Bus Lyfe- India Edition

-->

I recently realized that bus travel plays a large role in my college experiences.  I travel in them throughout the fall during hockey season, and it’s not uncommon to spend 14+ hours on a bus during one weekend- we call this time “Bus Lyfe.”  These trips are one of my favorite things about season- hours on the bus with my best friends, time to sit and do homework, an excuse to take a 4 hour nap, watch a movie, read, or just talk with my teammates.  Long trips to Centre and Sewanee are always my favorite.

Buses also play a large part of my life in India- but they are a bit different.  There are two categories of bus that I use- the public bus system and the private overnight buses you book seats on.  The Americans here have used both extensively, especially private for overnight travel, much more so than trains: they are easier to book and less expensive, generally.  The buses we use for weekend travel are clean and air-conditioned with beds (AC Sleeper).  The one downfall to these buses are that there is no bathroom, and 4+ hours betweens stops- I’ve gone about 8 hours on 4 sips of water.  The nights can range from bumpy roads that constantly cause you to fly above your bed asleep, only to be painfully awoken when you crash back down (Pondicherry to Bangalore- 8 hours of hitting the wall, bed, and each other), to quiet, smooth and so enjoyable you’re not conscious for most of the ride (Chennai to Ooty).

Usually when you arrive to your destination in the morning (after 8-14 hours of travelling), you’re both sweaty and freezing, because in these buses it can be cold and humid. India never ceases to surprise me. You’re not hungry but you still want a real meal because you’ve spent the night drinking Orange Mirinda and eating Dark Fantasy (that is actually they’re name, and they are delicious) cookies, along with a variety of other Indian snacks that range from painfully sweet to horribly spicy.  But generally private buses are a good way to go (unless you book a non-AC semi sleeper… I have not experienced this but have heard stories… it doesn’t sound fun.

Public buses (that we use frequently to get to downtown Pondicherry and Chennai) are a different story. Usually so crowded you don’t know if the wetness on your back is your sweat, some condensation from someone’s cold drink, someone else’s sweat, or fish residue from the old lady and her metal bucket of dead fish.  There are plenty of old people who yell at you to move (I don’t actually know what they are saying, but I’m assuming they’re yelling at me to move), children who are adorable and in some cases incredibly dirty, something sticky on your seat or on the back of the seat in front of you- it’s always a surprise. 

My most recent bus experience went like this:  this past Friday Leala and I took a bus to downtown Pondy to ship boxes of presents home so we didn’t have to pack them.  We waited 15 minutes for the bus, pushed and shoved to get on (we weren’t being rude, that is how you get on a bus, stand in line, and walk down the street in India), stacked our boxes and stood next to them because there were no seats.  “Good,” I thought. “This should be an easy bus ride.  First stop in downtown Pondy and we have good spots.” Wrong. First off, it was unbelievably hot, which is normal so it’s not that interesting.  We were travelling during the hottest part of the day (not smart), which also turned out, conveniently, to be the busiest time for bus travel.  After 3 stops we were so squished on the sides of the bus I couldn’t move.  There was a mother with a two year old child on her lap who I smiled at- mistake. For the next 20 minutes the mother bounced her child in my face, made me shake his hand and tickle him, and made him rub my neck and face with his hand… I don’t know why. She didn’t speak English and I don’t speak Tamil, so it will remain a mystery. 

Finally the bus conductor yelled at me and asked what stop, “STOP?” So I said, “AJANTHA.” He motioned that the stop was coming up, which I appreciated because that meant I had to start wading/ shoving/ dodging through and around people.  It’s very hard to do this with both hands free- it’s almost impossible with only one hand. The bus isn’t exactly a smooth ride with all the bumps on the road and inconsistent acceleration and deceleration the bus driver subjects the engine to (Indian drivers like to keep you on your toes, or on your behind depending if you have fallen or not). Since there no doors on the public buses, I almost fell out, meaning I tripped and I thought I was going to fall out even though there were people between the door and me- still it scared me.  When we finally got to our stop and fought our way out, I almost did fall when a woman behind me on the steps getting off the bus got to eager and pushed me a bit, it was subtle but it happened. 

The bus doesn’t really have a marked spot at Ajantha, so you hop out in the middle of the street and have to be aware of the motorbikes, scooties, cars, bikes and other buses that are coming towards you.  When I first got to India I was terrified to cross the street, now I literally raise my hand to tell cars to stop and yell at motorists who ride to close to me. I also have a fool proof (relatively speaking) method of flagging down a bus: stand on the side of the road and wave your hand, then go into the middle of the road so they have to stop for you. It has never failed.

This was a bit of a random post but when I thought about my bus experience on Friday it made me think about hockey and all the other times I’ve travelled on buses. Strange to think that I will be back at Hendrix travelling on buses for hockey again this fall!

Heaven on Earth in Ooty- no I'm not kidding.

My latest (and favorite) trip was to Ooty, a hill station in Tamil Nadu. Chris, Jackie, Lauren, Kara and I went together.  We left Pondicherry on March 27^th and caught the ECR bus to Chennai where we took and AC Sleeper bus to Ooty.  This trip went so smoothly it still surprises me: the sleeper bus wasn’t ridiculously bumpy so we were able to actually sleep; when we got there it was cold and beautiful; we walked for about 30 minutes to find the hotel we wanted to stay at, and then a man pulled up in a car next to us and told us his hotel had rooms and he would drive us there… his hotel was the same one we had been looking for. We were there for four days and three nights. The first day we walked around and bought a ton of chocolate. I still have some left over from the trip- so much chocolate.  The second day we went on a tour of Ooty that took us to several interesting and scenic points (the first place they took us was a golf course, but thankfully the rest of the tour was better).

            The third day was by far my favorite in Ooty. We went trekking (or hiking) on a tour lead by a man who had lived in Ooty his whole life. After a rocky start (the van we were in didn’t have any gas and it took half and hour to get moving), we headed for the hills. Our first area that we went through was a forest with eucalyptus (which is not native to India, but to Australia), next we walked through a tea plantation. It was beautiful- green and lush. The air actually smelled good for a change and it was SILENT at some points. That’s hard to find in India. After the tea plantation we hiked to a small village for lunch. It was very simple and delicious- rice and dhal and, of course, chai. The real trekking began after we had lunch: we hiked for about 1 ½ hours and made it to the top of a mountain (I’m sure Kelly would think it was a hill… but I’m not from Colorado). You could see for miles around, it was clear and cool and wonderful. Aside from Kara scaring me by going so close to the edge (she likes to mess with me), it was perfect. We hiked back down where the van picked us up and took us back to the hotel.  Later Kara, Jackie and I went into town and on our way back were pulled into a parade where an 8 year old girl danced much better than us.

The last day we wandered around and got lost a bit before lunch at a place called the Sidewalk Café- I had grilled cheese, yum. We headed back to Chennai that night and got in around 8:30am.

            Ooty was the perfect place to visit at this time: it’s cool and beautiful whereas Pondicherry is getting hotter and hotter and slowly making me go insane. On Tuesday it was 90 degrees at 11am. The rest of this week I am planning on relaxing and sleeping. Hopefully we will be cooking (because I am SO SICK of rice and chapatti) and swimming a bit at a nice hotel called Mango Hill.

South Indian Food

I meant to take a picture of breakfast lunch and dinner on Sunday, but I forgot dinner so all I have is breakfast and lunch. Still it will give you all an idea of the food here since that's a question most people have.

 

Above is breakfast: Masala Dosa and coconut chutney. The dosa is basically a batter that's fried and on the inside there are potatoes that have been seasoned. So delicious. Also I am addicted to cocnut chutney.

This is lunch: 2 Chapati (think a thick, small wheat tortilla), curry with paneer (top right sauce) and seasoned rice.

Dinner on Sundays is vegetable manchurian which is noodles with some vegetables and a sweet and sour sauce and two fried balls of vegetables. Plus they give you a banana.

Sorry I forgot dinner but I hope this answers some of everyones questions. Also just a side note most of the plates and cups here are made of this metal.

Trips, Life and Everything Else

Well, since it has been about three weeks I guess it is time to update my blog.  After two weekends of travelling in India I’m content with hanging out in Pondy for a while and exploring what the surrounding areas have to offer.

From the 21-24 Jackie, Leala, Kara, Lauren and I headed to Mysore and Bangalore.  While we only spent a day in Bangalore, we had a good amount of time to explore Mysore. I loved it there. It was beautiful. I also liked it because there were Indian tourists there too- not just westerners. I feel like we made a good travel choice because of that- it shows that a place is so interesting or beautiful that people from that country go out of their way to see it. To be brief (because there is so much and I don’t want to type it all) we went to the Maharaja’s Palace, Chamundi Hill, and Sri Rangapattanam.  Leala and I went shopping and bought way too many silk scarves. One lady actually waved us down with a beautiful silk scarf… she literally waved it as we walked by to get our attention- like good tourists we went into the shop and bought lots of beautiful things (yes people, gifts- you will get something).

            The best experience while in Mysore was when Leala and I went on a tour of the “real Mysore.”  An auto-rickshaw driver said he would take us around for 30 rupees for about two hours… and it was great. We went to a workshop where they made beautiful art and furniture out of wood, a place where they make beedies (an Indian cigarette), an essential oils store, and a silk store.  The best part was the auto driver, his name was (I kid you not) Master Blaster. I’m sure he was just taking us to his friend’s stores, and I know he got a cut of whatever money we spent. But it was still great. We saw places we wouldn’t have otherwise and I got some good quality stuff, as well as having a great time.

            Coming home from the trip was good- as coming home usually is. For the past couple of days I have been relaxing: going to the beach, walking around Pondy, buying books and clothing.  Leala and I went to a restaurant in Auroville this past Saturday (so good we are going again tomorrow for breakfast with Chris… I’m hoping they have pancakes!) called Farm Fresh. We split a cheeseburger and a salad. It was HEAVEN. FRESH VEGETABLES WITH NO SAUCE AND BEEF?!?! That never happens in India. It was amazing. I enjoyed it a heck of a lot. There is also a store attached to it where they sell delicious items you can’t really get in Pondy (more European) like pesto, muffins, pastries, etc. I am trying not to get the latter two, because they won’t last long even if it’s just me eating them.

            So an update on school life: this past week I’ve had two tests. One was in Contemporary Indian Philosophy and the other in History of the Medieval World.  Indian students write more during exams than American students. For my history class I was expected to write a 1,000 essay and then two 500 essays… in an hour. Needless to say I did not write that much, but I wrote as much as I could. I think that the Indian professors realize that this is different for us.  In India it’s a lot more about quantity over quality, I think, whereas in the US it’s vice-versa.

            This weekend I’m not sure what I will do- we’re going to breakfast on Saturday, and maybe trying to find a pool as well. On Sunday I’ll probably just bum around and try to do some work. I have about 3 papers I need to write.  I am getting excited for next weekend though- my friend here who is from Canada, Shruti, and I are going to Chennai for the weekend on the 15^th.  It should be a blast since Chennai is only 3 hours away and very easy to get to by bus.  We’re not sure what we want to do while we’re there except we want to see a movie. An English movie… Sounds amazing.

            Wow I just realized that when I’m in Chennai I’ll only have two more months in India… strange.  I am planning a trip to Ooty as we speak and hopefully will make it to Darjeeling as well as the Gold Triangle (Delhi, Agra, Jaipur) before I head back to the states on May 14^th.

Let me know if you have any questions for me! I think for my next blog I’m going to talk about the food here, meaning I’ll take pictures of what I eat on a typical day and show you. Sunday is always a good food day at Madame Curie (my hostel), so that will be the day.

Just for fun here's a picture of me as I write this. I am pretty sure Mom will like that I put this on here, I only look a little weird.

Hyderabad Highs and Lows

-->

This past weekend Leala and I took the plunge and headed out on our first non- guided trip.  We took a semi- sleeper bus from Pondicherry to Hyderabad.  It was a 14 hour trip with only two bathroom stops, but we had friends waiting for us in Hyderabad and it was well worth the discomfort.  While in Hyderabad we stayed at The University of Hyderabad; three Hendrix students are currently there.  One, Connor, is in India for the year, while Paige and Gilly are there for the semester like Leala and I.  Gilly was able to arrange for us to stay in their hostel, Tagore.  We fit into the student crowd there so we ate for free! The rooms were great and I took the first hot shower I’ve taken in three weeks… a magical experience.

We got in Friday morning and then Gilly took us to a market (the name of I can’t remember). We did some shopping and it was so laid back- which is unusual for shopping in India.  Only one time did a shop owner get annoying: I didn’t look at his store and he followed me for a minute. I told him I didn’t want to look and then he offered to buy me tea or a coke, and then he would leave me alone. Needless to say I gave him a dirty look and he got the picture. Friday night we went to a club called Liquids. It was ladies night, so free drinks for girls from 8:30-10:30! It was a lot of fun and I met some nice Indian girls as well as got to know other international students from University of Hyderabad.

Saturday Gilly, Leala and I went to Golcunda Fort. It is this massive, ancient structure that looks like it is part castle and part maze.  Some of it is situated on the top of a large hill, and if you climb to the top there is an amazing view of the city. Later that night Leala and I went to an Indian mall and had pizza and ice cream… it was delicious. Our stomachs were killing us because we weren’t used to that kind of food. We both put on a brave face and took the bus home. It was dark, raining and there were no women out, but we did it after asking men who looked nice enough to help us.

Sunday we went to Charminar, a huge building/temple with a shopping area.  I got some jewelry (Hyderabad is known for its pearls).  Later that evening we ran into some trouble trying to leave Tagore and get to our bus to take us back to Pondy.  Basically one guard at the University was a jerk, and the rest of the people we met (including a shop owner, university student, and our auto-rickshaw driver) were kind and helpful. We made is back Monday morning, caught the bus to campus, and then hopped on a boys only bus and asked them to stop at the women’s hostels- I didn’t miss a single class on Monday and best of all we made it to breakfast!

This Thursday we all leave to go to Bangalore and Mysore. I will post again after the trip, as I am sure I will have more stories to tell.

 The beginning of our trip.

 It was so clean and airconditioned!

 So clean.

 We finally made it.

 Dino's shopping

 At Liquids with some international students we met.

 Golcunda Fort- amazing.

 Great view from the top.

 Charminar

Life in Pondicherry- Week 1 of Many!

-->

I have been lacking in my blog posts recently, so I thought I would write one now.  On Friday I finished my first week of classes, and finally have my schedule figured out (though I start meeting for two of my classes next week).  I am taking History of the Medieval World, Contemporary Indian Philosophy, Feminist Studies (an English class), Christianity in India (which is an individual course just for me) and Practical Classical Yoga.  Pondicherry University is very large, and has different buildings spread across campus for the various departments.  Luckily all of my classes (save Yoga) take place at the Silver Jubilee Campus, which houses Humanities, and Social Sciences.  Unfortunately, Silver Jubilee is a 30-minute walk away from the Hostel I live in (Madame Curie), so I have to catch the bus to get to class. This is not a big deal, except the bus schedule doesn’t really exist. I always go out and wait about 20 minutes before I really need to leave that way I don’t miss the bus.  It is also frustrating that the buses don’t run right before or right after classes let out.  They are at weird intervals so if you get out of class on time, you have to wait 30 minutes for a bus.  On the bright side, every day my patience is getting better and everyone who knows me well knows I need to work on this.

Another difficult thing about Silver Jubilee is that it is not a comfortable building.  I am there for several hours and wait there between classes, but there is no real area to sit and relax.  There are two library-like areas, but you can’t take any kind of books into them (even your personal books).  There is also a small cafeteria, but it gets loud and sometimes boys have come over and started to talk to me (which was friendly of them) while I was doing something. The building is set up so that there are three main blocks of rooms and each one is in a circle with a courtyard in the middle.  Hallways connect the three circles, but everything (except the classrooms) is open air, so I end up sitting in the hot sun while trying to read a book.  Just something else to get used to.

            My classes are very different from those at Hendrix.  So far the only reading I have been required to do is for feminist studies- about 5 pages total.  It is a nice break, but I also know I am not focusing on classes because there is so little work.  I do have one assignment in my Contemporary Indian Philosophy class (that I take with Lauren and Jackie): we have to write 4-5 pages on a specific part of Indian philosophy. So that is very vague and it’s due Tuesday.  I checked out two books from the library and plan on looking into Patanjali’s eight-limbed yoga as soon as I get the motivation. My Christianity in India class is another one I have readings far, as of now I only need to read a couple pages of the professors notes for next class.

            Some exciting things that have happened to me this week: Leala and I went into Pondy, got a bike and didn’t get lost; I finalized my class schedule; I found out I’m able to audit a field hockey class; I made some Indian friends; I finally got a phone and it started working this week; the internet seems to be getting better (or I am getting used to it); I was able to talk with my family; I had an interview for an internship via Skype that I think/hope went well; and today a group of us went to an eco- arts festival (where I got 2 cool books, saw some great live music, learned how to bargain for an auto-rickshaw better, and was one of 8 passengers crammed into an auto that we only paid 200rps for ($4).

Hopefully this next week will be just as good. I am still settling in and life is either really great or really hard right now, I want it even out a bit- but that will take time!

 My room! Currently the curtain is different- I bought a tapestry at the market.

 A map of the university

 A view of my hostel, Madame Curie.

 The shower

 Sink/ bathroom area

 Eco-Music Fest

 The bands we saw

Cockroaches, mice, and Indian trains- oh my.

We got back from the South Indian tour two days ago in the morning, but before I post about that I wanted to give everyone a description of the train journey from Madurai to Villapuram that we took last night.  Our train was supposed to leave at 11pm, when we got to the train station after an exceptionally long dinner to prolong time spent in a restaurant rather than the station (where considerable amounts of fries, naan and beer were partaken of), Sunny Uncle (our program director who is amazing) realized that the person booked the wrong tickets for us… the train we were scheduled to be on left at 11am.  What to do? Get a spot on another train. Seems easy enough right? For those who have been in an Indian train station you will understand when I saw no, it was not easy. 

We had to go get 7 open seats (basically buy 7 more tickets) for the train we were supposed to take.  To do this Kara, Lauren and I got into the “Ladies Only” line, and with help from Sunny got the open tickets.  This involved lots of pushing, and talking to the baby the woman in front of us was holding.  These open seats are exactly what they sound like… you sit wherever is open.  Since information regarding the train number, platform number and departure time were not clear, Kara and I headed to the information desk.  A man who spoke heavily accented English helped us, but only after we had to ask him to repeat it several times.  We also were not used to others trying to physically push you in line to get closer- but we pushed back.  There is no private space in India- there isn’t enough room for it.

Weighed down with our clothes and purchases from the previous eight days we forced our way into a coach to find a train operator to see where some empty spots were.  There were none. He advised to wait for the next train, which was in 30 minutes.  It seemed like all of our problems were taken care of- we would get seats on the next train and sleep until our arrival in Villapuram.  Again, we were wrong.  We did get spots on the next train, but they weren’t “seats.” Lauren slept on the floor near the bathroom, I hung out in that area for a while before commandeering the end of a bench a woman was mostly not using for sleeping.  Leala was in the same position in another bench across from me with a sleeping mother and her young daughter.  Kara, Jackie, Chris and Sunny Luke were a car away- with only the bathrooms separating us.

This was one of the worst nights I have had in my life.  Being uncomfortable is not a fun thing, but it is do-able.  What got me was the state of the train.  This train was DIRTY.  Much dirtier than the previous one we rode to start the South India journey.  Not dirty as in dusty, dirty as in cockroaches crawling on the floors, walls, and benches, the constant smell of feces from the toilets whenever the train stopped moving, the mouse that lived in our car, and the constant hacking of two older gentlemen who might have needed medical treatment- and in India you don’t cover your mouth.

Around 4am, after a constant shifting of positions, mostly hunched over trying to avoid the middle bench (and at one point lying down next to the woman whose bench I was stealing- when you hit a certain point of exhaustion, you just don’t care), a family got off the train.  Lauren, Leala and I immediately overtook their spots.  I think I got about an hour of sleep.  I found that the longer the train travelled, the less I was worried about sleeping on a sheet on the bench, and the more I was worried about avoiding the various insects while trying to stifle the nausea I was experiencing because of the fecal smell. 

Though the train and some of its inhabitant were disgusting, in typical Indian fashion there were a few good souls who pointed out the empty beds, the woman who allowed me to sleep next to her (I wish I was in my right mind at the time to thank her more fully), and a man who made sure we knew when the next train to Pondicherry left  (we were taking a bus back, but he didn’t understand that).  I was struck by the overwhelming kindness of some of the Indian people- I think they have a more communal, “we’re all in this together” mentality.  In the US the focus of people is their own comfort, space, and privacy.

            The person I would most like to thank, however, is Dr. Prof. Sunny Uncle Luke  (a man of many names, mostly we just call him Sunny Luke).  A 60 year- old man made this journey with us with no complaints- and when things went wrong, though he was furious, he turned it into a learning opportunity for the Indian railway system for our group.  He has taken care of the six of us for the past two weeks, and on Wednesday he is, as he put, “cutting the umbilical cord!”  I don’t know what we’ll do without him- probably make a lot of mistakes and have many unanswered questions about Indian society and culture.  I would not have made it through the train journey, or South Indian tour without him.  Thank you Sunny Uncle.

The girls at dinner! R-L: Kara, Leala, Lauren, Jackie

Chris and I manning the other side of the table.

Train station nightmare.

How I put on this face I have no idea.

"India is not another country, it is another planet!"

The title of this blog post is from Dr. Sunny Luke, our program director- I thought it was more than fitting for my first post.  The past few days have been quite an experience. I have so much to say but it is difficult to get it all down. I left for India on the 7^th and got there on the 9^th at about 2am.  Luckily, both my bags made it.  After sleeping for several hours Leala, Kara and I walked around what I now know is the Tamil side (as opposed to the French side) of Puducherry.  First thoughts: loud, the smell, lots of colors, dirty but beautiful too.  The traffic in India is insane- it is exactly like what you’ve seen in the movies.  The only rule seems to be that honking frequently is necessary. As I write this I can hear continuous honking from the streets below. Other than that there are no rules.

We are staying in the Hotel Suguru- known for its restaurant where we have eaten every meal.  In the morning I usually have idly- rice cakes with different sauces/ toppings, for lunch it’s more rice and toppings (today paneer pulao- cheese and spiced rice with a onion yogurt relish), and for dinner we have eaten both dosa and naan- delicious.  Puducherry is about 95% vegetarian, which awesome. I haven’t had meat since I got here and I haven’t missed it. In India you only eat with your right hand, and you don’t usually use utensils.  It was hard at first but after learning it, I find it a pretty refined technique.  You pick up the food and use you thumb in a sweeping motion to push it off you hand and into your mouth. If done correctly the only thing messy should be your fingers.

Yesterday the IISAC program director, Dr. Sunny Luke, lectured us on Indian culture (mostly on dealing with the opposite sex), and Pondicherry University.  Indian girls and boys are basically raised to be strangers, and boys will take any type of attention from American women/ foreigners as a sign of interest or a come on.  The girls of the program have to be very careful with how we interact with Indian men in case we give off the wrong signal.  It is worrisome, because the natural American reaction to seeing someone is a quick smile.  Dr. Luke advised us against this.

Pondicherry University is HUGE compared to Hendrix.  Most schools are, but PU stretches across 800 acres.  We plan on using bikes to get around and to go to the shops nearby to get what we need.  We didn’t pick our classes, but told Mani- Mani (if that is how you spell her name), and assistant to Dr. Luke, which subjects we were interested in and she is going to type up a list of the classes in these subjects that we may choose from.  I am interested in Philosophy, Sociology, Environmental Studies and Physical Education (I would like to take a field hockey class).

Today we had our Visas validated, which only took about an hour. Then we went on a tour through the botanical garden, walked on the beach, and after lunch visited Auroville, which is an intentional community known worldwide about 20 minutes outside of Puducherry.  It was great to visit.  Auroville is very quiet and peaceful.  I couldn’t hear and cars, and the air was cleaner.  It was a much-needed break, as the city can feel overwhelming after a while.  Tonight is our last night at hotel Suguru.  Tomorrow we leave at night by train to start our South India Tour- first stop in Cochin.  Leala and I capped off our last night with a beer, Indian music videos, and blogging before our big trip.  If anyone has any questions please post a comment or send me an email!

__________________________________________________________________________

A creek/ river that runs under a bridge on the Tamil side of Puducherry.

Breakfast the first morning in Hotel Suguru- I can't remember the name of it, but it was wonderful.

The street when you walk outside the hotel (taken on my first walk)

Thali- an Indian lunch. You eat the sauces and sides in a certain order and after the bread is finished they put white rice in the middle- everything eaten with just the right hand.

Our bathroom in Hotel Suguru- notice the shower.

In the botanical gardens in Puducherry today.

The meditation center in Auroville- only those who live there  are allowed in.

A huge tree (can't remember the type) in Auroville.  The branches grow twigs that eventually become extra trunks and root into the ground.

The toy/small train path in the botanical gardens- we went for a ride, it was like being at Disney World.

The Eve of Departure

Tomorrow I leave for India. I fly out of Philadelphia at 6:25pm to Heathrow in London.  Leala (another junior from Hendrix also going- who is amazing) and I will meet in Heathrow and catch the plane to Chennai, India together.  We arrive in Chennai at 1am India time, and from there our program will pick us up and take us to Pondicherry.
I think I have most of my stuff together.  Packing has been slow going as I try not to overpack, which I always do.  Mostly my bag is full of medicine... just in case. My room is a veritable mess and at this point it's quite like a maze and scavenger hunt rolled into one as I try to find the items I need while simultaneously walking through the room.
It's all becoming very real now and I wonder what I have gotten myself into.  I'm concerned about dressing and acting properly for Indian society and culture, but I am hoping that this is something I will pick up on as the semester goes.