For five days we are staying in the rainforest- in the Western Ghats near the town of Madakari. Our group was split up into a large group who were staying at a place named Rainforest Retreat and a smaller group staying at a place named Golden Mist.
I am staying with the smaller group at Golden Mist. Golden Mist is owned by a German man named Ludwig. Apparently this place does not take many guests and it is not very many people know about it. Ludwig is a very soft spoken man who says that the right things just happened in his life and he made many decisions where he just followed his gut feeling and that led him to his life here in India. He lives here with his two German shepherds and a few Indian staff. On the property where we are staying, Ludwig does organic agriculture and has built several little cottages for guests to stay at. He says that because of the extreme rainfall, agriculture is not profitable enough for him to make a living so he takes guests although he does not like to do this too much. He grows coffee, tea, vanilla, pepper, cardamon, and rice. Apparently he was once a very successful landscaper in Germany and could have supported himself very well in that business although it was not what he enjoyed and he was not totally concerned with making lots of money.
In golden mist, six of us are staying in a really cozy cottage with a fire place and a nook to sleep in. It is really nice to stay with a smaller group and we are getting really close. At night and in the early morning the temperature drops and you can hear the crickets very loudly.
Rainforest Retreat is owned by a couple named Sujetta and Annu. Sujetta has a PhD in Botany and Annu has a PhD in Molecular Biology. They perform research in organic, conservation agriculture and have a 13 year old daughter named Maya.
During our time in the rainforest we are harvesting and processing organic coffee, tea, and vanilla. We are also studying many of the other flora and fauna. We visited an elementary school in the rainforest were there are 8 students studying. These children would only know their very secluded part of the rainforest and many would stay there for their entire life. We tried to tell them a little about Canada and taught them a camp song (There was a Great Big Moose). They were really cute although very shy.
When we were waiting for the bus to take us up the mountain from the elementary school to the Rainforest Retreat, a few girls from the trip and I had a really good conversation with one of the interns from the Rainforest Retreat. She was from India and studied International Development and International Relations in the UK. It was a really good opportunity because she had experienced another culture that was similar to ours and was able to see some of the differences.
She said that western culture is more open to new things and there is an importance of individuality. She said that western people are more expressive. She explained that Indian culture is very traditional and that Indians are not able to be as expressive because they are restricted by their obligations. Indians are expected to act a certain way based on their sex and caste and also, a person's actions are a direct reflection and representation of their family. She thought that it holds some Indians from finding out who they really are.
The most interesting thing that the intern from the Rainforest Retreat told us was about the significance of the bindi (marking that Indians wear on their forehead). She said that when someone is angry, they will rub their forehead and the action of doing this is like acupuncture on the pressure point to relieve some of this anger. The bindi is placed at the pressure point between the eyebrows in order to keep acupuncture on this point. This is significant because it reminds people not to react and to be peaceful. This is a very important aspect of Hinduism. I have seen women with all kinds of beautiful bindis in different colours and designs. It has turned into a kind of fashion and these bindi stickers are sold everywhere. We asked if it would be appropriate for us to wear a bindi and she said that it would and that Indian people would take it as a complement.
I am staying with the smaller group at Golden Mist. Golden Mist is owned by a German man named Ludwig. Apparently this place does not take many guests and it is not very many people know about it. Ludwig is a very soft spoken man who says that the right things just happened in his life and he made many decisions where he just followed his gut feeling and that led him to his life here in India. He lives here with his two German shepherds and a few Indian staff. On the property where we are staying, Ludwig does organic agriculture and has built several little cottages for guests to stay at. He says that because of the extreme rainfall, agriculture is not profitable enough for him to make a living so he takes guests although he does not like to do this too much. He grows coffee, tea, vanilla, pepper, cardamon, and rice. Apparently he was once a very successful landscaper in Germany and could have supported himself very well in that business although it was not what he enjoyed and he was not totally concerned with making lots of money.
In golden mist, six of us are staying in a really cozy cottage with a fire place and a nook to sleep in. It is really nice to stay with a smaller group and we are getting really close. At night and in the early morning the temperature drops and you can hear the crickets very loudly.
Rainforest Retreat is owned by a couple named Sujetta and Annu. Sujetta has a PhD in Botany and Annu has a PhD in Molecular Biology. They perform research in organic, conservation agriculture and have a 13 year old daughter named Maya.
During our time in the rainforest we are harvesting and processing organic coffee, tea, and vanilla. We are also studying many of the other flora and fauna. We visited an elementary school in the rainforest were there are 8 students studying. These children would only know their very secluded part of the rainforest and many would stay there for their entire life. We tried to tell them a little about Canada and taught them a camp song (There was a Great Big Moose). They were really cute although very shy.
When we were waiting for the bus to take us up the mountain from the elementary school to the Rainforest Retreat, a few girls from the trip and I had a really good conversation with one of the interns from the Rainforest Retreat. She was from India and studied International Development and International Relations in the UK. It was a really good opportunity because she had experienced another culture that was similar to ours and was able to see some of the differences.
She said that western culture is more open to new things and there is an importance of individuality. She said that western people are more expressive. She explained that Indian culture is very traditional and that Indians are not able to be as expressive because they are restricted by their obligations. Indians are expected to act a certain way based on their sex and caste and also, a person's actions are a direct reflection and representation of their family. She thought that it holds some Indians from finding out who they really are.
The most interesting thing that the intern from the Rainforest Retreat told us was about the significance of the bindi (marking that Indians wear on their forehead). She said that when someone is angry, they will rub their forehead and the action of doing this is like acupuncture on the pressure point to relieve some of this anger. The bindi is placed at the pressure point between the eyebrows in order to keep acupuncture on this point. This is significant because it reminds people not to react and to be peaceful. This is a very important aspect of Hinduism. I have seen women with all kinds of beautiful bindis in different colours and designs. It has turned into a kind of fashion and these bindi stickers are sold everywhere. We asked if it would be appropriate for us to wear a bindi and she said that it would and that Indian people would take it as a complement.
Hey Heather,
ReplyDeleteWhy are you always wearing your sunglasses in every picture. We need to see your eyes at some point because your eyes are they key to your soul. I am enjoying reading your blog entries. Nearly as good as being there. TD from PT