Wow. After twenty-four hours of consecutive travel--made up of one international flight, a four-hour layover, and a sixteen-hour transcontinental flight--I am in BRAZIL!!
Sunday was full of packing, preparation for departure, and a final gluttony for Indian food. Sally and I had a heartfelt goodbye with our host mother, who cried upon our presentation of some goodbye gifts. I did not realize until the sharp pang that hit me when I stopped outside the door of my host mom's house that India had stolen a little piece of my heart when I wasn't paying attention. There are things that I definitely am happy to escape--the pollution, the trash in the streets, the death-defying rides in rickshaws--but I will miss some things. The kindness, inquisitiveness, and generosity of the people. The dazzling, vibrant markets at which I spent all of my money. The sensoral stimulation of color and sound and smell. It's sad to leave behind.
There are also obviously things that will haunt me probably forever. The poverty; the corruption; the animal neglect. It's only now that I can compartmentalize India, that I can say, "I was there," that I'm starting to realize I've just begun to process the things I saw and heard and experienced. I'm just beginning to grapple with the problems and the differences... It will take me months, potentially years, to actually understand what I went through. Kind of crazy to recognize.
Our flight left at 4:30 AM on Monday, Indian time. I had a few minor mishaps, including the security officer stamping my ticket incorrectly and me having to exit the security line in order to rectify the mistake (only me. Nobody else.), but I mean my travel was relatively smooth considering my usual hassles.
We flew to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and waited for about four hours for our 16-hour flight (!!!) to Sao Paulo.
I don't think I realized how freaking long that is until we were six hours (aka my normal flight length from school back home) into the journey and I realized that we still weren't halfway. Yikes.
But, after three movies, fitful naps, two meals, a few games of Sudoku, screenings of "Black-ish" and "Friends," and lots of complaining--WE ARRIVED.
Some first impressions after a month in India/a full day's worth (literally 24 hours) of travelling/a 40-minute bus ride in the dark to my hotel:
--lots of green, thank GOD! So many trees, so much foliage, so lovely
--international chains and music!!! walking through the duty-free part of the airport was like a dream. MAC, Victoria's Secret, etc. etc. and lots of pop music that I'd missed oh so much.
--traffic laws: people stop at stoplights. Novel concept.
--a language I can almost understand: my rudimentary knowledge of Spanish just might be enough to allow me to limp through this Portuguese country with very minimal disasters.
--amazing food. Breakfast included no less than twelve (twelve) different kinds of bread. I tried nine of them. Beach bod, here I come!!!
--WATER. Funny, considering Brazil is in a drought right now, but water was actually the first thing I noticed. Rainy skies, flowing rivers, humidity... My hair hates it, but I love it.
This post is practically unintelligible, probably because my concept of time has been mitigated by my flouncing through time zones (is it 11 AM? Or PM? I couldn't tell you) and my continued awe at my travels. The fact that I'm studying abroad in three different continents, that I'm in the Southern Hemisphere for the first time ever, and that I'm legitimately travelling the world with some of the most intelligent, exciting, adventurous, and wonderful people I've ever met boggles my mind.
Today, I'll be getting assigned to a new host family and settling into a new house; eating more Brazilian food aka steak hopefully; and getting acquainted to the city that will be my classroom, playground, and home for the next month. STOKED AS CAN BE!!!
Adeus por agora (Goodbye for now),
Aubrey!
Sunday was full of packing, preparation for departure, and a final gluttony for Indian food. Sally and I had a heartfelt goodbye with our host mother, who cried upon our presentation of some goodbye gifts. I did not realize until the sharp pang that hit me when I stopped outside the door of my host mom's house that India had stolen a little piece of my heart when I wasn't paying attention. There are things that I definitely am happy to escape--the pollution, the trash in the streets, the death-defying rides in rickshaws--but I will miss some things. The kindness, inquisitiveness, and generosity of the people. The dazzling, vibrant markets at which I spent all of my money. The sensoral stimulation of color and sound and smell. It's sad to leave behind.
There are also obviously things that will haunt me probably forever. The poverty; the corruption; the animal neglect. It's only now that I can compartmentalize India, that I can say, "I was there," that I'm starting to realize I've just begun to process the things I saw and heard and experienced. I'm just beginning to grapple with the problems and the differences... It will take me months, potentially years, to actually understand what I went through. Kind of crazy to recognize.
Our flight left at 4:30 AM on Monday, Indian time. I had a few minor mishaps, including the security officer stamping my ticket incorrectly and me having to exit the security line in order to rectify the mistake (only me. Nobody else.), but I mean my travel was relatively smooth considering my usual hassles.
We flew to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and waited for about four hours for our 16-hour flight (!!!) to Sao Paulo.
I don't think I realized how freaking long that is until we were six hours (aka my normal flight length from school back home) into the journey and I realized that we still weren't halfway. Yikes.
But, after three movies, fitful naps, two meals, a few games of Sudoku, screenings of "Black-ish" and "Friends," and lots of complaining--WE ARRIVED.
Some first impressions after a month in India/a full day's worth (literally 24 hours) of travelling/a 40-minute bus ride in the dark to my hotel:
--lots of green, thank GOD! So many trees, so much foliage, so lovely
--international chains and music!!! walking through the duty-free part of the airport was like a dream. MAC, Victoria's Secret, etc. etc. and lots of pop music that I'd missed oh so much.
--traffic laws: people stop at stoplights. Novel concept.
--a language I can almost understand: my rudimentary knowledge of Spanish just might be enough to allow me to limp through this Portuguese country with very minimal disasters.
--amazing food. Breakfast included no less than twelve (twelve) different kinds of bread. I tried nine of them. Beach bod, here I come!!!
--WATER. Funny, considering Brazil is in a drought right now, but water was actually the first thing I noticed. Rainy skies, flowing rivers, humidity... My hair hates it, but I love it.
This post is practically unintelligible, probably because my concept of time has been mitigated by my flouncing through time zones (is it 11 AM? Or PM? I couldn't tell you) and my continued awe at my travels. The fact that I'm studying abroad in three different continents, that I'm in the Southern Hemisphere for the first time ever, and that I'm legitimately travelling the world with some of the most intelligent, exciting, adventurous, and wonderful people I've ever met boggles my mind.
Today, I'll be getting assigned to a new host family and settling into a new house; eating more Brazilian food aka steak hopefully; and getting acquainted to the city that will be my classroom, playground, and home for the next month. STOKED AS CAN BE!!!
Adeus por agora (Goodbye for now),
Aubrey!
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