So after posting something about the tribal village visit, I thought maybe posting about what a typical Friday here is like would help understand what I'm up to here in India!
I wake up every day at 5am (don't ask me why... I've just gotten used to it, even if I end up sleeping at 130am)
I take my time getting ready. Turning the bath water on and waiting for it to get hot, as well as for the bucket to fill up takes a total of 15 minutes. After taking my bath, I settle down with some chai and do last minute homework or reading.
I leave the apartment at 750am. Unlike other people, I live SUPER close to where the program center and classes are so it's about a 5 minute walk for me. Once I get there, I have breakfast with all the other students.
At 8:15am I have to speed walk over to my first class at 830- environmental perspectives. This professor hates people being late so we literally have to race the professor to class (not joking).
Straight from environmental, I head over to Development Economics at 10:15am. This is my 2nd favorite class and it always seems as though the time goes by super quick. Today, our professor ended the lecture about a half hour early so we could spend the rest of the time talking about food, music, and movies-- he gives the BEST recommendations for restaurants and other places to go to around Pune- for which we are very thankful!
From Development Economics, I head straight to my Social Justice class which ends at 1:30.
Normally we have lunch at this time. Today, however, we had birthday celebrations! On the last day of every month, my study abroad program celebrates all the birthdays in that month together. 6 mini cakes are bought and people take turns cutting them. We then had a delicious lunch- also bought by the program center. We had parathas, biryani, raitha & wait for it... a CADBY. What is a cadby you may ask? Well, the GREATEST chocolate shake I have ever had... sprinkled with oreo type pieces all throughout... it filled me right up. Glorious, I tell you.
After lunch on most Fridays, people go their separate ways and meet up later to go out and celebrate the start of the weekend. Today, we heard about an exhibition being hosted by 20 NGOs so a group of us decided to head over. After going on a mini shopping spree on the road where my college campus is, we went to the exhibition.
Though I was expecting a lot more people to be there, I had a good time walking around and seeing all the different types of work that local NGOs around here do. A lot of the NGOs present at the exhibition did some work relating to helping those that were physically and mentally disabled. The entire thing was put on by a woman named Veena, who I had the opportunity to meet. I asked her what inspired her to do all of this. And she told me that she does it all for her daughter, that she sadly lost one year ago. Puriva, her daughter, was a physically and mentally challenged child, who fought hard for her life, but ultimately lost the battle. Through this process, Veena was introduced to several organizations who worked with fighting disabilities and as a result, realized that these organizations were not reaching the common people. For this reason, she decided to create a platform to bring these NGOs together so that the people could truly see their work. After talking more with Veena, I walked around a bit more and found a small booth that was selling mini bags and decorations made by HIV positive women and children. I couldn't resist buying a beautiful blue bag & one of my friends got the prettiest peacock decorations :)
Then, I headed over to my yoga class that I have 3 times a week. Let me just say, I am so happy I am taking yoga with the instructor I have. She is extremely laid back but so on top of her stuff as well. Yoga is calming for me but is also a work out. I definitely am sweating by the end of the session. But it's an amazing feeling! At 615 I start walking back towards my apartment.
The walk back home is well lit and once it becomes dark, ALL the college students come out and start their weekend festivities and shopping also! This means it's the busiest time for all the street vendors. So my walk home is definitely not a boring one. I always stop to snoop around the little shops and take a closer look at all the beautiful little knick knacks I often see as I rush to class, my yoga class, or other meetings etc. I think perhaps my favorite thing about walking home is crossing the street-- not even joking. I've had some near death experiences seeing as how crossing the street here in India is an artform, but it's awesome weaving through all the two wheelers and cars and bike riders etc. Love it. I'm weird, I know.
So it's 730pm and now I'm home! Normally, I would be doing something with friends. However, I have to be up at 5am tomorrow for a environmental perspectives field trip to a national park. I will be staying there overnight and we have no idea as to what we are doing. Our professor insists on not giving us any information because he claims it will be a better experience that way. Thus, here I am, about to begin the midterm exam and essay I have due on Monday- as I will have no time to do them over the weekend. It's unfortunate, but I am strangely looking forward to this field trip. My environment professor is one of the most amusing individuals I have ever known- and he's also brilliant. It takes a little bit of time to understand what he's saying most of the time... but he's growing on me, as well as his class. He told us to be prepared to see snakes. And if we do see a snake, he told us to look it straight in the eye and smile. Once the snake sees our genuineness in our eyes, it won't do anything, apparently. In fact, according to the professor, any animal who can look into the eyes of a human and see that they are good will not harm them. Every animal except for a mosquito. And for this reason, he told us to bring our mosquito repellent. Hahah.
Sorry for two long posts! I will write an update on how the weekend trip went- and hopefully I will have lots of stories :)
Love,
Sai
I wake up every day at 5am (don't ask me why... I've just gotten used to it, even if I end up sleeping at 130am)
I take my time getting ready. Turning the bath water on and waiting for it to get hot, as well as for the bucket to fill up takes a total of 15 minutes. After taking my bath, I settle down with some chai and do last minute homework or reading.
I leave the apartment at 750am. Unlike other people, I live SUPER close to where the program center and classes are so it's about a 5 minute walk for me. Once I get there, I have breakfast with all the other students.
At 8:15am I have to speed walk over to my first class at 830- environmental perspectives. This professor hates people being late so we literally have to race the professor to class (not joking).
Straight from environmental, I head over to Development Economics at 10:15am. This is my 2nd favorite class and it always seems as though the time goes by super quick. Today, our professor ended the lecture about a half hour early so we could spend the rest of the time talking about food, music, and movies-- he gives the BEST recommendations for restaurants and other places to go to around Pune- for which we are very thankful!
From Development Economics, I head straight to my Social Justice class which ends at 1:30.
Normally we have lunch at this time. Today, however, we had birthday celebrations! On the last day of every month, my study abroad program celebrates all the birthdays in that month together. 6 mini cakes are bought and people take turns cutting them. We then had a delicious lunch- also bought by the program center. We had parathas, biryani, raitha & wait for it... a CADBY. What is a cadby you may ask? Well, the GREATEST chocolate shake I have ever had... sprinkled with oreo type pieces all throughout... it filled me right up. Glorious, I tell you.
After lunch on most Fridays, people go their separate ways and meet up later to go out and celebrate the start of the weekend. Today, we heard about an exhibition being hosted by 20 NGOs so a group of us decided to head over. After going on a mini shopping spree on the road where my college campus is, we went to the exhibition.
Though I was expecting a lot more people to be there, I had a good time walking around and seeing all the different types of work that local NGOs around here do. A lot of the NGOs present at the exhibition did some work relating to helping those that were physically and mentally disabled. The entire thing was put on by a woman named Veena, who I had the opportunity to meet. I asked her what inspired her to do all of this. And she told me that she does it all for her daughter, that she sadly lost one year ago. Puriva, her daughter, was a physically and mentally challenged child, who fought hard for her life, but ultimately lost the battle. Through this process, Veena was introduced to several organizations who worked with fighting disabilities and as a result, realized that these organizations were not reaching the common people. For this reason, she decided to create a platform to bring these NGOs together so that the people could truly see their work. After talking more with Veena, I walked around a bit more and found a small booth that was selling mini bags and decorations made by HIV positive women and children. I couldn't resist buying a beautiful blue bag & one of my friends got the prettiest peacock decorations :)
Then, I headed over to my yoga class that I have 3 times a week. Let me just say, I am so happy I am taking yoga with the instructor I have. She is extremely laid back but so on top of her stuff as well. Yoga is calming for me but is also a work out. I definitely am sweating by the end of the session. But it's an amazing feeling! At 615 I start walking back towards my apartment.
The walk back home is well lit and once it becomes dark, ALL the college students come out and start their weekend festivities and shopping also! This means it's the busiest time for all the street vendors. So my walk home is definitely not a boring one. I always stop to snoop around the little shops and take a closer look at all the beautiful little knick knacks I often see as I rush to class, my yoga class, or other meetings etc. I think perhaps my favorite thing about walking home is crossing the street-- not even joking. I've had some near death experiences seeing as how crossing the street here in India is an artform, but it's awesome weaving through all the two wheelers and cars and bike riders etc. Love it. I'm weird, I know.
So it's 730pm and now I'm home! Normally, I would be doing something with friends. However, I have to be up at 5am tomorrow for a environmental perspectives field trip to a national park. I will be staying there overnight and we have no idea as to what we are doing. Our professor insists on not giving us any information because he claims it will be a better experience that way. Thus, here I am, about to begin the midterm exam and essay I have due on Monday- as I will have no time to do them over the weekend. It's unfortunate, but I am strangely looking forward to this field trip. My environment professor is one of the most amusing individuals I have ever known- and he's also brilliant. It takes a little bit of time to understand what he's saying most of the time... but he's growing on me, as well as his class. He told us to be prepared to see snakes. And if we do see a snake, he told us to look it straight in the eye and smile. Once the snake sees our genuineness in our eyes, it won't do anything, apparently. In fact, according to the professor, any animal who can look into the eyes of a human and see that they are good will not harm them. Every animal except for a mosquito. And for this reason, he told us to bring our mosquito repellent. Hahah.
Sorry for two long posts! I will write an update on how the weekend trip went- and hopefully I will have lots of stories :)
Love,
Sai
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