My Bucket List

I really really really miss traveling and my adventures in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Japan keep popping up in my head. So today I got motivated by reading some amazing blogs and I've decided to keep a bucket list of all the things that I would like to do in the next six years:

1. Walk along the Great Wall of China

2. Go skydiving somewhere in the world

3. Visit Petra in Jordan & skydive over Mars (actually Wadi Rum or The Valley of the Moon in Jordan)!

4. Go up the tallest tower in the world in Dubai, visit the Burj Al Arab Hotel

5. Have a few beers with the local Germans at Oktoberfest in Munich

6. Go on a safari in Kenya, South Africa, or Tanzania

7. Go diving with great white sharks in South Africa

8. Swim with dolphins

9. See Orcas in the wild

10. Take a helicopter tour over Hawaii

11. See Carnival and dance like mad!

12. Run as quickly as possible while being chased by bulls during The Running of the Bulls

13. Visit every continent

14. Throw tomatoes at The Tomatina Festival in Spain

15. Cook dinner for my entire family!

16. Go to all of the national parks in the U.S.

17. Learn 2 new languages

18. See Machu Picchu

19. Live in ten different countries

20. Sing karaoke until 5am (Completed)

21. See the Taj Mahal & take a jumping picture (Completed)

22. Camel ride in Jaisalmer to see the fort & Egypt to see the pyramids

23. Get blessed by an elephant (Completed)

24. Climb the ruins of Hampi (Completed)

25. Sign the ancient books of Haridwar and touch the Ganges in Rishikesh (Completed)

26. Bhangra around the world (in progress)

27. Go scuba diving

28. Go snorkeling (Completed)

29. Scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef

30. Go Zorbing in New Zealand

31. Climb to the top of a lighthouse (Completed)

32. Cross a vine bridge, be scared out of your wits, and survive (Completed)

33. Go bungee jumping

34. Go river rafting (Completed)

35. Go camping

36. Share food with a cockatoo (Completed)

37. Meet a President (Completed)

38. Visit Nizamuddin Daragh and listen to a Qawwali (Completed)

39. Have a Rajasthani musician want to marry you (Completed)

40. Visit Kolkata during Durga Puja & see pandals at 2am (Completed)

41. Visit more mosques, churches, temples, synagogues, and churches (In progress)

42. See the Kishiwada Danjri Festival from a house overlooking the festival (Completed)

43. Visit Kyoto 50 times (Completed)

44. Drink sake with teachers (Completed)

45. Bhangra with the best (In progress)

46. Bhangra in front of an audience (Completed)

47. See a baseball game in Osaka (Completed)

48.  Hot air balloon ride

49. Go on the same roller coaster twice in a row (Completed)

50. Get an artificial pancreas through Minimed.com & my pump

51. Not something I wanted, but cool nonetheless, have titanium nails inserted in my skull, Had brain surgery & have the scars to prove it (Completed)

52. Get an Om tattoo

53. See a famous person (Completed)

54. Keep going & never stop.........




This list can go on and on....I'm planning to expand this list!

As Helen Keller said, "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all." 

Where is home?

I made it back to LA after a whirlwind adventure through India, Nepal, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. It's strange being back in the place I grew up in, yet seeing everything as though it's completely new. There are so many things about India that I miss like the chaiwallahs, the sweet mithai (ladoos, burfi, and gulab jamus, oh my), Sagar Ratna's, the loud horns and honking cars, the symphony of dogs on my street (peace out Amitabh, Aamir, and Shahrukh), my students at school, the crazy Delhi traffic....I could go on and on, but that would take up an entire post! Just when I felt like a local, it was time to pack up and leave. I know I'll be heading back to India in the near future, so it's never going to be over. India is a part of me...As the teachers always asked me, "So basically you're Indian American?" Yes, it's true I am part Indian, part American, (and I say part Japanese, because I love Japan) and the entire world is my home. I can't be defined or put into a box...I'm a little of everything! I can't wait to travel more and see the world (I have a list going for all the places that I want to see & it's already at 26)! I have to post so so so many pictures on Facebook and this blog! Phir Milenge New Delhi, Mein apko bauth yaad karti hoon! 

It's Been Too Long...I need to update my blog!

I can't believe that my time in India is coming to a close soon! It's been an experience, one that I will remember for the rest of my life. I've witnessed both the good and the bad, but I have learned from all of my experiences. I have taken so many pictures and I have to upload a lot of these to my blog! I'm looking forward to my upcoming travels in March...Hoping to visit Dharamsala, Jaisalmer, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Nepal, and many more places...Let's see if I can squeeze it all in!

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.