Three and a half months have passed in what seems like three and a half weeks. Of course, there are ups and downs on this adventure, but luckily, the ups outnumber the downs. In the first third of my exchange, there have been so many experiences, adventures, and most of all laughs, and I'm sure the amount will continue in the upcoming months.
October was a month of many adventures, both big and small, along with experiences, some that I want to live repeatedly while for others, only once is enough for two lifetimes. From university exams, to a tour of Costal Karnataka, to parties with the exchange students, October was filled with many new things for me.
The first two weeks consisted of my first ever university exams from Fergusson College in Pune, India, not to mention my life. There were a total of six exams due to the subject load of six classes. Compulsory English, Psychology, History, Optional English, Sociology, and Geography had been on my mind since the middle of September, trying to study and prepare for tests of which I had no idea of the format, or the types of questions that would be used. After studying day after day, highlighting the heck out of my books, I was given a get out of jail free card from Rotary. It just so happened that my Rotary District had planned our (the exchange student's) first trip of the year during the second week of October. This overlapped four out of six of my internal exams at Fergusson. In addition, the night before my first exam, Compulsory English, I got a massive headache, which continued, into the morning, forcing me to cross yet another exam off my dwindling list. I was determined to take at least one exam, and I only had one more chance. To further my determination, the exam was Psychology which I want to pursue for a career, so what better exam would there be for me to take. I spent a full week studying every little detail in my Psycho (Indian abbreviation) book constantly relying on the syllabus to make sure I knew everything that could possibly be on the exam.
The day of the exam finally came, and I headed of to college confident. My confidence suddenly lost some ground on the battlefield in my mind against the confusion and anxiety that a foreigner has to experience while knowing nothing about the set up of examination day, and just following the crowd to try to figure out what to do. I made it to my exam classroom after a few wrong rooms, and all together a wrong building. I gained some confidence back when I received the test sheet and I knew the answers to all of the questions due to my excessive studying. I filled out all of my personal information and began to answer the essay questions in... pencil. I was used to writing in pencil for tests like the MCA and such in the US, and thought that India would be the same. When the examiner came around, twice, to collect our roll numbers and then check our information, she didn't tell me that I should be writing in pen, but I finally realized it when the other students showed her there answer sheets all in black ink. Due to having to write over my four pages of pencil in pen, I was not able to finish the test, and have still not received my marks for the exam. *FYI: In order to complete F.Y.B.A. (First Year Bachelor in Arts), the internal exams do not need to be taken, only the external exams in May. However, in order to complete S.Y.B.A. (Second Year Bachelor in Arts), internal exams for both first year and second year, as well as external exams for both years need to be completed. Due to me being in F.Y.B.A. missing exams will not affect my year of studies in India. The Costal Karnataka Tour that overlapped my other exams was much better than having to deal with the stress of studying and taking exams, (I will save that stress for May, and my exams in the US). If I had to describe the tour in one word, it would be, beautiful. Seeing amazing sights: waterfalls, rural India, temples, and of course the ocean, all took place on the trip. The trip was also a fantastic bonding experience for all of the exchange students. Staying up late every night in the hotels and resorts, and being crammed together on a tiny bus were great ways to make us have to like each other. *View blog post 'Costal Karnataka Tour' for more details about the trip. October also consisted of two of my friends’ birthdays: one Indian and one Brazilian. Seeing the differences in how we celebrated was nice enough, but the celebrations themselves were great. For the Indian, Ishan, we went to his house where he provided us with some amazing food. I think Butter Chicken is my favorite non-veg Indian dish now. We sat on the roof and talked, joked, laughed, etc. It was Diwali during his party so from the roof we saw and heard lots of fireworks, which made the night even better. I felt like a true Minnesotan because almost everyone was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, and I was fine in shorts and a T-shirt. For the Brazilian's, Leo, we went to a restaurant that reminded me a lot of Applebee's in the US by the atmosphere and the decor, but the food had no comparison to the US. We had a nice dinner and tried to convince Leo to pay the bill for everyone because that is how Indians celebrate birthdays.
Because all the exchange students got to know each other better during our time in Costal Karnataka, we have all been getting together a lot this month due to no school for a month because of Diwali Holidays. We go to FC (Fergusson College) Road a lot due to nice restaurants and coffee shops where we can eat and hang out. More recently, we have been going to each other’s houses to just get together and have a good time. I hosted them for a Diwali Breakfast and made them all jealous by my great home, family, food, and complex (mostly the food and the pool impressed them). It's great to be around them and learn about there cultures and learn some new words in different languages, along with teaching the other students proper English. Another big event for me in October was also an accident that I caused on the streets of India. I was getting out of my family's car, but when I opened the door, I hit a man and wife that were driving past on a scooter. Luckily, neither of them were seriously injured, just a few scratches. However, that didn't stop the man from yelling a few choice words at me, in English to make sure I understood. The man was so upset that he had the police come over and have them deal with it, but there was nothing the traffic police could do because our car was parked and not in motion. In addition, it was actually the man's fault for causing the accident because he was passing our car on the left side, which is illegal in India. Nothing happened except for me being shaken up a little bit by having no idea of how to deal with accidents in India. My family made me feel better by saying that this is a common occurrence in India, the man handled it in the wrong way, and the police said that the man was crazy. Now it is just a joke between my family and me. Before I go out, I always say that I'm happy the rickshaws don't have doors, and whenever we go somewhere, my sister warns me before I open the door. The Diwali Festival also took place in October, which consisted of lots of lights; lanterns and fireworks, as well as firecrackers, and more bangs and booms than you could ever imagine. Like in the US, there is a coffee shop on every corner; there were lanterns and fireworks for sale on every corner in India. The best way to describe Diwali is a combination of Christmas and rednecks on the Fourth of July (lots of presents and random fireworks). We had lots of family gatherings and gifts. Seeing extended family almost every day straight for a week was quite an experience, but it helped me get to know them better, and I was able to show off my Marathi that I am learning from my sister, Mruga. Overall, October went too fast, but as they say, "Time flies when you are having fun." Now I am getting excited for the upcoming American holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas to share with my family how we celebrate those in the US. Also, the exchange students are going on a two-week long trip to South India with three days in Goa from November 27th - December 13th that we are all looking forward to. We have made a list of 102 Things to Do in India, and are trying to cross at least one off every week.
