India Trip

Hello everyone. I am here in India, and this is a great experience. We have done and seen so much. It is much different from everything I am used to in south Georgia. I have enjoyed my time here so far, and I am looking forward to the conference that starts tomorrow. I am anxious because I'm not quite sure what to expect, but excited at the same time. I think it should be fun. We have been touring the past three days, and the city is so different. There are a ton of people here, and they have been welcoming for the most part. The first day we went to an Islamic temple and a Hindu temple. Both of those places were interesting to see because at the Islamic temple so many people were coming giving gifts and visiting the temple. At the Hindu temple they were actually having a church service of some sort, and that was cool to see. On that day we also went to the place where Ghandi would stay when he came to the city. It was once his friends house, but now it is a huge museum dedicated to him, and that was one of my favorite parts. Yesterday we went to Elephanta Island and the Gateway of India. That was fun because we took a one hour boat ride there, and it was like a island out in the middle of the ocean. It was really pretty because there was a lot of trees and nature, it has been preserved and no buildings have been built on it. My favorite part about it were the monkeys that were running around. The monument on the island was really interesting because it was one piece of stone that they formed all the sculptures from, using only a pick and a hammer. That was neat to know. After visiting the island we went around the town and shopped for a while, and did the same thing today. We also rode on the tour bus and our guide told us a lot about the history of Mumbai. Here in India the food is unlike anything I've ever tasted. It is very different from the food I normally eat. It was interesting to try out the different types of food they have. Tonight is our first night at our host family's home. I love it here, the Sullivan's are my host family and they are so nice.