18 Days 'til take off (But who's counting?)

I am very excited to be starting my first blog! I can already tell that I am going to love playing with the layout, and this is such an easy and fun way to update family and friends on my semester abroad.  I will try to be consistent with my postings (or as consistent as one can be considering the spontaneous power outages and irregular internet connection). 

So, I begin my journey on July 7th-- driving from my home outside DC to Newark International Airport, where I catch a 14 hour flight to Mumbai, and then a final 2 hour stretch to Hyderabad. I will be traveling as part of a study abroad program organized by CIEE (Council for International Educational Exchange), along with 15 other American students that I have yet to meet. (Here is a link to the program page.)  The program entails spending my Fall semester at the University of Hyderabad taking classes that will transfer credits back to my Anthropology degree at Emory.  Meanwhile, I will be living in a home-stay with an Indian family just outside the University campus. CIEE facilitates day trips around Hyderadab and an overnight expedition in Hampi, but I am hoping to do some additional traveling on the weekends with fellow students. I would like to find a volunteer position, as well, but am still working on those details.

For a little background, Hyderabad is the fifth largest city in India, and the capital of the state of Andhra Pradesh. The city highlights juxtaposing Northern and Southern Indian traditions, ancient mosques and modern architecture, as well as immense poverty and tremendous wealth... heaven for an adventurous anthropologist!! Here is Lonely Planet's overview of the city of Hyderabad: 

            "Hyderabad and Secunderabad, City of Pearls, was once the seat of the powerful Qutb Shahi and Asaf Jahi dynasties. Today Hyderabad’s west side is, with Bengaluru (Bangalore), the seat of India’s mighty software dynasty; ‘Cyberabad’ generates jobs, wealth and posh lounges like she was born to do it. Opulence, it would seem, is in this city’s genes.

        "Across town from all this sheen is Cyberabad’s gorgeous and aged grandmother, the old Muslim quarter, with centuries-old Islamic monuments and even older charms. In fact, the whole city is laced with architectural gems (just like the garments of Asaf Jahi princesses threaded with gold) : ornate tombs, mosques, palaces and homes from the past are tucked away, faded and enchanting, in corners all over town. Keep your eyes open.

           "Once an important centre of Islamic culture, Hyderabad is southern India’s counterpart to the Mughal splendour of Delhi, Agra and Fatehpur Sikri, and a sizeable percentage of Hyderabad’s population is Muslim. The city gracefully combines Hindu and Islamic traditions – while a strategically placed 17.5m-high Buddha looks on."

For a little more conext, you can find Hyderabad on this map of India.

As I prepare for my departure, I feel a powerful mix of excitement, nerves, and anticipation. I have been thinking about and discussing this trip for what seems like forever.  Being who I am, I have spent the last month and a half reading travel books, shopping for modest clothing, visiting doctors, filling out visa forms, and researching travel tips online.  At this point, there is nothing left but to begin my journey, and I wish that I could leave tomorrow! 

However, I have a busy few weeks left at home... working Yachad's Ramp It Up! community service camp, celebrating my twentieth birthday, visiting one of my many homes at Habonim Dror Camp Moshava, and enjoying the 4th of July parade in my lovely town of Garrett Park. I am sure this will all fly by, and my adventure will begin before I know it!