I am now in India! It was a long journey getting here. We first traveled about 14 hours across the Atlantic to Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates. We flew Etihad Airways and it was very nice accommodations. I've only traveled domestically so the wide airplane with individual entertainment centers in each seat and two meals served pleasantly surprised me. Abu Dhabi international airport was very nice and new. The UAE was the first country I've been to outside the US but it was not much of a culture shock. We saw people of many different nationalities but it didn't feel much like a foreign country because I was able to order from a McDonald's in English and pay with US dollars.
The flight from the UAE to India was about 4 hours long. This felt like nothing compared to the first flight. We arrived around 3:30 AM Indian time and waited at the airport for other classmates. It was nice being on the same flight with our professor because I felt reassured that I wouldn't end up lost and alone in India with no way of contacting him. Christian and I hung together the whole time and it was great having company on the epic journey even if we were a little worse for wear by the end of it.
Our first view of India was the craziness outside the airport around 5 AM. There was a large crowd of people outside waiting for arriving passengers and it was a bit intimidating to walk into. Our group split into 4 taxis to take us to the hotel and the ride was an experience in itself. I thought New York cab drivers were intense, that's nothing compared to Indian cab drivers. It seems that honking is appropriate for any situation on the road and used liberally. Also the lines of the lanes seem to be taken less seriously here as we weaved in between the two on our left side and sometimes crossed into the right. Its going to take a while to get used to the traffic here.
We made it to the hotel and were checked in by 6 when we all really needed showers and food. Our hotel is western (complete with a western toilet, thank god!) and very nice with the exception of some minor issues like most of our outlets not functioning. My roommate, Jessica from California, and I are getting along nicely. A bunch of us decided after breakfast to go check out the zoo without our professor which is only about 2 km away from the hotel. Christian, Jessica, and another classmate, Sarah, and I crammed ourselves into the back of a motorized rickshaw which was built for 3 passengers tops and our weight caused it to stop running several times but we made it.
Nothing was open until 9 so we walked around the outside area looking at gardens and taking in the people. We got A LOT of stares. Because we didn't have rupees yet to pay for it and were completely exhausted by this point Christian and I decided to walk back to the hotel. This would have been much easier if A. we had any idea where we were going B. we had money to pay someone to take us back (banks don't open til 10) and C. anyone in the city had ever heard of our hotel. After being confused in the city for about an hour, talking to at least 20 people trying to get directions, and me coming very close to panic attack (luckily Christian is less prone to getting hysterical and giving up and handled it), we finally made it to a bank and found a driver who knew where the hotel was.
So far my favorite part of India is looking at the beautiful outfits the women wear. We stick out a lot here mostly because we aren't Indian but I think also because we what we consider conservative dress probably isn't very conservative here. I felt uncomfortable today in a fitted tshirt so I'm hoping we can get a little shopping in to buy some things that are culturally appropriate but not as warm as the long sleeves I brought from America.
We had a short lecture today and ate lunch as a group and now I can't wait to get to bed. We have busy day tomorrow at our sponsoring institute.
Friends and family reading this, I love you guys and will see you soon :).
The flight from the UAE to India was about 4 hours long. This felt like nothing compared to the first flight. We arrived around 3:30 AM Indian time and waited at the airport for other classmates. It was nice being on the same flight with our professor because I felt reassured that I wouldn't end up lost and alone in India with no way of contacting him. Christian and I hung together the whole time and it was great having company on the epic journey even if we were a little worse for wear by the end of it.
Our first view of India was the craziness outside the airport around 5 AM. There was a large crowd of people outside waiting for arriving passengers and it was a bit intimidating to walk into. Our group split into 4 taxis to take us to the hotel and the ride was an experience in itself. I thought New York cab drivers were intense, that's nothing compared to Indian cab drivers. It seems that honking is appropriate for any situation on the road and used liberally. Also the lines of the lanes seem to be taken less seriously here as we weaved in between the two on our left side and sometimes crossed into the right. Its going to take a while to get used to the traffic here.
We made it to the hotel and were checked in by 6 when we all really needed showers and food. Our hotel is western (complete with a western toilet, thank god!) and very nice with the exception of some minor issues like most of our outlets not functioning. My roommate, Jessica from California, and I are getting along nicely. A bunch of us decided after breakfast to go check out the zoo without our professor which is only about 2 km away from the hotel. Christian, Jessica, and another classmate, Sarah, and I crammed ourselves into the back of a motorized rickshaw which was built for 3 passengers tops and our weight caused it to stop running several times but we made it.
Nothing was open until 9 so we walked around the outside area looking at gardens and taking in the people. We got A LOT of stares. Because we didn't have rupees yet to pay for it and were completely exhausted by this point Christian and I decided to walk back to the hotel. This would have been much easier if A. we had any idea where we were going B. we had money to pay someone to take us back (banks don't open til 10) and C. anyone in the city had ever heard of our hotel. After being confused in the city for about an hour, talking to at least 20 people trying to get directions, and me coming very close to panic attack (luckily Christian is less prone to getting hysterical and giving up and handled it), we finally made it to a bank and found a driver who knew where the hotel was.
So far my favorite part of India is looking at the beautiful outfits the women wear. We stick out a lot here mostly because we aren't Indian but I think also because we what we consider conservative dress probably isn't very conservative here. I felt uncomfortable today in a fitted tshirt so I'm hoping we can get a little shopping in to buy some things that are culturally appropriate but not as warm as the long sleeves I brought from America.
We had a short lecture today and ate lunch as a group and now I can't wait to get to bed. We have busy day tomorrow at our sponsoring institute.
Friends and family reading this, I love you guys and will see you soon :).
We hope you have a great time!
ReplyDeleteThanks,Lizzy, for skypeing and blogging. It's so good to know that you guys are OK. I knew we should have gotten some rupees here. Love, Mom and Dad
ReplyDeleteLizzy! Your writing is wonderful! I felt like I was there with you guys. And it re-assured me that Christian is well too. It already sounds like an adventure.Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteLizzy, I live in Sycamore and am a friend of the Copple family. Nancy shared your blog on facebook and I loved it. I found your account of your first hours in India fascinating. It was so well written I was sorry to see it end. Looking forward to the next edition :)
ReplyDeleteLizzy, you have a flair for the written word! I can easily picture the scenes as you describe them. I am looking forward to reading about your adventure as it unfolds. Lots of love to you!
ReplyDelete