eating street food in a saree..this is India 
Today, I will be returning to the United States after spending the last two and a half months in India. I don’t know how you all feel about the question, “So….how was your trip?”, but I hate it! How can I even possibly begin to explain what has just happened to me in the past two and a half months in India? Yet, the best description of an experience like studying abroad came from one of the students at my hostel during one of our tea time discussions: studying abroad is like a relationship. In the same way you can’t simply answer questions about the health of your marriage or relationship, you can’t describe the good and the bad of your study abroad experience in one simple response. It seems that this is the type of relationship I have with India.
Stage 1: My first date with India. I arrived in India on May 16, 2012. Like most first dates, the first day was a little awkward. I watched a man pee on the side of the road, walked around the streets feeling very aware of my whiteness, almost got hit by a few rickshaws, and ate food that I did not recognize and was too afraid to ask what it was.
Stage 2: Getting comfortable. It wasn’t until I arrived in Mumbai, after spending a week in Delhi, that I began to feel like this relationship between India and I could really work. I stayed with my friend’s sister and visited an old friend from Eastern who I had not seen in two years and didn’t think I would ever see again. I even wore a saree and was fed lots of delicious food (this time I was comfortable enough to ask what it was).
Stage 3: Is it love that I’m feeling? After Mumbai, I spent two weeks at the Asha House, a children’s home near Delhi. Here, I fell in love with 29 beautiful children who accepted me immediately upon my arrival. They tried (and failed) to teach me Hindi. But, they taught me cricket and seven stones, while I taught them how to do the Hokey Pokey.
Stage 4: Could India be the one? After my stay at the Asha House, I ventured down to Hyderabad, the location of my study abroad program. In Hyderabad, several Indian families welcomed me into their homes, and it was here, in Hyderabad, where I attended my first Indian wedding, mastered the art using Indian public transportation, and made friendships that will last a lifetime. I feel less like “a foreigner” and more like a part of a community.
Like most relationships, not everything has been perfect, including the times I have been ripped off by rickshaw drivers and shopkeepers, when the power goes out every five minutes for just enough time to disconnect my computer from the internet, and the internal struggle I face every time I see someone throw their garbage on the side of the road. But, I guess this is just how it is with relationships: you accept the other for the good and the bad. Although I have been in India just two and a half short months, I think I might just be in love.
What a perfect way to describe your experience. I’ve never thought about it as a relationship before – but that really is perfect! Thanks for sharing everything on your blog! Safe travels home!
I have been following your journey with pleasure; thanks for sharing all this with your family. Have a safe trip back and I wish I had your sari. On another note, your Aunt Donna and your two cousins will be arriving on my doorstep in L.A. shortly. Not the same kind of trip, but still….
I’m sure your mom will be glad to have you home.
Hyderabad, best city ever, period
this is very true..this article reminds me about studying abroad in the states.
before I visited the states, honestly I did not have positive impression about US.(sorry), but I was curious to see and know about true US. then I spent about 9 months there. met so many nice people and few weirdo, traveled various places, had so many new experiences that i cannot describe one word like good or bad….then I fell in love.
traveling abroad allow people to crush on that country, (so in my case, i crush on India). its very different from studying abroad. it gives people enough time to have relationship.(i gotta love with US.one of my friends, she broke her heart..:( )
after I finished reading this journal, I felt like you described my experience, so i got excited and left comment here.
Thank you for sharing all journals.
Have a safe flight back!