So after 18 hours of flying, a 4 hour layover in Paris, a few more hours getting through India customs, we finally set foot on Indian soil at 2am January 31st. I tried to sleep on the first plane ride since I had an entire row to myself, but even though it was dark, it was like noon east coast time, so though I closed my eyes, there was no sleep to be had. By the time we got on the plane from Paris, I was really really really tired, but they guy in my row argued with me that his seat was the window seat (really mine was but I was too tired to argue). Unfortunately, it was now mid day for everyone flying from Paris to India, so there was a lot of bustling about, and me being stuck in the aisle was frequently woken up. Also there were some lovely children who felt the need to kick my chair every other second. Despite the exhaustion of traveling, it was really nice to meet people in the airport. It seems like we have a really nice group, good kind people, many of them really worldly with interesting backgrounds and experiences from prior traveling adventures. We almost all come from different schools. It was also really comforting to commiserate with each other and realize that we all didn't really know what we were getting ourselves into, that the communication with SIT in the US was frustrating, and that we all weren't prepared to the Hindi test we had been warned about.
We stumbled into our rooms at a very peaceful Ashram at about 2:30am. My roomate's name is Katherine, and so far we get along great. When I settled in I thought it was a nice cool temperature. So being as exhausted as I was, I simply fell into bed with a nice wool blanket on top and promptly passed out. However, very soon after I woke up shivering....in India!! I got up and found my sweater, but soon after I was still shivering. After putting my head under my covers and trying to use my own breath to warm myself up, I finally got up, turned on a light and found a sleeping bag in the closet. After which I was finally able to sleep, but by then we had to wake up in about 30 min.
After getting up, figuring out how to work the hot water (which there is only a little of), we went for breakfast. I am totally getting used to having chai everywhere. At 8:30 this morning we drove to our SIT center. We got a tour and of our site and a quick orientation to the center, and I am soooo excited. I feel like the entire time leading up to today I have just been too busy preparing to really get excited, now that I am here I feel so comfortable, alive and just excited. Our site is beautiful. We have a really nice lecture hall with lots of low futon-type chairs and lots of pillows, there is a ping pong table, a few classrooms, a meditation room and a covered rooftop where we have meals and optional yoga. Oh my good the food...we have a chef who just has made an amazing first impression on us with Chicken Tiki Masala, dal, bryani, a fantastic fruit salad with pomegranates, and a cucumber salad with coconut, peanuts and lime. Not to mention fresh made ice cream.
Today we were dropped off to have a little adventure and returned victorious! We split up into groups and did a little treasure hunt, like figuring out how to make an international phone call from places called STDs (I know..), as well as really practical things like knowing what a chemist is (a pharmacy) and how much internet cafes are. We have already seen some cows, monkeys, white horses and elephants alongside the auto rickshaws and cars. Surprisingly it feels so natural. I can see other people flinch at the traffic, and it is funny to remember when I was like that too.
Our program overview has really excited me. We will be going to the National craft museum on Tuesday which I am excited about since dad told me to make it there as soon as possible. We will also be going to Amristar and seeing some Punjab forts and getting lectures on Sikhism. We will be going to Gwalior (more forts), Orchha (a medevil town), Khajuraho (Temples) and then Bandhavgarh where there is the tiger sanctuary!!! We will being in open jeeps and then on elephants to go into the jungle to see Bengal tigers in the wild!!! We also seem to have good few free weekends to figure out excursions with each other. We are also done with classes almost every day by 1 or 4, so we have time in the afternoon to explore the city. SIT really seems like one of their major goals is to make us as independent as possible which I really appreciate. There are many other things I am excited about, we can take cooking classes, dancing (odissi), and classical Indian magic! As well as Tabla, Sitar, yoga and pottery, which all meet like twice a week, but apparently we have to choose one which will be a difficult decision for me.
Anywho I should go, but I am very happy here so far, arrived in one piece.
I love you all, and thank you so much for keeping me updated in your lives!! I love it!
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