Journal 7

Dear Journal,

I am very tired today and didn’t even really feel like getting up. I did make it to Yoga at 7 a.m. and did some homework after breakfast. We all went to the city after lunch to get some money exchanged and get some clothes. We went in separate cars so that everyone in the group can get what they need.

I have noticed that in India things are never really planned and even if they are, most likely things will NOT go as planned. Things are much slower and more relaxed here. This is also a major difference between here and the States. In the States my life is very fast-pace. I am always hurrying from class to class and from class to work and from work home to get other things done. Here it seems like everything is much slower, relaxed and spontaneous. I kind of like it. I like having a plan and I like having some structure in my day, but it is also nice to not have to worry about being at certain places at a certain time for once. I am also kind of enjoying not having a cell phone…it is good to be unreachable sometimes.

Us girls have decided to conclude the night by relaxing on the couch and watching some American TV…I think most of us have pretty much overcome the culture shock and are now starting to miss certain things from home. I always thought it is so interesting to see what people miss first after leaving “home”, because usually it is so different for everybody. When I first moved to the States from Germany, I really missed the Ocean and the Sea breeze, because I grew up in a harbor city and spent a lot of time at the water and the beaches. I also really missed rain (it rained a lot in my hometown) and bike trails. In the US bike trails are hard to find, whereas in Germany they are almost easier to find an in better condition than roads. I know a lot of us here have started to miss little things like Pizza (we went to Pizza Hut today…hmmm!), or simply being able to get around quicker and easier.

Everybody perceives the world around them differently than the next person and everybody reacts to certain situations differently than others. This is also one of the main characteristics that make all of us “human”…INDIVIDUALITY!!!