Sights and Tastes of Paris

In July I took a vacation to Paris! After 9 months in India, I was ready for a break from the culture and heat. I met my parents there and spent a week seeing the sights, eating non-Indian food, and spending time with my parents. Here are some of the highlights:
We went to the Louvre

 and saw the Mona Lisa...along with about a million other people

Hung out by the Eiffel Tower, climbed to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, marveled at Versailles, and visited Notre Dame.

   

The food on this trip was surprisingly delicious. I wasn't expecting such great food in Paris!

We ate at some cute cafes

Savored famous ice cream

And I even got a taste of home with Chipotle and Dr. Pepper!!!

It was so great to spend a wonderful week with my parents!!!

Tunda Pani

Coming to India, I always knew it would be hot in the summer. And let me tell you it is- hot hot hot!!! But, I have discovered that the wonderful thing about summer here is that there are fun places to go with ice cold water (in Hindi, cold water is "tunda pani").
Twice I went to a place called "Robber's Cave".  It is so fun! You start out walking through a creek between two caves. Then you start climbing over some rocks and get to more adventures. It was a little scary because I kept feeling like I was going to slip and there was one quite large rock that I just couldn't seem to climb over. Luckily my friend helped pull me up. But mostly it was just fun! It was an adventurous day outdoors and now I can feel the burn in my muscles! It was really so refreshing because this whole hike was shaded by the caves. And walking through cold water doesn't hurt! It was also fun b/c I went with lots of Indian friends!

The second time I went to Robber's Cave, I also went to a pool afterwards. I had no idea that there are pools in India but we found one! The water was kinda gross but it was really fun. I had really been missing being able to swim in a pool so I felt very fortunate that we found one. Most Indians don't know how to swim so it was really funny watching them in their inner tubes in a pool still grabbing onto me b/c they thought they would drown. Some of my friends kind of knew how to swim so I was able to teach them some more.  It was a fun and refreshing day!

Having fun at the pool

My third summer water time was at a river in a nearby hill station. This was probably the coldest water I have ever swam in but it was amazing because it was so hot outside. It was perfect because we could put our bottom half in the water and our top half in the sun- the perfect combination. And it was a beautiful location!

The after school slum program where I help out took the kids to a water park last week, so I went to help as well. The kids were so excited to be going to this water park- they had talked about it for weeks beforehand. The water was so cold that I was not hot at all the whole day- even though it was a blazing day. It wasn't a big waterpark but they had some of those really tall slides, like you might find on a cruise ship. I convinced one of the girl to go, even though she was scared. After she went the first time, she convinced me to go with her the whole rest of the day haha! Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of this day. 

These water escapes have made the summer heat slightly less scary!

Here Comes the Bride!

In February I went to 3 weddings- in the span of about 3 weeks. The first was really exciting because it was my first Indian wedding- something I've heard so much about. So, I got dressed up in a "fancy" suit and embarked on this new adventure. 

Andrea and I ready for our first wedding

At the wedding there was so much food. I didn't realize that there is first a "snack" buffet, then a "meal" buffet. I was filling up on snacks, thinking it's the meal, when a whole other world of food opens up. The food was delicious and I got to try many new dishes.

Andrea and our friends eating delicious wedding food

Then, there is dancing. Complete with strobe lights and smoke. It was really fun because Indians dance with lots of throwing your hands into the air and no one cares how well another person dances. It was a blast!

Two men were having a dance off- it was hilarious!

The second wedding was a daytime wedding, so sadly there was no dancing. But it was still really fun, especially since I was friends with the bride. And since I knew the bride this time, I decided to wear a sari. Unfortunately, the sari was not quite long enough for me (oh the joys of being tall in a short country), but not to worry, my friend successfully tied my sari in a way that she said "is the new fashion". I think she was just trying to make me feel better because since no one else was wearing it that way haha, but it still looked great!

Saris are fun!

With the beautiful bride

By the third wedding I was going broke buying all these fancy outfits, so I did a repeat of the first outfit. This was my first Hindu wedding (the first two were Christian), so I learned alot about more traditional weddings. For example, the groom comes in with his face covered while the youngest sister of the bride welcomes him by holding a jar looking thing on her head. Everyone is surrounding them, excited for him to enter the wedding.

The youngest sister of the bride welcomes the groom

 Then the bride and groom sit for hours while a video camera films them and everyone takes pictures of and with them (this is true for all the weddings). I must say I am glad this tradition is not part of our weddings. I cannot imagine how tedious that must be. No wonder they never smile in their pictures- their mouths would be trembling after hours of smiling.

The couple being filmed and photographed

Weddings are an important part of this culture so I feel very blessed that I was able to experience so many of them!

Rafting in Rishikesh

About a month ago I went white water rafting for the first time! It was a great time. We went to a camp a little bit outside of Rishikesh. It was on a river bank, so of course it was beautiful!

 Now this was my kind of camping- there were actual beds and bamboo on the floor's of the tent to cover the sand. There were even toilet and shower tents! And the food was prepare for us- that means no cooking. Yes! It was HOT but under the canopies it was breezy and wonderful. The weekend was so relaxing. I got to play volleyball and frisbee (and attempt -and fail- to learn a new trick). We also played lots of cards and dice games. So fun!

The tent where we ate our meals and played lots of games

 Apparently this river is pretty mellow and the rapids are easy compared to other rivers, but it was my first time to go white water rafting so I was terrified! But, I survived and it was so much fun! Although, at one point our guide said "All right, this one's called the roller coaster. Check you life jackets and helmets". That got me pretty nervous haha! The water was freezing and refreshing, especially on such a hot day. Later I got to go kayaking. Luckily it was a 2 seater because I had no idea how to steer the thing. Indians don't know how to swim so it was pretty funny when I wanted to go swimming and they forced me to wear a life jacket, in water that went up to my waist.
Overall it was a really fun and relaxing weekend- just what I needed!

Getting ready to go white water rafting

Cultural Blunders

So one time I went to my new friend's house and met her mother and brother. After a while I asked for the bathroom, so the brother leads me to the room. I walk in and as I close the door, he has a weird look on his face, but I don't think too much of it. Then I look around. There is no toilet! I'm frantically trying to figure out how this is the bathroom and if I'm supposed to pee in the drain in the corner or something. So, finally after a minute of confusion I just walk out, thinking "we'll be home soon, I'll just go then". Well, an hour has passed and we are still there and I'm about to burst. So I finally ask the mom, "can I show you something?", lead her to the bathroom, and say, "umm where's the toilet?". To which she responds by pointing to the next room with a "she's dumb" look on her face. It turns out that in India, you must always ask for the toilet to actually get a toilet. The bathroom is where you take baths. Haha! I will never make that mistake again! 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Wow! So much has happened since the last time I posted. First was Christmas. I was nervous about having Christmas away from my family, but it ended up being a great Christmas! There are lots of churches here with Christmas programs, so we went to our friend's and watched lots of singing, dancing, and acting. It was great!

Nativity scene at Christmas Program

Christmas eve a bunch of us got together, and we had a big traditional lunch. Everyone brought their favorite dishes and it was so delicious. I ate so much I thought I would pop! We also played white elephant so that was fun as always- I came away with Bath and Body Works body wash and lotion- that's right, the good stuff!

Christmas Eve Lunch

That night we went to our friend, Julie's, house and had a sleepover with some Indian friends. We baked Christmas cookies, sang, and even salsa danced! It was really fun! The next morning we headed over to the Watson's house where we had a "traditional Christmas morning" with gifts, cinnamon rolls, and games. Then I went home and skyped with my family so I even got to have a Christmas morning with my family and watch them open their gifts from India. I felt so blessed to be surrounded by so many loved ones this holiday season!!!

Making cookies!

Opening presents Christmas morning- I got bangles!

Skyping my mom on Christmas!

The next week we spent packing because we were in the process of moving to a new flat. But the day we get there with all of our things in our moving truck, we find that the apartment is actually not ready. Oh no! So we took all of our things to the Watson's and escaped to Delhi! (Well, we were already planning to go :) )
In Delhi we went to a Christmas party and met lots of new friends, and had a New Year's Eve full of Settlers, grapes, tim-tam slams, and Lebanese food. Then we went shopping, and shopped some more, then went shopping again :) There is one market in Delhi full of crafts where I bought a purse and some beautiful pillow cases. We also met a friend from our city who is studying in Delhi and went to another market with her. Then we went to the mall. The mall was such a nice escape from the craziness that is India. I felt like I was in America for a few hours. There was Christmas decorations, American coffee, fro-yo, and an American movie with popcorn. Then we had a two day language training where we learned great ideas to be better able to learn Hindi. All in all, it was a great trip!

A craft market in Delhi

At the mall in Delhi!

Then we came home and moved into our new house. It a bit farther from the main part of town, but it's close to public transportation, so that's great! This past month I've been settling into my new house, finishing up my full time language, and figuring out what I will be doing next. I will try to post pictures of my new house and new area of town soon!

Weekend Explorations

The past two saturdays I was fortunate enough to take day trips and explore this country. Two weekends ago I went to Rishikesh, known for its ashrams and hippies. It was a beautiful city, with the river, suspension bridges, and unique architecture.

Me in front of the "wedding cake" shaped ashram

Street in Rishikesh

We had a fun time shopping, looking around, and observing hippies (I hadn't seen that many white people in one place since I left America!). We ate lunch at a restaurant supposedly known for its mexican food, but it just didn't compare to true tex-mex.

Cow in front of a temple

Shopping!

This past Saturday I was invited to a village by my friend's househelper. I was so excited to see village India!

My friend and her househelper, our lovely village tourguide :)

It was so fun- we got a tour of the village and had lunch cooked by our friend's son. To me it felt more like a really small town than what I had imagined a village looking like. It was very peaceful, and crossing the road was actually easy as there weren't many cars- so different than my city! The village reminded me of Brazil, with kids running around everywhere.

Some cute kids

 We took tour of the town and saw the "jungle" (some trees) and the river, where we crashed a family picnic. Then, we went to her parents' house, which was kind of a farm. They gave us some delicious chai, and were mesmerized by Levi, an American toddler who was also on the trip with us.

A stable, like where Jesus was born!

Washing vegetables

It was a great trip and I feel like I got to see a different perspective of India than I have seen before!