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