IIT Encounter at Purdue

I met a really nice lady from IIT Madras today in the Potter Engineering library. I saw her wearing a sweatshirt from there and I thought hey, I should be friendly and go say hello. She was really nice, a graduate student in Aero/Astro Engineering. Oddly enough she jumped right into telling me about IIT and India. She told me that the profs are going to be pushy especially at the beginning of the semester and that I'm really in for a culture shock. She told me about her cousin who grew up in the States and came to visit Bombay and simply started crying because of the poverty. From everyone I've talked to I hear very similar stories such as that yet at the same time they tell me I can never be prepared for such a difference in lifestyle. I've taken on the view that I'm going to have a culture shock, and all I can be is aware of its coming. No point in trying to force myself to understand a way of life that is so foreign from mine until I actually see it and feel it for myself.

*57 days*

Preparing

2 months! I depart for an amazing trip in 2 months. I'm heading to India for a little over 7 months to study and work. I'll be in Bombay for the spring and Bangalore for summer and I couldn't be more excited. Right now I'm working on getting a lot of the logistical things worked out such as my class schedule and my visa etc. It seems so crazy that I will be on the other side of the world for so long without seeing any of my friends or family. Hence the purpose of this blog, an attempt to remain connected while off exploring my life and myself. I'll be doing my best to keep things updated so those who are interested will be able to share in my adventures and hopefully leave me some comments so I can share in their adventures back in the States or wherever their lives take them.