{"id":4563,"date":"2020-05-04T13:00:40","date_gmt":"2020-05-04T17:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/?page_id=4563"},"modified":"2020-05-04T13:00:40","modified_gmt":"2020-05-04T17:00:40","slug":"india-learning-home","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/india-learning-home","title":{"rendered":"India: Learning at Home"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Get creative<\/strong><br \/>\nOrganize your art supplies and get to crafting. Consider making your own <a href=\"https:\/\/artsandculture.google.com\/exhibit\/providing-technology-and-research-for-turning-waste-into-paper\/5wJy_rbO4B9iJg?hl=en\">paper<\/a> and learn the <a href=\"https:\/\/artsandculture.google.com\/exhibit\/colors-of-the-earth\/_gKiQg4HIebaKg?hl=en\">art of natural dying<\/a> \u2013 or look for what you might have in your own kitchen and try this eco-friendly <a href=\"https:\/\/littlegreendot.com\/how-to-dye-fabric-with-natural-dyes\/\">recipe<\/a>!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pick a film<\/strong><br \/>\nWatch a movie that relates to your destination. Some ideas for India include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)<\/li>\n<li>The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)<\/li>\n<li>Million Dollar Arm (2014)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Or have some fun with this easy-to-follow Bollywood movie!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic (2008)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Study some history<\/strong><br \/>\nDive deep into the history of specific sites you\u2019ll visit on tour, like the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atlasobscura.com\/places\/palace-of-winds\">Palace of the Winds<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.com\/topics\/india\/taj-mahal\">Taj Mahal<\/a>, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Agra-Fort\">Agra Fort<\/a>. Then, tour some of India\u2019s ancient history and modern marvels with these <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airpano.com\/360photo\/India\/\">virtual journey videos<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Choose a book<\/strong><br \/>\nRead and discuss a book that takes place in your destination or describes the local culture. Pick from titles like:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>The White Tiger<\/em> by Aravind Adiga<\/li>\n<li><em>Polite Society<\/em> by Mahesh Rao<\/li>\n<li><em>Out of India: Selected Stories<\/em> by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Fill up your plate<\/strong><br \/>\nHold a virtual cooking class and make <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=a03U45jFxOI\">butter chicken<\/a> with your travel group, or support a local restaurant that offers delivery\/take-out of your destination\u2019s cuisine. Try <a href=\"https:\/\/www.feastingathome.com\/naan-recipe\/\">naan<\/a>, biryani, and tandoori chicken\u2026and don\u2019t forget <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bonappetit.com\/recipe\/bas-best-masala-chai\">masala chai<\/a>!<\/p>\n<p>Then, check out this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=juJUyA49VGs\">video<\/a> on why drinking chai out of clay cups is so much better. It sounds wasteful, but it\u2019s actually good for the environment! Unlike plastic and steel, clay cups are biodegradable and made by hand out of clay dug up from the banks of the Ganges River.<\/p>\n<p>Vegetarian? No worries. India has the largest population of vegetarians worldwide, with over 1\/3 of the residents following a meatless lifestyle. You\u2019ll have lots of options \u2013 just say \u201cveg\u201d or \u201cnon-veg\u201d when you order.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Learn the language<\/strong><br \/>\nFortunately for foreigners from Canada, English is spoken widely throughout India (and where it isn\u2019t spoken, it\u2019s almost always understood). However, it\u2019s always helpful to know a few essential phrases. Call up a friend or set up a group video chat and practice your language skills. It helps to make flashcards with <a href=\"https:\/\/ielanguages.com\/hindi-phrases.html\">common sayings<\/a> to use on the phone or throughout your travels (think about ordering at restaurants, buying souvenirs, and chatting with locals).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Did you know?<\/strong><br \/>\nHoli is a popular ancient Hindu festival celebrated predominantly in India, parts of Asia, and some locations across the Western world. Known as the Indian \u201cfestival of spring,\u201d the \u201cfestival of colours,\u201d or the \u201cfestival of love,\u201d Holi signifies the victory of good over evil. Celebrants light bonfires, throw colourful powder called gulal, eat sweets, and dance to traditional folk music.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Get creative Organize your art supplies and get to crafting. Consider making your own paper and learn the art of natural dying \u2013 or look for what you might have in your own kitchen and try this eco-friendly recipe! Pick a film Watch a movie that relates to your destination. Some ideas for India include: <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/india-learning-home\">Read More &#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4564,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4563","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4563"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4563\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4565,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4563\/revisions\/4565"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}