Well This is New

The Food it Too Good to be Real!

So it’s been three days since we arrived in India, although it’s seemed more like two weeks. I think it’s because we learn so much and pack so much into each day it seems like way longer. The things I’ve learned are as follows: Everything in India is different than in America. Everything. That is the first thing our advisor and teacher Jacob told us our first day here, and boy, was he right. Everything we do in America, and especially in Maine, is completely different than it is here, which is not a bad thing at all. The family units are so much tighter; when a college student is taking an exam, their entire family, grandparents and all, wait for them outside the building for support, it’s actually pretty incredible. The food is different (WAY better than where we live, I might miss that the most!), the people are different, the clothes, the languages, the direction of traffic, the smells, the electricity (it goes out every couple hours), the way people wait in line (or don’t wait in line in India’s case); everything is different, and I was born to travel here.

The Roomies!

Just Fitting Too Many People in a Bus, No Biggie

So just a brief summary of the past few days, for all who are curious: We arrived on Monday morning, around 2am, and didn’t make it home until around 3 or 3:30am. We had to get up at 7am, so we just all stayed awake, unpacking, sweating, chatting, etc.



The next day we were picked up from our apartment complex (which is pretty nice, semi-gated, pretty central and only one side of it is touching slums) and we crammed all 21 people into the 12 passenger van, Indian style. We went to school, which is about an 8 minute drive away. You know how you see the crowded streets of India on National Geographic shows or the news? Well, that’s what they look and sound like in real life. The
also smell like garbage and poop. But it is
certainly exciting! So we went to start orientation and then headed to the mall with out “Indian Buddies” (who are basically two male and two female Indian students at our university who show us around, how to order food, how to barder, cross the street, etc.), for dinner (I got Naan and Curry which was DELISH!!!). Then we got caught in a monsoon while we were walking home. So fun. My clothes are still drying two days later. We headed back to change for dinner, which one of our new friends Sandesh took us to. We met up with a couple of his friends and headed down the street to a nice Bollywood style Indian restaurant. The meal cost less than 4 dollars and I was stuffed to the brim. We headed back to our building and went to the roof to admire the view, which was beautiful, then crashed on our paper thin mattresses and slept like rocks because of the jet lag.

After We Got Inducted as "Indians." In the "USAC CU"
Pose (USAC is my program, CU is my University)

Rickshaw Driver

We headed out to school the next morning, too early, and got “initiated” as Indians! Aka we got cool flower necklaces and a dot on the forehead. It was pretty neat, though. Then for something I was looking forward to a lot, we went on a campus tour! I was hopeful that there would be a student tour guide, but it was just one of our teachers showing us around and where our classes would be, introducing us to faculty, etc. The campus is beautiful though, filled with palms and flowers, so green. There are even cages of parrots and parakeets, they are so cute. Still being jet lagged, the two hour tour drained us of any remaining energy we had, so we were relieved when we were finally set free. Myself, one of my roommates Melissa, and our friend Lauren were too tired to walk home (but really we just didn’t know the way), so we decided to venture out and try out a rickshaw. THAT was interesting, to say the least! We went to quite a few before we managed to get a fair price and a driver who actually was going to use the meter and headed home. It was quite a ride, the traffic here is nutso, no road rules, everyone just honking and driving like loonies, but it was fun. We each ended up paying around 60 cents for the ride, which is quite a deal considering it’s almost a ten minute drive. We decided that we needed some essentials for the apartment, like a pot to boil water in, toilet paper, rice, etc., so we went out with Sandesh and a few other USAC (the program I’m in) girls. The store we went to is in a mall, on the top floor, and half of the grocery store

Rickshaw Ride

was set up like a Mardens, with bargain prices on everything. Also, rice doesn’t come in a pre-measured bag, you have to go up to the stand, in the store, and ask for a certain amount, kind of like buying apples at Hannies but someone is serving you. Then the night got interesting. Our plan was to go out with Sandesh and a few of his friends to the hookah bar after shopping, so we all piled into three rickshaws and headed there. Three of the girls (Katie, Kindra, and Maggie) got there first and for some reason didn’t wait for the rest of us, so when we got there with Sandesh the others were nowhere to be found. So obviously in Panic mode Sandesh called his friend who came with his four passenger car, and all eight of us piled in, groceries and all. We went searching for the others, but apparently the boys gave up after about ten minutes and we headed to hookah. We stayed until about 10:30, then we decided we really needed sleep because the jet lag is still pretty bad. We drove back and thankfully the guard let us in even though it was past open gate time. The girls had made it back just fine (after a few dark allies and wandering about the city), and we got to use the internet in our neighbors’ room before crashing.

So day three, today, was also packed. Today we had to register with the police, which was a total drag. Our coordinator told us it was going to take all day, to pack a book, money for food, etc., so we did. After waiting in line for a couple hours we were finally called, one by one, and turned in our papers to be reviewed. We headed out for lunch down the street while we waited for them to be processed. I got Masala Dosa: A sweet(ish) crepe(like) flat crispy yet soft dough filled with spicy potatoes and select veggies (like squash), and, per usual, it was delicious. I also needed a pick me up, so I got a cup of coffee, although the biggest size of coffee here is only about a four inch tall cup, sort of like a Dixie cup size. BUT the coffee is so delicious and sweet and creamy it’s worth it. So a few of us decided to take a rickshaw back to our apartment so we hopped in and got going. We didn’t recognize the route we

were taking so we thought our driver didn’t know where to go, but he did, and he tried to overcharge us, but we came to an agreement on 90 rupees, which split three ways is only about 60 cents each, not too shabby for a 10 minute ride! Our roomie Melissa decided to stay in for the afternoon so Hannah and I went venturing out into the streets. We wanted to go to the mall to pick up a lock for my door as well as make sure we knew how to get to school. We found the mall after making only one wrong turn and we didn’t even get hit by any cars crossing the street! We shopped around for a bit then headed back, stopping for an outfit so we didn’t stick out so much. We had some well needed down time, we had roomie bonding, room decorating, and internet surfing time, then I got to skype with Cilla and

some Team Mainers which was sooo nice, although it made me really homesick. We headed out to “dinner” with Sandesh and a couple friends. By Dinner I mean Sandesh put us in a Rickshaw and sent us across town while he road his motorcycle, then we got dropped off at the wrong building and had to go looking for him. We found him though and he took us to a karaoke car where we met up with some of his school friends (who go to school with us as well) and we had a nice time listening to everyone sing. Everyone is REALLY good at singing there, I was so impressed! Afterwards, around 11:30 we headed back so we could get some rest, although it’s about 1:30am now and because of my jet lag I’m still kind of on US time so I’m not really that tired, I have to sleep, though, so I will end with this: India is an amazing place. It has extreme power and wealth as well as tragic and unfortunate poverty. I am so lucky to have met people so far who are so willing to take up around and be patient while we are learning everything. This country is magnificent and although I am only three days in, I can tell I am going to have the time of my life here.

Today, my life is just Shelby.