Varanasi

There is so much to say.

This is our sixth of nine days in this holy city on the Ganges. In that time, all remaining healthy members of the group got their first taste of Indian sickness (Dylan and Trevor). No need to worry parents, everyone is healthy now and stronger for their struggles with unfamiliar looking bowel movements. Please excuse the crudity. Meanwhile, we have all taken part in a variety of internships, some alone, some together. I won't attempt to be poetic in telling you the names of all the internships, they are as follows: jewelry making, stone carving, tabla drumming, sitar, classical Indian singing, Bollywood dance, fire dance, Indian cooking, and Hindi language (required for everyone).

I have taken jewelry making, tabla drumming, Hindi, and Indian cooking. Some are better than others. Jewelry making has been quite fulfilling. In just less than one week Nelle and I have actively (with much help) made a block of pure silver turn into two sterling silver ring. The instructor is a jovial third generation jewelry maker that has little pearls of wisdom to share with us while we pound away at the metal objects.

In addition to the internships, we’ve been doing various group activities over the past several days. We’ve heard two lectures now, one from an Indian philosophy professor and another from the head of Guria, an organization working against prostitution and human trafficking. Yesterday, we broke out of our usual neighborhood and took a tour of the larger Varanasi area, stopping to explore two Hindu temples and the BHU historical art museum, which featured stone carvings and paintings from a variety of ages and styles. We then stopped by a theater to see a wonderfully sappy Bollywood romance. Overall, it’s been a highly fulfilling stay in Varanasi, and we’re looking forward to our last few days in this city.