Off to America

It is hard to believe that I just finished packing to go home after being in India for only eleven days.  It feels like we have been here for much longer than that and the roads, people, and food are all starting to look familiar.  After looking on a map at the places that we have visited (Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur) I was stunned that we have only covered an extremely small portion of the country and had experienced so many different types of landscapes and areas.  Yet, there is still an abundant amount of India that we have not seen; one of the reasons India amazes me so much.    

 I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to travel to such a unique country and the experiences I have had here will, without a doubt, remain with me forever.  The people here are so accepting of outsiders, something that I think the American culture can learn from.  We had discussed what the outcome might be if Binghamton had an e-buddy program and how many people would actually partake in it without getting anything in return.  The sad reality of it is, besides the people who had been on the other side of it with e-buddies in India, most people would probably not be so willing to donate their time.  One very important thing that I have taken away from this whole trip is to be more open to other people and try to learn others backgrounds because what I find out might surprise me and lead to new friendships.

The jam-packed days will be missed as well as the wonderful people and environments here.  I do not regret for one second deciding to come here and would do it again if given the chance.  However, I do miss home and food that doesn’t burn my tongue.  It has been great India, hopefully I will see you again in the future.

Oh My Taj

It is a different world here.  I cannot believe that I have been in India for over a week; everything is still so new and my eyes are constantly scanning the landscape to absorb this country.  We have learned about the economy and the higher education systems here.  Visiting the JRE Group of Institutions was so eye-opening.  The school had only been established 5 or 6 months ago and it was stunning.  The building and the surrounding area seemed like a wonderful place to attend school and the students were so motivated to learn.  It was very refreshing to see because most American students to not have that fire in them. 

The next day we attended a traditional celebration for Lori at the Gupta residence.  The girls and guys wore traditional Indian clothes and everyone looked great.  It was a fun time and bonding with the FOSTIIMA students was great.

The next adventure was going to Pratapgarh farm, a tourist attraction that gave people the feel of rural India.  The food we tried was different and pretty good.  It was the first time I had sugar cane straight from the plant and it was such a new and exciting taste, although it was quite difficult having to bite the skin off to get to the sugar.  A few of us took part in a mud bath which was extremely dirty but a great time filled with laughter.  Later in the night we went to Chandnichowk which was one of the most crowded and intimidating palaces I have ever been, but something that I am glad to say we experienced.  We later had dinner at a famous restaurant in India that had Parawthe which was delicious.

The following day was visiting the famous Taj Mahal.  It is hard to describe in words just how beautiful and flawless it was.  I could not believe my eyes that we were actually looking at one of the wonders of the world.  Learning about the background of how the Taj came to be was just as interesting as actually walking through it and seeing the perfectly smooth marble.  Then we went to a fort that also had an intriguing background story. 

Today we went through a scenic bird sanctuary and had a glimpse of various different types of birds.  Soon, we are off to Jaipur and I am sure that will bring more wonderful aspects of India.

Welcome to India!

My first step out of the airplane and into the airport seemed no different than what I have done before.  The airport was very similar to Newark, a place I had been 14 hours before; same baggage claim, same overpriced shops, same men holding signs of last names to take to their destination.  Then we walked outside.  The air was thick with fog and had a smell resembling that of smoke.  Being my first time sbroad I was in awe.  The cars, the stray dogs, and the people staring at the mesmerized Americans was something I had never experienced before.  The first thing that struck me as a huge difference between America was the traffic.  Cars have no regard for lanes yet somehow no one manages to hit each other even though they are centimeters apart.  Also honking is not something reserved for annoyed drivers, in fact it is welcome.  Our first day was amazing.  The two temples were stunning and what we learned about the different religions was very interesting and gave a good background to why India is what it is.  The lotus temple had a flawless architecture and was breath-taking.  When a woman began to sing inside it was the only thing I could focus on and nothing else mattered.  The tones of her voice echoing throughout the temple was incredible and a unique sound I will never be able to hear again.

 

Meeting our e-buddies was a lot of fun.  They were all as excited as we were to actually see them in person and ask all the questions that came into our heads.  The lectures given by the professors was very enlightening and informative.  The day continued with jet lag plaguing us on the bus ride and throughout dinner, which was great in the extravagant country club.

 

The next day, after catching up with our sleep, was an adventure.  First we visited the Shiv-Murti complex.   

 

I have never seen statues so big in my life.  They were designed incredibly and can only be truly understood with a picture.  Learning about the background of all the different statues and the different aspects of Hinduism was fascinating.  Professor Gupta discussed the fact that in that religion G-d was not seen as perfect, but could have flaws and moments of anger or annoyance.  This really caught my attention because it is different from my religion and more comforting to think as a person that truly no one is perfect.  We then went to PwC and Dunnhumby.  Both firms gave excellent presentations; one giving a description of the economy, real estate, and higher education present in India, the other on how important it is to meet the customer needs and how this can be achieved.  Both supported the reasoning behind why India is considered an emerging market.  Finally we went to the Kingdom of Dreams.  With a Las Vegas feel to it, it was an enchanting sight. 

There was not a dull spot without art, a statue, or bright colors.  The whole place was filled with the different cultures present in India and it was captivating.  Although we have only been here for two days (even though it has felt like much more) I have already gained a fondness for a country and am starting to enjoy the food and the culture.  I cannot wait to continue this once-in-a-lifetime experience and look forward to discovering new parts of India.