Wow

Hey Buddies!

Ok, so this entry is going to be about the really awesome stuff I've done so far. Don't be jealous. But I kinda hope you are. :)

First, I have two new favorite places in the world. Birla Mundir, which I just talked about in my last entry, is absolutely amazing. It is enormous and entirely made of white marble. It is incredible beautiful, and is juxtaposed against the imposing, crumbling Moti Dungri Fort which is perched on the hill behind the temple. The terrace in front overlooks the major road in Jaipur, JLN Marg, and at night, when it cools down and people come from the city over for puja, it is basically magical. Music plays from specially designed speakers in the architecture, and little kids run all over the place, and I've been there three times already to enjoy the evening and get a feel for the city.

Secondly, Moti Dungri itself. It is comprised of a beautiful Shiv temple at the top of a massive hill (The Aravali Mountains, in fact), surrounded by a fort in the Scottish style, which, if you've seen Braveheart, you know is impressive. You can't go there anymore, except on Shivratri, a holiday that comes only once a year. Any no one I know has made it through the line to the temple itself. It is shrouded in mystery, supposedly having served as a prison for potential heirs to the Rajasthani throne and the residence of the famous Maharani Devi, widely considered one of the most beautiful women in the world. I don't how much of this is true, as local history here is often blended with lore and culture in a really compelling way.

The third is an all-white marble Jain temple on the top of an even higher hill, totally isolated. You can visit this, and we went late in the evening, just before the temple was closed for the night. The temple was totally empty, and my two friends, our host mamu and I wandered through until we came across an enormous murti (religious statue/icon) and then wandered out to a balcony that overlooked the entire city. I was literally one of the most incredible sights I have ever seen. At the risk of sounding utterly ludicrous, the lights of the city looked like the Milky Way, and we were perched on the edge of a mountain (were tigers are still occasionally spotted) facing the wind and utterly silent.

This has been an amazing experience so far. My Hindi is slowly getting a bit better, but it has definitely fallen through a few times. My understanding is coming along, dhire dhire, but we had a debate today about an article we read, and let me tell you, that was pretty darn difficult. I am slowly but surely building relationships with my host family, and have even gotten them to laugh with a joke in Hindi. (For those of you who speak Hindi/Urdu - My housemate, Laura, was trying to find us some Hindi names with the help of our youngest host sister, Nainu. The whole family was sitting together outside and was joining in the conversation. Laura suddenly suggested Khushbu, and I immediately came back with "Nahin, Badbu," and Aunty Ji almost died laughing. )

I promise pictures are coming, but the combination of the fact that I only get internet at school and the fact that so far everything has been too absorbing to document have made it a bit difficult. But they are coming. Promise.

Love to you all, and a special shout out to all the dads who are reading, and especially my Dad, have a great Father's Day!!!!