India isn't the closest country to travel to, in fact, it is probably one of the farthest. It was a clear, hot morning on July 22, 2011. I boarded the flight from Cincinnati to Washington Dulles not knowing what I was getting myself into. I had a bad experience flying back from Europe in 2008 so that was in the back of my mind the entire time I was traveling. I didn't want that fear to prevent me from experiences of a lifetime.
Everything on that first flight went swimmingly. I had a long layover in D.C. I forgot to mention that I didn't know anyone going on this trip and that it was a great leap of faith. I knew that the people on this trip had to be selfless because of the nature of the trip so I wasn't too worried. Getting to know them during the layover was great because we would be spending the next week and a half together. While in Dulles airport I went to the currency exchange. The person that handled my transaction happened to be Indian and was very nice. This is a theme that I will revisit. Reminders of my passion for India are all around me today.
The next two flights were very long, 7:30hrs and upward. If I am honest, I remember thinking, "Is it really worth these long flights and torture?" I soon found out the first few seconds off the flight on July 23rd that it was worth it. Stepping off that plane in India is like entering a new world. Everything is different. You are greeted by a distinct smell, maybe a combination of the spices used for cooking and pollution. The first things I saw were immense poverty, buildings falling apart, and trash everywhere.
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| Indian Spices |
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| Glimpse of Poverty |
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Exhausted from the travel, we went to our hotel from the airport to rest for the full week ahead.
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