Arrived!

Hello all! I arrived in India a few days ago but have not had internet until now. I have lots to update so I'll write a few posts in chronological order.

January 3rd and 4th

On January 3rd I went to JFK airport with my whole family. It was incredibly difficult to say goodbye, although they were all incredibly supportive. At 1:45 I boarded Air Indian flight 102, and then I was off. The flight was very uneventful. I watched two Bollywood movies which I adored (Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu and Bittoo Boss) and tried to sleep. I landed at 2 pm India time and made my way through customs. I was met by the driver sent by my organization, and then we were off into India! 

The drive from New Delhi to Jaipur was about 6 hours, but it was far from boring. Driving in India is a terrifying experience. Drivers use their horns instead of their brakes, there are no lights (and not really lanes either) and everyone drives like a maniac. The surrounding images were surreal. You see people on the side of the road, living in tarps or having roadside stands that all sell the same thing. When the sun went down people built fires. I was struck by the lack of women. I saw TONS of people, but almost entirely men. I saw more cows than women. There are cows everywhere. Also lots of goats, pigs, dogs, monkeys and camels. 

I arrived after 9:00 at the volunteer home in the Northern suburbs of Jaipur and went to sleep, utterly exhausted.