Ahmedabad Up-Close and Overwhelming

Friday July 2, 2010:

We had some time free first thing in the morning, so I began the day by talking with family on Skype. I love that it's free internationally!!!For some reason we couldn't get the web-cameras to function properly so it was audio only, but that's okay. After that I went to breakfast in the MICA dining hall, then we had an library orientation at 9:15am. The man that spoke re: the MICA libraries is the head of the MICA Knowledge Exchange and Information Center (KEIC). He spoke for 45 minutes and began with a talk about the importance of wisdom. He defined that as applying insight, skills, values, worldview, etc. to the data, knowledge, and information we glean from others. He had about 70+ PowerPoint slides prepared but only went through a handful. You could tell he definitely has a passion for what he does. I appreciated him because he could've just come in and said "this is how you check out a resource" and "this is our online library" but he instead took it from a different angle and really demonstrated the importance of using what is available to us while we are here.

We had a little time free again until about noon, and then took the shuttle vans into the city of Ahmedabad once again. We started at Crosswords bookstore (very much like Barnes & Noble in the U.S.), then some of the group wanted to purchase fireworks for us to use to celebrate the 4th of July. After buying fireworks, we went to lunch at Main Land China in one of the local malls. It was a high-end Chinese restaurant. The food was fantastic (spiced a little differently at times than similar dishes in America, but pretty true to our expectations of Chinese food). The wait staff completely messed up the orders and ended up serving everything family style, but that was fine.

After lunch we met a tour guide who took us across the river and into the Old City of Ahmedabad for a Heritage Walk. We rented little "rickshaw" cars and sat three per car on the way to the oldest Hindu temple in Ahmedabad (built circa 1820). We had to remove our shoes and wear shawls/scarves to enter, and there was a separate area for the women (in back) and men (in front). It was a beautiful building with all sorts of carvings and gilt work, but as a Christian it felt odd to be standing in what is considered to be a holy place for another religion. I debated whether or not to even take photos, but in the end only took a few of the inside. We then entered the courtyard area and the women were allowed to visit the nunnery area.

After that, we were led by our tour guide on a walking tour for about an hour and a half. We walked some of the oldest and most crowded streets of Ahmedabad. I've been to a few foreign places before, but this was different than any other singular experience I've had previously. The area reminded me at times of the poverty in portions of Mexico, Jamaica, and the Czech Republic that I've visited but yet it wasn't the same. Houses were built hundreds of years ago in small neighborhoods or communities called "Pols"; centered around common occupations and/or common worship of a particular Hindu god. Road-side food stands were on many corners, and animals, people, and various forms of transportation were crowded all throughout the narrow streets. Dogs and cows roamed the streets, and even sat in doorways and courtyards. Young children followed us and begged. In many places, the residential areas were interspersed with business sections called "Ols" where goods such as electronics, books, and clothing was being sold. The tour guide was obviously interested in architecture because he pointed out a lot about the building carvings and decorations we saw. The experience was hot, loud, busy, emotional, and overwhelming for some. We ended our tour at a Muslim mosque. We were allowed to enter the courtyard (although it was evening prayer time) as long as we were wearing head coverings and clothes past our knees. I entered for just a moment, but again it felt odd to be inside, particularly while men prayed and worshiped.

On the steps of the mosque, we saw a woman with her daughter and her paralyzed son begging for alms. She had the boy on her lap and was trying to keep him cool and feed him from a cup while they waited for pasersby to drop money on a little mat. He appeared to have cerebral palsy or something similar. It was such a sad scene, with all the poverty before us. I thought I grew up in a pretty poor, rough area but it hardly compares to what we saw today. I know that as a group we aren't supposed to give to those that beg on the streets, but I gave her my rupee coins anyway as we left. Hearing the guide talk on and on about the history, culture, and architecture of the city while seeing the poverty and hearing the traffic and crowds was like a clash of my senses. It moved me to be there and prompted me to think that I can only be thankful for what I have, give what I can, and pray for the people of India. There is so much need, and so much potential here.

We ended our evening with a traditional Gujarati Thali meal at Agashaye in the House of MG (Mangaldas Girdhardas). It was a beautiful former residence that has been restored and is now used as a hotel and restaurant. We had dinner on the rooftop terrace. It was a unique experience that I loved.
We returned to the MICA campus around 9:30pm and had the first monsoon of the season! Some of the rooms (even upstairs) flooded from the patio doors, but our room was okay. I went to bed around 10pm as the MICA students sang, shouted, and danced outside in the rain.

To see more photos of Day Two, connect with me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/alexandra.watson. You can also find me on Twitter as "abcwatson".