India That Magical Place

So much happening, so little time.

4 days till we leave NID. Trying desperately to finish my ceramics assignment, haha maybe I’m attempting the impossible. Not being a ceramics buff I have to rely on the expertise of the technicians (who are amazing, they’re traditionally trained potters), though their English is not so great and I have spent a couple of weeks waiting around for hours- I get ten minutes attention and then they run off. I suspect the language barrier has a lot to do with it, rather than struggle with the frustration of it, it’s easier to ignore me. Kath and I have the distinct feeling that our work is not being taken seriously, by faculty and students alike. Faculty are blasé and students are pushy and rude about the equipment. Not to worry, we leave soon.

Snippets from the last two weeks…

We went with the ceramics students on a factory tour. 21 hours of hell, seriously the worst day I’ve had. The factories were incredibly interesting, due to the intensity of the heat, I feel I only absorbed a fraction of the information which I was being bombarded with. By the evening my stomach had swollen, hmmm I felt I was carrying a watermelon around and the pain was intense, swollen legs- through the day my jeans got progressively tighter (God how I wished I could rip them off). Perhaps I was suffering from heat stroke a little. Amusing in retrospect, but at the time nightmarish (an endless bus trip in a tin box, no air conditioning, broken seats and windows which wouldn’t budge). We were exposed to a range of ceramics factories, very small to large scale. In the smaller factories it seemed to be a whole family affair, even the children were helping out. In the large factories it was a different story, OH&S regulations seemed to be in place, the environment was cleaner, better lighting. Though what struck me about one tile factory in-particular, was how modern the complex and machinery appeared to be, mostly men working throughout except right out the back. Here the lighting was poor due to the dust content in the air, the air heavy dank and humid because of the wet clay, a room where women appeared to be doing the most labour intensive task in the whole factory. They were bent over shifting through the wet clay, removing clumps, then they would carry the waste in buckets on their heads to a truck, all the while a couple of men stood around supervising.

The trip was intense, it was extreme and it was horrible, but I’m so glad I went. I saw things I’m only vaguely aware of, it gave me a greater appreciation of the conditions people exist in. The fiery heat of the day; part weather, part emanating from the ceramics factories (firing the ceramics products generated an intense amount of heat and there are hundreds of factories in the Morbi district). The heat rendered me useless and here people worked in it seven days a week.

I’ve been bitten by something… I have a large lump on my leg which is burning hot. Dr Quinn, medicine woman has given me some cream for it. How I love organised people.

We went for my friends birthday, surprised her with a cake at the restaurant and taught a beggar on the street to play happy birthday on his home made string instrument. We paid him and gave him and his son some of the birthday cake. It was a little dicey when we took them into the restaurant- the manager tried to throw them out. But the happy birthday moment won over, I think the musician was completely shocked by the series of events. A fun night.

I’m feeling a little sad, I’ve cemented friendships and now I am leaving- the nature of the travelling beast. Juggling school work and friends always a dilemma in Fiona’s world.