Wow. That title would make such a cool movie. Admit it, you’d go see that movie. So I am now in India!!! Wooh! After a 3 hour flight, a 9 hour layover, a 14 ½ hour flight, a 13 hour layover, and a 2 hour flight, I was thrilled to arrive in Vizag. First chance I got, my fanny pack was back in action. Oh how I missed it. It got a lot of use back in my Thailand days. I figure as a white girl in Asia, I look ridiculous regardless so why not go whole hog. Besides, they’re incredibly convenient. And all you judgers out there, don’t knock it till you try it.
So India is amazing! It’s so colorful! We live really close to the beach and it’s incredible. Man I love the ocean. We don’t really have a set schedule yet, since this week’s a holiday. Next week we’ll start classes and get to researching. I’m pretty pumped to start. I’ve changed my project a little bit so I’ll mostly be interviewing girls in a local college dorm.
This week we’ve mostly been getting settled, exploring, and doing some siteseeing. Lots of Hindu temples! They’re really cool. There’s one right by our house, but we’ve been to a few different ones. I think they’re beautiful. The statues, the paintings, the colors, the architecture. Incredible. The rituals there are really interesting. We usually get to take part so that’s cool. I’ve drunk a lot of holy water.
Some other things we’ve gone to are Buddhist monastery ruins, an old fort that’s been turned into a school, a dutch cemetery, and an old battle ground. We also went to a catholic church, a mosque, and a hindu temple all build on the same hill to show religious unity. I liked that a lot. Yesterday we met the man whose father was the last crowned king of the area before independence.
We’ve also gotten to see some traditional Indian dancing too. We’re going to take Indian dance classes starting next week. I don’t know how many of you know this, but I actually have a history in dance. Ancient history. I was 4 years old. My costume was a pink tutu, and I did each step precisely 4 seconds after everyone else. Dusting off those dancing shoes will definitely be an experience. Don’t worry. I will be keeping you updated on any and all injuries and embarrassing moments that will inevitably ensue.
I feel like that’s a pretty good intro to India. I’ll post again soon!
Peace!
Hahaha you are going to dance in India but not in Provo??? I don't blame you. ;)
ReplyDelete