Whirlwind

Well, I have officially survived my first week in India! What an overwhelming and amazing experience it has been so far. I'll take some time to do a re-cap:

Monday (8/13): After a hectic flight scramble (my ticket was cancelled and never re-ordered after my delay) and navigating the Mumbai airport, I boarded my plane and wished for one that left on time. Well, it ended up being half an hour behind, but I most certainly can't complain after what happened the last two days.

From there, I took an air conditioned cab to Manipal. Reckless driving aside, it was a very uneventful ride! I arrived at the University around 2:00 pm and was greeted by Davinder; she is our study abroad over-seer in India. I got a snack to settle my stomach and shortly after met my group. The girls are all wonderful and I very quickly knew I had a great semester in front of me. After dinner and becoming oriented with the campus, I moved into Nehru Hostel - my home for the next 4 months. The room itself is enormous! There is also an attached shower/toilet and sink area. I am lucky to have a roommate; her name is Kundun and she is in her third year of pharmacy school. It has been great getting to know her and having her as a resource!

For instance: there is a laundry woman who will clean your clothes for 3 rupees per item (6 cents).

Tuesday (8/14): Wow. The beds here are something comparable to concrete, I think. After falling asleep around midnight I was uncomfortable enough that I woke up for the day around 5:00am. While I was frustrated the beds weren't very comfortable, I got to read more of my book (Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert).

Today was jam-packed with meetings, orientations, and places to go as a group. I got my student ID, Indian cell phone, and found the dining hall. I also met the woman who offers 10 one-hour yoga classes to study abroad students. The classes start in October and begin at 6:00 am, but what better place to learn about yoga than where it all started?

Tonight there was a special cultural show put on by Manipal University students. The evening took us on a "virtual tour" of India and all of the diversity that encompasses this incredible country. The night ended with a group performing a Bollywood dance! It was definitely my favorite part.

Wednesday (8/15): Independence Day! 65 years ago today, India became an independent country. At 9:00 am there was a very well put together flag ceremony to celebrate this occasion. It was interesting to see the difference in atmosphere between 4th of July in the US and August 15th here in India. Rather than giving an air of parties and cook-outs, the day is more serious and focused on re-enacting India's history and acknowledging all that India has gone through.

After a torrential monsoon downpour stopped the ceremony a bit early, we got a quick bite to eat at a busy local restaurant down the road. From there we began the 90 minute bus ride (standing, mind you) to Mangalore for some much needed shopping! The day was a success with two salwar kameez outfits and a small bag for around campus.

Besides saris, this is a very common outfit women wear in India.

Thursday (8/16): Today we got a more official tour of campus and visited the Manipal Institute of Communications (MIC). This is where several of my classmates will be taking an Indian Cinema course. The technology was very advanced with a sound-proof recording studio, film room, and radio station. After the tour, we had high tea with a few staff - one of which was an alarmingly upbeat and young-for-his-age ninety-one year old journalist. He spent ten to fifteen years in the U.S. during which time he met several presidents and spoke with Martin Luther King, Jr. for 90 minutes! He also spent many years writing about the Dalai Lama before his assassination, although he never did meet him.

On the way back to our hostels, Erica (one of my nursing classmates from UNH) and I stopped by the "Anatomy Museum" building to check out all of the displays. We had a great time looking at the specimens, organs, and components of the giant museum (and geeking out, really...)!

After the museum and a quick nap, it was time for the "International Evening" put on by Manipal Students. The event showcased several projects and organizations on campus that had students from different countries. It was comforting to know so many students (probably close to 200) were also new to this area of the world.

Friday (8/17): Today we met the Public Health director to go over classes and the Ayurveda instructor. How much I wish I had space in my schedule for that class!! Each week there is a practical consisting of various activities like full massages, head massages, and the like.

Thankfully, today was not as "go go go" as it had been the rest of the week. Well, that was until we decided to put together a spontaneous weekend trip to Mysore - a city about 7 hours away by bus. In the span of about three hours we found bus tickets, secured a hostel, and had a list of things to do there. Talk about last minute! After all of our plans were finalized, there was about 2 1/2 hours before our bus left. This gave me just enough time to pack my bag, eat dinner, and wait in the downpour. While it took the seven of us to navigate and understand the Manipal bus station (buses stop on different streets entering the roundabout and there is no speaker system), we found our bus, boarded, and were surprised with free blankets and bottles of water! Luckily, I was so tired from the past week I had little difficulty sleeping the majority of the ride.

Saturday (8/18): The bus dropped us at the Mysore Bus Stand around the pleasant hour of 4:15am. With few lights, no businesses open, and not a bathroom in sight, we stood. For several hours. During this time we fended off many persistent auto-rickshaw men trying to sell us on getting a ride or renting a hotel room. As the sun came up, we realized that two bathrooms had been less than a minute's walk the entire time as well as shelter, seats, and a small food vendor. Go figure!

Regardless, we had many laughs chatting and reflecting on our failure to realize the obvious. The day-lit morning began with some sightseeing before eating breakfast a bit after 7:00. After a delicious meal, we visited the market, a well-known restaurant for lunch, a former palace-turned-art-gallery, shopped, and spent several hours at the Karanji Lake Nature Park.

Following the park, we had dinner and checked in at Mysore Youth Hostel. This was a fantastic place - clean, running water, showers, water purifier, and sheets with mosquito nets! All for a whopping price of 75 rupees ($1.50).

Sunday (8/19): We were up and out of the hostel by around 8:30 am and found a nice breakfast spot around the corner. After eating, we caught a city bus to Chamundi Hill: one of the eight holiest places in all of India! The views were breath-taking and the area was absolutely packed. After viewing one of the temples and enjoying the views, we began the 1,000 step journey down to the base of the hill. It took quite a while, but the experience was great.

For the remainder of the day, we viewed the Mysore Palace, had dinner at a restaurant with no utensils, waited for the Palace to light up (100,000 bulbs!), and I bought my first fabric for making a sari.

Phew - what a weekend it has been! My first full week in India is complete and it was nothing less than amazing. My classes begin tomorrow (Tuesday) so wish me luck!

Love,

Nikki