headed home

My trip has come to a close, and in about six hours I will board a plane to head back toward the states. It's kind of odd to think about I will actually be gaining time coming home, my total travel time is about 26 hours..but I'll arrive around 5:30, after leaving around 1am. I've had a wonderful time here, but I cannot wait to be home. It is a little weird for me feeling the slightest tinge of "homesickness"- it's very rare for me. But I am so eager to be home with my family and friends, enjoy the summer, and prepare for the new chapter of college I have to come in the next few weeks.

Reflecting back on my trip, I think some of my favorite parts were the most unexpected. Don't get me wrong- the breath taking beauty of the Taj Mahal and 26 hour train rides are things that I will never, never forget, but simple things like scooter rides in the rain with Christina, talking on the terrace with Hannah, and having dinner with kind and hospitable families both here in Chennai and in Pondicherry have brought me so much joy.

Thank you all for coming on this journey with me and for taking interest in my adventures. I am so blessed to have so many people in my life who love me. I wish you all the best, and I will see you back in the States in 26 hours :)

Love, Abbey

Oh- and one last thing, I'll be making one last post within the next week just with some favorite pictures after I go though all of them and see what I have taken :) 

finally rode an elephant!

Today Hannah, Ms.Jaya and I went to Vandalur Zoo, about an hour from home and got to ride an ELEPHANT! :) Like I said, it was definitely on my bucket list of things to do while in India so I feel very content before leaving. We were also able to see white tigers, which are one of my favorites. I found the zoo here hilarious, because there are already so many animals on the street, it seems silly to have a zoo. For example, without going to the zoo, you can see monkeys, donkeys, bulls, pigs, cows, horses, chickens, and various others. So at the zoo, they just gather all these animals and add a few exotic animals like tigers and lions and bears and they are all set, haha.

I am finally starting to realize HOW hot it is here- it hasn't really affected me up to this point, but after spending the day at the zoo I was completely exhausted. Anyway, I am enjoying my last couple of days here, making some final purchases and seeing all there is to see here in Chennai. I leave on Tuesday night really late, so only a few more days before I head back to the states. Yesterday, Christina and I went to get a haircut which was a very exciting experience. I don't know why, but I always end up getting my hair cut in places that I can't communicate to tell them what I want. First in Spain, and now in India. So I did the best I could in English (I'm not sure how much she understood) and tried to show her with my hands, but I ultimately had to rely on the kind lady who translated my English into Tamil. I have no idea what she told her, which was pretty crazy, but I came to the conclusion that hair grows back and that it would be a good story to tell :) Don't worry- you really can't even tell it's cut, just a couple of inches. So, tomorrow we are having a prayer meeting in the afternoon, and then Monday we may be taking a day trip and having dinner at a family friend's house- just trying to cram everything in my last few days.

It has been an amazing experience and I feel so privledged to have seen another corner of the world. I hope this finds you well, and that your summer has been incredible :)





trip to agra and delhi

We got home today from our trip, which was so interesting to be able to see other parts of India. Like I had said earlier, we went to Agra first, which was incredible. We saw Akbar's palace, the Agra fort, and the baby Taj the first day. I absolutely loved the fort- it was more of a palace than a fort, filled with passageways that led to gorgeous marble mosques and rooms with marble pillars and floors. To think of living there was so fun, I felt like a little kid, exploring every corner. It also had a spectacular view of the Taj from one of the courtyards (couldn't ask for a better view than the TAJ MAHAL!), so that was really exciting. The next day, of course, we saw the incredible Taj Mahal. We got there early, so it wasn't overwhelmingly crowded (although it was still packed, as to be expected), and it was still cool. I took SOO many photos, I wanted to capture it from every angle, try to remember every way of looking at it. It is a lot bigger than I thought, and there is nothing like seeing it up close. One funny and annoying thing though was how many people were just staring at me. I mean, of course, I expected some strange looks being a six foot tall American with blue eyes, but like tons of people were coming up to me asking to take a picture with me. At first it was amusing, but it got old after a while, and I started to feel like I was an exhibit. But that aside, I just wanted to stay in the gardens surrounding it and just look at it- it was hard to believe I was there.

The same day, after seeing the Taj, we headed to Delhi/New Delhi, and got there pretty late. Then Monday, we were able to see the India gate, the parliament houses, embassies, and lots of other attractions in Delhi. Then yesterday, we stayed another night and were able to see the Indira Ghandi exhibit, which I found so fascinating. It told the story of her life, and her sons, through their own words. Both of them served as prime ministers of India and both were assassinated. They stood for nonviolent movements and are highly respected leaders of India. The memorial was in her house, so it was incredible to learn about her life while seeing her dining room and study. I love history, so that was definitely a treat for me. We also had a very interesting lunch at what is known as a "canteen." I felt like I was in the army- they slam down a metal plate in front of you and just start putting things on your plate. It was absolutely hilarious and quite the experience, definitely a meal I will never forget. I've actually gotten pretty used to the food here, and have surprisingly been able to eat even the very spicy dishes.

Then this morning, we flew back to Chennai and have been here the afternoon. I know that was very long, but just wanted to mention some highlights of the trip. But anyways, I'll head out, but hope you all are well and if you happen to be in Georgia, then I will see you very soon :)


at the India Gate

 

The Taj Mahal :)



arrived safely in Agra

just wanted to say that I have arrived in Agra safely and am looking forward to all the exciting things to see. I saw the top of the Taj from out hotel and it only made me more excited :) The train ride was great!

Have a great day :)

headed to the Taj Mahal!

We've just been around Chennai this week, but I've gotten to try some new foods and we've been able to visit with a cousin and aunt that have been staying with us. Last night, we went on the terrace and watched the lunar eclipse. I have never seen one before, so it was really neat to watch, although I feel asleep around 2am, after it had reached "full totality", haha. It was pretty cloudy at first, but we ended up getting a really nice view. Also, yesterday, Hannah and I just rode around our neighborhood a little bit, getting intentionally lost,  which of course I love :)

I am SO, SO excited because tomorrow we leave for Agra (the Taj Mahal!!). It's unbelievable to think that after this week I will only have 6 more wonders of the world to see :). We didn't know if the trip was actually going to work out, because ALL the train tickets were sold out/on waiting list, but an uncle was able to go to the train station really early and got something worked out, so we are on our way tomorrow around 4:30 AM! Like I already said, I am SO stoked. The plans for the trip aren't set in stone yet, but we will be going to Agra first, seeing the Taj, the Agra Fort, and a couple of other sites, and then we could be potentially be visiting some other cities like Delhi or some farther north. This will be a first not only for me but for  Hannah and Christina as well, so I am really eager for us all to have a new adventure. We will be travelling by train (around 30 hours, I think) so that will be another thing to check off my "while in India" bucket list. I still REALLY want to ride an elephant, so I am definitely going to try to do that before I come home. 

We will be gone potentially until around the 25th (3 days before I head home), so I'm not sure how often, if at all, I will able to access the internet. I will do my best, as I know so many exciting things will be happening, but please understand if you don't hear from me. I will definitely be putting up pictures ASAP! 

Because I am leaving tomorrow and won't be able to post anything on Sunday, I wanted to go ahead and say HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to the best daddy in the world :) I miss you so much and sorry I can't be there, but I am taking lots of pictures to bring back. I love you so much!!

Hope everyone is having an incredible summer. Love on your dads this week :)

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! (This picture was taken on one of our family excursions out in Utah)

weekend in pondicherry

This weekend, we stayed with some cousins in Pondicherry and had SO much fun. The four hour bus ride was well worth it! While we were there, we were able to visit Auroville, a nearby city, known to be a "universal city", and they have built a very impressive gold globe, used for meditation and concentration. Although we were not able to go inside, it was awesome to see, really unbelievable architecture. The family we stayed with was so hospitable and kind..I also got to meet Hannah, Christina, and Jesintha's grandma's sister (confusing family connections, I know) who was so kind and awesome. She worked for the UN during the 50s in Somalia, so it was facinating to hear her stories. Their family was so, so sweet. We also went out to eat at a restaurant called daily bread, where we tried everything from calamari to lasagna. It was quite a feast. Then on Sunday, our last day there, we visited a local choclate shop. Pondicherry was a French colony, so there is significant french influence (there are still french schools, etc.), so the french chocolate shop was delicious and a little overwhelming, haha. We also did a little bit of street shopping, always eager to bargain :) Oh! and I also saw my first Indian film, which was hilarious. I will have to watch a few more of those before I leave. Overall, it was a wonderful trip, definitely one of the most memorable parts of my stay here so far.

Tonight we visited EA, supposedly Asia's Largest Mall. However, it wasn't any bigger than the Mall of Georgia- maybe there aren't too many malls in Asia, haha.

Jesintha will be leaving tomorrow for northern India on a medical missions trip, so please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

As I've hit the half way mark of my trip, I'm both thankful for the time I've had here and eager for the experiences that I will have before I leave. I've had a great trip so far. We may be doing some more travelling in the coming week, before Christina starts college.

I must run, I'm going to try jack fruit (I don't think it will measure up to mangos, but we'll see).

 Until next time, Abbey :)

The Matrimandir in Auroville

I got in a little bit of trouble for climbing the banyan tree, sacred because it was chosen to be the center of the city :)

lazy days

So the last few days have been pretty laid back, just hanging around the house. I've been playing Christina's guitar a little bit and am working on learning a song..very slowly..haha :) But things have been good. Last night, we went shopping for a little while and had dinner at McDonalds, which is VERY different. Here, the only meat served is chicken (as a lot of people are vegetarian or have other dietary restrictions), so they still have the McChicken, but they also have the McVeggie ( I thought you might enjoy that, Katie) and an egg burger..which just seemed pretty nasty to me, but who knows, maybe it'll be a big hit here in India. Last night, we also stopped by Nari, a sari shop, which was really interesting to see. They sell all sorts of saris and have tons of fabric for specially made saris. It seemed like somewhere that contestants in a "Project Runway: India" would visit, which was awesome.

On Wednesday night, the entire family went to the beach. I haven't seen it during the day yet, but it was fun to go at night to get ice cream and walk on the shore. Apparently it's the second longest coastline in India or something, so I hear. It was also my first time riding on Jesintha's motorcycle, which was very exciting.

It's been a nice, relaxing last couple of days, and this afternoon Hannah, Christina, Jesintha, and I are leaving to go to Pondicherry to stay with some family for the weekend. It'll be really interesting to see some new areas and to get a feel for other parts of the country.

This week, many of my friends left for both Peru and Jordan, so it's been neat to know people I love are currently spread all over the globe, from Lima to Lawrenceville.

Have a wonderful day, wherever in the world you are :)

The appetizing egg burger :)

Hannah and I at the beach

bargaining at bazaars

Last night, we visited pondy bazaar, a fairly popular shopping district which is about twenty or thirty minutes from home. It's basically just a street set up with booths of vendors selling clothing (kurtas, saris), jewelry, flowers, or just about anything else. You can bargain with the shop owners, so we devised an amazing plan to prevent me (the obviously non-native) from getting ripped off. I would go with either Hannah of Christina and look to see what we liked, and then I would leave the booth, laying all the items over the right side of the piles. Then Jesintha, the bargaining guru would come behind us, not acting like she knew us and drive a hard bargain :). It was very fun, and I got many clothes and gifts. Around eight, it started raining, or rather flooding, haha. It was raining so hard that the shops started closing and we had to stop in a local store to wait for it to lighten up. I was enjoying just being cool, but it was hilarious to see people walking around with plastic bags on their heads to try to keep from getting wet. Because the rain created such an uproar, it took forever to finally find an auto taxi to get home, and the traffic was absolutely ridiculous. It is hard to explain the driving here because it is so chaotic and so different from the lines and red lights of America. From what I've observed, most taxi and car drivers maintain the mentality that they will drive, and everyone else must move out of the way. The scooters and motorcycles then just go everywhere in between. It is quite a sight and an experience on the roads of India. 

Today, Hannah visited some of the colleges in the area that she may be attending to get a better idea of the different schools. Christina and I walked around town, visited a local book store, and got a free ride from a very kind auto driver. We got in, and some of the people said in Tamil that "she wants to sit in front so she can see the city" haha, so then kicked into tour guide mode and asked Christina where I was from and how I was liking India. It was great seeing such hospitality. The scooter has been broken the last two days, so we just walked, which was actually great. But now the scooter is fixed after being in repair, so I believe me and Hannah will be going for a ride before dinner. Hope everyone's summer is splendid, I hear it's pretty hot in Georgia too! :)

A typical street in Chennai

happy birthday carly!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARLY!!

I love you, amiga! I know you're probably clubbin' or somethin :) I'll bring you a present when I come home!

We went around the city and took pictures, so truly the entire city of Chennai wishes you Happy Birthday!

Have an amazing day!!! 

இனிய பிறந்த நாள் நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள் !!!

Biryani, Halwa, and Idyappam, oh my!

Things have been great the last few days, yesterday Hannah and I went for a walk to the grocery store and ended up just walking around the neighborhood a bit. I got some great photos, and although it was really hot, it was interesting to see Chennai on foot. We were passing by this man cleaning shoes on the street and he tried to get our attention. There are many beggars around this area so usually you just try to keep walking, but the man wanted us to take a picture of him so that he could see it on the screen on my camera. So we took his picture, and he was so happy to see it. He called over other people on the street just so he could show them, and even though he didn't really speak English, he kept saying "super, super". Hannah and I actually went home and printed the picture out on their printer and took it back to him. He was very happy, and I'm sure he hung it up in his stand so that everyone could see it. 

Last night, we went to the wedding, which was a very interesting cultural experience. We didn't make it in time for the ceremony, but we made it for the reception. They have many people speak, including the father of both the bride and groom and various pastors. At one point, they cut the cake and after long speeches, all of a sudden this loud, enthusiastic song starts playing saying "CONGRATULATION AND CELEBRATIONS...", please just imagine that to the loudest game show tune you can imagine. It was hilarious. I met TONS of Hannah and Christina's "aunties" and uncles, both actual relatives and random other people (you call all adults in India auntie and uncle), so at this point I'm a little confused as to who they are actually related. I was also included in the wedding video apparently, so it should be very intriguing for the bride and groom to see that a tall white girl was present for their special day. After the speeches and exciting music, they serve dinner. I tried everything given to me (aren't you proud?), it was actually very good but they give you tons of food. You use your hands (actually just your right hand- don't make the mistake of using the left) to eat and the food is served on a banana leaf, so it took me a little longer to eat. However, there is a dilemma of finishing all the food on your leaf, so that you aren't rude, and eating quickly because there are several waves of the dinner crowd. We ate mutton biryani (which was pretty spicy, but now too bad) with idyappam, egg gravy, vegetable gravy, and bread halwa. They also serve icecream, but they give it to you in the middle of the meal so it was completely melted by the time I ate it, but it tasted like cake icing. Anyway, that's enough detail, but I was so full afterwards and Christina made me try pann, a lleaf that was supposed to help with digestion, but it was really strong so I spit it out. 

It was a memorable experience for sure, another chapter of my month here in India. We are looking forward to going to the beach and visiting various relatives in the next couple of weeks, so that should be exciting. 

Christina and I at the wedding

Our new friend to whom we gave the picture

      .                                                                  

Riding in the rain

Yesterday Christina  and I had quite an experience going for a ride in a Chennai rain storm. It felt wonderful, a great escape from the normal heat of the day. We have been just riding around quite a bit, touring the city and seeing the sights from the moped. Yesterday, we visited some of her friends from school. Yesterday night, we also tried KFC, which was actually good, but very different from KFC in the States. All the employees apparently found me very interesting (as do many of the people here...I'm almost used to all the staring), and they all crowded in the kitchen and pointed when we came in. We were soaking wet from the rain so the cashier kindly gave us two paper napkins..haha. 

This morning, we woke up very early (as a result of some lingering jet lag or just confusion on a sleeping schedule) and we went out to tower park after breakfast. It is a local park that many people exercise in, and there was actually a roller skating class for children going on, which was adorable. We visited some more friends today, and then we did some shopping. I needed a nice churidhar or salwar (fancy Indian formal wear/pant suit) for a wedding reception that we will be going to tomorrow. Shopping here is VERY different...you cannot just browse to look for what you want. They take you through the store and take everything out of bags and off racks that they think you might like. I felt so bad, because I didn't want them to unfold every single piece of clothing, but it's just how shopping works. It was also difficult explaining what I wanted considering that all the people helping me only spoke Tamil, so I just kept nodding until after what seemed like an eternity I found one that I liked and that fit..so I'll hopefully be putting some pictures up tomorrow after the reception of my awesome new outfit :) It was a very tense shopping trip, but it was definitely a new experience.

Anyway, things are great, just getting to know Chennai and enjoying India. Hope you all are good! 

Christina let me take the scooter for a spin :) 

Does this bus go to...?

Yesterday was my first full day in Chennai, and I got to experience almost all methods of transportation- walking, auto (which is like a motorcycle/taxi sort of deal), scooter, and bus. The bus was by far the most interesting, especially since Hannah got really bad directions and got us completely lost. The buses here are typically completely packed with people- very, very different than american public transit. We had this fun idea of getting Hannah's video camera and giving a full Indian bus riding experience, so I'll try to upload that at some point so you all can experience the thrill :) I am almost used to the staring..let's just say there aren't many other 5'11, blue-eyed white girls walking around here..haha.Hopefully today we'll do some shopping so I can at least blend in a little more easily, plus the clothes here are so beautiful! Tip to any future Indian traveler: Don't bother bringing too many clothes, you'll already stand out enough and your awesome American clothing will only draw more attention. Also, ask where the bus is going BEFORE you get on..that will prevent you ending up in a random corner of the city.

It's 6:13 AM...a little early, but Christina here has a crazy sleep pattern and apparently doesn't eat so this should be a fun month. haha. I caught her reading Crazy Love this morning..she was up around 2:30. Also, I am in the midst of reading Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. It is incredible so far, and I think you all should read it :).

Well anyway, that's all for now. Christina will be making a guest blog posting appearance soon..so get ready :)

First Day in India

So, I FINALLY arrived after the grueling 9.5 hour flight from Brussels to Chennai.The first 7 hour flight from New Jersey to Brussels was actually great, I watched lots of movies and enjoyed an airplane breakfast while flying over Dublin listening to James Taylor :). Plane food is definitely an experience, and it got progressively worse the closer I got to my destination..let me just say I don't recommended serving keish on an airplane. But I have arrived safely, and am so glad to see Hannah, Christina, and Jesintha. I haven't really dealt with any jet lag..I mean I think after literally 24 hours of travelling my body doesn't know when it is supposed to sleep anymore. I had my first adventure today, buying eggs from a corner store and riding with Hannah on the scooter to the grocery store. I had a soda called Limca, which is like an interesting type of Sprite. It is very hot, but it's bearable and I am so excited to see more of Chennai later this afternoon. We will be going to different parks and just riding around the city on the scooter (which is interesting considering there are no traffic rules haha), so it should make for a great day, it just feels great to be out of an airplane. Hope everything is great back in the states! 

I'm leavin on a jet plane...

On the plane heading to New Jersey, then it's off to Brussels and finally Chennai. Everything went great at the airport, now I'm looking forward to the next 16 or so of flying :). Hope everyone is having a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! Thanks for all the sweet messages, I'll try to keep you updated.

Until next time,
Abbey

Getting Ready to Head Out

I leave for India in less than 48 hours and couldn't be more excited!! I graduate tonight, and then head out Sunday morning after spending tomorrow with my daddy for his birthday. I can't wait to see Hannah and Christina and to get adjusted in India :)