AGS India Immersion Programme 2017/18

Michael What follows is a fable, a highly detailed, glaringly graphic recount of one particular journey, an odyssey through the murky, whirling waters of the doldrums within my belly. It is a tale I think we can all relate to, at least fifteen out of twenty two of us anyway, undoubtedly with more to come in the not too distant future. Dear reader, if you dare to read on, I urge you to brace yourself for the stomach churning, bowel contorting, pantaloon destroying story that lies ahead. ~ Deep in the distressed depths of my dinner's usual destination, a tumultuous terror lurks, When it it rears its hideous head, my straining stomach body jumps and jerks, Like Narcondam, the great Indian volcano of old, The beast creates noises, even eruptions, best left untold, Rumbling and roaring, veering with voracious violence and vigour, Gushing with the force of the great Ganges river  Flowing with the characteristically chaotic consistency of debris , Ceaselessly, th...

Matt The "rollercoaster of India" is an overused but accurate cliché to describe the emotional landscape that one feels while travelling through this diverse country. Like a rollercoaster there are definite "highs" and "lows", experiences like a 23.5hr bus trip and visiting the helpless community of Brooklyn are all "lows" and they suck to experience. Though in saying that they provide valuable lessons about yourself and the world. "Highs" on the other hand are perhaps much more common in this country for me and they involve a feeling of not wanting to be anywhere else but here. In many of my past blogs I have focused on the negatives and "lows" of this journey so I believe it is time to explore the positives and "highs".  The sunrise on the Ganges was beautiful. Imagine a red sun slowly rising of the tree line of the far riverbank changing in colour, slowly becoming orange and then yellow, lighting up the br...

Callan As I've travelled away from my own family, and become part of a much larger and smellier one, I've come to appreciate what really matters. Who's there for you when you fail an exam? Who's there for you when you've had a rough day and have no one else to turn to? Who's there for you when you've just seen a place that brings you to tears and makes you question how life can be so unfair? Family means certainty, support, brotherhood. Family means love. My understanding of what family can mean has shifted, and my appreciation of family has finally reached the level at which it should be.   As teenage boys, we're expected to be hard, insensitive and unemotional creatures, but the calibre of the lads on this trip has been made clear to me by their honesty and willingness to open up. The debrief sessions have been an invaluable part of my experience in India, and I have learnt just as much sitting around in a dingy Delhi hotel ro...

 Leo Smith  From the moment me and the boys stepped off the train in Delhi, we thought we knew what we were in for. But oh how wrong we were. As we embarked on the short walk to "Hotel Namaskar" we saw what we saw in Kolkata, but worse. Whether it was the large piles of rubbish on the street, or the grey smog filled air. There was something about Delhi which was very unusual. Our new homes, at the hotel, consisted of small rooms with only a bed and a toilet, pink walls and black mould. In true Indian immersion fashion, we boys just tackled these rooms with a laugh and a smile, and then we moved on. Introductions aside, allow me to describe my favourite moments from Delhi so far. Firstly, the Taj Mahal. This was something that I was looking forward to from day one of arriving in India, and it was better than expected. There was something about the building and the beautiful ponds that almost removed all of us from the India we were familiar with. This feelin...

George "Where do you see beauty?"  At first the answer might seem obvious: George's legs, but when asked this in debrief, I didn't hesitate to [I'm writing this on a train and I just saw two camels, felt significant enough to mention] answer "confidence and humour". (Prior to this debrief I had been in an infamous Namaskar hotel room, the quality of which I hope to see in other's blogs, for the day all by myself, which was so INCREDIBLY B O R I N G that I really had no choice but to ponder life's great mysteries, but no worries I apparently only missed out on raspberry slice! Confidence and humour are the two things which I first notice in someone, and two things I hope others notice in me. Before I came to India, why would I have thought I'd find them here, why would a society so opposite to mine show any similarities? Yet everywhere we go we're met by people, smiling and inquisitive, ready to joke about all the things I...

Lachie I never thought I'd say this, but I actually want a salad. Proud of me mum? These last 2 weeks have been a journey in itself when it comes to food. More cookies consumed than the Cookie Monster, enough carbs to close the flood gates for multiple days and longer waits for food than that of a ride at Disney land. With 2 weeks still to go, it feels like an eternity until I can have some of my mums yummy food, and the thought of missing Christmas lunch is like taking a bone away from a dog.   From my time here in India I have observed a few things in relation to food that caught my eye. Firstly, many places bring out your food before your drink. It leaves me wondering how hard it can be to make a coffee here in India. Maybe they have to go chase the cows in the streets for the milk....? Some of the encounters I have had with cafes have left me watching them as if I'm watching a Bollywood movie without subtitles. One instance was at Costa Cof...

Waking up this morning was tough! Fortunately, the blow was softened in the knowledge we would spend most of the day on a bus, rather than needing to follow Mr Jordan around at his characteristically breakneck pace on foot. It was our final day in Delhi, a city that we will remember for its fast pace (apologies for our lack of blogs, these are coming!) and rich history. We were lucky enough to explore some of this history today, on a guided tour of the city's most famous sights. Here's a download of what we saw through the smog:   Thursday 21 December​ Sickness Update – George Skinner and Cam MacFarlane sat out the day's events but are definitely on the up. Leo Smith has felt a bit queasy, too, but nothing to report yet.   5.15am – We were all woken by the Hari Krishna procession on the street outside our hotel. Callan Adams leapt out of bed to join them in their worship, only to be sent back to bed by Mr Crook who, in fact, was leading the procession. ...

Richard Boswell                                     Over the past week the boys have been given the chance to essentially reflect on what we saw, experienced and felt in Kolkata. However, it seems that I have been having problems with doing this; whenever I have a moment to sit back by myself and truly reflect and accept what I saw in Kolkata, to put it simply, I chicken out. I have come to the conclusion that the reason behind this is that I am afraid to look inside in fear of what I might find, or more specifically how I might react. What if I feel sadness like I never have before?                                                        What if the pity I feel for the chi...

Today, we went home. Well, sort of. For two hours and 12 minutes (trust me, we savoured every moment), we were lucky enough to be hosted by the outstanding people of the New Zealand High Commission. At just over halfway in the trip, it seemed an appropriate moment to transport ourselves back into the land of the long white cloud (the irony of this name is not lost on this writer, given the smog currently hovering over Delhi). Following this was a fantastic afternoon as well, with some equally impressive people. However, before I get into the finer details, I must report that we are sickness-free no more. George Skinner has been hit with a spot of Delhi belly, but less than 24 hours in is already massively on the up. Digression aside, here is how our day of contrast played out: Wednesday 20 December 7:30am - after a late night last night, not much of a sleep in was allowed as we had a coach to meet at 9am sharp. The group headed up the road to Cafe Festa again ...

On our last day in Varanasi, our enthusiastic tour guide from the hotel, Mr Tripathi, took us to see 'the best silk factory in all of India' (which funnily enough was just down the road), where he assured us we would not only find the best qualities but also very very good price. Despite coming from humble beginnings, arriving in the city many years back with only 30, or 10, no 5 rupee to his name, Mr Tripathi is now, as he put it himself, known by 20,000, no, 30,000 people. AND he does not know them. And for those wondering, this was all down to his personal happiness, good ambition, strength and good karma. Despite being warned a few times not to trust Mr Tripathi on the way by some locals (we found out he apparently takes about 40-60% commission when he brings tourists into shops), we were there shortly. After a brief demonstration on how the silk was woven, we were then quickly escorted to the shop upstairs, where way more staff than where necessary began to unravel pil...

William Pretty                We are now over the halfway mark of this trip and I am already beginning to feel nostalgic for what I have seen and experienced. Looking back there are certain things I have come to learn about India and the way it operates, both the good and the bad. India is a country of subtilties, if you pass over them your view of the country will be amiss of its true beauty. The main thing I have come to learn about India, and this is shared throughout all the cities, is to never take something you see at face value; it is a façade. Taking hotel Emirates as an example; it was finished and opened only a few weeks prior to our arrival and everything looked sparkling new. Yet, once you look past the veneer you see that very few of the light switches work, the shower drain is above the lowest point in the bathroom, so I couldn't take a shower unless I wanted my room to become a bath (this one is a sore point for me) and depending on their mood the blinds woul...

George , I suggest you don't visit Brazil. Mum Sent from my iPad

​ We're halfway there. Today marks the halfway point in our experience of India and what better way to celebrate than with a trip to the Taj Mahal. Our journey to Agra resulted in a massive day for the group but a day that will be remembered for a long time to come as we soaked up the mastery of a wonder of the world. Tuesday 19 December​ 6am – Mr Jordan woke everyone up singing "We're going to the Taj, Taj, Taj, how about Raj, Raj, Raj?" Roni Chapman, still half asleep, responded "Who's Raj…?" We're not sure, Roni, but at least it rhymes. 6.30am – We set off for Nizamuddin Railway Station by rickshaw. Strangely clear streets meant we got there lightning quick, some topping 70 kph with that 'crisp' Delhi air flying past. 7.15am – All groups arrived at the station and proceeded through 'security' (another unmanned x-ray machine) and through to our platform to tuck into some railway samosas before our journey – these thi...

Matt Illing  Don't be misled by the title, Mr Tripathi is a truly knowledgeable man with valuable and extensive knowledge of Hinduism and Varanasi but as I sit here in Varanasi train station squatting on a pile of backpacks I find myself pondering the impact his actions have left on me. Ok that's a lie. Mr Tripathi was not even involved in many cases but I like the title so I'll stick with it. My 'stress' has to do with what people are willing to do for money in this country. An example that stands out is the men working in the silk factory (more like silk emporium). After a ten minute demonstration of silk making we were quickly rushed out of the weaving room to a large shop where for close to an hour we were given a sales pitch for every possible silk item in existence from scarves to tapestries to bed throws to ties. I mean I can't judge some of the boys purchases as it's their money not mine but personally I was persuaded ou...

Ollie  Schnauer Varanasi was chill - no two ways about it. After some crazy, interesting cities and locations, Varanasi was a nice place to just relax. Upon arrival we were told to order whatever took our fancy from the hotel's menu for dinner and then go book our massage for the following day (both of which were shouted by staff). Later that night we ordered multiple rounds of desserts partially because the waiter was a good laugh but also top quality desserts are hard to turn down when it's only about 5 dollars in New Zealand. In general it was just good to laugh, play cards, talk with mates and just relax after a week and a half of this full on, but simultaneously, awesome country. Now we are in Delhi. The place we are staying now is completely opposite to Hotel Surya (Varanasi), to say the least. Walking in to my new home for the next few nights I see; a fan hanging out of the ceiling, the top half of a wall covered in mould, ...

George And oh boy did it hurt. It hurt so much. So much. It still haunts me. So much pain. An incredible amount of pain. The most pain anyone's ever experienced ever.  I'm a hairy person, and if anyone has seen my legs, there is quite the amplitude of hair. In dealing with hair of such gravitas and girth, it can be assumed that the hair roots have an impressive grip to my leg, and that's sure what it felt like. For anyone who's ever been on the receiving end of a wax, I am so sorry. I could perhaps pull a Rowan and make some brilliant extended metaphor out of the experience, but frankly nothing compares.  So basically, for all those wusses and inferiors who haven't had a wax, it is the worst thing. First of all the wax is majorly hot, like a source of major discomfort. BUT THEN, the dude puts the strip thing on, BUT THEN, with his toned and muscular arms, he rips.  If anyone has plucked a leg hair, especially as a male with impressive leg insulation, it's a pret...

Today, we met Delhi. After the general relaxation that the last 5 days has been, it has been great to reconnect with the heart of this country. The streets bustle, we are constantly accosted by locals, there are cows everywhere, and I wouldn't have it any other way.  We are also still sickness free, and long may that last. A lot had been mentioned about the pollution in Delhi and although many elected to wear masks today, it was not noticeably any worse than any of the other cities we have been so far, save Darjeeling. Indeed, we were even greeted by sunny blue skies. But enough about that, let me tell you about our day... Monday 18 December 7:30am - Tom and I fell off our respective Indian Railways beds as we checked to find our train was half an hour early, and about to arrive at its destination. We promptly woke up the group, disembarked, and walked to our hotel located only 10 minutes away. I did not believe it. Things could n...