Week 1

I can't believe that it's only day 5. We've only really been here at the college for 3 days, because traveling took up so much time. It feels that we've been here for weeks, and at the same time, everything feels so new. The settling in and adjusting is the hardest part. I'm not sure that I'll ever get used to hard beds, mosquitoes, spicy Indian food 3 times a day, and 95 degree weather. But the only option is to try. I've realized that with experiences like this one, there are two options. One is to focus on the negative and let it swallow you up to the point where you've shut out and dismissed anything positive. This is definitely the easiest option because it takes way less effort. The other option is to be as positive as humanly possible. To embrace the hard beds, the heat, and the insects, and to brush it off. To look at rural Indian culture as something novel and fascinating, rather than shocking and frustrating. 

On the flight to Mumbai, I sat next to a kind and talkative man from south India who recommended I watch a movie called 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'. He said that it would give me a realistic view of what Indian culture is like, and that it would help be understand India a little more before I arrived. The movie follows 6 retired British people who were seeking something new and exotic, so they travel to the city of Jaipur in India. The trip is not at all what the travelers expected and each of them has a great amount of trouble coping and adapting to their surroundings. One of the main characters who has recently gone through a hard time, decides to become positive, to embrace Indian culture, and to make the absolute best of her situation. At one point the character says, "Initially you're overwhelmed. But gradually you realize it's like a wave. Resist, and you'll be knocked over. Dive into it, and you'll swim out the other side." So I have decided to dive into it. To cope, and even more, to thrive. I know that as long as I try my best to adapt, I will have no regrets, and I will swim out the other side.