“I’ll keep in touch.” (Bridget’s trip to Tanzania) … & IndiaTumblr (3.0; @bnickol)http://bnickol.tumblr.com/<p>So happy to have you visit.  If you&#8217;re here to read about Tanzania, it perhaps works best to start at the bottom of <a href="http://bnickol.tumblr.com/page/5" title="tz" target="_blank">here</a> and work your way up.  If you&#8217;re here for India, starting from the fourth post down <a href="http://bnickol.tumblr.com/page/4" title="in" target="_blank">here</a> may make the most sense.  Of course, it&#8217;s entirely up to you.  I hope you find something that interests you.</p> <p>If you feel compelled to contact me about any of this for any reason, you can reach me at: bridget(dot)nickol(at)gmail(dot)com.</p>http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336178586http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336178586Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:55:00 -0500<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kwb0bphcoF1qzobkmo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Everyone always wants to know about food, so as my final photo, I offer you a traditional Gujarati feast in all its overwhelming glory.</p>http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336170355http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336170355Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:47:49 -0500<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kwb07kWDvh1qzobkmo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Alright, perhaps I was a lot preoccupied.  But you cannot possibly claim that this squirrel is not cute.</p>http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336167579http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336167579Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:45:00 -0500<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kwb05lhRpF1qzobkmo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>I was a bit preoccupied by Gandhi’s squirrels.</p>http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336166406http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336166406Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:44:09 -0500<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kwazz3idZ71qzobkmo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Tranquil religious retreat amidst nature meets my discordant mind.</p>http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336162262http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336162262Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:40:00 -0500<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://assets.tumblr.com/swf/audio_player_black.swf?audio_file=http://www.tumblr.com/audio_file/336158110/tumblr_kwazsnyw2F1qzobkm&color=FFFFFF" height="27" width="207" quality="best" wmode="opaque"></embed><br/><br/><p>To better convey my experience while at Gandhi’s ashram, I should mention that Animal Collective’s “We Tigers” was in my head for the length of our time there.  Literally as we walked through the entranceway, it began playing in my mind, and stuck.  I can offer no explanation.</p>http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336158110http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336158110Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:36:23 -0500<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kwazjwslii1qzobkmo1_r1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>We also visited Gandhi’s ashram while in Ahmedabad, another of my favorite portions of the trip.</p>http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336152666http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336152666Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:31:00 -0500<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kwaz7zR64D1qzobkmo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>At the conclusion of our trip, we spent a couple days in Ahmedabad (though if you want to pronounce it correctly, I’d go with “Amdavad”).  Once the capital of Gujarat, Ahmedabad remains the largest city in the state.  One of the most impressive sites we visited while there was this step well, a tremendous architectural feat built over 500 years ago to capture water that fell during the monsoon season and supply it to the city.</p>http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336145588http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336145588Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:23:00 -0500<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kwayqs44Za1qzobkmo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>On our last night in Dahod, a few of us took Dr. Swati up on her offer to visit her at her home in the city.  Swati served as our wonderful director for our entire stay, and is a store of incredible knowledge that she is always more than willing to share.  Her uncle, whom we met during this visit, is quite the marvelous character himself.  This visit was without a doubt one of my favorite parts of the entire experience.  Faces never lie, and the happiness shows in this photo.</p>http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336135223http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336135223Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:13:00 -0500<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kwaye1XuBG1qzobkmo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Krystal using a bit of Gujarati she had learned from a friend before the trip to introduce herself on one of the farms we visited.  These kids were wonderful.</p> <p>This photo is taken on a check dam Sadguru helped put in place some time ago to retain some of the valuable water that floods the land during the monsoon season.  By catching it before it has drained back into the ocean, farmers are able to have water for a second growing season when the rain does not fall.</p>http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336127338http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336127338Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:06:01 -0500<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kwayfkcdQi1qzobkmo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Sadguru’s grounds are beautiful, and hold many wandering peacocks.  Can you find the one in this photo?</p>http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336128431http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336128431Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:06:00 -0500<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kway3zDCsu1qzobkmo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Teacups in the Sahaj courtyard.</p>http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336121100http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336121100Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:59:59 -0500<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kway2o5kSx1qzobkmo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>The afternoon following our presentation, we visited Sahaj, a fair-trade handicraft operation within Dahod.  Once a part of Sadguru, Sahaj has recently branched off on its own and is only experiencing increasing success in its work.  Sahaj offers women an opportunity to supplement income from farming with skilled production of jewelry, clothing, bags, and many other beautiful and useful products.  They work diligently to stay on top of trending in the fashion world, and showed us some of the items they are most excited about releasing in the near future.  One project they have taken on is naturally-dyed fabric production, using substances such as turmeric to produce lovely colors without the harmful effects of chemical dyes.</p>http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336120114http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336120114Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:59:12 -0500<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kwax1jN8sh1qzobkmo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Nathan showing off the pot he and Vlad made during tea time on the day of the presentation.  Pot irrigation is a highly effective and also quite affordable (when you’re not receiving private pot-making lessons in the U.S.) alternative to the water-conserving efforts of drip irrigation, but is a bit more labor intensive than many are able to accept when they have any more than a very small plot.  By this point, we had already made it through the formal presentation indoors, of which I must apologize for not taking any photos.</p>http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336096971http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336096971Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:36:00 -0500<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kwawgxansa1qzobkmo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Swirling water samples for last-minute testing.</p>http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336083087http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336083087Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:24:33 -0500<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kwawfhX2PL1qzobkmo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Preparing soil samples to be tested, analyzing survey results, putting our presentation together.  What’s a school project in another country without the last-minute rush to finish your work the night before you present?</p>http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336082084http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336082084Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:23:41 -0500<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kwavxbNGfx1qzobkmo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Aforementioned water tower: that ladder looks a lot less intimidating from the ground.  But this is coming from someone who’s admittedly afraid of heights.</p>http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336071048http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336071048Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:12:47 -0500<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kwavttsn851qzobkmo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Climbing a water tower offers a pretty decent view of the village below.</p>http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336068854http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336068854Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:10:41 -0500<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kwavqh9Qt61qzobkmo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Oh, to have tallied the number of wells over which we peered during our visit.</p>http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336066672http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336066672Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:08:00 -0500<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kwavp3W1ez1qzobkmo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Dr. Oerther trying his hand at interviewing.  It was enjoyable to simply observe for once.</p>http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336065762http://bnickol.tumblr.com/post/336065762Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:07:51 -0500