Whirlwind Week, Pt 2

Snakes and ladders to teach good governance. Snakes include alcoholism and caste discrimination.

     This week is speeding by, with a rickshaw strike and an impending Hindi midterm, but before things get left too long, here is the rest of the pictures from my travels last week. Picking back up in Uttarkhand, we were staying at the RLEK guest house, so we met with the organization to hear more about increasing literacy in rural India. Their sister organization that focuses on increasing women's representation in local government, called panchayats, gave a really interesting look into how they teach good governance to women even when they are illiterate. Pictures, comics, and games were key!

A part of a banner the group uses to help identify what tasks women usually complete in the day.

      Moving on!
      Having fully immersed ourselves in responsible agriculture, rural education, and gender equality, we went for some lighter fun at one of the most holy landmarks in India - the Ganges. Rishikesh is also considered the yoga capital of the world, so yes, it is a weird and fascinating place.

One of the monkeys hanging out on Laxman Jhula Bridge

Me, Nadine and Kate with our feet in Mother Ganga

When my host sister saw this photo, she laughed and said "Fat fat aunties!"

Rishikesh! Colorful!

A stylish Indian looks on at the Ganges

Some women drink Ganges water poured off the foot of a priestess.

Aarti at the Ganges

Dinner at the Pyramid Cafe - reflections of our lanterns with the lights of Rishikesh in the distance

     I am trying to enjoy Jaipur this week and really sink my teeth into the city, as time seems to racing by incredibly fast. My first month sped by incredibly fast.
     Although it feels like I am still so new here, I had a small accomplishment today, when I caught a rickshaw home to take a nap: I spoke only Hindi with my rickshaw driver! There were lots of repetitions, and I am sure that I did not answer all of his questions remotely correctly, but when I got out and asked for change, my driver went to 3 different men to ask for change without making a big deal of it, and normally asking for any sort of change back is a huge ordeal ... so yeah, it paid off big time. 

Adventure is out there!