62 hours of travel ahead

Hi everyone! I think I am speaking to a fairly broad audience composed of administrators, professors, family and friends.  So bear with me as I try to speak to everyone.

First, let me say thanks for reading this.  Even if I lose you as a reader after this first post- I appreciate the initial thought :]

I don't expect this blog to be riveting or provide any major insights.  It will likely just contain the mundane details of my days -- written in very poor grammar (sorry Kim). But maybe the "mundane" in India will be still be exciting.

Here is an overview on this trip: I am traveling to Southern India to city called Tiruchirappali (AKA "Trichy")(tree-chee).  It is located in between Chennai and Madurai on the map below.

I will be there for all of June (and a bit of July) doing a medical internship.  The internship was set up via Appalachian State University's Honors College, and I am thrilled to say that I (and my counterparts) will be the first to have an internship of this kind in India at ASU.  We hope that through our experiences we can pave the way for other students to travel to Trichy.  There are four of us total on this trip, Emily, Danielle, Dawn and myself.  We are interested in various careers and our internships are different but we are all staying together at Bishop Heber College, an International Christian College.

Getting to India will be the first adventure I embark on.  On May 31, I leave Oklahoma City (I am currently here visiting my parents) at 6:00AM and take SIX flights before finally arriving in Trichy late Sunday night. I am meeting Dawn at JFK and we will travel the rest of the way together, including a 12 hour layover in London- we plan to explore the city!

Currently in my bag I have: 30 packs of kleenex, 7 mini-handsanitizers, 5 cottonelle baby wipes packs, 10 Luna bars, and a plethora of Tums.

Salwar Khameez (sal-wah kaw-meez), the traditional Indian clothing that we will be wearing, wasn't found easily in the States. So I have a make-shift version (thanks Old Navy- apparently tunics are back in style) that will last me until I can purchase clothes upon arrival.

As most of you know, my diet is comprised mostly of fresh fruits/veggies and I run on a daily basis (I'm all about those half-marathons).  Unfortunately, I have been advised to not eat anything that has not been cooked when I arrive in India. Additionally, it will be in excess of 85 degrees every day (click on the temp to go to Trichy Weather) and shorts/tank tops are not appropriate in India.  Clearly, there will be a bit of an adjustment in my diet and exercise regime- but I am packing my running shoes (a month without them would simply break my heart)...I will just have to get creative!

Alright! Thank you for suffering through the first blog post! It is part of my grade to keep this blog going throughout my trip, so I will update as often as I can.  I'm sorry if every post turns out to be this long- you have my permission to skim.

I leave super soon and I am so excited I can hardly stand it! I've been planning this trip for over a year now and I can't believe it is finally here.  Thank you to everyone who has made this possible- especially my incredible parents. Everyone's love and support is packed tightly in my bag and I will carry it with me throughout the trip.

So this is it- I am hanging up my overalls and pulling on my sandals! Talk to you in India



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