I’ve heard that back home there have been some questions
about the appearance of the nine-tenths sign in a few of my pictures on my
blog. A friend of mine on the program, Max, is part of a group called the
Nine-Tenths Crew. The way he’s described it is as a philosophy. Their motto is “If
it was perfect, then it wouldn’t be any fun.” If everything in life was
perfect, than nothing exciting would ever happen; perfection is boring. If
everything and everyone was the same, where would the excitement in life be?
Life is about the fun. Life isn’t
perfect and people aren’t perfect, but things can come pretty close and that’s
when you truly appreciate something. It’s all about being optimistic while
remaining realistic through life.
I
think this is something important to remember, especially as you’re entering a
new point in your life. Whether it’s entering high school, going to college,
going abroad, or just the fact that things are different every day; remember
this philosophy. It was started by a group of college students, but really
portrays something important that we should all keep in mind when the little
(or big) things in life start to bother us. What would we learn if everything
was perfect and things went so smoothly? As Allison would say, “Live life in a
way that makes the best stories.”
You
can see the blog for the Nine-Tenths Crew (Check it out as it’s going
international!) at: ninetenthscrew.tumbrl.com
Hi Kiley,
ReplyDeleteSilver Lake here with three questions.
Paige asks, "What is the living condition like compared to Morocco?
Julia wants to know, "How are the streets, houses and architecture in India different than Morocco?"
and Jon is curious about the train ride, "How comfy were the beds and did anyone take turns sleeping on the floor?"
The students also wanted to know, since they heard that some of your friends from the program were going to be in the area, if they could come with you to visit the classes?
Thanks for your time. We look forward to reading your answers.
Silver Lake High School
Paige: The family I live with here is part of the highest caste, the Rajput, so they have a lot of money. The house I live in is big even by American standards. My family has only Western style toilets but hot water is not something anyone has. You have to heat it on your own, or with a geyser, which you turn on and it heats up a certain amount of water. I do live pretty comfortably here, just as I did in Morocco. Lifestyles are different though in the house, particularly eating habits. I don’t eat nearly as late here as I did in Morocco, which is nice. Also, my family, along with many families, is vegetarian. So my meals tend to be a little healthier than they were in Morocco as I am usually eating veg unless I go out to eat at a restaurant.
DeleteJulia: The streets are different here given the amount of trash on them (there are piles) and also the fact that there are cows, goats, dogs, the occasional elephant, horses and camels in between the bikes, rickshaws and cars. Also, car horns here are a thing…and by this I mean there are different songs/sounds you can get for your horn. So it is also a cluster of various sounds. Also, public urination? A thing, totally acceptable. (This did happen in Morocco as well.)
In terms of houses, it varies a lot. I have really big, really nice houses in my neighborhood, but there are also lots of tent cities and slums. There are houses in between as well. Some of the houses could easily be found in California.
The architecture, is different, not nearly as intricate in a lot of ways but the city we live in is called the Pink City because the majority of the buildings in the old city are pink. So the architecture is beautiful in the forts (see photos’ from past posts) also things like the Taj Mahal (See past posts as well) but it is definitely different than the Arab architecture.
Jon: The beds were not the most comfortable things but they gave us clean sheets so it was fine. No one had to sleep on the floor, there were enough beds for everyone (thank goodness given that we had mice friends scurrying around) The train was cramped but fine to travel in. When I travel to a state called Kerala for my big project, I have a 32 hour train ride, so good thing the beds are alright!
In regards to friends coming, I will ask them when they’re arriving in the Boston area and let my dad know :)