Similar to Kolkata, Varanasi is abrupt in the way it enters your senses.
“Brace yourself. You’re about to enter one of the most blindingly colorful, unrelentingly chaotic and unapologetically indiscreet places on earth. Varanasi takes no prisoners. But if you’re ready for it, this just may turn out to be your favorite stop of all…
Read MoreUnlike some of the other places I have visited in India, places where you can ease into the lifestyles and cultural norms, Kolkata isn’t really like that. Kolkata kinda hits you in the face. It’s loud, crowded, smoggy, smelly, overwhelming and filled with millions of people of every size, shape, religion, and economic class. It’s filled with beautiful structures like St. Paul’s cathedral and the Queen Victoria memorial, and its filled with places not as aesthetically pleasing.
Read MoreIt seems like only yesterday that I went through the process of unpacking. It took me a long time to admit that this was my new home, and now that I have begun to put down roots in this place, its hard to leave.
I remember the first day coming to Coimbatore, wondering if I would ever be able to feel settled in this place. I saw exhaust and trash and people sleeping on the sidewalks. I saw lots of trees and plants lining the walk surrounding racecourse along with lots of businesses filled with people who I didn’t know and who didn’t know me. I seriously doubted that I would find comfort here, surrounded by so much unfamiliar.
Read MoreLooking around its hard to tell its Thanksgiving. No leaves are changing. There’s no chill in the air. Everyone is still going to work and school. The post is still running. There’s no talk of turkey or pumpkin pie.
When I woke up it just didn’t feel like Thanksgiving should feel.
Read MoreOur last weekend trip for the semester has come to a close. Kerala was unlike any other place we have been to in India thus far. The scenery was incredibly green and the temp incredibly humid. While in Kerala I learned more about business, economics and development. Some of the sights I visited was the Arabian Sea, Amma’s Ashram, the place where the Apostle Thomas came to India and the backwaters. The backwaters are a systems of rivers all connected to one another. The Kerala backwaters are on National Geographic’s top 50 list and is a place where many tourists visit when traveling to India.
Read MoreEach week I take a sometimes smelly, sometimes dangerous, always interesting walk to World Vision. Though the office is only a 15-minute jaunt from my home the environments are worlds apart. I leave my ritzy apartment and clean, painted sidewalks and slowly make the transition to broken walkways and streets lined with trash and pantless kiddies. (Seriously, I’m convinced that any child in the slums under the age of 5 is pantless) I go from prestige to poop in a matter of minutes.
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