Finally

Whew! I have survived a week in India. Ladies and gentlemen, India is half a world away from my home but might as well be another planet. For those of you that don't know, I'm spending the summer - the next 2 months - in Kolkata as part of the Robertson Scholars Program, working for an NGO here in India. I'm thrilled to be here and overwhelmed by the beauty and insanity of this country, so you'll hear my perspective on what it means to adapt to new places, new people, and very new ways of going to the bathroom.

I left the US last Sunday, with a flight from Atlanta to Chicago, Chicago to Delhi, and Delhi to Kolkata. The trip was mostly uneventful - despite being, by far, the longest I've ever undertaken. The last night I spent the night in a hotel in Delhi, where I was a bit overwhelmed by the stress of it all and collapsed on the bed in tears. Somehow, inexplicably, Mom and Dad phoned the hotel and caught me in that moment of extreme stress. Just hearing their voices in such a sea of unfamiliarity was and is a great source of peace... I tend to pick up the phone just when I feel like I'm going to lose it.

I arrived, finally, in Kolkata on Tuesday morning. The flight from Delhi to Kolkata was on an Indian airline, and I had my first taste of authentic Indian cuisine (American Airlines tried and failed). But I understand that foreign airlines don't carefully control their cabin pressure, so by the time I got off the flight I was feeling rather nauseous.

Chris, Julia and I were picked up from the airport by Walia and Irani, a husband and wife team that work for an NGO that is "friends" (in their words) with Bengal Rural Welfare Services, the organization I will work for this summer. Walia is very tall and as big as his personality, with a booming voice and a back-slapping countenance. Irani is shorter and very sweet and intelligent (we have been communicating with her to set up the internship). We drove from the airport to the guest house...well, a word about Kolkata traffic: there are no rules, no lanes, and people, cars, autorickshaws, bikes, and even foot-powered rickshaws intermingled. Yet this doesn't seem to slow anyone down, only to encourage liberal use of the horn. I was still feeling the effects of the plane ride and the swerving insanity of the backseat ride compounded my motion sickness. In short, practically all I said to Walia before throwing up in his car was "nice to meet you." He couldn't have been kinder, though, and would not hear of me paying to have it cleaned. By the time we got to the guest house all I wanted to do, all day, was sleep, and sleep I did.

I've been typing for a really long time and haven't even covered my first 24 hours! Yikes! Well, I'll definitely continue keeping you all posted and compiling my memories and experiences. I have a feeling that this summer will be a time of personal growth, new perspectives, and bounding confidence. In the next few days alone I start work, the monsoon will hit Kolkata, and I'll travel by train with the other Robbies to Varanasi (and yet this will be my second roadtrip already, so much to explain!). I'm feeling like a very little girl in a very big world, but I'm so pumped about exploring and conquering as much of it as I possibly can. Until the next adventure!