Note: this post is copied here from one of my early blogs, and recounts parts of my trip to study abroad in India in 2007!

Well, I’ve completed my first day here in Pondicherry. (By the way, in the future it’s not very likely that I’ll be posting a few times a day, but there’s just so much new stuff to talk about for now!) So far in the house there are 6 students- three from America (including yours truly) and three from France. Two more Americans will be arriving in a few weeks. I think it will be very nice to be able to have some people to experience all this different stuff with. The dorm is very nice. It’s funny, when I first arrived I had some certain expectations I think, and was comparing it to American standards. Doing this was really silly, though and unfair, so I’m going to forget all that. Once initial shock started wearing off, I realized this is an extremely comfortable place to be living, and damn luxurious compared to the rest of the city. There are things to get used to, like tons of bugs, electricity issues, etc., but all of these things are even starting to feel normal and comfortable, and I’m sure that will be even moreso soon enough. Anyway, after napping for a LONG time this morning, we went into the city. Again, it was so unreal. I literally had to will my legs forward while we walked around. I was in such shock it just felt like some bizarre dream. I’m not sure if I can really explain exactly what it’s like, but the best thing I can say is, it’s like seeing a movie with some incredibly exotic and unfamiliar place, but then finding yourself actually in that movie. Honestly, picture sitting on your American couch, watching a movie like “Indiana Jones” or “The Ten Commandments”, eating popcorn and drinking Coke, and then picture that you were sucked into the screen and find yourself walking around those dusty, hot, crowded, streets. It really feels like another time, here. It’s like nothing I ever thought I would be experiencing, and the coolest part is, it’s going to be my home for awhile.