INDIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

India IS amazing! This place is absolutely unlike anything I could have imagined. The streets are crazy, there are no rules about driving, there are elephants, peacocks, monkeys, frogs, chipmunks, and flies everywhere. But to top it all off I am staying in a PALACE. That's right, a palace. Apparently the man who is running this study abroad program I am participating in is a PRINCE. How freaking cool is that?

But India is something else. I have not really had a chance to post on here because I have been so busy and we do not have easy access to internet. I am using one of my friend's computers right now (yes, I did make friends in the end after all that worrying). Haha. But today I went around to four different temples in Dhrangadhra and took pictures of all the gods and goddesses' shrines. I also got to go shopping in the center of town. Ice cream here is 10 rupees, aka 10 CENTS basically. Furthermore, everyone is SO NICE. All the Indian people want to be your friend and know your name and take your picture or have you take their picture. Especially the staff here at the palace (who barely speak english, but somehow we communicate) are amazing. They are so fun to try to talk to and I feel like I learn something new everyday. The guys who serve us food are hillarious... Sandip told me I was beautiful the other day when I was wearing one of the Indian style shirts I had just bought. The rickshaw drivers (this little cab-like vehicle that we use to get around town in) are so great. They love to talk to us and drive us around, and one day Manu even let Brianne drive the rickshaw! Manu and I also have a handshake - its pretty damn sweet.

But India itself is beautiful, hot, dry, and tiring. Its hard sometimes being in a place where some people barely understand a word you are saying. But in a way its a blessing in disguise... we use other ways to communicate and we are overly friendly since we can't use our words half the time. This is one of the first times I have experienced language barriers to this extent, and its tough. But I'm getting by - most people understand a little bit of English and those who don't are just happy to be in our presence, or happy to have us in their town. I'm even learning a little bit of Gujurati, while at the same time teaching my roommate Ojashwiba (who is one of our native Gujarati translators) expressions like "to have a crush on someone." That was funny, she thought it was so weird that we use a word "crush" to describe liking a boy. I never really thought about that until I was explaining it to her... us Americans are a little strange :)

Yours,

Jaya (my Indian name bestowed on me by Bapa)

Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game

Fear. What is the point of it? What does it do? Where does it come from? Why do we feel it? Fear is an emotion that I usually never feel except of course during those unavoidable encounters with spiders, most insects, sharks, and snakes. Some people get nervous before softball games, skating competitions, big presentations, or other life-altering moments, but I rarely do. Even this year when my synchronized skating team competed at nationals and ended up in second place, I was not nervous. I was merely excited, filled with a kind of joy that one usually experiences during those rare moments that they will always remember. But tomorrow I am leaving to study abroad in a small village in Gujarat, India for a month. I do not really know anyone else who is in my group, and I am so nervous.

Bertrand Russell said, "Those who fear life are already three parts dead." But did he ever travel to a remote village in an Indian desert during a heat wave (120 degree weather) with people whose last names he did not know? I don't think so. I do understand his point that you can't let fear stop you from living your life and having memorable experiences. Therefore I am jumping on that 15 hour flight to Mumbai, and then an hour flight to Ahmedabad to have an experience I probably will never forget and I am not looking back. (Well I may look back a little bit, but isn't that what facebook and email are for?)

But at the same time, fear is necessary. As long as you don't let it run your life or keep you from doing things that you love, fear lets you know that you are uncomfortable. It is a warning sign that you are entering a circumstance that may create change. And change is always scary. Some of the best experiences of my life were times I was a little bit scared of at first, even though I wouldn't admit it. I think everyone has a little bit of fear whenever they try something new, even if it is usually buried so deep in our hearts that we can't even recognize it. Who knows? Fear is just nerves dressed up in a different pair of pants.

So why did I decide to keep a blog about this trip? I'm not really sure. A lot of people told me I should, so that I can look back at my experiences once I return and remember emotions I have felt, thoughts I had, or events that I do not want to forget. But also, I do love to write. No matter how often I complain about the number of papers I write each year at school, or how much I hate picking up that pen to begin (or in this case opening up my laptop), I do find it relaxing. There is also something really nice about seeing your writing published on the internet, even if it is only your blog on which it is published.

Anyways I do not know how often I will be able to write on this blog because I am not sure how fantastic the internet access will be where I am going. But hopefully I will be able to write as often as I want. I feel a pressing urgency to do so because the nostalgia for college years has already set in and I haven't even begun my senior year! I know, I am a little crazy. But these last three years at U of M have gone by so freaking fast, and I just want time to slow down. I can't imagine graduating and being a real person because I am so good at being a kid. However, I do want my 21st birthday to come as soon as possible. But then time can stop for awhile :)

See you in India!