Past 1/2 Year...GO!

I've been a little off the map and have actually experienced some great things since February. For an attempt at a quick update I will do a count-down.

10) I finished my first half marathon and am currently about a week and a half out from my second.

9) My sister got married in the Caribbean - equating into awesome family vacation in the Caribbean. Took my friend Patrick along who had never been out of the country - he has been bitten by the travel bug

8) I graduated in May with a double major in Political Science and International Studies - insert picture of me throwing my cap way in the air as you see in the movies but doesn't happen in real life

7) I road-tripped to McAllen Texas for an Alternative Spring Break (ASB) trip with 6 others from my university. We primarily worked with immigration communities from building houses to handing out flyers.
6) I interned for the third summer in a row with the government. Worked 7:30 to 4:30 5 days a week - extremely exciting stuff right there - made good money though.

5) Was a bridesmaid in my friend's weddings - a gorgeous event
4) Ran my first Bix - 7 miles of hills - one of the hardest race courses in the Mid-West
3) Started Graduate School - Masters of European Union Studies and solidified a position as a Grad Assistant at the European Union Center
2) Started Turkish - WHAT??? haha yep tackling another language (continuing with my Italian Studies)
1) Living in a Vegetarian Co-Op with 8 (will soon be 9 and maybe 10) other people. Best decisions of my graduate career thus far!

Post Zip-Lining in Antigua with my friend Patrick

Post Graduation with my Parentals

Post 1st Half Marathon

ASB Trip

8 Weeks Out from a Half Marathon

Running has pretty much become an everyday thing for me since I decided to take on the Illinois 1/2 Marathon. It takes serious dedication - I am currently in the fourth week of twelve and am proud with how much I've shredded off of my original times. Today was a 5 mile run since I went home for the weekend and couldn't fathom 5 miles on a treadmill - that would've been painful. Unfortunately, winter doesn't want to leave quite yet and thus I'm still running inside the ARC (insanely awesome workout complex at my college) on the track - 5 laps = 1 mile, thus 25 laps - yeah easy to forget what number I'm on. PTL (praise the lord) for pace.

To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift - Steve Prefontaine

A quote from a great runner that can only make you wanna continue to run.

Music is the other thing getting me through this training - listening to it and creating mixes for my friend Jess who is training for the half as well. 3 mixes thus far with 9 more to go.

Cheers to a healthy, injury free 4th week of training.

Current Location - Rural Illinois

So I may not be in India anymore, but I'm sure some lonely soul is wondering what I've been up to since my return. Well, I've been living in cornfields - which you can't even "admire" right now because of all the white stuff that has hit. Now you may be wondering why I don't say snow - well that's because its been a combination of snow, ice, sleet, hail and all that jazz that makes up what the weather forecasters call a "wintry mix". Enough of that, geographically though, you can find me finishing my last semester up at the University of Illinois in good ole Chambana - for those of you who are not Illini that would be Champaign-Urbana in Central Illinois.

Last weekend though, you wouldn't of found me there, rather you would of found me in Port Byron, Illinois - right on the Mississippi River in a biker bar by the name of Jammerz. Oh yeah your typical biker bar with a pool table, the local characters of the town, and a juke box.

So even though I was still in Illinois I felt that I had entered into another world - reason this story deserves to be told on my blog. So there I am with my family and my sister's fiance's family and their friends. So there I am playing pool (which I use to be good at and still have the potential to be I just need to get around to shooting more) and thus far all of my opponents have been people I know, but then the biggest character in the place puts his quarters down and calls the winner. Well, I lost to my dad, but my dad didn't want to play this guy so I got to. What a jokester. This guy was a good 300 lbs. and toothless. To make it better, I later found out that he pumps poop - septic tank worker - for a living. Yes, the epitome of a rural plumber. So there he is trying to show off to me and just really making me mad - so what do I do? I beat him - and it felt great - wiped that smirk right off his face.

So beaten a local at the biker bar and then driving out onto a frozen lake in a huge truck (mind you the lake that I go tubing on in the summer so I am freaking out the whole time afraid that we are going to crack the ice and sink) summed up my evening in rural Illinois.

This wasn't my first time to Jammerz and it wasn't going to be my last -- why you may ask? because every time I go there I come out of there with a great story.

Taking the Bad with the Good

January 10th
Monday in India is like Sunday in Italy - tons of things are closed. For us this meant a complete change in our plans. We all pile into the cars and myself and the 5 others in my car lucked out by picking the driver with the best music - now what I mean by best is the top hits in India - we wanted to hear this one song and the only clue we had was "Sheila" turns out that was all we needed for our driver to know what song we wanted to hear. The problem - he had about 500 songs probably on a jump-stick with noway of knowing where the song was on it. Instead we settled for the #2 song at the time and proceeded to listen to it about 5 times - when we pulled up to our first stop Qutab Minar, the other's were green with envy (Needless to say I now know the name of the Sheila song, but am more a fan of the other song - sentimental reasoning maybe??) Qutab Minar is the world's tallest brick minaret with a height of 72.5 meters - with the bright sun of the day and the haze of dirt and dust that just looms in the air (still black snot in Delhi - I guess anywhere in India this is a given), shooting the top of the Minaret was near impossible. A fascinating site still - and of course people there thought we were a fascinating sight as well and thus we got our pictures taken - still getting used to that. For lunch we hit up Lohdi Gardens Restaurant - very nice - kind of the place the embassy workers go. So instead of Indian, my table (4 of us total) each got pasta - it twas delicious. What I learned from the day was:
1. Monkeys are the number one stray animal in Delhi (not as many cows as Lucknow - was starting to miss the big fellas)
2. Driving is a lot more under control (there are functioning stoplights in the country!), but long waits in traffic - still an inevitable
3. Toilet Paper - still a hot commodity - thank you Jessica for providing me with "to-go tissues from Target"
4. 2 weeks in India and I still wanted Indian for dinner (room service Indian food - yes please)
5. Beggars are in full force in Metropolitan areas (I felt bad for some kids who came up to us begging, but then felt even worse when they followed us and kept tugging so gave in and bought bananas - little did we know they would be nicknamed the banana kids because I didn't forget about them and nor did they forget about me and the others I was with...)
off to a new day

January 11th -

Today equals busy day. We went to Lal Qila aka Red Fort for those of us (including myself) who hack up the pronunciation of everything Hindi. Red Fort (yes it is red) is a 17th century fort complex constructed by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the walled city of Old Delhi and it is a Unesco World Heritage Site. Getting there was an adventure, but getting back to the car was an even bigger adventure. Auto-Rickshaws or Tuk Tuks as they are known in other parts of the world are one of the primary forms of transportation in India and naturally they have a toy to resemble it. So instead of the man on the street trying to sell a Hot Wheels to ya its an Auto-Rickshaw (Green and Yellow to match the ones of Delhi). Well what happens when a blob of foreigners walk together - we get swarmed from all directions from men and children trying to sell us things - and let me tell you some of the oddest items for sale were sighted in Delhi - a fake mustache, a toy pipe and the auto-rickshaw. These sellers really want to make a sell and will go to all lengths (literally) to do so. The distance from the Red Fort to our car - a good 7-10 blocks, coming out of Red Fort one of the girls was prompted to buy one of the "Indian Hot Wheels" and at a cost of 250 Rupees ($5/6) she was saying no way. But "NO" is not an answer the street sellers like to hear and so the seller proceeded to follow us a couple of blocks - lowered the cost to 200 and then 150 and when she still didn't want it we thought we lost him, until he came up again out of nowhere with the bargain of 100 Rupees - still not good enough and at this point I too was part of the process telling him he wanted to much - more fuel to the fire. So we continued to walk - at quite a brisk pace I should add and just when we were to the parking lot we were at the man said - "ok madame 50 Rupees" - response "SOLD" so she got herself the street toy for a little over a buck - gotta love bargaining in India in all forms.
The other sights of the day which were just as grand, but way too much to go into detail over were:
1. Raj Ghat - The memorial to Mahatma Gandhi - the spot where he was cremated back in 1948 (I bought his autobiography for less than $4 and saw a snake charmer outside the shop as well - snakes are not my thing)
2. The Jama Masjid (The World Reflecting Mosque)
3. And this beautiful Temple - can't remember the name but will get back to you on it
4. A clothing shop where two girls found shirts that they could wear to the Taj - they got them altered in ten minutes and the shirts were only about $10 a piece - America needs to get some of these shops - they are awesome - talk about on the spot service.
5. and of course it ended with our second run-in with the banana kids - man are they persistent

busy day - but a great day

January 12th

Taj Day - What a Day?!? (I think that sums up everyday saying that no two days in India were the same - new sights, smells (not all good), and discoveries.

The Taj was great - there is a reason that it is considered one of the 7 Wonders of the World - I recommend going - what is a trip to India without seeing the Taj?? - Incomplete. Words won't be able to give it the adoration it deserves. I think it was one of the warmer days that we had while in India - kind of the type of temperatures I was expecting from the entire trip - but anything was better than the brutal cold I knew was back at home waiting for me. I'm starting to fall habit to lists so I think I'll just sum up the day via a list again (sorry for those who hate lists - but fact about me...lists dominate my life)

1. Bus Ride to Agra to see the Taj was about 4 hours so half asleep on the bus the last thing I expected was a monkey to jump at my window so my apologies to my fellow riders who were off in dreamland when I startled everyone with a curdling cry (by the way it was a HUGE monkey - pictures to prove it)
2. The Taj is a tourist trap - everything from overpriced goods to people doing the typical "tourist" pictures (the most foreigners I saw the entire time in India)
3. Feet - yep that was the overpowering smell of the inside of the Taj
4. The Taj would be an even bigger tourist destination if the Black Taj were built - you should go check out the story, it is quite fascinating (it was suppose to be built to act as a shadow across the river from the White Taj.
5. When I said the banana kids were persistent I meant persistent like detectives - they were waiting for us when we got off the bus at our hotel (and let me say we were nowhere near our hotel the previous two times we ran into them so I have no idea how they found us - they wanted their bananas - I can't blame them, I love bananas)


January 13th
Last Day in Delhi means go go goooo. The day started with the Lotus Temple which is a Baha'i Temple - House of Worship in the Shape of a Lotus Flower - crazy cool architecture. After this the group split into three with different groups deciding to do different things. I was in a group with 4 others and we decided to go to Humayun's Tomb. It was quite fascinating - it is considered to be the precedent of the Taj so it was great to be able to see both and compare and contrast them. Then it was lunch where we ran into 4 American women who were in India adopting children - they told us their story and of us American bureaucracy is at work in India too via the USA embassy which meant that their paperwork was held up in the system and that they had to cancel and rebook their plane tickets home - stressful. The day ended with shopping - yes finally some time to shop. We went to Palika Park which is an underground bazaar and no description could ever encapsulate the atmosphere down there. Hot, loud, crowded - wait that kinda just sounds like India on a regular day...hmmm. I saw a jewelry store and was in the market for some loose semi-precious stones so asked the guy if he had any, and sure enough he did - the boys went next door to look at wallets and the other girls agreed to meet me back at the jewelry store in 15 minutes - 15 minutes came and went and I had bought the stones and was waiting - the store owner makes the joke that I think they forgot about you and I said probably and he said no worry we can page them over the intercom in five minutes if they don't show - well thankfully they did and they took me to the scarf shop that they found. Sitting in the scarf shop (by myself again) with the girls going next door, I hear my name and "yall" on the intercom - the boys were paging us - but under the stress forgot the other two names - we all met up finally and no one got lost, but you gotta love how technology still connects us all. After the underground shopping we checked out the above ground shopping - and this is when it all started to go down hill. I started feeling kinda weak, but we weren't meeting our driver till 8 and others still had shopping to do so I didn't want to rush, so trudged on. Once we got back to the hotel I finished packing and tried to rest in my bed, I slowly felt myself going from cold to hot and knew that I wasn't 100%. Waiting at the gate for the plane I felt dreadful with shakes and shivers - boarding the plane the flight attendant even asked if I was ok and he told me I was shivering and I told him no and he said find us if you need medicine - well if you get queasy easily stop reading - this is your disclaimer...

My last few minutes in India were painful - and embarrassing - quite embarrassing. Somehow I was seated nowhere near the rest of the group, the sick one was all alone. Sitting in the seat I knew that I was gonna have to throw up, it was just a matter of time - and then that stupid little light indicating that all passengers must be seated came on - I mean talk about worst timing ever. And then it stayed on for about 10 minutes and the plane didn't budge - not even an inch. All the while I am shivering and yet sweating and freaking out - I see the barf bag and am like if it comes down to it you will be my saving grace. As we are taxing I get hit with the most nauseating flash and all I know is I am "THAT" person on the plane who is throwing up when there are no other sounds being made - me gagging - yep that's what people got to hear as the plane was taking off - and while they are probably thinking, oh man we have one of "THOSE" people on our plane I am praying that the bag doesn't break before I can throw it out - humiliation at its finest. I guess throwing up on a plane is bound to happen to someone who has traveled as much as me, but the timing of it all - completely awful. I was looking at an 8 hr. 30 min. flight to Zurich, a 6 hour layover, a 10 hr. flight to Chicago and a 3 hour car ride home - it was already a long trip and I just made it excruciatingly long by falling ill. No music, reading, eating, or movie watching for me - I was too preoccupied with throwing up in the bathroom, trying to keep liquids and medicine down and sleeping. Thankfully the first flight was the worst of it and from there on I just felt extremely weak and exhausted - was in the state where you can pass out anywhere. Somehow I survived and landed back on US Soil in one piece - and was gonna live to tell my tales of India that weren't covered in the blog - or elaborate on the ones that were only briefly touched on.


Hope you enjoyed my time in India

next out of US trip is the Caribbean in March - but hopefully a few roadtrips will ensure in-between now and then!

Namaste.

Last Days in Ranchi - To the Start of Delhi

January 6^th

Today was a packed jam shut type of day. We started off by going to a temple and then got a personal tour of the center through which the order is able to remain self sufficient. We got to see everything from how they process honey and then test its quality to the stables where they hold the cows and their calves. It was quite the experience to see how each of the brothers who come to the order find their specialty within the center and help contribute to its continuation and well being – fascinating. Afterwards we headed over to a Science Museum where we checked out stations related to physics and why things are the way that they are – everything from a head on a plate to swing pendulums – it brought out the inner kid in all of us. However, similar to the State Museum that we had visited the day before, there were not that many visitors, whereas in the states it would have been a lot more crowded. Afterwards we headed over to the Tribal Art Museum where unfortunately there was a power outage so there was a little bit of a change in the plan. After being welcomed with flower necklaces and forehead blessings we were taken out to a native village market (Bero) and then to a Tribal Village. This has been one of my favorite things on the trip because we really got to experience the rural side of India. We got extremely lucky with the market because it only happens once a week – we blazed through it, but I still feel that I got to see a part of India that I may never have the chance again to see. One of the coolest things we saw was the making of rice and how they scoop the rice out of a big pot and put it into a basket so that the excess water drains off. When we got to the village it was meal time and the whole village was had gathered around the kitchen area where the rice was being prepared. I think we were told that there were 25 families in the village. For me it is just amazing how people live so simply and comfortably. One of the men we talked to had gotten his higher education and was the chief police inspector, but he still found the importance of returning to his village – his upbringing and most importantly his roots. He came from the perspective of anything is possible – kind of the American Dream ideology but being told from an Indian. This could be viewed as transference between countries – where it originally was started I don’t know, but interconnectedness on the smallest scopes are some of the strongest evidence of globalization. One of my favorite moments was when the group went with some of the local village people to watch the sunset. When standing there taking pictures and there were three little boys looking on, I thought they would enjoy taking a picture with my camera – even though there was a language barrier, actions accomplished the task and thus I have pictures on my camera that were taken by the boys – I will never forget that.

January 7^th

The biggest happening of the day – I saw an animal sacrifice at a temple and was nowhere near prepared to witness such an act. During our 3 hour bus ride to Jamshedpur to see the Tata Steel Factory (the initiator of industrialization in India) we stopped at two temples along the way. The first had interesting architecture with 7 huge horses in front of it – one for each day of the week, but it was the second temple that was the showstopper of the day. When we pulled up to the temple I vaguely heard our professor tell us that animal sacrifices still take place at it – but with headphones in I didn’t catch all. Walking into the temple after taking of my shoes I started thinking to myself why everything around me sounded so intense – from beating of drums to people staring in one direction to the lonely bahhing of a goat – and then as soon as I turned my head I saw a massive sharp machete type object come down over this goat’s head resulting in blood everywhere. That was gruesome enough to watch, but then to see that the goat was still moving – and for a good three minutes after having its head chopped off was just disturbing. I was in absolute shock – and it didn’t help that the stray dogs were lapping at the blood that had spewed out of the sacrificed goat. That was some serious timing if you ask me. Unbelievable – this write up doesn’t even graze the surface of the sight – ask me to tell you in person if I cross paths with you. Later in the day when some men were asking us comparison questions between the US and India and asked about the animal sacrifice they seemed shocked that they don’t happen in the US – maybe as shocked as we were to witness it. That is one thing I didn’t think I would see while on my adventure – you just have to take the unexpected for what it is. For dinner we dined in true fashion with one of the best meals we have had since we have been here – it was delectable and just thinking about it makes my mouth water. Yum.

January 8^th

Today after breakfast we checked out the biological sanctuary where we got to see tigers, elephants, hippos and tons of other animals – also where I took possibly a bit too many photos, but oh well. Everyone loved it from what I grasped and we were glad it got to be included in our last day in Ranchi. While there we were stopped by an entire school that was taking a field trip so that they could get their picture taken with us – something that I am still getting used to. Afterwards we got lunch and then set out on a two hour bus ride to what was pretty much the middle of nowhere – but with significance. We arrived on site of where The Raja (a nickname meaning the king) had dedicated his entire life to increasing the agriculture gain from the barren land surrounding his village. It was quite fascinating to see what was there – hard to picture what it looked like before, but based off of that the land now yields two crops (wheat and rice) instead of none seems enough proof in itself. As dark started to set so did craziness. While some of us were taking nature pees we were startled with booming music. Mind you we were out in the middle of absolutely nowhere – no roads or lights in sight and yet music was being blasted. Turns out a group of teenagers had gathered after drinking and were starting their night off with a bit of dancing. After scurrying past we went and found our bus. Once there our pictures started getting taken again and another girl on the trip – Lauren and I were held back where we started getting our pictures with the King – we weren’t really sure what was going on, but at this point we were as used to the picture taking as we possibly could be. Seeing the rural side of India via Ranchi was an experience because it definitely differed from that of the urban India that we experienced in Lucknow. One thing that I was definitely grateful for was the somewhat cleaner air in Ranchi (although whenever I blow my nose it’s still black – bizarre, but I guess that just encapsulates how much dirtier the air is here than back at home). One of the downfalls of globalization is that with the increase in technology and the increase in consumption there are greater environmental problems that need to be combated and one of those being garbage is extremely prevalent in India – but I guess the US has just as much in landfills instead of in public space.

January 9^th

I woke up this morning around 7 and decided to go and take some time for myself over in the clubhouse. While working on some grad school applications a man came up to me with a newspaper and said “this is you I think” and sure enough there was a picture of myself and Lauren with our picture with the Raja – the King who we had met the previous day. This isn’t the first time that we have ended up in the newspaper, but it is just crazy to think that we make news in Ranchi with our arrival and our activities, but in the US the same wouldn’t occur. I’ll have to get a translation on the article since it is all in Hindi but I’m sure that won’t be a problem. Upon arrival in Delhi at our new digs a group of us decided to hit the streets. Everything went fine, until we started to head back and a group of 5 kids started to tug at us for money or food – heartbroken I caved in and we ran across the street where we bought bananas for them for less than 50 cents – a little to me but a lot for both the kids and the banana man. In addition I am still getting use to the dollar to rupee conversion but hopefully after a bit of bazaar and street market shopping that will be fixed. Big day tomorrow so off to get some shut eye.

Indian Sunset in a Tribal Village

The sunset that we saw when we were visiting a Tribal Village.

Indian Adventures

January 2^nd

Today started off similar to our other days in India thus far with toast, tea, coffee, bananas and omelets for breakfast. Thinking back, I’m glad I finally came around to eggs otherwise I would be pretty darn hungry because toast would not suffice. The big thing of today however was that myself and three other girls on my trip got to check out a service which was thankfully in English. So there we were, 4 Americans in this freezing, and I mean freezing Cathedral with horns sounding in the distance. Even though some people had stopped due to religious commitment the rest of the city was alive at all costs. After Mass we talked a bit with the father who informed us a bit of his past (20 years in the Priesthood and had done some of his studies in New York). Religion is one thing that doesn’t stop at borders, but rather challenges people on a daily basis and I feel that the topic of religion will only continue to increase in discussion and possibly be a source of tension. Nonetheless I am glad to say that I took advantage of the opportunity to partake in a service here – and there were a few differences. My favorite was that instead of shaking hands and hugging when sharing Peace it was a simple “Namaste” and head nod – typical fashion of many social interactions in Indian culture. We then were naturally picked up by our driver who took us once again on a crazy ride and amazing us with his sense of space – in India it is like the drivers are playing chicken with one another constantly. Cherry-o until tomorrow!

January 3^rd

Today marked my last day in Lucknow, but we made it a good one with getting the driver to take a smaller group of us out to a Forest Preserve that was known for being a nursery to Crocodiles. Now, all of our information was based on a brochure that had the cautionary notice that not all the information may be up to date, so I was a bit paranoid when we arrived at the gate to the preserve and the place seemed isolated. After the driver talked to the guards and told them that we didn’t have cameras (lie, all lies) we headed on in. At first it was just a walk down something similar to that of a nature path and in the back of my head all I kept thinking was everyone is gonna be pissed at me if there are no crocodiles. Thankfully, we came upon some yearlings and then some adult-mugger crocodiles – what a site. I was ecstatic. Not only were we seeing species native to India, but we had finally gotten away from the incessant honking and somewhat away from the extreme air pollution. I mean not to be gross, but the air is so dirty here that my snot is black – not ok by WHO standards I’m sure. Nonetheless the Forest Preserve Trip was a success. Upon arrival back to the guesthouse we ate lunch and then watched as 15 suitcases were stuffed into the smallest car possible and then all of us crammed into the two boleros. Now when I say cram I mean 2 next to the driver, 3 or 4 (pending on the day) in the middle row and then 4 in the trunk sitting in jump seats – India makes the most of space in vehicles and I should also say the most of space in the roads – bumper to bumper and criss-crossing traffic 24/7. So here we all were – our last ride with Ben and it was possibly going to be the wildest of them all. We planned on leaving at 2pm but were delayed to about 2:40pm – cutting it extremely close with our train departure of 3:30 and still having to get through traffic. So there we are flying down the streets of Lucknow – multiple times into oncoming traffic and cutting it so close that some of the passengers including myself could only relieve the tension with laughing. It was a successful ride saying that we got to our destination on time – we shouldn’t of been worried since our Loyal Driver Ben was at the wheel. So there we were, having finished the first leg (in regards to cities) of our journey. We boarded the train and as much as I wasn’t looking forward to another 7 hour train ride – sleeping made it pass extremely quickly. Next thing I knew we were back at the Delhi train station (so dirty and even more chaotic and sketch than it was before). I will end with saying that if you can avoid train stations at night. If you book a hotel/hostel make sure it is away from the train station because train stations just happen to be some of the shadiest parts of a town and India is no different – I was glad to be safely on a bus and out of there.

January 4^th

Today was more of a laid back day (took a plane from Delhi to Ranchi, arrived at the Country Club we are staying at – Ranchi Gymkhana Club, ate hung around and shot pool with another girl on the program) so instead this blog is going to be a list of some of the things that make India extremely different from the US.

1. No traffic laws – no lines on the roads, no stoplights (and if there are stoplights they are turned off) and I have yet to see speed limits – basically the roads and driving are chaotic but make for some of the best stories

2. Power outages – they happen anywhere at any time and they don’t care what you are doing. As I write this the power went out.

3. Stray animals roam India like they own the place from cows to dogs to monkeys to goats - animals are just as abundant as people.

4. Medical Related – there are hospitals and clinics everywhere and ambulances are smaller than mini vans – how they fit a stretcher in there – still trying to figure that one out.

5. Scaffolding for construction projects is bamboo – we use metal and steel – they use bamboo – it is absolutely nuts

6. Eating with your hands is the norm and actually greatly appreciated when you practice in the local custom.

7. There is no such thing as too much naan – I’m gonna miss homemade naan so much.

8. Garbage is everywhere

9. Toilets – Indian vs. Western – I’ll stick with Western style

10. Stares – we get stared at constantly and then they want to take pictures of us and then take pictures with us. Best of all we end up in local newspapers – we are celebrities in India so I guess the stares are worth it.

That’s all for now.

January 5^th

Today we went to the State Art Museum where we were the only people there. Apparently going to museums isn’t that big in Indian Culture just yet, but the government is trying to change that. What is important to note was the location of this museum – really close to the new Stadium Complex that was built for the National Indian Games which Ranchi is playing host to in February. Naturally we got a tour of the complex which was massive and extremely impressive – one of the bigger differences between it and Stadiums back in the US was that the different stadiums were painted different vibrant colors making it a lot brighter than the ones back home. Another thing was that the groundskeepers were using the most basic tools in finishing up the last little details – when trimming the area where the grass meets the concrete they were using a tile instead of a shovel to break up the caked dirt – something you would never see in the US. After that we checked out a Research Center for Fruits and Vegetables where we were shown around the Center by the President of the organization. The center is working on increasing crop yield for mangoes to litchis as well as bringing new crops to India like American Cauliflower (aka broccoli). I thought the center was absolutely beautiful and allowed us to get really close to the different trees out in the groves. We finished the day off by going to a meditation center for the order of Yoga that was set up by Paramahansa Yogananda – whose birthday just happens to be January 5^th so we got to experience that. The center was serene and beautiful – no other way to describe it. All in all it was a fun day in Ranchi and I was ready to get some shut eye by the end of it all saying that I had been up since 6:40 since some of the other girls and I decided to go to 7am yoga – it was freezing out but it was a great experience. Language barriers always make things harder – but learning yoga from an instructor who speaks minimal English made for a hilarious site.