Gallery 44

Today was a lie in day, I got up at 8 to get to the freshers' party at Maitreyi college which was supposed to be one of the best college in Delhi University. We got there at 10 and the whole courtyard was transformed into an enormous tent with a huge stage for the Miss Maitreyi contest to take place! The girls were gorgeous, smart and very talented so I can only imagine how hard it was to choose a winner. There were 21 contestants and all of them are amazing girls that will probably have the best time of their life in this college. We had our pictures taken and hanged out with our buddies from uni that are now already our friends and we plan to visit each other in the future. Our UK team also had some talented representatives that entertained the public with their talents and I have some funny videos of their impromptu fashion show and dance acts. After we finished at the college, we came back and we went shopping, however I visited 3 markets, Jan Path, Shankar and Palika, bec

It is officially a week since I started my adventure and I am writing this post after a fun and exhausting day. Today started badly when me and my room mates overslept but mange to wake up just in time for leaving for the Maitreyi college visit and breakfast. At the college there was a celebratory atmosphere again, but this time I managed to skip class and spend more time with the girls, students, than attending lectures. I even participated in competitions and won the quiz with my Indian team mates, beating the boys from the UK, as I was the only girl participating. After classes finished, we went to Delhi Haat for some shopping with the Indian student and I got a saree and a couple more gitfts for my friends back home, However, after we left and returned to the hotel, it was our first evening off so we made the most of it and went shopping to Janpath as I needed a blouse for my saree. Luckily I found this shop owner from which I buit a traditional suit that told me to come

This morning started early again, 6 AM start, just in time for the bollywood dancing class at 6.30. The class was held by one of our team leaders, Gills, who also introduces yoga in the class to stretch and relax through breathing at the beginning and ending of the lesson. It was really fun and was a good exercise as none of us has actually had time to go to the gym since we came here. Next on the list was breakfast and after that we started the journey to our colleges again. Today was sports day and I had so much fun with volleyball and basketball which was a really nice change and made me feel like back in highschool. The best part of it was getting to actually know the indian students, as well as having lunch with them in the cafeteria and experiencing their uni life while contrasting it with my student life in the UK. After this very exhausting day at college we came back to the hotel and had another two lectures were I also found out about my internship but as I was not compl

Time seems to be passing so quickly and slowly at the same time, first it passes quickly as we are already in day 6 of out journey and slowly because by the time you get to bed and put your head on your pillow, the things you did in the morning seem to be days away. You meet so many people, learn so many new things and see so many extraordinary places that it becomes almost impossible to capture everything. Today, we started off with yoga classes, which were calming and a good morning exercise to energise you for the whole day. The proccess was fun and Tharu, my room mate decided to finally join as I will go Bollywood dancing tomorrow to make it even. After that the normal routine, breakfast, shower, dressing up and off we went to visit a sikh temple, which was amazing in both its simplicity and complexity. Simplicity of colour scheme, but complexity of carvings and layout of the temple. Apparently, the inside temple is the starting idea for the red telephone boxes in London, w

Today began with a cancelled yoga class which left me a bit disappointed but at the same time got another hour of sleep :) Therefore, after a very short breakfast we made our way to the CCRT (Centre for cultural and religious training) in Dwara.  Here we had a talk from  Dr. S. C. Goswami  about how science and religion are interlinked and how there is only "one that is many". After this intense and enlightening lecture we moved on to be mesmerized by a very talented kathak dancer  ( Kathak   ( Hindi : कथक) is one of the eight forms of   Indian classical dances , originated from   India .  The name Kathak is derived from the   Sanskrit   word   katha   meaning   story , and   katthaka   in Sanskrit means   he who tells a story , or   to do with stories .  ). This dance procession made me smile most of the time and brought back memories of home, as the music that accompanies the dance reminds me of the gypsy music back in Romania. After the visit at CCRT ended, we had

This morning started at 6 AM with and early shower and then hindi class. All was well and breakfast was really entertaining as I got to have some giggles with some of my newly made friends, I will miss these little group encounters when I will leave but that's life, it never stops, we have to keep on going and just enjoy everything while it lasts. After breakfast we all got into coaches and went to the British Council again for a session regarding their mission in India and a meeting with Sam Miller. From the latter I collected a couple of quotes that I will share with you "I write why I try to understand why I think what I think" and "I am for better or for worse, distinctive"( about his life in India). The seminar was followed by a lovely al fresco lunch which gave us a good boost for the next leg of the race, the trip to the India Gate, which is an impressive construction meant to represent it's independence. The next part of the journey was a

Today was jam-packed with activities: First off we had an induction class with the Indogenius team, where we got to know more about our programme and after breakfast our journey began. We started by having an adventurous journey to and with the Delhi Metro into Old Delhi.When we arrived there we visited the mosque built by the same arhitect that built the Taj Mahal and the Red fort. Then we took rickshaws to the Red fort where we completed our photo-shoto challenges, including a snap of Gandhi's see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, which was really fun as we attracted massive crowds that were photographing us. It felt a bit like being a celebrity chased by paparazi to be honest. After that we walked to the tube station again, going throught the busy streets of Old Delhi and witnessing a hindu and sikh temple standing side by side. I never thought you can have such a great religious diversity in one square mile.  The metro journey was fast and comfy due to the AC but s

And other day has passed in new and exciting India. Today was eventful and gave us more of a taste of how India actually lives and breathes. When we arrived at the YMCA we were greeted by some very friendly receptionists and somehow managed to finish our check in just before 5 AM, although the bus journey took a little under 2 hours, and then settled in our rooms.  I did not want to sleep as I thought that if I keep going until the evening my sleep pattern will adjust itself but how wrong was I.  During breakfast we planned to go out exploring and that is exactly what we did, in the heat of the morning we set out to see New Delhi for the first time and we were greeted by a noisy, fast-paced and wonderful city. We all were on the same flight and made friends really fast and that is what I love about having a diverse group, you get to meet people that will inspire you and support you just because you are thrown in life's challenges together. One of our friends, managed

I first became in love with India when I was back home,through the novels of a great religion historian, Mircea Eliade. He was also a writer and in his novels he portrayed this magical land he had adored and all the its beauties, it was India. Further on, I understood through history lectures that during the 20th century it had been given a name worth of its treasures, the Pearl of the British Empire. My journey to, through and from India does not begin in a port,like it did for the beforementioned author, but in an airport. As soon as I left the bus,faith made it so happen that a talented young gentleman from Seattle would tag along in the search for terminal 4 and, as we lost each other during check-in, faith reunited us again when we realized we were queing besides each other at the coffee shop. We spent an enjoyable 3 hours together,keeping us entertained and discussing politics, music, media and journalism among others, and knowing that one day we will meet again either in