About Me

Hi!

My name is Madeline Turner, and I am a Rotary Youth Exchange Student during the 2018-2019 year. I am sponsored by the Ithaca Noon Rotary Club in New York State's District 7170, and will be hosted by the Vapi Riverside Rotary Club in District 3060, India.

This blog was created to serve as a living document of my experiences in my time as an exchange student. I hope to keep posting in my time abroad to show friends and family about what my life looks like, and create an archive for future exchange students to use as a resource. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments, at madeline.turner24@gmail.com.

Thanks for visiting my blog!





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Travelling

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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
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What Have I Been Doing?

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Long time no post! I've been up to a lot over the last month and a half. Here are the highlights of my experiences since my last update: August 18-19: Orientation Right after my last blog update, I attended the District 3060 orientation in Vadodora, Gujarat. It was an amazing experience to meet everyone! Almost all of the exchange students had connected online a few weeks before we met in person, so meeting everyone face to face was almost like a reunion. During orientation, we learned a lot of useful information about Indian culture, as well as a lot of the same information about Rotary rules and expectations that were covered during orientations in our home countries. We played some games, danced, and had a spontaneous mini talent show. I stayed overnight with an exchange student living in Vadodora and her host family (Aleyna from Germany). We had a great time together, and with her little host sister, Zea, watching Bollywood movies and talking until late Saturday night.
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Reflections on the First Week

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This time last week, I was enjoying my first Indian Gujarati meal, after sleeping in until 4 pm following two days of travel and recovery rest. Now, even though it feels like so much time has passed, I have only been on exchange for about 7 days. Here's what I've been up to this week: 1. Eating food! I have adjusted to the meals here pretty quickly, because they are just so good. Most people here are vegetarian for religious reasons, and my first host family is Jain. This means that not only do they not eat meat, but also eggs, gelatin, and root vegetables. Jainism is a separate religion from Hinduism, and is "concerned with the welfare of every being in the universe, and with the health of the universe itself" (according to Jainism at a Glance ). In the USA, following this diet would be difficult, but here, Jain people have been practicing for thousands of years. A typical meal consists of dal,  a soup-like dish with a lot of protein; a cooked vegetable (usually
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