Travelling

When I found out I was going to India, one of the aspects of this exchange that I was most looking forward to was the opportunity to travel. I know that exchange students who come to the USA often see more of the US than the majority of its citizens, through bus tours and traveling with family and friends. In India, it is the same deal-- we have the opportunity to see different parts of the country through Rotary tours and adventures with host families. Here are some of the places I've been!

Varanasi

Varanasi was probably my favorite place I've visited in India so far. I traveled with a family from my Rotary club who have a daughter attending school there, and they took me along so they could experience hosting and learn more about the RYE program. We grew to know each other really well throughout the week, and they were so excited to share the city of Varanasi with me. We visited many temples, holy sites, and experienced sacred rituals. My Varanasi host family described the city as the best and worst of India: filled with all of the culture that makes this country so appealing for people pursuing spirituality from around the world, but also filled with all of the noise and sensory overload that makes people afraid to embrace this country.

Walking to the Ganga aarti

After the aarti

Enjoying the waterfront 

Staying protected from dust while traveling in a rickshaw

Traveling past the famous Varanasi ghats on the way to our hotel

View of the sunset over the Ganga river from our hotel-- I took some water home with me because it is very important and holy in the Hindu faith (and considered very pure)

Taking pictures in our hotel

Deep in conversation at the Krishnamurti school

A lassi shop we visited that had its walls covered with the passport photos of visitors... so I added mine as well!

The ruins of the Buddhist monastery in Sarnath, and the Dhamek Stupa

It was an amazing trip, and I definitely learned a lot about Indian history and culture during my time there. I especially loved going to the Sarnath Museum, and seeing ancient artifacts from the same spot where we were standing.

Diwali Break

Students in India receive almost a month vacation in November for Diwali, and many people take leave from work and travel with family during this time. I was in a period of transition, because I was scheduled to transfer from my first to my second host family. I started the month by travelling to Idar, the native place of my first host father.

Making a jack-o'-lantern in Idar

We spent time with family to celebrate the holiday, and I enjoyed the incredible beauty and a taste of Indian village life. Unfortunately, the trip was cut short when my first host father experienced a medical emergency. The entire family traveled to Ahmedabad to the hospital, and even though the experience was scary and sad, I had the opportunity to witness how tragedy is handled in an Indian family. I experienced the importance of community and anticipating the needs of others firsthand. Thankfully, my first host father is now doing great! That week, I traveled back to Vapi with some Rotarians, and spent a few days bouncing around host families until I left with my second host family for our trip to Uttarakhand.

Uttarakhand

Leaving the airport with my host family

Mountains in Mussorie

Tungnath temple, the highest Shiva temple in the world... also the hardest trek I've ever done!

The idol at Tungnath is taken down the mountain during winter, so we first went to visit the god in its current temple home

We went to visit ancient caves that were mentioned in the Mahabharata (Patal Bhuvaneshwar caves)

Visiting Naintal on our way to Jim Corbett National Park

I loved our Uttarakhand trip, and it was a great way to get to know my second host family. I was able to see a completely different type of Indian culture, enjoyed making maggi with my host sister, and enjoyed the beauty of the surrounding nature (something I miss while living in Vapi). 

End of December/Beginning January: Conference Preparation in Surat and District Conference in Nashik

At the end of December, I and all of the other exchange students traveled to Surat to spend the week preparing dance performances for the district conference. We stayed with exchange students and their families in Surat (I was with my friend Marta from Italy and her host family), and we got to really know each other for the first time (previously, we had met only for the two day August orientation and a Model UN conference in October). 

I love these people! We have such a unique bond as exchange students, because we have found ourselves in a completely unique situation, where we share the common bond of adapting to the same new culture. Even though we haven't really spent very much time together, I feel like we know each other on a level that I won't be able to share with anyone else: they have a unique understanding of this year and this experience that is impossible for me to communicate through words and pictures.

Needless to say, we enjoyed spending time together. Two days after coming back to our cities, we left for the district conference in Nashik, and stayed for three days. There, we performed our dances for Rotarians from across the district. 

Our second to last day of rehearsal in Surat

Kathak dance girls 

Our performance outfits in Nashik 

With Mathis (France), my dance partner for the Bollywood performance

Enjoying the DJ and music at the district conference

End of January: Gujarat Tour

After our district conference, we had a two week wait until we began our Gujarat tour, which started in Vapi with the District 3060 Interact conference, for which we prepared a skit on the theme "say no to plastics". All of my exchange friends stayed with members of my Rotary club, and I hosted my girls Marta from Italy and Mariane from Brazil with my host family. 

It was very strange to see everyone in Vapi, but it really was the best experience; my two India exchange families meeting (friends and club). Overall, my experience of the Gujarat tour was a negative one, in the sense of actual sightseeing, and as a result of organizational and miscommunication issues by the planning team. 

We stayed with many Rotary families and went to several Rotary meetings, which normally I think is an interesting activity... but not during a tour. We were often separated from each other for our temporary host family stays, and because our time together is precious, this was not my favorite part. We felt a little bit like a travelling circus by the end of the week: meeting many Rotarians, taking lots of pictures with them, giving many introductions, and exchanging flags in each city, without actually staying on one place long enough to really experience the area in any meaningful way. 

However, we saw some awesome things like the Statue of Unity and the Gir Forest, and the experience was completely amazing and worth it just because we got to spend time together (and I am of course grateful to Rotary for making this happen). Like I said, I love these people!

The end of our skit during the Interact Conference

On the bus to see the Statue of Unity

The Statue of Unity (depicting Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel), the largest statue in the world

Marta (Italy), Kristin (USA), and Edo (Italy)

Marta and I (my Italian sister <3 )

Lalo (Mexico) and his food baby

Enjoying the food at a Rotary meeting in Ahmedabad, the largest city in Gujarat

A Polaroid memory (myself and Kristin)

Rodrigo (Brazil), Pedro (Brazil), and Lalo enjoying our tour of Gir Forest

Seeing the Asiatic Lion in person!

Marta, Kristin, and Nick (Germany) enjoying the ropes course 

The whole group at Gir Forest

Well, that's about it for all of my travel adventures in India so far! I hope you have enjoyed the update, and I wish I had the ability to post more often. I love getting the opportunity to explore, and in two weeks, we will be leaving for our last tour to many places in North India. I am so, so excited to see my exchange friends again and experience more of this country.