Welcome to my India blog. As you likely know, I will leave the cold Minnesota winter on December 26 to begin a semester in Kolkata/Calcutta, India (I'll explain the name difference in a later post). This will be a remarkable opportunity for me to learn about a culture very different from the United States and to learn for the first time what it is like to be a minority. This specific study abroad experience will include twelve students and one faculty member, all from my college. Our faculty member, Madhu Mitra, grew up in Calcutta, which makes her the perfect leader for the trip. This is especially true because this is the first time my college has ever sent students to India for an entire semester. Mom hates to hear this, but we will be quite truly guinea pigs in many ways.
The trip itself should be the experience of a lifetime. We will begin with a short bout of travelling in "The Golden Triangle" of India. We will explore Delhi, go on a camel safari in Rajasthan, and see the Taj Mahal. Then, we will travel for Kolkata in West Bengal. While in Kolkata, we will live in host families. We will study at St. Xavier's College, taking three courses with the group and one course separate from the group with other students at the college. We will also complete a service component at the Loreto Day School, which I am excited to begin.
Of course, I could easily continue to explain plans for pages, but neither you nor I have the time for me to do so. Therefore, I will conclude by explaining this blog a bit more. This blog should be quite simply the easiest way for me to share my experience with the many people who have expressed interest in updates. I will try to post about once a week or so, depending on when I have the time and inspiration to share my thoughts. I welcome any comments or questions you wish to share and will try to respond accordingly. But for now, thank you for visiting my blog. I plan to send at least one update before the trip begins to give a brief answer to the question I have faced so very many times: "Why India?"
So, now you have two followers! I look forward to following your journeys from afar. Have a wonderful time and don't forget to drop a "tweet" once in a while! Terry
ReplyDeleteOh, I'll try to tweet once in a while! It will be very interesting to see which forms of technology end up easier or harder for me to keep up with while away. There are endless possibilities these days for ways to stay connected with everyone, which s a good thing but potentially overwhelming.
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