Week 2: Season of the Monsoons
I love the rain, but this kind of rain was a whole new kind of chaotic.
I was incredibly excited to go out to the field on Wednesday to explore a village and get to know the women who were a part of the project I was currently assessing, but the weather had other plans. And so did my health.
I came down with a mild but still uncomfortable case of the flu at the beginning of the week.
It wasn’t anything too serious, but I decided to take a couple of days off from work to rest and hydrate.
Although the majority of this week was dreary and rainy, the weekend was full of adventure.
On Saturday, my fellow interns and I, alongside our trusty driver and cook, Arjun भाई and Ram भाई (भाई, or Bhai, means brother), set out for Agra at 6:30 am.
We were all incredibly sleepy, but it was worth it to watch the sunrise through the dusty haze over the emerald green fields.
Something I am very fond of doing is watching the landscape while on the highway. For a second, I missed Iowa. The more that I travel, the more I realize just how picturesque it can be (besides the drive in January). Iowa is very pretty, sure, but it was honestly quite boring. The portrait painted on the window in front of me was full of things happening. Workers on the back of an auto going about their daily commute, cows enjoying a snack on the side of the road, rows and rows of flowers on the median…
There was so much to see!
And then we got to the very crowded streets of Agra.
It was the perfect image to play “Where's Waldo?”. There were so many people doing so many different things, carrying bags of wheat on their heads, doing daily chores, selling, buying, eating, kids playing, it was the complete opposite depiction of Iowa, where all you would see is maybe an old man mowing his lawn while a goat eats his pants.
I was so beyond excited to see the Taj Mahal. The oldest structure in Iowa, the Louis Arriandeaux Log House, was built in 1827.
The Taj Mahal was built in 1653, and some of the temples in Agra were built in the 10th century!
Although it was terribly hot, and my kurti was soaked, the gardens and fountains outside the Taj were ethereal. Seeing every immaculate detail of the architecture gave me a deep appreciation for the handiwork of artists long ago.
Stepping inside the Taj Mahal was equally wondrous, but the heat slowly got to us. As we made our way back to the shuttle, we decided to take a detour through some markets selling souvenirs and trinkets.
I am terrible at bargaining. The best I did was get a small marble box for 750 instead of 850. However, the other two interns from New York were incredible at it. I’m far too midwestern to strike a good deal; the “Iowa nice” allegations will always be true, I fear.
I was incredibly impressed by the intelligence of the kiddos who sold magnets on the streets. Some of them could speak three or more languages, just from what they had heard from foreigners over the years. I hope they get a chance to stay in school; they had the quickest wit and the brightest minds.
The rest of the weekend, we spent our time exploring Delhi and shopping at beautiful markets. I acquired a tongue drum, some pashmina scarves, and a mini chess set!
And then I got sick. It was just a mild case of the flu, but it was enough to keep me out for most of the week. I spent my time working from home, reading, and playing my farm-simulation game. I was so grateful for Ram’s cooking; without it, I would have surely been in a worse state.
It was certainly weird to be sick while living in an office building. I have never longed for my mother’s minestrone soup or the comfort of being alone in my house more in my entire life. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of going down to get food in my pajamas, and I surely got many strange looks from the office workers on my floor.
As for my research, I had plenty of time to reformat my objectives and prepare for my field visit, which would occur the next week. I even found a massive gap in the literature that helped me solidify the purpose of my research.
Even though it was rainy, and I was bed ridden for most of the week, I felt very safe and cared for even though I was so far from my home.
Taking a shuttle to the Taj!
My camera did wonders ✨ my face is still very sweaty
Before pic: not sweaty
After pic: very sweaty
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