Hello from Mumbai

Hello Everyone!

This is Chris, and this is my first official blog from Mumbai, India!

It is weird because I thought that this blogging thing was going to be very simple and easy and that I would blog everyday. I began to think why it took me such a long time to blog, especially because I have so much to blog about going from New Orleans to Paris and then to Mumbai. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that there are so many things, so many highs and lows, that I don't think I could put it all in one cohesive post. But I'm breaking this post into two parts:

1.) The Highs

• Chai tea -- It's amazing and served everywhere. I waited in an office on campus and if I took up every offer for Chai tea, I would have had 12 chais in one day.
• Monkeys -- There are monkeys on the Tata Campus!! That is so cool! There's just a family of them, and they just wonder around as if they are waiting for their next class to start.
• Generosity -- Everyone I have met has gone above and beyond their call to help me with a problem. Whether it is me and the others getting lost on the trains, or trying to figure out my internship, everyone has been so nice.
• How different it is -- India is completely different from anything I have ever experienced. The way people interact, the language, the weather, everything seems completely new and different and in many senses that is completely thrilling.

2.) The Lows

• Language barrier -- In all honesty I completely thought English would be spoken much more than it actually is. I don't know why I thought that. On campus it is fine, but even right out the doors of the school, there is definitely a lack of English speakers.
• Running around in circles -- No one in India is in charge of anything it seems. It seems like the person you always really need to talk to is behind some door, in a very Wizard of OZ way. I attempted to speak with my supervisor on many occasions and yesterday was by far the worst. While I usually bother the secretary about making an appointment, the secretary was absent and the woman made me schedule an appointment. It wasn't until I left the office that I realized I scheduled an appointment with the secretary. Not the supervisor. I essentially made an appointment to schedule an appointment. That's terrific.
• How different it is -- This is of course also a low. There are just many small things that make me long for washers and dryers, and bland foods, and quiet strolls down a street. Because Mumbai is a monster. A crazy, animated, insane monster of crowded streets with cows, goats, sheep, vendors, rickshaws, cabs, buses. Anything you can think of and it is probably on a street in Mumbai. Without a doubt.

But all in all, the highs are far outweighing the lows. My internship situation seems to be coming together, and I am slowly becoming accustomed to life here. The other blogs are great, and I am happy to be part of such a great adventure.

-Chris F.