Ahhhh, hello!
So much to share about the adventures of Jaipur...
I'm very happy to announce that after a roundabout night with what seems to have been food poisoning, I'm back to actually eating and being my normal self again. Let's just say I won't be having chicken fingers in the near future.
Like every other thing I've experienced the past month, Jaipur has been incredible. We have done so many things that all of the days are running together and my mind, that hasn't slept in what seems like days, is going a mile a minute (or 1.60934 kilometers per minute, if we're talking Indian).
Thursday started with a traditional Indian greeting from the students and faculty from IIS. We introduced ourselves, had some small discussions, took a tour of the college, and hung out with students before heading back to our hotel to catch up on some much needed z's. After a long, afternoon catnap (I had only slept an hour the night before because of the unfortunate sickness...), we finally emerged from the hotel for dinner. I fell asleep as soon as we got back from dinner, so not exactly the craziest day.
Friday was probably the most absolutely absurd day of my entire life. The day began with me jumping off of a building... with nothing but a rope, a harness, and some gloves. Definitely not the safest thing I've ever done, but hey, when in India. The next activity was a yoga session, then we tie-dyed scarves, then we sculpted random things, then we got mehndi done on our hands. The craziness continued with a trip to a touristy Rajasthani village, which was basically the Indian version of Epcot. We saw a magic show, watched various dancing, did some shopping, rode an elephant and a camel, and had dinner. The day was such a blur, but filled with all things lovely.
Saturday included a visit to Jaipur's City Palace, a crazy market where I spent waaaay too much money, and then dinner at the IIS students' homes. It was so great to meet up with them for a meal and be able to talk about all kinds of different things. We then headed out for a bit of dancing, which is always a major plus.
Today was ABSOLUTELY, FABULOUSLY AMAZING. We had an early start with a 9AM departure to Elephant Village, where we spent the whole morning and most of the afternoon with elephants. We greeted, fed, painted, rode, and washed them. By the end of the experience, we were sopping wet from the elephants shooting water at us while we were cleaning them, but it was completely worth it. Elefantastic (the actual name of the activities, not just my attempt at a pun) was one of the coolest thing I've done the past month.
After a nap and a cooking lesson, I'm back at the hotel, completely delirious. I need to pack, write some postcards, journal for the first time in what seems like years, and get a good night's sleep. One of those things isn't going to happen and I'm assuming it'll be the proper amount of rest. Plus, one of our Delhi friends made the trip to visit us in Jaipur, so we obviously have to catch up with him.
India is definitely getting the best of me at this point. I'm totally exhausted, mentally drained, and in dire need of waffles or pancakes. I'm not ready to leave India, but I think I'm ready to go home. I don't think that makes any sense, but it does in my head. Anyway, tomorrow is my last day here, and if there's anything tough to handle, it's that statement right there.
Here's to one more day of rickshaws, naan, and markets,
Kirst
So much to share about the adventures of Jaipur...
I'm very happy to announce that after a roundabout night with what seems to have been food poisoning, I'm back to actually eating and being my normal self again. Let's just say I won't be having chicken fingers in the near future.
Like every other thing I've experienced the past month, Jaipur has been incredible. We have done so many things that all of the days are running together and my mind, that hasn't slept in what seems like days, is going a mile a minute (or 1.60934 kilometers per minute, if we're talking Indian).Thursday started with a traditional Indian greeting from the students and faculty from IIS. We introduced ourselves, had some small discussions, took a tour of the college, and hung out with students before heading back to our hotel to catch up on some much needed z's. After a long, afternoon catnap (I had only slept an hour the night before because of the unfortunate sickness...), we finally emerged from the hotel for dinner. I fell asleep as soon as we got back from dinner, so not exactly the craziest day.
Saturday included a visit to Jaipur's City Palace, a crazy market where I spent waaaay too much money, and then dinner at the IIS students' homes. It was so great to meet up with them for a meal and be able to talk about all kinds of different things. We then headed out for a bit of dancing, which is always a major plus.Today was ABSOLUTELY, FABULOUSLY AMAZING. We had an early start with a 9AM departure to Elephant Village, where we spent the whole morning and most of the afternoon with elephants. We greeted, fed, painted, rode, and washed them. By the end of the experience, we were sopping wet from the elephants shooting water at us while we were cleaning them, but it was completely worth it. Elefantastic (the actual name of the activities, not just my attempt at a pun) was one of the coolest thing I've done the past month.
After a nap and a cooking lesson, I'm back at the hotel, completely delirious. I need to pack, write some postcards, journal for the first time in what seems like years, and get a good night's sleep. One of those things isn't going to happen and I'm assuming it'll be the proper amount of rest. Plus, one of our Delhi friends made the trip to visit us in Jaipur, so we obviously have to catch up with him.India is definitely getting the best of me at this point. I'm totally exhausted, mentally drained, and in dire need of waffles or pancakes. I'm not ready to leave India, but I think I'm ready to go home. I don't think that makes any sense, but it does in my head. Anyway, tomorrow is my last day here, and if there's anything tough to handle, it's that statement right there.
Here's to one more day of rickshaws, naan, and markets,
Kirst
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