Adjusting

Everything seems to be fitting into place now. My stomach is normal again and I am still enjoying the glorious food here. My host family always teases me, saying that I say EVERYTHING is good, it's true though. =)

I was out on the balcony watching the sunset. It's so beautiful when it sets. When I was on the plane to come over here, it was as if we were chasing the sun, it was a pretty cool thought. Where I am living, we are right next to this lake, it's not too big and people definetly don't swim in it, but it's nice, it gives us this cool breeze.



















School. Hmm... I am just going to say that it's different and that it's going to take time for me to adjust. It's not that it's hard, it's just very different. They are very formal and strict. There was this ceremony at school where the new headboy and headgirl, captains, prefects and etc. were all sworn into "office" for the school. It was actually quite neat seeing them march, intense. I was at the ceremony with my host brother, we both had our blazers on from rotary, representing rotary. I must admit, we looked pretty spiffy and everything.

My host family took me to Mumbai, which people still refer to as Bombay, and we went sightseeing while we were there, it was nice. Saw a lot of amazing architecture. I have grown fond of my host family. They are amazing.My host parents, Rajiv and Parul Desai, have always wanted a daughter, and my host brother, Binish R. Desai, always wanted a sister. So kind of works out. My host brother and I at the Gateway to India. =D





















I am still in the stage of just purely blind bliss. Still surreal to me that I am here. Here, 500 rupees is like $100 to them. 500 rupees is only $10 for us. It's an odd thing to me.

I see poverty, I see stray animals. children running around with no shoes, playing in the dirt. I have seen an old man sleeping on the side of the road, underneath a tarp, shivering. I see tarp huts everywhere, where families live who can't afford housing. Then I look at myself, and I feel fortunate. I feel lucky and thankful for the life I have. I feel helpless, when I see a child, begging me to give him only 5 rupees so he can feed himself. It breaks my heart.

Culture shock has begun.

Still, being in a thrid world country, there is still unity. That is what I love most. Through all the hardship that people go through, they still find happiness. I went to the beach with my host brother and father. We stood there and watch people stand on the wall that separated them from the ocean, it was hightide. Whole families came to watch the hightide and to be splashed. People walking past with raincoats, ready to battle the waves. Everybody is laughing and having fun, even though they are all strangres there. Still they share the same joy. It was great. I loved it. Happiness out of the simple things in life. That is what I need in my life.



















Hope everything is well at home.

Almost a Week

The food here is good, don't get me wrong. I drool over it. My stomach is hating me for eating it though. I am not use to it yet.

Being here for less than a week, I have already learned a far amount of Gujarati. I slowly am picking it up. By the time this is over, the blogs are all going to be in Gujarati and you all will have to use a translator. =P

I am very excited to meet the other exchange students. It is going to be interesting to see what their experiences have been so far.

I can't stress how spoiled I feel. The other night we went to this high end hotel to eat some yummy food. It was expensive. It was really nice.

In India

So, I am here in India right now. It is really humid here. My host family is really awesome. I am already experiencing a lot already. There are differences that are very clear.

Breakfast was really interesting. It was actually tasty and spicy and crispy. =) I had some tea with my breakfast. And I must say that the tea here is the best I have ever had.

Turns out I am staying with the president of my rotary club. He is really nice. A bit reserved, but every once and I while, I can make him smile. My host mother is like my mother at home, to some extent. She arranged my room for me, as in put all my stuff away, it was odd to just sit there and watch her do so. I feel spoiled...



My host brother and I get alomg fine. It's wonderful. He is leaving in 15 days to the US as an exchange student, which is a bummer for me because we get along well, he is staying in Chicago...haha. Another reason I am sad he is leaving is because he is my translator... then again, I should try my best to speak. As I type this actually, my host brother is trying to teach me Gujarati, how to write and speak. I am on my way to understand more =)

Once he leaves, I get his room. haha. He has his own room. He has his own bathroom. There is a working toliet, a shower, and everything, I have air conditioning in my room when needed. This is very different from what I was expecting. I feel really lucky and spoiled. My host father is lively at times, likes to eat food and visit places, wonderful. =)

Lunch was amazing. Spicy, and amazing. Being polite in terms of accepting food, even though you don't like it, is not something you do here. If you don't like it, you don't, and you say it, very frank.

Went for a ride on my host brother's scooter, that was fun! =D It was awesome. As I passed people, I kept getting stares, but that is something I have to get use to. Went to see the school I am going to, it's huge, has 1,200 students...holy shizz.
I am registering in the science level for school, the hardest level there is, that will be interesting.

For now, I don't want to post too much, I hate spending time on the computer, so, I will say good-bye and write more in a week or two. Hope everything is well at home.

At Airport

I am at the airport, and I am becoming really nervous. I have never been more excited, said good-bye to my family, my mom cried...that was interesting. I am too giddy to even fully explain. I am going to India. I met another girl going to India who is going to be staying in the district that I am staying in. It was nice to know I wasn't alone. I also was approached by an exchange student from Brasil who came up to me with friendly smile and ask where I was going. It was pretty awesome, we exchange business cards(haha). I was noticed by her because I am wearing my rotary jacket with all these pins...haha. I get stares in the airport because of the jacket, but I wear with my chin up, I am proud to be an exchange student.

Gita is meeting me at the airport in JFK, that is a nice surprise. She called me up today, telling me that she just got back from Guantanamo Bay, and that it was good timing.

I am missing everybody terribly right now, and I haven't even left the country. This is the part where even though I am surrounded by all these people. I feel completely alone. It's a strange feeling. At the same time, I enjoy the solitude.
I know I am coming back a different person. It's a scary, but invigorating thought.

Don't know when I am going to have internet when I am there, but I will try to keep you all posted.

Bon Voyage! India, HERE I COME!!