I made it!

Namaste all,

I finally arrived in India! After about 30 hours of travel, I arrived in Delhi. As awful as it sounds, the trip actually went very well. I even met some fellow Fulbrighters before boarding my flight out of Chicago. This worked out great, especially since one of them is going to be spending two and a half months with me at the language school. (My good Indian karma is coming through again.) I spent 17 of my 24 travel hours on a plane from Chicago to Delhi, but to keep me occupied, the stewardesses brought around food every three hours. In between meals, I watched movies, read, and slept.

My orientation in Delhi has been a bit surreal. I am staying at the Taj Mahal hotel. Needless to say, this is the Ritz Carlton of India. Being around this much air conditioning makes me feel like I am not in India. We have beautiful bedrooms featuring a gorgeous view of the city. I never realized before how green the city is. It turns out that Delhi is both the greenest capital in the world and one of the most polluted.

I have been going strong since my arrival. Our schedule has been jam-packed with delicious Indian food and chai as well as informative sessions on Indian culture, politics, and economy. In addition, the Fulbright staff and speakers have provided us with important details on the administration of our Fulbright grants and tips for conducting research in India. Networking with the other Fulbrighters has been one of my favorite parts so far. From the 40 people at my orientation, five Fulbrighters are also doing projects related to water which approach the issue from biological, public health, and engineering perspectives. Although a number of us are focusing on water, all our projects and backgrounds are incredibly diverse, and we will be situated throughout the entire country. Here is a sample of the project titles to give you an idea:

·         Dharma and Justice: Socially-Engaged Tibetan Buddhism in Exile, Varanasi and Dharamsala

·         The Role of Law in Development of Corporate Social Responsibility in India, Delhi

·         Determining Indigenous Rhizobacteria in Chromium Contaminated Sites to Aid Remediation, Hyderabad

·         The Ramayana as Theater: From Ramlila to Rock Musicals in India, Delhi

The Fulbright program has been totally impressive so far. Our group even visited the house of the American Ambassador to India last night for a welcome and some networking. The enormous house has modern Indian architecture. I was only invited into two rooms but am sure the rest of the house is just as nice. I would have pictures to share if I had been allowed to bring my camera.

The Fulbright group dispersed today after lunch. Now we are ready to get on with our projects. Most of the group dives right into their research. Luckily for me, I still have four months to improve my Hindi. I have some administrative items to complete in Delhi before I start my Hindi classes, which I begin a week from Monday.

I am including a picture from the hotel: a view out my window in Delhi. (Yes, that’s the hotel pool. It’s Olympic size.) 

There will be much more to come on my adventure in Incredible India!

Margaret