So here begins my journey to India…

Namastad! (I greet the god in you!)

It is only our fourth day here but it feels like it has been weeks. I have seen very little of India but I feel like I have already learned a lot. I’ll backtrack a little, as this is going to be my public journal for class. And hopefully all you other readers will want to know what I have been up to.

We had over 32 hours of travel time, which was a very long and overwhelming experience. If you ever come here, I definitely recommend sleeping on the first eight hour flight and forcing yourself to stay awake for the second. Driving from the airport to Visthar for the first time was very unforgettable. I don’t even really know how to describe my feelings about it. Everything looks like the pictures, but instead of the sadness, poverty and decay that I expected it to convey, it is all vibrant and wonderful and full of life. There are auto rickshaws, slabs full of garbage houses, and totally random buildings. Adds for cell phones and Coca-Cola are pasted everywhere, dogs are all over the place and cows just chill in the streets.

The Visthar campus is beautiful! It is in the suburbs of Bangalore, which really means nothing to anyone at home because suburbs here don’t look a thing like in America. I will post pictures soon. But it is definitely a sanctuary from the craziness of the city. My favorite building is one focused on self-awareness and meditation. It is very beautiful and I have visited it every morning. At least for now, I get up at 5:30 from jetlag, but it is nice to have the morning for reflection. The staff here is all very kind and supportive of us. I can’t think of a better place to call home for the next few months.

My time has been spent mostly on the campus getting to know the group and learning what we will be doing for the semester. The team building exercises have been fun, especially because they give us time to interact with the Visthar staff. We had an inaugural ceremony last night and it was very powerful. The Bandhavi girls danced for us and we sang an Iroquois song. We also sang the Gustie rouser. I can’t believe I participated in it, but I guess it is a tradition at Gustavus and that is what we were supposed to be sharing.

We also went into town on Sunday to visit David’s church. It is called St. John’s Church and it is part of The Church of Southern India. It is sort of a combination Prespiteran, Episcopal, and Congregational church. It was a lot like home and all in English. After church we had brunch in town and toured the city a little. I really enjoyed driving around and it was exciting to see such a big city, especially in the rain. It has been raining a lot, as it is monsoon season. I guess it is the rainiest season they have had in a long time. The storms are very beautiful and warm. I have gotten soaked on more than one occasion.

As I said before, I already feel like so much has happened here. I don't even really know where to begin in trying to describe it. It is hard to process it all so quickly. I will try to write as much and as often as I can so that I can remember it all.