India II

            I am so shocked to be writing this as I fly back to the USA! It seems like I only arrived in India a few days ago and now here I am desperately trying to cram all my belongings back into my suitcase (it seems to be getting more difficult the more places I go!!). So to fill you all in since the last time we chatted, more adventures have been had, more friends have been made, and more places explored!

Mumbai is a very large city. Did I mention that before? Like real big… I enjoyed living the city life but found myself looking for a different scene on my free days. A few weeks ago I spent a Sunday at the National Park. The park sits about 30 minutes (by train) outside the city and home to a large variety of birds and plant life. I was joined by three friends Georg, Neha, and Pratik and we hiked up to the parks famous Canary Caves. I was about 4 hours round tip and unfortunately unknown to us it was also the hottest day of the decade on record….no joke. At the end of our hike we were coated in sweat and utterly exhausted.  We then took a refreshing ferry ride to the Global Pagoda before utterly succumbing to the heat and dragging out sun-stroked bodies to Neha’s house for a delicious home cooked lunch. Thanks Neha for feeding us and being our guide and Pratik for being our personal photographer!!!

            The following Sunday a friend invited Georg and I to her family farm which sits about 3 hours outside the city (also by train). I was so incredible to really get into nature for a day and the farm itself are beyond words. Mansi grew up there and they pretty much grow every fruit you can imagine from coconuts to chikoos to mangos to lemons to lychees! It is much more beautiful than the photos can convey and we spent a day and a night with her family chatting about our different cultures and eating their homegrown/ home cooked food! I of course was in absolute heaven and didn’t want to go back to the Yoga Institute! We walked through the orchards, strolled around her small town, and even visited her cousins nearby textile factory. It was complete relaxation and bliss and I hope to return at some point to “apprentice” in her mothers kitchen for a while. Thanks for everything Mansi and family! It was by far one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had!

             After such fun the thought of returning to a boring lecture the following week was far too disturbing, so my trusty adventure friend Georg and I played hooky from class one day and went sight seeing around the city with our personal guide and dear friend Franziska. Franzi has been living and working as a journalist/freelancer/communications agent in Mumbai for nearly four years now. She has more knowledge about the city and its history than most locals and was kind enough to share it with us for an entire day free of charge! We visited Dhobi Ghat (the cities largest outdoor laundry facility), Mahalaksmi Temple, Chowpatty Beach, Victoria Station (where Slumdog Millionaire was partially filmed) and even squeezed in a few fabulous markets around town. By the time we returned home Georg and I agreed that although our bodies were covered in eight layers of dirt and grime our minds were refreshed with interesting Mumbai facts and we were ready to return to class the following day. Thanks Franziska for all your help while I was in Mumbai. I miss you already!

            In between these day outings I was able to sneak in a few mini-adventures as well such as my first (and second) motorbike ride in India! A classmate teaches a nearby Zumba class and offered to give me a ride a few times. It was a great way to see the city and the class was excellent!!! Thanks Serin!! Near the end of the course a Chilean couple in our group kindly asked a few of us to join them for dinner at the local Hare Krishna temple where we all spent the evening eating too much and laughing too hard. It was such a great night and not one I am likely to forget soon!

            Last Friday the course drew to a close. We had our final exam, received our graduation certificates, and said our goodbyes. A few of us went out for afternoon drinks to celebrate and agreed it was a good experience for all even if it wasn’t what we had expected.  It felt like the class had become a family and although what seems like a thousand photos were taken, I will miss them dearly. I spent my very last day in India with Franzi and Georg doing all the last minute things one should do in India, such as eating dosa, having our hands hennaed, cursing the humidity one more day, and chatting about what we liked and disliked about Mumbai. In case you were wondering what was on the list, here is an overview:

THUMBS UP

-Indian street food

-cheap cost of living

-fruit variety

-aliveness of the culture

-my awesomely tiny but friendly gym

-meeting wonderful people

-the confusing head wag

-traveling by rickshaw

-street markets

-being barefoot all the time

THUMBS DOWN

-exhaust filled air

-traffic/honking

-construction/dust

-summer humidity

-the caste system

In the end we decided it was all worth it and we would each leave a tiny piece of ourselves there. For now I will head home to my Mr. Charlie Pants (thumbs up) and prepare for my unavoidable jet-lag (thumbs down…). I also wanted to officially announce (to those who don’t know…), I have chosen to attend Groningen University of Applied Sciences this fall in their Masters of International Communications program in the Netherlands. I am very excited to be back in school and of course to get back to the Europe for a bit. Wish me luck!!

Also, on an overly proud elder sister note, Neil has gotten a wonderful job for Red Tail Aviation as a guide pilot in Moab, UT for the summer! It is such a cool opportunity and I could not be happier for him! You go Spud! You’re the bomb!

Well I think that is all to report for now! I have a busy summer ahead and am looking forward to seeing as many friends and family members as possible! I will see all you MacNichol’s at the wedding of the century (Hoorah Sara and Ross!) and all you Foster’s at the graduation of the century (Go Kylie, go Kylie, go, go!) I truly can’t wait! Hugs and kisses to everyone and please forgive my out of touchness for the past few months! If any of you have time please send me an email about how everything is going and what you are up to!! Until next time….xoxo