All Things Led To An Unfortunate Upchuck

Namaste, team!

I have finally emerged from the jungle. While I have actually slightly enjoyed not having total access to wifi, I must admit that not being able to blog definitely affected me at times. I love sharing my adventures and venting about all the awesome and weird new things that I'm experiencing, so not having access to my daily self-therapy had me in a slight tizzy.

ANYWAY.

I'm back and back for good. We have safely arrived in Jaipur and are at a super cool new hotel. Before I get into that, however, I should probably share some detes about the last six days!

We arrived to Dahanu Thursday afternoon and were greeted by our hosts at the hotel with lunch. After the six hour drive from Pune, the American squad was really excited to see a home cooked meal in front of us. We chatted a bit and then had time for a brief nap before heading to Tamarind Tree, the school and farm area that we would be spending all of our time, for dinner. I have to admit, I was a little worried about the upcoming days after seeing my new jungle habitat; lots of bugs and lots of monsoon action, but it was definitely a welcomed change of pace.

Because Thursday was more of an orientation day, Friday is when the program actually began. I struggled a bit through morning lectures because I was pretty tired and still getting used to yet another new place, but the day immediately got better when we were able to interact with some of the children at the school. They were so excited to see us, and we, of course, could not wait to work with them, and we helped them through an activity. Like everything else we do around here, a small dance party erupted in one of the outdoor classrooms as we ended the day on a high note.

Saturday was a very humbling day, being that we visited a local village in Dahanu. We walked around the area and visited various people's homes. Like other things, I had prepared myself for what I was going to see, but it wasn't until I was actually surrounded by mud walls did I gain a better understanding of village life in rural India. There is absolutely no way that I can fully comprehend it, simply because I was only there for a few hours and have obviously never lived in that type of environment, but I felt that it was something very important to see and recognize.

Sunday was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We journeyed to another village to visit a Warli artist's home and see his amazing work. Warli painting is a form of tribal art and is simply beautiful. The fact that I was able to sit in the artist's house and watch him create masterpieces was truly amazing and something that hasn't really sunk in yet. It was such a unique experience and I have some cool paintings to bring home. After leaving the village, we were able to go back to the hotel and chill out. Our hotel had a great view of the Arabian Sea and we took some time to venture to the beach for a nice walk.

Monday was back to the busy swing of things with a lot of discussions. We spent a lot of time talking about and seeing the technological projects that Tamarind Tree is working on, so it was a day full of interesting topics.

Tuesday was by far my favorite day in Dahanu. A few of us woke up early for a walk on the beach to collect some shells. We then were off to Tamarind Tree for a lovely day of spending time with the kids. We got to teach a class, dance, and answer all of their questions. Their bright smiles made the long days in the jungle well worth it. The night ended with us helping with dinner and celebrating our new American friends', who are volunteers at the school, anniversary.

Today was a bit of a doozy. We had a farewell breakfast in the jungle before hopping in the SUV's to head to the Mumbai airport. Seeing the city was really great after days in the wilderness and a three hour drive. We had plenty of time to check-in, drop off our bags (still haven't had to pay any overage fees... yahoo!), grab a bite to eat, and hit up the book store.

As we sat down for lunch, I couldn't help but order the chicken fingers and fries. Yep... definitely not my best idea. Being that I haven't eaten any meat in about two weeks (most Indian cuisine is veggie), my body was not a fan of the chicken and definitely let me know it.

The plane ride was quite the adventure, as I was super nauseous, had to dump the magazines out of the plastic baggie in the seat in front of me, run to the back of the plane, dodge the people waiting to use the washroom, and then proceed to get sick (I'm sure you know what I mean). My embarrassed self had to peek my head around the curtain to ask the flight attendant for a napkin. Even worse, I had to explain to the guy that walked out of the washroom that he needed to watch his step because there was some stuff on the floor. After gathering myself, I headed back to my seat and then had every attendant come check on me for the duration of the flight. Definitely not my favorite moment of the trip, but I guess I have a pretty good story now. I can't really define this lovely event as anything but "Yep, that happened to Kirst."

Sooooo, here I am in Jaipur, still not feeling my best and hoping that this bug will go away by morning. This is the last leg of the trip (WHAAAA?!) and I definitely want to enjoy every minute. I'll get around to posting pictures from Dahanu at some point, now is simply not the time.

I get to ride an elephant in like three days,
Kirst

On The Move

Pfew, while I've had quite a few difficulties with the wifi at this hotel and the power has gone out twice tonight, I figured I should blog about the past two days in Pune and before heading off to our next destination, Dahanu.

Still a little uneasy about my experience a few days ago, but my time here in Pune has definitely been enjoyable. While I'm really missing Delhi, Pune has been a nice change of pace.

Yesterday started very early with a 7:30AM departure from our hotel. We were supposed to get picked up at Fergusson College around 7:45AM, but we had the joy having to wait for the taxis until 11:00AM. Needless to say that we were all pretty grumpy because we knew that we could have slept a few hours. One of Pune's most important lessons: Indian time is elastic.

Once we finally got into the cars, the mood turned around as we made the hour-and-a-half long journey to the Bhuleshwar Temple. A Hindu Temple of Shiva, the old structure was situated gracefully atop a hill and provided us with beautiful views of yet another new side of India. We loved seeing the intricate carvings of basalt within the Temple, as well as taking in the countryside atmosphere.

The way back to Pune took a bit longer because we stopped at a roadside restaurant. Although there was quite a bit of confusion about what we thought we ordered and what we actually got, we all thoroughly enjoyed our dishes. The waiter asked us if we were from France... that was a new one.

We arrived back to Hotel Ketan and chilled for a little bit before meeting up with some Indian students from Fergusson for dinner. We ate at a place known for "sizzling" dishes and I, for one, was a huge fan of the sizzling brownie. Noms.

We had the chance to sleep in a bit today, being that our lectures did not start until 9:00AM. I got up a bit early to FaceTime with Larz, which was much needed. I've realized that all it takes is a nice, long conversation with your bestie to get over any feeling of homesickness. Thanks, chicka.

While I hate to admit it, the longggg morning lecture did not resonate with me. I didn't really become alert until a field trip to Agakhan Palace, which is known as the Gandhi National Memorial. It is the place where Ghandi was held on house arrest for a period of time and is now the location in which a small portion of his ashes are kept. It was really interesting to tour the palace and learn more about one of the most, if not the number one, influential figure in Indian history.

After lunch at Starbucks (I'm really going to miss easy access to coffee during the next two weeks), we headed back to campus for another lecture. Once the discussion ended, the American crew spent a few hours shopping and returned to the hotel to re-pack our suitcases, talk to friends and family, answer THON emails (perhaps one of my fave parts of the day) and cozy up before our early departure tomorrow morning. Dahanu is about 5-6 hours away, so it's going to be a long trek.

I'm really looking forward to our visit Dahanu and Tamarind Tree, it's going to be unlike anything we've seen and experienced so far.

Well, off to catch some zzzzz's. Can't wait to see what funky dreams the malaria pills cause tonight!

Could really go for some Kiwi fro-yo,
Kirst

When The Americans Show Up

Safe to say that Pune has been a completely different experience than Delhi...


A little note to my SRCC friends: us Americans have safely crossed the street numerous times on our own. While the traffic may not be as absurd as it was at our first stop, this is a huge deal. We're making progress.

Last time I wrote to you was before the crew headed out for dinner to celebrate Tessa's birthday. Boy, did we have quite the night. We did the most American thing possible by going to the Hard Rock Café. The night had a slow start as we had to wait for the taxis to arrive to the hotel and then make the half-hour trek (which turned into a bit longer as we got lost for a period of time).

Lucky for us, we realized as soon as we stepped foot in the door that the somewhat stressful journey was more than worth it. All eyes turned to us as we sat down at the table to begin our night, all the while dancing to the fantastic playlist blaring throughout the restaurant. After enjoying our food and a few other things, we decided that it was time to start the dance party. There was a huge dance floor not far from where we were sitting and we figured that we were the people to get the place bumping.

Our friend started the party by dancing on her own and we soon joined her as the Indian crowd started to circle around. Pretty soon we had the whole club going up, for real. We were told by numerous people that we brought the party and we were definitely the center of attention. Leave it to the Americans to turn a place into the perfect bash.

We spent waaaaaay too much money, but the experience was definitely one of the coolest nights of my life, so it's going under the category of when in India...

The squad woke up for our 9AM departure for a food and heritage tour. Although we were all pretty exhausted, the tour turned out to be much better than we anticipated. We traveled all around Pune, sampling dishes at four different places, which included a market with fresh coconut and some mango milkshake things (DELICIOUS), and stopping at various shops along the way. The tour gave us a chance to see the real streets of Pune, instead of just the surrounding area of our hotel.

The rest of the day was free for us to rest, and a couple of us headed to the Starbucks a few minutes away to enjoy a sweet, familiar taste. Note to all travelers: Starbs coffee is universal... what a pleasant surprise. After the coffee fix came a shower, about three hours of journaling, and movie night with Brady. I made it through Pitch Perfect but fell asleep about ten minutes into Frozen... my bad.

Today was a welcomed change of pace, as we headed to Fergusson College to meet the students that will accompany us through this leg of the journey. It was cool to meet even more people and we definitely had some great conversations as we met for the first time, ventured through a museum, and bonded over more Starbucks.

The day took a turn in a different direction as we left Fergusson to visit a school in the outskirts of Pune. We were all really excited for our first interaction with school-aged children, and they were definitely stoked when the Americans showed up. Jumping around and rushing to shake our hands and ask us questions in English, the students were both adorable and very friendly.

Initially, I was really enjoying this experience. It was great to see children that wouldn't normally have access to education receive an opportunity to learn. I became unnerved, however, when I realized that these students weren't necessarily learning school subjects, but rather skills that they can take back to their families when they complete grade 12.

I don't mean to say that this is a bad thing whatsoever; these children are developing the ability to contribute to their communities, which is a great thing. What bothered me, however, was the fact that they aren't receiving a standard education, meaning that they are not being prepared for higher levels of education. I'm just having trouble comprehending the fact that these children are being taught to simply survive, instead of being taught how to prosper and further themselves. They are all very intelligent and I was quite impressed by their English and knowledge of some American common places, but this skill-set education seems to be the only option for them for their entire lives. I'm deeply saddened that these students may not truly have an equal opportunity to receive more of a quality education.

This is yet another cultural difference that I expected, but wasn't truly mentally prepared for. I knew that not every child in India has the ability to be formally educated and pursue their intellectual interests, but the reality of it came crashing down today as I walked around the school. As I typically am when I experience conflicted feelings, I'm still trying to sort it all out, both mentally and emotionally. All I know is that although the children were all smiles, my heart is hurting. I'll let you know if I can string my thoughts together.

So here I am again, talking about an amazing experience and a world-view changing one. I'm a big ball of emotions. I probably just need a good cry.

India, you've got me feeling some type of way,
Kirst

Heyya From Pune

Hey, team!

New day, new place.

Last time you heard from me, I was wallowing over the fact that I had to leave Delhi and my friends. I have to admit that after leaving them just yesterday, I'm still sulking a bit, but I'm definitely also loving our new destination of Pune.

Pune is great, but the journey to get here wasn't exactly the easiest. We were up late Thursday rearranging our suitcases to try to make them fit the weight requirements for our domestic flight to Pune; some of us succeeded, most of us didn't. I reached the point of it is what it is and went to bed... around 2AM.

Surprisingly enough, I woke up pretty easily the next morning, headed to breakfast, remembered my malaria pill, and was greeted by Binny to make the walk over to SRCC. I walked into the Seminar Room for the last time and plopped down in a seat. The closing ceremony began with various speakers and interesting comments, followed by the announcement of the results of our project presentations. My group came in second! Woo!

The rest of the morning was filled with many, many, pictures, selfies, and the exchanging of numbers. We had to rush because we had an hour drive to the airport, but none of us were ready to leave SRCC. After being dragged out of there after sharing hugs and good-byes, the Americans headed back to the International Guest House for a 30-minute power-packing session (we got new maroon duffle bags from our lovely buds at SRCC, which became the perfect carry-on.) Delhi traffic did not favor us on our way to the airport, and we arrived just one hour before our schedule departure.

After literally running off of the bus and hustling inside, we found out that our flight had been delayed and we had enough time to check-in and make it to our gate with time to spare. Feeling much more calm, a couple of us headed to a familiar face, STARBUCKS, for coffee and a snack. I was still pretty wound up from the overwhelming stress of rushing around everywhere, but I had the comfort of knowing that I was going to make our boarding time of 5 o'clock.

The two-hour flight was pretty uneventful; we were all sitting in a line behind one another so it was nice to chit chat for a little while. It was also great to take a quick snooze before landing in Pune. Unlike the vulnerable, overwhelming feeling that engulfed me when I stepped out of the Delhi airport for the first time, my new surroundings were very chill. I felt very comfortable walking through the airport. collecting my bags, and heading outside to get into the car.

Ellis, Tessa, Brady, and I squished into the back of a car for the 45 minute drive to our hotel. We were pleasantly surprised by our new accommodations, not just because of the awesome rooms, but because of its location. On a street filled with shops and cafes, we were excited to be able to venture out on our own for the first time. The only downside is that the wifi isn't the greatest, but it'll just have to do.

We all sprawled out in our new location and stayed up to celebrate Tessa's birthday at midnight. We didn't last too long after the birthday wishes and we all succumbed to the sleepy eyes close to 1AM. Being that we didn't have a schedule for today, we all woke up and did some exploring together. This area is soooooooooo radically different than Delhi and I'm really enjoying seeing yet another side of India.

After a great nap, I'm now lounging around with B as we get ready for a night out to celebrate Tessa's birthday. The plan is to head to the Hard Rock Café (much American very basic) and I'm sure we'll find some other adventure.

In case you were wondering, I REALLY MISS MY SRCC PALS.

Can't think of a funny (PUN)e to make into a parting phrase,
Kirst

Nope, I'm Not Ready To Leave Delhi

I'm having the hardest time believing that it's our last night in Delhi. The past ten days have been filled with so much adventure and amazement, but they've flown by waaaay too quickly.

Yesterday was a busy day filled with the final work for our projects, an exclusive meeting with the Dean of Colleges at the University of Delhi, three lectures, and a dinner at the International Guest House with the whole Indian and American crew.

After heading to bed slightly earlier than previous nights, I felt refreshed this morning when we woke up and left for SRCC to complete the final preparations for our presentations. I was in the education group, where we designed a tutoring program to complement the education in government schools for Indian children. Our presentation went pretty well, now we just have to wait to hear the results tomorrow morning.

Although there were only four presentations, it was a long morning of listening to all of the different projects. The topics were interesting, but I was simply in the mood to talk to everyone. After wolfing down a chicken roll (another new meal experience), our coordinator, Veer, took the girls shopping at the market for Indian outfits to help us get ready for Cultural Night.

We spent a bit of time choosing between all of the different designs and colors, and after trying on quite a few kurtas, all of the girls picked something out for the night's festivities. We returned to the SRCC seminar room to practice our performances for Cultural Night. Brady, Tessa, Ellis, and I performed the line dance from THON and we also joined in on a skit written by our only American male presence, Tim. Our acts were combined with beautiful dances and musical numbers by our Indian friends and it was a really enjoyable time.

Like every other day, Cultural Night ended with a huge dance party, with all of us running around the stage sharing dance moves and grooving out.

Again, I'm in disbelief that my time here in Delhi and at SRCC is at its end. I've seen so much over the past week and I've been around some of the coolest people to ever walk into my life. While I'll actually miss the craziness that is Delhi, I think I'll miss my new friends the most.

To all of the SRCC students that have made my time here so amazing: thank you. Don't think that just because I'm leaving tomorrow means that you'll never hear from me again... I'll be WhatsApping you all to the point of complete annoyance. I'll be back, for sure. Xoxo.

Now time to re-pack my suitcase...

Survived the program without getting Delhi Belly,
Kirst

Naan Is Always The Answer

Whew, safe to say that the last two days have lifted my spirits a bit from all of the emotions I've been trying to sort out around here.

Yesterday started with a video chat with Brynne, I MISS HER. Talking to her made me so happy as I headed to SRCC for two lectures, one about varying economic topics of India and the United States and then one on the portrayal of women through Indian drama. While two totally different topics, both were very interesting and both speakers were quite engaging. We then had a bit of time to work on research for our projects, which hopefully will come together in some shape or form.

Next came a dance workshop, which was a Bollywood version of Power Remix. Although I definitely struggled with the Indian moves, it was really fun to get our groove on to some great music. We ended to the time with a rendition of the Cha Cha Slide; we figured this was a pretty accurate representation of American dance parties..?

We then hopped on the bus to eat some veggie burgers for lunch and head to the Center for Social Research. We listened to a presentation about domestic violence against Indian women; being a topic that I'm pretty passionate about, I really enjoyed hearing about this issue from a different perspective.

The day continued with a visit to another fort (I'm so awful at keeping track of all of the names of the places I have visited...) where Akash was in charge of making sure that Brady and I were seeing all of the cool things and taking cute pictures. We took so many selfies and group shots from just about everywhere. At one point, we had to climb up this weird staircase thing, to which my friend Ujjwal grabbed my hand and helped me up, since he has been informed of my clumsy antics.

Dinner was at a small food court; we all received a partner and some rupees, so we all combined to get the biggest amount of food possible. I let my Indian friends do all of the ordering. My only request was that nothing be too, too spicy... they did not let me down. We finished the meal with Black Forest cake, fudge pie, and "Kentucky Chocolate Pie"... I got a chuckle out of that one.

The night ended with an hour-long light show at another historic site that told the story of Delhi. It was something I had never experienced before, and it was really cool. I could have done with out those darn mosquitos, but still great nonetheless.

And now onto today...

Well, four Americans down, five standing.

Almost half of our group is suffering from "Delhi Belly," which I am happy to say has not struck me yet... knocking on wood.

I think the fact that we are halfway across the world eating food that our body has never digested before is finally catching up to us and the busy days are taking a toll. Lucky for me, I'm feeling pretty good so I was able to participate in all of today's activities.

We headed to SRCC around 10AM, which kickstarted the day with a yoga workshop (I felt so wonderful afterwards) and time for group work on our projects. They are coming along (PEACE AND BLESSINGS) and we're ready to submit our powerpoint tomorrow.

After project work came another bus ride to the area of Delhi that we were yesterday, except to a different place. We visited the place where Gandhi was assassinated and walked around the beautiful grounds and walked through the museum. It was so interesting to be in a place with such social significance; yet another cool thing that India has shown me.

Next stop was an intricate tomb with awesome architecture. We journeyed through all of the structures. My Indian friends screamed WAIT as I went to jump off a small platform (like I know I'm clumsy and I appreciate the concern, people, but if I'm meant to fall, I'm going to fall), to which I put my hands on my hips and gave a response of sass. I then reached for a helping hand and I successfully reached the ground with the assistance of Ujjwal. My new friends are really looking out for me around here... my clumsiness hasn't caused any harm yet, much to their credit.

More selfies, more group pictures.

The final stop of the night was Delhi Haat, a huge market for shopping and food. I bought some cute souvenirs in limited time and then headed to eat. Feeling some dreariness from the day, I had a ten-minute emotional roller coaster where I didn't want to eat because everything was too spicy and I just wanted to be able to walk somewhere without being completely watched over.

Sharad and Ujjwal came to my rescue with naan; I actually started crying from happiness as I ate the delicious bread and my tummy became satisfied. My bad mood shifted immediately, I just needed some good naan, that was all. I felt even better when an order of jalebi came my way... SO DELICIOUS! It's the Indian version of funnel cake.. YUM. Crisis was avoided efficiently with food.

If there's one thing I've learned in the past two days alone, it's that a selfie a day keeps the traveler's heart happy.

To many more selfie-filled days here in this awe-inspiring country.

I CAN'T WAIT TO FACETIME LARZ IN THE MORNING,
Kirst

Gut Check

After a 14 hour day, I'm back in the coziness of mine and Brady's room, about to skip dinner, get some quality journaling in, and of course, let you all know what we're up to in Asia.

Today was a mixture of emotions that I have never quite felt before.

I saw the TAJ MAHAL today... I SAW THE TAJ MAHAL TODAY! Something that I once never thought possible, I was able to see my second wonder of the world, and to be quite honest, I can't really explain it. The pure magnificence of the entire complex was something that can only be seen, there is no way to put it into words. I, of course, brought my THON shirt to throw the diamonds up wherever possible. Much India very PR.

After we begrudgingly left the amazing place, we ate lunch at a delicious restaurant not too far away. We then ventured to a huge, intricately designed fort where we took even more pictures of the sights.

These two visits were the cause of excitement and bewilderment as I spent the fifth day of this adventure in Agra.

However, I'm feeling greatly conflicted about everything that happened today. While traveling to and from the sights, I witnessed a different side of India.

I mentally prepared myself for a massive culture shock before I hopped on the plane across the world, but the last few days haven't hit me as hard as I thought they would. Today, that all changed. The surrounding areas of Agra were filled with busy streets, with people absolutely everywhere. Sounds similar to what I've been seeing recently, but trust me, it wasn't. These people had little to nothing in possession and were not living in adequate conditions. I sound so vague, but I'm honestly having a really hard time comprehending it all right now.

This conflicted feeling was coupled with the uncomfortable feeling from being gawked at all day. Yes, we have been getting a lot of curious stares the last few days, which is totally fine. We definitely stick out here, so I don't blame people for trying to see what we're all about. But when people throw their children near us for pictures and make faces when they see us walking by, that's when my level of content withers away. Don't get me wrong, that is a part of this experience; I have been thrown into a culture that is vastly different than my own and I wouldn't want to be going about this entire thing any other way, but I definitely missed the feeling of protection from my friends from SRCC while walking around today.

While I was frustrated about the stares and the pictures, that is something that I can deal with. It's definitely not ideal, but I can control how I let that affect me. Seeing extreme poverty firsthand, however, that's really eating away at me. I guess I'm just having difficulty truly understanding why I have so many amazing opportunities to go to school, live a very comfortable lifestyle, and see the world while others rarely have the chance to get a full meal.

I was so excited from my viewing of the Taj Mahal, but tears filled my eyes on the bus ride home as the images of these people kept running through my mind. It's been a hard day. It's definitely something that I will remember for the rest of my life. I'm becoming more and more invested into this culture, which is somewhat scary because of all of the contrasting things I have experienced in just five days. My gut is feeling all sorts of twisted about the two completely different sides of India that I saw today, I'm trying to sort it all out.

This adventure is changing the way I view the world.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Peace and blessings,
Kirst

Red Pants and Red Flowers

Another day in the books!

Today we got our first real taste of what monsoon season really is. Our plans originally included taking a trip to a mosque and the Red Fort, but the lovely rain preventing us from this adventure because both sites were primarily outside.

The great day was not hindered in any way, however. We ventured to the SRCC campus this morning to have group discussion about our projects that we will be presenting next week. We then had a break for coffee and snacks, and naturally, we felt compelled to do a little exploring. Our pal, Akash, took us around campus where they were filming scenes for an Indian TV show! Everyone was pretty confused by our presence, but it was really cool to see the set and stars of show.

We then headed to the bus for a visit to the National Museum. The long trip flew by with yet another awesome dance party. The AUX cord was passed around and it was so fun to share dance moves between American and Indian songs. We didn't have much time to go around, but we were able to see some interesting exhibits. And, of course, Tessa and I spent some quality time in the gift shop.

Next stop was lunch for some South Indian cuisine. Our dish looked quite interesting and I happened to spill my Pepsi all over myself, but it was another great meal nonetheless.

We then walked to a huge store with sooooo many floors with sooooo many awesome things to buy. With the help of my friends, I definitely got some great souvenirs today, as well as a beautiful quilt for myself. (Don't worry Mom, I have room in my suitcase).

Today's outings were full of intriguing conversations, from differences in beliefs about relationships to differences in views on education. Being able to have these talks with the Indian students has been one of my favorite parts of the last few days. They seem to enjoy talking to us as much as we love talking to them, and lifelong friendships are definitely being created.

After the fabulous shopping, we returned to the International Guest House quite early. The American crew has just been hanging out since dinner and I think it's safe to say that we're missing our buds from SRCC right about now.

The monsoon might have changed our plans, but it sure didn't affect the fun.

I should probably head to bed pretty soon, considering that we have a 5:30AM wake up call for our trip to the TAJ MAHAL. AHHHHHHHHHHH!

Obviously, I'm just a little excited, so check in soon!

I'M GOING TO SEE ONE OF THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD TOMORROW,
Kirst

I'm Sure You're Surprised... I Fell In A Hole

Holy guacamole.

While I should definitely be catching up on some z's and getting ready for yet another busy day tomorrow, I just can't let today go by without saying something about everything that I just experienced.

Where to even begin! Today was jam-packed with so many twists and turns that I can't even believe that only one day passed.

The day began with an hour-long bus ride to visit India's Parliament. It's a super big deal that we were able to enter, tour, and view India's upper and lower houses of its political system. The complex was so intriguing as we walked building to building across various lawns. The title of this post stems from this part of my day, being that after our cute group photo in front of the Parliament building, I proceed to step into the only six-inch deep hole in the entire place. Luckily, I didn't execute my normal face plant and I don't think that very few people saw. Hey, it wouldn't be a trip if my clumsy self didn't fall at least once during this month.

The next stop was the President's house. Exquisitely designed with gorgeous architecture, gardens, and chandeliers (it even has a kitchen museum!), the place was unlike anything I have ever seen.

After the touring came a what I thought was huge, but delicious lunch. Our Indian friends laughed at us as our eyes got bigger and bigger each time a new dish was brought out; they seem to have this belief that Americans are bottomless pits, and they are very surprised that we did not devour absolutely everything in sight.

As my food baby dissipated, we traveled to Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, which is Delhi's most prominent Sikh house of worship. Words escaped me as I took in something so awe-inspiring and beautiful. While I felt somewhat uncomfortable because I wasn't sure of all of the proper actions to take while within this holy place, my friends guided me through and made sure I didn't feel all that out of place. There was an extremely serene vibe surrounding the area, and I particularly enjoyed walking barefoot in the rain around this amazing structure.

Another great experience came from our visit to Laxmi Narayan Temple, which is a major temple within Delhi. Numerous cool things occurred during my short time here. I made a wish then jumped to ring a bell at the entrance (supposedly this is supposed to make my wish come true...PLEASE PLEASE), a red dot graced my forehead as I walked through the halls and past the portrayals of Hindu idols. Yet another fantastic learning experience.

AND THE DAY STILL WENT ON. Next came shopping at a crazy overwhelming market. As I perused the different stands, the Indians were sure to keep close watch our their Americans to make sure that we were getting good prices. They bargained tremendously and I scored some pretty exciting items.

AND THEN just as I was still thinking about my filling lunch, we headed to dinner. My plate was full with a bunch of tiny dishes, and while I tried absolutely everything, I looked like I didn't even make a dent on meal by the time we left.

AND THEN the bus ride home. Full of sing-alongs, dance-offs, and many, many laughs, none of us wanted to get off the bus and go to bed. It was the perfect end to such an amazing day.

Side note: today also included many stressful crossings of the street. Lucky for me, I had people to hold onto and hold my hand as I made it safely to the other side of the craziness. Yahoo.

India, I'm falling in love with you.

I LOVE MY NEW INDIAN PALS,
Kirst