Follow the Journey

Shanti has arrived in India!!!! After many hours of travel, exploring Hong Kong, losing bags at the airport, and an interesting taxi ride talking about why cows are sacred… We made it to our hostel. In the past two days of orientation we got to learn the “do’s and donuts” of India as well as a LOT about each other! We drew an audience while playing frisbee on the beautiful grounds of the Raj Ghat. We also paid our respects at Gandhi’s memorial. We ventured over to Old Delhi via an exciting tuk-tuk ride to visit the oldest mosque in India, called Jama Masjid. We arrived in time for an afternoon call to prayer, which we all thought was pretty surreal. We also got to climb a very tight staircase up a tower to discover a beautiful view of Old Delhi.
Today is our last day of orientation and we broke into groups of four to take off for our scavenger hunts! First we got passport photos taken from a very nice man who took over the shops from his father and has been in business for over 25 years! We had a lovely discussion about American Universities. Writing to you from a small internet cafe in the middle of Connaught Place where there are many markets, restaurants and fancy buildings. Very exciting to be on our own for the first time! Next on the agenda, grabbing a bite to eat, maybe a few samosas and then off to Bangla Sahib, a temple that was highly recommended from a new friend!
That is all for now! Onto the Himalayas tomorrow!!!!!!
– Shanti (Savannah, Alessandra, Ford, & Terry)