Journal 24

Thursday, July 13, 2006
Friday, July 14, 2006
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Monday, July 17, 2006

Dear Journal,

So finally Thursday came around and we left for our well-deserved weekend trip to Goa…

We left the guesthouse at about 11 a.m. and headed to the airport. I love airports, I love being in them and watching people and just thinking about where everyone might be going, where they are coming from and why they are going where they are going…
As much as I love being in airports though, nothing can compare to being on an airplane. I love watching the world from above and I love being in the skies, it makes me feel so free and careless.

When we arrived at the airport in Goa we were picked up by a shuttle bus from the hotel. Right away when we landed I noticed how much more humid it was and how much more “tropical” it felt and looked. It was much greener and there were palm trees and rice fields everywhere…it took about an hour or an hour and a half to get to the hotel, but like I said before…I LOVE bus rides, in fact, I think it might have been my favorite part of the whole trip, well maybe second favorite…right after seeing the Arabian sea.
Anyway, the hotel was great, not necessarily the best location, but not bad. The hotel itself was beautiful and it was great because we basically had our own little apartments, with two bedrooms (2 beds each), two bathrooms, a living room, a really nice balcony and even a little kitchen with a fridge. That night, after getting settled in, eating some Goan food and trying out the pool, we all decided to walk down to the beach, which was only a 10-minute walk away. The beach was definitely not what we had expected, however, I was NOT disappointed at all….

The beach was dirty, not touristy at all, with little huts along the shore, and some locals hanging out. The seas were very rough and there was not very many people around at all (I know it was mainly because it was not the tourist season, but I doubt that there are too many tourists at that beach anyway…
Some of the people in our group were a little disappointed, because all they wanted, was a clean, nice tourist beach, with blue water in which they could go swimming. I on the other hand, was not disappointed, but ecstatic, because this was exactly what I was hoping for. Being at the beach reminded me how much I really do miss the ocean…I miss the smell, the sound, the feel of the sand and the water…I miss everything about it!!!

The next day we decided to go into a part of the nearest town, where we could do some souvenir shopping and maybe some sightseeing. We walked around for quite some time and we found a lot of really nice shops with many great souvenirs. After a lot of shopping and fighting of street vendors, we found a restaurant to try some typical Goan food. The food was really good and after our meal all of us girls even got a rose.
When we got back to the hotel, some of us decided to jump in the pool, play some ping-pong and just relax, since that was what we came for. So that is what we did all night. We relaxed, went out to dinner, came back to the hotel and hung out. The next day we got up to go to a different beach, with hopes that it would be a little more touristy. Well, it wasn’t really more touristy, but like I said before, I did not complain. The beaches there were just so beautiful, with the palm trees, the big waves and even all the annoying locals trying to sell us things. I am still amazed at how persistent they are and how aggressively they will try to sell you things. As soon as we put down our towels, there were about 6 to 8 women gathered around our group, sitting down right next to us while still trying to sell us necklaces and beach towels. That was about enough for me, so I grabbed my camera and walked down the beach. I don’t mean to be redundant, but I LOVE the beach!!!

When it was time for lunch, we decided to find something close by, so when a guy gave me a flier for a little pizzeria, we decided to give that a try. It was only about 2 minutes from where we were and right by the beach, which was my favorite part. The place was really relaxed; we sat outside, with the ocean and the sound of waves in the background, eating some really good pizza and playing some pool.

When we got back to the hotel, we went swimming in the pool and hung out with each other. As always, time went by way too fast and before we knew it, it was Sunday morning and time to head to the airport. We took a taxi back into town, got something for lunch quick and then got back on the bus to the airport. The second bus ride was even better than the first one. I am so content just sitting by the window, watching things pass by and feeling the fresh breeze on my face. The plane ride went smoothly and when we finally arrived at the guesthouse on Sunday night, we were all so exhausted, that after dinner all of us just fell into our beds and went to sleep. It was a great trip and a great way for our group to hang out and relax before our final week here in Hyderabad and before having to finish all of our final school assignments.

Today we didn’t do much. After class Lashanna and I went to the Bridge center to spend some more time with the children and it was great. I played cricket for the first time, and apparently I am a pretty decent batter, and then we played some Karam, which was a lot of fun. Of course I took a million pictures, but mostly I just enjoyed hanging out with the kids. I wish I could stay longer and continue going there. On Wednesday we will have a good-bye party with them and buy a bunch of pizzas and play games with them. Lashanna had also mentioned buying some notebooks for the kids, since they really need some for school. I wish I could do more to help, for example they said they really need computers, but even if I had an old one at home, I don’t know if it would be worth it to send it. I guess money would probably be the best way to help, however I don’t have much of that either, so I think for now some notebooks and copies of all the pictures I took will have to do :).

On a completely different note, I have been observing things here since the terrorist attacks in Bombay and I find it very interesting to see how people react to it here, or better, how they NOT react. What I mean when I say this is that the reaction that I have observed here is so different from what I observed in the states after 9/11. I understand that 9/11 was on a larger scale, but I remember coming back to the States a few months after the attack had happened, and even right after it happened I talked to friends in the States and it seemed like there was so much fear and complete chaos. I always felt that the US is somewhat a nation controlled by fear, in many ways, but it just amazed me to see how much people were actually controlled by this fear.

Here, however, I watched the News (on CNN ironically…) and everyone was definitely scared and shocked, but it was just kind of like: “alright, that is not good, but it happened, so lets see how we can handle this.” Also, the newspaper articles were very different from what I have seen in the US. I really like the newspaper here; it is called “The Hindu” and it actually has really good articles about various topics. Anyway, I just feel like the whole situation was handled so differently here than it was in the States.

So, I have come to the conclusion that I really like India and that I am NOT ready to go home AT ALL. I mean, yes I miss my family and friends, but if I had a choice, I would definitely stay for another semester, or even another year.
I came to India, to be honest, partially to prove to myself that traveling is fun, but that I can be happy leading a “normal” life and settling down somewhere, but coming here has made me realize exactly the opposite. This is what I love to do and need to do and I cannot be happy unless I can travel, meet new people, see new things and taking lots of Photos. I want to volunteer more or even work for an NGO, I want to travel to every place on this earth and take photos for a living…. I would be lying to myself if I said I want to settle down in one place and work in some cubicle. I just can’t do it….
So, I guess what I am saying is that I will miss India, and even though there are definitely things I don’t like, for example, the constant staring, “India time” (I am a very punctual person…it is the German in me :) and not being able to understand what people around me are saying, I think the things that I will miss will outnumber the above mentioned things I won't miss.
I miss “home” but I know I will DEFINITELY miss India and I know I will come back soon.