Reflections on the First Week
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 ...