Arrival in Jaipur

I am absolutely loving India.
Today I moved into my homestay which was extremely nervewracking but exciting. The entire group (all 21 of us) was chatting non-stop about it all day worrying whether we would like our families or whether they would like us. I can honestly say that I had nothing to worry about and my family is fantastic. I'm living with an elder Bengali couple in a 'posh' neighborhood on the south side of Jaipur. My homestay father, Varun (or papi as I call him), is an architect and just won an honorary lifetime award for achievements in modern Indian architecture. Very cool. My homestay mother, Indira (or ma), has lived at home caring for the children, but is an AMAZING cook and is one of the more beautiful older Indian women I have ever seen. She has bright green eyes and gorgeous skin. Papi and ma have three daughters and were very pleased to know that I am one of three sisters as well. As of now, the oldest daughter, Mintu, lives at home with her parents after a terrible divorce from her ex-husband. Mintu is extremely talkative, bossy, outgoing and has so far been a great host. One of the other daughters who lives in Australia just gave birth to a baby girl, making the third grandchild for ma and papi. I helped Mintu drop off almost 25 gift baskets to friends and family around Jaipur in celebration of the new family member.
In addition to the Mintu and her sisters, ma and papi have adopted two young girls and taken charge of their education. Lakshmi and Devana (15 and 11) are extremely adorable, but quiet so I haven't gotten to know them all that well. Papi puts extreme emphasis on education, especially education for women.
Ok, so I should probably talk about the orientation I've been through for the past week. However, it's been sort of a blur so I thought I would just highlight some of my favorite parts.
• On Thursday we visited Humayan's Tomb. This Mughal Ruler built a fantastic tomb in the middle of Delhi chockfull of Islamic architecture. We walked around the building, got a tour, and explored the gardens. Then in the afternoon we ate at Delhi's most famous vegetarian thali restaurant.
• The drive from Delhi to Jaipur was absolutely amazing. Peeling through the Rajasthani countryside on highways was not only exhausting, but also captivating. One of the most prominent things about India is the idea that you see so many things at once and often have trouble processing it all. We rolled into Jaipur just as the sun was setting passing elephants, monkeys, parrots, and camels.
• The program center in Jaipur is absolutely amazing and an oasis in the dusty city. The whole place is marble. When we walked in, we were given rose garlands that smelled unbelievable. Inside the program center are offices, a kitchen, a large lecture room, a library (with the comfiest floor couches), a meditation room, a rooftop terrace, a beautiful front lawn, and a computer room. The whole place is quaint and grand all at the same time.
• On Sunday we traveled to Diggi Village, approximately 80 km outside of Jaipur. I was shocked and amazed to find out (today of course) that one of our academic directors Mia-ji or Maria Stallone is married to a Rajput or one of the old royal family members of the kings in Rajasthan. His family owns Diggi Fort, the village, and everything around it. SO COOL. Ms. Stallone arranged for a private visit to the Fort and the Temple of the Village and organized a scavenger hunt throughout the town. My friend Jason and I were paired up together and we went walking around the town. Two women approached us with their infants and toddlers asking in Hindi what we were up to. We asked for directions to the market and followed them, but instead they led us to a polio vaccination clinic for their children. We had gathered a pretty large crow d by then so as we entered the clinic, the mother placed a baby in my arms and I held her as she got her treatment. Jason was surrounded by many of the men in the village and they kept handing him carrots (which by the way are a bright pink color here). It was absolutely amazing.
• That same afternoon, Mr. Aadhar, our program coordinator and Mr. Sain, the assistant program coordinator, organized a game of cricket with all the students. The majority of the group including our Hindi teachers, Goutam-ji, Mrs. Mehr, and Ms. Singh played along. It was so much fun and absolutely hilarious as the whole village sat on the wall watching us like a peanut gallery.
Several nights ago we all went to a Rajasthani themed village restaurant. It was literally like Disney world meets India. We ate a traditional meal, wore turbans, it was totally ridiculous and hokey, but very fun. After, we walked around the village seeing snake charmers, dancers, and magicians. I RODE AN ELEPHANT! It was so much fun.

I'm about to go to the mall with a couple friends to buy a cell phone charger, hang out and get coffee.