Phase 2: What the hell am I doing here? \u2013 Symptoms include delayed jetlag, food poisoning, getting caught in monsoon, and the profound realization that a full-time job is, in fact, full time.<\/p>\n
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- Everything eaten during Phase 1 exits body quickly and violently. Enter: weeklong diet of apples scrubbed hyper-clean with Aquafina mineral water, peanut butter, and Greek yogurt, eaten with a level of caution comparable that of a helicopter parent bubble-wrapping his child before her first day of middle school.<\/li>\n
- Goes outside during monsoon without an umbrella. Receives free shower.<\/li>\n
- Exits first day of work by promptly embracing the asphalt like a long-lost lover, walking away complete with\u00a0ripped pants and a bloody knee. Looks back to see if coworkers noticed for fear of appearing unprofessional. (Coworkers did not see, but yes, those children are laughing at you.)<\/li>\n
- Wears new kurta to work inside out. Coworkers giggle and communicate through the language barrier, that yes, in fact, you are an idiot.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"Lessons](\"https:\/\/sisa2017.ii.lsa.umich.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/IMG_1523-225x300.jpg\")
Lessons learned the hard way… the dry spot in the middle of my shirt is where I had my arm pressed\u00a0to keep my phone and wallet dry… I was soaked!!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Phase 3: I\u2019m here, I can laugh at myself, and I can do\u00a0this.<\/p>\n
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- Diet re-expands to adventure\u2026 with a side of apples, peanut butter, and Greek yogurt. (Old habits die hard\u2026 I am who I am!)<\/li>\n
- Purchases umbrella and trusts NO ONE when it comes to the rain. The fact that it looks sunny right now means\u00a0nothing.<\/em><\/li>\n
- Realizes that, after the work-day is over, this experience is kind of a 2-month long date with self. Treats self to dinner and a sold-out, opening night Bollywood movie, yoga, runs around Joggers Park, and a long walk along Marine Drive.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"Bollywood](\"https:\/\/sisa2017.ii.lsa.umich.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/IMG_1547-225x300.jpg\")
Bollywood doesn’t joke around with their movie theatres… complete with a restaurant, cafe, and a lounge with velvet chairs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n ![\"Sunday](\"https:\/\/sisa2017.ii.lsa.umich.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/IMG_1556-225x300.jpg\")
My incredible view for Sunday morning yoga and meditation in Bandra<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n ![\"Enjoying](\"https:\/\/sisa2017.ii.lsa.umich.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/IMG_1605-1-300x225.jpg\")
Enjoying BEAUTIFUL Chowpatty Beach and Marine Drive<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n During my first two and a half weeks here, just about every aspect of my life has gone through these phases in one way or another. I\u2019m climbing a huge learning curve. Quite frankly, I literally know nothing here. But, I kind of love that. I love that everything is new and different, but also that I don\u2019t feel like a blank canvas. I feel very much like myself, but with a different, surreal level of awareness.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s impossible to take a good, hard look at yourself while surrounded by the little constants of home that go unnoticed every day. Here, all of that is blurred. I\u2019m more aware of my little quirks and the habits from home that I can\u2019t let go of, as well as the nonessentials that I don\u2019t miss at all. I\u2019m more aware of how I react to things I\u2019ve never considered or experienced before\u2014and the values behind those reactions. I\u2019m surrounded by people full of so much love, kindness, and dedication, and I feel so welcomed into both my NGO and to Mumbai, in general. I\u2019m growing and learning and adjusting, and I\u2019m loving it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Phase 1: Aaah I\u2019m here!\u2014 World appears in technicolor, overwhelming sense of enthusiasm unobstructed by reality. Takes pictures of everyday scenes and objects: traffic, cows and goats, coconut trees, rickshaws, streets. Picture 21st century Dorothy exiting Kansas for Munchkinland, iPhone in hand. Adrenaline-induced lack of jetlag because WHY sleep when there\u2019s SO much to see?! Forgets all warning and eats anything and everything, irrespective of one\u2019s ability to identify or pronounce it, with an abandon typically reserved for children left…<\/p>\n
- Realizes that, after the work-day is over, this experience is kind of a 2-month long date with self. Treats self to dinner and a sold-out, opening night Bollywood movie, yoga, runs around Joggers Park, and a long walk along Marine Drive.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n