chilling in chamba (aimee)

This weekend 19 of my classmates and I made our way to the mountains of Himachal Pradesh for our socioeconomics class. We left Delhi by train on Thursday night and didn’t stop traveling until mid-morning Friday. The first five hours of our journey was spent on a sleeper train (they’re really not as bad as I first thought), and the next seven hours were spent on the worst bus ever created. Literally, the worst. Imagine the smelliest bus you’ve ever been on...then imagine it with no air conditioning, only small windows to allow for some “fresh” air to come in. The chairs were so high off the ground most people (guys included) couldn’t comfortably rest their feet on the ground, resulting in some of the worst back pain I’ve ever experienced. Not only were the leather seats narrow and high off the ground, they were slanted downwards -- meaning I was constantly slipping off the edge, onto the sticky bus floor. (The bus picked us up at 3:30 am, so obviously all of us were grumpy, tired, and hopeful that the bus ride would give us time for some much needed shut eye. We were very wrong.) So, not only were the seats were extremely uncomfortable, the road to Chamba was the bumpiest and windiest I’ve ever encountered. Jordan and I hoped we could snuggle and sleep, but instead we spent the better part of three hours literally clinging to each other for dear life. Every bump and twist of the road would send one of us flying off the seat, heads bouncing and arms flailing. Under no circumstances would our driver have ever passed a driver’s test in America - he drove faster on the one-way, cliffside roads than anyone I’ve ever seen. On top of everything, the bus let out cries of metal and rubber the entire trip - sounds that seemed to indicate a serious mechanical problem. At one point I got so frustrated that I tried sleeping on the ground - thrown to the ground would be a good description of how I got down there, actually. Once on the ground, I was tossed back and forth with the forces of gravity working directly against me - my left foot began to cramp and I looked up at Jordan defeated. She was laughing at me. Tears were quickly pouring into my eyes as I attempted to convince her that this was definitely not funny. But it was. This is a perfect example of what India has taught me: let go. Stop trying to fight things you can’t change. Have patience, laugh it off, things will be alright. Anger and frustration are self-injuring emotions, ones that I have no place for in my life anymore. So I laughed along with her. Yes, the bus ride sucked. Yes, I was really uncomfortable. And yes, I was sleep deprived - but it wasn’t the end of the world. The views were gorgeous, and I got time to listen to my iPod and hang out with my friends. 

Me and Hannah 

Once in Chamba, we visited Protha’s middle school and their local anganwadi (a sort of pre-school center with services for teenage girls, pregnant women, and anyone else seeking information about sexual health, etc). 

Shyanne, Me, Niki, and Jordan with some local middle-schoolers

On Saturday, we visited another village in the mountains, Jadera. We got to talk with some locals about food security, the Right to Education act, and the controversial NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act). We finished off our day by going all the way down the mountain to visit the “city” of Chamba to shop, eat, and relax. 

Our homestay: Shyanne, Jessie, Me, Jordan, Megan, and Niki 

On our last day, we visited a local oracle who is believed to be possessed by the Hindu goddess, Kali. We thought we were just going to visit with her and ask her some questions, but instead we got to see her full transformation from impoverished villager to the outspoken, wise, and sometimes terrifying devotee of Kali. She began by praying and lighting incense. She took off her everyday head shall, and changed into one much more “divine” in origin (red with gold outlining it). She chanted, sang, and told stories about the goddess; unfortunately, all of it was in Punjabi, so we had to settle for the translated version. She assured us that no one in our group was evil and that we will be successful in our search for jobs. She also warned us that we should pray to Kali three times before leaving so our bus wouldn’t fall off a cliff. Thankfully that prediction didn’t come true. 

Jordan, Me, Megan, and Shyanne

We traveled all day Sunday and finally made it back to Delhi this morning around 5am. 

So glad to be home!