Oh Bangles. How do you decide?
The Magical Kingdom? Oh- wait yeah, I'm in India. Isn't the Charminar at night beautiful?10.16.2008
A night at the bazaar
Oh Bangles. How do you decide?
The Magical Kingdom? Oh- wait yeah, I'm in India. Isn't the Charminar at night beautiful?
One Afternoon
I was sitting outside on the roof one day and saw this really beautiful cloud formation. I also looked over at this papaya tree and saw these crazy beetles eating it. Oh, India.
10.12.2008
Old City Lovin'
A day in the Old City. Behind me is the Charminar- one of the main landmarks in Hyderabad.
I got my Perrier!
I never thought I'd find any in India, but I was wrong! Q-Mart is such a God-send. Love it!
It's been a bit
I know- I've not been writing too much recently, but what can I say? Life has really been picking up here in India now that I have less than two months here. I might as well try to fill you in on what I've been up to. In most exciting news I've been shopping a couple of times and bought some fantastic items!
Last weekend I went into the old city and ended up buying another sari. This one blows the purple one out of the water. It's so gorgeous. I don't have a picture, but rest assured, that when I get it tailored and everything, I will post a photo, even if it's not until a month from now. Then this weekend I ended up going shopping again. My friend Angelina, who's from Orissa (the state neighboring Andhra Pradesh, where I am), took me shopping to help me figure out what's good and what's not in Indian fashion. I definitely got some really nice Salwaar Kameez outfits. I'm pretty excited. Also, we got a cappuccio while we were out shopping, so that made me happy.
Over the past few weeks, as you all know the Presidential debates have been going on, so there's a Democrat's Abroad group here in Hyderabad that meets often and they've screened all of the debates for us. I just went to the one from Wednesday night this afternoon. Someone recorded it, and they then hosted a showing of it at a really nice hotel near our campus. What made it even better was the fact that this hotel had Perrier!!! I've been craving it so much since I've been in India, so the fact that I finally got to have it is so exciting.
Next weekend I'm going on a trip to Mysore with my program. I'm not really sure what they have planned for us, but I'm sure that it will give me an opportunity to take a lot of pretty pictures and share them with you.
Last weekend I went into the old city and ended up buying another sari. This one blows the purple one out of the water. It's so gorgeous. I don't have a picture, but rest assured, that when I get it tailored and everything, I will post a photo, even if it's not until a month from now. Then this weekend I ended up going shopping again. My friend Angelina, who's from Orissa (the state neighboring Andhra Pradesh, where I am), took me shopping to help me figure out what's good and what's not in Indian fashion. I definitely got some really nice Salwaar Kameez outfits. I'm pretty excited. Also, we got a cappuccio while we were out shopping, so that made me happy.
Over the past few weeks, as you all know the Presidential debates have been going on, so there's a Democrat's Abroad group here in Hyderabad that meets often and they've screened all of the debates for us. I just went to the one from Wednesday night this afternoon. Someone recorded it, and they then hosted a showing of it at a really nice hotel near our campus. What made it even better was the fact that this hotel had Perrier!!! I've been craving it so much since I've been in India, so the fact that I finally got to have it is so exciting.
Next weekend I'm going on a trip to Mysore with my program. I'm not really sure what they have planned for us, but I'm sure that it will give me an opportunity to take a lot of pretty pictures and share them with you.
10.03.2008
A sweet farewell
Sadly on Wednesday we had to wish farewell to one of our dearest friends who decided to return to the US. He'd been having chronic stomach and digestive problems the whole time he was here, so understandably, he wished to seek treatment at home rather than India. On Tuesday night a large group of us gathered to have a farewell jam session and celebration of him. We all walked together to this outcropping of rocks on campus, and watched the sunset. Once the sun was down, Catie lit an enormous candle, as you can see and the music began. Two people had brought guitars and one guy had a ukulele.It was so fantastic, everyone who knew how to play anything picked up the guitar and sang a song. This went on for a good while, and I een joined in on the fun playing the one song I knew- Green Eyes by Coldplay. Then after the music died down we decided to go around the circle taking turns telling Travis what each of us appreciated and loved about him. It was so beautiful to hear what people had to say because it was so heartfelt and true. Travis really was a great person to have around the house. Despite the fact that he felt ill most of the time, he always had a smile on his face and a kind word to say. Plus, he also had great music taste. This evening made me feel so happy because everyone was so open and excited to share. It's not everyday where you can be in such a loving and uplifting environment.
We've really bonded so much over these past two and a half months and with each passing day, I like each person a little bit more. Everyone on this trip is so unique and has so much to offer. I've only been in one or two other environments where I've had the ability to be so totally myself around people. It's not rare that you can share so much about yourself and not worry about being judged or taken the wrong way. I'm really going to miss all of these great hearts when I leave here.
Free Mango Juice
Last night a bunch of my friends and I attended a "Democrat's Abroad" watch party of the Vice Presidential debate, which was being hosted at a bar/club in the city. Interestingly enough, this bar was on the top floor of a really big mall. I found that to be really odd, but not unusual in India. For some reason some really nice restaurants and clubs can be found in upscale malls around the city. Most of my friends decided to take the bus, but rather than spend the time and energy, four of us opted for an autorickshaw, which got us there faster anyway. Once we got to the mall, we spent a bit of time walking around the perfume section right by the entrance, and it was ridiculous how many sales people started following us around and asking if we needed help. They pretty much surrounded us as one point. They surprised me with how many designer perfumes they carried, but I did find one that they didn't have- Chanel. After a bit we decided to find our way up to the club, and that took a bit because the elevators in the part of the mall we were in only went up to the third floor, and the club was on the seventh. We figured it all out though.
Once we got to the club we were greeted by the other Americans hosting the watch party. They actually ended up having quite a turn out. The club itself was a funny location to host a debate watch party at, but it worked out well. It had only opened up two weeks earlier, so they were eager to draw a crowd of people. The interior decoration was very modern and sleek, definitely my style, but they had these random fake candle things at each table, which made it look really tacky. Also, they didn't have much of a menu, and none of us had eaten, so we were a bit underwhelmed by their food options. Somebody had brought "Palin Bingo" to play while we watched the debate, and if you got bingo then you won a free drink. I didn't actually think that I'd do it because the keyword that I needed to win was "heartland," but near the end of the debate, she came through and said that word. Woohoo! Bingo!
Sidenote: the bar had a fantastic view of the city.
After the debate a bunch of us went to go get dinner at this noodle place down on the ground floor of the mall since we hadn't really eaten before or during the debate. Following dinner we got to my favorite part of the night... the autorickshaw ride home.
We spent a while haggling with various drivers over the price, but we just couldn't get them down below 200Rs. (Not that I really cared because that really only equates to $5 or less, but I guess it's the principle, since they always overcharge us) Finally we just got into a rickshaw. I hoped in with my friends Rachel, Lindsay and Harrison. For some reason, someone said something about 10 minutes into the ride, and it reminded me of the song, "A whole new world," from Aladdin, so I just busted out singing, and Lindsay and Rachel soon joined me in song. The driver totall loved it. He told us that he loved music and asked us to keep on sining, so we went through a series of Disney classics on the way home. At one point, the rickshaw driver told me that I should be recorded, which made me feel so flattered. :-) Then, when we were nearly back to campus, he pulled over to buy something. When he got back into the rickshaw, he handed us a bottle of Maaza Mango Juice and thanked us for our beautiful singing. I was so touched. On top of that, he also turned out to be a small time actor in Telugu movies, and he had his headshots in the back of his rickshaw, which we all took a look at. Needless to say, it was the best autorickshaw ride yet.
Once we got to the club we were greeted by the other Americans hosting the watch party. They actually ended up having quite a turn out. The club itself was a funny location to host a debate watch party at, but it worked out well. It had only opened up two weeks earlier, so they were eager to draw a crowd of people. The interior decoration was very modern and sleek, definitely my style, but they had these random fake candle things at each table, which made it look really tacky. Also, they didn't have much of a menu, and none of us had eaten, so we were a bit underwhelmed by their food options. Somebody had brought "Palin Bingo" to play while we watched the debate, and if you got bingo then you won a free drink. I didn't actually think that I'd do it because the keyword that I needed to win was "heartland," but near the end of the debate, she came through and said that word. Woohoo! Bingo!
Sidenote: the bar had a fantastic view of the city.
After the debate a bunch of us went to go get dinner at this noodle place down on the ground floor of the mall since we hadn't really eaten before or during the debate. Following dinner we got to my favorite part of the night... the autorickshaw ride home.
We spent a while haggling with various drivers over the price, but we just couldn't get them down below 200Rs. (Not that I really cared because that really only equates to $5 or less, but I guess it's the principle, since they always overcharge us) Finally we just got into a rickshaw. I hoped in with my friends Rachel, Lindsay and Harrison. For some reason, someone said something about 10 minutes into the ride, and it reminded me of the song, "A whole new world," from Aladdin, so I just busted out singing, and Lindsay and Rachel soon joined me in song. The driver totall loved it. He told us that he loved music and asked us to keep on sining, so we went through a series of Disney classics on the way home. At one point, the rickshaw driver told me that I should be recorded, which made me feel so flattered. :-) Then, when we were nearly back to campus, he pulled over to buy something. When he got back into the rickshaw, he handed us a bottle of Maaza Mango Juice and thanked us for our beautiful singing. I was so touched. On top of that, he also turned out to be a small time actor in Telugu movies, and he had his headshots in the back of his rickshaw, which we all took a look at. Needless to say, it was the best autorickshaw ride yet.
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