Somehow, one month has past since I last posted to my blog. The saying really is true, time does fly when you're having fun! So much has happened in the last month that if I were to detail every event this post would be 12 pages long (anyone who knows me in real life can attest to how much I am able to write). That being said, I will try to summarize the major events without leaving out important details.
I guess I should start all the way back in August which has been over for more than 2 weeks at this point. August 28 marked 2 months from landing in New Delhi. Three days before that was one of the most memorable days for me. For those of you who don't know, in Delhi, the monsoon season is roughly from August through September. Usually the heavy rains are in the evening, but I got lucky enough to experience a downpour with Monisha during the day. When the rain started, the power quickly went out and my host mom asked me if I wanted to enjoy the rain to which my reply was "yes, of course!". I think enjoying the rain is something people in the US should adapt because it is really so much fun. The heavy monsoon rains made it so that the flat terraces and rooftops flooded at my house. This made it all the more fun because then I initiated a splash war with Monisha. I took one of the squeegees (wow did not think that was an actual word) from the terrace and pushed all the water I could towards her. Needless to say by the end of the storm we were completely sopping wet. Even once we were exhausted from splashing, just standing at the edge of the terrace looking at the flooded streets was nice. Also in August, I spent more time with the kids in my host mom's daycare because a new 2-year-old kid, Utkarsh joined. Usually, kids are not the biggest fan of me for whatever reason. But for some reason, Utkarsh really took a liking to me. Whenever he would start crying, my host mom or Sita auntie would call me to come get him and as soon as he was in my arms, he stopped crying. It only got annoying when I realized that it was only in my arms he would not be crying. When I put him down, he started crying. Luckily for me, it was soon discovered that he has a passion for watching cartoons, so at least for a short while, I could put my phone in front of him with cartoons playing and he would calm down. I really love Utkarsh despite his perpetual desire for me to take him to his mom. One of my favorite memories with him is standing on the terrace and spotting some boys walking goats (yes you read that correctly) on leashes down the street! He was not the only one completely intrigued by that! Aside from him, I also enjoyed paying with the two little girls at the preschool. Their favorite thing to do was dancing so I also joined in despite my atrocious dance moves. If it is beginning to sound like I am reminiscing about the daycare, it is because I am. September 1 marked a significant day in my exchange because it was the day I left my first host family. It was not a planned shift which is what makes it harder for me since I was not able to say goodbye to all the younger kids (hopefully I can go back to visit them). I am sure the question you all have now is why did I have to switch host families so suddenly? This will take some background information as follows. So wayyyy back in June when I got my host family placement information my mom and I noticed that the application said I would share a room with my host brother and sister. Since we were told it is against their policy for me to share a room with a male, my mom contacted AFS just to see whether the situation was different in real life than it was on paper. Before I left for India, we were told the problem was solved, so all was fine for me. They did not specify whether solved meant it was ok for me to share a room with Gatik or solved meant I would not share a room with Gatik but starting on my first day with my host family, I shared a room with him. It was not really a problem for me because Gatik is nice and I view him as my brother but I brought up the fact to my local coordinator during the August meeting we had. He did not seem that concerned about it but said that I should not be sharing a room with Gatik because it is, in fact, against their policy. It was arranged that I would sleep in a different room but before that could happen, a couple days after the meeting my host mom came home and told me that my coordinator had called and told me to pack all my bags and be prepared to shift host families. This definitely shocked everyone in my host family. I did end up leaving that night, but since that point I try to view it in a more positive light in that I have gained many new experiences that I would not have gained had I stayed where I was.
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(18.8.17) At the beginning of the week, I got a message from my natural mom that her coworker was coming to India for business but had offered to spend time with me on Friday afternoon as she had free time after work and before her 11pm flight. I looked up where the hotel she was staying at was and luckily for me it was only about 30 minutes away! We made plans to meet at the hotel and go to Ambience Mall on Friday after school and I got permission from my host family and AFS. On Friday, I went directly after school to the hotel with my host sister. The hotel was VERY nice. We changed out of our school uniforms and waited for Kitty in the lobby. I had never met Kitty before but we had both heard of each other through my mom and were more than happy to meet each other. When she came at around 3:30, we hugged as if we had known each other our entire lives and we promptly got a cab to go to Ambience Mall. The hotel was so fancy that even the concierge service that took us to the mall was like something out of a movie with the doors being open and shut for you. It was the first time I had been in an automatic car since leaving the United States! Ambience was only about 10 minutes of a drive away and most of that was spent making a U-turn to get there. At the mall, I bought a pair of shorts and a pair of Nike leggings because I have been pretty much wearing jeans all the time. I am pretty used to the temperature now but it’s still nice to have some lighter clothing in this weather. After getting clothes we somehow made our way to a toy store. Kitty got something for her daughter and I bought a little something for my siblings in the US also. Ambience Mall is huge, it’s 5 stories of stores upon stores and the 5th floor is all full of restaurants. After the toy store we went to get dinner on the 5th floor. None of us had any idea of what we wanted to eat so we settled on a place that had just about everything. It was a little comical to eat in a place where everyone orders their own dish because it had Monisha a little bit confused at first. In India, from my own experience, people order many dishes and everyone shares. We were stuffed full of garlic bread, fries and fish sticks as appetizers and then filled to the brim with our meals. I got chicken (of course) lasagne, Monisha got a pizza and Kitty got grilled fish. Everything was delicious and the waiter even made us fill out a feedback form at the end of our visit which was something I had never had to do before lol. We had nice conversations over dinner about student exchange, India, family, and just about anything that came to mind. After about an hour, we left and continued walking through the mall. We only stopped at a McDonald’s kiosk to get ice cream. We called the concierge service back at about 6:30pm and waited outside the mall. The temperature in the evening is not too bad, especially if you just stand there. There was more traffic so the driver took a while to arrive but it took only 5 minutes to get back to the hotel because we did not have to make such a large U-Turn. Once back at the hotel, we got a picture of all of us together and called an Uber to take Monisha and I back home. I really enjoyed getting to meet Kitty and it made the world seem a little smaller for that evening as I met with someone else who works with my mom but still lives across the globe! I love making these sorts of connections and by the end of the year I am sure I will have even more! (15.8.17): August 15, 1947 marked independence of India from British rule. This year was the 71st celebration of the holiday, and I am so happy I was a part of it. My celebrations started on Friday the 11th of August in school. During the zero period, I helped in making a design on the floor outside our classroom. Since phones are not allowed in school, I did not manage to get any pictures. Pictures were taken (as always) but I never know where they end up haha! Our design was of the Earth with a banner in the colors of the Indian Flag with a dove in the center of it all. There was a quote to go along with it: “let freedom never perish in your hands”. The design was made by first marking the area out with chalk and then painting the ocean sections of the Earth blue. The land sections were filled in with a tan colored sand. When the paint dried, blue paper was torn into small pieces and used to fill in the sections. For the white section of the banner, we also used this sand. The green section was done with green sand and the orange section was done with a colored powder similar (from what I have heard) to what they use during Holi. The dove was placed on top in the center of the design and finally flowers and flower petals outlined the entire thing. It looked really nice and lasted the entire day. It was an interesting experience for me because Independence Day in the US happens outside of the school year so there are never any celebrations done with members of the same class.
The day before independence day was also really nice and laid back. My host family was originally planning to take me to Iskcon Temple but plans fell through because my host siblings had to study. Hopefully I will get the chance to go in the future. Not going allowed me to see some local preparations in my host community though which was really nice. In India, the government sponsors some decorations for the holiday. Along the streets there were banners hung of orange, white and green. Around the corner from my house there was a stage set up but I did not get a chance to see whatever performance was done that evening. When I was biking back home from Monisha’s tution class, the road was blocked off even to me as a cycler. I apparently know the neighborhood better after living here one month than Monisha so I quickly found the long way back home. All in all, I really did not do much to celebrate independence day. I was a little disappointed that I did not get to do much for it but spending time with family was still really nice and I enjoyed the 4 day weekend. On Independence Day, my host family actually celebrated Janmashtami. In the morning they asked me if I wanted to practice fasting which basically meant I would not be able to eat or drink until midnight in honor of the birth of Lord Krishna. I agreed because it would be the only year I really celebrate the holiday and (I thought) it would be easy to fast among a family who is also fasting. Apparently, the only other person in my family who ended up fasting was Monisha and even she cheated by having some water haha. I fasted the entire day, only allowing myself to eat the foods of the fast which was a fried potato dish and a couple glasses of Limeca which is a soda similar to Sprite in the US. Still not really sure why Limeca was allowed but not water but I am not complaining! We did not do too much on 15 August because it would be bad to dehydrate myself by working out (not that I do that anyway). We watched a movie on TV and then Monisha and I bought 2 cakes (eggless of course!). I went with Monisha to her tutions class again and when we came back my bua came over to celebrate with us. At about 8pm I got somewhat confused as the cakes were cut and some other sweet dishes were served. I did not expect the non-fasting members to go ahead with eating before the fast ended for Monisha and I, but they did! It was really funny to hear my host dad try to tempt us by singing “this cake is really yummy, I’m eating this cake…”. I love my host dad. After they finished eating, I took a shower and took a nap so that I could wake up at midnight to eat without being too tired to wake up again at 5:30am for school. I am not sure what happened but no one woke me up to eat at midnight so I ended up having cake for breakfast! There were two types of cakes, butterscotch and some jam filled one. They were both delicious! This 4 day weekend was a memorable time for me even if it was not what I expected it to be. I loved spending time with friends and family and creating memories that will last me a lifetime. It is hard for me to comprehend that every Indian holiday I spend over here will be my first and last experience of it in India (until I find a time to make visits). I am trying to make the most out of my experience and cannot wait until the next major holiday...Diwali! Back to New Delhi! (13.8.17): On Sunday, I woke up at 9am but wasn’t out of bed until almost 9:45am because it was a slow morning after an exhausting previous day. However, that quickly changed. I read my whatsapp messages and saw that McKenna was going to New Delhi with her host family. I quickly chimed in asking if I could go and somehow we managed to work it out. Initially I was not going to go because I had no ride to meet them up at IFFCO Chowk on their way to Delhi, but I worked out my host sister coming with us and we were then allowed to take an auto to IFFCO Chowk. Between me working out going with them and actually leaving I also had to return my saree to the costume store. At 1.5 months into my exchange, I was comfortable enough (and my host mom was too) to go on my own to return it. There was not really any Hindi necessary, I just gave my saree and receipt and they gave me my security deposit of 500 rupees back. I was drenched in sweat after getting back home even though it was only a 10 minute time outside. It gets super hot and humid here! Monisha and I left and met up with McKenna and her host family without much trouble. We spent the day at a crafts museum in New Delhi which had a handicrafts event going on. It was really nice to see all the crafts. Everything is so colorful. I bought a small painting as a gift for someone in the US and plan on going back before the end of the year to buy a couple things from the gift shop (I have to bring more cash). The museum itself was largely outdoor exhibits. They were really nice but it was very humid also so the mosquitos were quite pesky. My favorite exhibit was the village exhibit which had replicas of huts and homes from throughout India. Many art students were there painting and drawing the scenes for good reason, it was beautiful there. When we left the museum, we stopped at HUDA Market before going to McKenna’s home. There, we got chicken biryani and chicken momos (second day of non-veg in a row! Such a rare occurrence!). Of course the food was delicious and another day came to an end very quickly. Monisha and I took an Uber back to our house which is about 40 minutes away. I again quickly showered and went to bed! It may be a 4 day weekend, but I definitely find that it is going by soooo quickly and I am busy at almost every minute! I am writing this on 14.8.17 which is the only day this weekend I will have any free time because our plans for today got cancelled. Tomorrow will also be an eventful day because it is Independence Day which is the at the very root of the 4 day weekend! Cannot wait for it to start, but at the same time I know it will pass all too quickly!
Day 50 and the AFS Welcome/Independence Day/Janmashtami Party (8.12.17): To be completely honest, there is no better way for me to be marking 50 days away from home than to be celebrating Independence Day and Janmashtami, having a welcome party and having a 4 day weekend. This has been the busiest weekend so far and this post will only cover 12 August because otherwise this post would go on forever! On August 12, my host family and I went to the AFS Welcome Party. Up to that day I knew I had to dress as an Indian Freedom Fighter but I did not know how I would do that because I, of course, do not own any clothes that would resemble what was worn by them. The morning of the party, I went to a costume shop and rented a white saree with blue trim. It was my size but when I went to try it on after I walked home, the top was much to small! I had to walk all the way back just to find out that was the largest size they had. Luckily, they figured out that whoever had rented it before had it tailored to their size. They proceeded to remove the stitching that had been placed and I rushed back home to put it on. I succeeded in putting it on as in fitting into it but I did not succeed in figuring out how to make it look correct. Luckily, the maids helped me figure it out. They found it very amusing to see me in a saree! Following the Indian way of fluid time we arrived to the party at 3:15pm even though it started at 2pm. All the host students and their families were there as well as some AFS volunteers and staff. It took place in an apartment but luckily it was on the larger size as far as Indian apartments go so everyone fit. Shortly after sitting down to start chatting, everyone was called out to take part in the costume contest. Apparently we were supposed to prepare some presentation having to do with our independence day character. I had not prepared anything formally because no one was informed about this (I mean I can’t really complain because this type of thing is to be expected in India). I took what I had quickly glanced at earlier in the day and gave a brief presentation on my character. I think they were more interested in hearing me tell them my name in Hindi and where I was from! I ended my presentation with “Jai Hind” which was also appreciated very much. As for the results of the contest, Colin came in first (yay!) because he read off the independence speech given by his freedom fighter and I surprisingly came in second! I got a small present of a nursing cow and calf figurine. Yutaka, at no surprise to any of us, got a hindi recognition award. He has picked up Hindi quicker than any of the rest of us. I am sure it partly has to do with the fact that he has less of an English base since he is from Japan. It is so easy to just rely on english here. You have to put in more effort to speak in Hindi. Still, I am definitely better at Hindi now than I was a month ago! Soon after giving the awards, the food arrived. AFS got KFC and chicken biryani because they (correctly) assumed that the non veg (except Olivia) host students would want some meat since we all (except Olivia) have primarily vegetarian host families. The food was delicious and it was really nice to catch up with everyone while eating. We had a nice cake to celebrate which was cut by all the host students at once! We all also received a gift of a personalized mug. The party definitely came to an end much faster than I expected because time always flies by when you’re having fun. I changed out of my saree and into more comfortable Indian shirt and dress pants. Thank goodness I did because my host family then proceeded to go to my host aunt’s house because she lived relatively close by. I have been getting used to never knowing the plan here! I met my host aunt (my host dad’s sister) and uncle and two cousins. They chatted and caught up for a while and then we took another trip (surprise surprise) to the largest Christian church in New Delhi and the Prime Minister and President’s offices. It was nice to be back at a church after not going in over a month! The church was very beautiful and bigger than any church in my home town. I said some prayers and viewed the artwork around the church while explaining to my host sister the basics of Christianity. After leaving the church, we passed India Gate which was beautifully lit with the colors of the Indian flag. Then we went to the outside of the Prime Minister and President’s offices. They were architecturally amazing and beautifully lit for the festive season. Once I can get pictures on here, I will upload them. Even the fountains around the area were lit with the colors of the Indian Flag. We took many pictures in front of the attractions. My host uncle actually works as a secretary in the Supreme Court so (crossing fingers and toes) we may be able to get permission to get a tour of the PM’s office! Hopefully this becomes a reality for me! I would absolutely love to go inside those buildings! We returned to my host aunt’s apartment and had dinner of rice and some sort of bean dish. Then we had ice cream which always tastes nicer to me in India because it’s always a sweet relief from the heat. We said our goodbyes (hopefully we will meet again soon) and returned back to Old Gurgaon to my house. I immediately showered and got ready for bed and fell asleep. This was one of the busiest but most memorable days of my exchange!
My First MUN (9.8.17-10.8.17): Model United Nations. I was told at the beginning of the conference that these three words have the power to change someone. Looking back just a few days after its conclusion, I can tell that this statement is true. Even though I didn’t win best delegate or deliver a mind-blowing speech, my first MUN was an experience I will never forget. Before you can participate in an MUN, you have to be allocated to one of the organs of the UN and given a role. I found out on the Thursday prior to the start of the conference (less than 1 week before), that I would be part of the General Assembly as a delegate of the Czech Republic. I met my co-delegate the same day. His name is Aryaman and he is currently an 8th grader at Amity (grades kindergarten through 12 are at this school). It was both of our first times participating in an MUN but we managed to work it out. To change topics for one minute, the weekend before MUN when I should have been researching my butt off, I was actually busy spending time with my host family and celebrating Raksha Bandhan. Relating back to MUN, I did not have enough preparation time to really have an optimal amount of speeches and chits (chits are messages you send to the executive board and other delegates with questions or informative details) prepared. I submitted my position paper on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the first day of the MUN conference, there was a really nice opening ceremony where members of the executive board (students who basically run the MUN Society) were introduced and the school principal maam gave an introductory speech. While waiting for the tables to be set up for the general assembly, some experienced delegates started lobbying to get support for their country’s stance. The three main competitors were the US, China/Russia, and the EU countries. In favor of the Czech Republic’s foreign relations, I decided to follow the EU. During this time I also tried a new flavor of lay’s potato chips which are some type of Spanish tomato flavor not available in the US. I will be bringing some back to the US if I can remember! After entering the General Assembly’s conference room and finding our chairs, it was already time for refreshments because the morning opening ceremony had taken up quite a bit of time. We were served bullet rolls which are sooo nice. To add to that fact, my co-delegate does not like them so I got extra. I wish I could bring bullet rolls to the US but they have to be served warm. Finally, the conference started and we followed normal proceedings of introducing a general speaker’s list. I raised my placard to get added to the list and was third to go. My speech went pretty well. After hearing other speeches I wish I had put more statistical facts in my speech because those were well noted by the executive board. Of course, since I am the exchange student, I had to redo my speech during the lunch break so that it could be recorded! The pizza we were served made me miss Aniellos pizza back home because this pizza was barely passable as pizza haha. It still tasted fine but I definitely prefer Indian food in India and American food in the US. The rest of the day was spent going through the GSL (general speakers list) and some moderated and unmoderated caucuses. I did not get a chance to speak again except through chits I sent with questions regarding other delegates’ speeches. It was really interesting to hear everyone’s opinions on our agenda which was the future of the world environmental conservation and preservation regime with emphasis on the Paris Accords. The conference went from 8am to 4pm on both the 9th and 10th of August, so I did not get home until almost 8pm on the 9th since my host family stopped at a travel agency (?) and then dropped off Monisha at tutions and visited the worksite of a house my host father’s construction company is working on (I think). The second day of the MUN conference ended in a huge success in that the GA (general assembly) passed a draft resolution into a resolution. In addition, we had Syria sign onto the Paris Accords. The draft resolution that was passed was the one the Czech Republic supported. It was sponsored (written) by China, Russia, Portugal, Japan and France. At the closing ceremony where they gave out awards, it was no surprize to me when the delegate of the US won the best delegate. He had the most experience and was VERY outgoing throughout the conference to the point where he was being continuously asked to stop talking. Aside from the conference, we also heard from some guest speakers who were very inspirational and had a lot of experience with diplomacy. My first MUN experience one is something I will never forget and I highly recommend anyone who has the chance to participate to do so.
This past Monday, August 7, was Raksha Bandhan. We do not have this holiday in the US, but after experiencing it for the first time in India, I am not sure why not! Raksha Bandhan is a holiday celebrating the bond and relationship between brother (or a brother-like figure) and sister. Physically, the sister gives the brother a gift of sweets and ties a Rakhi (bracelet) around his wrist. There is a small ceremony (I wouldn’t even call it a ceremony but I can’t think of a better word) where the sister will sit or stand by the brother and put a mark on her brother’s forehead (again not sure what it is called, it’s like a bindi but on a guy) and puts rice on the mark before it has a chance to dry. Then, she feeds him sweets like raisins, nuts and chocolate and ties the rakhi onto his wrist. In return, the brother will give a small gift to his sister. I went through this process with my (host) brother Gatik. Gatik is quite the character and definitely gets himself in more trouble than I care to describe but he is my brother and I love him. I cannot imagine life without him and I am dreading the day I have to say goodbye to him when I leave this host family or when I go back to the states. This whole exchange only took a matter of 10 minutes and we had the entire day off from school for the holiday so my host family took full advantage. Actually the night before on Sunday we traveled to my host mom’s mom’s house (my host grandma’s house). We stopped at McDonalds for dinner at 11:30pm and I had THREE veg pizza McPuffs. In my opinion, the USA McDonalds should adopt this food. It may be vegetarian but it is also very delicious. We got to the house at about midnight and I greeted my host grandma and uncle before heading off to bed. I slept in until about 9am and stayed in bed until 9:45am on Monday (Raksha Bandhan) because I went to bed late and was exhausted. I got ready for the day and the maid cooked me a breakfast of salted prantha with butter and some sort of daal and pickle to eat it with. I personally did not like the pickle but the daal and prantha was nice. (Daal is like lentils kind of. They are usually quite soft and soupy but at least in my host family it is VERY popular to make). After Monisha was finally ready (she could probably sleep until 4pm if you let her), she took me to her friend, Aryan’s house. He was very nice and I think it was a nice chance for him to spend time with Monisha and Gatik since they live quite a distance from each other. After visiting for a little while, we left and went to my host mom’s sister’s house. She lives less than 10 minutes from where we were staying. We spent a few hours here and I mostly hung out with the kids who were flaunting their baskets of sweets around that their sisters had given to them for the holiday. Once we made our way back to my host grandma’s house along with some guests from my host aunt’s house we watched some TV together and rested until it was around 4pm and time for us to leave. Everyone said their goodbyes and we were on our way. It takes about an hour and a half to get home but I didn’t get back until around 7:30pm because we indirectly went home much to my surprise. First we dropped off Monisha at tutions and then drove to a nearby house where which is being built by my host father’s construction company. It is really neat to see how houses are built in India because it is completely different than the US. They use a metal frame and surround it with bricks and then use cement to make a smooth surface. There’s no insulation used in the walls and the only wood that is used in the construction is in the window frames. I personally just enjoy the fact that the rooftops are all flat so you can walk around on them. I try to go on the rooftop terrace of my host family’s house every evening when I am not too busy. It is a good stress-reducer and I enjoy taking in the sights of evening activities like kite flying and bustling traffic. After stopping at the construction sight we picked up Monisha and stopped on the way home to get some roasted corn on the cobs (the same food I got my very first day with my host family). I was thankful to finally get home and I took a shower, submitted my position paper for MUN (the next post will tell you all about my first experience in an MUN conference), and went to bed.
On Saturday, I went to National Museum, New Delhi. This was my second trip into Delhi and it was just as nice as the first trip! I went with Fine Arts students from my school and there were about 20 of us including the 2 teachers. It was about 30-45 minutes away from the school and the entire drive was a little annoying because my bus driver has an obsession with honking his horn at every small little thing...like I realize that people honk here for communication but there is definitely a point where you can go overboard and he has reached that point haha. Anyways, once we got there, we waited until 10am which is opening time and walked in. To my surprise and disappointment, there was NO AC!!!!! I would think that a museum as nice as that one would at least have some ceiling fans or something but nope. It was not a huge issue, just caught me off guard. We started our tour with a tour guide who was definitely not impressed with the lack of knowledge we possessed about Indian artwork. Everyone I talked to agreed with me in saying that she was not a great tour guide. I understand it was an educational trip but there is only so much we could have known before coming and it is kind of in her job description to give us information about the art. Despite that, we ended up having a lot of fun and I learned a lot. The museum is enormous and if you ever go I would definitely limit yourself to 3 or 4 galleries maximum because it gets really tiring if you are not an art fanatic. I saw art from the Harappan civilization all the way up to maritime artwork. It is so interesting to me to learn about Indian culture because it is soooooo much older than that of the US. It is way more than you can even begin to understand in one day. In that sense, I was definitely overwhelmed, but I enjoyed the artwork especially after the tour guide left and I could just walk around and read the notecards by the exhibits. The tour guide was a nice enough person but she talked mostly in hindi so I did not understand most of what she said and she, like I mentioned earlier, was not too fond of our group and our apparent lack of knowledge haha. One interesting fact I will share with you is that if you ever see Buddhist art, if it came before the reign of Kanishka, he will only be shown in the form of symbols and not human because it was prohibited to show him as a human before Kanishka. Before we left, we stopped in the canteen (for future reference canteen is sort of like a cafeteria) and I bought a soda for 10 rupees (64 rupees in 1 USD). Before getting on the bus I splurged and got an ice cream for 40 rupees haha. I love ice cream and it is so readily available here I cannot help but buy some. It tastes even nicer because it is so hot and humid here. Once I got back to the school, I sat in class for about 45 minutes and had a nice conversation with everyone in that class. I showed them pictures of my life in the US and then they started talking in hindi but that was fine because I could still laugh along with their gestures and enactments. I expected to go home after school but when my host dad picked us up we went straight to the mall! I dont really know how anyone ever knows what plans we have in my host family but it is kinda nice to live not knowing what you are doing next! It is something I am slowly getting used to. At the mall I bought 2 outfits. I will have to find a less pricy place because I spent $75 USD on those 2 outfits and from what I have heard you can get clothes (or anything really) for MUCH cheaper in India. I, of course, do not regret spending the money because I would never get these clothes in the US, but my wallet will be empty ¼ the way through my exchange if I shop like that all the time. Just when I thought my day could not get any more eventful, I came home and found that I was invited to go to a birthday party the next day at McKenna’s host family’s house. I will be wearing the dress I bought to the part because the dress code is black and white. Even though I would never wear a dress to a b-day party in the US, it is the only black and white outfit I have that would look nice. Plus, it’s nice and airy so it will feel good in the heat. Tomorrow marks 275 days left before my end of stay orientation and I have no idea where the time is going. I swear it was JUST at 300 days. I think that the timing in India is definitely going to constantly shock me because I know my time here is always getting smaller. To be clear, I do not have a countdown in celebration of reaching the end and getting to come home but more so I am reminded that I should make the most of every single day here. Next weekend is Raksha Bandhan and the weekend after that I will have a party to celebrate independence day and Janmashtami. I am sure I will have a lot to share from those experiences and like always, they will go by too fast. As for now, I am off to make more lasting memories
SUNDAY (16.7.17) Today marks 290 days left in India before my end of stay orientation. I slept in until 8am and then got ready for the day. My host father taught me some about Indian politics but I doubt I will remember any names because I am horrible with names especially when they are not American. Then I went to feed the cows again. One of them was not a gentle eater and her huge tongue came out across my entire hand. It was quite the experience. Right before I left, one of the cows pushed me out of the way because I guess it wanted me to leave haha! I also visited the temple which was right across the street from the cows. I just visited for a few minutes, but whenever I get the opportunity to do anything here, I always say yes because even if I do not enjoy it, my time in India is limited. Looking back to my time here, I know I will regret any opportunity I say no to.
MONDAY-FRIDAY (17.7.17-21.7.17): This week, I started my third week of school. I hope to get my uniform and textbooks soon! Monday marked 25 days from my home town of Corning! I cannot believe it’s already been that long! This post will talk all about my school life. I will describe an average day because my schedule differs slightly day to day. On schooldays which are the typical Monday-Friday, I wake up at 5:30am and get ready by 6am. Then, I help with chores like putting away the dishes and filling waterbottles to chill (I took the filtered tap water in the US for granted looking back) and then I fill 2 waterbottles, one for me and one for Monisha, my host sister, to take to school. I usually have a banana or apple along with some rusk (a dry bread) for breakfast along with a glass of water. We are supposed to leave for school by 7:15 but we rarely get out of the house before 7:20. I have been late to school 3 times already because either my host siblings are running late or the driver is. To get to school, my host siblings and I go in a van with a driver who my host family hires. I enjoy looking out the window and watching the already super busy Gurgaon in the morning. I am jostled fully awake by the many, many speed breakers on the road and the potholes that accompany some of them. I am supposed to get to school by 7:40 for a 7:45 assembly but I usually get there at 7:45-7:50. I then join the rest of the crowd at morning assembly which is in a courtyard type area in the middle of the school but still outdoors. There is a stage in the front where people go to make announcements and performances. I have already had the pleasure of making a statement to the school just about who I am and why I am in India for a year etc. Every morning, we sing the national anthem which I cannot sing because I do not know the language or the lyrics haha. Hopefully by the end of the year, I will be able to know the words and their meaning. After the anthem, a few students beat very big drums (dont know their technical names) to a beat much like I would imagine the army beat is for marching (left, left, left right left). We file out in a “line” and go to our classes. My class is XI-H. In India, the teachers move classes and the studetns generally do not. Since my schedule is slightly different everyday, I will just go over the classes I am taking. There are 9 periods, periods 0-8 with a break between 3 and 4. The first class I will talk about is Hindi. This is one of my required classes, and for good reason. Most of the people speak in Hindi unless being asked a question in English or participating in class which is talk largely in English. In Hindi, I am currently learning the alphabet and how to join letters to make simple words and then how to read the words. In my other spoken hindi course, I have learned how to introduce myself and respond to “how are you” or “aap kaise hai?”. The next class is English. English is pretty easy since it’s my native tongue but the setup for education is still different here. You really have to know every little detail of the text. For example, what happened on such and such a date in this story? It just requires deeper reading than what I am used to. In my classroom, I have been designated as the English monitor or the person who reminds my classmates to speak in English haha. In Economics, I have some catching up to do with Indian history of economic systems before and after independence. After Economics, the last of my required classes, or classes which I need to graduate in the US, is Physical Education. To be completely honest, I definitely took PE for granted in the US. Everyone always complains how you have to go to class and change into different clothes, but I prefer that to the in-class sessions in India where you actually go into depth in each unit. For example, I just recently took a PE UT (Unit Test) on Monday, and I scored a 18.5/20 on it. That was after studying the most I had ever studied in my life for PE! But, not to worry, I just need to pass in order to get credit back in the US and my grades will transfer as pass/fail so I am not going to spend my entire time in India studying and worrying about grades. The other half of gym is outdoors but I have not participated in one of those classes yet because the grounds were occupied by a football (soccer) match. I am also being tested in one other class which is Fine Arts which is basically regular art class with drawing and painting. I am currently finishing up a still life drawing of a vase and a pot which turned out well in my opinion. I have a UT for this class on July 31 which I am not excited for because as per the Indian way of knowing every little detail, I have to know the who, what, when, where, why and hows of 6 different sculptures and be prepared to answer any question about them. It is definitely more challenging than art in the US. Aside from these 5 classes which I must take tests for, I also have a few periods a week of dance, piano, and sculpture. I am learning traditional dance and I am not very good but if I can learn one dance through to the end, I will be pleased with myself. In piano, I am learning the Indian style of playing which is all played with the right hand and no sheet music. To add to that, the notes are not even labeled as “A,B,C...G” but with other letters which is a little confusing. I have really enjoyed learning a new way of piano that I had no idea existed before. In sculpture, I am sculpting a human head which is super advanced for the amount of experience I have with clay. My teacher says I am a natural, but my human head looks more like an alien right now! It is very enjoyable though, and I like having a hands on activity rather than lecture classes all day. I want my experience in school to be as fun as possible because even though I came to India on a scholarship, I am here to study culture and form relationships more than I am here to ace the tests (which is actually impossible here). In between 3rd and 4th period, we have a small break for “lunch” (I am actually not sure what meal this is because then I eat “lunch” when I get home from school). I really enjoy the break because I always meet so many new and interesting people. School ends at 2pm and I usually get home by 3pm. Sometimes, I get ice cream after school because it is very hot outside and ice cream is a nice way to cool off and it is sold by street vendors everywhere for really cheap. I am currently knee deep in work I have to catch up on for school but once that is finished, I will be very happy. SATURDAY (22.7.17): Saturday was the most eventful day I have had in India so far. It was the first time I left Gurgaon and went to New Delhi. I left the house at 8:10am and got to HUDA city center metro station at about 8:40. It took me a while to get situated because I had to meet two other people there, McKenna who is another exchange student, and Anuj who is a local volunteer. I bought my metro token for 40 rupees (64 rupees in 1 USD) and went through security to get to the platform where I met up with McKenna and Anuj. This station was not very crowded and neither was the metro. We sat down in the Lady only seats next to Anuj and rode the metro for about 30 minutes before it came to our stop. When we had to get off, the station was soooooooo crowded. It was shoulder to shoulder crowds. I luckily was able to follow Anuj and we went to platform 3 to get on the next train. This train was A LOT more crowded than the first. We were the last to get on and we were jam packed right next to the door. Luckily, we got off at the next station. When we walked up the exit, we were in New Delhi! We still had to walk about 10 minutes and then we got to the National AFS office of India. The national office is in the very heart of New Delhi where all the embassies and things are so it was very nicely built. Luckily, it has air conditioning. I would have died if it didn’t haha. McKenna and I were the last to come and we said hello to the other kids hosted in Delhi. It was the first time we had seen each other in 3 weeks! We listened to a somewhat boring but helpful presentation about Delhi and transportation options. No one had any questions so we took a group photo and left to go see an 800 year old well that is now a tourist attraction. We went because it was only like a 5 minute walk from the National Office. The view was amazing. Pictures do not do it justice. It amazes me that such an old structure can be right in the center of a bustling city. After visiting that, we went to eat at burger king because most of us were craving something “American” aka non-veg. I had a lot of food. Probably too much. But it was all very tasty. We walked the row of shops there which I hope I can return to because there are sooooo many nice stores there. Alex and Yutaka were picked up from this shopping center and then Colin, McKenna, Olivia and I all went to Olivia’s host home for her host sister’s birthday party. I really enjoyed driving through Delhi because it is much more modern than where I am hosted in Old Gurgaon and the sights were beautiful. I am sure I will be going there very often. The birthday party was really fun. I met a lot of people and enjoyed talking with them and playing card games. We then had ice-cream cake which was really nice. Anyone who wants to join me for the Indian style of eating cake is welcome anytime after I come back. People do not cut the cake into neat slices but rather cut off chunks and use their hand to first feed the birthday girl and then eat the piece themselves. Ice cream cake is a little messy to eat using hands but it was a great experience I hope to share when I come home. I went home from the party with McKenna and her host family which took about an hour and a half in the traffic. I pretty much immediately rinsed off and went to bed because the day definitely exhausted me! I hope to have many more days like this in the future! I have decided to try and write my blog posts in a new way. I will be writing (and trying to post if the internet cooperates) weekly at first and then maybe every other week or for special occasions just because my life here in India is not always going to be jampacked with crazy adventures. It is rather the small moments I experience here that will shape who I become by the end of the year. With this being said, I will write highlights of the week/month and put them into one blog post instead of writing one per day or two per week which would really take away time from being with my host family.
SATURDAY (8.7.17): My favorite part of Saturday was when we went out to eat as a large family. The beginning of the day was spent preparing for the arrival of my host aunt, uncle, and cousin so it was a bit hectic. When we went out to eat, I had the largest meal I have eaten in India. My stomach did not agree with that decision the next day, but I enjoyed getting out of the house. It was also the first time I ate non-veg in over 2 weeks by trying tandoori and butter chicken. They were both very good. We went to get paan after dinner and admittedly, I did not care for this traditional Indian dish. But, there’s no way I would like every new thing I try here so I take the experiences as they come. We got home after midnight and it was about 1am by the time I closed my eyes. I hoped that was the latest I would stay up for a while because I wake up much earlier in India than I did in the US. SUNDAY (9.7.17) : A simple, relaxing day. The guests went out with my host father to go visit other family out of town. I stayed home with my host mom and siblings and rested almost the entire day. I enjoyed just relaxing for once. However, I did not keep in mind my family’s schedule when it comes to meal times so I was ready for bed at 10pm but instead we headed out. We went to Cyberhub, and my host cousin got lost trying to get to parking, but I do not blame him, the place is HUGE. It reminded me of America because the place was very modern and many of the restaurants were also American. However, because we were so late, we did not get to eat dinner here because the food court closed at 10:30 and we did not go to another restaurant. I had a donut from Dunkin Donuts on the way out and it was delicious. I thought we were just going to go home, but instead we stopped at another food court by the highway called Mannat Dhaba. I was half asleep walking up to eat but as soon as I turned my head to the right I saw a man with a decorated camel walking towards us. I was definitely awake after that and I even got to ride the camel. It was a great experience and was probably the highlight of Sunday. I barely ate anything at the food court because it was already 1am by that point. We made it home and by 3am I was sleeping. But not for long because I had to wake up at 5:45am. MONDAY (10.7.17): I did not have fun waking up on Monday. I had too little sleep. However, like always, I was still ready for school before my host brother was even out of bed. He ended up staying home from school anyways. After school, I started studying economics because it is one of the subjects I need to graduate in the US and am therefore taking in India. I got my formal schedule or time-table on Monday. There are only 3 solid subjects of Economics, English, and PE. This is because those are the only classes in India that will count towards my graduation requirements in the US. The rest of my days are filled with dancing, keyboard, hindi lessons, etc. I established with my host family that I need to get to bed earlier and even though I was aiming for 10pm, I was sleeping by 11pm which I will accept any day over 3am. The schedule here is the hardest for me to adjust to because I wake up so early and stay up so late. The highlight of Monday was in the evening when my host family and I were relaxing and watching a soap opera in hindi in the bedroom and my host dad scooped up all the children for a hug. I just continued to lay on my host father’s chest and relax as he stroked me. Then my host mom wanted me to shift so she could do the same thing which I of course obliged. This moment was when I really felt like family and that I belonged here even if just for the year. TUESDAY (11.7.17): I slept in a little bit on Tuesday because I had plans to go to the FRRO (Foreigners Regional Registration Office) to register myself as a foreigner living in India. You have to register yourself within 2 weeks of landing which would be on Wednesday, July 12. To my surprise, I did not end up going because it turns out I needed a Bonafide Certificate from the host school in order to register. I ended up not doing too much on Tuesday because my plans were mixed up. I continued to read my book and do some studying because during these first and last couple months I am in India, the temperature during the day is too hot to enjoy being outside. At about 1:15 I left to go to the school and I picked up my bonafide certificate as well as bought myself an ice cream. I will definitely miss the availability and cheapness of ice cream when I go back to the US. My ice cream in India costs about 40 rupees being one of the more expensive options at the roadside ice cream stands and there are currently about 64 rupees in 1 USD. WEDNESDAY (12.7.17): I slept in the longest I had in India at this point on Wednesday. I woke up at about 7:30. This may seem early to the Anna of a month ago in the US, but now, it’s heaven to wake up at 7:30 versus the 5:30am I wake up every other day of the week. As per usual Indian fluid timing, I was supposed to be picked up at 9am but it was closer to 10:30 when the AFS volunteer Anuj, and my friend (who is also hosted in Gurgaon) McKenna, showed up. I said goodbye only to find myself back at her house at 11am because my host mom did not give me some paperwork I needed to submit at the registry. We stayed at my host house for about an hour and sorted out/made sure we had all of the paperwork we needed. Since McKenna also needed some other document from her host family, we drove to her host dad’s workplace (I think), and picked up the document we needed. By this point it was about 1pm and we finally drove to the Police Commissioner Office of Gurgaon which is actually not far from my host family’s house (I pass it everyday on the way to school). With our amazing luck, we got there as soon as it was lunch break for those at the FRO. So we sat and waited and eventually got checked in with little number badges which showed that McKenna and I were numbers 65 and 64 in line respectively At that point the number being called up was 27. It moved very slowly upwards most of the time and we were getting hungry. Luckily, there was a canteen only 2 doors down from the waiting room. We went there and I bought some CocaCola and some crackers called 50/50. My Coke was the most expensive thing and that still was only about 40 rupees and my crackers were only 5 rupees. The crackers were actually quite good. McKenna bought some “Happy Happy” cake. The package of course said freshly baked, but anything in that sort of package is bound to be factory made and preserved. She opened it and we all gave it a try. It was a sad, sad cake, quite the opposite of what the name implied. We went back to the waiting room and it was at number 50 or so. It took about 15 more minutes (it felt much longer) to be served and the actual process of handing in paperwork took about 5-10 minutes. When we left the office, it was about 4:30. Anuj called my host mom to tell her we were going out to eat lunch and politely declined her offer for us to all eat at her house because, to be frank, we all wanted something unhealthy and non-veg. So...we ended up going to KFC. It was my first time having “American food” in over 2 weeks and it tasted very good. McKenna and I bought ice cream which tasted fine but the cones were dilapidated from melting and then going back in the freezer. Finally, it was time for us to part ways and I was dropped off at my host family. If everything goes according to plan though, this Saturday I will be travelling by metro (!) to New Delhi to meet up with all the kids (5 others) hosted in the Delhi region for our chapter orientation. The orientation itself is only supposed to be about an hour long and then we are allowed to look around New Delhi for a little before taking the metro home. I am really looking forward to seeing all my friends again as it will have been 2 weeks since we have been together. Time is already flying by. My concept of time here is really strange. I don’t know if I can put it into words. On the one hand, it feels like I just landed in Delhi yesterday. On the other hand, it feels like I have never lived anywhere else. To end the day, I went with my host parents to visit their guru ji which is basically a teacher of God. This man also kept about a dozen cows with him which they milk and, of course, worship. I stroked the back of one cow. My host father tells me that this will lower your blood pressure. The cow stopped liking my presence after about 30 seconds because she did not recognize me and so she tried to headbutt me away but she was tied up so I was able to keep a distance. I tried chai also when I was there which is tea. However, in India it is made with milk. I thought I hated tea, but made this way, it tasted fine. When I got home, I ate dinner and went to bed following the normal routine. THURSDAY and FRIDAY (13.7.17 - 14.7.17): The last two days of the week went pretty well. On Thursday morning, I woke up at 5am and was outside biking by 6am. My bike ride went well but the tires are a little flat and the seat is too low on the bike I am using so it was a little challenging. My day was made when I ran into 5 puppies on my bike ride. I know, I know, I am not supposed to touch strays in India, but I had to make an exception for these little guys. I biked home and got some bread to feed them and it was funny to watch them attack the slices of bread… I am sure they are not great at finding food on their own yet. I went back to school on Thursday and had my second lesson in written Hindi. I can’t really demonstrate how to write on a blog. I will try to upload pictures of my writing but it may not be in the near future because the Wi-Fi at my house does not even allow me to upload posts to my blog (I have my sister in the US, Katherine, upload my posts for me as of right now). Eventually, even if it comes much later in the year or even after I get back to the US, I will definitely share all the photos I have taken because I have them all saved in a dropbox folder waiting to post. One thing that I can compare from my experience Thursday to what I have experienced in the US is Physical Education class. In the US, all you have to do is show up, change clothes, and participate in order to get a 100 in the class. On Thursday, I had my first PE class and I was very surprised when I realized that the class took place in a classroom. There are some classes where you have to get up and be active, but it is partially an informational class. I could not keep up with what the teacher was talking about because the chapter we are doing, yoga, has so many words in sanskrit and hindi that even when they are translated, it is extremely hard for me to remember what they are and what they mean. I will definitely be relieved when I come back to the US my senior year and only have to show up to gym class. After school on Thursday I joined the dance class held at my host mom’s preschool and had fun with that even though I am no good at dancing. On Friday, I was late for school the second day in a row. It was not my fault, I am always ready an hour before it’s time to leave but my host siblings, my host brother especially, is NOT a morning person. I really hope that I do not continue to be late because it definitely does not look good for me as an exchange student. I learned that on Monday I will have a test in PE which is insane because I just joined the class on Thursday. I took pictures of the chapter on Yoga with my phone to study later, and it seems pretty intense to someone who does not speak sanskrit. The good news is that even if I do bad on the test, which I will most definitely will not be getting the same near-perfect grades as I do in the US, I only need to pass it because my credits from India will transfer as pass/fail onto my US transcript. I am also pretty sure a 33% is the passing grade here. Friday night was amazing because I again went biking and ran into the puppies who were passed out. It must have been a long day for them but they thoroughly enjoyed some belly rubs. I went home, washed off just in case the pups have any problems and then proceeded to name the pups with Katherine over whatsapp. Oscar is a light colored little boy who was sleeping next to Bella, a darker tan pup. Then came the names Sam and Max for the two other boys who look very similar to the first two I described so I will likely mix up their names. And the mom is Rosa. She was the sweetest dog out of all which makes me happy because she seems to trust me not to hurt the pups. Also, important fact of Friday, it marked 3 weeks away from my home town of Corning, NY! SATURDAY (15.7.17) Saturday marked 2 weeks with my host family! It was a pretty boring day. I hope as the year goes on, our weekends get more exciting because right now I do nothing except study because the heat outside is too much. Later in the day, around 4pm, I went with my host sister and her friend to a gurdwara which is the place of worship for Sikh people. We had to take off our shoes and put on a head cover which they had available to borrow. Then we walked into a large room which had a man sitting and reciting from, what I assume, the text of the Sikh religion. We knelt down in front of and behind this man who was sitting in an enclosed platform type thing. It is hard to describe in words. Then we left that room and went to the side where we received two types of sweet foods. One was an orange colored ball. I am still not sure if I like it. It’s sweet but the texture is funny. The other was a brown mushy substance. It looked worse than the orange thing but tasted quite nice. We then returned our headcovers and went to my host sister’s friend’s house. When you visit the house of an Indian, it is customary that they will not let you leave until they give you something. Usually they just give some water which is always really nice but this time I got some deep fried potatoes (?) and “lemon soda”. Lemon soda is not something I really enjoy because in the US, lemonade is lemon juice, sugar, and water. Here, lemon soda is water, lemon juice (their lemons somehow taste different like more bitter), and SALT. The salt is what really bothers me. I guess if you grow up with salted lemonade then that’s a normal flavor but to me, it is just sooo strange. I will make some when I come back to the US for anyone who wants a taste. We left there when my host sister had to go to tutions (like a tutor in the US but almost everyone goes). My host sister, Monisha, rode on the scooter (the ones that are like a motorcycle not like the ones that kids ride in the US) and my I rode on the back of my host father’s motorcycle. I really enjoyed riding because the wind feels so good in the heat. There was some traffic surrounding an event that was about Lord Krishna, a main god in the Hindu religion. During my sister’s tutions, I was expecting to ride back home but my host father decided to drive me around another neighborhood to get a feel of India and we stopped to chat with one man who had a German Shepherd (people here only keep dogs as pets if they are a German Shepherd or Lab basically) and then stopped at the house of his friend from Bengal. We got water and talked a little bit before leaving. My host father then showed me the process of building a house here which uses a metal frame and a concrete-like mixture instead of the wooden houses that are so common in the US. We also passed a lot that had about 15 cows in it. After leaving the neighborhood, we went back to pick up my host sister and then went home. My host sister and I joined a Taekwondo class that was happening downstairs and that was definitely an intense workout. I am not sure how the 6 year olds in the class can do that everyday. It ended with my attempting a drop-kick and when I raised my leg to kick, my other leg slipped on some sweat or water or something and I fell on my butt! The floors here, I should mention, are almost always granite or marble so they get slippery easily. I was fine but it was kind of embarrassing haha. Monisha has a habit of laughing whenever I experience some sort of difficulty so she will be laughing about me falling over for the next week I am sure. I went upstairs, had some water, took a shower because my clothes were drenched with sweat, and went to bed. In case anyone is wondering, I have completed 2 weeks with my host family and have 41 more to go! Seems like a lot but if they go as quickly as the 3 weeks I have been away from the US went, I will be back in the US in the blink of an eye! |
AuthorNamaste! Mera naam Anna hai! Hi! my name is Anna. Please enjoy reading about my experience as a high school junior in India and ask any questions you may have! Archives
June 2019
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