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Two Weeks Already?

I think it has finally come into fruition of the amount of time that I will be staying here, … I think. It is quite hard to grasp the actual length of time, it is much easier to say it in basic conversation. If I look back at where I was ten months ago, before I even knew this program existed, and then I think to myself, that I will change this much in the next ten, it helps me a little to realize the realistic duration that I will be staying here. In addition, happy two weeks to me!! It sure doesn’t feel like it. Time always does seem to fly. I’ve also realized how hard it is to remember all the things I did in the past week….

To start off, the Sharkhej Roza mosque, the first mosque that I have ever been to. My initial impression was that I did not so much feel like a mosque but instead a park. This brought me to the revelation that in India, unlike in the United States, religion is not just a way to worship but also a social activity. Throughout the whole mosque there were people playing cricket, soccer, tag, in addition to the prayer activities. (If only church back home could be that exciting.) I also thought it interesting how the mosque was also a tomb, something that I would not expect. From my limited understanding, I could see that the tombs held some ancient Muslim royalty. The third most shocking thing, something that I have noticed in most of the religious places I have been to so far, was the architecture. Everything was covered with such detail, some of the coolest pictures I have ever taken were taken there. I hope to at some point in my stay attend a service there.

The mosque was also followed by a visit to a Hindu temple praising Sai Baba and Lakshmi, which also contained beautiful architecture. I partook in the ritual of running my hands over a holy flame and then making a petting motion over my head, which was much more spiritually calming then I expected. Sadly, I was not able to get any pictures as I left my phone at home. Soon.

School has been interesting, much different from the type of education we receive in the United States. I am doing a concentrated study in the humanities track, taking economics, psychology, and political science. The learning style is quite different, much more of direct memorization from the book and much less application, something that I will defiantly have to get used to. However, I am very happy with my classmates and I can predict that I will have great friends by the end of my stay.

On a more surprising note, I made the school basketball team. (I know right, something that I never thought I would say). It’s not that I’m good at basketball, but rather that Indians have a tendency of being quite short….. Either way I am excited to play sports.

I’ll end this by talking about the first week with the Machhar family. I feel that I have settled in nicely into their daily routine. The only challenges I face is the language, which is much harder to grasp when the alphabet is totally different. My host brother, Ajay, is one of the cutest children I have seen. And it is a feeling like no other when he grabs your hand when you pick him up from school on the second day, or when he makes you lie down with you before he falls asleep, and then grabs your arm to ensure that you don’t leave. It is all about the small victories. I feel that daily life has finally begun, and I am no longer travelling to India, but rather living here. Again, I thank both my parents for providing my wonderful accommodations.

Sorry for the length- These will get shorter as time goes on. More coming next Sunday.

The Mosque:

The Mosque:

Entrance to The Mosque:

Ajay and I:

An Awesome Window in the mosque:

A man dressed in White in "The Lake" at the Mosque:


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