Last Day in Delhi

Rach and I in front of ruin #1000000

My talented male models

There's truly nothing they can't do

The incredible tree of wishes (as named by me)

The Whole of India is Your Bathroom

Although, this is a day later, I still maintain that this posts counts for yesterday. Welcome to 2012 everyone! To build your hopes and dreams up, 2012 is sure to be an exciting and exhilarating adventure from what I can tell of the past 10 or so hours. Yesterday was probably my favorite day thus far. We started out the day by going to the Katar Minar. Basically, they are a ton of awesome arches. Rocks and rocks of sweetness. We then went to the archaeological ruins which are absolutely breathtaking. I've honestly never seen ruins as stunning as those of the archaeological type. While we were there, some Indian boys were there, and they proved to be quite the successful models. Who knew that 10-13 year old Indian boys could be so talented at posing for pictures? After this we went to the temple, and I felt like I was on an amusement ride. You're probably not supposed to say that about Hindu temples, but I think it to be quite the compliment. One part that I thought particularly poignant was the tree of wishes. This isn't what it is actually called, but I like the dramatic title. You come to the temple and make a wish to the gods. Then you tie a piece of cloth onto the tree. If you're wish comes true, then you leave money or any good of thanksgiving to the gods for granting your wish. It's a beautiful tree, and I'll make sure to include a photo. After the temple we went to FAB India. This is a ritzy India store full of India clothes, not sure exactly what that all entails still. I happened to purchase pants, like the ones in Aladdin, and a top thanks to Andrew and Brooke! The clothes are extremely comfortable and quite FAB so I'm set for my first day of school. After this we had dinner and hung out at the hotel for New Years. Due to our advisers numerous requests, we joined the New Years Eve party in the hotel and turned up the dance floor. It was actually us Americans in a large circle with a few Indians who were a little tipsy dancing while the hotel management and other not so tipsy Indians stared at us. Laugh and judge all you want, but we won best dance crew. YEAHYAYUH. Alrighty, I am going to hop in the shower, because I didn't wear shoes to the temple yesterday and I don't want to know what I stepped on (Sorry mom and dad). Today we head to Jaipur with a 5 hour bus ride. More fun posts are ensured after this delightful bus trip!

Please Respect the Traffic Lanes

Oh, so so much to say about today. We began the day by driving and touring as we headed to Old Delhi. We met up with a tour guide who took us through the Red Fort. I think my favorite part were the numerous Indian men who creepily walked up to our group and took pictures next to us while we were listening to the tour guide. Our group seems almost like celebrities because we're so different from anyone they've seen. The Red Fort was extremely beautiful, and I especially loved the intricate marble and stone carvings that were created by the Monguls who built the fort. After we toured the Red Fort we went on a heritage walk. WOW. Basically, we walked through Old Delhi, which was unlike anything I have ever seen in my life nor could I ever explain properly. There were people everywhere; there were bikes everywhere; there were rickshaws everywhere, basically anything was there. I honestly don't know how people survive walking along the streets everyday. It was so incredibly amazing, but it was also difficult to attempt to take everything in. There was so much happening, that I couldn't focus on just one aspect. For instance, as were rounding a corner after going through a back alley, there was a man in the far corner who was a snake charmer! He was literally just sitting there with a snake, letting it pet his face. The hardest part to see were the beggars and the children who were extremely poor. You want to give them everything on your back, but it's so incredibly difficult to not do anything. We were told not to give them anything, but I feel so wrong not. During our walk we also stopped and ate at the most amazing restaurant. The food was delicious, and I didn't get sick from it either! Little by little, the food is getting easier to eat. Tomorrow is New Years Eve, and I look forward to celebrating with our group.

Old Delhi Tour 12/30/11

This is the Red Fort which the Monguls built. Delhi

is called the city of cities because of all the forts

that were built. The same emperor who built this

for built the Taj Mahal.

This is the gorgeous marble that was built by the

Monguls, who were very artistic. The fort was known

as a paradise, and this represented that the emperor

could build a paradise on earth, much like the Taj Mahal

which is a paradise for a tomb.

This is a taste of what the streets in Delhi look like.

Seriously, you have no idea what traffic looks like

until you walk down a street of Delhi.

New Delhi Tour 12/29/11

This is our group outside of the Mongul

ruins in New Delhi

This is the market in New Delhi that we took

a gander at. Still dreaming about those elephant pants!

This is me outside of the Bahai temple, a new found

religion in India welcoming all peoples of all races of

all faiths.

My Soulmate Makes Toast

So, this morning I woke up not feeling so great, but praise God that it's gotten much better! The hotel is incredibly nice, and I've felt extremely welcomed and at home here. I even found my soulmate at the toast line. He made my toast and then told me that I had a beautiful smile. It's obviously a match made in heaven! We spent the entire day touring New Delhi in our Beatles van. We saw many of the restored ruins destroyed by the Mongul emperor. There were extremely beautiful. It's so incredibly difficult to not photograph everything, because India is filled with a plethora of colors and patterns. I continuously look around at the people, and I am growing more and more curious about who they are and what their lives are like. The one thing that I may not get over is the staring. Seriously. Everyone stares at us, which makes sense due to us being 15 pale-skinned Americans. It's just odd that you can feel so vulnerable because of your skin tone. We've also had people taking pictures of us or with us, which is also odd but maybe a compliment also! We also saw the Bahai temple, which is a new religion that accepts all people and all races. We were able to sit inside, after removing our shoes, and pray in silence. It was a gorgeous moment, and I was so grateful that we were able to do so. We also went to a market, and I have honestly never seen so many intricate and bold colors and patterns. Tomorrow, we begin our journey to Old Delhi, and I am excited to see the differences between the two. Namaste!

Ready to Jump

"getting ready to jump as high as she can just because there's only so long you can sit politely & listen while people talk about any old stuff that comes into their heads"
So, today I arrived in New Delhi. It is extremely hard to believe that my adventure is happening NOW. Woah!! It was an interesting plane ride, and unfortunately I realized my hatred for planes today, but also remembered they are the primary transportation for me getting anywhere. I am a little sick, but nothing that I can't handle! It truly didn't seem real until we stepped outside of the doors of the airport into the night of New Delhi, and all I could see where palm trees and stray dogs. We were then picked up by, what I believe to be, a Beatles inspired, golden curtain bus labled TOURIST, and off we went through the streets carpeted with garbage and old advertisements. As strange as it sounds, New Delhi has a certain charm about it. I haven't seen much except through the window of the bus at 12:00, but from what I see, I see SO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. Yes, this seems frightening, but I think this is awesome! I can't wait! It still doesn't seem real, but bit by bit this lady is going to become a sojourner to India! I can't make promises about blogging tomorrow, but I can let you know that I am safe and ready or not, I'm jumping! I love you all. Mom, skyping with you just now made my day and left me crying. Dad, I can't wait to see you on skype. I love you both so much!
Love,
Becca

Twas the Night before INDIA!!!

Well,
Tonight is the night before India. SO many thoughts flooding my mind, but basically I am so incredibly blessed to be able to experience this. I keep reminding myself that India is meant for me. We will have the most wonderful love. So here's to a restful night to look forward to an adventurous morning!