Arrival in Pune

It seems that I can never begin a trip smoothly. We left Baroda on Wednesday morning at 6am. Perhaps it wasn’t brightest idea to pull an all-nighter before a 13-hour drive to Pune. It was definitely worth it to stay awake with cousin/ sister once again. Groggy-eyed, I left the house, forgetting the packet of money that would be my lifeline in Pune. Don’t worry, I already patted myself on the back. To add to the worry about money, I ate something on the way that really upset my stomach. I couldn’t really eat anything much after that. And of course, my luck would have it that the motion sickness that hadn’t bothered me for years decided to make an appearance that day.
And yet, my sleepy, nauseated, worried, headachy state disappeared as we passed through the gorgeous hills. The drive was really amazing. While I definitely was asleep for much of it, as we went through the ghats of Khandala and Lonavla, all I could do was sit and stare out my window, jaw dropped and eyes wide. Sigh. I love India.
We arrived in Pune at around 7:30pm and checked into a hotel. After getting my cell phone (), we went to dinner on Main Street/ MG Road and then drove around Pune and checked out the place that I’d be staying at just to familiarize ourselves with the area. The next day, I met Pinky Aunty, one of Mamu’s old friends, and her family. I will always be amazed at the hospitality of people in India. It is just unbelievable. Mamu, Gowhar Mamu, and Saud then dropped me at Koreagon Gardens, where everyone involved with Deep Griha was celebrating the 32 anniversary of the organization. It was somewhat of a strange way to first be introduced to everyone, but at the same time, it was a great way to almost everyone who was either staffed or volunteered with Deep Griha. The party was mostly thank you speeches and awards for everyone followed by about 4-5 hours of singing and dance performances by the staff and volunteers. All the girls at the House did a really cute dance to the song Mahi Ve. We finally reached home at about 6pm.


My roommate, Malgosia, is great, but unfortunately she’s leaving next Saturday. She and one other girl are first year medical students from Canada. Most of the volunteers are from a Scotland or the UK, although there are a few from Canada and the US. Most students come through a program called Link, Development in Action, as couples, or independently. Everyone really is just great.