where in the world: May 2012

From Jaipur we took an overnight train to Jodhpur (this time without losing any students!). Our Jodhpur stay was unfortunately characterized by sicknesses: by the end of our trip 8 out of 10 were on medication of some sort. I managed to stay healthy and took on the medic role. The downside was having to stay back with three sick girls on the day the group went to see indigo block-printing - reason to return to Jodhpur, I guess!

After a day spent with the sickos at the hotel, we managed to rally for a dinner out on the town. Jodhpur is known as the "Blue City." We picked a rooftop restaurant in the heart of the old city to get a view of the blueness at sunset. It was great!

The girls.

Aerial view reveals a lot of trash.

The chaperons.

We took a trip to the main fort of Jodphur on our second day in the city. It is pretty incredible. I loved the current exhibit of paintings and also got some time to sketch with the girls.

A cute bunch!
Photo Cred: Rebecca

A trio of sketchers.
Photo Cred: Rebecca

On our last day in Jodhpur, we took a craft tour of rural villages. We saw pottery, an opium ceremony, and dhurrie weaving.

Charging up the wheel.

Opium wallah.

He had fun telling our girls ridiculous things.
Photo Cred: Rebecca

8th graders don't need opium, their wiring is already
pretty jumbled.

A feast! (It was an auspicious day in the village, so they
forced us to eat special food and sweets.)

Baby basket.

Refrigerator!

Jeep ride.

Dhurrie weaver.

I showed them my Rajasthan Lonely Planet book - they
got a kick out of seeing their business in it!

The assortment of facial expressions accurately reflects
our reaction to the whole dining experience. (Where
are we? Why are there 6 different types of animals?)

Our hosts?

A few of our dining companions.

Our stay in Jodhpur could also be characterized by indulgences - a beautiful hotel, great food, and a mehendhi break!

Photo Cred: Rebecca

If this isn't the best logo, I don't know what is. Nothing
says soda water like India King. BAM. Party in your mouth!
Photo Cred: Rebecca

Another nice soda water logo.

Afternoon swimming at the hotel. Rough life!

I lucked out and got to chaperon a second Activity Week this year. My colleague, Rebecca, and I designed a specialized trip to study traditional crafts in Rajasthan. We received funding and support from Winterline Center for the Arts, without them the trip would have been impossible. Rebecca is also to thank; she studied in Rajasthan last year on a Fulbright scholarship, so has many connections in the area. I was ecstatic to tag along!

With a group of eighth grade girls, we took off on a 10-day trip. We had a rough start when two girls jumped on a departing train in Delhi without the rest of us, but after that things smoothed out. We spent five days in Jaipur and four days in Jodhpur. We loved the desert weather after a cold Mussoorie winter, consumed enormous amounts of mango lassi, and immersed ourselves fully in textiles and other crafts.

Though I stand by my belief that eighth grade girls are a different species, it was a delight to take them on this trip. The knowledge we all gained about traditional crafts is so valuable. They will no doubt remember this for a lifetime.

Part 1: Jaipur

Morning ritual at the hotel - sunshine and mango lassis!
Photo cred: Rebecca

First stop in Jaipur was the Anokhi Farm. If you aren't familiar with Anokhi, it is one of the leading block-printing textile/clothing companies in India. Their products are absolutely beautiful. They are based just outside of Jaipur, so we spent a day touring their factory.

Quality Checks

Rachel, Anokhi's head designer, explaining the block-printing
process.

Our choice of blocks.

Our choice of ink colors.

Ink blocks.

A border with alternating design - pretty
fancy for a first-timer!

Hard at work.
Photo cred: Rebecca

Placing the last print on my scarf. (After placing it, you
give the block a hard and swift karate chop. We had
bruises on our hands afterwards!)

Quality check.

My scarf (before the colors were treated - it has since
changed colors!)

Woodstock scarves!

We also got a tour of Anokhi's organic garden.

The next day we headed to Amer Fort to look at architecture and patterns. This was my third visit there and I still found it incredibly enjoyable!

Skeptical of having to walk up that big hill in the heat.

I love this photo because of how clearly afraid the girls are!

Photo cred: Rebecca

(architectural butterfly)

How did he know I was taking his photo?

The whole gang.

From Amer we went to the nearby Anokhi museum.

Block-carver at Anokhi Museum

Photo cred: Rebecca

Carving an intricate design.

Photo cred: Rebecca

So many patterns and samples!

Photo cred: Rebecca

Block-printing lesson #2. He was impressed with us!

Photo cred: Rebecca

A sample of a ten color print.

Photo cred: Rebecca

And a shopping trip in the bazaar to round out the day.

The next day we drove about an hour outside of Jaipur to the village of Bagru, a traditional block-printing community. We met up with a printer, Vijendra, who is working with a non-profit organization, Bagru Textiles.