December 17, 2008 - Pune, India

As I have been in India for a week now, I figured it was about time I wrote a blog post about my experiences thus far. My trip from the United States was long, but comfortable, as I was fortunate enough to travel in Business Class for the long legs of the trip and was spiritually hyped from an amazing Baha'i conference in Portland the weekend before I left. When I arrived in Mumbai, my flight was over an hour late and it was the middle of the night. Customs and immigration were a breeze and I was soon exiting the airport to the awaiting mass of people, only I did not see the people who were meant to meet me there. After much searching to no avail I positioned myself near the exit next to a European man who was also waiting. After some time waiting in the humid night air, I spotted Nicole's fiance, Vikram, amongst the people waiting. I rushed over relieved to have found my party. We made our way to Pune from Mumbai, which is a good 3 hour drive. We are now staying in Pune at Degra, Vikram's sister's, apartment in a beautiful apartment complex, or society as they are called here, on the out-skirts of town. So far we have been kept relatively busy, mostly enjoying the amazing food and shopping for outfits for the 3 wedding events. The food is so amazing that I could speak of it for hours and hours and I have been fortunate enough not to fall ill to the sickness that most people connect to India, most likely because Nicole and Vikram have only let us drink sealed bottled water and have only taken Emily and I to restaurants they know are clean. We spent a full afternoon in a sari shop, sitting on cushions and drinking tea and being presented fabric after fabric until we found the perfect one for each of us. It was an excellent experience and I felt like a princess. Emily has fallen sick to the flu, though, and has unfortunately passed it on to Nicole and Vikram. This has prevented us from doing much these past few days, but I have been fortunate enough not to catch it as well. Emily and I have purchased tickets to Delhi to visit the Baha'i Lotus Temple for next week, but first Nicole and Vikram and two of Vikram's...interesting...friends are taking us to a beach town far from here for a few days, where we will be residing in cabins on the sand. I am looking forward to these two trips very much, as we will be taking a famous Indian train to Delhi and will be taking a sleeper bus (yes like the Knight Bus in Harry Potter) to the beach town.
Some interesting facts about India that I have learned here are as follows:
-each state has a very different culture and native language
-India contains the most motorcycles in all the world and the most motorcycles in India are in the town we are in currently, Pune
-every 30 seconds there is 1 death and 3 injuries due to motorcycles or scooters
Some things I have noted about India are as follows:
-there is still a very strong British influence, such as spelling and pronunciation of some words and the driving on the left-hand side of the road, yet there is also somewhat of a hatred towards the British and a denial of its influence
-the beggars are the most aggressive that I have ever seen
-the famed Indian accent is just how everyone who speaks English, which is a majority of the population, speak and they even bob their head while they talk
-men and boys hold hands and pinkies in the streets and it is not considered homosexual in any sense, and in fact homosexuality is very much looked down upon.
-there are rickshaws everywhere (which are tiny three-wheeled vehicles that are used as taxis) and they are incapable of reversing.
-there has recently been a large Reggaeton influence on the music from India, especially in the Bollywood music and music videos
-there has been a complete degredation in Bollywood and much of it is Western corruption and influence - there never used to be even any kiss scenes or much skin shown in Bollywood movies, but now there are skimpy clothes and even sex scenes

December 4, 2008 - Ronan, Montana Home

As I sit here reflecting on the last few months of my life - those spent in the Dominican Republic, I am overcome with emotion. I have met some very amazing people and without them I am sure I would have had a extremely hard time adjusting to my new, somewhat temporary, life in Santo Domingo. Though there were times where I seriously considered entering my credit card and buying a ticket home early, or times when I was stressed to the max and would scream "I ****ING HATE THIS COUNTRY!!!!!," I know that the amazing people that I had the privilege of spending every day with were the reason I stayed and stuck it out. The simple acts of venting to eachother, laughing together, gossiping together, reminiscing on the lives we left behind in our respective homes, crying together, or even fighting with each other, I would not trade for anything. As I have said before, we were 10 people thrown into a seemingly endless ocean and we were forced to cling to one another to keep from drowning. In clinging to one another, we forged great friendships that I sincerely hope we can keep alive, even now that we are not all together anymore. I believe that I experienced more of the Dominican Republic in the last 3 and a half months, spending my time almost solely with American students, than I ever did living in the country for 8 months, spending my time almost solely with Dominicans. This is, most likely, due to the fact that the American students shared my yearning to travel around the country and experience and see as much of it as we possibly could. This was not as possible during my previous 8 months in Santo Domingo, as most Dominicans do not share in this urge to explore their own land. I am so appreciative of all the trips I was able to partake in and all the different parts of the country I was able to experience. I would not trade these memories for anything, for they are truly priceless. Though I will be returning in January, as will a select few of my classmates this semester, it will definitely not be the same without the rest of the group, our family. Thank you, each and every one of you, and I sincerely hope we can maintain the friendships we formed from afar, for we truly were like a family these past 3 and a half months.