Day 30...I think

Wow I can't believe I have been in India for a month! Time went by so quickly, as my time runs out I am sad that I will have to leave this place and the amazing friends I have made, but at the same time I can't wait to see my family and friends who I miss so much.

Anyways, I am writing this to catch everyone up on a few things I have been up to recently. The first one is my trip to a village about an hour away from Pune. We went to this village because one of my friends is doing a project there to try and enforce agricultural commercialization and some other things. The day we were there, the elections were taking place and so we became a part of some kind of march (I didn't really understand its purpose, but it was very interesting). It was a nice way to get to see the different parts of the village and what it is like to live there.

This weekend I also traveled to Goa! First of all, we travelled on a sleeper bus, which is pretty much a bunch of bunk beds in a bus so you can just sleep the whole trip! It was fantastic, our bus was at 10:30pm and arrived at around 8am, so I just slept all night and in the morning I was in Goa! The first day we spent our time at the beach and just enjoyed that, it wasn't the most beautiful beach I have been to, but it was very relaxing. We also went to some of the local shops and explored the town. The next day, we did a tour of Goa and visited a few temples and forts as well as the spice plantation. The spice plantation was really nice, we got to see how they grow all the spices and also got to enjoy a nice lunch there. They also had elephants so I got to ride one of those! Overall, Goa was a good experience.

Anyways, I will try to get better at this blogging thing!

Much love,

xox Sofia

India Info

So I thought maybe I should share a little bit of what I have learned from being here in India!

Food: First of all, the butter chicken here is absolutely amazing, like nothing I have tasted before...to die for! I think I have eaten it at least every other day...probably not the healthiest thing but hey you only live once. I have also discovered some other fantastic foods (some surprisingly vegetarian) which I have come to love such as Chana Bhatura, Dal Khichdi, and Paneer. I am trying to be as open minded as possible with all of the food to make the most out of my experience. I have also learned that not so spicy in India, is still pretty darn spicy!! I swear even the breakfast in India is spicy (you can see now why I like the not so spicy butter chicken so much). But I have been able to cope. Thankfully I have found some American and Italian food to balance it out, and you can find Chinese food at almost every restaurant...yay noodles! 

Roads: The roads in India are pretty much a death trap. If you can drive in India you can probably drive anywhere. It almost reminds me of one of those racing games in the arcade where your just trying to go as fast as you can, dodge all the obstacles and try not to hit anything...not very safe!! I have gotten pretty used to it now, but I think it will always be scary for me. Most people here ride a two-wheeler (scooter or motorcycle) and since they are so small, people just squeeze themselves into the spaces between cars and clog up every little space they can. Also, there are barely any intersections or street signs making it very confusing to get around, and also dangerous. My typical mode of transportation is the rickshaw, which I use pretty much everyday. These things are everywhere and are pretty much a skinny, ugly, and door-less kind of car....fun. I have had to say "NO bhaiya! Too much!" to the driver numerous times when they have tried to overcharge me...I almost have the bargaining thing down, but I still have to work on it!

Shopping: Luckily when I came here, there were already interns who new the best places to shop in town. There is also a huge mall in walking distance from where I live which has a food court (Indian and American food), a movie theater, and I think 5 floors worth of American and Indian stores. I have been there many times, but it is rather pricey. Something I have noticed when shopping though, is that in the front of the mall, as well as almost every large store is security where you have to walk through a metal detector and they also search your bag. Some stores even keep your shopping bags at the front of the store while you browse...talk about high security! Another thing I noticed is that the salespeople there watch you like a hawk! They don't even do it sneakily, they just stand directly beside you as you browse and stare at you...its very disturbing and didn't make my shopping experience too pleasurable. 

Animals: I was warned before I came to India that I would see cows on the streets. I have seen many cows, but I have also seen goats, horses and a surprising number of dogs and cats. Really, the dogs are everywhere. Stray dogs line the streets of India. They are very calm, and hardly ever approach me though, they just mind their own business...most of the time. One time however, I was one a motorcycle and a dog started chasing us, I screamed and we had to speed up drive past the house to avoid it...scary stuff. We have also had numerous break ins to our house...by the cats. Those sneaky little things have found there way in and come to hide from the rain in our intern house. It also doesn't help that one of the other interns leaves out milk for them in our backyard...

I will probably find more to add to this later, but right now I am drawing a blank, bye bye for now!

Much love, 

xox Sofia

Day 21: Bring on the Monsoon

Okay so I have been really terrible at this whole blog thing it turns out...but I will try to be better, I promise! So let me just catch you up on the last couple of crazy weeks. Last week, I worked at an orphanage called Sparsh Balgram for a few days and it was absolutely incredible. I have never seen more inspiring, respectful, cooperative and eager to learn kids. They were so happy to be able to talk to us and play games and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there with them. I was able to teach the older kids some English and mostly help them with their spelling and pronunciation. In return they taught me some Marathi and shared with me some songs and dance. Here are some pictures:

On another note, this weekend I travelled to Mahableshwar, Maharashtra, a beautiful hill station 3 hours from Pune. Unfortunately for us, it was pouring rain the entire weekend! We trekked quite a way to see the view, but the fog made it incredibly hard to see anything. I guess everything here isn't roses and sunshine, so I have tried to make the most of it! It was a crazy trip, but I survived!

Anyways, that's all that I really remember from the past couple weeks!

Much love,

xox Sofia

Day 9 - Move in day!

So I have finally moved in to the AIESEC intern house today, which is a huge relief! I have already met a few of the other interns, and they have been so kind and welcoming which makes me feel so happy about this journey I am beginning. Today I actually went to see the Aga Khan Palace which was so beautiful and peaceful I couldn't even believe I was still in Pune. I wish I understood more of the history before going to the palace, but it was still very interesting to see it and view the exhibits. Here are some photos:

Anyways, that was basically my day today. In the past couple of days I was also able to do some shopping so that I can blend in more with the regular Indian folks. I also visited an orphanage where I helped out temporarily. The kids were so well behaved and polite which warmed my heart. Hopefully I will begin my work at a new school closer to my housing tomorrow. I will keep you all posted!

Much love,

xox Sofia

My First Week in Pune, India

Well family and friends, since this is pretty much the first time all week that I have had internet access, I decided I may as well just sum up my entire first week! Surprisingly enough I didn't notice too much of a smell upon first arriving in India (although my sinuses were never too trustworthy) but I definitely noticed the heat. As soon as I stepped off the plane at the Bombay airport the humidity was so strong that my glasses even fogged up. I have learned to stay out of the sun as much as possible, and have come to love the air conditioned movie theaters (where they don't only serve popcorn, but real corn too! yum!).

But aside from the nearly unbearable heat, I have also experienced a lot of what India has to offer. In my first week I have eaten only with my hands, been to 2 Indian weddings, seen cows and dogs roaming the streets freely,  received over 50 mosquito bites on my legs alone, been to a wax museum and a water park (where I had to wear a bathing suit that consisted of full length waterproof leggings and an army style t-shirt), and rode on a motorcycle and a scooter. Overall, a productive week and I got to see a lot of Pune including the very high end western mall and the impoverished slums filled with beggars and the like.

I was warned before I came to India that I would be stared at, and this is more than true. The locals stick their eyes on me as though I'm a piece of meat...or vegetable...or something. But I have learned to ignore it. The most difficult part of being here is the language barrier. I didn't quite understand before how hard it would be to communicate with others and be a part of the conversation. At times it feels as though the conversation is just happening around me, and I feel bad always asking for someone to translate. But I'm sure I will get used to it, or hopefully pick up some of the language myself.
One of the best things about India so far is the food. They are so proud of their mango's here, and rightfully so as they are delicious. I wish my mom were here with me, I know she would love them. I have tried every food offered to me, and although I am not much of a vegetarian, I am learning to enjoy everything.
Anyways, that's all from me today! I will try to keep you all updated more often (if I get internet), much love!

xox Sofia