A Summary

I did not document everything that happened to me in India on this blog...obviously. I'd like to say I was too busy living it to write about it hah even though that may have not always been true. It was for a large amount of time though!


I am now in my last semester of undergrad, graduating this December 2011. It's scary and exhilarating at the same time. My next plan is to receive my TESOL/TEFL certification and teach English as a second language in some other part of the world. This will give me the opportunity to travel, meet and connect with new people, and hopefully create contacts and bonds that will open unknown doors to me in the future.


I am writing in this blog once again, almost seven months later (wow...), because I was interviewed about my experience in India for Northern Michigan University's Modern Languages and Literatures/ International Programs department. I figured I'd put the written interview on here, so other people may be able to get an overview of a semester studying/living abroad. 


Here it goes:

1.      Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from?

My name is Denise Leinonen.  I was raised in Marquette, Michigan and have lived here most of my life. My mother was born and raised in Klagenfurt, Austria, and my father is a Yooper. I grew up hearing German spoken at home and I am able to understand and speak the language as well. My brother and I, along with our parents, were lucky enough to be able to travel to Austria most summers before I began studying at NMU. This was the beginning of my love of traveling and my passion for learning about and attempting to immerse myself into cultures different than my own. I’m interested in linguistics, socio-cultural anthropology, and international relations and education. So far, my longest time abroad was one year living in Vienna, Austria after graduating from high school in 2007. I took intensive German courses during my stay there, though I was not enrolled at a university. My most recent adventure was my semester studying abroad in Hyderabad, India (Winter 2011).

2.      What do you study (major/minor)? What languages, etc. Has your second language benefited your study abroad? If so, how has it helped?

I am an International Studies major and have Anthropology and German minors. I began attending NMU in 2008 and I graduate this December 2011. I speak German and tutor students taking German courses in the NMU Language Lab. As previously stated, I grew up with the language being spoken at home, as well as at my grandparents’ house in Austria (they do not speak or understand English). I also attended courses throughout high school and my time at NMU.

Strangely enough, my second language did not benefit my study abroad program directly. International studies students are required to study abroad at least once. I initially thought I’d study in Austria or Germany. After much thought, however, I realized that I had already been to these places and wanted to experience something completely different. My language experience did help me in my Hindi language course, however. Once you learn how to study and acquire skills in a foreign language, I believe it is easier to learn others. I chose to study in India because I had always been interested in Indian culture: the extreme diversity, the languages, food, music, religions/spirituality, etc.  I wanted to live in a place that would push me out of my comfort zone and show me a completely different way of life and that is exactly what it did.

3.      Tell us a little about the Indian city you lived in. (general impression/comparison, etc.)

My program ran from December 2010 to the beginning of May 2011. I studied at the University of Hyderabad in Hyderabad, India. It is a post-graduate university, but there is a program for undergraduate foreign students; it’s located approximately 12-13 miles from the city of Hyderabad.

Hyderabad is the capital of the state of Andhra Pradesh. Its population is now around 6 million people, making it the fourth largest city in India. Telugu and Urdu are the official languages of Hyderabad; however, Hindi is the official language of India and is also spoken there (I studied Hindi). English is also commonly used, though usually more in official settings and not as often in the streets. Hyderabad is growing quickly; it’s a hub for IT companies, so there are many new and large buildings around the city. It is also known as the City of Pearls, as Hyderabad was once a global center for pearl trade. The demographics of the city make it really unique. The population is about 55 percent Hindu and 41 percent Muslim, with Christianity, Sikhism, and Jainism (among others) making up the rest. It was interesting to see the dynamics of this, and to see mosques and Hindu temples side by side.

4.      How did you like your studying abroad experience? How was studying & living there?

I really loved my study abroad experience in India. It was challenging to get used to at first; my first impressions of the city were that there were an extreme amount of people, the women were very colorfully (and beautifully in my opinion) dressed, and poverty (quite extreme) was unconcealed, which was not something I had ever witnessed before in my life.

I lived in the international student dorms on campus. The University of Hyderabad campus was actually very nicely laid out and quiet, as it was outside of the city. It took about an hour to get into the city because of the traffic and roads.

I found the people on campus to be very similar to myself, which surprised me at first, though it shouldn’t have. I feel as if college students are college students no matter where you go in the world. Outside campus in the city, it was very different. I wore more traditional clothes along with a scarf (a sign of modesty), though you could see women wearing jeans as well (mostly younger women). The streets were dirty and filled with people, bikes, and automobiles. Enticing smells from food stands would mingle with smells of gasoline and trash on the roads. Women’s colorful saris (traditional dress) are seen everywhere. Every day was a sensory overload for me, which was exhausting at times, but I loved it.

5.      Is this studying abroad program geared towards your degree? How is it going to help?

Yes, the program is geared towards my degree, as I’m an International Studies major and am required to study abroad. I took 16 credits/ four classes at the University of Hyderabad and was able to transfer them all back to NMU.

Two kinds of classes were offered to the study abroad program students (the study abroad program I went through was CIEE). We could directly enroll in courses with other Indian students, and there were some courses that were only for the international students. I took Conversational Hindi, Women’s Issues in Contemporary India, Kuchipudi Dance (Theory and Practical), and Human Rights in India: the Socio-Economic Context, which was my direct enrollment course.

I found one aspect of signing up for courses interesting. There is a “shopping period” during the first week or two of the semester, where you may sit in on any classes you would like to get a feel for the class and the professor. Then you could choose your actual courses. The university courses are taught differently in India than in the U.S. They are all lecture-based, and it is not common for students to interrupt or ask questions (though this sometimes depends on the professors). We had a lot of reading but no homework, and we were tested on our knowledge in the form of written tests or research papers. 

6.      What were the most interesting things/cultural differences you discovered in India?

It’s difficult to decide where to begin... the first thing I noticed was the traffic. On my way from the airport to the University, I could see the lines on the road; however, my taxi was driving on the line. I have been in rickshaws that have driven into oncoming traffic just because it was more convenient. I once read a description of traffic in India as “organized chaos” and this is very accurate. It’s sometimes adrenalin pumping when you’re driving in it, but I always arrived safely at the end.  

The population is another thing that stands out. There are people everywhere, as well as automobiles and animals (many cows). Again, the city in which I lived has a population of over six million.

Another difference is the inherent presence of spirituality in everyday life. There are temples and altars everywhere (Hindu, Buddhist and Jain), as well as mosques. I visited temples often while I was living there, sometimes with Hindus who were going to temple to pray for blessings. In many, people buy flowers to put in the temple over certain deities as offerings, as well as other items such as food. You must also take off your shoes outside of the temple. In everyday life, many people have red markings (tikkas) on their forehead made of red powder/paste, which you receive after praying/ getting a blessing.

India is far more diverse than I thought before living there. Hundreds of languages are spoken in India. Each state has one or more official languages. In Hyderabad, Urdu and Telugu were the main ones, along with Hindi and English. I was taking a Hindi course and was able to ask small questions; however, I often ran into language barriers because some people did not speak Hindi or English.

Another aspect that was very different to me was the extreme poverty that exists. There are slums all over cities, with people living in makeshift tents on the sides of roads. Every day encountered beggars asking for money, even very small children. This was extremely difficult for me to deal with, and it was impossible for me not to feel guilty when I walked by anyone. There was also no efficient garbage disposal system in Hyderabad; people throw garbage anywhere.  I very rarely saw trash bins and recycling does not really exist. Usually the trash ended up in the bodies of water, whether it was a river or a lake. This was difficult and strange to me. 

The last cultural difference I’ll speak about is the caste system. Officially, caste discrimination is outlawed in India. Untouchables, or dalits are the lowest caste, and untouchability was outlawed in the constitution in 1950. However, it’s still deeply ingrained in society. I had an Indian professor who said that most Indians could still tell from which caste a person came, just by looking at them. Before living in India, I did not realize that the system was still so prevalent today, though many people are working on changing this. 

7.      How about the food? Is it very different from American food? Do you like it or not? What’s your favorite dish(es)?

I absolutely love the food in India. It’s very different from what I ate in the U.S. Curries are a popular dish; there are many different kinds, and spices are essential in cooking. I was in the south, where the dishes are rice based and the food is spicier. The north uses more flat bread (naan or roti are two of them).  The dorm cafeteria in which I sometimes ate reduced the amount of spices for international students at first. I enjoyed going other places to eat, and there the food was very spicy. Hyderabad is famous for its Hyderabadi biryani, which is rice, many spices, meat, and onions among other things. Some other good dishes are palak paneer (spinach and a type of cheese curry) and aloo gobi (potatoes and cauliflower). Also, I have to mention chai. Chai actually means tea in Hindi. Masala (spiced) chai is the one most Western people know of. Everyone drinks chai in India; there are stands everywhere and it’s a good social thing to do.

8.      How about the people/professors? Are they helpful or easy to get along? Is it easy to get involved with the community?

Most of the professors were very helpful. However, it was difficult getting a hold of some of them, as they do not use e-mail as frequently as we do in the states. Also, classes can be canceled with no notice at all. There is a separatist movement going on in the state of Andhra Pradesh (one part wanted to create its own state), and sometimes there would be times where we were not supposed to go into the city, as tensions could arise. During these times, some of the protestors blocked off roads, and then we had classes less often, as professors and students could not get to the University.

It was difficult to get involved with the community at first because there were no official clubs on campus, or at least not an official way to contact them. However, our program directors were very helpful in this area and gave us tips about where to go to meet people, whether it was a canteen (place to eat and hang out) on campus or dance or musical performances. I also volunteered at an ashram (a school for children of very poor families or none at all) and helped teach them some English.

Indian families are very hospitable in general.  There is one experience that stands out in particular. I was traveling with a girl and we stopped to talk to some children. Their parents came out eventually and asked us to go up the hill, so we did. At the top was a building and there was a wedding going on. They invited us in, gave us heaping plates of food, and then took us in to the actual ceremony. It was a Hindu wedding, and there are a lot of traditions that go on during the ceremony. The bride and groom poured colored rice over each other’s heads for good luck. There were many other activities going on, but I didn’t understand them well as they did not speak very much English.

9.      How about clothing? Is there anything particular you want to say about the customs there?

The clothing that they wear is made for the climate. Women are mostly covered and their clothing is always very colorful. Most women usually wear salwar kameez (a long tunic and either legging type pants or loose fitting pants) or saris (I noticed that more older women than younger women wear saris).  Younger men and women also just wear jeans and shirts like we do in the U.S. Women wear a lot of jewelry, such as nose piercings, which in some communities symbolizes marriage (in others it’s just for fashion).

10.  How about housing? Is it cheaper or more expensive than American standard? Do you have all the facilities you expect to have?

Housing is cheaper than in America. The currency they use in India is the rupee, and at the time when I was there, the exchange rate was about 46 rupees to one U.S. dollar.

In my dorm we had western style toilets; however, outside of that, mostly squat toilets are used, which are on the ground. They vary from having tiled floors to basically being a hole in the ground. This was definitely difficult to get used to. They also do not use toilet paper. Instead, they have buckets of water and hoses.

11.  How about transportation? Can you get around the city fairly easy? How is the traffic there? Do you have the chance to get around and explore the community?

It is easy to find some way to get where you want to go. The modes of transportation I used included rickshaws (small autos without windows), for which you had to haggle with the driver, shared autos, which are larger automobiles with fixed routes and buses. You can also take taxis, though that is the most expensive option. It was also extremely cheap to travel by train all over India. I usually took the cheap option and traveled in sleeper cars, in what is equivalent to economy class perhaps. Trains are not the most comfortable, the sleeper cars had bunks, three on each side, but you had to bring your own blankets or sheets (if you were not in a higher class car), which you did need because it got surprisingly cold at night on a train. It is however a good way to meet people, as the bunks are in the open and everyone is curious about a foreigner taking the cheap train car. I enjoyed having conversations with them and exchanging ideas and opinions with people of a different culture. You do need to be careful as there are no lockers for your backpack/luggage. I usually slept with mine.

12.  Where have you traveled to in India?

I traveled down south to the state of Kerala, which is known for growing spices, tea plantations, back waters and is more tropical. I also traveled south to Hampi, in the state of Karnataka, which is home to ruins that are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I traveled a little bit north to visit the Ellora and Ajanta Caves, which are extremely ancient Buddhist, Hindu and Jain temples cut out of the rock. I did a week tour of the north and visited the cities of Jaisalmer (camped in the desert and rode a camel), Jodhpur, Jaipur, Agra (the Taj Mahal), and Varanasi (on the sacred Ganges River). I also took a trip with my study abroad program to Mysore (in Karnataka). 

  Have you experienced any festival celebrations? Tell us more details…..

Yes, I was in India for the Holi festival in March, or the Festival of Colors. Holi is celebrated at the end of the winter season on the last full moon day of the lunar month (the Hindu calendar goes by the lunar cycle). It celebrates the arrival of spring, love, and the triumph of good over evil (relating to various Hindu stories).  It is celebrated by smearing or throwing colored powders or water at each other, along with the phrase “happy Holi.” This was extremely fun, and our photos at the end with us covered in color everywhere were really funny. The powders tend to dye your skin for a few days to a week if you’re not careful.

13.  What’s the lifestyle there, with a slower or faster pace?

Life runs at a slower pace than the United States. Being on time is not as important as just being there. (Though as a student, you were expected to be punctual. If you were an individual with a higher status, time wasn’t an issue). However, if you looked at the busy streets, you would not get the impression of a slower pace. On the streets, everyone is in constant motion, or it seems to be that way because there are simply so many people. There are many more breaks between things... chai breaks are very popular.

14.  What entertainment is available? What do you usually do during spare time?

There are many dance and musical performances that take place. As I lived in Hyderabad, I studied a southern Indian dance form that actually originates from Andhra Pradesh, the state in which I lived. This form is called Kuchipudi. It involves story telling through face and eye movements/gestures, as well as the dance movements themselves. The stories mostly come from Hindu texts about the deities. There are many other forms of dance as well, as well as classical or modern music performances. I also went to the cinema a few times, which is cheap and fun, though there were never any subtitles when I went to see an Indian film. There were also many places to spend time with people on campus, including canteens that served food until late, and a few lakes on campus, which were home to peacocks, buffalo, and cows.

15.  Do you think studying abroad an eye-opening experience? What would you say to current NMU students?

I definitely think that study abroad is an eye-opening experience.  I’d also encourage students to perhaps go to a non-Western country (not Western Europe).  This really does make you gain empathy for individuals from completely foreign (to you) places of the world. Actually interacting with the people and culture in a country is different from reading about it in a book.  After my experience in India, I feel as if I am even more conscious about what goes on in the rest of the world. I take fewer things for granted.

16.  What suggestions do you have for beginning students in terms of studying the language (German)?

Always when you begin to learn a new language, try to immerse yourself as much as possible. Since you can’t go to a specific country on a whim, instead, listen to German music and watch German films. Find websites that have audio so you can hear the pronunciation of words and phrases and repeat them. Speaking out loud (and to other people) is key. If you’re reading or watching something and come across words you don’t recognize, look them up and write them down in a notebook. Flashcards are also really helpful to memorize vocabulary.

17.  What are your other interests/hobbies?

I love to be around interesting and engaging people, spend time with friends, read, travel, and learn about different cultures.  I also love being in nature, hiking, and swimming in Lake Superior.  

18.  Do you have a favorite quote/mantra to share with NMU students?

Be open to new ideas.  Don’t judge people’s lifestyles because they really are simply different ways of looking at things. If you attempt to see things from another individual’s perspective, even if you don’t agree with it, you will gain more knowledge than you previously had, about a culture, or perhaps about an idea that had never occurred to you before.

_____________________________

Well, there it is. Hope someone will get something out of it!

Denise

1

Month and a half

At the moment, I am sitting at my dorm room desk, listening to my roommate chant and meditate. The sounds are soothing and almost familiar now, though a part of me will always see it as exotic. Actually, I feel like this is the experience I've been having with a lot of aspects of India. Familiarity with a hint of wonder that will never truly leave me, at least at this point of my stay here... who knows, maybe that will change as well.

I've made friends around the university, and it's opened me up to so many different ways of thinking... the way it always does whenever you meet a person from a different background than yourself. Eating a meal (kind of tasting like Indian style (spicy) ramen noodles) in a small apartment ("bachelor pad"), drinking chai made on a cooking stove top... it feels very college/ young adult-like... again, familiar. Sitting in the night on a boulder, talking about life and looking at the stars, pointing out the big dipper and Orion's belt... (some of the only constellations I can ever remember). Watching a cricket game on campus... ok, that one is pretty different. Someone described the game to me as a combination of baseball and quidditch haha. Not completely accurate, but amusing anyway. I still don't get the rules of the game; I haven't watched/listened enough to actually know. Walking to main campus, which takes about half an hour from our hostel (dorm)... it can seem a lot longer in the middle of the day when the sun is beating down on you... This is my life when I'm not traveling, and I am very content with it.

This past weekend I traveled to Kerala... on a plane, then bus, rickshaw, boat, general car train (so much worse than sleeper... I'd advise against it). All worth it. Kerala is called "God's Own Country" for a reason. As we left the airport (I traveled with three other girls), it smelled green. It was fairly humid and there were palm trees all around us. Basically paradise in my eyes. All together, we only spent three days there, not nearly enough time, trust me. Somehow we got everything in that we planned on doing, however. Kollam for the backwaters... a canoe tour through them. Varkala for the beach... more touristy with a definite Euro-hippie vibe, but the views from the beach were spectacular... red cliffs all around with colorful restaurants/shops and palm trees decorating them. Fort Cochin was last, which felt like a fisherman's town and has a great restaurant (advertised in Lonely Planet, rightly so) called Dal Roti. So good, so good.

So now I am back at Tagore International Dorms, with a sunburn and stomach pains (too much sun, not enough sleep, different foods). This is my first time being ill here in India, so I see myself as lucky for the most part. I didn't go to classes today... hopefully I will be able to tomorrow! My next adventure will happen this coming Thursday...going to Hampi! Another place that attracts hippies like no other hah. It's such a pleasant atmosphere though. Now to study some Hindi... phir milenge! (we'll meet again)

Photos of Kerala:

 Backwaters of Kollam

 Beach in Varkala

 Gigantic red snapper in Varkala

In a rickshaw in Fort Cochin

Connections

Campfires, trance music, airbrush tattoos, Hindu temples, markets, fabric stores, sarees, flowers, one speed pink bikes, roaming cows, goats, wild boars, tree house chai, Dairy Milk Silk chocolate, Tiger cookies, stares, handshakes, smiles, photos... so many photos, Bollywood, Hindi/Telugu music, bargaining, overloaded rickshaws, Telangana protests, traditional, scandalous, rupees, street vendors, traffic, beggars, slums, contrast, hot days, cool nights, holidays, travel, bangles, bindis, dancing, friends, planning, colors, dust, bug bites, dal, curries, roti, rice, south gate noodles, water tower climbing, bus riding, sunsets, orange moons, stress, happiness, fear, helplessness, contentment, awe, annoyance, joy.

That does not sum up my time here like I thought it might. Not sufficiently anyway. Here's my flickr page where I'll upload more photos eventually, for those who cannot see them on Facebook. http://www.flickr.com/photos/dleinone/

Catching Up

I love India, that is all there is to it. Some people have told me it's a place where one either loves it, or hates it...no in between business. I don't really know if that's true, but you know which side I'm on already.

This post will be about some of the most meaningful things I've experienced so far.

There are many volunteers opportunities around here. I'm still trying to decide between two, both dealing with children. The first one is called the DESIRE Society: http://www.desiresociety.org/
This is an organization concerned with the well-being of children with HIV/AIDS. Many of the children come from families where one or both parents are also positive, not to mention they don't have the means to pay for medication/treatment. So the organization takes in these children in an attempt to give them a better quality of life. If you are interested, you can contact them, pass along the information, or donate money as well, they need every little thing they can get.
We got a chance to visit the Desire Society in Hyderabad. We were shipped off in our CIEE bus, not knowing where we were in the city (this was still early in our stay), when we finally arrived to our destination. We walked through the gates and met the woman in charge. As she was explaining the organization to us, we saw the children start to come out... all wearing these winter hats that reminded me of the U.P. to be honest. (It was the very beginning of spring here/ end of winter, so it's cold here for India... it does actually get to 40 or 50 degrees F at night.) Anyway, it was pretty adorable. They were all sat down on blankets on the ground and waited for us to finish talking with the woman. It was their snack time, so we handed out pieces of apple to them. I won't lie, I'm not the most comfortable around children...I'm just not around them all that often. But these boys and girls just broke my heart; they were so young (ranging from toddlers to adolescents) and had to deal with such a terrible thing. It was in the middle of this thought when it was announced that they were learning dances... a dance teacher volunteers their time to come and help the kids learn something new. One boy stood up in front of all of us, music with a heavy beat started, and he just moved. Seriously, these guys (and girls) had way more moves than I'll ever have... it was pretty amazing.

After they were finished, we tried dancing for them, which was a failure and evoked a lot of questioning looks from the children hah... but at least we tried. After that we hung out with them for a while asking each others' names and playing some small games. We were disappointed when we had to go.

The next place we visited (different day) is called the Safrani School and is about 15 minutes by rickshaw from our university. This place offers opportunities for widows, who sometimes have very little options after their husbands die, to learn a very incredible and valuable skill... weaving. There is a very small wrinkled woman who works there and seems to run things... and she is the best individual in the world. She is so knowledgeable and giving; it makes me want to have longer conversations with her about her life and life in general. Some of the fabrics they make there take 6 MONTHS to finish. And some of those fabrics are only strips... it depends on the method of weaving and the materials/intricacies of the fabric. Needless to say, it was all beautiful. We were able to see some of the women at work... the devices used to weave are very difficult to describe and sadly I have no photos, but one definitely must be skilled to do it. Some of the women come to the school knowing absolutely nothing about weaving, and apparently in about half a year they are experts. The area where they need volunteers here is actually not at the weaving school. This place also runs a children's school, from nursery up until class 7 or 8. These children come from very poor backgrounds; quite often they are the first in their families to be educated at all. Here we would help them with their school work and help teach English.

It's overwhelming with everything there is to do here. I've finally figured out my classes, 16 credits in all, which are as follows:
Conversational Hindi, M-Th mornings
Kuchipudi Dance, M & W after Hindi
Women's Issues in Contemporary India, M & W afternoons
Human Rights in India: The Socio-economic Context M & T evenings

I also just received my sitar... which you had to buy if you wanted to take lessons (W & Th evenings). Kind of unfortunate, but hey, I now own a sitar! Bringing it back home with me mayyy be an issue... I already have a worrying image of myself in mind... sun bleached hair, dressed in a kurta, huge sitar on my back, along with carry-on backback and a medium and small sized suitcase to check in.... uh oh. Ah well, if that turns out to be my largest problem throughout my time here in India, I will be very pleased.

Open Answers

I have now been living in India for about one week. There is SO MUCH going on in my mind... sensory overload every day. It's a healthy one though; I just need to decompress at some point during the day/night, to sort things out thought-wise. For this post, I'll relay significant moments I've experienced so far in Hyderabad.

Crossing the street - This seems like a simple thing to do, but of course, not in India. At least not as a clueless foreigner. My first experience going at it alone (without an experienced person by my side) was as a group of us were visiting a craft fair at Shilparamam. It was dark by this point and we had just been dropped off by a cab. Cars coming in every direction, we decided to go for it... some more confident than others. I can only imagine what we looked like to the locals... one of my friends here compared it accurately to the game "Frogger". People were dashing across, the cars/motorbikes/rickshaws weaving around them. A crossing guard was yelling at people not to go; we did NOT hear this until after our first adventure. We all arrived safely in the raised middle section between the two streets and applauded ourselves, literally. We then realized what the guard was yelling about... he could have taken us across and consequently did so for the second street... at a much calmer pace than the first sprint. A hilarious learning experience... my adrenaline was pumping, no joke. Now I mostly just wait for locals to cross the street and follow them... I feel that works best.

Sights: We've seen so much in the past few days! Our CIEE coordinators, whom we love, took us to the Qutb Shahi tombs, where the seven Qutb Shahi sultans/kings are buried. We also visited the Makkah Masjid mosque, one of the oldest in Hyderabad and one of the largest in India. Another famous place in Hyderabad is Chowmahalla Palace, which is gorgeous... we even got to have lunch there! No big deal, we just ate in a palace. Golkonda Fort is another must see place. Only the ruins are left, but it was once the capital and fortress city of the Qutb Shahi kingdom (16th century). We also visited Charminar, the area (there is a famous monument/mosque by the same name, which we saw as well). Here many bangles are sold, something found very commonly in Hyderabad (along with pearls).

This last photo has a great story behind it. So people LOVE to take photos of us/with us, or just stare intensely... for good reason... we are a spectacle here, a gaggle of American college students dressed in Indian clothing. For the most part, everyone is very friendly. I feel as if this is how celebrities must feel! At most times, it's a big ego booster hah. These boys loved one of our friends, they would not stop shaking his hand or asking him questions, it was very sweet, and very funny. At the point of this picture, they were singing/chanting some sort of song (they were some sort of school group), I wish I would've asked what it meant!

I'll finish my significant moments tomorrow... there are certainly many of them, and I am tired! Bedtimes are early here at the moment... every day is packed full of things to do/see! I need to learn the phrase "good night" in Hindi...

First Impressions

Namaskaar! (or Namaskaram in Telugu)

Another extremely long day. This is only the third day I've been in India, but it feels like at least a week already! So, impressions:

When the taxi cab driver finally drove me through the city, heading towards the university, I was completely overwhelmed. I feel like overwhelmed is a word I'll use quite a bit during my stay here. The traffic was the first thing I noticed, or rather, there is no choice but to notice it. I've heard people use the phrase "organized chaos" to describe the traffic in India... this is very accurate. There are lines on the road, but as we were driving toward the university, I noticed my driver was driving on top of those lines, not in one particular lane. Basically, there are no road rules, but very few people ever crash.

The next thing that caught my eye was the variety of color. This is mostly from the women. Even in the small shacks in the slums on the side of the roads, the women wear beautiful sarees (traditional Indian women's dress) or salwar kameez (consisting of a tunic like shirt: kameez, pants: salwar, and a scarf: dupatta).Our CIEE program even gave us a stipend of 3,000 rupees to buy an outfit at "Fab India", a store selling pre-made suits. The better (cheaper, more authentic) way to obtain the Indian style of clothing is to actually go to a tailor. One can just buy fabric, then go to a tailor who will make you an outfit to your specifications. I have yet to do this, but it is one of my goals!

Another thing that is very strange to me, is that there are a million stray dogs around the city, including on campus. Actually, there was a litter of puppies camped right outside our dorms. SO. SO. cute. Of course, we were warned not to pet them because of fleas. It really broke my heart that they are left out there with their mother, and would eventually grow up to become one of the many random stray dogs in the city. Today they were removed. They said that whatever is equivalent to the humane society in Hyderabad picked them up...

On a nicer note, everyone in our program is extremely friendly, and I feel like we all have a similar view on the world, which is an amazing thing and makes making friends very simple. Tonight for example, we went out for one of our group member's 21st birthday! It was a pretty big ordeal to be honest. They almost didn't let one of our members in because he didn't look 21 years old.. some of us didn't have ID's on them. With a lot of negotiating, mostly thanks to the birthday girl, we got in and had a great time.. ended up arriving at the dorms around midnight.

There is so much to say, it is difficult to remember all of it, even after only three days... which I suppose is the purpose of me writing things down. At the moment we are still in the process of orientation. We've been briefed on security, health, and cultural issues, among other things. I have to say, I am very impressed with CIEE. They've been very helpful, and I feel pretty confident about living here for the next four months. We'll know what classes we can take (and a lot of other information) on the 31st of December... it will be a most enlightening day. (One thing we've learned is that it's hard to get a straight answer in India.) Our program leaders are so nice and willing to help us in any way. My peanut allergy has been cleared with the cooking staff of our cafeteria (which serves delicious Indian food..we really are spoiled), so I don't feel too worried about that either. I'll stay away completely from street food, just to be sure. For this reason, I'm also not staying with a host family. This is kind of disappointing to me, but it would be very inconvenient for families to cook in a different way than they are used to, just for me. Peanut oil is pretty prevalent in Hyderabadi cuisine.

It's pretty late now... tomorrow we get a tour of the city during the daytime and we are visiting a mosque, which will be interesting. I'll also add photos to all of these posts once I actually get them on my computer!

So far, so good... I am loving India and all the confusion and joy that it brings!

Arrival in INDIA

I am now sitting on my bed in my dorm room, pretty exhausted, but wanting to write down the occurrences of the day before I begin to forget things, which is already starting to happen, ah!

The lovely trip started out with the flight in KI Sawyer being delayed because there was ICE on the plane and the de-icing trucks (pretty sure that's not the official title) were all broken for some reason? hm. Anyway, they received parts from somewhere else and it was fixed... off to Chicago I go! Good thing I still had like a 6 hour wait in the O'Hare airport... which was actually fine; I came prepared with books. That's one of the greatest things about traveling.. there is usually a decent amount of time for you to actually get through a few novels!

After a 14 hour plane ride, we arrived in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. The end part of the flight (pretty much the only part I was awake for actually) was amazing. We passed over the Zagros Mountains (yes, I had to look that up) on our way there. I randomly looked out the window at one point and was instantly in awe. The sight of mountains from above is an amazing thing. These looked dry, brown, and barren, compared to the gray/green and snow covered mountains that I've seen in Austria, but they were beautiful... every once in a while I saw really bright lights down below in between some of them; I wish I knew what they were. Anyway, the Abu Dhabi airport is quite spectacular, as it should be, seeing as the UAE are pretty extravagant with their architecture. I ended up buying a scarf there already... hah I can't help it- I am seriously in love with all of the bright colors; I started to see them in Abu Dhabi, and they continue on to India.

So all of this was smooth sailing until I arrived in Bombay/Mumbai (most people working at the airport still used Bombay). I was required to get my luggage at this point and go through customs, then check it in again while getting my boarding pass. Ugh. So I missed my flight to Hyderabad because the baggage took FOREVER to show up on the trolley. Tip for future travelers: if you are taking domestic flights within India... leave a good amount of layover time in between. At this point I was more than a little frustrated... I forgot to keep in mind that when you're traveling, you should expect SOME kind of problem. Luckily, this wonderful woman from New Jersey, Usa (pronounced oosha) (she was born in India and was visiting there to attend a nephew's wedding), took me under her wing and talked to some people that probably would not have listened to me. Eventually, I booked a flight for noon instead of the 6:25am flight on which I was supposed to be. In Mumbai, the first thing I noticed when I was traveling between terminals were the slums all around the airport. It was shocking for me to see them in person. Because the airport is out of the city, people with no money were drawn to the area because they had no where else to go, and others would pay them little attention out there. However, the airport is expanding now so that they can accommodate all of its travelers, so the slums are being pushed back even more... it's sad to see people living in such an extreme state.
On a happier note, something that made my waiting at that airport better: I was reading a book and noticed that this cute little girl had been eyeing me for a while. I smiled at her and she came up to me, said hello, and started to have a conversation with me. Her name is something that was difficult to pronounce, much less spell, but we talked for a bit, then she asked if she could take a picture with me. I really regret not getting my camera out as well! Little things like that are just so so nice; I love them.

FINALLY, around 2:20pm, I arrived in Hyderabad, India. There was a man waiting there to pick me up and bring me to the University of Hyderabad. My first impression there was that there were a ton of palm trees.. hah. The car ride took a while, and most of what I saw was barren land and a huge amount of construction. When we drove through a part of the city, I was completely overwhelmed. Too many things to look at, to take in. I'm going to continue this tomorrow perhaps, because I am veryy sleepy.  Whew, good night.