Thursday, July 30, 2009

I'm in India!


I am officially (and very tiredly) in India! My flights were incredibly long- I flew from Portland to Minneapolis/St. Paul (a four hour flight), then literally sprinted to my next gate and boarded for Amsterdam (a seven and a half hour flight), had a three hour layover, boarded another plane to Mumbai (a nine and a half hour flight). The first two I didn't sleep at all- the third I slept through almost completely, a good thing since there was no in-flight entertainment and I was seated behind five screaming children!
When I arrived in Mumbai, I left the two other Rotary girls with a Mr. Ganesham (he works for my host father) and he took me to a hotel near the other airport that I would be flying out of the next morning. Since the hours here in India are opposite from in the U.S., I didn't exactly sleep very much- not to mention the fact that I was alone and scared shitless about what I was attempting to do.
I flew to my host city for the year, Coimbatore, this morning. A perfect two hour length flight. When I arrived at the airport, my host parents, and some of the Rotary members from my club had come to meet me with flowers, and we spent a few minutes taking pictures before I went off with my host mother and father.
I absolutely love the apartment that I'm living in. Every inch of this place smells like Jazmine. Because I'm grimy from traveling and the water has been out (therefore I haven't showered), I haven't had the courage to venture outside in the courtyard, or walk around a bit to check it out. I plan on doing that first thing in the morning- after showering.
India is everything I expected- plus about ten trillion pounds more! It is very hectic, and there is a constant buzz of people and traffic no matter where you are. There are animals in the streets, and there really are no traffic rules. Cars go whichever way they want, honking at smaller traffic to get out of the way because, after all, the biggest vehicle will always win!

7 comments:

Mark Knox said...

You're going to be a serious writer one day! Did you see any cows in the street yet? More photos!

Rob and Sara said...

I am sooooooo exited for you!

I've bookmarked your blog. It's a great way for you to communicate to everyone all at once, while taking the least time away from your host family.

Not to mention, it'll be a good record of your year, along with your journals.

Keep writing. And keep those photos coming, too!

Glenda said...

Glad you made it somewhat ok. What will you be wearing while there? Will you be driving at all there? I wouldn't, the way the traffic sounds. Have fun Madison and thanks for the blogs and photos. How's the food?
Glenda

wpzelenka said...

Knew you could do it! Now for the adventure of your young life. Enjoy!

Ginny said...

Hey Madison. You're at the beginning of your grand adventure! Thanks for taking the time to share it with all of us back home. I can only try to imagine what it's like since I've never been to India. I'll look forward to your future blogs. We're all very proud of you!

Hugs,
Ginny Reich

Abbey said...

Sounds like my flight to Dublin, we flew from Medford to Portland, then Portland to Amsterdam, had a 4 hour layover, then to Dublin. On the way to Dublin we had 2 screaming children right next to us. Which looked like they were from India!

Unknown said...

Hi Madison,
I ran in to your mom and sis yesterday at the grower's market and they gave me your blog address. Thank you for sharing your experiences; you are a great writer. I'm super proud of you for going to India and facing the fun and the challenges. This will surely be a life-changing experience for you. Life is pretty simple back here in Ashland. Lots of tomatoes for everyone this week. We'll make some salsa today. I can't wait to hear more about your experiences with Indian food.
Jake and Luke love high school.
Lots of love and best wishes to you.
Maria