Ladies and Gangsters!
How is everyone? And on that note, I would like to comment that our little blog is getting an absurd amount of hits, but hardly any comments. Are you all very shy, or is our blog simply so informative (or dull) that there is nothing left to say?
But I digress. Obviously, my topic is us, not you. So: Life in Pondi basically consists of fairly everyday'ish week days and some weekend adventures. To begin with the latter, a weekend trip to the Nilgiris Mountains was quite a highlight. Some 15-20 of our group traveled by bus (almost 15 hours on the way there), which was fun but hardly comfortable. Some people were displaying great imagination in trying out potentially comfortable positions to sleep in, with varying success. Others sat quite still drinking liqour for the very same purpose, also with varying success. When we finally arrived Kodaikanal (roughly spelled), the bus ordeal was immediately worthwhile. At 2000-something meters above sea level, southern India is surprisingly similar to Norway. Astonishing scenery, in other words. We spent the weekend doing some hiking, some swimming and loads of bonfire cozy time (including singing, drinking, pantomiming and the occational falling into the fire). All in all a highly successful trip, and a big hand for Christian for primus motor'ing the whole thing!
Another reason for why our mountain trip was quite a relief was the weekend before, which was spent in Chennai. Chennai, or Madras, is a bloody big (some 6 million people), noisy and smelly city. It was good fun though, and a huge change from peaceful Pondicherry (by Indian standards). I met another Bollywood dude who has so far offered me to dub an (entire) movie to English, and to participate in a 3-day filming in Hydrabad. Unfortunately, poor timing and Promises to Keep forced me to decline both offers. But the Bollywood Dream lives on.
That's about it for the weekends. The last one was less eventful, except for some energetic partying last Friday (to those whom I promised not to do any climbing in trees and the likes while I'm here: I'm sorry). Needless to say, among the 60-something Norwegian youngsters gathered in a farmhouse outside of town (the whole thing was set up by our co-ordinator down here, most likely for the purpose of giving the neighbours in Pondi a rest), a number of people behaved far short of gracefully. But no blood, no foul.
As for the week days, we have settled in nicely, adjusting well to the Joy and the Madness of India. Also, school work is increasingly a priority as it is time to do some serious work on our group assignment (which is what I am supposed to be doing right now). I'm optimistic, though, we've formed a good group and I think the dissertation (the working title of which is something like "Corruption in India as an Obstacle to Positive Peace") will be quite interesting. We expect it to be published and for sale in all major book stores just in time for your Christmas shopping.
As for extra-curricular activities, I must shamefully admit that I stopped attending the Bollywood dancing. I have, however, joined the Volleyball Committee, who's task is to arrange a volleyball tournament between the students, as well as an all-star match against local heroes (due to poor attendence at practice it seems fairly clear that we are the underdogs in this match-up). Sigurd S, on his part, is in the Children's Day Committee, who are arranging sort of an activity day for local kids upcoming Saturday. Should be a nice 17th-of-May kind of thing. Except of course from the speeches and Norwegian flags.
Wow, this is turning out to be a rather long blog post. Still, I thought I would write a little something about Indians.
Indians are odd. They are also, to generalise absurdly, the most generous people I've ever met. Examples include our security guard who has repeatedly invited us to share his lunch (not to mention invited everyone in our house - some 35 people - to his son's wedding), one of our lecturers, Sudha, who has been overwhelmingly eager to help everyone with their assignments, and loads of others who have invited people to their homes and offered to help in any way imaginable. Some take this a bit far, just yesterday I am quite sure this guy we met on the beach offered - besides repeatedly trying to give us money - to assasinate anyone who bothers us. Not to mention the guy who has, out of clear blue sky, named an orphanage after our friend Marte and a friend of hers whose contribution is limited to being in a photo the guy has seen. A less dramatic gesture was afforded by another guy we met on the beach, who 60 times in half as many minutes shouted "I like this man! I like his body!" to our friend Anders K, each time while laughing hysterically.
Like I said: odd.
For those of you who managed to read this whole novel of mine: Go well, be well!
Sigurd B
"If there is one place on the face of the earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is INDIA"
-
Romain Rolland, French Scholar
Bålkos på fjellet!
Veldig fint: Kodaikanal.
Cafèbesøk på høgfjellet.
Hipp hurra, nesten som heime!
Eit lite knippe av India sine 200 millionar kyr.
Oppnedbading i ei elv på fjellet. Kaldt, men forfriskande.
Heile turgjengen!
To av 400.000 indarar (og 30 nordmenn) som var med på måneskinstur i Tiruvannamalai.
Pondycherry er stolt av byen sin: Beauty is our city!
Medan nokon arbeidar med å fiske frå ein slags planke, slappar andre av.
Studiesenteret vårt. Hengekøyer og plankebåtar om kvarandre.
Klassebilde med førelesaren vår, Yajadeva (eller var det Jayadeva?) frå Sri Lanka.
Rickshawsjåfør med blodsprengde auger i Chennai.
Ein liten tilbakeståande gut og den sinte broren hans.
Offameg, pass dåke for han her...
Skulejenter sett frå sykkelsetet.
Sigurdane viser fram dei fine syklane sine.
Paradise Beach, like ved studiesenteret vårt.
