Life in Jaipur

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Fashion: Men’s fashion, in particular the fashion of teenage boys and men in their early twenties, is a continual source of amusement. It seems that super tight, high waisted, bejewelled, semi whitewash jeans are the most fashionable item in Jaipur, especially when teemed with a chequered shirt- tucked in of course :) most of them are very skinny also, which somehow makes the high waists even funnier… when I get suggestive stares from pre-pubescent, 80’s wannabe film stars that I could crush with one hug, I can’t help but laugh. Although, it is strange what starts to become normal once you spend some time in a country, for instance with women I found the look of a hoodie or Cardigan worn over the top of a ¾ length elegant Kurta and baggy pants quite strange, but now that the weather is cold I find myself doing the same thing- it’s practical and comfortable! Also, a lot of the Indian dress for women is very intricate and detailed, but quite often very gaudy and kitschy with lots of fake gold and sequins; it’s actually worrying when the things that you swore you would never be caught dead in start to look appealing, and then you realise how personal taste and beauty are really influenced by your surroundings as much as your personality.

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Shopping: brings the most joy and yet is the bane of my existence. Everywhere you turn there are small shops filled with ceiling-to-floor bangles in every shape and size, pashminas, shoes, sarees and more… And everything is ridiculously cheap. It is so easy to have a different outfit every day with head to toe matching accessories for next to nothing- but as a tourist/foreigner you have to bargain very, very hard. It is easier now that I have a general idea about the prices for things, as well as understanding the Indian method of haggling. It is quite common in many stores to be offered a seat, a cup of chai and a demonstration of everything they sell- which at first seemed like a big con, but now is actually quite a nice way to shop! To be able to see the variety of colours and quality of products all laid out before your eyes, while sipping tea, is so unique. You also have to be willing to stay in each store for quite some time to negotiate the price, as there is no such thing as a quick or simple transaction. Last Sunday we went as four girls to the old section of the city which is just streets upon streets of shopping bazaars- it took us four hours to cover one tenth of what is available. I discovered a few stores with so many beautiful scarves, and was able to buy a whole heap for mum (and her market stall) … and quite a few for myself as well. At the end of the day whilst admiring my numerous purchases I told my housemates that next time I should be locked up, chained to the bed, and not let anywhere near the Pink City Bazaars…

It seems that super tight, high waisted, bejewelled, semi whitewash jeans are the most fashionable item in Jaipur,

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The streets: are filled with so many contradictory people and things. On most main roads you will find barbers- a man with a stool, shaving cream and a rusty knife-, dentists- if you can’t afford a proper clinic there is a man with some forceps willing to pull any rotten or aching teeth-, there are shoe shiners, repairmen and tailors- most of whom don’t have a shop or even a stall, but just a chair and a plastic sheet/newspaper for their old tools. There are men squatting and drinking chai or playing cards, cycle rickshaw drivers sleeping somehow in the midst of so many beeping horns on their small back seats. There are also families living against walls, who are cooking on a rubbish fire and sweeping their section of footpath, as well as washing etc. At first you don’t notice a lot of these things, as you’re so overwhelmed with new surroundings and traffic etc. but after a while you start to take note of so many new things, which never cease to amaze me! This morning I saw a cow scratching itself against someone’s motorbike, pushed it over, and kept meandering along :)

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Frustration: I don’t know if it was the full moon or my own tiredness, but for the past two days I have been more frustrated with Indian life, than at any other point in the last 5 weeks. Rickshaw drivers have been royally ripping me off to the point of having screaming matches, taking me in the wrong direction and demanding more money to take me to the right place… I was given the royal **** run around at the train station trying to book tickets, standing at four different offices in line for 2 hours collectively only to find out each time it was the wrong office (despite being told by the ‘tourist officer’ and the ‘information officer’)… after having been sandwiched between I don’t know how many men trying to press themselves and their appendages against me in every direction … I was ‘not happy Jan’.

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Work: Is super busy… I have been conducting interviews, organising case studies, arranging field visits; trying to get important documents translated from Hindi to English so that I can finish my report; being a walking English dictionary/editor in chief/thesaurus/grammar expert; the people that I work with are so lovely, but quite shy so it has taken this long to warm up to them… the other day when I had my third bought of severe stomach cramps (and everything else) in a week, two female colleagues organised a vehicle, took me to the hospital, translated to the doctor, admitted me and sat with me all day whilst I had a drip with fluids and antibiotics, then drove me home… I was very blessed.

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Yesterday I went on my first self-arranged field visit to interview staff members at a branch office, as well as community leaders, about their involvement in a project that CECOEDECON has been running for the past 2 ½ years. When I arrived in Niwai-after taking a bumpy local bus which is a run-and-jump-on affair- I realised how different country towns are from big cities. People stare, but with curiosity rather than creepiness, people greet you genuinely and offer you food and drinks and conversation without an ulterior motive… I think it is why I was able to become so involved in the community in Mutumbu, Kenya, as opposed to in Jaipur where my involvement is much more detached. Anyway, the local branch in charge was very accommodating, showing Louisa (another Aussie trainee) and I around; apart from the interviews (obviously with a translator) we were invited to sit in on an agricultural training that was taking place close by. Of course we had to sit up the front, facing a room full of male farmers all sitting crossed legged in their white kurta-pyjamas and turbans. After my introduction I was quizzed all of a sudden about the state of Australian farmers, what we produce, farming methods and irrigation systems... I explained about our water restrictions and primary exports and then kindly explained that I’m from the city and really wouldn’t have a clue- they laughed… It was also funny to see these old, brown, weathered faces poking out beneath fluorescent pink turbans :)

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Food: The only real social activity for us trainees to do is eat… so we meet with between 10-25 people, at least two nights a week, to eat and catch up at different restaurants. Most of the restaurants are rooftop restaurants which are such a novelty for us… they usually have long bench seats with lots of cushions and candles or lanterns, overlooking the city and streets- we smoke apple shisha (or hookah as it’s known in India) and relax. The food is really cheap- but quite often hit and miss- if it is Indian food then it’s pot luck as to how spicy it will be…

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We have also discovered Indian sweets. There are several sweet shops on every street, small or large, and so in honour of it being Carmen’s last week we decided to sample them all! Most of the sweets are deep fried and smothered in nuts and honey, sometimes saffron and other spices- but they are so good. You can’t have too many, and most of the time our eyes are bigger than our stomachs…

I’m off to Udaipur tomorrow… YAY… and then its Christmas :( although we have organised a Christmas party with all of the trainees (should be 20 or so) as well as a Secret Santa- the trainee house where we’re having it has a small Christmas tree, which is a small consolation… the only strange thing is that because most trainees are European we are celebrating it on the 24^th!