"I have bacon on my glasses!"

It's been a long month+ since I updated.  I've done so many things and crossed off many experiences from my bucket list that I don't even know where to begin in blogging.

So, I've decided to tell you about my last food experience.

After searching for the place for two hours, the meal started with a thick milkshake, made with ice cream; American standards, not Indians' (cold milk with ice and no ice cream - aka cold flavored milk!).  Next, real nachos - tortilla chips topped with melted cheddar cheese, beans, onions, tomatoes, salsa, and sour cream.  Savory and delicious, exactly what we were looking for. AND just when I thought life couldn't get any better, the meal continued with my first bacon cheeseburger in 3 months.  Needless to say, it was glorious.  10 oz of wonderfully cooked beef.  Juicy, but well done.  6 slices of beautiful bacon (not exactly US bacon, but closer than in Ireland).  Onion rings, tomato, and lettuce topped with BBQ sauce.  Fries deep fried to perfection, lightly salted and seasoned.  The meal ended with a huge brownie sundae split between three of us - gooey, hot fudge, two huge scoops of vanilla ice cream, and a soft, warm brownie. Thank you, Hard Rock Cafe Pune.  

Though we left feeling like this:

It was well worth the feelings brought from our comfort foods.

The reason I choose to write about this and not the number of other things I've done (which I will quickly recap in photos in the end of this blog) is because I think sometimes we're afraid to feel like Americans or tourists, and I don't like that we feel that way. We spend our semesters abroad trying to fit into the local culture - we learn new languages, eat new foods, wear different clothes, and when we start to feel homesick, we push those feelings aside like they're bad or illegitimate.  

I'm here to say, I am homesick and I am proud of it.  Sure, I'm loving the adventures - I loved riding camels into the desert, bamboo rafting through a tiger reserve, playing Holi with locals, riding an elephant, and speaking broken Hindi to our driver in Rajasthan.  I wouldn't trade any of my experiences if I had the chance.  God is blessing me with so many opportunities, I wouldn't dare be upset about fulfilling my dreams. Yet, I also find homesickness a blessing - the blessing of having family, friends, and a house to come home to, the blessing of enjoying the culture you were raised in, and the blessing of no matter how far you roam, you will always have a home to be homesick for. 

So, instead of feeling ashamed, I'm grasping my homesickness.  When I want a burger I'll buy a burger, and I won't feel guilty about it.  When I want to call a friend, I'll call them.  When I want to watch an American movie, I'll watch it.  I am American, not Indian, and not fully Irish, and I don't have to be ashamed of that.

I'm still grasping every day in India.  My internship is going well, and I'm wrapping up my classes.  I have a few more trips planned in these last couple of weeks that I'm really looking forward to.  But, I can still look forward to going home with anticipation, and I can admit that I'm homesick.  

Rant over - now a picture recap of the past month =)

Mahebaleshwar, Maharashtra, India

Sweet Lime Soda - Arthur's Point, Mahabaleshwar

The Taj Hotel - Mumabi, Maharashtra, India

Patel Residence - Gujurat, India

City Palace - Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Post-Holi Activities - Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India

Do you like my camel? - Jaisalmer

Sunset over the dunes - Jaisalmer

First Indian Classical Concert - Pune

Tea Plantation - Kumali, Kerala, India

Open Jeep - Kumali

Elephant Ride - Kumali

Corroded Pier - Alleppey, Kerala, India

Kathakali Show - Cochin, Kerala, India

Cochin

The Gandhi Museum - Pune

Waste Water Treatment Plant - Pune

Monica and I - Gandhi Museum - Pune

Old Fort - Murud, Maharashtra, India

Murud

Engineering Joy

As I've stated before - I'm the only engineering/science major here; I assumed I would be - this wasn't a surprise.  While I love everyone I've met and enjoy my classes (or at least the subject matter), there has always seemed to be something missing.  As the number essays began to increase, taking everyone's stress level with it, I have found myself wondering more and more if I picked the right study abroad program.

For instance - a few moments of my day today...

A fellow student was looking for his phone, so someone called it.  He hears it ringing to his left, so he turns to the left - hears it again, but now to his right, so he turns to his right.  Meanwhile, I'm sitting behind him and I hear a cell phone tone whiz by my face.  Laughing a little, I informed him that it was in his bag - everyone laughed along... so far so good.  He then, laughing at himself compared himself to a dog chasing his own tail, so to build on the humor, I mentioned the Doppler Effect... fail joke.  Everyone kind of just looked at me - not in a mean way, but it was obvious my joke fell short of humorous.

All this to say, I just really really have been homesick for like-minded people.  Again - I love the people I have met here! They are beautiful and wonderful people.  Each has a unique story and is on a great path in life - I've loved getting to know more and more about people from various lifestyles, colleges, towns, states, etc.  I just really miss hanging out with people who understand me and my passion on a deeper level.  I don't want to live my life in a comfort zone with only like minded people, but it would be nice if there were a few people here and there that would truly appreciate and understand my enthusiasm and passion for engineering.

... which brings me to the title - Engineering Joy.  We got our internship placements the other day, and I'm beyond excited.  I'll be working with a company call Thermax to document the current water usage in Urban Pune, the amount of water than can be recycled from current grey, black, and waste water, and the costs involved in doing so.  Also the company has asked me to create a document compiling of all the regulations in place for the recycling of water in Pune.

ENGINEERING!!!  *explodes from excessive happiness and joy*

So, I very excitedly emailed my academic advisor to tell him about it and ask about getting class credit for it.  Turns out, not only can I get class credit for this amazing opportunity, but my professor is teaching  a business class in which the class competes to develop the best business model for the "other 90%" (aka those living on low incomes).  His group is looking to make a business model around providing recycled water to farmers for irrigation through Reverse Osmosis Systems (RO).  Guess where they're looking for RO systems? Thermax! What are the odds?  So, hopefully I'll be able to hook the group up with a contact at the company and explain the project they are developing.

Another awesome opportunity that has potential is that my advisor is hoping that my paper/research will be good enough to present at regional conferences, and maybe even national!  So, I look forward to that opportunity next year and plan to do my best at this paper in order to make such things possible.

I'm so grateful the staff here took such care in placing my internship, and I look forward to meeting the company and traveling around Pune researching this very imminent issue.

The Hard Things...

I’ve been talking a lot in my posts of the things I enjoy here, whether beautiful, silly, or ironic. What I haven’t mentioned yet are the hard things – the things that make me cringe or bring me near tears, wrenching every part of my soul. I’ve been trying to decide whether or not to write about them, not sure if you all would want to know/read about it, but I've decided it’s important to show you both sides of this hurting city.

The main issue I’ve been dealing with on a daily basis is the matter of beggars and the crippled. It’s not like I’ve never experienced walking down the street and being asked for money – it’s not uncommon in the US for similar situations to arise. However, before coming this semester, I had not experienced stopping at a stoplight and having a child grab my arm, unwilling to let go until the car started driving again forcing the release of my clothing/bags/arm. Never have I seen a man, completely deformed from the waist down, army crawling through crowded streets as people step over and around him.

How do these evil cycles happen? How did humanity become so low that we just step over and around these people daily?

When we arrived in India, we were warned about giving money and told not to do so. We were told most of these children and cripples are part of beggar rings (similar to the one shown in Slumdog Millionaire), and do not receive even a small portion of what they are given daily, being forced to surrender all the money they received to a corrupt individual. Therefore giving money to them is just feeding the ring, not helping the situation at all. We were also told us that many beggars wont accept food, and many will throw whatever food you try to give them back at you.

Hence, my dilemma. I have no idea what to do. My heart breaks as I walk by person after person, remembering the verses on poverty and hunger from the Bible. I’m torn day after day, wondering what I should be doing or how I can help. Tomorrow I’m going to ask Uttara (director of the program) if there’s anything I can do, but one of the problems is my schedule – classes all day, often until 6pm, which leaves little time for volunteering.

Hopefully I’ll be able to figure something out soon. Until then, please pray for judgment as I go through my day trying to reason with myself on what I can do and what I need to leave to the Lord.

A Few of My Favorite Things

• Walking down the street and buying a fresh guava (or six) for lunch
  
• Wearing flip flops every day being normal
  
• Modesty everywhere I look
  
• Looking out the window at the program center and seeing a papaya tree just chillin
  
• Doing my hw in the sunlight of the back patio of the program center
  
• Paying $1 for a 20 minute rickshaw (taxi) ride to/from school every day
  
• Noticing the number of stares decrease as people get used to my/our presence in the area
  
• Crossing the street by putting my hand out to make the cars stop
  
• Eating a large lunch (including a drink/milkshake) for 50 rupees (about $1)
  
• Walking to school every morning in late autumn morning temperatures
  
• Knowing the city well enough to be able to tell the rickshaw drivers where to turn (so they can’t rip me off!)
  
• Waking up every morning and realizing how lucky I am to be living half way across the world. 

What would the world be like without music?

So, I mentioned previously how I was going to be taking violin lessons from my host mom, Tai; however, what I failed to mention was that she’s one of the top classical violinist here in Pune. Because of that, she knows every renowned classical performer, and with that, comes a lot of free musical concerts and dance programs for the four of us living in the hostel. We also have a “buddy” that the Alliance program matched us with, who took us to a few performances. Overall, I’ve been here for about 2.5 weeks, and have already attended 6 programs.

(Moment of clarification: classical = Indian classical, not European classical)

The first program Tai took us to was a huge dance exhibition of several types of classical Indian dance. It was the first weekend we got to Pune, so it kind of felt like a welcome performance =) Very interesting to see the performers acting through their dance forms and to realize how dancing/acting transcends language barriers.

Second, the entire Alliance group had a private concert with some of the top dancers and musicians in Pune/India, dancing, singing and playing tabla, the waterbowls, and violin to show us the different options for our expressive culture classes. All of the performers were friends of Tai, which is probably how the Alliance program got them to teach us Americans

The next day we went to a concert of a singer (one of Tai’s close friends), tabla, and another instrument.He was fantastic as well, singing for two hours straight. Beautiful voice – very talented.

The following Sunday, our buddy (Palavi) took us to a dance recital her mom was in of Bollywood dancing throughout the decades as well. The dance program she’s in is called Dancersize and seems similar to the Jazzercise of the US. Most of the people in the program were middle-aged mothers or workers who just were looking for some relaxation and a good workout to relieve stress. Such a great show – so lively and the audience was hilarious – whistling and everything at their moms/wives. So cute =)

After her mom’s number, we left to attend a concert we didn’t even know we were going to. Turns out, her dad got us all VIP TICKETS to see a WORLD RENOWNED sarod player – Ustad Amjad Ali Kha. (check him ouuuttt!!) Yeah. That’s right. VIP passes! It was an outdoor concert – completely gorgeous night and a beautiful stage set up. Easily the best performer I have ever seen – such a great night with beautiful music! We got to sit on these couches in the front, very close to the stage, but far enough back where we didn’t have to strain our necks to see. So grateful to have seen him live – fabulous sarod player and very talented performer.

The last concert we went to was this past Tuesday, and was a compilation of a few different performers – a couple of tabla players and a few stringed instruments including a sarod player.

I’ve been noticing a few differences between concerts here and in the US. The main difference is that the audience here is much more interactive with the performers than audiences in the US for classical performances. For instance, as a musician is playing a portion of music here, the audience will clap, waving their hands up and down (informal conducting in a way), sigh, let out a little yelp at the climax, etc… Very interactive with the performer in a way I haven’t experienced before.

I’m really excited to be taking violin lessons from an AMAZING violin performer and teacher and look forward to the improvements in my playing.More to come as I start my lessons/see more performances!

PS – I FINALLY GOT MY OWN INTERNET! Hopefully I’ll be able to stay in touch more =) <3

A Dirty, Beautiful Place

End of Week 2 – time is already flying by!

We’ve spent our time in India so far just adjusting to the new sights and sounds around us.  While part of me has wanted to start jetting around the country, I’m thankful for the time I’ve had here to get used to the area.  I’m quickly getting acclimated to crossing the streets and knowing where I am.

Other people in the program are starting to look to me for two things – technological help and directions.   While I feel like I’ve always had a good sense of direction, it’s funny to me that I’m now the top person to help with technology.  At home (as the boys will surely tell you) I’m the technologically illiterate one in my group of friends – it’s weird to hear my name called when the Internet goes down or someone’s computer is messing up! 

I guess it goes along with me being the only engineering/math major here. There are a couple of economics majors here, but that’s the closest thing to a math sided brain that I’ve come in contact with for the past two weeks!  While I love the friends I’ve made here dearly, there’s definitely a something missing in my life – nerd jokes.   So, if someone wants to let me know some good ones they’ve heard lately, I’d probably love you forever!

Anyway, for those of you that don’t know, I’m living in an apartment with 3 other Americans and 2 Indian students.  Everyone is really nice and I’m really excited for the semester to come.  Classes started a week ago for the most part, and all seem interesting.  The courses I’m taking are “Contemporary India”, “Beginners Hindi”, “Nation, Caste, and Gender through Film” and “Issues in Political Economy and Development”.  I love learning Hindi and had my first test this morning on the alphabet (fairly sure I aced it!).  IPED started today and I love that class as well.  Contemporary India is also awesome – it’s pretty much discussion based, talking about the current events and issues happening in India as we speak.  Awesome so far and should bare more fruit as the semester continues.

Aside from my academic classes, the program provides us with “expressive culture” classes.  It took me a long time to decide what I wanted to do, but I think I’ve decided on violin.  On top of one they pay for, they also let us take both Marathi (the local language) and Bhangra (a popular dance form) lessons, free of cost.  Basically, soon I’ll be starting Indian violin, Bhangra, and Mararthi lessons =D Did I mention all for free? Awesome? YES!  Violin lessons are with my “host mom” who we call Tai (Hindi and/or Marathi for sister).  She helps her parents run the apartments where we’re staying and lives in the apartment above us.  She’s the cutest, nicest little lady ever – I love her so much! She always is inviting us to meals and helping in any way she can.  I can’t wait to take violin lessons from her!

All things considered, I’m completely loving my time here.  Of course sometimes I think I’d do better without some of the pollution, hard sights, and noise, but I can’t imagine being here without all of those things.  Everything together makes this city what it is –beautiful in a dysfunctional yet way more functional than any other city kind of way.  Hard to describe the way it feels, but in short, it’s nice to feel at home so far away from the other homes I’ve created.  While I miss the home I made in Ireland last semester, in CT before that and in NY for the rest of my life, I really do love it here and am grasping every moment possible.

Should be getting Internet today, which will help in updating more often.  I have so much I want to write and tell you all about, but I feel like this post is getting long.

I hope all is well, wherever you’re reading this.  Know you each have a special place in my heart that is irreplaceable, no matter how far I go, or how long we go without talking. 

Miss you and love you – look forward to catching up soon.

Love always <3

The First Week

Here's what I've learned - the do-s and dont-s... (not necessarily from experience)

Don't
- make eye contact with men
- let rickshaws (taxis) rip you off
- wear sleeveless shirts
- smile at anyone as you walk down the street
- come home past 10
- wear anything that shows your knees
- ignore your host family
- think that any form of law is applied to the driving/pedestrians
- get ice in your drinks
- drink the water
- get rabies from the dogs
- breath when walking past the dumpsters
- use your left hand... ever

Do
- wear pretty clothes
- eat delicious food