Chinese New Years!

I spent my entire Friday and Saturday evenings skyping with my parentals and with relatives in China, wishing them all “Xin Nian Quai Le!” and “Gong Xie Fa Cai!” I must have repeated these phrases at least a good thirty times to every relative I was greeted by. Everyone also took turns showing me the delicious dumplings they were eating via webcam while I merely pouted at each dish. Despite that I wasn’t able to go out for fresh dumplings or dim sum, I had some frozen ones that my parents and grandpa made over the winter break! Nom nom nom. Thanks family!

On Sunday morning R and I walked down to Chinatown where we witnessed the classic lion dancing tradition. Though it was a small parade I still enjoyed the little bit of rowdiness that is necessary for the coming of a new lunar year. My favourite moments were the “lettuce eating” portion of the act and when the lion dancers wearing their full gear took the escalators up to the second floor! (see photo below) Several vendors were selling various lucky Chinese trinkets, posters that say in bold characters “wealth” or “luck”, and everything RED RED RED from floor to ceiling! Of course we also hit up a Chinese bakery afterwords for something sweet

An Update! (And the usual antics…)

Flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.
- Douglas Adams

First of all, wow it has been over a year since this I started this blog so I feel inclined to say something champagne worthy (but drink that glass now in case it isn’t).
I want to say that lately I have been incredibly inspired by the caring people around me (SHOUT OUT!) and I am thankful for the new friends and the old friends who push me to become a better me everyday. I have missed blogging and the wonderful, talented, awesome community of bloggers out there. I followed several that travel all the time (seriously! How do you find the money to do it on a regular basis?!) and are truly AMAZING at photography. I aspire to learn from you all! (Note: even though they haven’t followed my blog yet I hope this is a general message I can send out to the universe per The Secret’s philosophy).

As you can see, school has been keeping me away mostly last semester, and so far this semester has been hectic. Not to mention Mr. Winter who seems to have arrived in Toronto a tad late this year and is being a party pooper on my spring parade. Seriously though, I decided over the winter holidays to invest in MAC’s Lady Danger lipstick and a dress from ASOS which I am prepared to whip out any moment now if I see some sun peeking through Mr. Winter’s split ends and dandruff. (Speaking of which…I really need to get a haircut. Any ideas? I was thinking about doing a few lightning blue streaks . NO I’m not going to go all manga on you just something a little more colorful than the drabness I am surrounded by. Chillax bro. BUT I digress.)

Over the break I also celebrated my birthday famjam style of course — not Gangnam though my two out-of-this-world cutedorable Grandma and Grandpa know how to rock the dance too! So on my birthday I vowed that before I hit my 30s I would take the time to travel and see things, to feel things, and read things. Yes, that’s a lot of “things” but that’s what I love about the 20s – it doesn’t have to be concrete. And that doesn’t mean throw away all your career aspirations or forget about being present in the real world. I’m excited that I will still have some years to go to reach these goals! There’s also something different about this year and being another year older that is indescribable.

Attention ladies and gents now we turn to our finale, it’s time to think about this summer again (YAY MY FAVE 4 MONTHS OF THE YEAR). I would truly love to go abroad this summer. Europe’s a-calling and I hope I can answer that call! Evidently the travel bug has bitten, I am smitten and it’s now impossible to get out of my system. Ok so the last part didn’t rhyme but whatever its not like I’m the next Top 40 rap artist.

Before I forget, I should mention I haven’t updated still some stories of India and Tibet (though you will find below I have updated with some of my favourite photos) so that will happen!

Stay tuned amigos! Broom shakalaka.

Tashi delek!

That’s the greeting commonly used in Tibet. Its a blessing that means more or less “may all auspcious signs come to this environment” although there’s really no perfect translation for it. Our tour guide taught us to use this phrase first thing after we got off the 4 day long train ride from Beijing to Lhasa. She also presented us with white prayers scarves called “Khata” (or hada in Chinese) as a sign of good luck and purity, is draped around the neck as a friendly gesture of welcome and also presented at shrines and ceremonies. During the trip with my little cousin, we saw Khatas placed also on tree branches and across bridges, basically anywhere a Tibetan has passed by there are these white scarves. I had thought about taking the scarf back with me, as a kind of souvenir for being in Tibet which many other people did. But instead my cousin and I decided that as a sign of appreciaton and out of respect for their religion we would too like the Tibetans, place our scarf in a temple as an offering to Buddha. Tibet is truly a religious and holy land, and I really am after this trip quite in awe of their spirituality.

These Tibetan women below are having a chat in the afternoon after prayers at a temple in Lhasa. Though it was difficult to understand what they were saying, on the whole they seemed to be genuinely good-natured people.

Prayer flags in the main colours: red, yellow, green, blue, and white have Buddhist scriptures written on them. They carry the wishes and luck of the Tibetans in the wind. Like the white scarves, these are also found everywhere from temples, to house to mountain tops. After a few days in the oft far distances and unpopulated landscapes of Tibet these became a symbol of the familiar for me, because they showed that other Tibetans had previously traveled there before and marked their good wishes.

On Barkour Street in Lhasa, it is the marketplace for tourist trinkets, jewellery and housewares. The structure is the Johkang Monastery (Temple) which was built under Songtsen Gampo, it is probably the main temple in Tibet and the most visited pilgrame site. Princess Wencheng helped map Tibet, which is in the shape of a beautiful women lying on her back, and where her heart should be is where this temple was built.

This is one of my favourite photos. The monks have just finished their lunch inside the Tashilumpo Monastery and are coming down the stairs, some others are putting on their shoes. I find their red shoes really intersting, they seem to be made out of fabric so they’re more like thick stockings I guess. I also admire the beautiful wall paintings and designs of the monasteries and temples, they’re so intricate and they are used to tell stories from the past.

I love the Tibetan traditional clothing and colours. This was taken just inside the entry of the Potala Palace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Potala Palace in Lhasa, the original residence of the Dalai Lama. It is the tallest building and there is a law in Tibet that no other structure can surpass its height. This beautiful white and red structure completely takes my breath away!

Photos of an Indian Summer

Sorry for not posting in so long! I have been thoroughly enjoying my time off this summer but this poor abandoned blog has grown a few cobwebs. It’s definitely seen better days.

So anyway let me comment a little about whats been a-happening here. When you go to a foreign country and travel with people, its as if all your strengths and weaknesses are super-magnified. I have learned A LOT about myself this summer. It’s been challenging, and as one of my friends said “India is the epitome of culture shock”. I have met so many really incredible people this summer that have inspired me to travel and learn, to grow and change, and to be passionate about life through the good the bad and the ugly!!! I truly appreciate all they have taught me

There some good photographers as well who I met this summer, and they have some really incredible stuff to show – I hope to learn from them! We often joked that it’s not that we’re good photographers, its just that we have really great cameras.

Some travelers I met this summer asked whether I had taken any photography classes, the answer is no but I’m really hoping to. They apparently think that I’m pretty good even I don’t think so. Either way I totally appreciate the compliments, it’s an awesome ego boost! Who knows maybe I’ll enter a photography contest….

The rest of my travels in India and China will be updated in a following post, for now I’m going to fill this post with photos to show my take on a summer in India. Enjoy!

The Golden Temple – Amritsar

Bathing in Holy Water at The Golden Temple – Amritsar

A Communal Meal at The Golden Temple – Amritsar

Houses on the mountainside – Dharamsala

A Little Monk at the Tsuglagkhang Buddhist Temple – McLeod Ganj (Dharamsala)

Happy shopkeeper – McLeod Ganj (Dharamsala)

Narrow Streets – McLeod Ganj (Dharamsala)

Giving Directions, a Grandma and Baby – McLeod Ganj (Dharamsala)

Heidi on the Mountain – Manali

School Children in Uniform – Manali

The Trek to Vashisht - Manali

North Indian Gentleman with Umbrella – Manali

Working Women in Pink – Manali

Children Playing in a Tree – Manali

Capturing the Sunlight in her Hands – Rishikesh

Women at the Market – Old Delhi

Enthralled by the Shiny Bangles – New Delhi

Women Making Chapatis – Old Delhi

A Rickshaw Bhaiya – New Delhi

Pattern on Architecture – New Delhi

Humayun’s Tomb – New Delhi

Salwar Kameez Vendor – New Delhi

Jama Masjid – Old Delhi

Rust and Monkeys – Jaipur

A Family Climbing the Stairs to the Amber Fort – Jaipur

Woman Selling Religious Offerings and Wares – Jaipur

Amber Palace – Jaipur

Elephant Ride up the Amber Fort – Jaipur

Boy Playing by the Crumbled Castle – Jaipur

Twins Posing Outside the Red Fort – Old Delhi

Full Speed Ahead

Photo Courtesy of The Telegraph

Have you ever taken a ride on a motorbike before? How about riding side saddle? In Delhi I’ve observed, the women sit sideways in their saris and salwars. Let me tell you, I tried to do the same and it is one hell of an experience. If you think it looks effortless think again — the bumpy roads and winding streets along with unpredictable and unruly traffic, sure you still want to go for a ride? Of course, there’s no way to say no, you have to do it. So many times I thought I would fall off or have my legs crushed by an oncoming vehicle. Like a governing dynamic in India, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

Right now I feel as if I’m on a motorbike, I’ve learned to gain my balance, am moving full speed ahead and soon to reach my destination. Although it’s too soon and I’m not not ready to get off yet, I want see more. I think 3 months is a perfect amount of time to spend in India, almost 2 months is far too short to intern + travel. But maybe that means I will have to come back again and learn more about this country and its people.

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This weekend we traveled out to Rishikesh, known for its water rafting and natural scenery in general. For the first time in a long time I saw mountains! (but the temperature was still too hot, I expected it to be way cooler) We spent an hour to two rafting in the cold, fast Ganges River, then jumping from a cliff. We camped out on the beach, played volleyball and ate fries covered in Indian spices. At night some of us sat around the candle-lit table to talk, others broke off and spent time in couples gazing at the stars which were not visible in the big city. It was a romantic mood, and a mood for talking.

Rishikesh is quite beautiful, its far more scenic than Delhi. At 7AM the next day there’s people already up (or just didn’t sleep) playing beach volleyball and shouting in Hindi, not the peace and calm I had expected. Plus there were these strange, multi-legged insects that looked like a blend of caterpillar and scorpion that climbed into the ceiling of our tent Gross, I also got three mosquito bites on one foot. Still the place made for a good photo or two, and was a nice getaway from the rush of the city.

(Shout out to A for being such a wonderful model! Gurrlll you’ve got good posture right there!)

Here’s the part I don’t know what to do about. Under the 9AM sun we were having an Indian breakfast after which we went for a walk along the beach. We crossed over a brook to a less beaten part of the beach holding hands. We talked, we looked at rocks – conglomerate, sedimentary, igneous. We sat listening to the whisper of the Ganga. Then he said it was sad I was leaving in two weeks, it was too short. Time. The sound of the holy river becomes live – writhing and throbbing. I am moving full speed ahead, but I wish I had more to spend. I always wondered about summer flings and meeting people and finding love while traveling, was it just an in-the-moment thing or could it actually last? Is a long-distance relationship possible? Maybe it’s not meant to be

The only thing I know right now is ‘carpe diem’, ‘seize the day’! Which reminds me, I need to do my Chinese tourist visa before I fly there to travel and visit some relatives. I hope I have enough time!

To Walk Among Giants in Jaipur

Getting away from the city for the weekend and spending time in the hot desert state of Rajastan is the BEST thing I have done so far. This trip was incredible! It gave me a fresh perspective on just how diverse this country is geographically in terms of climate and how beautiful its historical architecture is. Like I have said so many times before, living and working in India puts you in a different mindset compared to when you’re a tourist. Allowing myself to marvel at something, to take tons of photos like a true tourist (and pose with my dorky dress and shades) was so much fun! 

I traveled by an air-conditioned bus to Jaipur with a German couple and a flatmate. We met up with the other people who took the train. Although we each work with different NGOs or companies we’re all AIESEC interns. The hotel we stayed one night at was awesome! Our suite was beautifully decorated, had AC, and the bed was very comfortable (compared to the wooden planks and  thin mattresses we usually sleep on). There was a rooftop patio and restaurant which we basically had all of our meals at because it was so convenient. I have no words to describe how wonderful it was waking up each day to such a gorgeous place.

The really fantastic part of the trip was that we saw the Water Palace, Monkey Palace, the Amber Fort, Hawamahal, Jantar Mantar, City Palace and bought some Indian trinkets! The Amber Fort was definitely my favourite because it is stunningly beautiful. 

Just as a word of warning through, unfortunately travelers need to beware of locals that seem too friendly. On our first day there, several bhaiyas with autos offered to take us around for 100 rupees for half a day of sightseeing, we thought it was very reasonable so we got chauffeured around the city. What we didn’t know was that these bhaiyas had made deals with a jewellery shop owner, a textiles store owners, and the elephant ride owner. They had tried to rip us off, taking us to these stores located in areas that are made specifically for tourists to spend lots of money. For an elephant ride for four people they tried to charge us 1000 rupees per person. Yet the three guys who did the elephant ride bargained with them and the final price was 1200 rupees altogether. I’ve learned that bargaining is an art that needs to be mastered in India. I have also learned rather unfortunately not to trust so easily.

Even though the trip had its downsides, altogether it was simply an amazing weekend. One of my favourite moments was walking alongside the elephants, climbing up the steps of the Amber Fort. (Can you believe they actually built that? I marveled. Was marveling. And still marvel.) You had to be careful of the elephants when they sneezed because their trunk flared behind them. If you were walking directly behind, you could end up in the direct line of fire with elephant snot! Still, it was incredible that you felt like a hobbit in comparison to these towering, gentle, and majestic creatures. We were walking among giants.

The Hawamahal or “Wind Palace”. Apparently a queen used to live here but she was not allowed to leave the palace, so instead they created a lot of windows so that she would be able to sit and see what was happening outside.

HOLY COW! No seriously, cows are considered sacred in India. Even the crazy Delhi traffic will stop for a cow that’s jay-walking. At least it doesn’t get a ticket for it!

I bought some beautiful silk saree fabric in Jaipur and I’m hoping I can get a tailor here to make a dress for me since wearing saris is not exactly practical in Canada! But I doubt it will be done in time…we shall see. Overall, it was a fantastic trip and our group dynamic was excellent because we all just kind of “clicked”. I’m looking forward to more spectacular weekends!
Stay tuned!

Palimpsest

A picture is worth a thousand words, a wise fellow once said. I’m not sure why I love this particular photo I took so much, out of the several hundreds. Yet I think the colours, the movement in the photograph says something and I think it’s rather symbolic of Delhi. At Rajiv Chowk, the main station connecting all the metro lines, the volume of passengers transferring is like Toronto rush hour in the Subway multiplied by a thousand! So far I have taken a lot of photos of the city and the traffic. It’s partly because I take an auto or the metro + rickshaws/autos to and from work every day, but perhaps it’s the lessons of my geography and urban planning course surfacing! Professors, you know your students actually absorbed the course material when…

Palimpsest. That is one word the professor drilled into our heads. Palimpsest. According to the Merriam Webster it means: “something having usually diverse layers or aspects apparent beneath the surface <Canada … is a palimpsest, an overlay of classes and generations — Margaret Atwood>”

Well done, Atwood! A country, a city has layers, it has depth. Before I hadn’t given much thought to it. Yet there is no question that how a place is built reflects it history and hence its culture and customs. Emperor Shahjahan made Delhi the Mughal capital in the late 1630s but it was conquered by the British in the 1800s. The British built an addition to the south of the city called “New Delhi” which was declared as the capital of India in 1947 after independence. The long period of British colonial rule is evident in the way the city is planned, the way the buildings are, and its culture. The drive on the right too! The city at the very center is a circle which radiates outwards like beams of sunlight. The infrastructure is amazing in some places, like the Delhi metro which I cannot say enough good things about.

On the other hand, history has also made India a place that has been conquered and ruled over by other great powers. There is this kind of awe when it comes to foreigners. At first I was incredibly uncomfortable when they stared at me, but I got used to it and now my ability to ignore is amazingly great! I haven’t received the worst end of the shock though. An American intern told me that a few red-haired Danish guys were volunteering in India two years ago when she was also volunteering here and everyone tried to touch their red hairy legs because they have never seen anything like it before. It’s strange and funny at the same time. However it’s unfortunate that some Indians we talked have this notion that foreigners are somehow superior to them; I don’t like this idea of subservience, but it appears that it’s built within the culture and evident throughout its history. Even when we have gone out to bars and clubs, foreigners get special treatment – free food, free drinks, no cover. I’ve found a lot of Indians to be party animals but drinking is looked down upon in the culture.

What really astounds me is how much religion plays a central part in their life. On street corners there a mini temples where people can pray and lay offerings for Krishna or Vishnu or other idols. In every auto rickshaw there are portraits of sacred idols. I have visited some Hindu and a Sikh temples so far and people believe very much in spirituality whether old or young. Unlike the Christian or Catholic church which a lot of in Canada, that has service usually on Sundays, the temples are much more free since they’re almost always open and you can always hear songs and chants. Recently I met some Sikhs and I think they are probably some of the most caring people, all they want to do is help you and make you feel welcome. The religious community is incredible diverse with Sikhs, Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, and Hindus which make up a large part of the population. No wonder so many travel to India in search of something spiritual, something greater than ourselves.

I was talking with an Indian the other day, and we decided that the only correct word to describe all that I have seen: the poverty, the dirt, the modernity and wealth, the “Western” culture and thought versus tradition, and the natural beauty as well as long history of this country is “illogical”. But of course every country, every culture has aspects that are strange and contradictory. It’s always better though to focus on the positives anywhere you go. That way it doesn’t distort your vision of all the good things that are possible. I don’t know what to say about India at this point except that I think I’m really happy to be here through the good, the bad, and the ugly. I absolutely love that I’m meeting so many international interns who, like me, have had similar experiences. The expat community is quite strong here, and we all feel closely knit.

“I want to go someplace where I can marvel at something” Julia Roberts said in Eat Pray Love. I decided to do this trip not exactly for the cliché but to experience something so completely different than anything I know, something crazy, something amazing. Dear friends, I think I have come to the right place.

Life in the City

Dear friends it’s now my second week in India! I’m sorry for the late update, so much has been going on I really haven’t found the time to write a proper post. But at last, here I am!

The first week of my seven week trip is over. It’s been a very rough adjustment but I’m slowly getting used to life in Delhi. Everything is different in India from the history, to the clothing, food, culture. I’m not sure when the culture shock is going to stop, but according to a roommate it never really goes away. You just get used to being in a continual state of shock. (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

A friend who’s lived in India for almost a year now said to me during the first few days, “India is bipolar!” In some ways, I have found that to be true. The Indian Tourism office mass markets this idea of “Incredible India”! It’s everywhere: colourful photos of the Taj Mahal, the deadly Bengal tiger, the majestic Himalayas, this idea of spiritual pursuit and self-discovery in the classic Eat Pray Love fashion. We’re inspired in Western culture by the sense of alluring exotic mysticism and faraway feel that allows us to “get away from it all”.

But traveling and actually working in a city are two completely different things — maybe that’s why I have found it to be so hard. If you’re just a tourist in India, the chances of you seeing the negatives is probably kept to a minimum with well-trained English speaking tour guides, air conditioned buses, and luxurious hotels. From my experience so far I have found this city to be marked by extremes, by polar opposites which exist side-by-side. There’s the blatant poverty of child beggars on the streets contrasted with the gated mansion homes complete with servants and a beautiful garden. The hot, dry dust that never leaves the streets compared to the extremely clean and well air-conditioned metro system. You can tell that some live hand to mouth lives on the streets, while others are so well off they can afford to get chauffeured in a BMW (which I can’t even afford back home). They say the gap between the poor and the rich is growing, and nowhere have I seen it more clearly than in this city. Delhi is fast-paced, its modernizing and at the same time there’s much progress to be made in certain areas.

Of course I say this from the perspective of a foreigner. But understand that I don’t mean to criticize, these are simply things I see in my day-to-day. Things I can’t help but see, and things I cannot single-handedly try to improve. Maybe some Indians are used to this disparity and this kind of lifestyle, but it’s very different from what I am used to. Yet even when I talk to young Indians my age they shake their heads at the corruption of the officials and the slow pace at which the kind of change they want to see is happening. But how do you address problems that are so intricately interrelated? I don’t think they have the answers either.

I’ve found this young generation Indians much like myself and my peers. They want to vote and be heard, they like the Big Bang Theory (especially Sheldon of course) and Friends, they hang out and have a good time at malls and cafes. Then there’s elements of traditionalism contrasted with the Western culture. Talking with my Indian friends, they tell me that family life is central to their existence and it’s common for several generations to live together under one roof. For many university students, there is curfew and it is quite restrictive. Things that are considered “normal” for us like going out with  friends at night or drinking are very much looked down upon. (But that doesn’t stop some of them, of course you will always find rebels in any culture!) Whereas we value individuality and personal freedom, I have found Indians to value family and collectivism more. And no where I have traveled to have I seem the effects of globalization so distinctly, both the good and the bad.

Before I came to India, many times I was asked by Indian students my age living in India if I had seen Slumdog Millionaire? But of course, jai hoooooooo! No seriously, though it’s not the slums of Mumbai, there’s definite similarities. India is a very different place, and despite the bipolarity witnessed there’s something unique about it that kind of grows on you.

Stay tuned!

Homesick and Culture Shocked

 

When I started this blog, that I promised myself that I will always write honestly and from the heart. My posts are usually marked by humour and anecdotes because I like to keep it light and interesting. This is not one of those. I’m writing this in hopes that there might be other people out there who are going through the same things or know firsthand what I’m talking about.

The first two days were fine, I was too excited and jet-lagged to absorb anything. Then Day 3 happened. Here is the truth, last night I was sick to the stomach, like really gut-wrenchingly sick. This isn’t first time I have ever felt homesick though. At fifteen I participated in a French immersion exchange program and I flew from the Westcoast to the other side of Canada. In Quebec, a few hours after I arrived at what would be my new home for the next five weeks I instantly felt nauseous and terribly homesick. The thing that is different this time is that I had mentally prepared myself, read books, expat blogs, watched all that I could about India pre-flight so that I wouldn’t feel so taken aback. For this reason, I felt that maybe the culture shock would be less. But the 12.5 hour jet lag, the stress from other’s unrealistic expectations of me, I suddenly felt and still feel so overwhelmed. I haven’t been able to sleep for the past three days and I barely eat anything. To say that last night was intense is an incredible understatement.

I talked to my two roommates and they know exactly what I’m talking about. They tell me that everything is going to be okay, and I need to hear it. J has been here for three weeks and I has been here for seven months. Both of them say that they feel like they have learned so much about themselves and understand how extremely privileged lives they have back home. And I mean it that we take for granted so many things back home.

Back home. That’s another term I find myself using a lot lately even though I know I shouldn’t compare the two countries. Actually, there’s nothing to compare India to. It’s so different from anything I have ever known. I think that India is a place you have to experience. The thing is, I don’t even remember why I wanted to come here in the first place. Hopefully I can say to myself at some point when I look back in a few months time and think “yeah that was really tough, but I’m glad I stood firm and experienced it”. My roommates told me “if you can survive India, you can survive anything.” I hope they’re right.

Part 2: When in India

*Part 1  was the first flight to Beijing, and Part 2 is the international transfer flight to New Delhi.

Let me begin with one key observation of this entire flying experience: Air China flight attends have the most soft-spoken voices of any airline I have been on. Their voices are so breathy and smooth over the loudspeaker! I think they were all trained to speak like doves who have never had a ruffled feather. If doves could human-speak that’s what they would sound like.

Part 2 of the flight was delayed, because there was a thunderstorm but I met again another lovely lady who was the motherly type and gave me her brother’s cell number in case I needed help with anything. We also exchanged our addresses and phone numbers in Vancouver, and it’s funny because her house is literally ten blocks away from mine! While we waited she told me a little about her growing up as an Indian-born Chinese in Kolkata. Apparently there used to be quite a large Chinese community in India! Who knew?

Again, on the second flight an Indian businessman and I chatted for a bit. Am I really THAT approachable? Anyway, I was really lucky that the second flight had a lot of empty seats so I lay down across a row of 3 seats and slept most of the 7 hour flight. I think in total my trip was around 22 hours. FML that nearly killed my entire enthusiasm for traveling by air!! I’m going to add that to my repertoire of flight do’s and don’ts — fly direct if you can find the tickets! It will save you a lot of time and be far less painful than transferring.

When arrived at Indira Gandhi Airport, I bought a sim card from an Indian cell phone service company called Airtel. It’s a pretty good deal — I got unlimited internet and 1000 texts/talking minutes for 1400 rupees!  If you need more minutes/texts you can just refill it, it was very simple. After a few hours, I got picked up from the airport by taxi, arranged by an Indian friend and was brought to an intern house that was actually at full capacity. The house manager moved me to a different house one block away and it’s far more beautiful and well-equipped than the other house, so I’m thankful for the change. There’s AC in our room (thank God!!!) but we have to pay extra for it, so I’m hoping the bill at the end of this month won’t be too high!

I have two roommates (for privacy I will keep their names to the first letter of their first name) one from Brazil and one from Tunisia. J is bit of a party animal from what I have observed so far but she’s super nice, and I is a real sweetheart – she gave me a pair of “Indian pants” as a welcome present and offered me Nepalese tea  the day that I arrived!  The first person I met though was M from the United States. She’s well-versed in Hindi since this is her second trip to India. She’s funny and I think we’ll be good friends as well. I met a Japanese guy, and some crazy Portuguese students, also met a few Canadians: mais ouais they’re Quebecois boys! They don’t live here though, they’re back at the other house. My current house is all-girls, there’s six of us in total but I’ve yet to meet the other two girls. And upstairs is an Indian family, so it’s kind of like a homestay situation but we manage meals on our own. In general, everyone is very nice and all the interns are so friendly and eager to help, I feel so blessed!

The area I’m living in is considered upper middle class someone told me. It’s pretty convenient since there’s a small market just down the street where you can get everything from fruit to toilet paper. My workplace where I am an intern is located in the most “posh” area in Delhi. Here there are lots of trees and gardens, gated homes and offices, and many people driving Hondas and BMWs. It’s my third day here, second day at work and I’m enjoying it all very much so far. This is crazy country but I think I am going to enjoy it very much.

On that note, welcome to India! Namaste.