Things to Learn

I've started making a list of things I want to learn/skills I want to acquire.
Let me share a few.

Sewing.
Not just a bit of stitching so I can fix clothes that start to fall apart, but I want to learn how to make my own clothing.

Knitting/Crocheting.
I already know to do some knitting, but I want to learn more techniques and once again, be able to make my own sweaters, hats, blankets, etc.

The Process of Making Yarn.
From start to finish...Raising the sheep to dying the wool to spinning the yarn.

The Ability to Identify Useful Plants in the Wild.
Do I really need to explain much more? How cool would it be to be able to identify the edible and inedible. The plants you can use to make your own teas, plants for dying, plants for...well just knowing what they are.

Fluency in a second (and hopefully a third) Language.
Traveling in India with Satpreet, who can speak Punjabi and Hindi, has only solidified this desire so much more. I will become fluent in another language be it Spanish, Arabic, French, or another.

Gardening/Farming.
I want to continue learning more about the soil we walk on and how to grow food and beautiful plants in it.

Identifying Animal Tracks/Waste.
Hmmm. May seem like something an eight year old boy would be obsessed with. Well, when I was six I wanted to be an eight year old boy...so it makes sense right?

Photography.
It'd be nice to learn how to capture (without photoshop) the beauty of the world through a lens.


Ok, that's it for now, but there is soooo much more. Most of which I can't remember at the moment.

Back in Amritsar

Back in Amritsar and it feels like home.


For those who are disappointed with my lack of blog posts, here is the link to Satpreet's blog.
Her entries have been scarce as well, but at least it will fill the picture in a little bit more.

Satpreet's Blog

Kashmir

Never in my life have I been so aware of being a female. Never in my life have I resented this simple fact so much. It is truly a man's world, and anyone who tries to deny it is blind.

Palampur

My digestive system dislikes India more than any other country I have visited.
This is unfortunate because I love Indian food.

Pregnant is how I look and pregnant is how I feel.

No amount of Papaya or medications help.

Maybe I'm doomed to remain this way forever...but if ever it passes I promise to never take a fully functioning digestive system for granted again. I promise.

Mcleod Ganj

Mountains.
Fresh, clean air.
Greenery without the layer of dust that is found everywhere else.
Travelers from all over the world.
A fusion of cultures.

This is Mcleod Ganj.



But after only a few days of being here, we are disillusioned and ready to move on because it is full of travelers who remind us what tourism and "traveling" really is: Consumerism.

We are consuming culture. We are consuming experiences and places and interactions as if (as Satpreet would say) "they are one more token" to add to the pile and brag about.

But how to make it more meaningful?

So maybe one last day to visit the Buddhist temples and learn more about the Tibet/China issue and then we move on.

Amritsar

Most of the past week has been full of time with Satpreet's grandparents and more relatives than I can possibly keep track of.

"Remember when I explained (insert the name of a relative) to you the other day?"
"She's the one..." "He's the one who..."
"Don't you remember?"

No, I can't keep track of all the faces, the names, the stories.

But it's been fun to see a different side of a dear friend's life. The side that most have not and will not get to see.

And had I come to India on my own, I never would have gotten to experience so intimately the culture and people.


Today we finally get our Indian clothing that we have been waiting for.
Tonight we go to the border of Pakistan and India.
And tomorrow we get on a crowded bus and head to the mountains- to Mcleod Ganj.

Amritsar

We have spent nearly a week in Amritsar and will be leaving tomorrow. No we did not plan on staying so long, but who could so easily leave such a wonderful grandmother as Naniji?

Naniji is all things sweet and loving. How beautiful it has been to see the exchange of affection between grandmother and granddaughter, and to even be welcomed into the exchange.

It has been so long since I have spent time with a grandmother.
Not since I was nine years old.

So thank  you Naniji for sharing your love with me.

Chandigarh

(Written on Saturday)

So after over 18 hours of flight and a layover in Switzerland, Satpreet and I made it to Delhi.

Some of you know of my fear of flying that has become more extreme the past few years...Thankfully these flights were amazingly smooth and (almost) anxiety free for me. 

Anyway, we made it to Delhi sometime after midnight Thursday morning and were picked up by Satpreet's future brother-in-law (whom I must add she nor none of her family-including her sister-had ever met in person before). We drove through the night to Chandigarh, the city Harpreet (future brother-in-law) is from, and what an interesting five hour drive it was... Even though I had heard stories of how crazy the driving is in India, I still wasn't prepared for adrenaline rush it provides. Never in my life have I experienced such insanity on the road. 

The past two days have consisted of eating massive amounts of food. Imagine the feeling you get after eating an entire Chipotle burrito in one sitting...that is the feeling we've had all day every day so far because we have been fed so much by Harpreet's family. And of course we must eat no matter how full we are, because in almost every culture it is rude to refuse.

Beside eating until nauseous, we have been able to explore a bit of Chandigarh and surrounding areas.  Harpreet took us to Gurudwara Jyoti Sarup Sahib. Gurudwaras are to Sikhs like a church is to Christians or a mosque to Muslims. This Gurudwara is special though in the sense that the 10th Sikh Guru's sons were martyred here.the younger (ages 7 and 9) sons of Guru Gobind Singh were bricked (burned alive in a small brick hut) here.

We also went to another Gurdwara that is tied to the 10th Guru and his sons, but the name is escaping me at the moment. It's been interesting to experience visits to Gurdwara's and notice the similarities and differences with the "house of God" of other faiths.

But that is all for now...