Survived week two in India

Yesterday was pretty good and today is full of drawing/journaling for class and attempting to figure out how to compare and contrast poems i don't really understand for another class

yesterday we went to see a Hindi Bollywood movie and Abashek and Ragany (finally got her to spell it for us lol) translated it for us...well what we couldn't get from body language and the general scene going on. There was a lot of suicides in that movie as funny as it was there were some really morbid moments...u always saw the people kill themselves, either hanging or jumping our of windows...quite intense.
and then we went to a Hindi mosque and Ragany told us a bunch of stuff about Hinduism that none of us knew. oh and her birthday is the day after mine so i have a birthday buddy...its exciting. Oh and she's a lot like me and a huge feminist and started a students against sexual harassment movement on campus...needless to say she's just what i needed. Oh and before she left she did the hugs all around bit like i do at home....i love hugs it was nice to know people actually do that here! we also went to eat at a boardwalk like area and then took a really fast (way faster than we expected) boat right around the little lake with a very large Buddha in the middle (picture the statue of liberty as a Buddha in a lake not an ocean.) talked to my mom for a bit and then my roommate went to bed and i tried to go to the common room to talk to my aunt and the wireless wasnt working so i'll just have to talk to them another time.

So yesterday we went to the market in the afternoon and it was seriously sensory overload! there were people cooking all sorts of idk what's, and colors over all over everything, puppet shows going on and people walking in every direction, and people yelling yes madam yes? as in come look and buy things. my favorite is when they say just look no buy... that's how they try and sucker you into something... which works on a few friends. although i helped my roommate out she wanted some earings and the guy wouldn't come down in price and he wanted 50 rupees...abashek said don't pay more than 20... well i didnt want to insult the guy so i said 30 he goes can't be done 45 and is 35. he said no and i said ok ash lets go and the guy goes ok 40 i said no that's ok and the guy was like okok 35 you take... from 50 to 35 rupees i think i'm gettin the hang of this a little. then we watched some of a dance show theater thing that was pretty different, love the live performances they are entertaining.

AND then we went to see Cricket. there is a tournament going on on campus with like 34 teams playing. Abasheks friends were playing so we went and watched. we also met some of his friends, girls! and not only were they girls but males and females hugged and had physical contact we were all a little excited about this since up till then men and women didn't look at each other and barely spoke to one another. Ranagy one of the girls sat and talked to Allyn, Riane and I and she explained cricket to us since we hadn't seen it before. I think that Sumana has an assistant so that her SIP (Study Indian Program) students have a way to meet other students on campus, because it's really not easy to make friends when men will stare at you but unless another male introduces you they won't talk to you.and women make up like 1/8 of the population on campus so it's hard to find women much less women who will talk and want to be friends with an american, who is looked at as "easy" by most of the population.

End of the first week

Well all it's been an interesting week. Its been a rough one too. I've really missed home and the things there. But I'm trying to stay positive and be happy. Classes, minus the Diaspora Class, are going well. My Gay Indian Literature class is going to be a blast the teacher is a hoot, he's gonna be a hard teacher but i figure only that class is really going to be a huge challenge. I need to find one to replace the Diaspora class and then i'll be set. I have friday's off and they try to do that with international students so we can travel if we like. Tonight we are going to the market and maybe to a coffee house. tomorrow we are doing a town tour and going to see a movie called The Three Idiots, it will be in hindi so sumana is going to translate it for us. But it's supposed to be really funny. Wednesday night the girls and I went to the mall to buy indian cloths because western cloths were making us too warm in the heat. We also go a PIZZAAAAAAA. i don't think i've ever been so happy to see a pizza in my life! it was really close to a pizza from home...with pepperoni's and all! I look really cute now too lol. I'll get pictures when we are out tonight and try and post them for you all to see.

I'm still working on getting along with food here, they use a lot of spices in everything and my stomach really hates it so i try to eat bland foods, or as bland as they get foods but it's really hard when you just go to the mess hall and they give you whatever they made for the night. Although they always have deserts at lunch which are great and ice cream or pudding at dinner. I also know i can always eat dal (lentils) they are chili hot a lot of the time but at least they don't make me sick. I think on sunday there is going to be a hiking excursion on campus with abasheck sumana's assistant). And next weekend will be a 4 day weekend because we have thursday off for sivarachi i believe (hindu holiday). Abasheck said him and a bunch of his buddies are putting together a scavanger hunt on campus for students to have something to do.

Meeting people is very difficult here. men don't really talk to women much, they are very social and touchy feely with other men however. Women are very hard to come by on campus and they don't really talk much and they dont really have physical contact that ive seen. i really miss physical contact and i really miss having people to talk to, the american students are starting to get to know each other in the building but by the time the days done we all want to hop on our computers and skype people.

Ok i'll write again in a few days hope everyone is well and fine Love you and miss you all!

Finally In India!

Hello from India. So i've been her a little over a week and the best word to describe this place is...INTENSE! my senses are a bit over stimulated. But it's a beautiful country and most of the people will go out of their way to do something simple if you ask...and they understand you.

The first week here was very shocking from the moment we got on the air plane. it was huge with tv's in the back of the head rests and 9 seats to a row. when we got off the plane to the airport it was a little after 5 here and we walked outside to what we thought was a foggy night. come to find out form surrender (travel agent who traveled with us)that is was actually smog. Dehli was probably the most polluted place i've ever seen. we went outside to walk around and tried to talk pictures but you couldn't see what we took pictures of because the flash just lit up the smog. I told my parents that if i had been going to school in Dehli i would have wanted to go home, easily my least favorite place on earth up to this point. We stayed at a very sketch YMCA hostel for that night and it was just sketchy. oh and the driving my goodness people just drive where they please and honk constantly in Dehli, well all of northern india from what ive seen. we saw all sorts of things and I have about 750 pictures from the first week. when we left Dehli for Agra i was very excited to breath fresher air. the day we left i woke up and felt like i was breathing from an exhaust pipe and my lungs were very unhappy.

oh and that ride was oooohhhh 7 hours and i threw up the whole time. thank god i thought to put ziplocks in my backpack before i left. don't know why i put them there but i was happy i did. Agra was beautiful but still rather smoggy but at least i didn't feel like death anymore and the Taj Majal was very pretty...although i think the red fort was 20 times more beautiful and fantastical. So over the first 6 days i saw so many forts and mosques and the like that i don't remember all their names at the present so i'm gonna have to figure that out and if you want to know later i can tell you. So agra had a very relaxed city feel i compaired it to madison Wisconsin i think in how laid back it was but it still had many things going on and people all over. the hotel there was my favorite the bed was like memory foam and it was quiet and comfortable.

we left agra and we left for jaipur and ended up on the road for 12 hours. the main road was blocked by protesters so we had to take the long way...the very long way. at about 6ish we stoped at a truck stop for our driver to rest and for us to have tea (the food wasn't safe for us) it was probably the best chi tea i have ever tasted. Now when we drink tea we compare it to that. the hotel at jaipur (park prime) was very classy had three restaurants and nice rooms and somewhat comfy beds.

On new years eve there were parties and dj's in all three restaurantes. we went to the pub called henry's and ate out on the terrace where there were fountains and the food was arranged beautifully! while waiting to eat we danced to the bollywood/american house music playing and acted goofy. then we ate and then danced some more. after dinner when we danced there were a lot more people, the americans were the only 6 people on the dance floor dancing with girls and guys mixed. after a while tyler the only guy in our group tried to dance with some indian girls but instead of dancing with him they turned and started dancing with us and blcoked him out of the circle... the indian guys all joined him and we danced girls in one group and boys in another...it was very interesting. Some of the girls we danced with are in the picture at the top of this entry and they were very fun. there were also people of all ages out on the dance floor kids from about 7 to adults in their 60s maybe older i'm really not sure. it was very fun. oh and the indian girls our age made me laugh too becuase the 6 american girls tried to dress indian to fit in and the indian girls were dressed very western club like....showing way more skin then i thought would ever be appropriate in India. Sumana our AIFS director later told us to compare these girls at the clubs to the Indian paris hiltons with lots of money and private drivers. the partys like we were at are expensive for indians and therefore only the well to do go to the clubs and the like.

the next day we went back to dehli for the night and then the next morning we sat in the airport on delays because of weather. we finally got into hyderabad around 3 and sumana was there to great us. she is fantastic and sweet and very much a mother figure. she lived in the states for a long time so she gets many of the references we make and understands the things we miss. so sunday we woke up and had orientation with sumana in the morning and then she took us to lunch at Our Place in town. it was an upscale indian restaurant with great survice and good food.

speaking of which me and indian food don't get along there are so many spices that when i try to eat certain things i get nauseous and or get sick. it's really no fun and i'm hoping it will change. breakfast is always safe with granola and hard boiled eggs and banana's. they eat at funny times too 8 for breakfast 1 for lunch and 7 for dinner...the dinner is too late for me im always famished. i've also been eating peanut butter and granola bars from my room and i found goldfish crackers at the hyper mart(walmart equivalent) to tide me over and to keep something in my system. they have a pizza hut in town im hoping to get some pizza soon because i miss american food a lot a lot. sumana also said a few of the hotels serve red meat which i miss desperately.

after lunch sunday we went to the hyper mart for basics we needed like adapters for our laptops and other odd ends we all needed. then that night i got my internet hooked up and got on skype with my family and jim. I was very happy to see everyone and hear their voices...you dont realize how much seeing a familiar face means till you dont have one around.

The next morning we had class and trying to find all the buildings on campus took us all morning and we ended up missing our class. at 9 buuut we made it to the one at 10 because it was in the Tagore International house...thats where i live! It's a house split in half boys on one wing girls on the other ...the rest of campus is boys on one side of campus girls on the other. we are the only students allowed in the building other then the main lobby. you can't get into the building at all without a Tagore student with you. we have four guards 24 hours a day at our doors which is nice and it makes me feel really safe. at the front gates there are also guards so you can't enter campus without having a pass or a student with you.

I have a week to "shop" for classes and so far I am set on 3 Kuchipudi dance from 10-12 on Monday's and Wednesdays, Migration, Diaspora and transnationalism Monday's and Wednesday's 2-4, and third Modern Indian Art Tuesday's and Thursdays 2-4. I am going to try out two others that will fill my thursady mornings History of Architecture Tuesdays 9-11 Thursdays 9-10 and Friday's 10-11 or Gay Indian Literature Tuesdays 11-1 and Thursdays 9-11. I'll Know by Friday afternoon my exact schedule.

I think that's about it for now we are taking a bike tour of campus this evening at 5 when it starts to cool off so we will finally know where things are located and not feel like complete freshman anymore.

3 days left

Sooo leavin in about 3 days and i'm about half packed...ok just about everything but my cloths are packed... i'm sure i'll forget soooomething! But my jim was very sweet to me today i think he knew i was having a hard day dealing with leaving so he sent me a text tellin me to breath cuz he was thinkin bout me. aaaannnnd then.... he went to hang out with his friend liza and they were talkin bout life and she went to India this past summer and so he called me and put her on the phone to talk to me. previous to this phone call i had been packing and i was shaking and almost in tears... after the phone call i was grateful for a wonderful man, calm and ready to take on the world. I dont know how he does it but he always knows just when i need him and comes through. he met my lovely aunts and new sister-in-law the other night as well as some of my guy friends...he showed up with roses and later told me that they were supposed to be lilies cuz they are my favorite but they didn't have them, i'ma keep him i've decided ;-)
Sooo back to India I feel like there is a never ending list of things that you need to pack and things that you want to bring! I'm really trying to only bring what I need and can't buy in India. We went to walmart to pick up things i still needed and then went bra shopping...always fun ...... NOT! oh well glad to have new bras and everything except my power adapter/converter deal cuuuz i suck at life and forgot to add it to the list. oh well got christmas eve day left to shop...that should be an adventure in itself. Then goin to christmas eve at aunt laura's and jim is coming or meeting us there or something...haven't figured that one out just yet but we will. just got a text and apparently liza is tellin jim tips to pass on to me while they play wii with josh (her boyfriend) and craig (jims best friend). I told him he better remember every word..ha just kidding that would be asking too much of him.
ok that's all gonna go to sleep now i think

2 weeks!

Hi people,
2 weeks to go and I'm getting excited and terrified all at once. I still have only cried like 3 times but I'm lettin ya know now i will be a mess the next two weeks and yes you will have just have to deal with it! I know its not like im never seein yall again but dang i'm still gonna go and be with ummm no one i know and the first few weeks are gonna be rrrooouugghhh! there are 6 american students going to India we all meet in NY airport and take the same plane over. (thats what sumana told me, the director of all of us when we get to india) i think it was me and 4 girls and one guy lol he's got a lot of craziness ahead of him :-) We will be living in a hostile of international students, with common bathrooms aka sounds just like u-hall if you know what that is. I will have a roommate which as silly as you all think i am...im stoked about. its hard to live in a room by myself especially since up until 2 years ago i had always had a roommate. i mean sure they drive you nuts but it makes u appreciate your seldom alone time that much more....and sometimes its just nice to know that someone will notice when u aren't there.

I have to figure out what the hell to pack! that is killin me! I gotta figure out this money bit too! i mean they have atms and i can use a credit card and travelers checks...which am i supposed to bring? oye! umm i gotta find me a money pouch thing too so i dont loose anything which i am infamous for! oh and gotta get a converter adaptor thing so i can use my computer and my straightener ahahahahahaha gotta love bein a girl worryin about the essentials becomes a longer list then u expected hahahahaha

i got my visa in and my meds are on their way to my house! oh aaaaannnd i got new glasses!!!!!!!!!!! two new pairs one i love and one i cant decided if i like or not and a new pair of prescription sunglasses which are adddddoooorable!
ok so i am procrastinating by writing this entry, i have to clean my room do a bulletin board and write or edit 3 different papers...preferably by tomorrow night at around 10 or so that way i can enjoy the rest of my week until my final at 3pm on friday! oh and then the fam will all be here for josh's graduation and i will meet kolie my sister-in-law and oh yea i have to work all weekend since im an RA and have to check my goofy residents out. who by the way are still threatening to tie me up and take me home so i can't leave.

ooookkkk really im done now...so until i need a way to procrastinate again enjoy!

One Month To GOOOO!

Hey All,
So tomorrow I will have a new sister-in-law! Josh and Kolie are getting married, she's in the air force and in January she will be stationed in Norway. I'm excited for they and have no idea what to get the :-/ On the India note I have everything turned in and Malaria med's ordered. No I have to figure out what to pack and all that jazz. I cried about leaving for the first time on tuesday night starting at the staff meeting. We had a project our bosses gave us to create a clipboard for a secret person. Jackie (my floor partner and close friend from my freshman year) had me. She handed me my clipboard with pictures of all my friends and pictures of India on it and i just lost it. Later that night I lost it again in jims room and he tried really hard to make me feel better which was wonderful and my stubbornness just wasnt havin it, i just wanted to be miserable for a few hours.

I have less then a month left and it is gonna be a busy one. I have finals in 2 weeks and still have 7 papers left to write eeekk! I only have 2 finals that i have to study for tho so i'm ok with that. the week of finals shouldnt be too bad considering my 2 finals are thursday and friday. the fam is comin down including my dad's side for my brothers graduation on the 19th. I won't get to spend too much time with them since I have to close the building but I hope it wont be too bad...especially since that's when i'll get to meet my new sister-in-law!