All-American Monday

Today started off great- the inside of my morning tuk tuk was upholstered entirely with Disney Princesses! Normally I'm not all about that sort of thing, but it made me smile :)

And I skyped the parentals, which always makes me feel better <3

Then three of us had FRRO registration. This essentially means we have to fight through Indian bureaucracy just to pay a bunch of money to alert the country that we'll be here for awhile. If we don't we are stuck in India forever. No joke, and no thank you. It was worse than the DMV let me tell you. All sorts of cranky people and cranky workers stuffed in a tiny room of misery and I don't even speak the language! At one point I panicked because I didn't bring enough money (1395 rp = ~ $28) but luckily Kiki was miraculously loaded today so I borrowed and paid her back.

I still have no appetite but I figured I would walk around the M block market and see if anything appealed to me. Bagels and cream cheese? I think so. Were they overpriced? Of course. Were they worth it? Absolutely. It was the first real thing I've eaten in days and it was delicious. Definitely worth a little extra money to have an appetite for something. I also bought some Gatorade (70 cents each!) for electrolytes. I also needed tissues and they only had the kind with Garfield on them.
All in all, I was reminded of the states a lot today.

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Lazy Sunday

Sorry all, I've been sick again. This time with a mild case of Delhi Belly. I'll spare you the unpleasantries...

On Wednesday my Cities of Delhi class was held on location at Purana Qila (Old Fort) here in New Delhi. Turns out there are many 'Old Forts' around.

Thursday here was a national holiday- Republic Day- so there was no class. Also, everything was closed so Kiki (my rooms) and I just hung out at home.

Friday we decided it was time to get out of the house so we met some of the other girls in the program at Khan Market, which is an upscale market, approx a 25 minute tuktuk ride away from home. My friend Jayme, who is in the program here, was in Africa before this and they call the autos tuktuks (long ooo) so it has caught on.  The other day a took a picture inside one so you all could see how I get around New Delhi

One of the girls we met at Khan Market, Betty, is a good friend of me and Kiki's so she invited us to sleep over Friday night. She lives in her own apartment, connected to a family's home, so she essentially has her own place. It's small but super cute. We just hung out, ordered pizza from Pizza Hut and pretended we were in America! It's been long enough that we had been craving pizza and a quick respite from India. We had such a great time. When we woke up Saturday morning we headed to Betty's fave cafe in the area, Bagel's Cafe. Yes, another slice of America. You gotta do what you gotta do lol. Especially since I've been sick the idea of the traffic, scads of people, and spicy/fried Indian food are at the top of the list of most unappealing things imaginable. So I enjoyed an iced tea and wheat bagel while listening to the American coffehouse radio mix and immediately felt just a little better.
Today is another lazy day. I'm doing hw and soon will venture out to the M block market, which is a 5 minute walk from our house. I want to actually wander around and see everything that's there. We don't get lunch today so the girls want to go get froyo at the Pink Mango we spotted last week.

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I'm Back!!

Sorry about the decrease in information everyone!! Yes interesting things have happened, but mostly I've been feeling so unwell that I've been sleeping in my free time as opposed to informing you all of my adventures.

I am currently soaking up the sunshine on the roof of the IES center and lovin life. I think being outside more is crucial to my recovery. Yes, I am still sick. My cough is slowly getting better but I still can't hear out of my left ear. I think I'll go back to the hospital soon if it doesn't get better. Anyway, being up here on the roof is so amazing. I'm blogging/doing hw, listening to Florence and the Machine and just relaxing. It's also the first time I've been alone all trio, and you all know how I appreciate my alone time :)
Also I received a lovely letter from my lovely mother this afternoon. I do love getting snail mail (ahem, just sayin)

So let's see...where did I leave off? I've been getting feedback that the last few lines of my blog were unreadable so here goes.
Last weekend was the group's trip to Khajuraho and I had a wonderful time! There are plenty of pics on fb which I haven't had the chance to edit, respond to, or even look at so I'll try to do that today. Anyway, Khajuraho was breathtaking. These temples have so much hand-carved detail that it's overwhelming. It is also the site of many erotic carvings, which is why there is a warning about them in the album on fb lol. The stories say that these are the birthplace of the Kama Sutra but I have been assured by my prof that that's bull. These carvings depict scenes of everyday life, and sex is a part of life, so that is the reason they are there.
On the way back from Khajuraho we stopped in Orcha which has these beautiful palaces (also on fb). One thing I love about India is the richness of it's history and the fact that they have remains of ancient civilizations. We just don't have any of that in the States.
I've had a few requests so here goes:
What kind of classes will you be taking?
I will be taking Hindi, which consists of 1.5 hour classes 2 times a week. All classes follow this format. I will be learning how to read the characters and speak the language. It is pretty hard for me to be honest. Learning a whole new alphabet hurts my brain.
Indian Women in Fiction and Cinema is exactly what it sounds like. I will be reading stories and watching films which focus on Indian women, both in the past and present.
Yoga and Philosophy, in which I will be practicing Yoga and learning the principles behind it. I have learned quite a bit about this already so I am eager to expand my knowledge.
Socioeconomics in India is the class I am most excited for. It is everything I am interested in all in one class! Economics, education, health, political reform, etc. It is basically my major condensed into one class. I can't wait!!
Cities of Delhi is also going to be wicked cool. We do a lot of field trips, and are basically learning the layout and history of the city.
So basically everything is looking awesome.

What kind of food are you eating?
Lots of things I don't even know the names of. Everything is traditional Indian food that Auntie's cook makes for us. We have three meals a day, and rice and roti (flatbread) are always there. Hardly any fruits, but scads of vegetables. Auntie is a strict vegetarian which means no meat and no eggs (yes dairy, thank heavens). So there is a lot of alternative protein as well, such as beans and lentils. Everything is delicious and spicy which I love!! One thing that surprises us is that there are always at least 4 dishes (not including rice and roti) at every meal! It's insane how much they can do with just vegetables. I love love love the food, but am already craving American pizza (but really, when do I NOT want pizza...).

That's all for now, as I actually have some work to do! Actually having work to do while in India is rather upsetting- there are so many places to go and things to do!!!

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Hospital visit

Now that you're all freaking out, yes I did go to the hospital today, but people go to hospitals like we go to doctor's offices. It's so not a big deal. Anyway, I have had a bad cough for 2 months now, and woke up this morning with an ear infection so I decided to make my way to our wonderful doctor. Let me tell you- best experience of my life. You enter the hospital and go to the front desk where you grab a token with a number on it and wait for that number to be called. It took them 5 minutes to get to me. Then you go to a registration desk where you tell them your name, phone number, and address. You give them 400 rupees ($8) and in return you get a sheet of paper to take down the hallway to the doctor's office. You wait there until the doctor calls you. I waited 5 more minutes. Dr. Gita called me in, we talked, she prescribed things and I was done in 10 minutes! You then walk back out to the waiting area where there is, get this, the pharmacy!!! You hand them your prescription, they get it all together for you and you get to keep the original scrip for instructions. You pay (for me it was ~600 rp which is $12. And this was for 5 medicines) and then you  leave. I was in and out in half an hour. It really is a beautiful thing.
Now I'm relaxing at home because I feel lousy and I'm taking a long weekend trip with the group to Khajuraho which involves flying (ouchie for the ear)


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Just a quick note: Sadly I will not be able to post every day. I won't have internet sometimes, or time, or nothing interesting will have happened! So for those of you disappointed by this (cough:mom:cough) I am sorry I set your standards so high in the beginning.

Anyhoo, nothing terribly interesting has happened. We visited a few local universities, but I won't be taking any classes there. It's too much of a hassle to get the credits to transfer. I'm getting to know the people in the program better, which is nice. We have a great group of people here.

Mostly I've just been going to the center to hear professors explain what they're classes are about, and coming home and eating. So. Much. Eating. Auntie keeps us veryyy well fed :)

Right now I am studying Hindi and figuring out the classes I will take this semester.

I hope all is well at home!

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What else could go wrong?

Rest assured everyone, it all turned out ok. But yesterday was high stress for sure.
We started off going to the Lotus Temple in New Delhi. This place is amazing. The temple was is a Baha'i house of worship. Like all Baha'i places of worship, this temple is open to those of all faiths. It is written in the sacred texts that their places of worship should be somewhere that all people should be allowed to communicate with their God. It really is a beautiful sentiment. Only Baha'i texts, or texts of other religions can be read aloud (in any language) and the only music allowed is that made by the human voice. No instruments are allowed to be played. While we were inside, we were instructed to remain silent and I was very happy that everyone in the the temple followed this instruction. Sitting in that beautiful place, I was the calmest I have been in a long time. I don't even know how to describe how wonderful I felt. Then as we were about to leave a woman came to the front and started chanting. I got the chills it was so moving. As you can the, the temple is very large, and the acoustics are something I have never experienced before. If  I was allowed to record I would have, but I am sure I would not have done it justice. That was probably my fave part of the trip so far.

Sadly things went downhill fast. When we got back from the temple, we discovered that one of our group was missing- my roommate!!! We totally started panicking, and sent the boys back to the temple to see if she was there. This whole time we can't get a hold of her because only half of our phones are working. Luckily she has a good head on her shoulders and made it home! Our first real adventure in India.

Once we were all safe and sound we headed home for lunch and went right back out into the world again! This time for shopping :) It was just the four of us girls this time. One of the things we really needed was toilet paper. Apparently it's not an Indian thing. Their indoor plumbing is so delicate that the paper really messes it up. Buuut we got some for the house anyway because we are Americans lol. Can you imagine the sight? Four girls wandering around a market with arms full of toilet paper haha! Foreigners. I got a little swept away in the moment- I was on a competitive bargaining high I think :) I bought 3 scarves, a shirt and a skirt for 500 rupees. That's like 10 US dollars. I love this country.

Getting a rickshaw back from the market was really difficult, and it was getting dark. The 4 of us split into 2s so no one would be alone. The group before mine got a ride right away, but it took me and my roommate 15 minutes!! I guess because it was dinner time everyone was leaving. When we finally got one, we got hardcore stuck in the middle of Delhi traffic. As in our driver turned off the rickshaw and just sat and waited. Fun fact: auto rickshaws use the same engines as our lawnmowers. Being stuck on a highway in New Delhi means some serious pollution. Let's just say my cough isn't getting any better. So we finally get going and we are driving around in the dark, and it becomes clear to me and Keona that the driver of this auto rickshaw has no idea where he is going. And neither do we. We are totally new to the area and it's dark. Oh and this guy speaks no English and we speak no Hindi. We finally get him to pull over and ask a group of women and after some deliberation they give him directions we don't understand, give us assuring smiles, and we are on our way again. Within 3 minutes we were home safe and sound with a hot meal waiting for us. Phew!! This was all yesterday, so today me and Keona are being lazy bums around the house, unpacking, catching up on the internet, and relaxing. After lunch (at 2pm) the 6 of us will probably wander around the neighborhood to see what's around us, and hopefully not get into any trouble!

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My Indian Mamma

Today was SUCH  a big day I can hardly remeber everything that happened but I'll sure try :)

Some students from the local university came to show us around Delhi which was amazing. It was nice to have young people who now the area and the language to connect with. We started by taking the metro to this amazing ISKCON temple, which is the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. It is more commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement.  First off, the metro is AMAZING. It is so clean and organized. There is even a women's only car which is a life-saver. There are signs in pink on the ground separating even the platform into co-ed and women's only.

The metro is super new and it's not even done yet. There are places in Delhi that is does not yet connect to, but by the time it is done, the whole city should be on the metro line.
So anyway,this temple is crazy. First of all, it is huuuuuge. There are humongous stairs leading up to it with gardens and such, and the inside is also very impressive. There is one large room where everyone comes to worship Krishna. There is a large chandelier in the middle of the ceiling, along with many detailed frescoes of Krishna and his devoted followers. There is also a robot show where animatronic gods interact with one another. Can you imagine a robot Jesus show? Fascinating.

Then we went to an upscale market where I wanted to buy everything in sight but I knew I could find exact replicas elsewhere for much cheaper so I refrained. At the restaurant we went to, there was a cricket match on. Side note- cricket is quite popular in India. They actually won the 2011 World Cup! So like I was saying, cricket was on so I tried to get my guy friend to explain the rules to me, which sound very similar to baseball to me. When I mentioned this, all of the Indians at the table got very upset with me. (I still think it is similar to baseball...but I don't know the nuances of the game)

So today was the big day- I moved into my homestay!! And I couldn't be happier, really. I am with 5 other IES students, with 2 to a room. Our host mom is the sweetest lady in so many ways. She lives in a really big house and is all alone since her husband died a year ago. They used to host students together, and he made her promise that she would stay in the house so she could fill it up with more children. And that's what she wants us to be to her- her children. She has us call her auntie and she is all concerned with mostly our safety and stuffing us to the brim with food.

Today is an auspicious time to arrive auntie says, because it is Lohri. This is an Indian holiday that signifies the end of winter and you ask for blessings for the coming year. Families and/or communities get together around a bonfire and throw in popcorn and sweets. Auntie was kind enough to invite all 6 of us to her family and community celebration and we had a great time!

Our Lohri fire :)

One of the things about this program is that it is inevitable that you will have someone or something in common with everyone. For example, a girl in the program with me knows someone that I know at IWU. And this evening, I met one of auntie's neighbors that sometimes lives in Michigan and knows where IWU is!! It really is a small world.

I'm off to bed, after unpacking. And I don't know how much sleeping I'll be doing because of how much partying there is in the streets. I have a distinct feeling this will be a common occurrence here in India...

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Dancing...or not

Today we had a well-known choreographer come in and teach us Bollywood dancing!!! I have been looking forward to this all week. As you all know, I can't dance (panda dance anyone?) but Bollywood is a collaboration of many many different styles, making it relatively easy to learn. My backround in musicals helped a little actually. Anyway it was SO MUCH FUN! We were all riding the struggle bus but having such a good time of it. Everyone had worked up a sweat  by the end. I'm sure someone will evilly put up vids on fb sooner or later...

Today was another day of lectures. So. Many. Lectures. And I got a cell today thank goodness! It's such an odd feeling to be without one. The center ordered us Chinese food for dinner which was delicious, and kind of a nice change. 

I meet my host mom tomorrow which I am jazzed about. From what I've heard she is a really awesome lady and has a great house. There are 6 of us living together in 3 rooms. 2 guys and 4 girls. We all know each other pretty well already and I think we'll have a pretty good time. I just can't wait to unpack, settle in, and stop living out of my suitcase.

I'm still crazy tired. I'm not sure if I'm not sleeping well or if I'm still not adjusted but I'm ready to go to bed at like, 8 or 830. So at 11 it's time for me to go to bed!

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Scavenger hunt...

I am sooo tired today. It's 9:30pm here so this will be a short post. I am ready to pass out!!

We had a relatively dry boring day today. There was a lot of orientating to do. We had a few lectures- safety overview, and some Hindi phrases. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it took most of the day.
Then we did a scavenger hunt around the area. You all know how much I hate games. So luckily I got paired with one guy who is Indian and speaks Hindi in our program so I just followed him around everywhere haha! I know it defeated the point of the exercise but...whatever. But the STARING! Holy cow.  It really is ridiculous. I'll be walking down the busy city street and men on both sides of the road just stop and watch me walk by! I don't know that I'm ever going to get used to it.

Then the group of us ventured into the center of Delhi (the more commercial developed section) for a fancy dinner and it was amazing. I just love Indian food. It's so colorful and flavorful. Mmmm.

Tomorrow the thing I am most excited about is a Bollywood dance workshop. Oh yeah. Kristy if you're reading this I will learn all I can and teach it to you :)  So stay tuned to hear about that hilarious undertaking.

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Field trip!

Everyone breathe a sigh of relief- I am not hating life nearly as much as I was when I arrived :)
Some of the girls came over for dinner in our room last night and we had a little party. I felt better almost instantly, knowing some of the people I would be spending my time here with (and also as soon as I got internet...). Sadly I didn't sleep well even after being up for 30+ hours. Our hotel is right on the road and honking is very popular here. I have high hopes for this evening :)
We all met at the center this morning to meet our advisors and do some workshoppy things. We broke for tea in the courtyard. It was marvelous! We had the most delicious tea I've ever had, and delectable samosas. Om nom nom (just for you, Mom. lolz) We all had a meeting with a psychologist specializing in culture shock, and with the doctor associated with IES for some medical advice while in India.
We made two excursions today, one being Humayan's Tomb (I love wiki). It is a truly beautiful place.

I took sooo many pictures (you'll be proud Dad).
The next place we went was an arts and crafts bazaar called Dilli Haat which was incredible. There were scarves, musical instruments, hand carved boxes, beautiful loomed cloth and so many other wonderful things! I noticed that it was very clean, there were no beggars, and the staring/harassment was nonexistent. I then discovered one has to pay to enter, and this is a movement started by the Indian government to give craftsmen a city-wide scope to sell their wares (and amp up positive tourism...). So it was a bit of an extenuating circumstance, but I appreciate IES slowly assimilating us into the local culture with baby steps :) I didn't take any pictures of Dilli Haat. I felt like it would be like someone walking up to me in Hallmark and photographing me doing my job- it just seemed odd. There are a few pics on the website I linked however.
Tonight was my first real mishap here in India (it really could have happened anywhere, I suppose). The shower is a bit...quirky so that was already one challenge. Well when I try to get out, I discover I cannot turn the water off- the handle was stuck!!! Naturally I fly into full-blown panic mode for absolutely no reason and call the front desk, realizing that if someone comes up it would be horrendously improper of me to be in just a towel so I run around trying to find proper clothing and decide to try one last time. I fixed it! But in the process ripped up my hand, and I had try to explain to the person who arrived JUST as the water had been turned off that I am an idiot and can't work a shower. Just another day in the life.
I think that's all for now. I just wanted to let you all know that my spirits are up and things are going well...except showering.

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ARRIVAL!!!

I have arrived in India!!! Good lord, is it different then I expected. The airport is lovely but other than that...
I mean, I had seen pictures of what to expect but it's totally different seeing it. Almost as soon as we got on the road I saw a dead dog in the middle of the street, people in shacks selling goods, and children wandering in and out of traffic. The traffic! Holy cow I thought I would perish. People drive in between lanes and swerve sharply around corners. And you have never seen tailgating, or heard honking until you have been on the streets of Delhi.
We arrived at out hotel safe and sound, but everyone stared at my friend and myself on the way over. Again, as a white girl I knew that people would stare but it's so different when it's happening to you.
Honestly I am kind of in panic mode. Everywhere seems so unsafe and unclean, I don't speak the language, I'm afraid of offending people, and I'm so far from home. Everything is an unknown, which as you all know is my least favorite thing. Period. I'm trying very hard to stay positive- some other girls from the program came by and we all decided to do room service together in a bit. Maybe having a group of people in the same situation will help!
Miss you all terribly already!

Pre-departure gifties

I just thought I would share with all of you a few of the many pre-departure gifts I have received!

My good friends Molly and Sarah, who I have known since elementary school made me a cookie shaped like my destination country! How thoughtful :) (and delicious...)

My extended family in New York send me a perfectly-timed India care package filled with Indian currency, snackies, and a beautiful handmade card with pictures and travel quotes. I shall treasure it :)

Of course I have gotten many other gifties including a wonderful book from Steve-another old friend, financing for the actual trip from the parentals, and many many more.

I truly feel blessed to have such wonderful friends and family.

But now I need to run because I have not even started packing and I leave in less than 36 hours!!! My mother will have a heart attack when she reads that...

Me and my India cookie courtesy of Molly and Sarah :)

A handmade card and protein bars from my wonderful New York family 

Stay in touch!

It doesn't seem real that in less than a week I will be in India! I need to get going on all my preparations but what I really want to do is eat, drink, and watch all the things I can't get overseas! I'm having my mom make all of my favorite foods (such a nice lady), going to all of my favorite restaurants, and watching television/movies. I really should be photocopying documents, packing, and mentally preparing. Speaking of which, I am doing the bulk of my shopping tomorrow, so if you have any ideas as to what I may need, comment or send me an email!! I love input.

One of the things that is sinking in is how much I will be missing everyone here in the states. All of my IWU peeps start school tomorrow, and it's odd to think that Illinois life will be going on without me. I will be missing all of my senior friends' last semesters which is saddening (come visit me in India for spring break! lol. but seriously...). I will try to stay in touch personally through facebook, email, and skype so feel free to do the same :) Special shout out to all of my Kappa Delta ladies- I can't believe I will be missing all of your amazingness for an entire semester. Keep me posted on things!
Of course I will be missing my family as well, but I am confident my mom will keep the communication going pretty consistently...

Attention everyone: If you would like a postcard, email me your address and I would looove to send you one :) I can't promise it will get sent to you any time soon, but by the time I leave I promise I will get to everyone!! If for any reason (*wink* I love me some snail mail), you would like my address, again email me and I will let you know.
I will not have my cell phone while in India, so texting is unfortunately not an option. However, I will have internet almost every day and I can be reached via my 3 emails, this blog, facebook, skype, snail mail, you name it.

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Namaste to you all!
In one week exactly I will arrive in Delhi, India for a semester-long trip. Unreal. I will be taking classes, travelling, and doing a homestay with an Indian family which I'm wicked excited about.


I am attempting the great modernity that is blogging, so bear with me. I will be trying my best to chronicle the struggles and triumphs of travelling across the world and living in what is vastly considered a 'developing country'. I am mostly excited, but also scared to be truthful.


I do have some concerns of course. I will be living in the city of Delhi so it will be relatively modernized, which is good. I do not have guaranteed water/electricity 24/7 so that will take some getting used to. I do not speak the language (Hindi) but I am planning to learn as I go. I will be navigating the social minefield that is living with a family with entirely different customs and traditions. Prepare to read about a slew of Indian faux pas this American will commit! I will be getting around by rickshaw (click to see what on earth I'm talking about) and I have been warned about the traffic. Apparently there are no rules of the road in India so I have to be an alert pedestrian!
I think what I am most worried about is being a Caucasian woman in India. Indian men are of the belief that all American women are loose, and as such have a tendency to approach them on the street. I have to dress very modestly at all times, and make sure to abide by all local customs as to not create trouble for myself.


I am in the prep stages of the trip now, with getting all of my documents in order and figuring out what to pack. Getting my visa was a rather stressful experience, but luckily all of my papers are in order and I am all set to go! Unfortunately packing is another story...I haven't exactly started. I will be shopping this week for everything I need: bug spray, modest clothing, and Seasons 1 and 2 of Dexter (I have my priorities in order!).


Of course, this part is not the most exciting to read about, but I figured I should give you some background info. I will try to update here as often as possible!