After getting my cubicle and laptop at AVRDC yesterday, I had to go through some formalities. I went down to the LSU (Learning Systems Unit – I guess this is just administrative/coordinating people and such) to receive my official ID tag, which allows me into campus. I had to have my picture retaken because the first time my eyes were open too wide, I think (sometimes I struggle with the heavier accents – I hope I get used to that soon). After getting the tag, I realized they had spelled my name “Elser.” So I had to go back after lunch to get that fixed.
One of the stipulations on my visa was that I register with the police within 14 days of arrival. And, for some reason, the police station required 6 passport sized pictures of me, which I didn’t have. So Usha, a legume breeder at AVRDC, accompanied me “outside” to have my picture taken in a studio. This was the first I had seen of the real city in daylight, and the driving was even more unnerving, very much like Indian traffic is portrayed as. People just weave in and out one another, sometimes four or five people balance on a single bike, and sometimes up to ten people ride in one cab. Trucks have “Please Honk” written on their backs. I was told it is nearly impossible to cross the street – once a group of girls coming home from school clumped together in a large group in an effort to be let across. The only thing I saw almost completely stop traffic was a crossing herd of bluish gray cows. Here are some pictures from the road...
The photograph studio was open air, like all the other shops along the line. While waiting for the pictures to develop, Usha bought me a coconut so I could try drinking its water from a street vendor – he hacked off the top with a machete-like knife and then popped in a straw. (You can see the coconut stand to the left). After getting back to campus, I had to go to the LSU again to register for the police visit. While waiting, I met Alice from Kenya. Later on, for dinner, I ate two other interns – Bui from Vietnam and Khin from Myanmar.
This morning, after breakfast with Bui and Khin once again, I got to the AVRDC office by 8 AM. Dr. Ram began going more in depth about vegetable soybean (different from the grain soybean, which is what we have in Ohio) and its role in alleviating malnutrition. At 10, I was taken to the police station by the AVRDC driver and an LSU worker (whose names I don’t quite know), and Shahima from Bangladesh a but studying in Boston who also had to register with the police. The drive was about a half hour. After getting to the police station (another open air building – it was quite hot) and sitting for about an hour, we were told the person we needed was in a criminal meeting and it was unknown when he would be available, if at all. So we’re going back tomorrow morning. I saw some policemen carrying some pretty big guns. On the way home, we stopped at a mango market where Shahima bought about 4 kilos. I saw a lot of cows this time, both a creamy white kind and a dark bluish-gray kind . They’re quite elegant looking.
After lunch, I went back to the office for the tea break (chai!), and then went to the bank to exchange some money. $70 = 3,060 rupees! After work, I met with Shahima and Helene from France to go on a walk around the campus and look for peacocks. I’ve been told campus is 2-3,000 acres, of which the main campus is only a fraction – the majority is farm and open/natural land. We walked about 45 minutes and only got a third of the length down. It’s gorgeous – there are lakes, groves of trees, and winding baths overlooking the reddish sown plots, and all different types of birds everywhere. At one point there are an old little mosque, church and Hindu temple all in a line. We saw 4 peacocks, but all were too quick to get pictures. At dinner I met another girl, Mari, from Puerto Rico, and Tomo from Japan. Everyone has been very nice.
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