(Briefly) Back to the Grind

After a day at the Taj and a week in Aligarh, class is just not that appealing. 

Luckily I'm not the only one that's been feeling that way, and we had a full class struggle Monday morning, attempting to learn Hindi grammar. Slight issues with that: I barely know ENGLISH grammar (thanks Engineering degree...) so its been a struggle of a week. Our program director Azim Ji finally talked to our class about reaching a 'low point' of the semester (most of us are there), when you realize that its not just about visiting the country, but about actually learning things in class and applying them in your every life here. Going abroad to actually learn? Ugh. (I'm kidding, I'm kidding)

I also am just starting to get frustrated with constant immersion in the culture and realized what I am missing: physical activity. I do body circuits in the room at night, but that's just not the same as being able to run outside or go to a gym. I finally got the courage to ask my host parents about the gym (the concept of paying to exercise is pretty foreign here, for some reason I was a little shy about it)  and Adil made a call, leading to my very first Indian gym experience last night. Adil's nephew Wes came to pick me up around 8 PM, and we headed to the nearby apartment building to discover the gym is actually just 3 larger rooms filled with various pieces of exercise equipment on the 6th floor. Not exactly my idea of a gym... but it has a treadmill, so it works. I showed up expecting to be able to do my own thing, but was immediately introduced to Wes's good friend who just happened to be the trainer, who was overly eager about facilitating a workout program for me. It was an experience for sure haha. I felt like I was actually completing a fitness test rather than a workout, and he suggested I come back everyday to continue my Indian workout regime. We'll see about that. Its amazing how much better a run makes you feel though!! 

Emily and I also have some pretty big things planned for our near future...Khadeeja might be taking us to get nose piercings! I'm pretty excited about it, Emily is pretty nervous, and Khadeeja is confident that she can take us to a great place, and might be getting hers re-done. When in India, right? (Dearest mother: I promise to be safe, cleanly and tasteful. And no tattoos, I got that memo loud and clear.) Emily and I also did some neighborhood exploring and ended up on the campus that Adil works on, only a 10 minute walk away! And the temperature is FINALLY starting to cool down (by that I mean way less humidity, still around 90 during the day) so its much more pleasant being outside exploring the neighborhood. Maybe outside runs will actually be in my future, if my lungs can ever handle the immense pollution in the air. 

This afternoon we were also given options for our workshop locations: Jamkhed, Rishikesh, Varanasi and Sikkim. So many great options to choose from! Although the Sikkim workship might be cancelled due to excessive earthquake damage (There was a 6.9 magnitude earthquake on the border of Sikkim and Nepal on Sunday) that has clogged roads with damage and landslides. I'll know where I'll be going by the end of the week, so I'll be sure to give you all the heads up on the organization I'll be working with.  

Well, I also just got back from my second experience at the gym (also filled with interaction with the weirdly muscular Asian/Indian trainer, I don't think that's going away) and I'm feeling much better about doing my Hindi homework. I'll leave you with this. 

Mai Hindi sikhre hai hu.  

(bonus points to whoever wants to translate)