Tara W

Hello everyone!!! Ringing in the New Year in Bangalore was amazing. Standing on the roof on the PES building we are staying in had a panoramic view of the city. As New Year grew closer the noise was intoxicating with celebration and fireworks exploding in very direction made me soo happy. I didn't know what to expect for New Years here but they celebrate it with as much enthusiasm as we do. At midnight all the male students started poring out of their dorms and celebrating. They found a hose on the cricket field and started chasing each other, some things cross cultures I guess. I am soo happy hear and can't wait for more.
Tara

Bridget & Kate S.

Hello from India!!!  Representin' Wisconsin!  Saw our first cows yesterday.  It was an incredible sight.  While in a market in Bangalore, we had a close call with a cow.  We didn't see it walking straight towards us until it was a foot away from us.  Then it was past us.......These cows are tame and definitely don't care about us, but that didn't stop us from panicking.  Learned how to bargain, although these skills may not work so well in the states.  ;)  Going to Mysore Palace today!  We're pretty excited!!!  Should be a great experience.  Talk to you all soon!!

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Karlie

Good morning! Today we are heading to Mysore to see the palace and other things. We are all still not quite on India time, but it's getting better. Yesterday was exciting; first chance to go out on our own a little bit. We were serenaded by this really loud music playing from the rooftop next door for a long time last night. Pretty soon, I'll need to get a copy of it to play at home to help me fall asleep.

Some pics from Scott

This is the woman that a couple of people talked about in previous blogs
Notice where everyone in the background is looking 
The Karnataka State parliament Building were we attracted a croud 

Happy New Years

I just thought I would add some pictures for everyone before we are off to Mysore for the day.

I will post more soon.  Enjoy!

Meagan A.

Today we dove head first into Bangalore. Janelle mentioned the Hare Krishna temple (sp?). It was amazing. The volume of people and the difference in religion was fascinating. I can't wait to learn more about the Hindu religion because there were so many things there I didn't understand. You follow a carefully led path through two small temples honoring I was guessing one of the many gods. In the small temples we viewed very ornate golden statues that were decorated with jewels and flowers.

Then yes, we did go to two different shopping centers where we were all significantly gawked at. I thought it was awesome how space efficient the mall was, it contained six levels and escalators. Food was definitely a challenge, I found it so intimidating ordering food that I really don't know what it's called of the practice of even picking it up. Do I stand at the counter and wait? Should I take a seat? What do I say? How do I convert ruppee? What has dairy or fresh vegetables. I was soooooo tempted to eat at the "subway" or "baskin robins," but not knowing what was in it, I thought it might be a bit too risky.

At the end of the day we were all dealing with the side effects of some serious jet lag. Glazed eyes of tired travelers showed up for dinner which was immediately followed by bed.

All in all, yes, today was a bit overwhelming but the saving grace is the people are so nice here. The PES institute is very accommodating and wants us so badly to have a great experience. I really appreciate their hospitality.

Today we are headed to Mysor (sp?) Palace!!! Can't WAIT!

Val, Natalie, and Ben :)

This morning we got up early and our first stop was the Hare Krishna temple (See Janelle's post).  We then went to a mall that was MASSIVE with 6 different levels, one of which had a movie theatre.  We learned quickly that the prices were VERY different between stores and you had to shop wisely.  We ate at the food court where some of us were more daring then others.  It was hard to know what we could and couldn't eat without getting sick.  We then went to a market.  On our way we saw the standard sacred cows in the street and eating the grass on make-shift sidewalks.  There were other animals roaming around as well such as sheep and dogs.  On our way to the market, we stopped at the Parliament building to take pictures.  We soon became a tourist attraction by the locals and many were taking pictures of us.  :) We attracted quite a crowd and decided it was probably time to go.  We got our first try of bargaining with the locals at the different store owners.  Some were more willing to lower their prices then others.  It seemed like the item of interest were scarfs.  A couple of the girls decided to get some outfits tailored which seemed to be a good idea because the lady told them the modifications would take them a half an hour... An hour and 45 minutes later they just kept hearing only about 10-15 more minutes, every time they asked how much longer.  During the time the girls were treated to tea and had a lively conversation with the store owner.  That was pretty neat!  "10-15 minutes later" the girls finally arrived back on the bus with sheek new Indian attire.  During this "10-15 minutes" the rest of us were back on the bus, culture watching.  We saw lots of cars going the wrong way, a young boy with no clothes on, and the general commotion of Bangalore.  

SOME THINGS WE LEARNED TODAY:

-Crossing the roads by foot is nearly impossible without almost getting run over by something.  It was an amusing site for the locals to see 5 Americans standing in a tiny median trying to figure out when it was okay to cross the road.

-Bus rides can be adventures in themselves, but if you have motion sickness, these are not the adventures you are hoping for!

-Indian clothing and traditional Indian clothing are very different.  Some locals were wearing more westernized clothing while others wore more traditional clothing.

-We found out that we tend to be attractions when going to public places such as malls.  A lot of people would come and shake our hands and say hello.  

-When you stay up for a very long period of time, it is really hard to stay awake!

-INDIA IS SO AMAZING!

Janelle

We spent today in Bangalore. First, we visited a Hare Krishna temple and went through it like the locals, removing our shoes and walking through. It was very interesting to see the way they worship and how it was made to accommodate so many people. After the temple, we drove around the city and stopped at a westernized shopping mall. The mall was very similar to any mall in the US. From there we drove to a more outdoor shopping area. It was so great to experience the locals and barter with them. We found one shop that would make traditional Indian clothing tailored for you and was very reasonably priced. The woman who ran the shop, Osha, was very friendly and answered questions we had. Needless to say, a few of us purchased beautiful outfits. 

Overall, it was a very great first day in the culture. There are just countless things to look at, smell and observe around you, I am just trying to soak it all in. Katie S. and I were talking and she said she wishes she had three pairs of eyes to fully capture everything going on around us. The weather could not be better. Not to brag but the days are so nice and warm, but not overly humid. The evenings, like tonight, are cool and comfortable, the warm scent of curry and incense hanging in the breeze. This place is not like any I have experienced. I just got in from watching the sunset on our rooftop. And now I have to go to eat dinner.