What a trip!
I left Harrisburg for St. Louis Tuesday night after an exhausting day full of packing and tears. Nothing fit and all of my bags were too heavy. Deciding finally to take three 50 pound bags instead of two, we were on our way. We arrived late that evening, and it didn't take long for me to fall fast asleep. The next morning we arrived at the St. Louis International Airport at 5:45am. It was so hard to say bye to mom and dad. And the day before saying bye to my grandparents was also incredibly difficult. Everything was starting to really sink in at this point.... it was really happening. I was not just leaving for a trip, but moving abroad for almost a year. Andy had parked his car and met me inside after I said goodbye to my amazing parents. He stayed with me until I went through my final security check. He came back a few times which made it easier and harder at the same time. I wasn't questioning my decision, I was just realizing the full gravity of my choice.
After making it through my security check I boarded my first plane bound for Dallas. Next stop was Dubai, then Hyderabad. Nothing too exciting, but when we arrived in Hyderabad customs it all changed. I definitely should have learned the language. Apparently the piece of paper I had printed out with my contact numbers and my address had fallen out between flights so I didn't have an address for my customs form. It was a complete mess. The officer actually told me I would have to go home! Back to the plane! Of course the language barrier caused the confusion, and my sleep deprivation caused tears to start flowing. Eventually someone felt bad for me and helped me locate an address. Pickup was also interesting. Shruti had emailed new pickup information.... but didn't have access to the internet because of the flights! Luckily another fellow was there, and we got to our new places quickly and safely. Arriving upstairs I met my lovely new housemates and met the boys next door. I think this is going to really work out well!
I'm not going to say that so far everything has been peachy, but I'm adjusting. Things here are just.... different. I guess I assumed that nothing could be more 'different' than Rwanda. I was wrong. This is like bringing cultural divide to an entirely new level! I fell in love with Rwanda the moment I saw the hills. India, though, is going to take a bit of patience. Perhaps a love/hate relationship? I definitely am warming up to Hyderabad, and I know that everything is beginning to fall into place. I've been here about a week and it already feels like a couple of months. Things have been very fast paced, yet inexhaustibly slow as well. Weird, huh?
I'll try to continue with some of the excitement of the past week in my next post, but to finish this one I'll post some pictures. I can't get video to post yet though.... I need to figure all of this tech stuff out! But here is just a little taste of India. Remember, it is monsoon season here....
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| last picture in the USA! |
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| View from my window |
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| First rickshaw in India |
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| Wearing some fancy new clothes. |
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| floods |
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| floods |
I left Harrisburg for St. Louis Tuesday night after an exhausting day full of packing and tears. Nothing fit and all of my bags were too heavy. Deciding finally to take three 50 pound bags instead of two, we were on our way. We arrived late that evening, and it didn't take long for me to fall fast asleep. The next morning we arrived at the St. Louis International Airport at 5:45am. It was so hard to say bye to mom and dad. And the day before saying bye to my grandparents was also incredibly difficult. Everything was starting to really sink in at this point.... it was really happening. I was not just leaving for a trip, but moving abroad for almost a year. Andy had parked his car and met me inside after I said goodbye to my amazing parents. He stayed with me until I went through my final security check. He came back a few times which made it easier and harder at the same time. I wasn't questioning my decision, I was just realizing the full gravity of my choice.
After making it through my security check I boarded my first plane bound for Dallas. Next stop was Dubai, then Hyderabad. Nothing too exciting, but when we arrived in Hyderabad customs it all changed. I definitely should have learned the language. Apparently the piece of paper I had printed out with my contact numbers and my address had fallen out between flights so I didn't have an address for my customs form. It was a complete mess. The officer actually told me I would have to go home! Back to the plane! Of course the language barrier caused the confusion, and my sleep deprivation caused tears to start flowing. Eventually someone felt bad for me and helped me locate an address. Pickup was also interesting. Shruti had emailed new pickup information.... but didn't have access to the internet because of the flights! Luckily another fellow was there, and we got to our new places quickly and safely. Arriving upstairs I met my lovely new housemates and met the boys next door. I think this is going to really work out well!
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