George and Carol in India: Off And Running

Golf Links is a very upscale gated community in Delhi. Since the Delhi municipal government is almost totally ineffectual, areas with sufficient resources have decided to provide their own security. Hence an army of private security personnel stand/sit permanently in front of the gated homes of the affluent as well as at almost every retail establishment. The vast majority of residents are extremely poor and are essentially left to fend for themselves. The newspapers report on affairs of state as well as the affairs of Bollywood stars, but say virtually nothing about the vast majority of 12 million people who live in Delhi. Many of these folks live on sidewalks or in shanty towns and one can only imagine the types of violence they live with daily.

So, yes, we're pampered, and that fact can't be ignored when you see how much poverty exists all around you. I will write more about that later and how we're processing that individually and as a group. Among our pampering assets is cable TV. TLC and I discovered (actually she did) that we had ESPN and to my great delight the Duck-Boise State game was on--live and in living gut-churning blue color. As you may know, it turned out not to be a great day to be a Duck. The vaunted Duck offense was about as effective as the Delhi municipal government. It was not, in a word, Off And Running. But, after this equally gut-churning and meandering introduction, I'm pleased to report that we, in fact, ARE!

After 4-5 days of feeling like death warmed over, I am risen. Carol isn't sure this is a good thing because now I'm back to my normal habit of getting up at 3:30; and, because this is a one room apartment, my prowling, coffee-making, internet surfing habits interrupt her far greater need for sleep.

Several of the students are suffering from some of the same symptoms I had and we're all subject to a variety of diagnoses. Yesterday morning when we arrived at the building where the students are staying, Rashmi Ahuja, who owns/runs the two places, was quite convinced I was dehydrated. She offered as evidence the "dark spots" under my eyes and something about dark spots under my jaws as well. I must, she insisted, add hydration salts to my water and assured me I would soon be fit as the proverbial fiddle. In fact she brought a packet which I dutifully added to both our drinking bottles. Sunil, our most excellent academic leader, was having his own bout of sinus woes and attributes it to the constant and dramatic changes between being outside in the God-awful oppression of heat and humidity to the mind-numbing cold of the air conditioning. Carol is equally sure it's my karma and warns me to be more mindful of my choices (I couldn't get a clear explanation from her reading of the jaw-thing).

Speaking of Sunil Kumar. He is everything Dell and Helen promised. The pre-imminent scholar of Indian Medieval History, he has a brilliant intellect, an encyclopedic knowledge of Indian history, a compelling sense of social justice, a disarming and endearing approachability and a passion for teaching which is contagious. He gave a one hour lecture on the history of Delhi which was one of the most engaging academic presentations I've ever heard. He met us yesterday at the University of Delhi, where he teaches (he is on a three year leave of absence to teach at the Univ. of London's School of Oriental and African Studies--but has returned to Delhi for about a month to work with us). He had arranged for a group of History graduate students to meet with our students and the experience was interesting, fun and highly enlightening. As Carol and I get to know him, he wrestles with the same issues many of us in education wrestle with--how to engage students and how to get students to step beyond their comfort zones and engage and challenge the relevancy of the class-room to the real-room. I must say that this group seems ready willing and able to meet those challenges.

Delhi is one amazing place. Because I've been laid up for the past bit, we haven't had a chance to explore as much as we've wanted to. So far, we've done most of our shopping and taken most of our non-group meals at the Kahn Market--a very interesting place several blocks away. However, now that we're Off And Running, that will change.

The students are again turning out to be the best part of the trip for us. I wrote in my Aussie blog that the highlight of that experience was the stunningly marvelous group of young people who allowed us to travel with them. This group is no less exceptional. They are smart, funny, adventurous and open. They are bonding and seem attentive to their respective needs--that is, they take care of each other. Do you agree with that Kiran?

Carol has been carrying most of the water so far. She's taken care of me and suffered my mewling (crossword puzzle word) while shouldering the bulk of the responsibility of setting up the organizational details, including monitoring in some detail a substantial budget. She has captured the affection of the students because of her natural charm and loveliness, but also because she has all the money (the kindest thing anyone has said about me is that I look "well traveled"--probably the jaw thing).

We really miss Joe and Rose and Mookie and Milo and all the gang and we wish you were all here with us--especially now that we're Off And Running. In the meantime, could someone explain to me how an Oregon offense could only gain 9 yards in the first half!

Here are a few more pictures from the last several days.

Sunil and Shandara

Rika and Sharada

Sharada, TLC and Rosie

Sharada and TLC take a break

"That's right" I tell the students, "only 9 yards in the first half."

Alex, Helen, Rika and Leah

Keletso--one of the happiest, most positive people I've ever met

Golf Links Dining Hall. Kiran, Keletso, Greg and Lucie

It was election day at the University. Sexual harassment has become a central issue on campus. This sign was posted outside the College of Social Sciences where we met with graduate students in History. The students, male and female, talked about their experiences as young men and women in India. Sunil has asked our students to "make a friend" and write about that experience. Meeting with the University students was a chance to get going on that assignment.

Inside our bus on the way to the U of Delhi. The previous day Sunil had to find the bus driver who was lost and couldn't find us. On that field trip, he got lost at least 5 times. We got the same bus driver for this trip but we insisted the bus line send a co-pilot who knew his way around Delhi. Sunil had gone ahead so Carol and I were responsible for making sure we got there. You can see how stressed out the students are.

The most amazing thing about this shot is the fact that there's open space in front of the bus. The physics of Delhi traffic demand that no space remain empty for more than three nano seconds. I'm right over the driver's shoulder but I'm focused on the guy who's supposed to know where we're going. Every 5 minutes or so I ask him "are we there yet?" He doesn't think it's that funny.