[Cabs] Namaste Jaipur Se! (Hello from Jaipur)

[melissa green]

hi esha.
Glad you are learning so much on your trip.
I wasn't at convention either.
Like maryanne, I listened to the live stream.
Have a blessed day.
Blessings,
Always,
Melissa and Pj
Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "becky sabo" <beckyasabo at gmail.com>
To: "'Colorado Association of Blind Students List'" <cabs at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, July 05, 2012 6:14 PM
Subject: Re: [Cabs] Namaste Jaipur Se! (Hello from Jaipur)


Hi Esha,
That is good that you are enjoying being in India.  Why are you there for
and how long will you be there?  Is it for school or just for personal.  I
like hearing what you are doing there and the different culture shocks and
events.  I hope you can make a difference there for the children who are
blind.
Becky Sabo

-----Original Message-----
From: cabs-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:cabs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Esha Mehta
Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2012 12:37 PM
To: Colorado Association of Blind Students List
Subject: [Cabs] Namaaste Jaipur Se! (Hello from Jaipur)

Hi!

I finally have legitimate internet! Yay! It's too slow for skype, but at
least it's internet. Here what's been going on during my first few weeks in
India...

Some of you know this already, but others might not. I'm here in Jaipur,
India at the American Institute for Indian Studies and am part of thier
intensive language training program for Hindi. Basically, it's summer school
on steroids because we move super fast and are completely immersed in the
language. For example, my host mom doesn't speak any English so not only do
I have to use Hindi in class, but my roomate and I have to use it all the
time to communicate with her! So crazy!

The first few weeks of class were pretty rough. I learned that there is no
such thing as a schedule and everything happens at its own pace.
In a way, it's refreshing because time isn't all that important like it is
back home. People are more relaxed here and the stress of getting things
done "on time" never seems to touch them. As one can imagine though, it
stinks to be on the other side of "Indian Standard Time" or IST...where "you
will get it tomorrow" might actually mean next week or "this riksha will
arrive at 1pm" might actually suggest you bring some snacks with you because
by the time you get home, it might be past dinner time! Haha! By the way,
IST is in no way related to "Esha time" where in which actual time is
slightly skewed about 20 minutes in the direction of "late." ;)

Seriously, it has been frustrating getting used to the pace of things out
here. I'm learning the Bharati Braille code officially now and have to stop
myself from getting all in a tizzy because things aren't happening as
quickly as they would in the states. It's a different culture--a very
different way of life.  I've realized how blessed I am to have the access I
do to accessible material when I need it and to be in a place, where I can
convert things myself if I need to. It was a shock (though it shouldn't have
been) that there are no Braille plaques on doors, or labeled elevator
buttons, or even books in audio at the book stores we went to. I'm not sure
if it is that society overlooked these things, or it's not of importance to
them. I'm eager to find out though. I wonder what it's like for anyone with
any disability here who actually lives here. There's a school for the blind
in this state that I will have to opportunity to go to and hopefully get
some guidance on how all of this works for blind students in India. I'm
hoping it will be a positive experience and show me how I can help make
things accessible for everyone. I learned that here in Rhagistan, public
schools are very wary of having blind students in theri school.
It's all about changing there perceptions about blindness because they are
very old school in their thinking and just don't understand. They can't
provide material for students in public schools and as far as I can tell,
there are no such things as a TVI. In major cities, like New Delhi, blind
students do go to public schools becuse they are more well-equipped with
embossers and things and seem more aware. It's all about changing
perceptions about blindness or any disability no matter where you are in the
world.

Exploring our little neighborhood shops was also an experience. My first
question as I walked down the street with some friends to go shopping was,
"where did all the pollution go?" I mean, it's not no where near as clean as
the U.S., but it's like 100% cleaner  than when I went with my family 15
years ago. No roaming horses or cow crossings here...just street dogs and
the occasional dead something or other that had the unfortunate run-in with
a scooter or rikshaa that led it to become a dusty street pizza.

There's something about India that keeps you coming back despite the
poverty, acrid smells, crazy traffic, and intense heat. There's a need for
love and compassion here for all types of minorities. It's a beautiful place
with beautiful people. Though there are things that really bother me like
access for people with disabilities and the cast system, I'm realizing that
the smallest actions like giving a street kid a piggy back ride or
explaining blindness to a shopkeeper really goes further than I could have
ever imagined!

That's all for now....I hope you all are enjoying convention!

Take care,
Esha

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