A lot has happened since I last posted. My roommate, Lais, and I decided to stay with our homestay family despite the lack of language. I don't think I realized, until I was thinking about leaving, how quickly I had bonded with them. I honestly couldn't see myself being as close with any other family. I really do care about them and they care about me and Lais just as much, if not more. I think we made the right decision to stay, even if it will take some time to get used to the squat toilet and cold bucket showers.
Yesterday, Lais, three guys from our program and their host brother, Amal, visted the famous Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Trivandrum. It was recently discovered that this temple is the richest in the world, after they discovered almost $27 million worth of gold and other assets this past June. We were not permitted to enter the temple because we are not Hindu, but the temple is absolutely stunning from the outside. The entire thing is intricately carved and painted so that it looks like carved ivory.
After the trip to the temple, Amal and his friend brought us to a crumbling bridge at the shore of the Indian Ocean. He told us that the bridge was built by the British about a hundred years ago. When we visited yesterday, there were people lining the edge of the bridge with fishing lines and nets, trying to catch a couple tr fish for dinner. Amal told me that these were not commercial fisherman and pointed to the colorful wooden boats that were out on the ocean, catching fish to sell at the market. The view from on top of the bridge was spectacular and revealed the colorful huts that lined the shore as far as the eye could see. Amal then took us on a walk along the shore. While he insisted the walk would be short, it felt to me that it took an eternity. I think it was all made worse after I saw a disemboweled cat, followed by the largest dead rat I have ever witnessed in my life. The shore was incredibly polluted to say the least, with dead fish and feces scattered about everwhere. The people who lived along the shore resided in houses with thatched, palm leaf roofs. Considering how much it rains here, they must have constant flooding. The entire sight was incredibly dismaying.
The pollution and litter here is pretty severe. I think this really hit home when, after that long walk, I needed to throw out my coke can and Amal told me to throw it on the ground. I asked him if there was a garbage can anywhere and he simply pointed at the ground. I refused to throw my can on the ground, not convinced that there was no way I could properly dispose of the can. Eventually Amal snatached the can out of my hand and just tossed away on the ground. This made me realize one of two things: the first is that I no longer wanted to consume items here that are non-reusable because I would just be adding to the pollution. The second is that this place is in desperate need of a proper recycling system. I was just told that in the Malaylam news a few days ago was a report that the dumps here are officially at capacity and there is no place to put all the trash. I don't know what the ultimate solution will be but I did watch something really awesome on BBC International today. Its called "Litre of Light" and its the coolest idea ever. It's a sustainable lightbulb that uses only a discarded plastic bottle filled with water and a little piece of tin. Check it out: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14967535?asid=27e38aba
We also didn't have class today because there have been gas strikes because the cost of fuel here is too high and people are demanding that the government subsidize it further. This was the second strike in three days so hopefully they will reach some sort of an agreement soon.
That's all for now because I have to get home! Namaskaram.
Yesterday, Lais, three guys from our program and their host brother, Amal, visted the famous Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Trivandrum. It was recently discovered that this temple is the richest in the world, after they discovered almost $27 million worth of gold and other assets this past June. We were not permitted to enter the temple because we are not Hindu, but the temple is absolutely stunning from the outside. The entire thing is intricately carved and painted so that it looks like carved ivory.
After the trip to the temple, Amal and his friend brought us to a crumbling bridge at the shore of the Indian Ocean. He told us that the bridge was built by the British about a hundred years ago. When we visited yesterday, there were people lining the edge of the bridge with fishing lines and nets, trying to catch a couple tr fish for dinner. Amal told me that these were not commercial fisherman and pointed to the colorful wooden boats that were out on the ocean, catching fish to sell at the market. The view from on top of the bridge was spectacular and revealed the colorful huts that lined the shore as far as the eye could see. Amal then took us on a walk along the shore. While he insisted the walk would be short, it felt to me that it took an eternity. I think it was all made worse after I saw a disemboweled cat, followed by the largest dead rat I have ever witnessed in my life. The shore was incredibly polluted to say the least, with dead fish and feces scattered about everwhere. The people who lived along the shore resided in houses with thatched, palm leaf roofs. Considering how much it rains here, they must have constant flooding. The entire sight was incredibly dismaying.
The pollution and litter here is pretty severe. I think this really hit home when, after that long walk, I needed to throw out my coke can and Amal told me to throw it on the ground. I asked him if there was a garbage can anywhere and he simply pointed at the ground. I refused to throw my can on the ground, not convinced that there was no way I could properly dispose of the can. Eventually Amal snatached the can out of my hand and just tossed away on the ground. This made me realize one of two things: the first is that I no longer wanted to consume items here that are non-reusable because I would just be adding to the pollution. The second is that this place is in desperate need of a proper recycling system. I was just told that in the Malaylam news a few days ago was a report that the dumps here are officially at capacity and there is no place to put all the trash. I don't know what the ultimate solution will be but I did watch something really awesome on BBC International today. Its called "Litre of Light" and its the coolest idea ever. It's a sustainable lightbulb that uses only a discarded plastic bottle filled with water and a little piece of tin. Check it out: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14967535?asid=27e38aba
We also didn't have class today because there have been gas strikes because the cost of fuel here is too high and people are demanding that the government subsidize it further. This was the second strike in three days so hopefully they will reach some sort of an agreement soon.
That's all for now because I have to get home! Namaskaram.
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