Taj Mahal and other news!

Hello to all you lovely readers! It's about time I posted, so I figured I at least owe you some pictures of the Taj, which we visited on Sunday! It was really amazing to see; every part of it is so detailed and ornate, and it's majestic to behold. Unfortunately, my camera died once it came into sight, but I managed to get pictures with so many other people that it wasn't a problem. :)

 Julia, Syahirah and I wanted a jumping picture together...it ended up sort of working!

These are a bunch of the host siblings and students from Amity. This is such a sweet group of people! To our right it the Yamuna River.

After seeing the Taj, we had the opportunity to shop in the markets in Agra for about a half hour. That's right, we finally got to bargain - and it was even more fun than I expected! Shopkeepers quickly recognize that you are a foreigner, so they more than double the price; however, if you immediately insist on half the price or less, and then begin to walk away if they won't give you a deal, you can almost always haggle for a better deal. Using our limited Hindi to bargain also seemed to help and was a fun opportunity to use the language. :)

In other news:

- We have been going back to the Vidya and Child NGO! Our visits have been on Tuesdays and Fridays and will continue to be on those days until we leave. I have really enjoyed returning to the same group of kids twice a week, because we get to form relationships with the kids that last beyond one visit. :) I have really loved getting to hang out with one group of young girls in particular. This past Tuesday, a NSLI-Y student named Jenna taught the kids how to square dance while another NSLI-Y student, Lea, played her fiddle for them. Afterward, we broke into small groups and taught them educational English songs - i.e. Hokey Pokey, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, etc. Julia and I were in one group and had so, so much fun with them. :)

- Our music teacher has taught us three Hindi songs so far! She is also very keen on making each person sing alone, to ensure that we know the notes...we will also be performing a Punjabi dance for the founder of the school soon. I knew I would be stepping out of my box in India, but I didn't realize it would be in this way. ;)

- Interesting fact about Hindi: the word for "yesterday" and "tomorrow" is the same: kal. कल When I learned that, I was confused; how can that be? Does that never become a problem in communicating if something already happened or will happen? As one of our Hindi teachers reminded us, however, language is a reflection of culture. "Yesterday and tomorrow are the same for us," he said, "because we believe all we have is today." I've been finding so much truth in that, especially over this past week. It's a treasure I've begun to understand in India but one that transcends culture and country: to be fully available and alive in the present moment, and to refuse to let it be stolen by regrets of the past or anxieties about the future. Not only is all we have today; all we have is this very moment. How beautiful a challenge it is to flourish in it!

Thanks again for reading! Hope you all are doing well!

Saturday - quite the adventure!

On Saturday the NSLI-Y students and their host siblings had the chance to help at an NGO in Noida called Vidya and Child, which is essentially a school that provides education to impoverished children who otherwise can't afford it. The organization provides non-formal education for younger children and later prepares them to eventually attend a university. 

I've read a few books and pieces of writing from the perspective of underprivileged children or adults, and it was always really interesting to me, to view what we Americans must look like in their eyes..entering from our lives of comfort into impoverished areas for a day of charity. You know? So going to this NGO, I was a bit conflicted (though so, so, so excited), but it turned out to be an incredible day from which I learned, and am still learning, so much.

The school is in the midst of a very poor area in Noida, just beyond a densely packed market with living quarters and small stores shoulder to shoulder. Once we reached the school premises, we stood in a narrow hallway to hear a bit of its history: how it began with a girl teaching her maid, and then grew and officially became a school free of charge for those in need of education. After splitting into groups of three, with a few Amity students to translate (in my group was Syahirah, Jabari and I with Sara and Khushi), we visited a classroom of kids to interact with them. While they looked at first to be around ages 5 or 6, most were 9 or 10 years old, even 12.

Syahirah and I struggled through broken Hindi to ask simple questions to a particular group of around six very sweet kids. After asking them their names, ages and favorite subjects, we asked if they like to sing, and they began to sing for us. :) At one point the whole class joined in, forming a circle and swinging their hands (us included) as they sang the first verse of "Hum Honge Kaamyab" - We Shall Overcome. They had so much hope in their voices as they sang, "We will overcome, we will overcome, we will overcome one day" - "Hum honge kaamyab, hum honge kaamyab, hum honge kaamyab, ek din." What innocent, beautiful smiles they had on their faces, even though I know they've had to endure and overcome so many incredibly difficult things already, at their young age.

We sang happy birthday to one of the girls, we played hand games with them (sort of like Patty Cake I would assume?..except the lyrics were in Hindi and it ended by saying "Namaste," so maybe not like it at all), we listened to them sing and read what they were learning in school and we asked them everything we knew in Hindi. The kids I interacted with most wrote their names on a piece of paper for me, as well, as a way for me to remember them. :) I didn't take pictures in the classroom because I didn't want the camera to become too much of a distraction, but I'm really glad I got their names, in their handwriting as well!

The pictures did of course come, and to a point I'm grateful for that, so I can share what we saw. So many people took photos, so I'll share them when I get them later on. Below is part of the sweet class we were with.

I know this is a really blurry photo, but it's the only one I got!..so I have to share it anyways. :)

Somehow we said goodbye, and then walked to a bigger room where we listened to the stories of three young adults who started out without access to education, came to this NGO, and now are on their way to successful universities and occupations. The last girl who shared, Asha, was quite shy, but after wiping away a tear she told us her story. When she was younger, her brothers went to school but her parents told her she had to stay home because she was a girl; when they found out about Vidya and Child, and that the school had night classes for those who have to work in the daytime, she began coming, and became very successful. 

It began to rain, so we stayed under the cover and listened to several Indian boys sing in Hindi for us. Two girls, Sangeeta and Lata, taught several of us a typical Indian dance. Then we all went out into the rain, in a circle, and sang Ring Around The Rosie. :)

A really cute little boy there. He seemed to like the rain a lot!

Little did we know that we would be getting so, so much wetter than from dancing in the rain! As we began to leave we ventured through the same narrow streets we first entered through; now, however, it was flooded. A mixture of sewer water and rain water was about a foot high, and we trudged through it leaving the area. As Khushi put it, "I've never had so much fun walking through sewer water." :) It's hard to believe (but necessary to realize) that while these conditions were foreign to us, they were home for so many others. Though maybe not always to this extent, the people who live there endure this all throughout monsoon season. This occasion stood out to us because of it's filth, inconvenience and general craziness, but it's actually their reality...and there's a weird tension in that relationship that I'm still sorting through.

The monsoon caused a pretty bad traffic jam on the way home, and it ended up taking us about three hours to reach the house! Honestly though, I didn't mind at all. :) It's all part of the experience!

Shukriya for reading! We're going to the Taj Mahal this Sunday, so I'll be sure to post again pretty soon!

Update. :)

Today, a girl at school asked me if it was hard being in a foreign country. To my surprise, the question made me stop and think. It wasn't the inquiry itself, but the word "foreign." I've been here for two and a half weeks now, and I can't decide if it's gone insanely quick or at a pretty moderate pace. As much as one can in two and a half weeks, I've grown familiar with India...a foreign country? Perhaps; granted, I still gape at the cows roaming the streets, and I still forget that nobody wears a seatbelt here, and my eyes still become fountains when I eat things with more spice than actual food. In these instances, sometimes I feel I'll never not be a foreigner; but beyond that, l I love it here, and in so many ways it feels like I'm finding a piece of home. 

Before I came, my grandpa arranged for Taylor and I to meet with a kind Indian lady just to chat with her and ask her questions about India. The whole conversation was very interesting, but one thing she said has been cemented in my mind: "I've found that part of me is awake in India but sleeping in America, and part of me is awake in America but sleeping in India." That claim intrigued me, and I've carried it with me throughout my trip so far.

I've found that I feel so at home here, not as a replacement of America but as a place to be alive in a whole new way. Perhaps that is why traveling is seen so often as intriguing and revitalizing; as we become parts of a different country, we discover unique ways in which we come alive. To our surprise, small pieces of ourselves find a home in a "foreign" place. It's not that we're finding a new home, per say; rather, we're finding that opportunities for life and joy infiltrate the whole earth, that our opportunity for being at home extend to different countries and lifestyles and people. No, our home is not changing...it's merely widening. And that's a beautiful thing.

Moving on to a weekly update! :)

- On Sunday evening we celebrated baba's birthday (which was on Monday) at a really nice buffet restaurant. The servers all sang to him in Hindi and clapped and lit the candles on a cake. Though baba made me eat three breakfasts on Sunday morning (he kept making me try everything, and then dadi would bring more and more out!), he's very interesting, has a great sense of humor and loves teaching me new things in Hindi...I really enjoy chatting with him. This evening he told me that he's decided that I'm staying in India and not going back.:) He's very sweet. 

- I tried jaal jeera! It's a drink made essentially of sugar, spices (not just the flavorful kind, the hot kind), water, lemon and homemade chutney. I wasn't crazy about it but it wasn't awful, and I think because it was such a typical Indian drink I was just excited to try it. :)

- It's now a well-established fact among dadi and mami that I really like chai! I asked dadi (in Hindi, hurray!) to teach me and she did, so that was very exciting. She told me that I have to teach my whole family back home to make and drink chai and I told her I definitely would!

- I've been talking to people on the bus! Beforehand, I pretty much looked out the window and took pictures or talked to Khushi, which was all great as well. As of this week though, I've begun chatting with other people as well, including a whole group of younger girls. They're really sweet and curious, and very intelligent as well. One girl, around 10 years old, said something like, "Why do we have so many wars with countries? I like all the countries. Why can't we have a big world friendship?" A child's perspective is always invaluable.

- We had art class again on Thursday and we made tile sort of things, and then painted them today. One of the neatest parts was the sink where you washed your hands. :) ...it was so high up! In the picture is a girl named Taylor. :)

The NSLI-Y group. From left front, back and to the right in the picture above is: Leah, Jenna, Julia, John Henry, Miriam, Daniel, William, Syahira, Caitlin, Jabari, Kendra, Paulina, Maddie, Esther, Taylor, and Gretchen. We're missing Greta and Kristen because they were sick; unfortunately, quite a few NSLI-Y kids have been getting sick this week.

- This week has been huge in increasing and deepening our Hindi skills; I've really been trying to speak the little Hindi I know as much as I can, and my host family has really been helping me as well. Solely because I studied the alphabet before I arrived, I was put into an advanced group of six or so others for extra grammar lessons in Hindi. We had our first lesson today and it was challenging, slightly confusing and very enlightening. :) While I certainly don't know as much as the rest of the group, I think it will help me understand the language so much better, and I'm thrilled for the challenge of it.

I'm so excited to continue my journey here! Dhanyavad for reading, for your prayers and for the comments as well!

First full week!

Hello to my lovely readers! My first full week in India is now over and it's been quite challenging, eye-opening and wonderful. 

- First things first - I said in an earlier post that I would be attending a wedding on Thursday. However, it was in the morning (as apparently most South Indian weddings are) and my teachers at school said that attendance to Hindi classes was mandatory...so I wasn't able to go, unfortunately. :( Nonetheless, we went to a "sangit" (Hindi for music) on Wednesday evening, which is essentially a bachelorette party where the females eat, talk, dance, and most importantly, get their hands painted with mehndi.

The bride, Shivani, was very sweet, especially considering a stranger like me attended an event so personal to her! She let me take a picture of the mehdni, which she had from her fingertips to elbows and from her toes to mid-calf. She sat for hours to get it done, and then couldn't let it touch anything for another few hours while it dried.

I also had mehndi done, to my right hand, which was really exciting because it was one of my secret wishes in coming to India. (My other is to ride an elephant.:)) Weddings are pretty much three-day events here, so on Friday we attended the wedding reception! 

We arrived around 8:30 and stayed until around 11:30 or so. Everything was so colorful...and loud! Traditional Indian drummers began playing a beat on the dance floor and soon everyone was dancing. I was very reluctantly pulled into the craziness by one of my host-relatives, and then I stayed because I figured a) I would never see most of these people again and b) how often will I be at an Indian wedding? ;) Several younger girls and one boy loved to dance, so I danced with them and ended up having a surprisingly great (and very embarrassing) time.:)

The food at the wedding was also very good, of course - I had Tikka, Paneer Tikka, Chilla, and something else that was filled with chickpeas and water. After the wedding, "bua" and "fufu," their aunt and uncle who I mentioned in a previous post, came over to talk. They again asked me many, many questions (Why did you choose India? Do families in America eat as many sweets as Indians do here?), and I really enjoy chatting with them so it was a pleasure! They ended up leaving around 1:30 in the morning. Something I'm noticing about Indians is that they love to spend time together; they simply enjoy being with and around each other. They will spend hours chatting and laughing and not see it as a waste of time, whereas in America it seems that we're prone to feeling like that is inefficient. It's a really interesting and beautiful thing to see.

Little things:

- Every vegetable I eat leaves a neon green sort of oil at the end. My motto for food in India is "don't ask, just eat" but I'm pretty curious. The color honestly looks like it could glow in the dark.;)

- I've joined Khushi's basketball class for the summer - not in any way because of the sport, but to get to know other Indians, get exercise, and spend time with Khushi. I'm quite terrible so far but we have it several times a week, so I'll have to at least improve a bit. :)

- Hindi is a confusing language. For example, this is the transliteration (from Hindi script to phonetic English) of four distinct, very apparently different characters: da, dha, da, dha. There's also ta, ta, tha, and tha. No, that isn't a typo! And yes, the "da" and "da" are pronounced very differently, as are the "dha" and "dha" which are difficult because unlike English, where this would be a silent "h," you have to breathe out and roll your tongue when saying it. If you're sitting there reading this and trying it (please do - you'll get a good laugh), best of luck to you! ;)

- There are cows. Cows EVERYWHERE. Outside my house, in the street, near the shops. There are also street dogs and hogs. Unfortunately, I've only seen two monkeys from afar and no elephants so far. But I'll keep you posted. ;)

On a more serious note:

The bus ride to school is one of my favorite parts of the day. It's fascinating, and I'm absolutely captured by every scene I see. There are ads and billboards everywhere. Half of them celebrate "rapid industrialization" or "India's first corporate city!" I've begun to pay attention to them, because how advertisers market products and ideals to their customers speaks quite loudly about what the public craves and is interested by. I'm so grateful to live in a nice area, because it's very safe, but at the same time, India is a country with far greater depth than their wealthy class. While so many value the construction, the progress, the modernization and Westernization, there remains a beautifully terrible clash between deep, vast poverty and the high rise buildings. 

I'm beginning to love not the shiny progress of corporal India but the humble pain of those hidden behind the tall buildings, in their ramshackle slum villages and tents and quasi-houses. This poverty is so real. It's dirty, it's frustrating, it's heartbreaking. And here, it's completely normal and accepted, which is probably what is the toughest for me. I haven't seen beyond the surface of it, and I'm helpless before it. There are shacks leaning on rickety wood sticks, draped with sheets and newspapers and tarp. There are strips of slums just beyond mountains of garbage. There are families picking through and living in the garbage, by the occasional pig that roams there. Often when we stop the car in traffic there is someone who taps on the car windows to beg; one lady unveiled her baby from behind her sari so I would see. I know I've read that when they beg, they often bring a baby because they get more money from sympathy; I don't know how accurate that is, and I don't want to make assumptions. Nonetheless, I couldn't believe I was actually seeing it happen. These are not romanticized charity cases. These are people, real people, just like me and just like you. This is a rugged, broken lifestyle that tugs at the roots of reality and hints at a deep mystery - why does such widespread, complex poverty continue, and why is it accepted simply as a way of life for those born into it? Moreover, how can it be redeemed? I have so many questions. I only hope in the next 5 weeks, I'll understand their answers a bit more.

Thank you for reading my ramblings. :) Any and all of your prayers are so appreciated! Love you guys! :)

A lovely first few days.

Namaste! I'm sorry this post is late!

First: a picture from the welcoming orientation on Thursday! Sorry it's so blurry! We're wearing traditional Indian welcoming garlands. From right to left, not counting myself: Paulina, Maddie, Taylor, Greta, and Esther. :) It's a wonderful group of people we have on this trip.

Now - our first day of school, as well as our first day of Hindi lessons in school. It was both exciting and overwhelming at the same time. My family is so supportive of my relatively feeble attempts and common mistakes I make when trying out Hindi words. :)

Dadi (grandma) suggested that I write down everything I eat in my notebook, and she's always teaching me a new word or how to say what I'm eating. I feel so incredibly blessed to be with the family I am with. I specifically remember praying for a family I could truly laugh with, and there has been so much laughter in the family so far.

That afternoon we went to the recreation center to swim with Khushi and Arnav. Khushi let me borrow her bathing suit and swim cap (swim caps are required for the pools), and we had a lot of fun seeing who could hold their breath longest and racing. :) I taught them Marco Polo, and then Arnav came up with a game that was essentially tag, but in the pool. He is such a cute kid with so much personality - he's always making us laugh. Today he asked: "Do cars have lights in America?" Haha. Yes. :) Some things and longings are globally widespread, I'm finding; both materially and ingrained in all humanity alike.

After dinner, mami told me that "fufu" and "bua" (uncle and aunt) were coming. I thought for sure she meant tomorrow, but right around 11 pm they walked in the room, sat down on the bed and began chatting. They were both wonderful to talk to, and we all talked until 2 am since it isn't a school night. They asked so much about America: are there arranged marriages? What has been the difference I've noticed in Americans and Indians? What do most Americans think of Barack Obama? Is cricket popular in America? Do American movies and TV shows accurately portray America? What would I would like to do while I'm in India? When I couldn't really answer that question specifically, they all began to talk in Hindi enthusiastically to brainstorm and made a list of places we should go. :)

The Khan Market was one of them, and we went there on Saturday. Apparently it is one of the nicest markets in Asia. Mami told me that she would take me to their local market sometime, so I could see the "real India" - and I'm so looking forward to that. I want to see nothing less than every ounce of the "real India"; we fool ourselves in any country to think that there is no dirt and grime in the reality beyond the surface of our surroundings.

Before the Khan Market, we went to see India Place, as well as the President's home.

The family has a shop in the Khan Market, and while we waited at the end of the night there, Arnav made me a picture on paint. The "o" in my name is Hugo, their beloved dog who is treated as part of the family, and Arnav added "didi" to my name because that's what he calls me (as well as Khushi). "Didi" is a word the younger brother uses with the elder sister's name. :)

Also, a quick update on today: I bought my first (hopefully of many) kurta, which I personally think it pretty exciting. :) I needed it for a wedding we're going to on Thursday if I can get out of classes, so I'll wear it then.

Love you all! I'll post more soon!

Namaste! I have arrived in India. :)

Namaste to everyone reading this blog! :) My name is Holly (in Hindi: mera nam holly hai) and I am studying Hindi and learning the Indian culture for six weeks in Noida, India on a scholarship with the NSLI-Y program. I'm so thrilled to have this opportunity, and my time here has just begun. :) If you're reading this, thank you so much for keeping up with me.

Warning: the first few posts will likely be very long and detailed, so bear with me. :)

First, the plane ride. The flight to India was 15 hours; all I could think about was meeting my family. After the first 7 hours, I finally fell in and out of sleep; we had Indian food for dinner, snack and breakfast, and it was really delicious. :) One dish was quite spicy; my eyes began watering, my throat, burning, but thankfully they served plain yogurt with both meals and that certainly helped to calm it down!

After going through customs in the Indian airport, we walked outside to wait for our families. That was when the first tangible wave of India hit us: the thick heat, the strong smell, the constant honking of crazy taxis and rickshaws. There were Indian officials in uniform walking around everywhere we could see. We waited for around five minutes before I saw Khushi (my host sister), Arnav (my host brother) and Ruchika (my host mom)! I greeted them with "Namaste" and gave them all hugs, and Khushi handed me a lovely little basket with purple flowers, as well as a wrapped gift. They insisted on taking my bags and luggage, and we walked to wait for a taxi to drive us to their home.

First thing I learned about India: you don't wear seatbelts in the car, you don't follow traffic rules or stay in lanes, and honking is always an appropriate default response on the road! :)

My host family's home is absolutely beautiful. I'm not sure about posting or taking too many photos, but it is the most gorgeous traditional Indian home I could imagine. There are curtains acting as or in front of nearly every door. There is a room for my host grandmother's morning and evening pooja prayers. After meeting my host grandma (who doesn't speak Hindi, but is being patient with me; I was told to call her dadi) and host dad (Neeraj, or papi) I was told to sit down for food: a fruit drink, cake, canteloupe, spicy chips (sort of) and strong salsa, small jam sandwiches and muffins. Everything was absolutely delicious!

My room is beautiful as well! I have a balcony with a view of India outside: people are constantly in the streets, whether it be someone driving a car, using a bike, a motorbike, or walking, and everywhere you look there are people behind stands selling their goods - mangoes, pottery, clothing, small flowers, etc. Even as I sit here typing this in my room, I can hear honking. It certainly is the signature sound of India. :)

I woke the next morning for my first day with my family; although typically Arnav and Khushi have school, and mami has work, today they were all kind enough to take the day off to spend it with me.:) When I woke up, Pooja, one of their young maids, was sweeping my balcony. I truly hope I can speak with her (and the other maid) more when I learn more Hindi, because she doesn't speak English. Having others serve me, both the maids and the family, is definitely an adjustment I'm struggling to grow accustomed to.

This morning I played a sports video game with Arnav and Ruchika. After that mami took me to her office (of the family light business) to show me around; it was very nice! As we sat in her office she and I were served chai, and it was of course delicious. :) We came home and I played a game with Arnav and Khushi that is similar to the American game Sorry. Arnav gets very competitive and they all get very into the game, so it was fun to laugh with them. :)

For lunch we had homemade chapati with yellow curry over white rice and pickled mangoes and lemons (it seems like pretty much anything can be pickled here). It was delicious! :) Dadi let me roll one of the chapati out - a real privilege, because my help in the kitchen is not encouraged - and she said that I rolled it out almost as well as she does. :) 

After lunch, I chatted with Arnav, mami and Khushi for a while and then watched a movie with Arnav and Khushi. Then they took me to the recreation center where Arnav plays cricket and Khushi plays basketball and swims. Before we left we went to a cafe to drink coconut water (served in coconuts :); then we headed home. Before dinner, we walked to the temple the family usually goes to.

When we arrived at the temple, I was told to take off my shoes and wash my hands. When you walk through entrance rooms, a tradition is to ring the bells hanging from the ceiling. Arnav and Khushi showed me all of the idols, which represent gods and goddesses for Hindus, and explained the story behind all they knew. Khushi said the idols' clothing, which is very ornate, is changed weekly.

Leaving the temple, the priest gave me a mango as a blessing, as well as a tikka (not sure of the smelling), a small, dark orange dot on my forehead. We drank holy water out of our right hands and ate something very sweet - it tasted like rock candy - before leaving. 

Upon arriving home, Khushi and Arnav's tutor was waiting for them. He comes every night for an hour; many Indian students have "tuition" (pronounced "tooshon") as extra studies. He helped them with math and science and even gave me a few problems to try. :) Afterward, we had dinner (at around 9:30 - we eat very late here!) - I forget what it was called, but it was a South Indian dish! Arnav told me that mami is the "best cook in the whole world." :)

The little things I'm learning about India are the ones that are molding my perspective and understanding the most. :) There are many different types of mangoes, and summer is mango season; the wall plugs are different here than in America; you never wear a seatbelt; you have to take off your shoes and wear house slippers when you come home; watermelon is incredibly different here...my mami added some sort of spice that gives it a very pungent flavor; homemade chai tea is very popular; Indians never shake their heads yes or no, they just bobble it left and right (what AFS students at orientation called "the Indian head bobble"); and, just as I had heard before, saying thank you is considered unnecessary, even unwanted. It's a mutual expectation and appreciation that goes unvoiced; to say "thank you" is somewhat like saying, "Wow, I didn't expect you to do that!" Nonetheless, it's one of the only words I have learned well so far: Dahnyavad. I have used it far too often, according to dadi and my family, because I'm part of the family and my thanks should go unsaid, they're being kind as I learn to express my appreciation in other ways than words.

I'm so incredibly grateful as I learn to adjust to Indian ways and traditions to have a host family who is welcoming, friendly, and enjoys laughing. :) Though I miss my family so much, I feel so blessed to be a part of this family! I have to keep reminding myself that God has gone before me to prepare my way, and that He'll stay with me and guide me all along it. The challenge is not to learn the culture, but to thrive in it; not to witness how my host family lives this culture but to live it with them, and understand how it shapes their mindset and life. The challenge is to be fully present in India in the midst of homesickness. The challenge is to remember and stay firmly who I am, with what and who I believe and value, while at the same time embracing this culture and letting it shape and change me. It would be a shame if my time in India did not sculpt and challenge my heart, as I know it will, for the better.

Tomorrow is my first day of school, though it will be a bit out of the ordinary because we have a welcoming orientation. I am so, so excited to start learning Hindi and communicating with my host family and others in the language! Dahnyavad to everyone reading this blog; I'm so glad I'm able to show you the beautiful country and wonderful family I have been experiencing for the last few days. :)

It's all happening so quickly!

A week from tomorrow I will be in India. Oh my goodness.