Of Cupcakes and Calamities

   On the front page of yesterday's online New York Times, two articles caught my attention.  The first, violence in the Middle East.  I don't remember what precisely.  The second, my favorite cupcake shop Crumbs closing all its stores.  I skipped the first and was emotionally distraught at the second, and I immediately texted my dad in America to buy some endangered desserts while he still could.  (They were gone already.)  But of course that's the kind of irrational, self-centered behavior that turns blind eyes to endless violence and poverty.   So what can you do to to make issues feel closer to home?  Make your home closer to issues, I guess.  And I did.

    A few days ago a small, low-intensity bomb went off in the parking lot of a police station just a short fifteen minute walk away from my house.  Thankfully only a few people got hurt, and don't worry, our safety isn't in jeopardy or anything like that.  But my point is that with proximity to catastrophe comes a sense of realism and awareness, the foreign becoming the domestic.  More pervasive than catastrophes are the less drastic things--frequent power cuts, a late monsoon causing drought.  We all have a bit of the "doesn't affect me" attitude until it does.

    I know I won't be the first or last to say that traveling has been an eye-opening experience, and I'm cautious of heaping cliches about how India has changed my life.  So I'll avoid platitudes and end with a piece of advice--even if you don't enjoy the food, even if you're terrified of insects, even if (especially if) you  don't want to see crushing poverty, go to India. Or Africa, or practically anywhere else.  You'll choke on chilies and squirm at the bugs and be begged at by the homeless, but you'll become a more worldly and understanding person.

    Only three more weeks--how is that even possible?

Does Ronald McDonald Feel Shame?

    While I watched the video of my host parents' wedding ceremony last night so that my cliche American desire of attending an Indian wedding might be at least partly fulfilled, my host dad told me about his German friend at the marriage who kept leaning over chairs to take pictures. Though he came across as ridiculous and stuck out like a sore foreign thumb, my host dad instead complimented him on his lack of embarrassment. I think we're all likewise accepting our foreignness as time passes, because frankly, what else can we do?  Although we get stares, I think I've gotten used to it and, if it's going to happen no matter what, might as well embrace it.

    Thus, if you happened to see fourteen loud and obnoxious American teenagers wearing matching red polo shirts entering a McDonald's on the Fourth of July, taking videos of each other doing poorly organized choreographed dances, know that there was no shame (fine, a little shame) in their actions.

    At the same time, we have the responsibility of representing our nation. The knowledge that we are the forefront of American grassroots diplomacy is a burden we're privileged and honored to carry at all times.  After all, we're probably the first Americans most of the kids here have ever met, and the briefest of rude gestures or unfriendliness can be the seeds of negative stereotypes.  And stereotypes here, in my brief experience, seem less discouraged than in the United States. On multiple occasions negative attitudes towards the British, Chinese, Muslims, and Africans have been blatantly expressed to me, so generalizing attitudes seem to stick around and spread here.  It's our duty to promote our own opinions, respect others', and show a positive face of America when a plurality of foreigners think of drone strikes and fast food before curious and respectful teenagers. For all the importance of language learning, I imagine this side of NSLI-Y is equally crucial. It's what the State Department is indirectly paying for, many years down the road.

    But in the meantime, we're having a good time.  When you're singing the national anthem to an assembly hall of Indian children on Independence Day before heading out for French fries and milkshakes, there's a lot of fun involved.  As I taught my host family (and they laughed for a full five minutes,) YOLO.

About Me and Food

    And now moving to my favorite topic of all.  "Food, glorious food", Oliver and friends once sang in whiny prepubescent urchin voices.  But instead of a destitute orphan boy in industrial London, I feel like the Maharaja of Maharashtra as I gorge myself through India without the shackles of parental constraint nor of self control.  While I can't stop and won't stop eating, I'll take a break now and explain what kind of nourishment is making fitting in my airplane seat a pressing concern.

    First, chapati. I thought of getting a shirt that says "chapati is life" when I come back. I mean this in a philosophical way as well as in a humorous one. As my host dad, brother, and I were on the roof one evening, my host dad indicated the lone stalk of corn that was growing as a garden centerpiece. What I had thought was an intriguing planting decision actually had a deeper meaning.  "We worship what makes us strong", he told me.  And since we have chapatis, corn tortillas one uses to scoop up sauce or vegetables or potatos, as an integral part of lunch and dinner every day, chapati indeed makes us strong.  It's made fresh in the kitchen twice a day by a cook, if that's the right term, and I'll never grow tired of it.

    Daal, or lentil soup, is the other staple of lunch and dinner.  Rice with spices and sauce, aloo (potato), gobi (a word for both cabbage and cauliflower), and chai tea (offered 3 times a day) are what I live on. Also, there's a samosa shop reputedly the best in town on the first floor of my apartment building, and the samosas, which are 17 rupees (20 cents), are phenomenal.  And then the mitthai, or sweets: laddu, pedha, orange and mango barfee the consistency of sweet fruity fudge, gulabjamun, and more I haven't yet tried.

    My friend on the program and I today proposed to our chapatis today.  This is my life.  We have an major work booklet from Hindi class called "About Me and Food". I  don't know how they pinpointed my interests so exactly. 

A Subcontinental Breakfast and Other Things

    What did the "Dha" say to the "Da" when no one in the NSLIY class could pronounce it correctly?
    "I'm exAspirated!!!"
    Jokes.
    This week has been incredible.  I haven't blogged much, and I'm really sorry about that, but I've written everything down in a notebook every day so I don't forget.  Also, I've talked to my parents several times, so if you have questions, you can ask them!
    Here's a quick run-through of this week:
    Breakfast: Strawberry frosted flakes at home (I keep telling my family to not change their diet for me, but apparently they buy it for my host brother and sister).  We come to school in vans sans seatbelt and I have my second breakfast at school in a train car.  The first, second, and third graders here are taught in converted train cars, and yes, it's adorable.  Then, instead of the national anthem and a cult-like pledge of allegiance, the entire school meditates together and sings a prayer in Sanskrit.  I know we can't pray in school and all, but I would be 100% in favor of including meditation periods in our school day.  We have several hours of Hindi class Monday through Friday, including music, dance, and yoga.  The dance is even harder than it looks.  If you want to see some traditional Indian dance like my host sister does, look up "Kathak, Bharatanatyam, or Kathakali for folk dances, Garba and Bhangra or any Bollywood badassery", in the words of Nina K (I asked her for suggestions).
   Also, I don't want to forget: we've been coming up with Hinglish slang such as "acchutney", which means awesome sauce.  Acchaa (great) + Chutney (sauce).  Get it trending.
    My host family continues to be amazing and super sweet.  My host brother and I talked yesterday about bullying and bad Indian advertisements.  Life is good.  Anyway, I have to go to lunch, so that's all for now.  Miss you all!

Mum, bye!

     Right now I'm sitting in the lobby of our hotel. On my right is a cricket pitch, and it's sunny and in the 70's. Typing a blog post on my phone isn't easy so I'll keep this short.

     Before I came here, I imagined Pune to be like Boston, westernized, only with more traffic and Indian culture. Instead, it's hard to compare them. First difference: the traffic is everything you've heard about India and worse. The issue isn't bumper-to-bumper jams, instead, the only bumpers meeting bumpers is when a car hits a motorcycle or rickshaw. Crosswalks are merely decorative; people run across the road when they can get across without (definitely) getting hit. 

     But there's no reason to dwell on the negatives, because India is incredible. The streets are so busy: stray dogs, fruit vendors, women wearing scarves around their mouths to keep out the pollution while they speed by on motorcycles, men talking in alley-way shadows at night, et cetera.

I met my host family yesterday during a wonderful ceremony. After our host siblings put Tilak (the red powder traditionally used in welcoming guests) on our foreheads and we received necklaces with orange and white flowers, we spoke for some time. My whole family speaks English and seems very sweet. I won't say too much about them because internet safety and privacy are important, but trust me, I'm in very good hands. 

     Breakfast is soon, so I'll tell you all that the food here is amazing. Except for the onion and lemon juice and hot sauce, which I learned are meant as garnishes.  Don't eat them together.  For your own sake.
     Picture of moment of impact forthcoming.  

Time of Departure

     This is my last night at home before I leave for New York City in the morning.  Flight at 9am, arrives at 10am.  (Not the 15 hour flight to Mumbai quite yet).  Given the fact that I'm still in an advanced state of denial over this whole thing, I'm not sure how to describe my emotions.  When you talk about something and explain it in the same words day after day, you start thinking of it in a limited way: 

"I'm going to India this summer!"

"That's so cool!  For how long?"

"I'm going for 6 1/2 weeks."

"Wow!  How come?"

"It's a State Department program for American high school students to learn languages that aren't commonly taught in schools..."

et cetera.  I have it memorized.  So it feels like I say that "yes, I'm really excited" and "no, I'm not that nervous" more than I think about being excited or nervous.  Frankly, I just don't know what to expect.

     I plan on looking back at this blog in the future so I can see how I was before my trip.  So, future me, this is for you.

     I believe that India will be extremely loud and chaotic with a ton of people, all the time.  My family so far seems very kind and I look forward to meeting them.  I don't know anyone on the program too well yet but I am really, really pumped to meet people tomorrow!  Lauren, my Resident Director, seems like she knows what she's doing and will be a great resource.

     I'm anxious to entering an India that's entering a new phase like I am--an India under a new leader.  I can't wait to look down on North Africa and the Atlantic as I fly over the globe FOR 15 HOURS.  Most of all, I look forward to getting enough rest tonight, since I have to get up at 5am tomorrow.  Therefore, good night all.
     (Here I am, cleaning up my blog, looking back at my old writing.  And so, past Erik: It is.  They are.  You should be.   You will.  She does.  She was.  Don't worry.  We flew over Iceland and Russia, idiot.  Good night.)

Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? (Also, the Application Process)

     I just took my AP Art History exam this morning, so that's where my brain is.  And so I felt the need to include a famous Gauguin painting in this post's title.  Alright, that's my lead in.

     As promised in my first post, (I suggest reading this blog from the beginning,) here's a brief introduction to me and why I chose to study in India out of all those exotic places listed down below.  Mera naam Erik hai (one of about three Hindi sentences I know so far), and I'm a current Junior from Massachusetts.  My life at the moment is studying for the four AP exams I'm taking but I promise I do more than that.  I do tons of theater at my high school and a local theater company, I have some really awesome friends and family that I'm going to miss a lot, and I'm an outgoing introvert.

     Where Are We Going? To Pune, India!  My reasons for choosing India/studying abroad in general are a bit complex, but I'll try to explain.  Here's why, in a semi-order:

1. I love traveling.  Obsessed.  Don't know why.  I love maps, learning languages, and going on airplanes.  I went to the state Geography Bee in sixth grade (nerd).  I plan on majoring in geography and/or urban studies.
2. India has a ton of people in cities and a lot of problems.  I figured that's a good place for someone interested in geography/urban studies to start.
3. I love my home--this is not a trip to get away from family.  At the same time, I want to meet new people and visit new places.  There is more to life than Whitepeopletown, MA.
4. Learning Hindi is going to be hopefully very useful.  At the moment I speak English, a limited amount of French, and I took one year of Latin (and hated it). But Hindi, unlike Latin, is useful!  And I just think it's so neat to speak another language, and was always fascinated when my family members would.  Also, I don't want to be the typical monolingual American.
5. I've always been interested in Indian culture, although by no means would I say I know a lot.  But I'm learning.  I STILL have never seen a Bollywood movie.  If you have a favorite, leave it in comments below so I can watch it!
6. The food is rather scrumptious.
7. I want to study abroad in college again.  Also, this is to test the waters a bit--do I definitely want to travel for a living and study geography?
8. It's going to look awesome on a college resume.
9. I'm extremely excited to meet my other American buddies as well as Indians.  New friends.  Yipee!
10. This is a dumb reason but I'm looking forward to the New York City pre-departure orientation and looking out the window of the airplane and seeing the entire world below me.  I think because I can actually imagine myself doing that, and I know what it will be like, unlike India.
11. Where else could I go?  I have no legitimate reason to go to Tajikistan.  I'm mad at Russia.  I don't speak Chinese and other people are already learning Mandarin, so they can have that one.  The Middle East was off limits because I have worried parents and I'm sort of Jewish.  South Korea was definitely cool and acceptable, as was Turkey.  But India seemed like the best bet.

     I'm also going to explain a bit about the application process.  I filled out my initial application in the fall.  If you think you might just apply but don't care too much about it, don't.  The application is long, you need to write essays and get teacher recommendations and fill in a whole lot of information about yourself.  I would recommend a teacher that can not only speak to your abilities, but also to your personality.  So that initial step takes place during the fall and was due on November 5.  I found out that I was a Semi-Finalist on December 11, which was one of the best days of my life.  I found out I was a Finalist (in other words, I got the scholarship) on February 28, which probably was the actual best day of my life.  The order in which news comes out varies from year to year--for mine Hindi was one of the first, and Chinese the last.  Also, sometimes news comes out by state.  Or region.  But sometimes not.  So don't worry about that, you'll find out when you find out.  However, it is true that good news comes sooner than bad news.

     Application Tip #1: Make sure you want to do this.  Really stop to think about what your life might be like if you get it and go.  Are you ready?  (pause for moment of introspection.)  If so, continue on.

     Application Tip #2: Don't procrastinate!  I actually did, if I remember correctly, and barely got it in on time because of too many people on the website at once.  Don't let that be you.  Read over all of your application carefully.  If you do a rush job, they'll notice, and besides, you can't.  It's too long.

     Application Tip #3: Don't think that you'll get it the first time.  That gets rid of the disappointment and only leads to a happy surprise if you get it.  Trust me.  The first time I applied, I thought I had a very good chance and was devastated when I found out I didn't get to be even a semi-finalist.  The second time, I tried (and somewhat succeeded) at not even thinking about it.  And it worked!

     Application Tip #4: I'm not going to say exactly what I wrote in my essays or talked about, but I'll give some advice since you're taking the time to read this, so you're probably dedicated.  Show them that you want to go to learn the language.  If you imply that you just want to go to the country because you're interested in its culture or whatever, my limited experience has shown that you won't get it.  And I'm telling you this because if you aren't interested in the language aspect as much, I wouldn't recommend going: language classes are going to be four to five hours everyday, five days per week.

     Application Tip #5: I know you always hear this, but at the interview and in your essays, BE YOURSELF.  Don't try to be the person you think they want to see.  If you're relaxed and friendly, they'll know that you can handle being alone in a foreign country.

     Application Tip #6: Thank your interviewers if you're a semi-finalist.  They are volunteers.  As in, they aren't paid.  Meaning, they're doing it because they are wonderful people.  I had two lovely elderly ladies interviewing me.

     Application Tip #7: Prepare answers for questions they might ask.  One that I had trouble with was describing a struggle I had gone through.

     Application Tip #8: Start learning Hindi/whatever language before your interview!  I had learned the Devanagari alphabet so I could say that I had begun learning.

     Application Tip #9: Don't apply to a certain country because you think you are more likely to get in.  I've heard multiple times that a proportionate number of people apply to each program, so the programs with the most students (China and South Korea) have a larger number of applicants than the smaller programs (Turkey and Tajikistan).  If I remember correctly from my year, you have an approximately 15% chance if you apply, and a 50% chance if you get to be a semi-finalist.

     Application Tip #10: Join the Facebook group!  For some reason, the "NSLI-Y applicants 2012-2013" page has over 1000 members, while the "NSLI-Y applicants 2013-2014" page has just 200.  I would recommend joining the 2012-2013 one as well as the current one for you, because that seems to be where a lot of the action takes place.
Thanks for reading, and best of luck!