Right around this time in the program, with about one month to go, it seems like it is almost guaranteed that a person will be hit with homesickness. The newness and freshness of the first month has worn off, the excitement that you can now successfully catch a rickshaw, haggle for a kurta and walk … Continue reading
It was something that had been on my mind for a little while. I have wanted to get a nose piercing for a few years now, but generally when I considered it in the US, it turned into a quick internal discussion of pros and cons and I would talk myself out of it before … Continue reading
One of the first things I noticed about India (and Nepal for that matter) was the incredible amount of trash and waste lining the streets, overflowing from the dumpsters, being trifled through by stray dogs and carelessly tossed out of car windows by travelers. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that there … Continue reading
Most days I find that India has a lot more in common with America than it does different. Partly because I am coming from a western perspective and we have a tendency to think of India as “backwards,” I generally find myself pleasantly surprised by the freedoms people (esp. women) enjoy here. Seeing girls playing … Continue reading
After venturing to a bar with a slightly older, more techno- and strobe-light-oriented crowd the night before, I was relieved when the bar suggested that night was slower paced. One of the men staying at the hotel recommended a bar called “Ghetto” to us and asked if we would like to accompany him. It was … Continue reading
Pune to Mumbai The train from Pune to Mumbai was a little over four hours in the second seating compartment of a crowded Indian train. Second seating was the cheapest (yet still safest) choice we could make for transportation; our trip to Mumbai and back cost only 6 USD! We took our assigned seats in … Continue reading
Sitting on a friend’s lap on a stuffy, crowded Indian train for four hours. Sipping a glass of wine at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel as the sun sets over the bay. Falling asleep to the sound of a rattling fan in a room with no windows and no sheets on the bed. Looking up … Continue reading
On our final morning in Mumbai we decided to venture off the beaten path and seek out something Lonely Planet called “The Wall Project” or “The Wall of Mumbai.” “An artistic initiative similar to Berlin’s East Side Gallery, though without the 28 years of oppression and isolation,” Lonely Planet had called it. We didn’t know … Continue reading
The first Miss America of Indian descent was crowned just a few short days ago in the US. The news of her victory has taken the American media and the internet by storm. And no one seems to be afraid to say exactly how they feel about Nina Duvuluri’s triumph. Twitter Backlash I’m sure you’ve … Continue reading
After reading “the article” as we’ve come to refer to it, I was a little nervous about the final day of the Ganpati Festival. The American girl who wrote the article talked about her experience with men at the Pune Ganpati festival: feeling uncomfortable, not being able to dance in the crowd without being stared … Continue reading
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