Day 4 - Tuesday March 9, 2010

I actually slept. Finally I got to wake up to my alarm clock and not the pigeons.

We eat breakfast in the room again... today we meet at 9:15 to go to a few museums. We find out Ben's sick today and has to stay in the hostel. The first museum we go to is the National Museum.
The artifacts are interesting (I guess) but very repetitive. I can't look at a ball of stone and see art. We go through the 3 levels fairly quickly and have a lot o f time to kill. We go to the gift shop and look around. Time to go but we are missing Carlos.

We go to eat lunch at this really small restaurant. It was good but way too spicy for my taste. We got to try Indian Icecream...it comes on a stick. It was good but kind of chalky tasting.
Next museum. National gallery of modern art. We aren't allowed to take pictures here. I like this museum better but the circulation is really odd. There are a lot of paintings that I would love to buy. Hopefully they have a good shop...They don't. Out of a list of around 13, I didn't find one painting in the shop.

After the museum we decide to go back to the hotel for about an hour or so before we go for dinner.

We have Indo-Chinese food tonight. The place we go to smells aweful. Like a litter box mixed with a portajohn. No one can handle the smell. We can't wait for the food to come to mask the smell.

The food is pretty good. Different. We walk around the shops for a while then head back to the hostel.

Day 3 - Monday March 8, 2010

I woke up early again today. The cause - pigeons and chanting from the mosque across the way. We all decide to sport our Fabindia clothing today. We meet at 9:15 to head to Qutb Minar.

We get a surprise when we get off of the bus, we aren't the only white people today. There are a lot of school kids visiting the site today. Tina gives us 15 minutes to start off with. Me and Robert head off to explore. Its absolutely amazing. It is an example of Indo-Islamic Architecture, and is the tallest brick minaret in the world (72.5 meters). It is comprised of red sandstone, intricate carvings and quotes from the Qur'an.


After the 15 minutes we head back to the main entrance to meet one of tina's old professors, and flat mate. He speaks with us for a while and then leads us around the complex. The size, scale and detail of everything is breathtaking. I can't imaging trying to build a structure of this magnitude without the technology of today.
We get swarmed by a huge group of school girls. After they finally disperse Tina's professor says "now you know how it feels to be a celebrity" - i feel bad for celebrities.
After walking around on our own for a while longer its time to head to lunch. We end up at this really upscale restaurant. It's got to be the best Indian food that Ive had so far. Today is Anna's birthday (the big 21) they bring out cake.After lunch we head to Humayan's Tomb. Another example of the symmetry explored in architecture, the use of scale, and the incorporation of water in their design. I really don't like our guide he continually yells at us for taking pictures, and he doesn't seem to know what he's talking about. Ancient Indians must have been massive, the rise of their stairs are extreme.I end up walking around the tomb alone, just taking it in. I eventually meet Megan and Anna. They are watching a young boy work, or we aren't really sure if hes working he basically just moves a water hose from one spot to another, creating a huge puddle of water.


Once we make it around the entire place we meet with the rest of the group. Tina shows us a game she used to play as a child. Who can knock the opponents stamen off first. Its invigorating..
Tonight we are getting the opportunity to see a live performance of some Indian music, but before that we eat at this place called the "American Diner." It's the worst imitation of American food I've ever ate, I wonder if this is how Indian's feel when they come to America and eat Indian food.

It's international woman's day, this is what the performance is for. The first performer is really good, but we are all so exhausted from the day that we can't make it through the second more traditional performer.

Day 2 - Sunday, March 7, 2010

We have a late start today, Tina hopes we can all get adjusted with a little extra sleep. But of course because I can sleep in I wake up at 7 am and can't fall back asleep. Breakfast is different here.

We meet downstairs at 11:30. On today's agenda: a guided tour of New Delhi.
First stop Parliament. It's beautiful - a road with perfect symmetry, beautiful gardens, and amazing colorful people. We get our first glimpse of hawkers.
There are a lot of soldiers/guards with guns here. We continuously get whistled at for standing or getting too close to things.




I begin to realize how different our cultures are, and how much our group sticks out. Everywhere we walk heads turn. People here seem to be fascinated by us, and keep asking to take pictures with us.After walking around for a little, our guide takes up back to our bus. It's time to head towards the Arch of India.
Being as its a Sunday, it's very crowded. The hawkers are a lot more intense here, we get mobbed. Tina has to save Carlos from getting pinned with an Indian flag by this random woman. So after about five minutes of constant attention from school boys, we've all had enough and make our way back to the bus.Indian McDonald's for lunch. Defiantly not like American McDonald's, at all. No option of beef just doesn't seem right. But it's safe, so I'll settle with chicken. After we leave McDonald's we get cornered by a little girl and her mother, both with arms full of beaded necklaces. Their like mosquitoes, you swat at them but they wont go away.

The bus takes us to the Mughal Gardens. It's packed because its a Sunday. Males and females have to go through two separate security lines. Although the gardens are probably beautiful its really hard to see or take in anything, its so crowded. We're like cows being herded through the gardens.

After the gardens we head to Fabindia to buy some outfits to help up blend in more. There are too many choices. It takes everyone forever to decide what to buy. As we wait for everyone to finish we walk around shops in the surrounding area. There are some really interesting design shops.

We eat at a Southern Indian resturant. I try the paper plain. And its just that, plain. Time to go back and get ready for the next day.

Day 1 - Friday March 5, 2010

I woke up with a surreal feeling. I can't believe that today is finally here. After the months of planning and preparation, the actual day that we leave for India has arrived!
My mom, dad, Aaron, and me make our way to the airport for my first airplane ride ever! I've come to the conclusion that the airport needs a "how to navigate the airport for dummies" board with step by step instructions for people like me that just don't get it...

We all play cards while waiting for the flight to Chicago. Our plane is very small, only three seats wide. First plane ride = SUCCESS!

When we arrive in Chicago we all go eat, I get overpriced Mexican food, and a neck pillow for the next plane ride. It's time to board the longest flight in my life, literally. The only thing that made this plane ride not a complete waste was that I was able to watch a bunch of movies. I got yelled at by the flight attendants several times for opening my window.
WE LAND! It seems to take forever to get off the plane and through customs. Baggage is also another new hassle for me. We all find each other again and exchange money while we're waiting for Tina to arrive.We go outside and wait for our bus. My first observation is that it's very dusty, and there are a lot of random dogs. Our bus arrives. Traffic is crazy. Drivers honk constantly. Our ride to our hostel seems to take just as long as the plane ride here.

We arrive. Megan and I get our room assignment first. It's bigger and nicer than I was expecting it to be. We all meet in Ben in Robert's room where we get our maps, common phrases in Hindi, and some snacks.
Back to our room. Megan finds a present in the shower, a lizard. Nice. I can't sleep, because, I'M IN INDIA!!!

Topic

For my research exhibit project I'm interested in either studying:

• Tomb Architecture including the Taj Mahal, and Humayun’s Tomb

• 
• Temple Architecture including Temples at Osian, and Lotus Temples