This is it. My last week in the U.S. For the past several months as people continually asked me, "Are you excited/nervous?!" I've smiled and nodded and ignored how I was actually feeling. Well, it finally hit me a few days ago. I'm going to India. I'm actually going to India. I completely freaked out. For the first time in my life, I'll be traveling by myself to a developing country. I can't go back to the hotel at the end of the day. I can't find Mom and Dad after seeing the sights. I certainly can't use my high school French or Spanish to get me by. I will be learning a new language, a new currency, and entirely new concepts of what is culturally and socially appropriate.
My flight is straight from Newark to Mumbai... roughly 15 hours. This will be the longest flight I've ever taken. I can't decide if I should try to watch 7 movies, read a few books, or force the people sitting next to me to talk to me about India for 15 hours. I've never been good at sleeping on planes, but I'm sure I'll find a way to survive this flight. I've gotten all my shots and have my anti-malarial meds (which, fingers crossed, will not make me hallucinate). And now I'm going to spend the next week or so packing, organizing, and trying to shed the feeling that I'm forgetting something important.
For those of you who haven't prodded me with questions yet, here are the basics:
Pune, Maharashtra, India will be my home for the next 4 months. Population ~5 million. I'll be taking classes (Social Justice, Development Econ., Contemporary India, Beginning Hindi) and will complete an internship at the end of the semester. Our program likes to keep us on our toes, so I don't actually know anything about my host family or my schedule yet.
So, what do I want out of my study abroad experience? What everyone wants: a true adventure. I want to stretch my mind and push myself way outside of my comfort zone. Because while I thoroughly enjoy living in the privileged Western bubble I live in, I am craving real, get-your-hands-dirty life experience. (pause to laugh and tell me "careful what you wish for!") Oh, and I also really want to ride an elephant.
I am overwhelmingly excited to experience and immerse myself in such a unique and vibrant culture, and to share that experience with you through this blog. I promise to take lots of pictures and update as often as possible so you know I'm alive and well!
Let the journey begin
A
