Street Walking for Technology

This posting comes a little late - it really should have been setup yesterday - but I was too tired. So therefore, my friends you will be treated to a second posting later today.

Yesterday started out a normal teaching day. We met at breakfast and decided on the path we would take. Dr. Thorn, Ashley and Vince worked with half the group on video while Kellie, Miriam, Dr. Byers and I worked with the remaining groups on photo. This included pulling all of the equipment out of the bags and getting them in the hands of students. One thing to remember when in a different country with technology - bring plenty of back up batteries. I figured we were in good shape. I had brought a power strip, power converter (for the US to India difference in adapters), and rechargeable batteries.

The night before I had setup all of the equipment on my desk to make sure the batteries were at full strength. But as we all know - technology likes to mess with our heads. Even after 15 hours of charging the batteries would only remain active for a little more than an hour. This proved to be a downfall in a daylong class. The morning session was able to shoot their video assignment, but by afternoon the cameras were running out of power. Thus began our quest....

I checked Goggle and found a number of shops nearby with batteries. This is quite the discovery since most of the shops around the college are run out of what resembles a 1-car garage. It is truly amazing the amount of merchandise they can hold in that small space.

Steve and I both had wanted to explore a little more of the neighborhood so we put on our walking shoes, grabbed one of the still cameras and set out. We traveled streets packed with motorists and foot traffic. It is difficult to truly describe the traffic patterns here. Dr. Thorn did a pretty good job of comparing it to the flow of water in a stream. When the water encounters a rock it just moves around it and continues to flow. That would be pretty close. Consider Steve and I rocks in the stream. My rock is a little more nervous to be in the flow than Steve's - but we are definitely obstacles to be dealt with.

Our trek took us down roads packed with pushcarts, cows, feral dogs, families and shops. In one area the cow pies lay baking in the sun - I am sure to be used as fuel for fires. After only a short distance we came upon a market place that would resemble a small strip-mall in Wisconsin. We stopped in a couple. Steve purchased a can of diet coke - he is more adventurous than I am when it comes to consumables. What I thought was interesting was that the can had a pull-tab. I hadn't seen those since I was a pre-teen!

We checked out video game stores, toy stores and a pharmacy that wouldn't even fill a cashier area of a Wisconsin Walgreen's. Steve needed aspirin and we purchased 2 sheets - cost - 6 rupees. At 48US per rupee a true bargain.

Across the street we hit pay dirt - Kumar's Japan Style Collections. This shop had batteries for just about every electronic gadget that Japan developed. I not only found AA for the still camera's but a 10 hour camcorder battery that would have cost me over $130 in the US for only $32. They only had one in the store and we have 7 cameras with us. The clerk assured me that he would get 6 more - but we would have to return the next day. I bought the one they had so I could test it out. It sits in my room now charging up for its first use later today.

Back to the travels in the street. We left the shop with all of our needs met-but decided to take different routes back to the college so that we could discover more shops. We turned left and went three more blocks to an intersection. This was truly a rare find. Not only were there streetlights, but also a traffic officer. In my last trip to India I had learned that generally street signals were ignored. I think the addition of the traffic officer helped – but he was greatly outnumbered by the vehicles. In any event, it is a start.

We crossed safely and headed (hopefully) back in the direction of the college. As we walked we checked out more of the shops along the way, Steve took more photos and we talked. It was a very nice time, and just the movement I needed to spark my appetite. But before we made it back to the Jesuit Residence we made one last stop in a gold shop. The items were pretty and very reasonably priced. We each purchased a gold-platted statue, thanked the storeowner, and headed back out. To our surprise and amazement we actually found the college! My son’s would be so proud of me that I didn’t get lost. No GPS – just a small familiarity of the area – and Steve – my human compass.

It is a pretty good feeling when you don’t get lost in a foreign country. Especially since I have difficulty traveling in my own state, where I can read the road signs!

After getting back inside I sat and relaxed in my room and waited for the dinner I was sure would be the best I had ever tasted. Unfortunately for me I was confused as to the dinnertime. I don’t like to hover and appear that I am impatient so I try to get to the cafeteria a little before time. It would be the first supper I had actually had in the Jesuit Residence since arriving. The other days we were out or I had fallen asleep before it was ready. I headed down to the kitchen at about 8:45. But the door was closed and there was clearly some kind of meeting going on inside. No sign of any other team member. The students from our team are in a different building. Steve and Bill are in the upstairs of the Jesuit Residence. My room is on the first floor, no women allowed above. So I sat with my door open and watched a movie until 9:15. I was sure that the dinner had to begin soon – it would get way to late otherwise. I walked back down the hall. The door was now open and team members were sitting inside. To my dismay I found out I had missed another wonderful dinner. Everything was pretty much cleaned up and put away.

I was tired so I said my good nights and headed back to the room. I feasted on a power bar, water and smuggled Christmas candy. I plugged my headset into my laptop and continued to watch “Into the Woods” until I drifted off to sleep.

Good night Ahmedabad – I look forward to another wonderful breakfast in the morning.