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
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:
