#nandri

After many hours of traveling (and a few delayed flights) I landed back in the states at 12:15am on July 4th! Yay America!

India is one of those experiences that you don't realize how it changes you until you're gone. There are some things that have taken a while to readjust to (like being able to open my mouth in the shower, or watching the sunset so late in the day) but there are also things that I know I will never readjust to.  Many of those things are hard to put into words and describe to you all.  I am already looking forward to returning to wonderful India. I suppose I will end this blog with how it all began...nandri. 

Nandri means "thank you" in Tamil.  Ironically, no one actually says "nandri" everyone just chooses to say "thank you" (even if they don't speak any other English). If you were wondering over the last 6 weeks why my blog is titled #nandri I will explain the hashtag now...

Since wikipedia has proved to be a trusty source in this blog...allow me to reference them a final time: "Hashtags are used informally to express context around a given message. i.e.: 'Just found out my mom is my health teacher. #awkward' "

Nandri (thank you) is the context I wanted this whole blog to be read in.  Thank you to everyone who made this incredible experience possible.  Thank you the Bishop Heber administrators, faculty and students.  Thank you to the Stephens- who showed me a beautiful side of medicine that is sometimes forgotten.  Thank you to the nurses and other physicians who made my time at JNH a fun one.  Thank you to everyone at App who sent me to India with endless support. Thank you the friends and family who faithfully read every post I wrote.  And, most importantly, thank you to my incredible parents. 

I have left India not only thankful for the incredible experience I had there but also for all of the experiences I've had in my life thus far and all of the experiences that await me in the future.  I have been afforded so many incredible opportunities in my 21 years and "thank you" will never be enough to express my gratitude. I've had so many people help pave my path and the road I am taking from here is far less bumpy because of it.

So thank you. Nandri.  For everything you all have done and will continue to do.  And, as always, thanks for reading.

Until the next adventure,
Allie

Aw man, now my pants are going to smell like wet camel!

Today was a perfect last day in India. After a long car ride we arrived in Jaipur, AKA The Pink City. I could detail all we did but that would take forever and pictures are just more fun to look at:

Indian Attempt at Westernizing breakfast for us
...and yes, this was an alternative blog title (Pan Cake. Baked Beans. Porridge.) 

Inside a tower at Amber Fort

Contemplating a bath

Just a light lunch to get me through the day!

While our guide took this picture of us,  some Indian tourists stopped and took our picture too....I'm pretty sure that will never stop being strange to me

This palace was built with three stories underwater

Jaipur City Palace

World's largest sundial 

A rainy camel ride

What happens when you try to take selfies while on a camel

This incredible place is our hotel for the night.  Its a heritage hotel-- the best way I can describe it is an Indian Bed and Breakfast.  They even let us see multiple rooms before we picked the one we wanted! 

We've been in India for 5 weeks and we still don't know how to lock the doors

And with that, my last day in India is done.  The true icing on the cake was washing my hair tonight with jasmine-scented shampoo. I am truly going to miss this wonderful country.

Our driver is picking us up at 3:30am to head back to Delhi in order to make it for my 12:30pm flight. I then fly for 9 hours to get to London, after a 3 hour layover it's another 6 hours from there to JFK.  I will post when I am safely back in America (I land at 11:00pm July 3- its like time travel!)

I love you all and can't wait to see you! 

What we've all been waiting for

The Taj Mahal! Ladies and gentleman, the reason people come to India:

The day was overcast (as you can see in my picture) but that didn't stop it from being an oppressive 100degrees. We arrived in Agra (the city that is the home of Taj Mahal) midday after a 5hour car ride from Delhi. There are three major historical sites in this city....and not a whole lot else. Today we saw the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort.  As always, the pictures do not do it justice.  Both of these structures are so massive and so beautiful that its hard to even fully appreciate them in person.  I am only sorry you all could not be with me today to experience them! 

As any good Appalachian students would!

Agra Fort

Each day we arrive at a new location and meet our guide for the day.  Our guide drives around with us and explains everything we are seeing then hops out and walks us around all of the temples.  I can't imagine seeing all of this (in such short a time frame) and doing it any other way.  This company has been great!

I am having a blast and we are big fans of north Indian food (although we do miss the parrota) but I am starting to crave home (just a little).  I am missing the cool breeze of my mountains and the feeling of pavement under my running shoes. Also, India has a very different meaning of the word "hot" than I do...and I'm looking forward to a hot shower (American "hot" that is). Not to mention, I would kill for a good salad.  

Despite all of this, I am getting terribly sad that tomorrow is my last day in India.  We set off for Jaipur early in the morning and hope to cram in the whole city in a few short hours.

Until then,

al 

A whole new world...a dazzling place I never knew

          After packing our rooms (and realizing we might have shopped a bit too much) we said good-bye to Trichy and safely made it to our connecting flights in Chennai where we then parted ways with Danielle and Emily.  Dawn and I caught our flight to Delhi (15 minutes before it took off)(Jet Airways likes to really push it with those connections) and spent three more hours in the air before landing in New Delhi. While overhead, we saw an entire section of the city go to a black out- it was quite a sight! 

          We arranged a tour for the next few days and expected to see our driver waiting with a placard when we left the airport...so you can imagine our surprise when we didn't see our names on any placard...anywhere.  We tried not to panic and roamed for about an hour before finally calling (and spending a small fortune in international cellphone fees) all of the numbers I had listed for the company we arranged.  After some more time and finally discovering the miscommunication we met up with our driver around 10pm and were on our way! 

         We were thrilled when we finally arrived at our hotel and western amenities awaited us (complete with a hot shower, comfy bed and even some english TV!) We fell asleep quickly and remained asleep long past our alarm (whoops!) but we made it on time for our day full of activities.  I can't possibly describe all that we saw today (it was over 8 hours of sight-seeing) but they were the most incredible temples, tombs, and displays of architecture I have ever seen.

A rickshaw ride through Old Delhi

Just some monkeys...eating bananas...on electrical wires

I call this "why India has BlackOuts"

Me outside Humayun's Tomb

As you can see, we did a lot today! When we got back to the hotel we ordered a delicious room service meal (paratha, naan, mattar mushroom and khumb makai palak) and managed to find Harry Potter in English on TV...so basically we are the happiest humans on the planet.

P.S. North India is SO different from South India (hence the title). We finally got used to everyone around us speaking Tamil and now everyone is speaking Hindi! Aside from the language, Delhi is so much more diverse than Trichy. We aren't the only tourists anymore- so thats been awesome! Unfortunately, we are still young white girls and for some reason people are still asking to take their picture with us (it happened on 5 separate occasions today)-- oh well, some things never change. The food is also pretty different here, but we've really enjoyed trying different types of Indian food. Things are also much more expensive in Delhi than Trichy- but thats to be expected when going from a small town to a big city (Delhi is the capital of India by the way). The population density has increased as well (Delhi is roughly 5 times more dense than Trichy). So even though we are still in India, it is feeling like a whole new world! I love it all the same! We set off early tomorrow to go to Agra and see some different sights. 

Thanks for sticking with me!

Allie

Far too sad to come up with a clever title

Last day of work 

Today was our last full day in Trichy so we managed to pack in a lot of activities.  Dr. Rohini took Danielle and I to a mission hospital today to see another perspective of medicine in India.  The hospital was a bit out of town and serves mostly impoverished patients- so the set-up is similar to a regular hospital but with more group wards (many patients in one room).

The women's group ward

Just posted this one for you Jac

We also toured the convent near the hospital where many of the hospital Nuns live.
We wrapped up the morning at all of our respective hospitals and clinics and said our goodbyes to the wonderful nurses and doctors that have made us feel so at home here.

I snuck back into Janet Nursing Home to say Hello to my favorite nurses!

After a delicious lunch, we met with a group of 20 MSW (Masters in Social Work) students for a round table discussion on our different cultures.  It was really neat to just get to talk with students our own age- we covered all sorts of topics (from education reform to arranged marriages) and had a great time.

We finished the day with a wedding! Dr. Ravi's nephew was getting married and they graciously invited us along.  The whole service was in Tamil so we weren't entirely sure what was happening but all of the classic wedding songs gave us some clues!  Afterwards, we went to the reception.  The reception is very different than what we are used to.  Although it was a Christian wedding, many of the wedding traditions are based in Hinduism so it was really awesome to see.  The reception was essentially an auditorium filled with chairs where over 300 guests (what Dr. Rohini called "a small family affair" ) sat and waited to give their respects to the newlyweds.  People waited in line then walked up on the stage and gave the couple a gift, a blessing, a kind word, or all of the above.

The couple posed for pictures with over 300 guests

Then they had their picture taken and left.  Upstairs of the reception hall was where dinner took place.  Because of the massive amounts of people at Indian weddings (some have over 1000 guests), dinner is eaten in shifts.  As is common in South Indian, all of the meals were served on large banana leaves.  The food was delicious, as always, and served out of big buckets.  It was really fun to be a part of and we are so grateful to have been invited.
Afterwards, I had to say my goodbyes to the Stephens.  I had a hard time not crying but they hope to visit the states some time in the future--so that gives me something to look forward to!  We ended the night by eating our sorrows at our favorite ice cream place.  Tomorrow, we all board an afternoon plane to Chennai before going our separate ways.  Emily and Danielle are headed back to North Carolina and Dawn and I are flying further north to New Delhi.  Dawn and I are going to spend the next few days being total tourists and seeing all of the biggest tourist attractions in India. I am headed back to the States on Wednesday, July 3rd.  I am not sure if I will have wifi once we arrive in Delhi but I will try my best to post an update about our travels as often as I can.  I am missing you all and looking forward to seeing you soon!

The wonderful Dr. Ravi and Dr. Rohini Stephen after the wedding

My favorite day in India

The title says it all.  Today was the best day I've had in India. This morning when I arrived at Stephen's Nursing Home Dr. Rohini had a special trip planned for me.  We went to Dolphin School, a school for children with disabilities. Those of you who know me, know that this is exactly the kind of thing that makes my heart burst with joy. The school was created 5 years ago and the woman responsible gave us a tour.  The school is staffed with special education teachers, occupational therapists, counselors and a dietician.  The whole place is painted with beautiful murals and bright colors. The children even showed us a choreographed dance number they had been working on- it was such a delight.  This school now has a very special place in my heart and I am looking forward to visiting again someday when I return to Trichy.

This was the top of the building- filled with everything (tools and toys) you can possibly imagine to help children with disabilities.  A lot of what I saw brought me back to last summer at Camp Lakey Gap-- which of course filled me with nostalgia...and I'm already pretty emotional to be leaving India.

After a delicious lunch,

I spent a lazy afternoon reading and napping (I didn't even study MCAT today- woops!) 

Tonight at the hospital was slow so I had lots of opportunity to talk with the Stephens.  Dr. Rohini is planning a trip to a different hospital for us to see in the morning- I am really looking forward to it.  The night ended with a delicious buffet meal at a very nice restaurant-- we were treated by the Principle of Bishop Heber himself (and Dr. Relton, Josephine and Shalnee-- our terrific advisors here). I attached a picture of all of us below:

Q and A?!

Thanks for playing my game! Here's the answers! 

I should also warn that I am in South India, which is VERY different from North India.  Because North India is home to the Taj Mahal (and other well-known tombs and temples) it tends to receive a large number of international visitors.  Due to the tourism and its easy-access location, North India tends to be a bit more  culturally progressive than south India.  I, however, have spent the last month in South India. I love south India--- most of South India (Tamil Nadu specifically) is very traditional and we’ve really been able to a get a true feel for Indian culture.  Tamil Nadu also has its share of temples and tourist attractions too (just not as easy to get to!)

Heads up: this always-informal blog's grammar is about to get a whole lot worse with these answers: 

What's been your favorite food that you've had in India?

We are currently on a parrota kick—its like a big crescent roll pancake

(Lunch yesterday)

What do you miss most about America 

(Besides you, Hannah) I miss running so much! Every part of me is dying to go on a never-ending run. Also: I feel a bit lonely when I sneeze here and no one says “bless you”

What will you miss most about India?

Mangoes, flip-flops (worn everywhere-including the OR), the wonderful people we’ve met, the fact that people are not attached to their phones....and  I will definitely miss how much everything costs. I converted some things to dollars to give you all a better understanding:

Dinner for 4, with an appetizer and 4 drinks…..$12.00 TOTAL (tip included)

Ice Cream….$1

Slice of cake from the bakery…….30cents

Personal Pan Pizza…….$1.50

Salwar Kameeze……$10

Is the heat unbearable?

Its really not been that hot! Our rooms have A/C and there are fans just about everywhere else we go. Its been between 90-100 everyday but we aren't outside much-- could use a bit more vitamin D though.

What do grocery stores look like, you talk about them a lot
They are pretty similar to home but much smaller (picture a grocery store without a refrigerated section, meat section, microwavable things section, or already-prepared meals section)

What are the most common foods you have seen people eating over there?
Breakfast/Dinner is typically a gravy and a chutney with different Indian bread.  Lunch is served with copious amounts of rice.  Lunch is the biggest meal of the day and is usually: rice, 2 gravies, fried veggies, sambar (soup) and something sweet!

Do most of the people seem happy-do they think they are living in a poverty stricken area or is that just us projecting what we think on them? 

Hmm…not totally sure how to answer this. People are happy here and its not all “poverty stricken.” Its easy to hear someone’s income here (40,000Rupees/month) and panic and think they are in poverty but the cost of living here is so much lower than at home! Additionally, people here tend to have an idealest view of America.  People seem to be "impressed" with our American status but its not as if they are pining away wishing they also lived in America… It doesn't feel like we are visiting a third-world country if thats what you mean...it feels like everywhere else- just a bit busier! ...Does that answer it? Sorry...I struggled with this one a bit.

If you could bring one thing back from India what would it be?
Tangible: Mangoes.  I realize we have mangoes in America....but if you tasted an Indian mango...you would understand. 
Intangible: Humility. I am doing my best to bring this one back with me.  But the Indian people could teach our culture a lot when it comes to humility...and it's hard to put that in a suitcase. 

Were their any religious ceremonies and/or practices that interested you?

Yes! When we were touring Srirangam (massive Hindu temple) we saw a bunch of people yelling into a corner (see pic below)...this specific corner really amplifies the voice so you can hear it from far away.  The Hindus believe that yelling into this specific corner will be heard by the gods and will bring you good fortune and riches.  It was really interesting to hear!

I recieved a lot of questions about clothes but it just so happens that Danielle's whole blog today was about clothes (with helpful pics) so go look! http://danigoestoindia.blogspot.com