One of the things I am always most nervous about when I travel is if I’ll be able to find gluten-free food and whether or not people will understand me when I ask for it. Going to India has been no different. During our first week at the hotel I had a pretty difficult time … Continue reading
Category Archives: India
“Have you read that article about Pune?”
Since the article was published on CNN.com a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been asked this question a dozen times. It seems like everyone in Pune has read it and I watched as the article spread like wildfire across my social media sites last week when I had internet access. In the article, a girl … Continue reading
India / Other / Southeast Asia
Aai and Baba
Last Wednesday night most of the members of our group waited anxiously outside the entrance to Hotel Raviraj to meet their host parents. We will call them aai (mom) and baba (dad) for the rest of the program. Although I wouldn’t meet my host family until Friday, I joined the other students on the steps … Continue reading
Stop and Stare…and take a Picture
Before our trip to the caves this past week, Kelsey (our student ambassador) took a few minutes to talk to us about visiting our first truly “touristy” site. “You will get stared at,” she told us bluntly. “And people may want to take pictures with you.” She explained that it was up to each of … Continue reading
The Woman in the Green Sari
The woman knelt down at the entrance to the temple. At exactly the point where the concrete pattern changed, she took to her knees in her beautiful green silk sari. She pressed her palms together in front of her chest and closed her eyes in a moment of intense inward focus and then she began … Continue reading
India / Other / Southeast Asia
The Straw
“You want to ride the camel?” Sheetal asked, gesturing towards the tan animal kneeling on the side of the Pune street. I hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether feelings from my first traumatic horse experience would resurface faced with the idea of mounting a new animal. When the feelings remained at bay something else … Continue reading
Tied a Rakhi
Tuesday was the holiday of Raksha Bandhan in India. It is a remembrance of an Indian queen who called on a Mongul king not to attack her people and instead to protect them. She sent the Mongul king a bracelet representing her love and prayers and by accepting it he was forever obligated to protect … Continue reading
Numbers, Numbers: 3 Things I’ve Learned People will Approach me for in India
1. To take a picture with me or of me. This hasn’t happened yet, but every day since we arrived we’ve been told that people will want to take pictures with us because we are Americans. As far as I can tell there’s no harm in it and our Maranthi teacher says they most likely … Continue reading
Ready for Rickshaw
“Here,” the driver said to us, tipping his head to his shoulder in the Indian version of a nod. The three of us looked out from beneath the black top of the tiny vehicle and quickly searched for the “Pantaloons” sign. Not seeing it immediately, we got out of the rickshaw, paid the fare and … Continue reading
Around the World This Week: Boston to Pune
I left Boston on August 16 in the evening for my three flights to Pune, India. Bidding my family goodbye, I dove into the TSA ocean at Logan airport. The flight from Boston to Paris went smoothly–only 5 and a half hours. As we took off from Boston the sun was glowing red, casting reflections … Continue reading
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