Our first week was spent exploring the area around Dhrangadhra, while getting acclimated to the heat and culture and getting to know each other and our Indian guides. On the evening of Wednesday May 21, we witnessed sunset from a farm just outside of town.
On Thursday May 22, the group visited Kankavati, a town about an hour’s drive northwest of Dhrangadhra. The town is known for its Well of Sorrow in which a king and queen killed themselves when the town was facing trouble.
When in Kankavati we visited with a family. Here’s Hannah Angle, a junior film major, and a girl named Riti posing for a silly shot.
On Sunday May 25, some students visited Dev Salt Works. We got a tour of the industrial facilities and the salt fields and even got to climb some mounds of salt!
We are meeting people whose lives are incredibly different from our own. On Thursday May 22, we experienced a group of goat herders who travel with their children and baby goats strapped onto the backs of camels.
On Friday May 23, some of the girls went to a neighborhood meeting about microfinancing. Women from the neighborhood came and brought their children.
In the midst of extreme heat and culture shock, we’ve had some relaxing times getting to know each other. On Friday May 23, we visited a woman’s house to receive henna tattoos. Amanda Pheasant, a junior sculpture major, waits as her tattoo dries.
Dressing appropriately has proved to be a fun challenge for a bunch of American girls coming from an urban environment. Fran Saldan, a junior Anthropology and Classics major, visits the house of a taylor and picks out cloth for a new outfit on Friday, May 23.
Dr. Jhala’s palace serves as a special place for us to relax and process our new experiences and knowledge. Amanda Pheasant, Junior sculpture major, heads downstairs to get some tea during the afternoon of Friday, May 23.
In the early evening on Sunday, May 25, Lydia Hurley reads in her air conditioned room in the palace. Above her is the Temple T sign that the driver who picked us up for the airport held to identify himself