One of the greatest things about traveling and living in a new place is its ability to take your breath away with an unfamiliar beauty. When I first arrive somewhere new, I have a tendency to see the world through rose-colored glasses. The sky seems bluer, the water clearer, the people more fascinating. And then … Continue reading
I’m pretty sure it’s a sin and I’m fairly embarrassed to admit it, but before I came to India I had never seen a Bollywood movie. The closest I’d come is the final dance number in Slumdog Millionaire and somehow I don’t really think that qualifies. So when our program planned an outing for us … Continue reading
“We’ll be having a guest for dinner tomorrow night,” Baba told us last week. “He’s a very famous international consultant and will be staying with us because he has a speech in Pune tomorrow.” Baba didn’t tell us too much beyond that, just that this consultant had met Barack Obama, he would be coming the … Continue reading
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
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 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
“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
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
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
“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
Home&Away 