For this first blog post, I will be telling you a little about my experience so far in India with the University of California Education Abroad Program and IES Abroad.
…But getting there becomes a complication:
Getting to India
It’s a few days before my flight is scheduled to depart from Los Angeles, it has been almost five weeks since I last saw my passport, and the idea of getting to India looks slimmer and slimmer by the day.
After two-hour-long call waiting times to the consulate that either never gets picked up or as they do get transferred in a vicious cycle, and a futile trip to San Francisco that left me wondering if they had lost my passport, I get my first glimpse into the world of India.
(Granted, generally consulates are not always the most customer service friendly.)
Fortunately, after rescheduling my flight twice, I can gladly say I have made it to Delhi and have been here for almost a month now.
Curious Welcoming
As I looked back, we made eye contact, he slowed down and looked at me as if he was calling me into an unknown abyss.
The moment seemed to last forever as I arrived to the guest house for the first time and walked up to the door that will be home for the next four and a half months. I noticed a man riding his bicycle with an unusual character riding on the area designated as a bike rack. It was a small monkey.
I can remember it vividly, as if it was a mystical welcoming and foretelling of things to come.
Getting Directions
“Lajpat Nagar? Where?”
He thinks for a moment. Prepares his words in English and utters go straight, turn right at the stop light and then left, as he signals with his hands.
Ten minutes later we are lost.
We ask again.
We are told a different direction, after he thinks for a moment and prepares his words.
The moral of the story is that, well, I can not quite understand what it is. One thing for sure is that this is not a unique event. But as I have asked around and hypothesized, I believe what is happening is a combination of the culture not accepting “no” or “I don’t know” as an answer and people wanting to be helpful, especially when they get to attempt their English in front of a foreigner.
Although it is easy to appreciate their helpfulness, no longer will I know whether anyone knows for sure their way around Delhi.
Rule of thumb given to me by an Indian lady: Ask three people, combine, and hope for the best.
Or use Google Maps.
Jim Corbett National Park
Our first trip outside Delhi was to Jim Corbett National Park. On the itinerary was a Tiger safari as well as a separate safari on the back of an elephant. The abundance of monkeys was a delightful surprise.
The following morning, following a six hour “off road” adventure in a small bus on some of the bumpiest roads I have encountered with no heed to the fact that we were in a bus and no longer in a small car weaving through Delhi traffic (at one point I must have gotten over a foot of airtime as I hit my head on the roof), we were off to an early morning just in time to see the leopards and tigers who are active when it is dark.
Unfortunately, no tigers or leopards were seen (although it was a beautiful park), but we still had an elephant safari to look forward to. This ended up being an enjoyable ride and we got to hang out with the elephants before and after.
Lastly, a village across the way left us feeling magical. The children playing, cows grazing, families sitting by the fire and all the colors of their clothes left out to dry made for a memorable ending to our trip.
‘Till next time.
* For more information on myself and this blog, check out the ‘About Me‘ page in the left column at the top of this page. *
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