Arrival & Impressions

6/30/12, 8:00 a.m.

Well I’m here, alive, and doing well. My flight from Frankfurt to Chennai was a bit different than my one to Germany.  I was on the same airline but there was definitely a different feel to the flight. This might be due to the fact that I was one out of the maybe 3 white people in my section of the plane. Everyone kept looking at me, this one little boy kept staring at me from the crack between his seat. Definitely something I am not used to. The flight attendant looked at me with puppy dog eyes that screamed “awe, we all know you aren’t from around here”.  

The food was pretty good and gave me my first taste at sort of authentic food. The lunch/dinner was masala so chick peas, rice, paneer, green stuff, etc. There was also a little salad, some kind of yogurt stuff, rice pudding, bread, and a pickled mango. I wasn’t sure how my food eating etiquette should be on the plane and looked around me for guidance. Even though I wasn’t in India yet I didn’t want to screw this up. Plus there were a lot of judging eyes on me. The next “meal” was a pastry filled with spinach and corn and some kind of spice. That was banging.  

I finally managed to get 2 hours of sleep on this flight which left me a little bit more refreshed (I was up straight for over 24 hours). Finally for what has seemed like a Mecca within it self we arrived in Chennai. The entire time I have been traveling I didn’t feel like I was really going anywhere. Sure, the air map said I was in Europe, but honestly everything felt so similar to the U.S. Even still at the Chennai airport I felt this way.

OH- side note. While going through customs we met a solo traveler our age backpacking around India for a month. This guy was ridiculous; he sent my left brain into overdrive. He did not know how to fill out the customs papers because he didn’t have an address, phone numbers, or basically any crucial information. Keep in mind he has never been to India and it was 2 am. His philosophy was, I’m just gonna figure it out. Best of luck to that guy.

Anyways, where was I?

Oh yes, finally, FINALLY, the moment that I have been anticipating and fantasizing about for at least a year had arrived. My first steps out into the streets of India. I’ll give you my first reactions as they came to me.

#1. HEAT. Within less than 10 seconds every part of me is sticking to itself. I am informed that this is a “cooler night” for Chennai……. WHAT?!

#2. SMELL. I’ll do my best here because it really isn’t like anything I have smelled before. It is like warm sewage mixed with a little bit of gasoline and spices. Then it instantly changes into a smell sickeningly sweet and then right back to the sewage. My stomach is just churning thinking about it. Definitely something that will be a huge adjustment. 

#3.CARS. It is 2 am and the outside the airport is JAM PACKED, I mean like cars on top of each other packed. There is a lot of honking but it is seems almost friendly. I guess not friendly, but more of a “Hey, I need to get somewhere so I am warning you that I’m next to you” than a “Screw You” kind of honk. 

#4. PEOPLE. People are weaving flawlessly in and out of the traffic in front of them looking completely nonchalant. It is like they don’t care that they are about to be run over. 

#5. POVERTY. It is 2 am and there are people cooped up all along the streets. I mean, like a lot of them. This isn’t a shock but something unpleasant and disheartening. 

#6. POLLUTION. The streets are filthy dirty with trash and graffiti everywhere. Yup, I’m not in America no mo’.

Finally we arrived at the college and were shown our new rooms. I will have to do a post just on those after we are more settled in. I slept okay for all the jet lag that I have accumulated and will have to get used to this rock hard beds. Something I was not expecting, to be freezing all night. We are the only room on campus that has AC and I guess I was preparing for bad heat so had no layers to cuddle up with. Ironic, cold in India. 

What today holds: 

First we are meeting up with Anu and the warden of our hall. We will be getting our internet sticks (YAY, finally!) and meeting some of the faculty at MCC. I’m pretty sure we are getting a tour of the campus too. After that we are going to activate our cell phones and then venture out to the streets of Chennai. 

I am going to take a shower now to get ready for the day, yes an actual shower! The shower heads work only during certain times of the day and between 7 am-9am  so I am in the gold. 

Sending all my love always

-Becca

Frustriert.

6/29/12

I am currently suffering jet lag and have a pounding headache. It is 6:35 am here in Germany yet 12:36 am in America. I am trying to pretend that I have slept, but the truth is I did not one bit. My flight was about as enjoyable as a 7 hour flight can be. I sat next to a very large German man flying back home after a business trip. When I say big I mean Hurley from lost big, but he was very kind. His body overflowed into my personal bubble and I found myself clinging to the wall to avoid body contact. Needless to say, I have a very sore back. Minus that physical obstacle, this was my first international flight and was very exciting!   

Things people about to embark on their first overseas flight should know:

#1. They throw booze at you. You get on the plane and then there is “cocktail hour” where you get a contemporary glass of wine or other mixed drink. I got white wine and felt very grown up. After that they feed you dinner, which I’m pretty sure you can get alcohol with for free as well. However, I opted out of that one. Next they offer you tea and coffee shortly followed by complementary Kahlua. I mean geez, not complaining but not what I expected.

#2. The food actually was not too bad. Tara- I went against your advice not to get the veg option, but it was actually pretty good. It looked like it came straight out of a microwave but I did appreciate having a somewhat balanced meal. It was pasta with pesto (I think?) ,vegetables with a ginger sesame dressing, a slice of cheddar cheese, a dinner roll, and a chocolate brownie cake with half a slice of a strawberry. Way to go Lufthansa Airlines! 

#3. Don’t rely on the plane for headphones. The headphones were a weird two plug type thing that once put into my ipod would only play out of one headphone on half volume. Kind of a fail.

#4. They flight attendants are sneaky. They turned the lights off at 9 pm for “bed time” only to turn them back on at 11 pm for “breakfast”.  Nice try, my internal clock is telling me it is time for sleep, not morning. It was rather disorienting. 

But I am super frustrated at the fact that Frankfort airport DOES NOT have free wifi?! Are you kidding me? This is why I am typing this all out on word explorer to be rehashed on the blog at a later date. Well, they technically have free wifi… but it is only free for 30 minutes. Unfortunately for me, you have to get a pin number to type in that they will send to your cell phone. Well that’s just great. Thank you Germany

. 

Anyways, I shall be meeting my other travelers in about an hour and am pretty excited to have some company. Dare I nap? The German advised me not to, but it is going to be at least 14 more hours until my arrival in Chennai. Challenge accepted. Expect to hear from a very cranky Becca soon.

Miss you all so much, Hope all is well

xoxo, 

Becca 

P.S.  I kind of felt like I was on project runway because as I was leaving the plane the flight attendants gave me the "auf wiedersehen", which means goodbye in German. For some reason I always thought Heidi Klum was saying "love you dozens" and was confused at why the Germans loved me so much. Needless to say now I get it.

The Last

My belongings for the next 5 months, 1 suitcase! I gots skills

Hello everyone, or I guess goodbye. In about 1 hour I will be heading to the airport with my lovely chauffeur, Sam (my brother).  I will be boarding a plane to Germany all by my lonesome and meeting up with my 2 other BCAers there. After a long layover the 3 of us will hop on a plane to Chennai, and the rest will be history. This morning has been one filled with lasts. My last American shower, last pancake breakfast, last time laying in my full sized bed, last hug/kiss/goodbye. As bitter sweet as it is to say goodbye, I know I am saying hello to a whirl wind of opportunities in India. So I leave today ready to embrace what ever is thrown in my way and with confidence that everything is going to be okay. See you in Germany my little friends ;)


P.S. Yes, that is a fanny pack that I am rocking

Much love,
Becca

This is crazy, I'm going to India, Watch out baby!

travel gifts from my amazing friends, love you all <3

Side note: the title of this post should be sung to the tune of call my maybe.

In just about 24 hours I am going to be on my way to the airport to leave for my Indian adventure. THIS IS CRAZY! Today I get to take my first malaria pill which I will continue to take daily over the next 5 months. This little pill is making the trip feel very real. Before I head off to Chennai I just wanted to thank everyone who has helped me get this far and for all of the support you all have given me. It has been so nice to have people to bounce my worries / fears with and to have you guys to settle my doubts. I will miss all of you while I am gone but no worries because you will not be to far away from my heart and mind. Some of you are heading off in your own adventures and I can't wait to see what they bring for you. I love you all so very much, and hope that the next 5 months holds as much excitement as I believe mine will. Keep in touch <3

- Bec

Crunch Time

There are only 3 days until I leave which only means one thing.... packing. Minus my lap top, documents (passport / acceptance letters), sneakers, and back pack this is everything I am bringing. I am usually a chronic over-packer but this time I think I have finally broken the habit. Yup, this is it, just about everything that I will own for the next 5 months of my life. (Of course I am sure to stock up on lots of Indian garb as soon as I arrive. Kurtas & Saris, yes please!) But I think that the fact that I am finally leaving is starting to hit me hard. I guess the reality check came two days ago during a family party when I had to say goodbye to my dad, step mom, & two younger brothers. I won't be seeing them until Thanksgiving which seems to be light years away. I wonder who I am going to be when that time comes around? Hopefully someone not too different from who I am now. However, I hope to be someone with a  greater understanding of myself and the world around me.

Speaking of hopes for this trip, what a perfect opportunity to list out some goals for the next 5 months in order to keep myself accountable and focused during my time abroad. 

GOALS

1. To accept that I am an outsider/ embrace the culture.  It is inevitable that I will experience a huge culture shock upon my arrival in India. Adapting to a culture that is so different from my own is going to be a huge challenge. As an American, I value my independence, but while in India I am hoping to conform to a new culture where group autonomy is stressed and as a result be accepted by the people. I am going to see a lot of things I disagree with but need to step back and realize that I am a guest in this country and my opinion may not be the one held by the majority. 

2. Keep an open mind and heart. It sounds cliche, but I think will be one of the hardest things for me. This goal reinforces  part of the first goal above. It will be challenging to see human suffering on a day to day basis but  I need to keep an open mind on how this country is dealing with these issues. There is a lot under the surface that I probably don't understand and probably never will. I am predicting that my heart will break multiple times at the realities of poverty in Chennai and that my morals will be tested.  I need to stay open and ready to learn and I will grow as a result.

3. Immerse myself and absorb as much information I can about India. In other words, be a sponge. I must take advantage of every opportunity that comes my way.  I should spend as much time as I can with natives and take it all in. I must explore and surrender myself to the many sights, smells, and flavors of Chennai. I need to find a way to connect to those in field placement and in the hospital I will be volunteering at.

4. Learn my tolerance for human suffering. It is no secret that India is a third-world country and that, once in Chennai, I will be facing poverty of catastrophic levels. Once a graduate with my OT degree, I am hoping to work with people, specifically woman, in poverty. I am hoping that seeing an abundance of poverty first hand will strengthen what I believe is my life path even further. My fieldwork experience will give me the insight to see if I can do this type of work for the rest of my life, if I can tolerate a job where my heart will be broken from injustices. 

5. Apply what I learn in India back home. I am sure while in India I will gain new perspectives on issues of poverty, gender roles, and politics. I want to come back home and apply what I learn to my own community. I want to learn how to produce change on a large scale, and figure out what needs to be changed in order for our world to be a little better. While in India I will be working with these issues head on and taking classes that will help me accomplish these things.

6.  Broaden my knowledge and appreciation for the world.  I have spent the majority of my life in a small town in NH with little to no diversity. I was hoping to push myself a little further by going to school 8 hours away only to find myself surrounded by people with similar backgrounds as my own. I am hoping to connect with people completely different then me, (race, religion, customs, etc) and make cross-cultural friendships. I want to understand what it is like to be a minority (which I will soon be) and take that information to better understand myself and others. 

7.  Have fun!! It seems obvious, but it needed to be documented. It is not every day where I find myself with the opportunity to live in another country drastically different then the U.S. I know that I want to soak up as much as I can from this experience and learn a lot, but I need to remember that it is my "vacation semester". NO MORE ANATOMY! I have been looking forward to this for a long time so it is time to enjoy  myself, relax, and live in the moment. 

READERS BACK HOME: 

Remind me to stick to these goals, ask me about them, pester me if you have to. 

Keep me accountable.

Well, time to go to a goodbye lunch with my mom, Fritz? Yummm. 

Thanks for reading, you guys are the best :)

xoxo,

B

20 Days. 20 Thoughts.

There are 20 days left until my big adventure begins. I feel like I am denying to myself that this trip is actually happening because it feels so unreal. I'm starting this blog to help get the ball rolling and myself  focused and ready for what I hope will be one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life.

So I give you 20 thoughts for each day that separates me from India: 

1. Fear: Am I ready? Can I do this?

2. Ignore that first thought: You CAN do it! You are ready to soak up all that India has waiting for you.

3. What do I pack? Luckily my to the floor dresses will pass as appropriate attire in Chennai. SCORE. Thank-you Goodwill.

4. I CAN NOT WAIT FOR THE FOOD!

5. I am gonna rock a sari so hard that all them Indian folks won't know what hit em.

6. How am I going to survive the heat?

7. I must ride an elephant.

8. HENNA. All over my body.

9. How can I get myself invited to a wedding?

10. I wonder if I can find an Indian running buddy.

11. What do I wear while running if I can't show my shoulders or knees?!

12. Maybe I won't run as much as I think.

13. I must pick the brain of every native I can (politely of course).

14. Be a sponge. Listen & sit back.

15. I should be learning Tamil instead of writing in this blog.

16. I don't even know how to blog.... what am I doing?!?!

17. CURRRY. Errr day. Did I mention how much I am going to eat?

18. Must meditate & take a yoga class while there as well. I want to feel connected to myself and nature.

19. I really hope I don't get sick, even though with my body it is pretty much inevitable.

20. I CAN NOT WAIT. TREMBLING IN EXCITEMENT. (Hence the all caps).

(yup, that's me)

Well there you have it, the first blog post of many. I am hoping to do a more serious post soon on goals and expectations to serve for reflection purposes later on. I'm guessing this blog will be semi-casual with many rants. I am not a blogger or a great writer, so bear with me.  On that note I think I'll end this thang gossip girl style.

xoxo,
B