Erin Carver
The longer that I am on this trip, the more I start to look at the people of the places that we are visiting and less at the places themselves. This proves to be more interesting the more that I look and study the faces of these people. There are several people that have stuck in my mind over the past three months of this trip.
Koh Suk guide Beu
Photo: Erin Carver
The first was a guide that was with our group at Khao Suk, Thailand. Beu (I apologize for misspelling and not knowing his last name) was the quietest of the three guides that led us into the rainforest of Thailand, but he was by far the most animated. During our fifteen-mile hike he entertained us the most by making grass skirts and crowns out of various grasses and leaves. At first I thought he was just another local man, guiding tourists through the rainforest. We later learned that he was not a local man at all. He was a survivor of the tsunami that devastated Indonesia December 26, 2004. He lost a large part of his family and later moved to Thailand, where he was trying to learn a new language and try to adjust to a new life. What I noticed most about our mysterious guide was his eyes and facial expressions. His eyes were bright and full of life, and his face, though tired, was young and seemed so alive. He had witnessed first-hand one of the largest disasters taking place in my lifetime, but he did not take life for granted and seemed to be very happy with what he was doing with his life.
The second person is the mother of a Hiram alumnus. I do not know her first name; we just called her Mrs. Mody. In India women are treated with little or no respect. They are considered second-class citizens. Mrs. Mody demanded respect. She owns several hotels in the area around Dehradun, a small city in the foothills of the Himalayas. On our way back from Mussoorie, she insisted we stop for dinner. She gave us a room to put our bags in. Someone locked the room on our way to dinner because we had most of out cameras in the room. When she found out she gave us all a speech saying, “When I leave a room no one goes in it without me. My employees know better than that.” In just the few hours we were there, she shattered the stereotype of the reserved Indian women. The way that she carried herself and the stern but confident look on her face showed that she was not going to settle for being treated any less than an equal to anyone in India.
There are two final people I will remember for a long time after this trip is over. Mr. and Mrs. Chinai. Mahindra (called “Max”) and his wife Nandini live in a 1930’s bungalow that backs up to the Arabian Sea in Mumbai. Max is a 1949 Hiram alumnus. After graduating from Hiram, he returned to India and became a successful businessman, head of the chamber of commerce in Mumbai, formally Bombay (one of the largest cities in India).
When we arrived in Mumbai, his personal driver greeted us. The cars pulled up to a beautiful bungalow, and Max opened up his personal house for us to stay in. We were originally told that we would stay in the guesthouse, which was fine with all of us. But he insisted that we stay in the house. During our stay, he arranged a tour of the city for us. He also opened his bedroom to us so that we would be able to use the internet and phone so we could call home, the first time in a long time. His wife, Nandini, is not able to leave the house very often because of illness, but when she heard we were interested in a little shopping she arranged a tour to several shops. She called ahead to ensure we received the best service possible.
The women of the biomes expedition posing with their necklaces from Mrs. Nandini Chinai (center)
Photo: Biomes Participant
Max hosted a wedding on his property during our stay, which he insisted we attend. Afterwards he invited us all back to the Daria Mahal (the name of his bungalow) for our own weddings. Max gave us all some rupees so we could “experience India.” And the night we left, Mrs. Chinai gave all of the girls necklaces to “remember her by.” Staying with them was a breath of fresh air after several long weeks in Thailand and on the trains of India. Their generosity will not soon be forgotten. I do believe that they have the kindest eyes of any two people I have ever met. Warm and inviting, I greatly appreciated them because I was feeling a little homesick with a long way left to go on the trip.
Over those three months we have easily met several hundred different people. But these four people have stuck in my mind. They have changed my perspective of the areas we traveled through. They gave me a new outlook on life in other countries. They have made me realize what you can tell from a face and what may be “hiding” underneath it. Each one tells its own story, and no two are alike.
Erin Carver
carverea at my.hiram.edu
last updated 12 September 2008
Banner Photo by Mathew J. Wilson