Submitted by Madeline Greenly on the 2024 Winter ENGL program in India…
Leaving Darjeeling was a little heartbreaking to be completely honest. Out of all the places that I
have traveled to in India so far, it’s been the top one. I will certainly come back one day, If not for the momos, but to complete another hike in the Himalayas. Physically leaving Darjeeling was a whirlwind. I will say, with absolute certainty, I have never gotten car sick in my entire life. For whatever reason the journey out of Darjeeling made me very close to losing my breakfast. Our tour guide Karma said that it was the decreasing altitude and neck breaking turns we were making on the way down the mountains. Luckily once we reached the airport in Bagdogra, I felt much better. Here our group said goodbye to Karma, and made our way to our gate. Unfortunately for us, our flight was delayed. We took the time to sit in a big circle in little plastic chairs facing each other. It was peaceful at first but this vision was destroyed when we heard the most teeth rattling, ear shattering GONG that echoed around the entire airport. Apparently, to get the attention of the people, this was the sound chosen to play before and after every announcement in this airport. Which is tiny. It was annoying, and made me irritated since I was trying to read. After the first hour, I didn’t get used to it. After the second hour, I still was not used to it. Finally we were on the plane and the short journey to Guwahati, Assam commenced. For the next few days, we would be staying with a host family in Guwahati, while we completed service learning at the nearby school, Parijat Academy. Me and my friend Dimple got paired up for one of the host families. Our host moms name is Madhumita and she is a lovely woman who makes the most delicious meals for us every morning and every night. She also used to participate in a women’s car rally in the city, which is just so cool. One of the very first days there we visited the temple dedicated to the goddess Kamakhya. It was built around where her pelvic area fell, while Lord Shiva was carrying her dead body. This is one of the countless places around India where one of her body parts fell, and was incredibly informative to visit. The whole
story of her was sad to read about, but to see how people honor and worship her to this day is
very interesting. One of the nights here we had to perform a dance at South Point Academy, the
school run by one of the other host families. It was terrifying. The 7 of us only had around an
hour to practice and then perform in front of the school and staff. The song’s name was Ghoomar,
and honestly, it’s a bop. It’s a Rajasthani folk dance, Ghoomar, which means “spinning around.”
After the performance which we luckily did pretty well on, about a billion people came up to us
wanting to take our pictures. It got pretty overwhelming because most people did so without
permission, and some got angry when we refused. A few of the young girls that came up and
asked were very sweet about it, so I had no problem with taking pictures with them. This has
been the most prevalent culture shock for me so far, the picture taking. Everywhere we go,
someone is always wishing to take our picture. It has been this way since our first week in India.
It makes me feel sympathy for celebrities, as I am getting irritated at it easily. I know most are
not ill intentioned, but nonetheless it can become quite awkward very quickly. After the dance,
some of the girls in our group lit this HUGE bonfire that towered at least two stories into the air.
We danced around it and drank tea.
We left Guwahati a few days later. We would be staying for two days at the Diphlu river lodge,
located in the national park Kaziranga. These two days might be my new favorite days of the
trip. The weather was warm, and felt like honey on my skin. The showers at the lodge were
incredible, and it was nice to not have to use a bucket bath for a little while. The best part, of
course, was the animals. We saw about 100 rhinos while we were there, and maybe a couple
thousand deer and birds. We rode around the park in open air jeeps for hours, scanning with
binoculars at all the wildlife and fauna. We got chased by a rhino too. I have a hilarious video of
it trotting towards our jeep, while our driver speeds away. The second day we woke at 4:30am,
yes, AM, to ride elephants though the morning fog. That experience honestly felt so unreal. Each
day was relaxing, and carefree. I grew so much closer to everyone during the stay. The warm
weather, great food, and exciting animal encounters recharged all the energy I had lost in the
mountains. I really didn’t want to leave, but the show must go on. After the second day we made
our way back to Guwahati and our homestays to complete the service learning. Tomorrow, we
will get to meet with the students and begin our projects! (Submitted on January 16, 2024)