Jaipur: Round Three

When we originally entered Jaipur I saw the following sign: "Diabetes Welfare Medical Store" I have no comment other than that is an interesting name.

Growing up my brothers always went to Joe's Barber Shop in Schomberg. This shop had the red and white eye tricking cylindrical wonder out front. As children we would run full-speed up the sidewalk, and this spinning red and white would tell my brothers and I when we had arrived. In Jaipur barber shops aren't quite the same. They are mirrors hung on city walls with chairs/stools on the sidewalk hidden under tarps held up by bamboo poles. Why not? Do you really need anything more?

The Dominican Republic is often my frame of reference when travelling, especially when it comes to construction related matters. This is not because the DR is the be all and end all, rather, I have the most experience living in that country. I thought the DR had she on me all of the possible creative ways to create scaffolding. Nope. I think India has the DR beat. Exhibit A: bamboo poles with rope. Yep. Five stories high. Secured through windows. Repairing the city palace. Bamboo and rope.

 I have seen many more Muslims in Jaipur. Don't know why. Don't know if is statistically true or if I have just seen more, but that is my observation.

I saw an interesting ad on a bus here: "Treehouse High School: from nursery to grade seven." Maybe a difference in word meaning?

While in Jaipur I had the grand privilege of meeting up with Joseph Kim, a former student. Joseph was a student on my second iBlock trip, the first to the Dominican. While in the DR Joseph quickly got used to being referred to as Jackie Chan. He eventually owned the part and would throw some moves out there when people called him. Anyhow, Joseph is interning for an NGO (non-governmental organization) that works on implementing the law for "the untouchables" here in India. Ill write a blurb eventually about what I've learned about Hindu but in short, in Hinduism there is a history of a caste society. Formally and officially this was abolished by the Indian government in the 1950's but it still lives in the people. There are four castes and the untouchables are so low they are not considered human and therefore they have no place in the caste system. I believe, but will verify, that the untouchables are even lower than monkeys, elephants and owls (need to verify information). These are the people Mother Teresa worked among. These are the people this NGO is trying to help. This is where Joe is working and this is why he is living in India for the summer. He travelled India last summer alone and loved it so much he applied for the internship here. 

Joe posted a picture on Facebook at the end if June if him in front of the Taj Mahal. We messaged back and forth and made arrangements to connect. Teresa and Michelle joined us. We had a grand time of reminiscing but he also taught us a lot about Indian culture, Hinduism, Buddhism and what he is doing at work. We laughed and reminisced but we also learned a lot. Every once in a whole joe would stop, pause, shake his head and say "I just can't relieve this is real. I'm sitting beside Rachael not in Ontario, but in India." Lets get real here: this is crazy. I haven't seen him since he graduated two years ago and, despite India's geographical grandness, our path crossed. It's super fun. Super. Connections and memories. These are some of the things that make me love my life.

Thanks Joe!