Namaste!

Greetings from India!

I first have to apologize to all those lovely, important people in my life who haven’t heard any news on my whereabouts in the last two weeks! Things have been complicated - the really unstable internet connection compounded with my general laziness has made this post a long time coming!

We are staying at a place called Visthar 16km north of Bangalore. Visthar is a Non-Profit Organization which typically hosts groups of students or professionals for their various events. Our relationship with the entire campus is very intimate – we eat all of our meals in a large common room, take-in lectures in classrooms, pay our phone bills at the finance building, research in the on-campus library, and do everything else in our dormitories. I stay with one other girl (Jessica from Concordia, Moorhead) in a room that is nicer than any of my college dorm rooms, hands down. Each room has its own bathroom equipped with a shower! Just whenever we want a hot shower, we have to flip a switch 10 minutes beforehand to turn-on the water heater.

Bangalore is a pretty incredible place to call home. It is dubbed “The Silicon Valley of India” due to large international investment into the technologies industry. This translates into a city with abounding wealth and a lot of diversity. On a few occasions, we have been able to travel (via Visthar bus) into the city to get acquainted with our new college town. A book store and coffee/chocolate shop have already been located! All of our outings are tailored to give a unique cultural perspective. We are challenged not only with the basic navigating of the city, but also to thoughtfully process more than the superficial. My attendance at a lot of these group activities has been very low, so I might be just vague on specific tours taken and sites seen. I was out for almost 8 days with a pretty nasty upset stomach. I did manage to travel with the group for two days to Mysore, a city southwest of Bangalore, but I only saw the ceiling of my room for that trip. It has been really heartbreaking to miss those group bonding activities and witnessing India the way I had initially hoped and expected. I was under the weather while immersed in a completely different culture, on the total opposite side of the world from all the remedies I was familiar with, yet I was still comforted. There is something to say for the people here in India and with me on the trip. Without knowing me, people were willing to do whatever they could to bring me a little more comfort. It was really touching – I am so appreciative of countless people. It’s a little overwhelming!

I hope you are all enjoying the wonderful fall weather wherever you may be. Those turning leaves, apple treats, crisp nights, football games, and hot drinks – nah, I don’t miss it at all! (well, maybe just a little). Good luck with all you do, and I hope to hear from you all soon.