I've finally made some time to write about my first few days here in Bangalore. Things have been very busy and with added jet lag, lost luggage, and a bunch of new people to meet, I have had very little time to reflect.
To sum it up, things here have been marvellous. Bangalore is definitely very different but I have had nothing but positive experiences (except for lost luggage and missing a flight...but that is in the past!). I arrived to our apartment here to meet a plethora of other interesting volunteers from around the world, some of which I have started to form friendships with. I haven't officially started any duties at the school yet so I cannot say much about that yet. Below are some random thoughts and pictures I have been wanting to share...
The stories about India traffic are true. Taking a taxi back from the airport was pretty alarming, but it's funny how quickly I've gotten used to it. To get around town everyone usually takes auto rickshaws because they are quicker and easier than the busses and are pretty inexpensive. Here is a picture of the congestion when I took a rickshaw ride yesterday:
One thing I've noticed is that Indians are unbelievably friendly and gregarious. When I missed my flight due to my own fault/exhaustion, a man working for the airline spent 30 minutes trying to haggle his boss to get me a free replacement ticket. Everyone I meet wants to know about Canada and I've had a few people ask me if I know their relatives in Brampton. Whenever I thank someone for their service or help, they literally smile ear to ear with the biggest grins. I met some other volunteers from the school who are Indian and they were so curious to get to know me, and today I was fortunate enough to go to one of their houses for lunch. This included a delicious south Indian meal (chapati and cauliflour curry) prepared by her house keeper, which we ate with our hands, the traditional way (although only right hand, left hand is historically the "toilet hand"). Below is a picture of the two other volunteers with our meal. I'm really looking forward to getting to know these girls more as the conversations we've had so far have been really interesting and have taught me a lot about India.
One thing I've done so far that I have absolutely loved is visit the yoga house. This is an English speaking yoga studio that has a stunning outdoor retreat-like restaurant and a beautiful studio with windows that open up onto the quiet street it sits on. The yoga here was very enjoyable and slightly different from the western classes I've taken; much more focus is placed on meditation and state of mind, rather than poses. The restaurant downstairs has organic vegan meals and delicious fresh vegetable and fruit juices. It is one place that you seem to be able to find vegetables, which have been hard to come by with all of the breads, rice and sauces. Below are some pictures of the place and the food:
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