Warning: contains sappy reminiscing and is extremely dramatic
Good morning Pittsford!
I have finally returned from my month long-trek to India and most notably the Taj Mahal. My trip was too long to write about in a journal entry (or I just don't have the patience to chronicle every day). I will say, however, that in general I enjoyed it very much.
The Good Part of the Trip: It was very nice to see most of the family together again. I was very grateful to my family for planning this trip, and they constantly reminded me that it was MY trip, my last chance to see as much of India as I could before going to Penn. It was funny that every time I saw a family member they all commented on how little I had grown. Unluckily for them, I am short, and short I will remain. It was also very interesting to see north India, most importantly New Delhi (the capital), and Agra (where the Taj Mahal is). For those of you who don't know, my family is from South India, so the northern Indian culture was a new perspective for me to enjoy. The Taj Mahal was one of the most stunning things I have ever seen. The only downside was that we visited it on an extremely hot day and we were all dehydrated and feeling sick (because we had to drink bottled water and share it among our party of seven). However, it was a magnificent nonetheless. We also saw many other remnants of the Mughal reign in India, and while they were impressive, the Taj surpassed all. After we returned to Hyderabad, where my grandparents live, my days became a little bit more mundane, interrupted only by the nice surprise of being able to get the english version of HP 6 (which was very good, by the way).
The Bad Part of the Trip: By the last week, I was really ready to go home. For the first time in my life, I was not really upset to get on a plane and leave my relatives, and that in itself was saddening. I wasn't feeling too well, and I was tired of not being able to use running water at my leisure, or go on the internet. I realized on this trip that I have become thoroughly Americanized, and while I will always love India, I could never, ever, go back to live there. It was really disappointing to realize this. I have become too used to life here, and also too used to what Americans expect of each other. It seems to me that what is socially accepted here would be appalling there, and I couldn't change my life that way. Every time I go to India, my relatives ask me which country I prefer, India or America. In the past I always tried to be diplomatic and say what I liked about each country. Now however, I had no trouble giving a definite answer. While I will always be Indian at heart, and I will always love visiting my family, my home is in the US.
Alright, enough of my dramatics. I hope that everyone's summer is going well. I heard that the weather has been excellent here (while I was stuck in Monsoon season). I have a crapload of stuff to do for Penn, and I am still having trouble believing that my time in Pittsford is coming to a close. I hope that I'll get to see you guys as much as I can before we leave. A bientot mes amies
P.S. To those of you who don't have facebook (yes, this means you Sarah), get it! I'm not saying you have to become as addicted as I am, but it's still pretty awesome.
I have finally returned from my month long-trek to India and most notably the Taj Mahal. My trip was too long to write about in a journal entry (or I just don't have the patience to chronicle every day). I will say, however, that in general I enjoyed it very much.
The Good Part of the Trip: It was very nice to see most of the family together again. I was very grateful to my family for planning this trip, and they constantly reminded me that it was MY trip, my last chance to see as much of India as I could before going to Penn. It was funny that every time I saw a family member they all commented on how little I had grown. Unluckily for them, I am short, and short I will remain. It was also very interesting to see north India, most importantly New Delhi (the capital), and Agra (where the Taj Mahal is). For those of you who don't know, my family is from South India, so the northern Indian culture was a new perspective for me to enjoy. The Taj Mahal was one of the most stunning things I have ever seen. The only downside was that we visited it on an extremely hot day and we were all dehydrated and feeling sick (because we had to drink bottled water and share it among our party of seven). However, it was a magnificent nonetheless. We also saw many other remnants of the Mughal reign in India, and while they were impressive, the Taj surpassed all. After we returned to Hyderabad, where my grandparents live, my days became a little bit more mundane, interrupted only by the nice surprise of being able to get the english version of HP 6 (which was very good, by the way).
The Bad Part of the Trip: By the last week, I was really ready to go home. For the first time in my life, I was not really upset to get on a plane and leave my relatives, and that in itself was saddening. I wasn't feeling too well, and I was tired of not being able to use running water at my leisure, or go on the internet. I realized on this trip that I have become thoroughly Americanized, and while I will always love India, I could never, ever, go back to live there. It was really disappointing to realize this. I have become too used to life here, and also too used to what Americans expect of each other. It seems to me that what is socially accepted here would be appalling there, and I couldn't change my life that way. Every time I go to India, my relatives ask me which country I prefer, India or America. In the past I always tried to be diplomatic and say what I liked about each country. Now however, I had no trouble giving a definite answer. While I will always be Indian at heart, and I will always love visiting my family, my home is in the US.
Alright, enough of my dramatics. I hope that everyone's summer is going well. I heard that the weather has been excellent here (while I was stuck in Monsoon season). I have a crapload of stuff to do for Penn, and I am still having trouble believing that my time in Pittsford is coming to a close. I hope that I'll get to see you guys as much as I can before we leave. A bientot mes amies
P.S. To those of you who don't have facebook (yes, this means you Sarah), get it! I'm not saying you have to become as addicted as I am, but it's still pretty awesome.