After a couple of fun days with Biji, I arrived at my college on Wednesday! I will be studying at Lady Irwin College for the next 3 months. This college was the first girls college in Delhi - they offer undergraduate and graduate degrees in the home science subjects. The study abroad program through Michigan State University - there are 5 girls (including myself) and 1 boy. The two professors that are hosting our program here are named Dr. Anjili Capila and Dr. Archana Kumar. Dr. Kumar is a very "no nonsense" kind of woman and is always super organized! She was the first one who taught us how take the metro (by the way, we have metro cards and have traveled all through Delhi on it!). Dr. Capila is so motherly she is very stylish and loves whatever she is dong. Both of the professors are great and they seem to complement each other perfectly for this program.
So far, we have been getting used to everything here. We are living in a hostel room (3 girls in one, 2 girls in another, and Jeff, the only boy, gets his own room :) and we are right by the other girls. We eat in the mess hall everyday where they have simple Indian food. The campus is surrounded by a 6 ft. brick wall, and is an oasis from the crowd of Delhi! It's amazing to walk around and see all the red brick buildings. We have gone to the library, met with the director (Dr. Siddhu - she is a very beautiful and stately woman!), walked around the campus, sat in the fields, and met many of the girls. Everyone here is so nice.
Two days ago, Dr. Capila took us to her "country club" type hang out called the Indian International Center (IIC). IIC is a cool place where many educated professionals of the city get together. There is a tea house, restaurant, library, and performances from all over the world. We met Dr. Capila's close friend, Dr. Maulik. Dr. Maulik is a professor of anthropology....or should I say "professor of life"? He is interested in not just what we think, but how we think. We have only met him twice, but each time our conversations have been about thought-provoking topics such as - What does it mean to be American? How does the caste system affect India today? So different than my engineering classes! He is a soft-spoken man with a white beard and large eyes that make you feel like whatever you say is important. I can tell we are going to have great conversations in the future.
I also had great fun celebrating Lohri on Friday night with my uncle, aunt and cousin. We got to go to the Habitat Centre (a large office complex in Delhi where my dad used to work when we lived her for 5 months in 2001!). Lohri is a wonderful celebration that is especially important in north India (where my family is from); families get together, have a large bonfire, sing songs, and throw peanuts, popcorn, and other food into the fire. This festival originated as a celebration to ask the Gods for a bountiful harvest at the end of the season. The food, drinks and snacks were amazing (naan, daal makhani, kadi chaval, gulab jamuns, etc.).
Today, we went to Dilli Haat - a market full of handicrafts. Today, there was a craft fair going on where there were vendors from every region of the country. I bargained and bought a beautiful scarf (although I have too many and told my mom I would not buy any while I was here....sorry mom). We took the metro to get there!
A last thought - through my persistent quest to speak as much Hindi as possible, I struck up a conversation with three boys between the ages of 7 and 12. I told them I am a girl who is 20 years old and is from America. They started giggling...it turns out I said I am a boy who is 20 years old and from America. Ahh...language mistakes are hilarious. These stories are only just beginning!
So far, we have been getting used to everything here. We are living in a hostel room (3 girls in one, 2 girls in another, and Jeff, the only boy, gets his own room :) and we are right by the other girls. We eat in the mess hall everyday where they have simple Indian food. The campus is surrounded by a 6 ft. brick wall, and is an oasis from the crowd of Delhi! It's amazing to walk around and see all the red brick buildings. We have gone to the library, met with the director (Dr. Siddhu - she is a very beautiful and stately woman!), walked around the campus, sat in the fields, and met many of the girls. Everyone here is so nice.
Two days ago, Dr. Capila took us to her "country club" type hang out called the Indian International Center (IIC). IIC is a cool place where many educated professionals of the city get together. There is a tea house, restaurant, library, and performances from all over the world. We met Dr. Capila's close friend, Dr. Maulik. Dr. Maulik is a professor of anthropology....or should I say "professor of life"? He is interested in not just what we think, but how we think. We have only met him twice, but each time our conversations have been about thought-provoking topics such as - What does it mean to be American? How does the caste system affect India today? So different than my engineering classes! He is a soft-spoken man with a white beard and large eyes that make you feel like whatever you say is important. I can tell we are going to have great conversations in the future.
I also had great fun celebrating Lohri on Friday night with my uncle, aunt and cousin. We got to go to the Habitat Centre (a large office complex in Delhi where my dad used to work when we lived her for 5 months in 2001!). Lohri is a wonderful celebration that is especially important in north India (where my family is from); families get together, have a large bonfire, sing songs, and throw peanuts, popcorn, and other food into the fire. This festival originated as a celebration to ask the Gods for a bountiful harvest at the end of the season. The food, drinks and snacks were amazing (naan, daal makhani, kadi chaval, gulab jamuns, etc.).
Today, we went to Dilli Haat - a market full of handicrafts. Today, there was a craft fair going on where there were vendors from every region of the country. I bargained and bought a beautiful scarf (although I have too many and told my mom I would not buy any while I was here....sorry mom). We took the metro to get there!
The gang: Sita, Jenae, Leanna, Elise, Elly, and Jeff
Dilli Haat - Craft Fair
A last thought - through my persistent quest to speak as much Hindi as possible, I struck up a conversation with three boys between the ages of 7 and 12. I told them I am a girl who is 20 years old and is from America. They started giggling...it turns out I said I am a boy who is 20 years old and from America. Ahh...language mistakes are hilarious. These stories are only just beginning!
Haha :D .. thats funny! We had SO much fun with you on Lohri! I'm glad you enjoyed it :)
ReplyDeleteAgain, keep practicing your Hindi! :)