Amidst the Chaos

So far, India differs in many ways from Boston – the streets are noisy, filled with cows, rickshaws, cars and more. The lanes are suggestions – people weaving in and out, somehow managing not to hit one another. Sidewalks are hard to find, and also considered suggestions. And amidst the chaos, the locals pause to stare at a diverse and excitable group of 26 students from Boston.

Although we stand out quite a bit during the tourist off-season, our group is always travelling – by foot, by train and (mostly) by tour bus. Less than a week in India, we are on our second hotel in Lucknow, a much smaller city than Delhi. And we will continue to travel: throughout our trip, we are staying in seven different hotels and traveling to 10 different cities.
Though a little exhausting, the fast pace has its advantages particularly when it comes to group dynamics. Because we are constantly travelling together, there are ample opportunities to talk to one another. I already feel comfortable speaking to everyone on the trip and know that it will be easy to get to know each individual. Just by sitting next to someone new on the bus or through our changing roommate assignments, I feel confident that our group will bond quickly before returning to Boston.
In terms of facilities, the hotels are very nice, with clean rooms, semi-consistent Wi-Fi, a mini-refrigerator and a bathroom. Although most toilet facilities in India consist of squat toilets – a small porcelain hole in the ground – our hotels luckily have the Western toilet models. But as nice as they are, we spend only a little time in these rooms – there only for sleep and showers. The group tends to be close together in terms of rooms, so we can socialize for the little time we have in the hotel.
As we continue to travel – and stand out – we also continue to learn about India, women’s voices, social entrepreneurship and much more, and I expect to come away from this trip a much more informed child of the world.