Erika in India

Arrival

Plane rides are always uncomfortable, especially ones that are 16 hours long. They feed you too much and there is no room to really move around. I stopped in Dubai to change planes and I ended up missing my plane to Hyderabad. We were about an hour and a half late so it turns out that most of the people missed their flight to India. So I ended up meeting some really nice people and chilling for a few hours in Dubai.

At first everything was so overwhelming because its so shiny and ritzy looking. But I got it together and had to go through a million people just to find another flight. The workers were really rude, but very good looking too. It was the nicest airport I have ever seen.

Since everyone missed their flights, I ended up meeting a few people. A lady going to Banglore came up to me and started talking. She just walked up to me and pulled the book out of my hand and she began to inspect it and talk. I liked her, she was nice, and I think she noticed that I was bored and alone.

Afterward I met a girl going to Mumbai and she was having difficulty making an international call, so we bought an international card and split the costs. She gave me some good advice and we chilled and ate while we waited for our planes. I also ran into a girl at the payphones who was also in my program which was nice because I didn’t have to go to Hyderabad on my own.

The airport was really nice and airy with birds flying around. It was about a 40 min drive to the university. The driving was scary, no one used turn signals, people honked like crazy, and in one area, the road was so cramped! There were people on bikes, mopeds, buses, cars, and walking. People told me it was crowded, and they were right. People were chilling on the side of the roads or working. Some of the homes were really nice and were colored yellow or pink. Other homes weren’t houses, they were more like a site with tons of tents and groups of little children sitting outside. The fashions of people also varied widely. Actually everything varied and it would be hard to make generalizations. Also, I didn’t get to explore the city at all. I’m looking forward to going into the city, hopefully soon, because UoH is on the outskirts.

It feels more like a little village here, but the weather is beautiful. The air feels and smells good and fresh. There are stray dogs, pigs, cows, water buffalo, and I even heard that there are peacocks. The buildings are spread apart and most of the roads aren’t paved or have street signs. I think I’m going to rent a bike but I’m still a bit scared to ride on the road.