A week later, and I’m finally all settled in... and have access to internet! This week has been somewhat overwhelming so I’m going to try to focus on the most important/interesting parts, starting with Orientation.
The first few days were rough. I left the U.S. Sunday night and did not go to bed until Tuesday morning, India time, around 1am. We left Mumbai the same morning to head to orientation at Durshet Forest Lodge. It was a cool little “resort” in the woods somewhere between Mumbai and Pune. We all stayed in bungalows (pictured below) that reminded me of my parent’s cabin back in Maine, but much damper. The monsoons came late this year, but they’re here now! Everything in Durshet was wet/damp - our towels, our clothes, beds, shoes, everything. Besides the moisture, orientation was my first introduction to many small changes I’d be facing. For example, I will be showering by bucket bath for the next 4 months! Luckily, my home-stay has hot water, which Durshet did not even though they claimed to in the mornings.
The first few days were rough. I left the U.S. Sunday night and did not go to bed until Tuesday morning, India time, around 1am. We left Mumbai the same morning to head to orientation at Durshet Forest Lodge. It was a cool little “resort” in the woods somewhere between Mumbai and Pune. We all stayed in bungalows (pictured below) that reminded me of my parent’s cabin back in Maine, but much damper. The monsoons came late this year, but they’re here now! Everything in Durshet was wet/damp - our towels, our clothes, beds, shoes, everything. Besides the moisture, orientation was my first introduction to many small changes I’d be facing. For example, I will be showering by bucket bath for the next 4 months! Luckily, my home-stay has hot water, which Durshet did not even though they claimed to in the mornings.
While in Durshet, we spent all day in different orientation sessions (health, safety, academics, culturally appropriate behavior, spoken Marathi, etc. etc.) and then we would break for meals and tea. We were fed Punjabi food which is what you normally get when you go out for Indian in the U.S. It’s much heavier and more difficult to digest which I didn’t learn until we got to Pune. A lot of it was also way too spicy. I tried the tomato and spinach soups and couldn’t even tell that’s what they were because all I tasted was hot, liquid spices.
We finally got some exercise Thursday morning when we trekked up to a tribal village near Durshet. I have never seen anything so beautiful. The monsoons make the land so lush and green - it was incredible. We passed a few rice paddies on the way up, and encountered more at the village. One of the village women even showed us how to grind the rice into flour, and how to pound a different kind of rice to remove the shells (pictured below). I tried to savor the fresh air and peaceful views, as I knew I’d be thrown into the city’s chaos very soon.
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