- question, question, question.

We realized that as students we hadn't been fully sure of what we'd signed up for.. IHP says it will be like this: 

1/3 of the time on the trip is in academic classes (but not really in classrooms)

1/3 is "active learning" i.e. doing stuff, on site

1/3 is "autonomous study," exploring any theme/idea we want, comparatively in each country, and sharing our findings with the group

So far it feels inspiring and awesome and exactly the right place to be. This morning we arrived in DC and have all rushed off on errands and have invaded the public library near where we're staying. This week will be spent visiting different environmental and political NGOs, the World Bank, and hopefully some museums (Textiles Museum!) and generally lapping up the luxury of American life before flying to India on October 7th-8th.

p.s. That previous post about packing? LIES, all lies. I have tooo much stuff, Mom & dad expect a package.... 

Packing

How and what do you pack for a 9 month, 1-backpack trip? I stayed pretty close to the minimum amount of stuff on my packing list, and actually wasn't stressed by what I packed but rather all the stuff I didn't pack. Why the hell do I have so much Stuff? What the hell is all that Stuff, if everything I need is in a backpack in the hallway?? I stayed up till 5 am cleaning my room and still had no answer to those questions. Except that I'm awful at getting rid of things (namely fabrics, also dried tea bags and uh, a warped bike wheel).
Anyway, 2 hours of sleep and 7 hours of family roadtrip later (first time through Delaware where, to my mom's surprise, the leaves are "already changing color", and Baltimore via a really big tunnel, kind of claustrophobic)
AND we arrived in northern Virginia to stay with family for a few days.
Off to DC tomorrow for IHP orientation and real goodbyes

salutations, explanations

Hi & Hello from somewhere superlative, a way for me to reach out and keep in touch while I'm somewhere (everywhere) this year.
WHY? I've chosen to study away from Brown for my junior year through the IHP "Rethinking Globalization" program
WHERE? Washington D.C., India, Tanzania, New Zealand, Mexico
WHEN? Today. Sort of. Officially, 9/19/10-5/13/11

Details, details:
I've packed everything into one bag!
That bag does not include a laptop or cell!
SO
Please write to me! I will write to you, on here, in letters, in e-mail. Let's exchange information:
e-mail: Jessica_Daniels@brown.edu
skype: jessbdaniels
Address:

From 9/19-10/7: Washington, D.C.
Jessica Daniels
c/o IHP
The Pilgrimage
2201 P Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037

10/8- 12/5: India
Jessica Daniels
c/o IHP
Intercultural Resources
33-D, DDA, SFS Flats
Vijay Mandal Enclave
New Delhi 110016
INDIA

12/5/10-1/23/11: Tanzania
Jessica Daniels
IHP c/o Fatma Alloo
P.O. Box 4224
Zanzibar, TANZANIA


1/25-3/11: New Zealand
Jessica Daniels
c/o Peter Horsley
IHP Wellington
PO Box 7252
Newtown
Wellington, NZ

3/11-5/13: Mexico
Jessica Daniels
IHP c/o Gustavo Esteva
CEDI
Azucenas 610-A
Col. Reforma
Oaxaca City, Oaxaca 68050 MEXICO


abrazos y besos,
jess