Golden Temple!

Shubh Deepavali! Happy Diwali! Diwali in India is like New Year's mixed with Mardi Gras and Carnival! Diwali in India is truly a sight to behold! There are lights everywhere! It was amazing to see the lights, fireworks, and colors during Diwali. While flying out of Delhi and into Amritsar, I actually witnessed the beauty of all the lights from the airplane! It looked like something out of a movie! I also got an opportunity to see the Golden Temple in Amritsar. It was lit up with diyas (small lamps) and lights and looked beautiful. The Golden Temple is one of the best sights in the world. I have to add tons of pictures! I also visited several Sikh gurdwaras (prayer halls) and the Wagah Border. Overall, it was a great trip. I also learned a lot about the Sikh religion and met some great people in Amritsar (at my hotel there were people from LA, NY, Santa Fe, and Florida). One of the highlights was visiting our driver Lalli's home in the pind (village) and meeting his entire family. I even got a chance to bhangra with them!

P.S. I still have to add trip pictures and a description of my trip to Kolkata! Another sight to behold. Durga pandals everywhere! Oh, and Happy Halloween!

School...Life...& Everything In Between

I've been teaching for two weeks at Kendriya Vidyalaya in Pragati Vihar. It's been an interesting experience & I think I've heard more than enough of the word "ma'am!" (My ears are still ringing). Every time the students see me, they say "Good morning Ma'am, Good afternoon Ma'am, etc." Any when they ask me questions, they always use "ma'am." The first day, I had fifty students asking me ten questions a minute! I felt like I was on a crazy version of Jeopardy! I'm really looking forward to teaching more classes in the coming months! I have to post pictures of my school and my travels in Mussoorie and Rishikesh (sorry I'm late, but it's Indian Standard Time...haha)!

Culture Shock

Definitely feeling the culture shock as I try to settle into daily life in New Delhi, India. My experience has been so different from my experience in Japan. Daily life can be hard here. For instance, I had to buy some groceries and I had to cross a street full of potholes, avoid the stray dogs, jump over the dung, and then cross before the oncoming cars! It felt like something out of an Indiana Jones movie!

I finally found an apartment (thanks to my family)! It's a great place and it's my little bubble away from all the chaos, crowds, dogs, monkeys, etc. that make up India. I started teaching at my school and so far I've just hung out with the teachers. They're really friendly and always tell me that I speak Hindi very well (although I think that I need to practice)! I think some of the teachers were confused because they thought I was from India. Then they heard my American accent and they were surprised! I hope to start teaching classes soon and really want to meet all the students.

Mussoorie, The Queen of the Hills

So far India has been an incredible experience! I landed in New Delhi on July 4th and it's been a crazy experience! Sitting in a car in India is like a roller coaster ride. There are cows, dogs, swerving cars, monkeys, and people on all the streets in India.

I'm in Mussoorie at Landour Language School learning my ABC's in Hindi. While I can speak and understand Hindi, it's difficult for me to read and write Hindi. It's been a learning experience! The teachers are really friendly and work well with all of us. I have to practice Hindi as much as possible! It's monsoon season in Mussoorie and it rains every single day, sometimes in rains for 24-48 hours straight! I head back to New Delhi in one week and I'm definitely going to miss Mussoorie.

New Delhi in One Week!!!

Holy Cow (no pun intended)! I'm heading to New Delhi in a week! I'm super excited, scared, nervous, ecstatic all at the same time! I know it's going to be an amazing experience teaching English & I can't wait to meet my students! This is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience & I can't wait! I'll definitely hope to keep my blog updated! The Fulbright Orientation in D.C. was awesome & I met some brilliant people there. I hope I can live up to that kind of talent! I know this is going to be good! :)

Farewell Sweet Osaka...Namaste New Delhi!

Can't believe that I am leaving Osaka in one week! I will miss you so much Osaka...You are an amazing, fabulous, wonderful, fantastic, brilliant, crazy, beautiful, cool city! Next up, New Delhi, India! I'm going to be a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in New Delhi at Kendriya Vidyalaya School! Before I reach New Delhi, I'm going back to LA to meet my family and then Washington D.C. for a one week orientation. It's going to be major culture shock, but I'm super excited! Get Ready New Delhi cause here I come!!!