Adam Barkl's Indialog

Nearing the end

Things are wrapping up here in Hyderabad, and the semester is very near its end. It's finals week, and it certainly isn't a fun experience. Finals at the university are mandatory for every class, and they make up 60% of final scores. What's more, they are three-hour long finals. It's a bit of a pain to have to write constantly for 2 1/2-3 hours straight. But, two are done so far, and only one more awaits me. And after I finish that baby, I'm done with college forever! It's not really too exciting actually, unless I force myself to think about it, probably because graduation doesn't actually seem real. I'm here, thousands of miles from home, and thousands of miles away from other people who are about to wrap things up and head out of town. So, the whole reality hasn't sunk in as much as it should. I'm sure that will change when I get back. // The weather is getting hot, and the temperatures are reaching their yearly high points. The heat ranges from hot, to very hot, to damn hot. Night time is no consolation; the heat here refuses to pass with the day. There are also frequent power outages now, much more than at any other time. Basically, I make my way through the days while trying to keep cool and hydrated in an attempt to prevent my body from melting into the surrounding air. I guess maybe the temperatures aren't too unbearable. I live in South Dakota, and any South Dakotan knows we have our own fair share of infernos which scorch our little state. It's more just the fact that I missed most of my winter this year, and when I return I will only have a few weeks before it all begins again. Where's my snow? Oh well... // That's probably about it for now. Nothing much is new, unless you'd all like to hear about my studying and sleeping. That always makes for a good story, but I'll spare you the enjoyment. Until the next... if that time comes. If not, see you back in the states.

Posted at 12:37PM Apr 22, 2008 by abarkl in General  |  Comments[0]

Yaks!

Oh! And we rode yaks through the Himalayas. It was a bit ridiculous. Photos are online.

Posted at 10:26AM Apr 14, 2008 by abarkl in General  |  Comments[0]

Heading North

Hey everybody. Long time, no speak. Lila and I got back from travels yesterday. Classes finish up here anytime from early April through early May. Fortunately, mine had a nice break of some two weeks, so we visited Kolkata, Darjeeling, and Sikkim. Sikkim is a northern, mountainous state sandwiched between northern India, Bhutan, Nepal, and Tibet. It was quite an amazing trip. It had some pretty lasting effects on me, and showed me two completely different sides of India. // Kolkata was comparable to nothing I've ever seen. I've lived in India for almost four months, and have seen many, many shocking things, but still found Kolkata entirely unexpected and very shocking. The city was an explosion of life, filled with chaos. It has just rained when we arrived, and the streets were filled with water. The streets were covered in people, cars, shops, garbage, animals... basically every square inch. The noises were overwhelming, and the smells were intense. Like I said, being in India for four months, this shouldn't have had such an impact, but it really did. It reminded all over again that I was in India; that this country has more motion and life tied up in it than few other places in the world. At the same time, it was the most humbling experience I've had here. Seeing the poverty of the city, and its incomprehensible mix of everything you can imagine, really reminded me of something. It reminded me that coming from the United States, I can probably never be able to understand what it's like to live the lives some people do. It's hard to grasp how fortunate we are in the US, without ever seeing something like this. You can try to remember to be grateful and appreciate what you have, but it takes an experience like this to really put it into your head how damn lucky we are to have our lives. You come out of the experience understanding that the things that takes up so much of our time, and brings us so much stress, really aren't that important. // After Kolkata, we headed north to Darjeeling. Darjeeling is very close to Nepal, just south of Sikkim, and not far from Tibet. It was a gorgeous city just below the Himalayas. The people are more like Nepalese or Tibetan people than they are northern or southern India. So there we were, a day after Kolkata, in an entirely different world yet again. The people were warm and welcoming, and the scenery was breathtaking. It was again a humbling experience for me. Yet this time, it wasn't for the same reasons. Instead, I was seeing some the most beautiful, untouched landscapes on the planet. You get a calm, reassuring feeling finding yourself in such a place; it's puts you totally at peace. I don't really know how to describe the feeling-I'm not sure what it was actually-so I'm stop going to try. // One of the coolest parts of being in Darjeeling was seeing a procession for Tibet which was going through the city. We came out of a shop and found the beginning of the march. It went on for about 20 minutes. There were hundreds of people carrying candles and chanting. Most of it was made up of women; they led and sand louder and clearer. The whole thing was moving. Here we were seeing a parade of people calling for a free Tibet, just hours from Tibet's southern border. It was remarkable. We also found towns and cities on our way back filled with walls and buildings that had been spray painted with "Free Tibet" and "Tibet is Bleeding". Seeing the importance that Tibet has to people outside its borders is an emotional display. You feel much more connected to everything; the problem seems much more real.

Posted at 09:52AM Apr 14, 2008 by abarkl in General  |  Comments[0]

Some wonderful things about India

1) Traffic comes to a slow because cows are playing on the road. // 2) Finding a rat in the bathroom, and a tarantula hanging out by the front door. // 3) Eating with your hands, even if you're served mash potatoes. // 4) Seeing any form of precipitation in March is next to a weather phenomenon. // 5) If you need readings for class, you violate copyright laws, and get the book copied at the student center. // 6) If you're sick, you got to the doctor, tell them what drugs you need, and get the prescription filled for free. // 7) People literately hang from buses, rickshaws, and trucks to get from place to place. // 8) Arriving at noon means arriving at 1:30, late, without directions, and soon to find you're the only one who's arrived. // 9) Hindi is the official language, although the majority of people speak one of some 100 other languages. // 10) Over one billion people, Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, and Jains live in relative peace in a country the size of the Midwest.

Posted at 05:24PM Mar 29, 2008 by abarkl in General  |  Comments[0]

Holi Festival and the Vagina Monologues

This Saturday was the Holi festival here in India, and I was in Delhi with Janne and her brother Atle. Holi is a Hindu festival to celebrate the god Krishna. It’s a huge day of celebrations. The most remarkable thing for an outsider is the fact that most Hindus spend the day running about, throwing colored powders and paint waters on each other. I don’t know the exact background behind it, but its come to signify the happiness and celebration that comes with the day. We started Holi by walking out of our hotel, to meet a street covered with multicolored people. Before we even had time to think, a few guys walked up to Janne and I and smeared purple, green, and pink powder all over our faces. It was a bit unexpected, but it was a good way to usher in Holi for us. We spent the rest of the day hanging around Delhi, getting caked in colors and drenched in colored water. It was crazy and fun, and I think probably one of the best ways for Janne’s brother to experience India for his few days here. // We spent most of the rest of the trip wandering the city aimlessly covered in an array of bright colors. I did do something I never thought I would do outside the US—perhaps ever again—and ended up eating at KFC. Yes, that horrid, unsatisfying restaurant has found its place in Delhi. And for some reason, Atle had his heart set on going, something about no KFC in Norway, and Delhi being his opportunity to indulge. For his sake, we went. After waiting in line behind all the other foreigners (no Americans), we got in. I’m still not sure how KFC has become so big in the rest of the world. Do we even eat KFC in America? // On Sunday, we did see the Taj Mahal, and that was crazy. It was huge, amazing, and just as great as I had expected it to be. It was also the first of the Seven Wonders I have to see (on the new list), and that was a rare occasion. // And today, back on campus, I went to the Vagina Monologues here on campus. A lot of American female students here put on the performance, along with a group of Indian students. In case you don’t know, the performance is a series of monologues about women’s bodies and female sexuality. I had never seen it before, and seeing it here in Hyderabad was rather remarkable. Female sexuality is very restricted here in India, and women and their bodies aren’t viewed as they are in the West. Women’s sexuality is still often a taboo topic, and women can be treated quite differently than men. There is also a strict separation of genders in many occasions, such as public transport, and waiting in cues. The fact that so many girls participated and performed their parts in front a male and female audience in India is really courageous. Here we were watching the vagina monologues in a country that doesn’t even see male-female touching in public. The performance was great, and held an even more important meaning for the culture here in India. // I should be adding photos Delhi soon.

Posted at 01:12PM Mar 25, 2008 by abarkl in General  |  Comments[2]

Goa

Hola! We all got back from Goa this morning. It was an amazing trip. To get there, we had to travel 16 hours west, to the small coastal state that used to be a territory of the Portuguese. Our first afternoon was spent eating seafood curries and looking at the ocean. On the second day, we rented scooters, which was totally cool. I got to drive one- I've never driven any type of motorbike before, nor driven on the left side of the road. But, we payed for two days and went. It was scary at first, knowing Ivy and I were depending on my developing driving skills to keep us safe. At the same time, it was really fun driving up and down the coasts, checking things out with the breeze blowing on us. After two days of going to beaches farther north, I got pretty good at driving. The beaches were so, so beautiful. It was easily one of the most beautiful places I've been. // Besides laying on beaches for four days, we didn't do much else. We did eat a lot at a restaurant called Munchies, which was right next to our hotel, AND was a 24-hour restaurant. Not only is that restaurant open later than probably any other restaurant in India, the food was damn good, and included bacon and beef. It was a little piece of heaven on Earth... we ate there probably 15 times in 5 days. Vive la bacon. // Overall, Goa was an amazing time. The natural beauty of Goa was unmatched, and it was very relaxing staying in a place with thousands of Euro-hippies whose only mission in life is to smoke loads of weed and drive around on scooters. A very laid back atmosphere. I'm considering moving there; anyone up from living on a beach in India? // till next time.

Posted at 01:41AM Mar 12, 2008 by abarkl in General  |  Comments[0]

Vacation

Hello all. I am leaving for a week on vacation, because we don't have school this week. If anybody needs me, call mi mobile. Adios

Posted at 07:05AM Mar 05, 2008 by abarkl in General  |  Comments[0]

Birthday Celebrations

It’s Friday night here in Hyderabad, and I am at the guesthouse, taking it easy for once. We went out yesterday, and I ended up getting really, really sick. As part of the celebrations of Kendell and Megan turning 21 on February 28th, a few of us went dancing at Liquids. Liquids is a swanky club on the third floor of a building in Banjara Hills. There’s a cover charge for guys, and drinks were far more expensive than I would have liked, but it was in celebration of the birthdays, so I went along. It was worth it though. The view from the large windows of club allowed us to look out over Hyderabad. It was tres jolie. Afterwards, we went to Ahala, another expensive club. But, we got into this one for free. It was Australian theme night, so naturally there were a bunch of girls in cowboy hats and small clothing dancing making their way around the club. Gotta love those Australian cowgirls. It was insane fun. For a good hour or two we danced to good music, crammed between dozens of people. An after that, we went to an after-party at Gotham’s house. Gotham is an Indian who lives in Australia, and is back staying with his family. Their house was ridiculously large. There were multiple levels on the inside, and more than a couple huge, stone patios outside. Gotham took me to meet his father shortly after we arrived. I walked into a room to find his dad lying in bed, covered in a sheet, with a woman hiding in a ball next to him- awkward moment number one. We proceeded to have some drinks and dance a bit more, but I ended up getting really sick for some reason. I ended up on the floor of the bathroom in some random house- awkward moment two. Then, I was taken to the sister’s bed to sleep while the rest of the group carried on- and, awkward moment three. At around six in the morning, I awoke to Lila, and the early morning call to Muslim prayer. It’s a really odd feeling when you wake up feeling like crap, in some random bed, in a random house, hearing the call to prayer in the background, and then being taken home in somebody’s car while the sun rises on the horizon. I got to bed around 6:30, and have since been sleeping off the sickness. If all goes well, I’ll be in good health before we leave for Goa on Wednesday night.

Posted at 09:50AM Mar 01, 2008 by abarkl in General  |  Comments[2]

Au Revoir February

It’s the end of February tomorrow, and I really cannot believe I’ve been here for two months. I’ve been here all this time, and there’s been hardly a moment of boredom. Those moments that do exist usually take place when I’m sitting around and waiting for lunch. You can certainly tell it’s nearing summer though; days are quickly getting hotter and hotter. But, no worries: I finally got my pants from the tailor, only 3 weeks late. It was well worth the wait. The pants turned out great, and they’re so light that it’s like I’m not even wearing pants. Oh how I treasure feelings like that. // I read in the news today that a pair of monkeys was married in Orissa, a state to the north. The ‘bride’ was dressed in a red sari (i.e. a garment consisting of a length of cotton or silk elaborately draped around the body, traditionally worn by women from the Indian subcontinent), and the couple was taken through all the traditional Hindu marriage customs. I think I read at least 200 people showed up. What is wrong with this picture is not the fact that people married monkeys, but rather that I wasn’t invited. What kind of crap is that? I guess I’ll have to scratch that one off my list a little later on. // March is the big holiday month here, and everyone is getting out their Lonely Planet and planning vacations around the country. Mine will include the beaches of Goa and a “Mega Death” concert in Bangalore. Either place takes hours to get to, which reminds me of how huge India is. When you look at a place like India on a map, having never been there, you see one of many countries on which hang out on the other side of the globe. Actually living here brings a reality to the place. Names on a map become places you’ve been, and roads and rivers become markers in between the immense landscape that makes up India. If I remember correctly, it’s approximately 1/3 the size of the US, and it certainly has an equal variety of natural beauty. Getting to the eastern coast takes at least 16 hours by bus, and the western about eight. Making your way to the far northeastern states takes 40+ hours by train, and Kashmir might as well be a part of Canada. The point I’m trying to make is that the world seems so abstract, even imaginary when you see pictures or watch movies. When you live in a place, you realize that all those borders, oceans, mountains ranges, and plains represent massive amounts of space, thousands of towns and cities, and a infinitely complex world. This is probably one of the greatest things you take away from living abroad. The enormity of it all makes you feel like maybe you’ve missed something big, or aren’t somewhere you should be. At the same time, it allows you to sit back, look at your old map with a new understanding, and begin planning what place you want to conquer next.

Posted at 01:43PM Feb 27, 2008 by abarkl in General  |  Comments[0]

Tirupati and Chennai

It’s Monday morning here, and we just got back from our weekend away. We went south to go see Tirumala, a huge temple area next to Tirupati. Our bus left Hyderabad at 9:45 Thursday night, and we were supposed to arrive around 7:30 on Friday. But, since this is India, and you arrive everywhere early, we arrived around noon. After walking around and letting our butts come back to life from 14 hours of sitting, we found a hotel. To get to the temple, we had to take a bus up some mountains. Despite the numerous signs cautioning to drive slow, because of hair-pin turns, that is still the fastest time I have probably ever seen a bus climb a mountain. After hanging at the temple for while, we descended back into the city, had some dinner, and called it a night. Since we couldn’t decide who would sleep on what bed, we combined all four twin beds to make a sort of super bed. It was hilarious- we all got to cuddle for the night. // The next morning, we went to Chennai to hang out. That is India’s fourth biggest city, a bit bigger than Hyderabad. Chennai is a coastal city on the Bay of Bengal, and so I was able to see the eastern coast of India. Aside from relaxing on the beach, and walking around, we didn’t do much. We did however stop at a place that sells both cheeseburgers and bacon. This is something of a miracle in a country where much of the population is vegetarian (the Hindus), and the rest doesn’t eat pork (the Muslims). Either because it had been so long since I’d eaten beef, or just because of the restaurant, it was one of the best burgers I’ve ever eaten. Oh the simple pleasures of Western foods when you eat Indian food nearly every day. You realize you take for granted the wide variety of foods that make up the American diet, both good and bad. // Our last adventure found us searching, to no avail, for a cheap hotel. We were disappointed to find that not many exist in Chennai. So, we had to resort to staying at the Ramada, and paying 5000 rupees (somewhere around $125). Usually you can find a decent place for around 600 per night, so this was a lot. It was ok though: even though we all had to cram onto a king sized bed, it was the most comfortable I’ve slept on in India. // And finally, I just heard that classes are cancelled today because of student protests; not sure why. It’s causing me to reminisce about my days of arriving to school in France, only to find a wall of chairs blocking shut my building. However, I am assuming this protest (unlike the ones in France) will only go on for a day or two, and not half the semester… unless we get lucky. // Photos should be added soon.

Posted at 12:01AM Feb 25, 2008 by abarkl in General  |  Comments[1]

Le Temps Pour Le Week-end

It's weekend time again! Hooray! But, before that wonderful time commences again, I have a test in India in World Affairs. No big worries though. The test is over non-alignment, and we spent a great deal of time talking about that- A LOT! Seven of us are going to head south, to Tirupati. It is a very important pilgrimage sight for Hindus, and evidently sees more visitors per year than either Mecca or the Vatican. It should be great. We are taking an overnight bus down there, and have no idea how we are getting back. Trains are all booked up, and the bus situation doesn't look too good. No one seems to be worried though, and I am only partially, so we’ll see what happens. // On Tuesday, we went to the city and went out to eat with Tamu, a friend of Lila’s who goes to school in Hyderabad. We were going to go shopping, but quickly tired of that, and instead decided to go to Senior Pepe’s Mexican restaurant. Yes, Senior Pepe’s… a Mexican restaurant in Hyderabad. My selection was the chicken fajitas, and they turned out to be pretty good. It was great. After that, I went to get my hair cut. I cautiously tried to describe to the hairdresser what I wanted done, while hoping my conversions of inches to centimeters would turn out useful. But, it was fine. My hair is the shortest it’s been in at least a year and a half. I’m a real boy again. :-) // Later that evening, we went to a Bollywood film about a Mughal emperor marrying a Hindu woman. It was in Hindi, so naturally the entire story was lost on me. It was great for a Bollywood film though; filmed pretty spectacularly, and lacking any random scenes of pop music and crazy dancing. However, I couldn’t bring myself to sit through all three hours of it, and neither could Lila, so we left early and went to Pizza Hut. A deep dish, double cheese pizza has never been so good.

Posted at 01:22AM Feb 21, 2008 by abarkl in General  |  Comments[2]

Tiesto Concert and Other Times'a'Dancing

This Saturday night proved to be an interesting, crazy night in Hyderabad. Tiesto was playing at Gachibowli Stadium. Tiesto is a world-famous DJ, and tickets were either 2000, 5000, or 10000 rupees. That’s at least $50 for a ticket, which is obscenely expensive, even by American standards. Fortunately, Gachibowli shares a wall with our campus, so we all headed there to have our own little free concert. We could hear the music pretty well, and that was fun. Later in the evening, a few of us headed back to campus. The night seemed to be reaching its end, when I received a call from Lila, saying that we had free rides to the after party at some place called Treasure Island. Yes, the club is famed to be a classy as it sounds. A few minutes later, I found myself riding in the back of some car, with some people I have never met before. Everyone else got into the other car. So it was I, and three Indians, driving to some place I have never been, far, far into the city. About an hour later, and much to my relief (although such a situation really has become the norm in India), we arrived. We got to dancing at some club called the “Ecstasy Bar”… I think. Either way, the music was awesome, and the dancing was great. Around 3 in the morning, we hitched a ride back to campus, which brings me to this blog, written at 5:15 in the morning. It was a great night indeed. // Tomorrow, I get to go to Linghampalli to pick up some pants I am having made. It’s pretty sweet. You got to a fabric store, pick out your fabric, and then go to the tailor to have pants made however you want. When I get back to the US, I’ll have pants that were specially made for me. That is of course if they are finished by then. They were set to be done on Wednesday, but if you adjust that to Indian time, it could mean late May. I’m sure I’ll see them soon. // Namaste.

Posted at 05:54PM Feb 16, 2008 by abarkl in General  |  Comments[0]

Unexpected, Rainy Day

Last night, a few of us watched Pulp Fiction here at the guesthouse, amidst a near constant series of power outages. The power has gone out here occasionally since we arrived in January. It will happen more and more as the hotter months arrive, and the power system is forced to adapt to millions of people trying not to roast. Last night, it went out a lot- three times at the exact same scene in the film. It was the scene in which Uma Thurman’s has to get an adrenaline shot because she overdoses on heroine. If you’ve seen the movie, you can imagine the disappointment having to restart that scene three different times. // After many failed attempts, we finished the movie. Then, we had the bright idea of staying up all night long. BUT, we caught early morning rain around two in the morning. This may not sound like a big deal, but it is. It is the dry season in this part of India, and it is not supposed to rain at all, for a few months. However, it has rained a couple of times this month, and last night it poured. It rained for 7 hours. It was crazy. We all ran outside and played in the rain. It was great, but again, highly unusual. With all the unexpected rain, the city was a mess this morning. The sudden downpour basically flooded out everything. Oh early, early season rains. Oh global warming. // Adios

Posted at 01:10PM Feb 13, 2008 by abarkl in General  |  Comments[1]

Random Stuff... and kittens.

It's been a while since I've written on my blog, so here it is. // This weekend, I didn't do much. I actually spent a decent portion of it writing my first paper. Not only was it extremely boring and disappointing doing research and writing papers again, but it was a little unexpected as well. It was the first time in India that I've felt like I was in school. This isn't because I'm not, just because school seems fake among the surreal experiences I've been having the last month and a half. // Today, we went to the city to spend the day. Nothing in particular was planned; it was simply a way to get away. It was a unpleasantly hot day (the first of many, many to come), so we rented a cab for the day to avoid the sick, choking heat of riding public transport. We cannot forget, Janne is Norwegian- she'll die under the harsh rays of Indian sunlight. It was a great day, very relaxing. We went to some coffee shop/restaurant called "Mocha", and I smoked from my first hookah (huqqa in Urdu speak). Don't worry mom, hookah smoke is flavored tobacco. Our flavor was rose-milk. That sounds odd, but it was fantastic. It's a pretty cool experience. While we were riding in the cab, I again had one of those moments when I was baffled by India. We were sitting in our cab, in the middle of an intersection, with cars and rickshaws crammed up next to us. As I looked around and listened to the noises, I again realized the constant life that goes on in Hyderabad. At every moment, in every space of the city, there is movement, noise... life. There are never moments without something happening. The city is always one huge, hectic life. The smells, sights, and sounds of India are a great thing. // Ivy broke the TV. // How are things in the US, and rest of the world? I want everybody who reads this to tell me... it will give me something to look at, and perhaps laugh.

Posted at 03:23PM Feb 12, 2008 by abarkl in General  |  Comments[0]

Down by the Sea

This week—thanks to cancelled classes and those I happened to miss—I went on a trip and visited India’s little paradise to the south. (I do study and go to class, honestly) The state is called Kerala, and it is an amazing place. I arrived in Cochin on Wednesday to a hot, humid city off the coast of the Arabian Sea. The first night turned out to be terrible, after I found out my financial aid was rejected by USD because neither it nor SDSU signed me up for credits (this problem has been fixed, thankfully). Before I got everything sorted out, my phone ran out of minutes, so I had to go search out a phone at the bus stop, surrounded by my own entourage of staring Indians. Finally, and after making my call to USD, I left the window open in my hot-as-hell room to air it out, and awoke to bug bites all over my body. Good thing I am on malaria meds, because I am pretty sure I fed an entire civilization of the flying parasites. /// Things from Thursday on were excellent. I took a backwater tour on the waterways of Kerala, which was 8 hours of green, luscious beauty. Saturday and Sunday were spent beneath the cliffs of Varkala on sandy, soft, European-speckled beaches. Varkala was gorgeous, and chilling on the beaches was extra relaxing. Add to that good seafood and a nice February-winter tan, and things couldn’t have been much better. /// One interesting story: I was looking for something to do Friday night, so I wandered my way to a clearing in the jungle called “Coconut Grove”. I received a flyer for an “African Trance” party at 11, but showed up at 10. After arriving to a crowd of aged, European pothead hippies who have retired in India, I found that I had stumbled upon a rave. This was much to my surprise, and made me a bit uncertain about my situation. But my better judgment lapsed and I decided to stay. Many other tourists began showing up from all over, so my uncertainties faded. Needless to say, I didn’t partake in any “rave-like” activities, other than dancing and a few drinks. Later than evening, or rather early that next morning, I vaguely remember making my way through the resorts and shops to my mosquito-netted bed above the sea. Oh what a night. /// Monday morning, I took the longest train ride of my life, and made it home to Hyderabad 29 hours later (for only $8.50). What a horrible, horrible thing rail travel becomes when your rear becomes one with a seat and you forget what its like to walk. That being said, Kerala was truly the paradise I was expecting. I have a feeling I may be going back.

Posted at 01:07PM Feb 05, 2008 by abarkl in General  |  Comments[3]