Time in Karlsruhe, Germany!

So I'm in Karlsruhe Germany right now with Jessica, a good friend of mine from Purdue. She is here studying abroad with the GEARE program! I met up with her yesterday and hung out with a few of her friends, both German and other Purdue students also on study abroad. It was a fun night, though I speak zero German (danka doesn't really count) so sometimes I got to just sit and listen to crazy German chatter. They drink a lot of beer it turns out, and they walk around the city carrying open bottles! I was surprised to see that for sure. Jessica took me around the campus so I could see where they study and spend their time. Here are some pictures of the campus!This is the castle that they live in front of... yup she walks outside to this everyday! I'm so envious!

Me in the park behind the castle with a fun little pond

There was a big party at one of the dorms which we went to check out. There were a lot of people despite it being a holiday the next day (Assention of Jesus Christ? perhaps). Boy do these Germans know how to drink!! I did not partake in the festivities as I had just finished flying for about 10 hours and didn't think that drinking would help with the jet lag.

Today Jessica and I roamed around a near by town of Heidelberg which has a pretty impressive castle and fun downtown area. It was a holiday so it seemed a bit crowded, but then I think about India, and realize that it isn't crowded at all! Haha!

Jessica and I along the Neckar River which cuts through Heidelberg

The crowd in the downtown area of Heidelberg

Me by this very weird looking tree... so goofy looking! This was in a main plaza/square (platz in German)





The castle! It was so pretty sitting up on the hill overlooking over the town below.

This was the sign that guided our way to the castle. Note the wonderful artistic rendition of the castle and the small child and mother who will take twelve minutes to reach there, or you can be lazy and take the tram. We chose to walk it - but oh my was the walk steep!

My attempts at artistic photography - a church's spire through the window of the castle

The destroyed portion of the castle. Jessica noted how thick the walls were. I think their rook was taken out though...

Germany!!

I made it to Germany and finally met up with Jessica! It was a long day for sure, filled with micro-naps and dozing on and off so I'll be really tired tonight I'm sure. Everything worked out fine for the most part (aside from the not meeting up with Jessica because I'm an idiot and missed my train connection and had to stummble my own way through Karlsruhe to fine her... beside the point)

So now I'm here and I'm really excited about getting to see her and spend time roaming around for a bit. I'm going to try to put up some pictures too - she lives near a pretty awesome castle!!

So step one of the journey - complete!

Fully Booked

Well all my travels are completely booked now. I've got a departure date from the US and a return date into the US. Hopefully everything will go as smoothly as possible. Here is my final itinerary:
Denver - Germany May 20th
Germany - Morocco May 24th
Morocco - UAE May 31st
UAE - India June 8th
India - Singapore June 26th
Bangkok - LA July 15th
LA - DEN (well... TBA but probably July 17th or so)

I'm getting nervous, excited, flustered, and everything in between... I just hope all goes well and I don't get lost or something crazy.

Feel free to start checking this more often as I'll try to post with some frequency and I always love comments! Yay!

Graduation !!

Well it's official, Purdue made a huge mistake and granted myself and my fellow 2008 engineering graduates true real life diplomas. I'm done with my undergraduate degree, I'm an official Purdue Alumni, I have a job to go to in August, and it seems like there is nothing left between me and the real world. I'm excited, mostly thrilled, and a little nervous. I suppose I can quote Winston Churchill at this point "This isn't the end, it isn't even the beginning of the end, it is however the end of the beginning." Seems fitting.

Katie and I rockin' our diplomas after the ceremony! We are amazing, it's true!

Megan and I are nothing but smiles on this grand occasion. Not to mention the reception food was quite nice and these gowns are just so flattering!

After a successful four years we were more than ready to celebrate! Hitting Harry's for a final visit (or at least until we come back to visit as alumni).

PurDONE!

Well it's my last finals week at Purdue... it's the last big push for the end of the year and in my case the end of college. However, this year it's different because I don't have any finals! Sure sure sure, sounds GREAT right?! Well, it is pretty awesome and I don't for a second want people to think that I want finals, however, I do want people to think about what I've been doing considering I don't have any. Well if you thought, watching paint dry, witnessing grass grow, or otherwise mindless tasks, you would be startlingly close to correct. Succinctly, I am bored.

I've spent a great deal of time trying to plan the rest of my summer trip which while fun can just be overwhelming. There are so many options which all need to be priced out for cost and determined for ease and feasibility. It's quite tedious, overall fun, but tedious. I really just need to decide when I want to get home by, buy that ticket from someplace and just be sure I'm at that someplace at that time. Sounds easier than it is I fear. Well, at least is something to do!

A Breakfast Club Experience

I participated in a Purdue tradition on Grand Prix race day known as breakfast club. It is a serious event targeted only to those with stamina, those with endurance, and those with a crazy idea of creativity. Basically it is for any college student who needs an excuse to drink and is willing to do it at 7am (or 5am to get in line) in costume - which is pretty much most of them. It is a time for our livers to prove to the world they can filter just about anything including cranberry and vodka from a giant trashcan. It grants us the freedom to express ourselves as any character, idea, object we choose be it individually or as a group. Most opt for a group theme as it guarantees you friends for the day because without you, the group theme is ruined. So here are some pictures from my outing as the crucial pink power ranger with my fellow blue, green,black, red, and yellow rangers.

*mom- don't worry - I only had one cup of cranberry juice!*

It's becoming a reality

I've slowly started to purchase my summer travel tickets. Pretty scary really to know that it is actually going to happen!! Here's my itenerary to date - subject to changes as tickets are purchased and plans are finalized:

May 20- depart for Frankfort, Germany (ticket purchased)
- See Jessica on study abroad?
- Visit with some couchsurfers in Frankfort?
May 24 - depart for Casablanca, Morocco (ticket purchased)
- Meet up with Katie and catch an overnight train to Merekesh
- Hang in Merekesh
- Find camels to ride into the desert
- sleep in the desert
- Head to Fez?
May 31st - depart to Abu Dhabi (ticket purchased)
- Hang out with Ajlan's mother
- Hang out with Ajlan?
- Visit Dubai
June 7th - depart for Bombay (ticket purchased)
- spend a few days reliving my IIT lifestyle
- head to Delhi/Ladakh to tour the north
- visit Varanasi to watch the spiritual rituals
June 26th - depart for Bangkok
- Join tour group working our way through Thailand into Singapore
July 13th - arrive in Singapore and see Mei!!
July 20th - depart Singapore to Denver

July 28th - drive to Chicago to start my life in the real world...

Whoa - I got tired just writing all of this!!! Crazy!!

Be Careful What You Wish For...

What do you do when what you've been dreaming about and wanting for such a long time, actually has a serious chance of coming to pass? How do you protect yourself from further hurt? How do you keep yourself open for a change of heart? There are a lot of questions that I was able to avoid when this was just in the realm of desire, but not in the realm of actuality, reality sets in and questions everything. I won't say no, I can't say no. I just hope this time around I sidestep the painful goodbyes.

India's never felt so close, or far as it does right now. Time pushes onward, bringing me second by second closer to closure or perhaps an open door. I want to question, but I don't want to assume. I want to know, but I don't want to share. I don't want to be vulnerable, but I do want to understand. How can getting what you're hearts been wanting for so long feel so foreign and scary?

Sometimes, we just need a little perspective...

As a few of my friends have mentioned to me and I'm sure any reader of this has noticed, I don't really blog anymore. It's not because I don't want to, it's more that I feel nothing I do nowadays compares to my adventures in India. But I've decided that there are somethings I would like to say, and whomever reads this can choose to hear what I have to say or not. Nothing I have to write here is of any great importance on a global scale, but merely a meandering of my own thoughts in a parade of self-explorations. So this post is more about me sharing some of myself in an effort to understand where I'm coming from and what I'm feeling. I'm writing it as a stream of conscience, so the smattering of tangents is to be expected. I could use a little perspective...

After returning from Honduras and another great international adventure, I realized something. I realized that I made a big mistake trying to get over Sidd. I've not been in a relationship since we broke up in the typical sense. There was one individual with whom I did more the friend-like things with. I did that more to test the waters and see if I was ready to move on, partly because I was attracted, and partly in an effort to heal. I learned that doing so was a very big mistake, and hopefully one which I can learn from and now really heal.

The interesting thing about my trip to Honduras and how it precipitated a lot of these realizations is that I missed Sidd more in those 7 days than I had missed him since we left each other in July 2007 (July 21st to be exact was the day that I kissed him goodbye and spent the next two hours crying while on the bus to La Guardia airport in NYC). What he and I did together for the majority of our time together was travel around India. We spent almost every weekend going somewhere, doing something, seeing exciting places, eating new foods, and meeting new people. I loved every minute of that time with him. I got to do many of the same things while in Honduras and I shared them with Katie, not Sidd. Now, Katie was her own wonderful set of things and she made the trip fantastic. With only two mild mis-communications/tension filled moments, we did a great job traveling together. But all the while, I was thinking about Sidd and all the great trips we did together. Katie and I were walking along a beach where there were large rocks near the shore creating very sheltered pools of water. In these small pools were schools of fish and we waded into them and tried to catch them. I almost started crying thinking about how Sidd and I did the same thing while on Long Island with my cousins and grandparents. That's just one example of many such moments.

As I reflected back on all my flashback memories of times with Sidd, and I felt my heart get tight and heavy with a mixture of sadness and elation, I knew that I was not over him and that I'm not healed. I also knew, that whatever it was that I was doing with this other person, was not helping me move on past Sidd, it was making me hurt more for not being true to how I still feel. I learned a similar lesson when trying to get over Duncan, but I guess somehow that lesson was lost. As a result I've decided to remain faithful to my feelings that I have now and to treat my heart as it feels it is, which is attached. Sidd and I are not together anymore and thinking that truth still brings tears to my eyes and causes my throat to tighten. But just thinking about Sidd causes my heart to sing.

I ask myself what it was about me that wasn't worth fighting for. What didn't I have, or what wasn't I offering, or what didn't I understand that prevented us from being what I knew we were going to be. I did know, there was not a doubt in my mind that I was going to be his wife, it was so strange when I had that realization, that I was going to marry him. He didn't know that my mind and heart simultaneously told me, but it happened. And now that he can't be mine, it makes me question the sages who spin the proverbs. Those elders and wise men and women to claim, when you find the one you are supposed to be with, you will just know. I knew, I knew through and through, but I was wrong, or at least that is what I've been told. Having him walk out of my life has been an emotional challenge that I have yet to face and overcome. I still cry at night sometimes when my heartstrings get tugged by memories. I still plan out far-flug reuniting stories of how I'm going to meet him again in life and he will know then, like I knew then and we really will be happy like I had expected it to be. Perhaps that is childish and silly to hold onto such fanciful dreams, but I need to be true to my heart, and that is what my heart is feeling.

So to the people who I perhaps used in an effort to heal myself, and leapfrog through some of the grieving, I'm sorry it was wrong to use your emotions and your support in such a manner. To those spectators to my life in any capacity, I suppose it time I bared a little of this internal struggle and I appreciate you reading it. Sometimes we all need people to bare witness to our lives, and having people read my thoughts grants me that necessity. And to Sidd, in the event that he reads this, I'm still a bachchoo (your bachchoo) and I'm holding onto such kiddish dreams.

Love is hard to come by, and almost impossible to let go of once you've found it. I'm trying not to be selfish, I'm trying to heal, I'm not trying to live in the past rather, I'm trying to open myself to more opportunities, and I'm not ignoring the many conversations and nights of tears, I'm just trying to gain some perspective...

Roatan, Honduras - Spring Break 2008

Katie and Allison's Honduran Vacation...

• One week
• Two girls
• Two backpacks
• $300
• No plans...

We walked, a lot. We slept in some 'sketch' places. We ate food that cost $1 and more popsicles than we can count. We swam with and 'fed' the fishes. We drank local beer and soft drink (yay Link). We slept and read ridiculous amounts. We got sunburned and bug bitten. We thought cannibalism was a reasonable option to curb hunger. We fed iguanas. Most importantly... we didn't kill each other!!

Details in photographs and video below...

Traveling there:

Where is there exactly? Here's a map! *note Roatan is circled...

• Mishaps in the airport... we got to see Houston for a night!! (not on the agenda)
  

But we were all smiles when we are finally about to leave for the sun and warmth of the 16th parallel!!

Yes, we are finally about to depart!! *note Roatan on the jet way sign!!

Too excited for words!

Day one:

Valeries - we only stayed one night.. don't worry mom!

• We found accommodation at Valeries - see video
• We drank local beer (Salve Vida) and rum and coke
• We at tostadas for $1
  
• We met Brad and Mike and Willy... Pastor Dave was no where to be found
• We attempted to sleep in the smallness of our private room.
  

I don't exactly fit on the bed... but hey it was an adventure!

Days Two and Three:

• Find new accommodation

The Dolphin Inn - much nicer with an attached bathroom!
Note how safe our luggage is!

• Lounging on the beach and reading a bit

Enjoying the beauty of the West End

• Took a walk along the beach to West Bay
  
• Snorkeled along the way... lots of sea grass
• Hung in hammocks
  
• Took a water taxi ($2) back to West End
• Decided against renting a Moped scooter to see the island (smart move)
  
• Snorkeled at the reef with Divemaster Richard
• Ate dinner with him and his rapper brother one evening
  
• Enjoyed some delicious Margaritas!
  

We are pretty much in heaven

Day Four:

• Moved to French Harbor
• Walked and walked and walked
• Couldn't find the Iguana Farm...
  
• Serendipitously stayed at the delightful Caye Harbor Lodge
• Met Ella

So cute and secluded!!

• Swam to the Cay and back

It is a lot further out there than it looks!!

• Ate some amazing chicken, rice, and veggies
• Hung in hammocks
  

Nothing beats this kind of island lifestyle...

• Separate beds!!!! No more Katie spooning!!

Day Five:

• Moved to Uncle Tim's lodging

• Sun bathed and read
• Walked to French Harbor
• Ate Cheetos and Link for lunch (aren't you proud mom?)
• Visited Ella's for dinner
• Waited ~3 hours for dinner while in the moonlight (read: no electricity)

We 'dressed' up a bit for our last dinner with Ella and Uncle Time

Day six

• Finally found the Iguana Farm!
• Fed many Iguanas

Just be glad we weren't wearing yellow Croc sandals...

• Returned to the West End
• Found new lodging with a king sized bed no less!

Our accommodations seemed to steadily improve each night..

• Visited with Richard

Richard, Katie and I chillin' on the beach on our last night in Roatan

Day Seven

• Said our goodbyes and headed back home...

Yay! All packed up and ready to hit the road... albeit we didn't want to leave

• Congratulated ourselves on an amazing adventure which lead to no (serious) bodily harm...
  

And friends through seven straight days, 24 hours a day, of together time!

Hey Katie... Ready for the summer trip??? Watch out world, we're planning our next adventure!!

Last few days of freedom!

Well these are my last few days without class. My last few moments before submitting once again to the grips of the library, engineering textbooks, hours of homework, and seemingly endless amounts of lab reports, group projects, not to mention job searching! I've finished RA training, I've got my textbooks, I've been to the Neon Cactus bar and I'm ready to go I think!

The RAs had a banquet to attend the other night which was a nice awkward event. We all dressed up in dresses and suits and mingled with the apparent 'high rollers' of Purdue, the 'who's who' of the residence halls and the newest member of the Purdue staff our new president!! Isn't she a wonderful addition to the staff!!! She had her degree in astrophysics and worked as lead scientist for NASA as well as president for University of California Santa Barbra!! And she does all this in a five foot nothing frame! Such a mighty woman in such a small person, it's a bit hard to believe.

Here is a picture of my friend Katie and I before heading to this marvelous event where the only thing more impressive than our newest presidents credentials was the tiramisu dessert = DIVINE!!

Back to Purdue!

So I've started training at Purdue for my new position as RA! It's been a blast so far seeing as my fellow RA's are all a lot of fun. There are 16 of us, plus two lead RA's known as Staff Residents. Everyone is pretty outgoing and willing to chat and laugh at just about anything. Training is mostly about policy and expectations of the residence hall so it isn't always interesting, but the leaders do the best they can with it. Right now I'm a bit overwhelmed because it sounds like so much to do! I hope I can manage to balance this with ChemE and the sorority, but we shall see...

Oh and to a few who have noticed that I'm not on facebook it is a temporary hiatus. Because of sorority recruitment all sorority members are not allowed on facebook. It is supposed to level the playing field for recruitment and not allow communication amongst members and those who are going through recruitment. I think it is silly, but rules are rules. So give me a month and I'll be back, and we will still be friends!!

On a side note, it has been a blast to share my India experience with so many people. I get to relive my favorite parts of my experience every time I talk about it. That is so cool!!!

Pulsing My readers

My very artistic boyfriend took this photograph of the sunset reflecting in the window of a yacht in Sag Harbor - gorgeous!

To all those out there who read this blog I have a question to ask you... do you wish me to continue the blog??? When I created this blog at the beginning of my journey to India I did so with the intent of keeping everyone at home updated with the convenience of them checking in when they liked. It allowed me to share my experience with my friends and family without having to mass email them or the sort. So now that I'm home, back in the USA, about to head out to Purdue, my question is this: Is there still an interest or reason for continuing with the blog? I'm sort of on the fence about continuing. There is a lot to be said for being so open in sharing with your life especially with friends and family. But there is also something to be said for being so open with anyone interested in random blog reading. It's hard to say if I'm still interested, posting about West Lafayette life is much less exciting than posting about my adventures in India.

A brief aside about India...
I miss India a lot. I really miss my friends back at IIT who are all starting their term already. I miss the laughter in the hostel and the many attempts to make it back in time for pani puri tiffin. I miss being in a place where there is something new at ever turn. This seems ironical as I was longing for familiarity when I was there. I'm not sure when I'll make it back to India, but I know that someday I'll have to. Be it to check in on some crazy IIT friends and maybe attend a Hindu wedding or so, or perhaps on another wayward journey through such a culturally rich place. I'm confident I'll return, when I do I can only hope that my friends are still there to welcome me into their world as unquestioningly as they did the first day I arrived. I feel more blessed now looking back on the experience than I ever did while I was living it. So to all my friends back in India thank you for your hospitality, your friendship and your experiences, you made my trip fantastic.

Back to the entry at hand, please leave a comment if you think I should continue blogging. Perhaps knowing people will read it will inspire me to keep posting.

Being home and traveling around

I'm home as I stated in my most recent blog. After an amazing week back in Colorado I jet-setted off to the Twin Cities to attend my sorority sisters wedding. (yes I am an engineer and yes I am in a sorority so all you women out there thinking it's too much, give Greek Life a Shot!) It has been so wonderful to spend time with my sisters again and laugh like no time has passed. Though the weird thing about being home is now I have stories to tell that start like this " This one afternoon I was in Calcutta and was getting my sandals repaired by a guy on the street... " or "While I was in an over night bus from Ooty..." or "When was on the road side eating pani puri and chatting with my boyfriend...." Those are moments that really drive home the fact that I was abroad. When I got home everyone asked me what it feels like to be home, and honestly it feels the same as when I left. It is as if I went to sleep for a weekend and woke up with a lot more stuff.

Anyway after leaving St. Paul I head to NYC and DC to spend some time sight seeing here in the USA. Then it is off to Long Island to visit the grandparents. Oh yeah then there is the getting back to Purdue two weeks early to go through RA training!!! Yup I might be one of your RAs! Pretty exciting!!!

Traveling Pics

So I'm on my adventures... this is a thrilling life!! I hope you like the pics, there are in backwards chronological order... Visakhpatnam came first :o)The view from our hotel - it was gorgeous!

Meditating inside Agra Fort

The TAJ MAHAL!!

Mother Theresa Tomb

Sidd and I on a beach in Visakhapatnam

Shiv and Parvarti Statues in Visakhapatnam

Me on my first train ride!!

It's official

Sidd got his Visa! Needless to say, I'm happy. Can't wait to share my world with him!!

I arrive in CO on July 5th late in the night and my travels don't stop there...

Here's the plan:
CO - July 5th-July12th
Minniapolis for Anne's Wedding - July 13th-July 16th
NYC and Long Island - July 16th-July 24th
CO - July 25th-August 1st-ish
Purdue - August 3rd - Christmas!!

I'm off to Agra and the Taj Mahal tomorrow!! I love traveling so much!

Nerve Racking two days!

Sidd is applying for his Visa and we know in two days if he gets it... I think I'm going to have a coronary while he is in his interview. I don't even want to think about what will happen if he doesn't get it. He will though, he will.

Off to Delhi via Calcutta this afternoon, meet up with Sidd day after tomorrow to see the largest monument built for love, ever - the Taj. I'm so happy I get to share it with Sidd.

Miss home, just a few weeks more until I'm kissing ground in CO and hugging the stuffing out of all my friends. Just be warned.

Indian Adventure

Well... I'm done with work, I'm out of Bangalore, I've got a backpack, some money, a Lonely Planet Guide Book, and two weeks... I'm Off!!! I'm currently in Calcutta en route to Darjeeling, where I will be staying for two days before departing for Delhi and a great Rajasthan tour!! I'm home after that!!! Hopefully bringing with me a live souvenir.

I'll update when I know more or have details to give.

Lova - I'm terrible and haven't gotten back to you and I know this... I'm working on that, same to you Mark.

It's a love hate relationship

What I love about India and what I despise about India… They both exist and they both seem to peak out from random corners at random times. The vibrancy of life here is something I fell in love with long back; the people are magnificent. Everyone smiles at you when you walk by (as long as they aren’t gawking at the six foot white girl) and the woman are all beautiful from the small girls in school uniforms to the 60 year old toothless woman in a ragged sari. It is a stunning culture here one that is simultaneously trying to advance to a developed nation as well as cling to it’s cultural heritage. The food is wonderful, most of the time… a few nights spent racing to the bathroom have not been some of my favorites. The sweets take some getting used to, they aren’t rich chocolaty and baked like the cookies and cakes we have at home. Most sweets are made from some form of milk or cheese and it swims in some variation of sugar syrup. The history is deep, the buildings old and crumbling but still beautiful. And you can't beat the prices on almost anything (a new shirt for $4... tailor sewn for $5). There is a lot to discover here, and so much to love.
What drives me up the wall about India… well if I get started I may not stop and you’ll think I hate it here, I don’t, I love it. That being said… the lack of organization and efficiency really sums up most of my disgruntled moments. I wanted to send a packed to the States so as to have more space in my suitcase to bring home all my purchases. I made the long journey to the post office by bus which is the cheapest way to travel in India, albeit the most crowded, hottest, dirtiest and all around uncomfortable. Finally I reach the post office which I confirmed was open until 5:30, I arrived at 5. What greets me?? Well lets leave the details out and just say, the office is open until 5:30, but you can’t actually send anything after 2pm. It makes me wonder why they are open after 2 at all. You can’t do anything simple like send a package, buy train tickets, or catch an auto rickshaw without fighting for it., fighting poor timings, fighting poor booking procedures, fighting for a fair fare. Always fighting... Sometimes I’m just tired of fighting. It makes me scold this nation for being so seemingly backward…*sigh* I love India – really

A little recognition!

So Purdue asked me for some of my views on India and my experiences a long time back. Now I've come to realize that my imputes have made their way into the Chemical Engineering Impact Magazine!! Feel free to read it!! The little bit regarding me is down at the bottom!

The article


Mei and Jeannie... thanks for being good sports... you're photographed in our magazine - I hope you don't mind! Oh and I miss you three all so very much!

Enjoy :o)

Ooty - Tamil Nadu's Hill Station

My weekend travels continue! Sidd and I spent a weekend together in a hill station in Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu is the southeastern coastal state of India which has mountains running down the western spine. Ooty is located in these mountains and was quite chilly. In fact, Sidd was smart and brought two long sleeve shirts (one I wore the whole time!) It rained both days we were there which partially flooded the town making walking an interesting experience. We took a three hour horseback riding trip through the hills which was so much fun. Sidd hadn't really ridden a horse before so he was a great sport and a pretty good rider at that! It was just the two of us and a guide riding around. Very fun, but our butts are still hurting two days later. We also bought ample amounts of Ooty's famous homemade chocolate, but we both are wondering why it is famous, as it really wasn't that great. The town was really cute but busy with tourists as it was a weekend. We had an interesting bus ride back to B'lore which was partly great fun, and partly really unfortunate. Lets just say we were sitting in the "cool part of the bus" but the bus was totally NOT COOL - Sidd's 25 mysterious bug bites are testimony to that. We made some fun friends on the bus and I had the pleasure of using an Indian toilet in the middle of the night without a light... I probably didn't want to see the bathroom anyway... :o)

Sidd and his horse Raja (it's a boy - but you wouldn't know by the flowers on it's bridle)

Ooty lake reflections - my attempt at artistic photography

In other news - I'm flying home earlier than originally thought. I arrive in the States July 5th! Please let me know if you are in CO - I will want to see you :o)

Mysore

So it’s been quite sometime since my last post. Sorry bout that! I’ve been getting myself settled in B’lore (note the updated address) and trying not to lose my mind out of boredom at work. Last weekend Sidd and I went to Mysore which is a town about three hours by bus from B’lore. It took us four hours because we had to cross the length of B’lore to catch the bus. We had a very nice time exploring the city. On the first day we slept in a bit which was a nice break from getting up early for work. We met this very cute kid who took it upon himself to show us a bit of the town. Granted we ended up at his house were his parents sold incense and oils, but he was still a fun kid. He took us to the English Market which sold a lot of produce and such things. Sort of interesting to see what a small town market was like. From there we went to see the famed Mysore palace. It was huge and very ornate. Lots of murals on the walls and of course a lot of Hindu gods and goddesses depicted all over the place. We also visited a garden famed for its illuminated fountains. It was there I met the tallest person I’ve ever seen in my life. I have photographic proof, see for yourself.

Market area

The Mysore Palace

In front of a temple outside the Mysore Palace

This is me in silhouette at a beautiful garden fountain.

Me and the tallest person I've ever seen!!

Beginning Work - Back to GE!!

I started work on Monday at the JFWTC (John F Welch Technology Center) in Whitefield, Bangalore (B'lore). The first few days were spend doing typical HR stuff, filling out forms and listening to a bunch of people welcome us new employees. I started along with about 32 other interns and roughly 8 new full time hires. I knew two of the interns from IIT which was nice to have familiar faces. One of them and I are working in the same department for a few weeks and I'm sure we will have a good time together. My project hasn't been completely scoped just yet so I'm still in a holding pattern for information. I'm trying my best to be patient. I've asked for a chemical engineering project as opposed to chemistry to get a bit more practical experience. From the information I do have, it sounds like I'm going to be doing some designing. That will be great experience for next year when I take my design classes.

Oh and on other news, I passed all my classes at IIT!!! Granted I didn't do a stellar job (basically straight C's with a B thrown in...) but never the less I passed!!! I'm very relieved to know that I don't have to retake anything at Purdue, but I am a few credits shy of a full time student, so I may just be able to pick up a 'fun' elective course. I'm open to suggestions though I think Flower Arraigning would be a good pick. I was saving those credits in case I had to retake.

I have a place to live in B'lore now, so no sweat there thank goodness. I'll put up my new address once I figure it out exactly :o)

*missing home... please send love*

Kerala and my adventures

I’m back!! I’m in Bangalore again after my week in Kerala. It feels great to be back and I’m trying to gear up for work on Monday. Yikes, I don’t want to go back just yet… Here are some pics of my journey and they are more or less in chronological order. I had a wonderful time and wouldn’t mind going back some day. The Keralan people are wonderfully kind and welcoming, and their state is amazing. Kerala has the highest literacy rate, the best male/female ratio, the highest standard of living, and overall it is pretty much awesome!! Enjoy the pics!!

Chinese Fishing Nets in Fort Cochin, it can take up to four men to operate them!

Fort Cochin Street way

Sunset in the backwaters of Allepey. It was so beautiful and quite there... This was just moments before I decided to take a swim, which was great fun.

A three month old baby elephant in Kumily. He was so cute!

Me and an elephant. The tusks were so soft and the skin felt like really thick leather. I couldn't believe how gentle this enormous animal was!

Kathakali performer. I saw a performance in Kumily... it sort of creeped me out but was interesting nonetheless. They make use of expression and gestures to convey a story without language aside from song.

Clouds rolling in a valley in MunnarFour little girls in a village near Munnar, all they asked for were pens... I wish I had some to give them, they were so sweet.
Me in Munnar amongst the tea... lots and lots of tea.

God's Own Country

As Kerala is warmly referred to around here, I'm in God's Own Country. It is beautiful that is true, gorgeous perhaps even. I'm having a grand time so far, eating new foods, meeting new people, and learning that the bus system is really a good time. Yesterday I stayed in a hotel that is only reachable by canoe and I was the only guest. As such, the owner and I became "friends." I asked to go on a backwater tour, so we hoped in the canoe and headed out. It was so beautiful and relaxing. It was amazing to see the type of life people live. They are totally dependent upon the land. There are paddies of rice which provide for the bulk of the diet, there are also coconuts, bananas, pineapple, and fish from the river as well as tea leaves and curry leaves for cooking. Some families have a cow or two, others chickens or goats. I tried some coconut alcohol which was quite interesting. It is semi-carbonated which is fun. I had my first ayurvedic massage, which was simply amazing, and mostly just oily. I'm now sitting in an internet cafe of sorts next to Periyar Tiger Preserve... I'm fearing for my life... j/k. Off to my little house for the night with my French roommate Stephanie!

I'll get pics up as soon as I'm back in Bangalore (oh yeah, I'm now 'moved' into Bangalore) Life's a whirlwind!!