T Minus 5

So long Mumbai--the rest of this Indian adventure will be spent on the beaches, spas and Taj hotel restaurants/bars in Goa. So long cargo pants and oversized linen capris. So long Tide hand wash packets, the infamous sleepy time sack and the towel wrap that made me feel somewhat comfortable after showering in the hostel.

Our last day in Mumbai was mostly spent on the tour bus. Since Mumbai traffic prevents speedy excursions, everywhere we wanted to go today took a good two hours. I didn't mind as I was able to snap photos of everyday city life. Looking at women with their children walking home to their shack from school with hands linked and shopkeepers working barefoot out of their huts on the highway was a humbling experience. To see how the other side of the world lives, works, provides and survives in their environment is an amazing parallel to our life as Americans. Universal aspects of daily life occur around each and every corner. Women walking their children to school, a group of kids kicking around a ball, a texting while driving billboard, environmental efforts and even car dealerships are all present in this world, our world. Yet, we don't think of these commonalities and these precious lives in India--life is here, and it's amazing to me that I didn't even know I didn't know. Does that make sense? Until you see these people and their daily routine, even in so much as a superficial level like watching out the window of a bus, I was unaware of the "commonality" of it all.

As I looked out the window, I also noticed the simplicity of this nation, specifically its people. Friends sitting on Marine Drive watching the waves roll in, a man sitting on a bench pondering who knows what creates this calmness in a city full of chaos. No one runs. No one yells. No one rushes in this life, leaving patience as the guiding principle of day-to-day activities.

Just to note, I wasn't just staring at these people like a creeper, but taking in the entire city. A few individuals even happily acknowledged our presence with a smile and a wave.

Click for More Mumbai Pics

Mumbai Shenanigans

An afternoon monsoon welcomed us with open arms into this incredible city. With spirits up and emotions high, leaving MICA for Mumbai was a dream come true. Approaching our tour bus, we were delighted to find that the tour would be given while we lounged in spacious, recliner seats. Dozing in and out of sleep, here are some of the pictures I was able to take through the busy city streets of Mumbai. Click for Pics

Scrumptious Taj President breakfasts and sea bass and risotto dinners have made my time at MICA seem like a small price to pay for the vacation of a lifetime that will ensue.

Nightlife in Mumbai (Karaoke songs include: Only in America, of course, Come Together, Waiting for Tonight--unfortunately, we did not get to belt out Endless Love). Delicious food. Fruit (Foreign to us after 4 weeks of anxiety over what can/cannot be consumed). Kingfisher. Rolling ocean waves at the Queen's Necklace on Marine Drive. (On the coast, at dark, lights are strung along the shoreline, resembling a strand of pearls--exquisite.)

Today, Rennie, Brooke and I spent five hours at the Oberoi (ritzy hotel) shops decorating ourselves with precious jewelry and renowned Indian silver. As our search for blue topaz and black diamonds lingered on, we became hungry and a bit tired so we parked it at the Oberoi restaurant for lunch. I feel home. 

I'm not entirely sure what brought about this feeling I had today--somehow I think it is the realization that I have one foot in India as the other can sense the closeness of home. It could also have a little something to do with the leisurely nature of the rest of my time here in India. But, whatever it is, today was one of the first times where I have looked back on the past few weeks and have been shamelessly proud of myself. I think before today, I had only seen the individual negative pieces of the trip, but as they wove together, they became an overwhelming accomplishment, creating a sense of self-actualization inside myself that never existed before and probably would've have without this adventure.

Bollywood studio tomorrow, followed by my final shopping stint. 

To the constant assault on all of your senses, especially your heart.

A Day of Lasts

Today provided me with an indescribable amount of happiness. Sunday, July 25 marks the last day of classes here at MICA. Since my arrival in India, I have lost all sense and recognition of the days of the week. Time is a different story--did I mention there are only 15 hours left on campus?

Other lasts included my last spoonful of peanut butter as lunch/dinner for nourishment, last cold shower (Rennie and I finally, with less than 24 hours left figured out how to turn on the hot water), last last day of P90X in the quad, and unfortunately, the last day of daybreak yoga. Waking up at 5:30 a.m. this morning seemed next to impossible after the battle of the bugs last night. Eyes closed, Rennie and I threw on some clothes and joined two chaperones in the community room with our official yoga mats, or rugs like I said before, and practiced sun salutations as the monsoon came twirling through the open windows. Along with the monsoon came an influx of huge, just enormous flies. My concentration was interrupted by the incessant buzzing and I was constantly flailing throughout postures, but at least I gave it a shot.

SMU crew designated Pizza Hut on our last night in Ahmedabad to commence the third and final leg of this incredible trip. I packed up my suitcase faster than I ever have before, dancing around the room listening to the most patriotic music I could find (Toby Keith's Red, White and Blue). Just as it started, Brooke ran in our room wearing her USA crown from 4th of July, which honestly seems like months ago. Reliance Mart (Wal Mart-esque store in Ahmedabad) provided me with an additional duffle bag to take my excessive amount of scarves and jewelry back to the states. Inherently, shopping addictions do not fade across countries.

Departure from MICA to the airport 4:45 a.m. gets us in Mumbai by 8:30 a.m. Arrive in Taj hotel, not hostel, at noon for check in.

Pizza, then turn the page.

Last night in the sleepy-time sack---how could I forget?

Bug 'n My Top

The following personification exercises were used during our interviews with both Micans and Americans. The answers may make you laugh, might even surprise you, but they definitely will shock you.

Asking them to be brutally honest, we sat down with two 2nd year students to find their opinions on beliefs and values associated with Americans. Brutally honest they were. We uncovered some interesting values and traits that Indians associate with our nation. Everyone in the room was laughing as both Indian women proclaimed, "huge" when asked to describe a typical American. The conversation went from there...

HUGE (tall and bulky), attractive, blonde hair, brown eyes, white, with freckles, wearing a bikini – minimal clothing, 30 years old, working a 9-5 desk job, income level is much higher than average Indian, but more hand to mouth in terms of America, living in homes, 3-4 bedrooms with 1 bathroom to each bedroom, 2 cars minimum, SUV either Ford or GM, takes weekend trip to beaches, weekend getaways are frequent and they get drunk

To get a better perspective on how Americans view Indians, we had some of our closest friends describe what kind of person India would be if personified: 

5’7, 180 pounds, brown eyes, dark hair, dark complexion, small feet, b/c all the ones I”ve met have had really small feet, white clothing but fully covered, pants, loose collared shirts, women in saris, 55 years old, work as tea maker or in IT department, 15,000/year, small house, everybody shares a room, one bathroom per household, camels for transportation,  pray in all liesure time


In other news, as I walked into class yesterday something was making my stomach itch, so naturally I looked down to see what was going on. Low and behold, a huge, green grasshopper had climbed down my top and set up camp for the day (as my mom says, he must've had been a good person in his previous life to wind up down a girl's shirt). Disgusted, grossed out and just overwhelmed, I thought, "just add it to the list." I went to the back of the room since no one had arrived yet save a few people, and made sure nothing else was tagging along for the day. 


Ready to go.

Bandeej and Ganesha

I laughed a lot today. I'm not sure if it was because of my successful load of laundry done with a faucet, Tide packet and a big baby blue bucket. (Nevermind the fact that the clothes smell mildewy and have a faint off-white hue). Or, could it be my newfound hostel pets, rightly named Bandeej and Ganesha? Whatever it is, I'm trying with all my heart to envelope all that is India, which includes all that is MICA.

Tomorrow, our tasks include in-depth interviews with a few friends from the states as well as some Micans. It should be interesting to say the least. I've found that most students on campus acknowledge me without a greeting, yet if I initiate a "hi" or "hello," I'm always met in the middle with a smile and one back. With luck, our search for talkative and hopefully opinionated Indians will be unproblematic.

Our mission is to find attitudes and beliefs of Indian students regarding America. What Professor Krishna calls "insight" should unveil itself during tomorrow's interviews. 

To McVettie's and peanut butter (dinner tonight).

Until tomorrow.

"The Fruits of Patience Are Always Sweet"

Session 20 of Research Methodology. Done and Done.

The five days left until Mumbai/Goa adventures leave a feeling of eternity in my upset stomach. With patience and support from friends and family, I am pushing along and know I can make it through this week. We've started an assignment that should take a traditional class three months to complete; while our cohort must condense it into a five day timeline. Working in small teams, we must work our skinny butts off to receive some sort of credit to legitimize our 5 weeks of pure India shenanigans.

Also, just as we thought our last day with Krishna, our MICA professor, was upon us, he reminded everyone that he will "come back like a bad dream." We will be making up two classes on Thursday, as we will be in class from 7:55-3:30. Oh, my.

To the approaching month of August.

P90X Hot Hot India Style

P90X in the quad starts at 9 a.m. With quite a loyal following and a passion to burn time, it should be easy to work off those 5-star Trident buffets. Today is our 17th session of Research Methodology. It seems far, but keep in mind that three sessions are knocked out in one day, leaving this to be only our 6th day of class. With 6 more to go, Mumbai keeps inching closer. In good news, another page of my itinerary is almost dunzo.

To those infamous Nike shorts.