Hello Jaipur

Shri Niwas Guest House, Jaipur

I'm sitting alone in my 3 person room after an absolutely lovely day. I still haven't seen a mosquito but today I was able to add peacocks and pigs to the growing list of wild animals I've seen in India.

We were literally dropped off in different parts of Jaipur today after another orientation lecture on gender and safety. My group was 2 boys and 2 other girls and our driver left us directly across from the colossal pink Raj Mandir Cinema.It was my first experience walking the chaotic streets of India without any adults! We'd been given a scavenger hunt. Some of the tasks included finding a tailor and asking the price of a woman's salwar kameez (the long shirt/pant combo worn by many Indian women), finding a cyber cafe and asking about internet rates, and finding 2 international banks that accept our debit cards, etc.

It was incredibly overwhelming at first, as we had to be careful at all times not to 1) get run over by an autorickshaw, motorcycle, or car 2) dodge the cows and dogs scavenging for food 3) gently refuse the child beggers' requests for money (I even saw several 2-3 year olds begging) 4) not fall off the sidewalk because it is often decayed, jaggedly cut up, or hiding huge holes and 5)avoid the constant stares of many men. A few pulled up their bicycles to stop and blatantly stare at us. Or, if they're teenage boys, they'll animatedly talk about you in Hindi while pointing enthusiastically. We are learning to avoid eye contact, wave, smile, or begin a conversation with all unknown men, because to do so is culturally inappropriate on the street and can suggest sexual intentions. This is especially important because according to our program directors, there are still stereotypes of Western women being very easy for sex. There's a ton of Western media in India, and we've seen several tourists dressing completely inappropriately for India. We very rarely see any tourists though, which we love.

But don't get the wrong impression- India is a gorgeous and very welcoming country and we are learning more about the culture(s) every day.