I’ve been back in Arizona for about a week now and it’s never felt so good to come back to my roots after going abroad. After living in both Tokyo and India—two countries I swear must be some of the most different from Western culture as you could find—it feels right to settle into my own customs and ways. I guess, “The American Dream” has never felt so real. I don’t mean that in the sense of “I was dying…
Time has really gotten away from me lately as my internship comes to a close, so I will have to make this one short! For my video project, I’ve come to understand my place as a foreigner a little more. Paromita told me that by virtue of my identity, a video composed of me narrating Indian history and throwing in some pop-culture references can come off as dominating, even if I don’t mean it. In order to fix this, I…
Regular guitar practice, writing poetry/songs, and an exercise routine. For me, lax summers have always revolved around a list of personal goals. Since freshman year, this list hasn’t really changed. So, when I came to Mumbai, I naturally tried to sculpt time for these hobbies. But, after work and commute take up about 11 hours of my day, I’m living in the most social culture I’ve ever been in, and I have the “never say no” mentality ingrained from my…
I can’t believe all that’s happened in just a little over a month. I’ve loved my experience living with Swapnil, Sarah, and Sunil in central Bombay. I live in a more green and quiet area, which is the mental cleanse I need after a long journey through the city. Just down the street is“Jogger’s Park”, a seaside track that gives me a little peace of mind before I start the day. I’ve always wanted to try meditating, so I try…
My good friend, Allie, once wrote a lovely poem about the people you meet on airplanes. You may walk off and never see these people again, yet there’s some mystique behind those unforgettable conversations you create, sky high. So, as I was flying into Mumbai, it was nearly 1 am, and I had been traveling for about 24 hours since Tokyo. I wanted to curl up and put my head down, but my neighbor was feeling chatty. He seemed genuine…
I’ve been in Phoenix for a couple days now since finals ended, and I can’t believe I thought these 6 days would be lax… It’s been a whirlwind planning two separate programs abroad since I’ll be studying for 3 weeks in Japan before flying straight to India! I’ve had an exhaustive to-do-list, so I don’t feel like I’ve had time to process that I’ll be exploring 2 incredible countries within the next 4 months. I know I’m thrilled deep down,…
