Week 1: Finally in India

Well I probably should have decided to blog about my India trip this summer like 2 weeks ago. But that’s alright, better late than never! Here's a quick summary of what I did during my first week! 


After 32 hours of hectic packing and shopping for a 3 month trip I started my journey to the other side of the world. After saying bye to my mom and brother and entering the security line, little did I know I was about to endure the most boring 22 hour journey. The unfortunate combination of not being able to sleep at all on the flight + no tv’s on the backs of the seats + unsocial people on the seats next to me led to having too much free time to think. It finally hit me that I was leaving my normal life for 3 months to travel in a foreign country alone. All I could think about were the things I was leaving behind: my family, friends, lots of space, quiet surroundings, and of course nice bathrooms. But I slowly began to get pumped about seeing all my relatives, finally being a Yuva for Sewa Intern, and VSSV! Then massive wave of heat, humidity, and a plethora of smells hit me as I walked out of the flight. I was finally home :)

My dad had already been in India for 2 weeks and thankfully our trips overlapped for a week so he, my cousin, and a family friend (Dineshji) came to pick me up from the airport. I can’t even describe how great it was to see familiar faces and finally talk to people after a day of traveling. We got to my aunt’s house at around 4 a.m. and I woke up my grandma with a big hug while yelling in her ear and then she gave me 2 besan laddus to eat (yummm my favorite). The first of so much yummy food I will be eating! Now began a few hard days of getting over my jet lag. We spent all of Tuesday distracting me with driving around Pune, Sarasbaug Ganpati, vada pav, visiting relatives, and packing. We left for Solapur really early in the morning and used the 34 hours we had there so efficiently. But visiting family and friends and going around Solapur is incredibly exhausting in that heat. Despite the heat and dehydration I still love the famous Solapur bhakri and spicy shenga chutney!

Back in Pune on Friday and I went to my first live cricket match (Pune Warriors vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore) at the new Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium in Pune! Being in a crowd of 55,000 was absolutely crazy and loud. Don’t get me wrong, cricket is an awesome game and pretty fun to watch once I started understanding it, but I don’t know how people can stay so enthusiastic and cheer for like a slow 3.5 hour match. By the end I think I was more entertained by people being crazy than the actual match.  

Saturday afternoon we left for Mumbai and went straight to Tunga- Regenza. It was so ridiculously nice to be in a nice hotel after a few days in India. And the best part was there was toilet paper there! We went to my cousin’s reception that night and a big shoutout and congratulations to them! Weddings always make me realize how fast time goes by. The next morning we got complimentary massages at the hotel and then went to Fashion Street and ate amazing street food with family friends! But that night we went to drop off my dad at the airport and I realized that I was actually going to have a fantastic time living a new lifestyle in India alone!

It took me a week, but I finally adjusted to life in India. The loud noises, crazy traffic, yummy food, loving relatives, unsafe driving, fantastic shopping, crowds, and rich culture. Everything that makes me love my country :)