Highs and Lows

To be completely honest, I have been procrastinating with uploading something on here. I didn't want to post because the past two weeks were not very exciting so I was scared that I would disappoint anyone reading. Plus, I've been very emotional recently because I am starting to miss home. There have been other things going on here that haven't made the experience the best either. So, I have been waiting for something really exciting to write about. I have finally found some things to say!

This last week and a half has been very rough for me emotionally. Last Wednesday, my little brother moved away from home to begin his college experience. This is such a huge time in his life that I am missing out on because I am on the other side of the world. He has been there for almost all of the important things that have happened in my life and I missed one of the biggest ones of his. My brother and I are enrolled in the same college. I love and hate our conversations where he tells me everything that is happening on campus. It really sucks that I am not there for his first trimester. I have been in contact with a lot of my friends and family throughout the week giving me too many mood swings.

Before coming here, I had several conversations with the girls who had done this study abroad program. I was told numerous times that this program would be tough. I remember one girl saying, “If you can get through this program, you can get through anything”. I don’t know why but I have been taking their words with a grain of salt. I have seen some really troubling things here but none of them were things I couldn’t handle.  Sunday was the most mentally and emotionally draining day I have had here. I had to go somewhere I never thought I would have to go: the hospital. I am fine, health wise. I went to support someone who is becoming very important to me. I will not go into detail about what exactly was wrong with them. Pretty much, after several visits to the clinic, it was decided to that getting the person to the hospital was needed.

There were so many things that I witnessed and experienced that day that I wish I had not. We went straight to the ER when we got there. Unfortunately, we could not enter the doors because we did not have a slip to get in. After about 20-30 minutes we were able to get the slip and a stretcher. Stepping through those doors was overwhelming, there were so many stretchers and people in there. They don’t have curtains so you saw everything. They don’t have space so every available space is occupied by people in the rooms and hallways. You can’t get a stretcher unless you have an ID so a lot of patients just laid on the floor. Doctors/nurses do not navigate patients through the hospital so the people with the patient are responsible for pushing the stretchers around. After getting in, the doctors checked the patient then told us to wait. A little later, we were given prescriptions. After walking to the pharmacists, we realized that we were there to pick up needles and medicine. That still blows my mind. My heart nearly broke when I saw an elderly women screaming as her deceased brother was wheeled out of the hospital on a stretcher. The man was barely covered with a sheet. After returning back to the emergency room entrance about twenty minutes later, the body was still just lying on the stretcher in the middle of the walkway unattended from what I could tell. I saw a child urinate in the middle of the hallway while no one said anything. I witnessed the nurse check on more than four patients without changing her gloves. She administered medicine, took notes and touched them all with the same gloves. The still cannot believe everything I saw. If I get sick, God forbid, I am going straight home or Europe because I can't fathom the thought of being a patient in that hospital.

In happier news, I have a new favorite store. It is seriously is the store of my dreams. It's really touristy but whatever, it gets the job done. There are really cute clothes and jewelry. I really love how cheap they are. I bought five pairs of pants, four shirts, two rings and a pair of earrings for 1700 rupees which is about 28 USD. I went back the next day with the rest of the girls and of course I ended up buyng something. I bought two pillowcases and a large mat that I plan on using to decorate my room in America. I also, what things I want to buy my family and friends back at home. 

Also, the girls and I are finally making friends around our age which I can honestly say is making my time here so much better. The other night, one of the other girls and I went to dinner with friends. We rode around on there bikes, which was so much fun. I had never been on a bike until coming to India. Bikes in America terrify me because they go so fast but here they excite me. I can now say that I have been on 5 bikes! It was Ivy's first bike ride. She had the biggest smile on her face from start to end. On our way home, she was so excited that she actually started screaming. Two nights ago, we went out again with more friends. We started by riding around BHU. Then we wanted to experience being on one on the highway, so that happened. We drove to the middle of the Ganga Bridge where we just looked at the water for a while. Then we went to dinner, really good by the way. We then went back to the bridge for a few minutes. We ended our night by sitting at Assi Ghat. Last night, we walked around with the guys to try different street foods. I was so nervous the whole time because I thought one of us would get sick since we were advised not to trust street food. I woke up fine this morning so I guess it is safe enough. Then of course, we went to another ghat. I am so glad we made some friends because I have seen so many parts of Varanasi in the last few days that I never knew existed. 

I have recently returned home from my vocal class. Usually I am given a ride home but there is a concert being hosted at her place so I took a rickshaw. My teacher's father insisted that I take a cycle rickshaw. Cycle rickshaws make me feel so uncomfortable but I didn't want to argue. I feel so bad for the men (especially the elder men) peddling while carrying the weight of their passengers for so little money. Anyways, we had to go over a small hill so he had to get off of the bike and push. Even though we agreed on a price, I gave him more because I felt bad for him. Tomorrow, we will be going on an outing with Rajat and our Hindi teachers to Ramnagar to visit a fort and to also see Ramlila which tells the story of Rama. This  should be interesting because their is never a dull moment with us girls and our teachers. 

Four Weeks In(dia)

I can’t believe I’ve been living here for four weeks. It seriously feels like I have been here longer than that. I realized that getting through these next few months will be a lot easier than I originally believed. We got a copy of the tentative master schedule last week which helped us get a better ideal the rest of our time will go. I am really looking forward to October for several reasons but I won’t tell you all why for a few more weeks!

At the end of my last post, I said that I wasn’t feeling well. The next day, was even worst. I had flu-like symptoms which made me think that I had malaria. I was in no way being unrealistic about this maybe diagnosis of myself. During my first week here, I forgot to take one of my anti-malaria pills so I jumped to the conclusion that the one missed pill gave me malaria. Thankfully, I started feeling better the next day so all is well! No malaria for me!!! I have been making sure that I take my pills EVERY DAY since I had that scare.

Two weekends ago was such a wonderful one! We spent time with our chota bhai (little brother), Ankur. His family went back to their village for the weekend however; he had to stay in here on the campus since he had classes. So we invited him over to the guest house to watch movies and play Uno (his new addiction, seriously). The movie we planned to watch did not have subtitles. So we decided to surf the web and play Uno until Ankur could not keep stay awake anymore. On Sunday, we went to the malls with Ankur who triples as our brother, bodyguard and translator. After we had lunch in the food court, ice cream, and did a little bit of shopping we headed home. Ankur had to go to a physics study session so we hung out with Sunil in the café until study time was over. We then went to dinner with Ankur at a hotel nearby. It was really nice, the restaurant was outdoors.

So, the “mouse” in the house has been the topic of discussion lately. I woke up at 6AM last Tuesday to the sound of rattling. When I went into the living room, I noticed what I assumed was a rat inside the mouse trap. Anyways, I left campus for a while to teach a singing class at the rural campus. When I returned my friends were telling me about the “chachudar” that was in the trap. I thought that was just the Hindi word for rat but oh no! Chacundars are Asian house shrews. What the heck?! We told our Hindi teacher about it in class which got a big reaction from her. Supposedly, they bite. She told us a story about how she was bit by one when she was 10 years old while she was sleeping.

The view of the Ganga at the rural campus!

Since the students finished exams, last week was relaxing for them. The teachers planned various activities for them to do throughout the day and they were given half-days all week. The crew and I were asked to help by doing an activity with various classes on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. So I did music, Shadi did dancing, Elizabeth and Maddie did art ad Ivy did English and theater. The whole week was leading up to the Teacher’s Day celebration on Friday. There was a big program coordinated by some of the older students. There were songs, dances, skits and games throughout the morning. Our very sneaky chota bhai got us all called on stage to participate in one of the games. The participants had to dance on a mat with a partner until the music stopped. After each the mat was folded, making it smaller. Ivy and I, being the competitive people that we are, got creative. After a few rounds, I jumped on her back, which is something I don’t think people had seen before then because we got a huge response to that. Ivy and I ended coming in third place.

Teachers Day Celebration!

This past Saturday, we took a trip to Allahabad which is about 3 hours away with Rajat (his is the guy in charge of us during our stay). About halfway into the trip, we pulled over to the side of the highway to buy chai from a chai stand. It was seriously some of the best chai I’ve had here and I’ve had some good chai! When we got back on the road we ended missing our exit and went to the wrong toll booth. So we had to turn around and literally ended up driving the wrong way on the highway for a few minutes. It was terrified. We told Rajat that something like that could not happen in America and responded, “Well this is India!” When we pulled of the highway in Allahabad, some weird things happened. First, we pulled over to ask an officer for directions and for some odd reason, the cop was paid after arguing with Rajat and the driver. We all heard the word “passport” being said a few times so we don’t know if the cop was paid off for us not having our passports with us or if it was just a tip for helping us. We tried to ask about what happened but the answer we got made absolutely no sense at all. Then as soon as the officer walked away, a man jumped on our car trying to get us to take a ride for the river so he can take us on a boat ride. The man refused to get off of the truck for a good minute and a half. Finally, he got off. After driving for a bit, another man approached the truck wanting to lead us to the river. So we drove for a few minutes with the man hanging on the outside of the truck. Once at Sangam, we were literally swarmed by men trying to persuade us to take a ride on their boat. However, they couldn’t comprehend that we were uninterested so we quickly left from the beach area and returned to the truck. We then visited a fort and two temples in the area. We found a mall and ate some delicious food and ice cream in the food court. Our last stop was the home of the first prime minister of independent India which is now a museum.  

On Sunday, we went to dinner at a Rajasthani restaurant with Rajat, the mehndi (henna) teacher, her daughter and one of the drivers. The waiting area consisted of large hammocks for everyone to sit one. The food there was really good! There was a technique to eating our food. I forgot the name of all of the dishes but you are given a small bread ball like thing that was filled with paneer, a bowl of dal (lentils), another bowl of a potato and eggplant mixture and chutneys. You first have to break the ball into small pieces. Then you pour the dishes over it. Finally you add chutney. You then smash it all together with your hands and enjoy. SO GOOD! The plates were made of dried leaves stitched together and the bowls/ cups were made of clay. The meal was concluded with a mouth refresher of sugar and anise. This is something we have been served at almost every restaurant we have been to.

Yesterday was the first day of my internship. I found out about it fifteen minutes before my class was supposed to start so I was really unprepared. Luckily, Ivy and I both got placed with Class 8 and our internships are similar. Ivy is showing the students how drawing can be used as a tool to discuss topic that may are harder to discuss. And mine is using writing and music as a way to do the same. Ultimately we both want to get the students to think more deeply about issues such as body image, caste and gender. And discuss ways to promote more positive thoughts about them. So every week we will have a different theme (body image, respect, confidence, colorism, beauty, etc.) and on one day the girls will do art while the boys do songwriting then they will switch for the other day. Since it was the first day, we had a joint discussion about positivity and brainstormed possible themes. Then for the last 20 minutes, we split into groups and talked about colorism. I am really excited for this because the kids have so much to say during discussion!

About an hour ago,  we came back from an art workshop. Also today is Ivy’s birthday so everyone is in a good mood and “happy feeling” in the words of Sunil! We threw her a surprise party after dinner in the cafe with two of the didis, Sunil, the guard and his kids, and the driver and his kids. 

I would like to apologize for the huge gap in this post from my last post. Things have been hectic between taking my classes, teaching classes and just living over here in general. Once I get used to my new schedule, I will be able to write more often hopefully! 

So Many Stories

I feel like the weekend came and went far too quickly. How is it Monday already?!

I spent the majority of the weekend lying in my bed with a book or on my phone because we got new Wi-Fi! I can now use my phone in my room which was something that rarely happened before. I was also able to get out the house a little bit though which was very nice!

On Friday afternoon, we went home with the librarian. We walked for about an hour to get there. I didn’t mind the fact that we were walking because I could use the exercise to work of some of the potatoes, paneer and naan. Anyways, about 45ish minutes in, I began to feel tired so mad props to Sunita for doing that twice a day! When we arrived to her home we were welcomed with smiles. We were led into the small room were we all sat in a circle getting to know her family with her and her sisters translating for us. At one point, her dad announced that he would tell our futures. He began by writing our names on his palm in Hindi and after a few seconds he would look at you then close his eyes again. After reading my mind as he said, he told me that I will be a teacher. He wasn’t too far off considering I am a paraprofessional during the summers. After a round of snacks, a few songs, many laughs and a cup of chai things got serious. Her dad told us that even when we are not at their home, we are his guest. By this, he meant that he and his family would be taking us in as their family until we leave India. One of the younger sisters even suggested that we spend Sundays with them so we can do different things and go different places throughout our stay. Our new “dad” even walked with us to get a rickshaw and negotiated a fair price with the driver to make sure we didn’t get ripped off. He walked behind the rickshaw for as long as he could waving goodbye to us. Sunita and her family insisted that she traveled back with us to make sure that we got home safely. We only agreed to this after she agreed to let us pay for her rickshaw home so she wouldn’t have to walk home. When we got back, we went straight to the café to hang out with Sunil, the café manager and Sunita’s older brother. We told him that he had an amazing family and that he now has 8 sisters instead of 3. He responded by puffing out his chest and saying he is the best big brother!

As I said in my last post, the crew wants me to write about some of the funny things that have been happening here. So, here they go:

After a few days in Varanasi, we were more than ready to see the Ganges River. Sunil came to campus at 6AM to walk us to the river since we got lost a few days prior. As we were walking one of the girls who shall not be named stepped in a pile of cow feces. Although, it was really unfortunate we couldn’t stop ourselves from laughing. Sunil asked one of the merchants along the way for some water so she should rinse her foot. It is hilarious even to this day.

While at the mall in Lucknow, we witnessed a push-up contest. A very terrible push-up contest might I add. Two of my teammates are studying here in India with me and I don’t know if it is because we are athletes or not but we were really critical of the contestants form. As soon as we looked over the railing, we all said, “Oh my God”. It literally looked like everyone was humping the floor and doing the worm at the same time. Quite the effort!

After we returned to Varanasi from Lucknow, it was time to stop putting off laundry day. So during one of our walks we bought a couple of bars of laundry detergent for our laundry party. We set up two of the bathrooms with buckets and a bar of detergent. After setting up ropes and finding all of the hangers in the house, we were ready. After about an hour of washing, the house was covered in clothes. The next day, after returning from class we saw that some of the clothes were missing from the hallway. Turns out one of the “didis” took the clothes outside to dry quicker in the sun. That was really nice of her however; the majority of the clothes taken out were some the girls’ underwear and bras. So the little school children got an eye full that afternoon.

Less than a week back, we discovered a mouse in our house. I didn’t see the rodent the first time however, Elizabeth did. She screamed so loud I think I lost my hearing for a few seconds. She said she saw it run into the bedroom closest to the front door. After leaving the house for a few hours we returned to see that the girl living in the room the mouse ran into, Katherine, deeply cleaning her room because the mouse made its presence known. She even moved her cupboard into the hallway so the mouse the mouse couldn’t use it as a hiding spot. It ended up running out of the house soon after. Of course the mouse returned a few days later when there were three of us in the house. We made Katherine be the brave soul to find it since she is the oldest. So she hopped across furniture armed with a broom. She eventually scared it enough to make it run towards the front of the house where it hid in a hole in the wall until it ran back out the front door. It was then decided that we should block the roughly 1.5 inch gap between the floor and the door with an old sheet. Two nights ago, it came back. This time when it left, we blocked not only the door but also the hole it likes to run into. Hopefully, it stays away for a while.   

For one of our Hindi classes on Thursday, we took a walk around the area we live in. Our neighborhood, if you will, is shaped like a triangle. It is filled with fairly new apartment buildings across and next to us, store front shops and the “curbs” are occupied by merchants selling fruit. When we finished our tour of the area, we went a lassi shop we passed at the beginning of the trip. A few months ago, I figured out that I am lactose intolerant. So, I have been trying to be very careful about what I eat because the last thing I need is to be sick. My friends and I tried to explain to my teacher that I was allergic to milk. My teacher insisted that I have one anyway because I wasn’t drinking milk but curd. I told her not to order one for me because I could just taste someone else’s. She said, “No, you try. Just pray to your God and drink it”. I laughed so hard. No one else heard her say it so I had to explain what was said. I did end up praying and drank the extra-small order of the lassi. I felt really weird after drinking it but that feeling went away after a little while.

Anything involving Sunil is funny honestly. Highlight of my time so far has to be the dance party/concert we had. We have gotten into the habit of staying in the café with Sunil until his shift ends. We usually just talk and listen to music on the radio. Depending on his goofy level for the night, we can get him to sin g to us or dance. This weekend, we got him to do both at the same time. Seriously, it was one of the funniest things to happen here.

Yesterday, we took a day trip with an art history professor to Sarnath. For those who do not know about Sarnath, it is the place where Buddha first preacched. As we walked through the museum, we noticed a very interesting piece. It was an elephant figurine. Not just any elephant though. This elephant was special because it was missing its trunk, three legs and both ears. This story isn’t that funny I realize because you weren’t there to actually look at the figurine but just trust me, it was funny.

Funny stories over! In other news, we started our new classes today. I had my first yoga class early this morning. It was really fun but I’m in pain right now because some of the moves aggravated a previous hip flexor injury. I also started my dance class today. I don’t remember the name for the style of dance but it is classical Indian dance which involves stumping my feet and moving my hands gracefully. There is a classical music festival going on here so Shadi, Elizabeth and Maddie went there tonight to watch some of the dancing. I will also be taking a classical vocal music class. I am not sure when I will begin though because there is difficulty scheduling my class because the teacher is very busy. Hopefully everything works out with that class! Besides Hindi and my arts classes, I am taking a class called Globalization and Local Narrative. I am currently in part two of the class where we do an internship type thing. I am going to have workshops that involve empowerment through music. So, I will be having the groups (boys and girls) write songs in Hindi and English that empower them to think more positively about not only themselves but their peers as well. At the end of my time here, I will host a concert for my students.

I am off to bed now. I am not feeling very well. Hopefully, I feel better by tomorrow! And I found out one of my wisdom teeth is growing in. Grrr.  Anyways, I will post again soon xx. 

Chota Chota

I wish I could have written more within the last few days but honestly the Wi-Fi sucks. I have been trying to get this to post from my phone and my laptop for two days. And I also was away from Varanasi for a few days on a weekend trip to Lucknow. It was a wonderful chance to get away from Varanasi.

Lucknow and Varanasi are really different places. I have already described how Varanasi looks in my previous post. In Lucknow, there are paved roads, cows and stray dogs are a rarity and most people wear more western styles of dress. And unlike Varanasi, the majority of the city is not impoverished. 

Now I wish I could lie and say that the whole trip was rainbows and butterflies but I can't. It was this weekend that I felt the most uncomfortable since my departure from America. The fact that I am a "foreigner" was so apparent in Lucknow. I am slowly becoming used to the stares that I get as I walk down the roads. However, the intensity of the stares seemed stronger. Not only that but people wanted pictures of us. That whole concept baffled me. As we waited for everyone to finish their purchases at the gift shops outside of the big Imam Bargah, people either tried to sneakily take pictures of us or they were brave enough to ask for a picture. There were two kids who plotted together to get a photo of us. The boy pretended to be taking a picture of his sister who posed wherever we stood. Finally, the girl staying with us for part of our stay told them to stop. Even worst was when we went to a celebration for the birth of Krishna and the press surrounded us trying to get a picture of the "foreigners" that came to the Hindu celebration. I was so uncomfortable that I was downright angry. I felt attacked. I am simply minding my own business until I was surrounded from all sides by at least 6 men shoving cameras into my face. 

I was told by one of my teachers here that I should just stare at the people who stare at me. I have tried this out but I just couldn't do it. It is a nervewrecking thing to do. If I were to have a staring contest with someone in America it could seriously end in a brawl depending on the person.

Enough of the negative stuff though. Overall, the trip was wonderful! I was able to see some amazing sites, eat delicious food, take plenty of pictures and meet some great people. We went to a mall in Lucknow after sightseeing and I felt like I was at home in America. The stores are pretty much the same, there was a movie theater, a big food court (best food I had all weekend hands down). To get to and from some of the sites, we were carted around by a horse! After a long, full day of sightseeing, I realized that being a "tourist" is a lot of work. I was literally dripping in sweat the whole day and I think I went through at least 2 huge bottles of water. When we returned to the home we stayed at in Lucknow, we all just laid across the beds too tired to do much else.

Explanation of the title: So, as we were walking around the small Imam Bargah the tour guide asked if we knew any Hindi. Maddie responded, "Chota chota chota Hindi" (small, small, small Hindi). This got a laugh out of the tour guide. From then on, he would call out "chota chota" whenever he began to lose our attention or when he was just referring to Maddie.

"Chota Chota" man at the small Imam Bargah

View from the top of the big Imam Bargah

I have a long weekend coming up so I will be able to write some more. The crew has requested that I write a post about all of the funny things that have been happening here so far! 

SpiderMonkey Kid

I have made it to Varanasi! And it is not what I imagined it to be at all.

Close your eyes and imagine that you are sitting in a sauna. Now with them still closed, imagine yourself in a small airport with one baggage claim, less than 10 shops and very few gates. You are surrounded by several people pushing to get by you to claim their luggage. And you are being approached by men with carts asking if they can push your luggage for you.  

When our group of five girls all had their bags we headed toward the front of the airport with no idea of who to be looking for. Walking through the sliding doors, I was hit hard by the humidity and heat. Quickly, we found our ride. There was the driver and the coordinator of the school we would be staying at. The first thing I noticed as we walked to the truck was the steering wheel. It was on the right side of the car. I did not know that the driving would be opposite of ours. Anyways, after loading our bags on the top and in the back of the truck, we were ready to go “home”. Three of us sat in the backseat and the other two girls sat in the seats in the trunk.

As soon as we pulled out of the airport parking lot, I will admit that I was afraid for my life. The way people drive here is terrifying, honestly. Not only was I still wrapping my mind around the fact that we were driving on the left side of the road but I also had to realize that when you are on the road: everything goes.

Close your eyes and imagine two cars or motorcycles having a honking battle. Imagine a huge buffalo or two sitting in the middle of the road blocking traffic. Imagine stray dogs running this way and that way. Imagine bouncing up and down in your seat because of the unpaved roads. Imagine seeing a small child smile at you from the motorcycle next to you.

We would sometimes drive on the right side of the road. It felt and looked like we were going to be involved in a head-on collision but we made it each time unharmed.  The pedestrians walk without looking both ways, seriously.  Motorcyclists squeeze between cars that drive closely to each other.

Close your eyes and imagine a rainy night. Now, this is not your normal rainfall. The rain is so heavy that sounds like someone is standing outside the window and throwing buckets of water at it.  

There were several times that I jumped up because I thought water was flowing inside of our house through the windows. Turns out it was just the rain outside. When we went for our walk in the morning, I wore my rain boots and the locals stared at my feet. It is the most unnerving thing ever. Even the kids at the schools would stare. Yesterday was the first day that we talked to the students after school. The smaller boys actually wanted to touch my boots. It was the cutest thing ever! And the older girls complimented me on my boots. At dinner last night, I wore my rain jacket and one of the women in the café laughed at me for wearing the jacket for such a short walk from my house to the on-campus café. Dinner like every other meal eaten here is simple yet complex. By this I mean, the foods are simple (rice, potatoes and naan) but they are so complex in flavor. After dinner, we stayed the café for about an hour to use Wi-Fi to talk to people back at home and chat with the café’ manager. During this time we experienced yet another power outage. We have about two or three a day.

Close your eyes, it is time for bed. It is 9pm and pitch black outside. Again, you hear the honking of cars. You hear the barking of dogs. You hear the teetering of rain. You hear the voices of people in the street.

The first night here, it was easy to relax with all of the background noise because I was exhausted. Last night, I fell asleep earlier than I thought I would but I woke up at 3am. I don’t know if it is because of the noises I heard outside or if it was because of the two naps I took earlier. Anyways, I was up just listening to the noises outside until my phone started buzzing like crazy. That took me by surprise because the Wi-Fi never reaches the bedrooms. So I took advantage of this rare moment and talked to my brother, dad and best friend Keya via Viber. (I just talked to her on the phone and every other minute she says, “I can’t believe you are actually doing this. I can’t believe you are in India.”)

Close your eyes and imagine the sound of children. You hear a laugh here and there. You hear a conversation between two small kids in Hindi. You hear an older brother talking to his younger brother. You hear about 100 kids singing “If You're Happy and You Know It” to start off their morning.  

This morning as we sat in the living room area we saw a little friend playing near the window. His back was to us so we decided to play with him. Ivy ran to the window and tapped until he noticed then she hid he behind the wall. He laughed and waved hello. This went on for a few minutes until Ivy went out the front door. He tried to get into our house which he obviously is not supposed to do. When we all left for breakfast he was there and as soon as Shadi and I turned around he opened the door. Oh no, we have to watch this one. This same little boy pinched me on my thigh the first night here. We exchanged a few hellos and bye then out of nowhere, he pinched me… Very hard.  

Yesterday, we began our Hindi classes. I learned seven new sentences, how to count to ten and how to write my name and my family's names. Here are some of the things I learned.

1. Mera nam Daria (My name is Daria)

2. Mera pas do bhai hai (I have two brothers)

3.  Mei chatra hu (I am a student)

Numbers: ek, do, teen, char, panch, che, sat, art, nou, das (1-10)

Life on the other side of the world is truly different. And surprisingly the adjustment has not been that hard, so far. This guesthouse is quickly becoming a "home" from home. That may seem crazy but it just feels right.  The people, the food and the environment are great!

Funny/scary story: So using the bathroom as we are getting ready to leave the house to go shopping when this HUGE spider runs pass me. I don't think I have ever screamed that loudly. It caused all of the other girls to run in my bathroom (insert more screams). I actually cried and had a mini panic attack. The student from U of Chicago came out of her room to tell her about her experience with a spider a week or so ago. Fifteen minutes later, the spider was still alive so we ran to get help. Finally, help came and in five seconds the spider was wrapped up in a hand towel. The two men who came to the rescue walked out of our house laughing as they released the spider outside. 

And so it begins...

As I drove down I-94 on Friday to the airport, I felt nothing. I don't mean that literally, of course. I was just emotionless. Was I supposed to be scared? Was I supposed to be excited? Were there supposed to be tears running down my face? Was there supposed to be a grin plastered across my face? After checking my luggage, I told my mom that I was emotionless. She told me that I was lying. She could tell from my face that I trying to be tough.

In the words of Jessie J, "Mama knows best". 

As I hugged my parents goodbye, I tried so hard to keep myself from crying. I even told myself, "I am not going to cry, I don't have emotions" over and over again. Out loud might I add. My mom encouraged my tears to fall. So fall they did. 

Waiting to board the plane, the "nonexistent" emotions I claimed about an hour before disappeared... The fact that I'm gonna be nearly 8,000 away from home for nearly 5 month hasn't sunk in yet. 

Random: Luthansa Airlines are amazing. I  had no idea that two floored airplanes were a thing until being on two of there flights. Also, the flight attendants were so nice! (Cool shot of the plane in Germany)

After a long 6.5 hours in Delhi, I am sitting in a lounge inside the Delhi airport. These past few hours have been a prime example of expecting the unexpected. So, story time! Two of the four other girls and I have been here since midnight. The system shut down as we waited in line to get through immigration. After nearly two hours, we got through to baggage claim to not see our luggage on the conveyor. We asked for helped and found our luggage on a cart headed to be stored (I think). I was do tired I couldn't even hold my 40lb duffle bag so I instead dragged it. Two passport/boarding pass checks later we could drop off our checked bags on the opposite side of the airport. Finally making it through an intense security check was such an amazing feeling, by the way. We had plans of logging into the free Wifi but that didn't happen because without service we couldn't receive the code via text message. So frustrating. We learned that we could pay for wifi usage in one of the lounges BUT we had to pay in rupees which we didn't have yet because the currency exchange counter was closed until 5:30am. So we chilled for about 2 hours until it was supposed to open. At 6am we finally got our
rupees which meant food and wifi and a comfortable couch to lie down on. 

The time is now about 7:30am which means I am about 3 hours away from my last flight. I am yearning for a shower and a bed because airplane and airport chairs aren't cutting it. 

These past few days of traveling have been really interesting to say the least. I actually believe all of the advice given to me by past participants about having little expectations. Let the journey begin. 

P.S. The reality of my situation still hasn't set in... Give me about 2 weeks to realize that I'm not just on a vacation that will soon end.