Hello friends!
First of all, I apologize for the lack of updates. Rickshaws and third world countries don't have the best wifi, sadly. And for a lack of a more connected and philosophical thought process, here's some thoughts.
Speaking of rickshaws, they're terrifying, but super wonderful.
My camera is my best friend.
I'm convinced there's an Indian mafia and they own everything.
The British influence here is ridiculous.
I miss American food. My list of things I want to eat upon return is growing by the minute. Day 1 will consist of Starbucks, bacon and eggs for breakfast, chipotle for lunch, and homemade pizza for dinner. Then following week my goal is to eat chips and queso, sushi, Nodo, froyo, and cupcakes. NOM.
I'm learning to like Indian food. But for a rice based country, being gluten free here is a struggle.
Wine and McDonald's french fries are just as good in India.
I love harem pants. Seriously. Try a pair. Or 12. And yes, even though my wardrobe in India is all harem pants, I still only work in black, or very very dark grey.
After visiting several world renowned monuments, I'm in awe of such beautiful craftsmanship. Seriously everything you look at is absolutely gorgeous and intricately detailed. As a culture, it's clear aesthetics are super important. And I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life studying Indo-Islamic art history.
I still can't draw.
Indians are incredibly accepting. On one hand, Hinduism is a tolerant religion, so they happily coexist with Muslims and Buddhists. For example, the other day we were having coffee in a nice part of town. In the middle, trucks of Muslims drive through with loud music and flags. Apparently they had some kind of major festival. But mind you, though they were celebrating, they didn't disrupt anyone, and no one minded their celebration. Tolerance is definitely the mantra.
For as much as Americans don't accept Indians and Muslims, people here LOVE Americans. Partially, they think tourists are famous. Literally, I've never been so popular for being pale. But nevermind that. The important thing is, these people are accepting and accommodating to new cultures and people and creating a friendly environment, which is something not done in America. It's just sad to think how poorly they're treated when they come to the U.S. looking for a better life.
I'm convinced everyone should have at least one experience where they aren't the racial majority and don't speak the national language.
The kids here are the happiest ever. We were told early on to not interact with the kids because then we aren't enabling them to be hawkers and not go to school. I've seen a range of kids from well dressed and educated to naked and hawking stuff. The bottom line is these kids are the happiest people you'll ever meet, no matter what. There's so many I just want to pick up and love. We've gotten to have pictures with some classes, and it's been so wonderful to see their faces light up. And the thought of spending a year teaching these kids English is actually pretty great.
Have I mentioned it's beautiful here? Because it is. But what's fascinating is that the beautiful parts are also met with parts of utter devastation and poverty. We stayed at a five star hotel and right past the fence were naked homeless children and cows eating trash. Fascinating, really.
And yes, there are cows and goats everywhere. The dogs are nicer than expected, but watch out for them monkeys.
Never has my angry bitch face been more effective and necessary than here when there are hawkers following you and yelling at you.
I'm not good at constant motion. We've been moving cities every couple of nights and it's very hard to be so transient. But yes, I still love to travel.
Most importantly, I'm pretty sure I'm meant to be here. Everything is beautiful. The city is crazy busy. Everyone wears scarves all the time and is frequently barefoot. People eat with their fingers exclusively. Oh, and there's coffee breaks every three hours. Seriously, it's my kind of place. I just need to import Starbucks and Chipotle.
My new bucket list includes seeing all seven wonders of the world and visiting all seven Baha'i temples. I've got one of each down! Oh, and see all UNESCO world heritage sites.
We're about half way through the trip now. I'll admit, between jet lag and food issues, it was a pretty rough start. And I still have days where I miss home and food. But I do love it here. And I couldn't have asked for a better study abroad experience or first trip out of the country. It's been educational, it's been eye opening, it's been fun and interesting and engaging, and a million other adjectives. But most importantly, it's been freeing. To get lost in the monuments and your surroundings. To break out of customs and norms and habits. To try new things. To just get outside the box.
I could go on forever, but for now, I have a window to look out of and India to explore. See y'all in 12 days! Namaste.
First of all, I apologize for the lack of updates. Rickshaws and third world countries don't have the best wifi, sadly. And for a lack of a more connected and philosophical thought process, here's some thoughts.
Speaking of rickshaws, they're terrifying, but super wonderful.
My camera is my best friend.
I'm convinced there's an Indian mafia and they own everything.
The British influence here is ridiculous.
I miss American food. My list of things I want to eat upon return is growing by the minute. Day 1 will consist of Starbucks, bacon and eggs for breakfast, chipotle for lunch, and homemade pizza for dinner. Then following week my goal is to eat chips and queso, sushi, Nodo, froyo, and cupcakes. NOM.
I'm learning to like Indian food. But for a rice based country, being gluten free here is a struggle.
Wine and McDonald's french fries are just as good in India.
I love harem pants. Seriously. Try a pair. Or 12. And yes, even though my wardrobe in India is all harem pants, I still only work in black, or very very dark grey.
After visiting several world renowned monuments, I'm in awe of such beautiful craftsmanship. Seriously everything you look at is absolutely gorgeous and intricately detailed. As a culture, it's clear aesthetics are super important. And I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life studying Indo-Islamic art history.
I still can't draw.
Indians are incredibly accepting. On one hand, Hinduism is a tolerant religion, so they happily coexist with Muslims and Buddhists. For example, the other day we were having coffee in a nice part of town. In the middle, trucks of Muslims drive through with loud music and flags. Apparently they had some kind of major festival. But mind you, though they were celebrating, they didn't disrupt anyone, and no one minded their celebration. Tolerance is definitely the mantra.
For as much as Americans don't accept Indians and Muslims, people here LOVE Americans. Partially, they think tourists are famous. Literally, I've never been so popular for being pale. But nevermind that. The important thing is, these people are accepting and accommodating to new cultures and people and creating a friendly environment, which is something not done in America. It's just sad to think how poorly they're treated when they come to the U.S. looking for a better life.
I'm convinced everyone should have at least one experience where they aren't the racial majority and don't speak the national language.
The kids here are the happiest ever. We were told early on to not interact with the kids because then we aren't enabling them to be hawkers and not go to school. I've seen a range of kids from well dressed and educated to naked and hawking stuff. The bottom line is these kids are the happiest people you'll ever meet, no matter what. There's so many I just want to pick up and love. We've gotten to have pictures with some classes, and it's been so wonderful to see their faces light up. And the thought of spending a year teaching these kids English is actually pretty great.
Have I mentioned it's beautiful here? Because it is. But what's fascinating is that the beautiful parts are also met with parts of utter devastation and poverty. We stayed at a five star hotel and right past the fence were naked homeless children and cows eating trash. Fascinating, really.
And yes, there are cows and goats everywhere. The dogs are nicer than expected, but watch out for them monkeys.
Never has my angry bitch face been more effective and necessary than here when there are hawkers following you and yelling at you.
I'm not good at constant motion. We've been moving cities every couple of nights and it's very hard to be so transient. But yes, I still love to travel.
Most importantly, I'm pretty sure I'm meant to be here. Everything is beautiful. The city is crazy busy. Everyone wears scarves all the time and is frequently barefoot. People eat with their fingers exclusively. Oh, and there's coffee breaks every three hours. Seriously, it's my kind of place. I just need to import Starbucks and Chipotle.
My new bucket list includes seeing all seven wonders of the world and visiting all seven Baha'i temples. I've got one of each down! Oh, and see all UNESCO world heritage sites.
We're about half way through the trip now. I'll admit, between jet lag and food issues, it was a pretty rough start. And I still have days where I miss home and food. But I do love it here. And I couldn't have asked for a better study abroad experience or first trip out of the country. It's been educational, it's been eye opening, it's been fun and interesting and engaging, and a million other adjectives. But most importantly, it's been freeing. To get lost in the monuments and your surroundings. To break out of customs and norms and habits. To try new things. To just get outside the box.
I could go on forever, but for now, I have a window to look out of and India to explore. See y'all in 12 days! Namaste.
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