The 1 Month Hurdle

WOOHOO!!  I’ve officially survived 1 month in India!  This is the hardest thing EVER!

...is the reaction I thought I would have had at this point in time.  Before coming here, I felt like this would be a milestone of sorts.  Mostly because after a “typical” stay of 3 weeks, I was usually uber ready to go back to America because of the luxuries of everyday life there (reliable electricity, hot water on demand, people speaking English...).  This time, however, things are different.

To my surprise, I actually feel very comfortable here, and I think a three month stay won’t be difficult (no, don’t worry, I’m not going to move here anytime soon!).  India's "modernization" in the last decade has been astounding, and they now enjoy most of the same comforts we do in America, so the electricity/water/language barrier doesn't really affect outsiders like me much.

Also, I haven’t gotten tired of Indian food twice a day, which I owe in part to my cousin Shilpi who I stayed with in New Delhi.  She made sure to whip up other types of food like a yummy broccoli casserole and the best falafel I’ve had in my entire life!  An occasional taste of food from back home is enough to last a good while.  I’ve also been lucky enough to usually get food that isn’t too spicy, but when it is spicy, I just man up and eat it, which basically involves minimizing the chewing and swallowing large pieces as quickly as possible.  And, to my surprise, my stomach hasn’t gotten sick (yet), although I’m starting to get more daring with what I eat (I’m trying to build up to monkey brains like they had in Temple of Doom), so it’s probably just a matter of time.

Touring Lucknow in style

Being here has also been easy because I’m very excited about the work I’m doing, and I’m having a lot of fun doing it (I’ll blog about that soon, I promise!).  I’m also eager to start my travelling phase of this trip.  Until now, I was visiting family or sightseeing around the cities I’ve been staying in (New Delhi and Lucknow).  From now on, I’m going to try to spend most weekends (at least the weekends where both Saturday and Sunday are free) to explore various parts of India, mostly those that I can reach via an overnight train, which means travelling around my Mom’s state of Uttar Pradesh (U.P.).  Luckily, U.P. has a lot to see, including the Taj Mahal, so I won’t run out of places to visit anytime soon.  And, considering my sense of direction, I’ll probably get lost more than once, so that should make for an interesting time!

Touring New Delhi with my travel companion, Chick

Thankfully, I'm really looking forward to being in India for two more months.  I imagine after that time I'll be glad to go back home and see my friends (and most excitedly, a soon to be nephew!), but I'm definitely going to miss being in a new place where even people watching offers up a unique perspective on a different culture.