Kelsey Parsons

Hello from India!

I just met up with my friend Cayley at the Mumbai airport. Our first impression of India? It’s 3am and it’s steaming hot. Well, it’s monsoon season, so at least it’s not raining!

On our drive from the airport to our hostel we saw about a million strands of Christmas lights strung everywhere, a bunch of stray dogs, and a motorcycle with four people on it at the same time. Our hostel is in a rundown alley, and it takes about ten turns off a main road to here here. I don’t have any idea how we’re going to find our way out tomorrow to find some chai and Bollywood movies, but we shall find out! I could barely handle the spiciness of the indian food served on my flight out here, and I can only assume that my first attempt at real indian food will mean heartburn and lots of water/milk/other liquids.

Our room actually has air conditioning, and considering the fact that our next hostel (in Goa) is the equivalent of $3 a night, I’m thinking we should enjoy this while it lasts. Our hostel has a strict no shoes policy, which is both interesting and slightly stinky. We paid for a 10-bed dorm, but considering this place is about the size of our dorm room in first year (read: tiny), there’s no way that many beds is even possible. Therefore, we’re in a little closet/room with only two beds. Luxury!

Now the wait begins. What wait, you ask? Well, according to everyone in the world, you can’t visit India without getting sick. So, I’m waiting for my stomach to start jumping ship, but in the mean time I’ll be practicing my Bollywood moves. I already have that twisting the lightbulb move down.

Jai ho! I don’t know what that means, by the way. It’s fun to say though, you should try it.