Friday, November 4, 2011

The Temptation of a Crunchy Leaf

Fall has definitely arrived here at Notre Dame. Despite the debut of the Starbucks red Christmas cups, I still feel like I'm just warming up to fall. Whether it is my obsession appreciation surrounding scarves or the satisfaction of that "Crunch!" sound as I step on a leaf, I have come to love fall.

There are so many different colors on this beautiful campus from the two evergreens that stand tall in the knoll behind my dorm to the bright red tree that I pass each morning as I walk to class. Especially on days like today where the sky is pure blue and it is a brisk 45 degrees outside, I have the intense desire to go sit in the sun -- after I grab a scarf or second jacket of course.

As far as scarves go, I feel that I may have a problem. That's the first step, right? Admitting you have an addiction to lovingly stitched, colorful scarves? In my dorm room at this very moment, I have eight. From off-white to hot pink to multicolored to a tasseled conglomerate, I have plenty of soft, fluffy variety. The guilty conscience in me is telling me to put at least one in the Project Warmth bin downstairs but I don't think I am quite secure enough in my scarf obsession to relinquish one. All in due time.

Some of you may ask, why on earth do I have so many scarves? There are several reasons. First of all, I knew that moving from the warm south to northern Indiana was going to be a big shocker to my system, therefore, I would need scarves in the winter. Once the collecting had begun, there was no stopping it. Once I was prepared with a  basic array of scarves--a few different kinds to blend with different types of outfits, of course-- I wanted more variety. If I am wearing a red blazer, I cannot wear my hot pink scarf.! Well, I could but...no. Therefore, I need to get a new scarf, otherwise, I won't be warm! Vain, I know, but there you have it. My scarf addiction was born.

Scarves aren't the only reason I adore fall up here. Stepping on a crunchy leaf is like a kind of mini-euphoric moment every time it happens. The administration recognizes the fantastic pastime of crunching leaves or--in better days--jumping into piles of crunchy leaves. In order to prevent crunch-seeking students, like myself, from jumping into the huge piles of leaves that are gathered each day around campus, if one is caught disturbing the tempting pile, you receive a ResLife (which is essentially a jacked-up demerit that goes on your permanent record and can prevent you from getting into graduate schools). Even with the threat of a ResLife, when the soft autumn sun sets on the tall piles of leaves dejectedly sitting out on the sidewalks whispering as the wind gently flows through them, merry crunching sounds can be heard by someone who knows what to listen for. (Not really, but wouldn't that be awesome?)

However, there are some things I do not like about the fall season, although they have little to do with the weather. Because there are lots of people like me who enjoy planning everything extremely far in advance, applications for summer programs and even programs for fall 2012 as all due in the fall months. Applications for NDVision were due before fall break (super competitive), International Summer Service Learning Program applications were due the 30th of October (waiting on a response!) and study abroad applications for Fall 2012 are due on November 15th! (Yikes! I haven't started that one yet!)

Do not forget about Operation Midterm: Round 3. Don't even get me started about the two exams I have next week and organic chemistry the following week. I cannot even think about finals yet.

So much to do and so little time! I think I'll go read a book on the knoll with one of my scarves. La ti da. 

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Who me? I'm with Timmy.

Written on 10/18/11 while I was in Quito, Ecuador:

After two days of clinic here in Quito, I think our routine has been established. Wake up at 6:30am, shower, eat one piece of fresh crusty bread and one hard boiled egg for breakfast then off to clinic. in the evenings we have different cultural events scheduled to teach us more about Ecuador.

Last night, a little bit of the Schlitt family competitiveness surrounding card games made its appearance. Emily, an RN living in Ecuador who is our brigade coordinator, taught all 18 of us students how to play Cuarenta or forty, for the non-Spanish folk. Barely reminiscent of family pinochle games, Cuarenta was at the same time extremely intense and lighthearted when I we got the rules wrong. Spectacularly, my partner and I advanced to the finals in the brigade tournament but after our previous grand victories, our luck ran out and we were demolished. There will be a rematch...someway, somehow. [Edit: The rematch didn't occur in Quito but will be arranged on campus this fall.] It is in my blood not to go down in a card game without a fight.

Earlier yesterday I worked as a translator for the vitals and laboratory station. I can't remember how many times I explained la machine sue tomaría su presión de range. (blood pressure machine) While nervous at first because we were working with patients who could not speak a word of English, by the end of the day, the Spanish came more naturally to my lips. I even made a cameo translating for a doctor during a patient consult which was terrifyingly fantastic. Today I did not speak as much Spanish because I was working in the farmacía as a translator for the pharmacist and as a regular student worker. It was actually very useful because I learned a lot about different types of drugs and which names went with which illnesses. There were also long spans of time spent count in pills and sorting them into proper dosages. I think I can honestly say that I never want to count pills again! We spent enough time doing it that I will be counting dosages of 75 pills in my sleep!

This evening we went on a cultural adventure. Through a connection to Quito Eternál, an organization in Quito dedicated to preserving its historic center, we were able to snag a nighttime tour of the center of Quito. The art, the church façades, the guide's costume, the sights and all the stories made La Ruta de las Leyendas, the Route of Legends, one of the best tours I have ever been on! The art was particularly interesting because it was much more raw and realistic than art in most European Catholic churches. From the donated hair to the pillar of skulls (from top to bottom: skull with: pope hat, crown, cowboy hat cardinal hat, bishop hat and no hat) the artistry was less restrained and really added to the experience.

This trip has been worth every cent thus far and I cannot wait to go to clinic tomorrow and help the people in this area by making a real difference in their health care!

Friday, October 14, 2011

Travel Monkey Likes to Travel

I think I inherited the travel gene from my dad. In approximately twelve hours, I will be getting picked up to start my medical brigade in Quito, Ecuador for the week of fall break. Sponsored by the Timmy Foundation, I and about fourteen other students, two doctors, a PA, a pharmacist and a nurse will depart from the airport on our trip tomorrow morning to work in a clinic serving patients from around Quito.

This will be my latest traveling adventure in my infamous unspoken and unacknowledged 'continent contest' with my dad. He has always been a world traveler because of meetings and clients galore. Because he works so hard, we as a family have been able to travel with him. I'm positive that I inherited the travel gene.

You see, Dad and I have been neck and neck in our continent contest and at long last, I am about to pull ahead. (The contest may or may not exist only in my head, fyi.) At this very moment, we are tied. We have both been to Asia (Dad- China and more, Me- India), Africa, Europe, and North America. Dad has visited South America in the past but has not been to Australia. I was lucky enough to go to Australia with People to People Student Ambassadors back in 2003 sans parents. Recap: we're tied 5-5. Soon, I will be up to 6 continents! How blessed can one person be? How lucky am I to have a family that works so hard that I am able to do such amazing things?!

I cannot wait to go and serve the people of Quito in a medical setting. The chance to practice my medical Spanish combined with experiencing the culture of Ecuador is going to be fantastic. I am so proud of the Timmy Foundation's mission and am glad to be a part of it. I hope everyone has safe travels this fall break and I'll be back in a week! God bless!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Fairytales and Daydreams

 Have you ever wanted your life to be like a fairy tale? Have you ever wanted to be swept off your feet by that guy who you initially hated but grew to love throughout your far-fetched encounters? Have you ever wished for Prince Charming to show up with one of your favorite shoes and slide it onto your foot as he professed his love? A fantasy of almost every girl who has ever picked up a Disney movie or a romantic comedy is to have a movie moment in her own life. Why else do romantic comedies make so much money? It is off of the girls who dream about them coming true!

I know men will go see them--even pay for them-- to appease the woman they are with, but the movies are not designed for a male audience. They are for our girlish dreams. Dreams that we one day hope to come true and see us with the love of our life and a castle and a tiara and rainbows and unicorns and--stop me whenever you feel like it. While that might not be every girl's dream, we all have something along the same lines that we wistfully daydream for.

Not only do we witness these fantastically cheese-filled perfect endings while we are at the theater, or curled up on the couch with a blanket, pillow and box of tissues in the case of the Notebook, but we also see them on Facebook. I particularly remember the phase where everyone was taking "quizzes" on Facebook. One that struck me in particular was the "Which famous movie kiss are you?" quiz.

If you take a second to logically evaluate that question, you can see that it is preposterous. How could I, a three dimensional, living, breathing human being, transform into a two dimensional lip-lock? It is just not feasible. Even so, anyone flipping through the results of that quiz (Yes, I took it, no I will not tell you which movie I got unless you have food for bribes) can catch a glimpse into the desires of most women to reach that kind of picturesque, iconic romance in their own lives.

Is it unrealistic to daydream about these kinds of these? Maybe, but where would we be without them? Where would we be if Cinderella never dreamed to go to the ball to meet her Prince Charming? If Simba did not fall in love with Nala? If Captain Shang never forgave Mulan? If Catherine Heigl never decided to act in rom-coms? In my opinion, it would be a sad, sad world and I am more than happy to indulge in my daydreams, even if only to write a blog post about them. Happy dreaming!

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Fight Like a Champion

You would think I would feel bad about being aggressive to take pictures with famous people after having so many people in India sneak pictures of me, the blond white girl. But no, researchers have discovered that aggressive camera use is definitely acceptable, especially when the result is a picture with Regis Philbin!
He is really short but he's adorable!
Regis wasn't the only celebrity alumnus to appear at Notre Dame yesterday. The pep rally for the Michigan State game was graced by the presences of Condoleezza Rice, an ND graduate, the actual Rudy Ruttiger, former head coach Ara Parseghian and the 1966 National Championship winning Fighting Irish football team!
The Real Rudy Ruttiger!
Last night also marked Notre Dame's first professional boxing match hosted in the JACC on campus. "Fight Like a Champion" featured main event Mike Lee, a 2009 graduate of Notre Dame and three time winner of Bengal Bouts, who is now 7-0 undefeated and five other fights. The proceeds from the fight went to the Ara Parseghian Foundation to support research on Neimann Pick Type C disease. The fights were fantastic! We had ringside seats and were close enough to see without having to glance up at the jumbo-tron. Since we were on the floor, we got tickets to the Mike Lee after party where I got an autograph and a picture with him!
He had already showered by this time. :)
Needless to say, last night was a great amazing night spent with my dad and a few friends. Let's just hope the game today lives up to the hype from last night!

Go Irish! Beat Spartans!


Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Always Remember, Never Forget

Five thousand students gathered in memory: 
9/11/2011
Never forget.
Photo available for purchase through photos.nd.edu

Saturday, September 10, 2011

The Pace is Picking Up

Remember when they told us that college would be a lot of reading back in senior year of high school? Teachers warned us it would be as intense as AP World History was back in sophomore year. I thought to myself, scoffing, nothing could ever require as many notes and hours spent reading as AP World. Famous last words, anyone?

Freshman year came and there was 'recommended' reading to do before you attended lecture. Like most freshmen, I was bombarded with eighteen billion things to do all around campus so the reading assignments slipped into the background. Sure, I would skim the section titles in chemistry and I would actually do my Theology readings because they were short and interesting but everything else? Hmm, oh wait, there is glow-in-the-dark putt-putt on North Quad? Pfft, I'll do my reading tomorrow. Always tomorrow, always tomorrow.

Fast forward to sophomore year. I have more reading assignments that I could have ever dreamed of. Lecture (cough biology) is based on the book and even goes in the same order with the same pictures. I had two choices: I could do what I did freshman year and skim the readings and take good notes in lecture which worked out pretty well, or I could actually try to do the readings.

For now, I'm attempting to do all of the required readings before lecture class. Never have I had less free time! I don't know if I ever comprehended exactly how long it takes to read an academic book. I can devour a 500 page Harry Potter book in a few hours and retain everything that happened, no problem, but sit me down with my Anthropology text and twenty pages drags on for an hour!

I don't quite know why there is such a huge difference but it's a problem I need to solve as hundreds of pages of biology and organic chemistry reading pile up on me! Don't forget that the level of events to attend have only increased since freshman year.  Now there are things that I care about that I have committed to: things I can't skip off because I have a little extra reading to do.

I remember when we watched American Pie and thought college was going to be nothing but weekends right after each other with no work. Oh naiveté, where have you gone?

Monday, September 5, 2011

And God said, Let There Be Fish!

At long last, my fish tank that has sat barren (except for a bubble-blowing dragon ceramic) under my television stand is filled with life! Four fish currently inhabit my tank: a black molly, a silver molly and two swordtail fish! They are currently getting used to their home and continue to spaz out if anything comes near their tank. I hope they will calm down a little as they explore their new tank and tank mates.

I had a fantastic visit with my dad today after he drove my car up to Notre Dame. As soon as lunch was mentioned, we were off-campus in a jiffy. Notre Dame has one of the best dining halls in the country (North Dining Hall is better than South!) but sometimes, it is just nice to get off campus. My stomach dutifully snarfed down endless salad and breadsticks at Olive Garden. In between mouthfuls, I was able to catch up with my dad on what was going on in our lives. Olive Garden was super busy today but that isn't too much of a surprise since it is Labor Day. Why else would people randomly go to Olive Garden on a Monday? (Note: We're talking about normal people; I'd go to Olive Garden whenever if I only could!)

Speaking of Labor Day, guess who had class today? That's right, this girl. I walked into my Anthropology class bright and early at 8:30am this morning wrapped in a fleece. By the way, why was it sixty degrees today? It is still early September and it was 96 degrees two days ago, we shouldn't have started our decent into cold yet...right?...please?

Anyways, even my Anthropology teacher was confused at why we were having class on Labor Day. It was the first time he had ever taught on Labor Day! To apologize for making us wake up so early, he gave us a super easy quiz and I'm sure everyone who even skimmed the homework appreciated the free A. It makes sense when you remember that we have an entire week for our fall break while most universities only get a day or two but still, I don't like waking up early. Silly classes only being available at certain times saddled me with 8:30's MWF.

Of course the rest of my classes passed by too slowly because I knew I would get to see my dad as soon as I finished for the day. After what seemed like its own piece of forever, organic chemistry finished and I got a text saying that he was here. After that, there was nothing left to do but climb on my bike and rush back to PW! The time for me to leave him at the airport came way too quickly. Even so, I had a wonderful time picking out fish and eating soup and salad and breadsticks at Olive Garden with my dad.

Cheers for awesome fathers!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

345 Coffee Shop: Open for Business

It seems as if I have opened my very own little coffee shop out of my dorm room. Now, I do not drink coffee. I've tried it a few times but am unable to stomach the taste. I've had good and bad responses from this. The good: 'That's great, that way you can't get addicted to it and there's more for me!' and the bad: 'What? You don't like coffee? How do you survive?' As to how my little coffee shop came to be, that's another story.

For my birthday, my parents wanted to give me a true princess gift: something that was absolutely unnecessary yet would be a convenience. Enter Keurig Coffee Maker. The fancy Keurig machines are sweeping offices across the nation--and college dorm rooms-- to provide quick and easy access to coffee at the click of inserting a K-cup and the push of the brew button.

As I sit here typing and drinking my English Breakfast Tea, I can tell you that the machine does not only make coffee but makes all sorts of hot drinks. All you need is the specific K-cup for the drink you want. They are all available online and most are spectacular. My Keurig was bought knowing that I would only be drinking hot chocolate (dark, milk, and white) and tea hence the 'princess gift'. Now, note that I am not complaing. I absolutely love my Keurig coffeemaker!

However, when I opened the box for the Keurig, there were six boxes worth of sample K-cups and guess what? All of them were caffeinated coffee! From the purchase of a second Keurig machine made by my brother and I for my parent's anniversary, I have their sample boxes since my Dad only drinks decaf and my mother, tea. So here I sit, the fanciest contraption currently out on the market on my shelf and over sixty K-cups for coffee. What do I do? Share with my fellow dorm-mates, of course!

I made the offer to all my friends and to the freshmen living in my section that if they want coffee in the mornings that I have 8:30am classes MWF and would be glad to supply them if they brought their own mugs. All I do is write "Coffee's hot!" on my white board. As such, I have three regular coffee drinkers who stop by at different times during the day to get something hot to drink. Slowly but surely, my stockpile of undrinkable (to my eyes) coffee is being drunk by people who enjoy it. I can't believe it has worked out so wonderfully! Once I run out of coffee, I'll give the girls the website to order more of their favorite and tell them that they can store their K-cups under my futon and can have coffee whenever they want!

Got to love my Pdub girls! I know I'll be refilling the water a lot come winter time. Bring it on, South Bend! I have Keurig on my side!

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Back Home Under the Dome

I'm all settled in back at Notre Dame and having a blast doing First Year Orientation or, as we like to call it, Frosh-O. We have eighty-seven new freshmen in Pasquerilla West and they are all awesome! Frosh-O is probably one of the best events that Notre Dame has and I have absolutely loved being on staff for it.

The first day of Frosh-O consisted of moving all the girls in. All of the 'Wild, Wild Pasquerilla West's' Sheriffs had sore arms from lugging so many boxes up the stairs. Luckily, I was able to consistently get elevator duty although another staffer and I were beasts putting up modular furniture on the second floor. The parents were surprised at our hidden strength. I told them our enthusiasm for the new freshmen was putting strength into our limbs and making us superwomen. I do love hyperboles.

Last Friday night was the night for sisterhood. We started at an 8pm meeting with our sections and doing some fun activities. Since PW's theme this year is the 'Wild, Wild Pasquerilla West' they painted burlap sacks with their roommates. Once they dry, the girls can use them as room flags or door mats! I was actually kind of jealous. I want a fancy doormat! While they were painting away, I learned most of my section's girls' names. As I am naturally inept when it comes to remembering names, I was thrilled when I got 90% of them right.

Slowly but surely, I'm getting more and more names down and loving being back under the dome.

Peace, love, Dub!

Friday, August 12, 2011

Jewels, Jewels, Everywhere!

NB: Now I know this post is extremely late as I've been back in the states for a little while but I will have you know that I took diligent notes the days of the events described here so I can still convey to you how I felt while I was there. So with an apology to those who have been kept waiting (and to those who were lovingly bugging me) here goes:

Trains are perhaps the most well used transportation worldwide. From America to England to India, railroad tracks crisscross the country. As they are one of the main sources of transportation in India, what would a visit be without a train ride? Down the street from the Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church  on Abu Road (where I've been staying) is a railway station with a few sets of tracks. With an 8:30pm train and tickets confirmed only a short two hours before, Fr. Sajo and I climbed into our sleeper car among hundreds of other passengers headed north towards New Delhi.

I admit, it was a little awkward to be dodging people who were attempting to take a picture of me with their phones but I managed. With intelligent crowd-weaving techniques learned at my mother's knee, I was able to avoid most of the picture seekers. With that said, if you see poor quality, random pictures of me pop up somewhere on the internet, that's where they are from!

The train ride to New Delhi was about ten hours long. It was our good fortune that most of the trip occurred while we slept. I wasn't informed until after the fact but apparently my wonderful hosts booked our train tickets on the most luxurious train available. It was actually pretty nice. There were three levels of beds and sheets and a wool blanket were provided. Comparing this ride to one I took to New Orleans from Memphis, there were only minor differences in breathing room. However, one major difference: the facilities. On an American train, the restrooms are similar to airplane restrooms. You get a seat, some toilet paper and a sink. On an Indian train, you have a hole and a sink. Albeit, there are two 'platforms' for your feet with the hole appropriately placed behind them for you to squat. However, at two in the morning when you really have to go, facing that with a mini-pouch of Kleenex in hand was not exactly what I expected. My recommendation? Go before you leave, every time, and you'll be fine.

We arrived in New Delhi to a much bigger train station than the one we had left behind. With fifteen sets of tracks that we had to cross in an attempt to find our driver. After dodging more clicking camera phones, we were safely in the car and I was free to gape out the windows at the biggest city I had seen in India (excluding flying into Mumbai late at night which doesn't really count). We got settled into our 'hotel' and by some luck managed to have two rooms with king beds (twins stuck together) and televisions. While the beds were little more than wood with a thin two inch thick mattress, it was rather spiffy. The first thing I discovered as Father Sajo and I shared bread and jam for breakfast was NDTV. Now I know of NDTV as Notre Dame Television. This NDTV was either New Delhi TV, National Delegating TV, or a hidden subset of Notre Dame that they keep quiet for unknown purposes. I have my suspicions.

Despite potential nefarious television schemes, we set off a few hours later for the site to beat all sites: the Taj Mahal. From the train station it was about 250 kilometers to the Crown Palace and I saw the craziest thing on the drive: quadrilingual signs! I wasn't able to get a picture of an actual street sign because we were either driving too quickly or there was another car in the way but I did get a snap of this one. The languages go Hindi, English, ???, and Malayalam. Most signs were bilingual with Hindi and English but there were quite a few that were quadrilingual.

Once we reached the Taj Mahal it was all I could do to contain my excitement. We had to park about one and a half kilometers away and as soon as we stepped out of the car, we were accosted by vendors selling pamphlets, booklets, necklaces and more. We were pushed onto a bike cart faster that you could say 'the Taj Mahal' and were scootering our way towards the West Gate. The Taj Mahal is amazing. The Taj Mahal is gorgeous. The Taj Mahal is beautiful. The Taj Mahal is any adjective that describes beauty, amazement, or perfection. I let the tour guide in me speak before I leave you with the pictures that can speak for themselves. The Taj Mahal is over 150 feet tall and is mostly made of marble. The top thirty feet is actually bronze. It is actually a tomb for the Maharaja and his third wife and was made as a symbol of his love for her. The way it was built brings to mind my seventh grade field trip to the Parthenon replica in Nashville, Tennessee as the Taj Mahal was built the same way: to look perfectly straight to the naked eye while in reality slanting. To climb the stairs to actually look inside the building required booties to cover your feet. They were remarkably similar to the foot covers used in operating rooms in the States. Once you got inside amid the press of the crowd you climbed a few more stairs to view the replicas of the two tombs. The actual tombs were ten meters below but because of vandalism or safety concerns (I couldn't quite understand our guide) replicas were constructed.

Perhaps the most amazing facet of the Taj Mahal is that though it looks like it has designs painted on it, absolutely no paint was used in its or its gates' construction. It is all white marble and gems inlaid into the surface of the marble. The jewels included onyx, lapis lazuli, turquoise, malachite, jasper and mother of pearl! Even though this is a blog and is supposed to be filled with my wonderfully melodramatic words, I can honestly say that I lack the writing ability to accurately depict the beauty of the Taj Mahal without the use of pictures.
The Royal/North Gate
Megan at the Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal from a Distance
Eastern Facade of the Taj Mahal
We also visited several other places along the way to the Taj Mahal including a Jai Guru Dev temple which was built to honor a man that followers believe to have become a god and a gorgeous set of archaeological monuments. The Jai Guru Dev temple was modeled on the Taj Mahal and the lighting around the center of the building was quite... flamboyant. The archaeological site was beautiful and extremely detailed. I took lots of pictures specifically for my architecture major friend but the most stunning monument was the tallest stone tower in India at about 130 feet tall with its alternating rounded and angled columns.

Last but definitely not least, we visited the Lotus Temple. The symmetry of the petals in addition to the shallow pools set below the structure to make it look like a flower sitting in water absolutely stunned me with its beauty. We had to remove our shoes before we climbed up onto the main platform but we were allowed inside the temple itself. I can only imagine the acoustics inside as it is only one giant room. The picture below is actually taken from rather far away if that is any help in deciphering the enormity of this temple.
The trip to New Delhi was absolutely amazing and I had the most fantastic time. I hope you have enjoyed my seemingly far-fetched but very fact-based tales. I will never forget my experiences in India nor the great people I had the luck to meet. Thank you all for keeping up with me and my fiercely delayed posts. Also, cheers for proper formatting! At last Blogger decided to cooperate with me! With a final flourish, tour guide Megan is gone and frantic packing-for-college Megan has returned. Until next time!

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Mount Abu - Like the Monkey! (And More)


After thinking about Mount Abu I have a desperate need to watch all three Aladdin movies. Who could ever forget that rascal of a monkey who just had to grab the ruby and bring the entire cave down on his human friend? Little did I know, that Mount Abu was filled with monkeys of its own! Nota Bene: At the request of a few readers, I have added many more photos to this post. To prevent this page loading slowly, they are sized to be tiny however you can click on them to enlarge the picture!) 


Before we reached the marvelous monkeys, we visited what is called Meditation Hall -- the largest pillar-free hall in Asia. It seats about twenty-five thousand people and is mostly used for religious ceremonies. 
We took a lot of fun pictures with several different poses outside of the hall. One spectacular one involves Fr. Simon however I’m pretty sure he would not appreciate it on the internet. So alas, I shall leave you wanting. The two gorgeous ladies with me are Sonia on the left and Anju on the right. 

From Meditation Hall we actually started up the mountain proper swerving around corners with only a horn blast to forewarn anyone coming from the opposite side. I will admit that I caved to my seatbelt while my fellow passengers laughed at my insecurity. At that point, I had not quite become comfortable with the Indian inclination to not wear a seatbelt -- except in the cities. And then there were monkeys!








We kept driving around seeing the different sites on Mount Abu. The most spectacular was the Jainist temple Dilwara. We were not allowed to take any pictures but we got a small booklet of postcards that have the gorgeous images on them. The temple was constructed entirely out of marble -- a specialty of this area of Rajasthan -- and the details were exquisite! I wish I could share that beauty here but there are no words to describe how amazing it was. 


Next we visited the Gardens of Peace. The archway leading in bearing a startlingly similar symbol to the Nazi symbol (which I have now discovered is a Hindu symbol) we were led in by a preacher of sorts. I thought that Christians were the evangelists but boy I was wrong. This man attempted so fiercely to convert me to the mixture of Jainism and Hinduism represented at the gardens that Father almost got himself thrown out. It would have been easier to get away from his preaching if priests here wore the traditional white collar that we have come to know in America but unfortunately they do not. And thus it was until the sky started to drizzle that I was able to beg off. We stayed to take some pictures of the things they had stationed around the enclosure. Here is a picture that marks the entrace to the ‘children’s zone’ of the enclosure that is designed to entice small children.

After we visited the gardens, the rains truly came. When we think of rains in America, we think of maybe a few hours of rain that the windshield wipers can easily handle. Just a casual once a week kind of rain. Here, it is completely different. The rain came down so hard that we took to the car for safety. We arrived at a sister school to St. Anselm’s on Mount Abu to drop off the sister who had accompanied us and huddled inside there waiting for the downpour to lessen. It never did become less than a deluge but we eventually took our leave from the school. Areas that had been perfectly dry and barren as we ascended the mountain became waterfalls filled with dirty water cascading down the mountain. 
The weekend of the 15th of July amounted to our vacation to Jaipur. Sonia and Anju joined Fr. Soji, the other priest at St. Anselm’s at two in the morning as we departed on the six (realistically seven) hour drive. We slept most of the drive there and were exhausted when we finally arrive. We switched out drivers for one who knew the area and the highlights as well as to give our poor drive the chance to get some shut-eye. 

We set off through the crowded streets of Jaipur to our first stop: a gigantic marble temple. While I lack the proper memory to tell you its name, I will probably end up google-ing it and finding out. 

Next stop: Jaipur Zoo. There were many beautiful animals there including leopards and tigers. I personally found all the other native Indian tourists ogling at the crocodiles and alligators to be quite entertaining.  Outside the zoo:  He says ‘Peace’.
We then journeyed to the National History Museum situated in Jaipur. Anju and Sonia had a moment of joy right off the streets of New York as they ran into the fifty or so pigeons on the ground in front of the museum. They were unsure at first but after I scared a few pigeons off by stomping at them, they took to the idea very quickly with rather large smiles on their faces. 
Something that probably shouldn’t have surprised me was the price difference for natives versus foreigners. To get into the museum, Indian tourists had to pay a mere 20 Rupees, the equivalent to about $0.50. For me, on the other hand, we were charged R 150 the equivalent to about $3.50. While four dollars is not much in our eyes, it was a startling difference. (Don’t even get me started on the entrance fee to the Taj Mahal! R20 vs. R750! [$0.50 vs $18!]) Even so, the museum was very interesting and they even had their own mummy. I got several pictures but the lighting wasn’t wonderful so they did not turn out quite as well as I had hoped. 


Another rain started while we were in the museum and we were crowded around the covered pathways that formed a square around the courtyard. Very quickly, people were trying to take pictures of me. This is the less glorious side to being like a celebrity (a status brought about by nothing other than my blonde hair, pale skin, and blue eyes), the constant photographs. Finally, I gently took one girls phone from her handed it to her mother and smiled next to her. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate taking photographs by myself? The next notable person who wanted a photo was a father with his barely toddler age son sitting on his shoulders. Practically throwing his child at me, he took a picture and showed it to me afterwards. I think that little boy is going to be made fun of for the picture of him screaming for his father, arms extended towards the camera, with an apologetic looking American holding him. The second to last spot (but most important) we visited was an old fort and palace of the Maharaja. 
The palace turned fort or fort turned palace (I couldn’t quite catch all the words from our guide) served the hidden castle buff in me quite well. After a few well placed questions regarding scructures around the place, the security guard seemed to like me and my interest enough that he gave us a private (free!) tour of the entire locale. From real life murder-holes (holes made in the wall to allow you to get your target without him being able to see you: see picture) to a royal garden that had been walked by the Maharaja (prince) himself the palace was beautiful. I knew all that knowledge about castles and forts would come in handy someday. (I salute you, Tamora Pierce!)
Last, but not least: the greatest news of this entire post. I, Megan Christine Schlitt, had the undeniable pleasure of riding a camel. The trip to some beautiful refurbished Hindu gardens that concluded our Jaipur trip paled in comparison to the fact that I rode a real life, honest to God camel.  And with that, I’ll close this extra long post with a victorious picture of me mounted on the aforementioned camel.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

The Busiest Sunday You Ever Did See

Since I have arrived, Sundays have been set aside for sightseeing. The first week I was here, we took a short trip to neighboring state Gujarat to see two Hindu temples. The first temple we visited was called Ambaji.
 Two other women also accompanied us: Sonia, a teacher and Anju, who works in administration. Father Simon dropped us off a block (if you could call it such a thing) down from the temple while he went to go park. It was here I discovered the less glamorous side to being a ‘celebrity’ or ‘popstar’ or just being different. Everyone stared. I watched heads turn to follow us as we walked down the narrow walkway through the impromptu market. We had to turn our shoes in before we could go into the temple and then when we tried to go in, the security personnel (see: men and women in army uniforms = frightening) made us go back and turn in our purses. We shoved all of our phones into one bag because I was allowed to keep my small shoulder bag. Our tags that marked the cubby where I stuff was were placed hastily into my purse as the press of the crowd shoved us towards the temple. 


There was a rush because the temple was closing in a mere twenty minutes. Father Simon had gotten a worker to show us around and make sure we got to see everything. I wouldn’t be surprised if he used me as an excuse for special treatment. Finally the bags were all checked, my purse was looked through by the security guard and the metal detector had examined us as we passed underneath it. Little did we know when we stepped out from under the covered walkway that the marble ground would burn our feet so fiercely! It was helpful in the end because it made us cross the temple grounds much faster in an attempt to get to the shade on the opposite side of the temple with the greatest speed possible. 
The guard took us right into the temple itself instead of through the metal guardrails that were designated for the rest of the temple visitors. We went right up to the statue (altar?) and received tilaka (the red dot some Indian women wear) and oil. It was very beautiful and I admire all of the detailing that went into constructing the marble temple.
After Ambaji, we went to the temple at Pavagadh which we had to ride in a lift to get to. Think an enclosed ski lift, or better yet, one of the ferris wheel cars on the ropeway that takes you to the top of the mountain. We took several pictures; the girls and Father were very amused at my insistence on not looking down and they enjoyed immortalizing  my distaste on camera. I’ll snag those pictures soon and get them up here in some form or another. We didn’t actually go into the temple at Pavagadh, merely rode up the lift. It was a much smaller temple and consisted of one open air room with the focal point in a niche on one side. 
Our last stop that first Sunday was a marble quarry. I deemed it ‘Marble Canyon.’  The pictures don’t quite grasp the vastness of the quarry. The first picture is about 500 feet above the base of the quarry. The second picture shows a much shallower part of the quarry.


More coming soon on Mount Abu and the trip to Jaipur!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Swing to the Rhythm of Life

With the Plain White T's on the mind, I've settled into a good rhythm here. I wake up at 6am, get ready for the day, eat breakfast at 6:45am then skype a few people until 8/8:15am. I head to school, teach two classes, have a break for the students' lunch, drink some tea, teach two more classes, and shake hands with all the children as they leave at the end of the day. Once that is done I happily retire momentarily to the principal's office where I sit under the fan and try to regain normal body temperature. Then we drive back to the church, have our own lunch and then I work on my materials for the next day. I am definitely a routine-enthusiast. I feel so much more in control now that I have a schedule established and I know what I need to do and when I need to do it. Now that I have my schedule, it is time to shake things up a little bit! As to how I'm going to do that, you'll just have to wait and see!

I have found my third culture shock (numbers one and two being the use (or lack thereof) of the left hand and the scarcity of male teachers, respectively). In India, you eat with your hands. Now, you would think that it would be fun to regress back to our toddler days where we got to move food around our plates with our fingers. However, I can tell you that it is extremely strange to mix rice with sauce on my plate with my right hand. It is weird because as soon as we reach a certain age in America, we are instructed not to eat with our hands and scolded if we do. I don't know if I am more uncomfortable because of that or because were I to eat with my hands at home, I would use my left hand. Now, not only are my fellows making kind fun at me for having difficulty with the concept of eating with my hands, but I am having to do so without my dominant hand! We were joking around at the table saying that after a month I will be a master at eating with my hands. Then, when I return to America, I will reach for my food with  my hands and earn strange looks from my wonderful parents. I eagerly await that moment!

Father Simon has promised to show me how to cook some southern Indian food and I am going to teach him how to make Kraft Mac 'n Cheese. Yes, I know. American tradition, right? I do have the instructions and ingredients memorized without looking at the box....mostly. My family and friends at home are being kind enough to send me a care package and I have the exclusive information that it will contain not three, not five, but TEN boxes of Kraft Mac 'n Cheese! You have no idea how excited I am.

While I am here, I am learning more and more about India each and every day. First of all, I learned that if your door is open, bugs will accompany you into your room. If the door is closed, don't scream when you see the tiny lizard on the inside of the window in the morning. They like to sneak through the cracks under the door. Let's just say that was an interesting morning that may or may not have been split by a screech in the wee hours of the day.


A few days back, about ten monkeys showed up at the church! They were on their way through to some other trees but we had food to offer them. What monkey could turn down perfectly delicious japati? It seems the monkeys really enjoyed the food because they stayed around long enough to eat everything we had prepared. I got some great shots of them and a spectacular video. There were even several babies with them that looked so adorable clinging to the bellies of their mothers!

 I've been thinking of new things to teach my students every day. The tongue twisters lecture has been a great success and if I get to visit the classes I haven't been to yet, I can continue to use it. Although, there are a few classes that I have used all of my backup lectures on so I need to keep thinking of more! I am having an absolute blast here and had an amazing trip to Mount Abu on Sunday.

As far as my rhythm goes, I feel more at home here now and am comfortable enough to start stepping outside of my box and to start doing more exciting things. Yay for India!

Monday, July 4, 2011

This Post is Hot Hot Hot

Temperatures have skyrocketed here just as the crazy American girl arrived. For decorum, I wear long pants to school so not only is it stifling and muggy (similar to Memphis) but I am also in full dress! I will never take advantage of the fact we have A/C in America ever again! Fans are also the saviors of my sanity. Even the locals are a little surprised that the rains haven’t come yet so I know it isn’t all in my head.
I have finally found my favorite class. (Though don’t tell any of the students, they will be wildly jealous!) My 5th grade B class is the very first class I ever had and they are the ones I am most familiar with. It seems classroom standards are met universally: there is the teacher's pet, the troublemaker, the person who tries to stop the troublemakers and gets in trouble, the ‘Hermione Granger’ of the class (not that that is a bad thing), and even the person who sleeps. Even so, they are my most productive class because I have seen them almost every class day since I got here. They are also pretty darn cute!
I finally gave my first real lecture this morning since it is the Fourth of July. I find that it is a lot easier to teach when you have material you are comfortable with! Here’s a salute to Dr. Leung who taught me so much about U.S. History. It is really coming in handy now! I’ll give my lecture on the American revolution to the older classes over the next few days and my lecture on the flag to the younger ones. 
I had to punish my students for the first time (they were in 5th B too!). Two were playing what looked like a different version of Rock, Paper, Scissors during class. I made them stand in the front of the room facing the wall for a few minutes. The class was much more behaved after that since they realized I actually could, and would punish them. As a little secret between me and you, I am so guilt ridden and I hope I never have to do it again! I don’t think I am cut out to be a teacher if I have to punish them!
The weather isn’t the only thing that was hot yesterday. Fr. Simon was kind enough to go and buy fireworks for me to light off! It turns out the safety regulations on fireworks in the US don’t apply here and we had a few close calls. It was so awesome! I will admit that the pyromaniac in me definitely had her fun last night. We had a big cylinder one which shot fireworks about 30 feet up (I have it on video), cones that were like lighting super powered birthday candles with shooting flames, and these little wheels that you lit one end and it spun in fast circles spraying sparks everywhere! Those little wheels were the most dangerous because when we were lighting other things all of a sudden they would burst into flame on the ground! I was well covered in ash after that adventure. 

Who would have thought I would get to celebrate the Fourth of July in the middle of India? Woohoo! 





Sunday, July 3, 2011

Life Sans Internet

Note to readers: This is less about India and more about transitioning. It is less of an update and more a self-reflection.
The past few days have been busy! I was rather sick after the Sirohi trip but sleeping almost the whole afternoon after school the next day really helped. The fact that the power (and my A/C) and the water pipes went out that morning didn’t help any. I guess I should know better than to set my room to cold when I know it isn’t helping me adjust especially since I have the only A/C in the entire building. A girl’s got to have the little things, doesn’t she? The lack of cool air coupled with my inability to shower really frustrated my day. On the bright side, that was the first day where we finally got Skype to work and I got to see my mother. Even though it was only fifteen minutes before the internet shut down, it was a welcome fifteen minutes; it was also remarkably cheaper (i.e. Free) than the $0.50 each text messages. Phone companies can be annoying, can’t they? 
I never realized how much I depended on the internet to be there for me. With everything being done online through social media sites, email, shopping, and leisure websites there are few things left to do. (Mind you, I was not cognizant before the advent of the internet so I’ve never had to live without it.) It seems like everything I go to do in my downtime involves the internet! I can go learn new songs for guitar - nope, chords are on the internet. Oh! I can go write on facebook - nope, that needs internet. Well…I can’t go on dearblankpleaseblank, or givesmehope to waste time. Nor can I use stumbleupon. I can’t Skype my friends or family. What is there for me to do?
I find that I am writing. Whether it be this blog, a novel that I started but never finished, or a meager (and I mean meager) attempt at songwriting, I am just going at it. All I can think of to do is to write. I have many books with me (three print books with the rest on my kindle) but only three are new books and the others, while all good, can’t hold my attention. The kindle’s whispernet doesn’t quite reach out here, despite what Amazon would claim, so I have no new books from that avenue. (Edit: I was able to purchase four new books when I was at school and download them to my Mac there.) 

Here is a picture of a small class singing at the prayer service that started the school year.
I guess this is more of a ‘rant’ post than an update on India. Don’t get me wrong, I am really happy to be here and am enjoying it a lot; it is very eye opening yet there are things at home that I particularly miss. That is to say, the first thing I am doing when I get back to the US is to take an extremely hot (<-- very important since there is no heated water here) shower and sink into a big bathtub filled with bath salts and bubbles with a big bowl of Macaroni and Cheese in my hands. You have been warned. 
Have a happy Fourth of July and light off a few fireworks for me! I will be wearing as much red, white, and blue clothing that I am physically capable of!