Week One and Done!

After months of preparation its to believe its been almost a full week since I began my journey in Bangalore, India. Within the first week of touchdown I have been apart of experiences that you would have to see in order to believe. These experiences range from the simplest of things, such as Bangalore traffic ( and I mean survival of the fittest traffic) to the diverse culture that has built this city. Needless to say, I am only starting to become less culture shocked, even though I am still learning new things every day. If one week in India can give me this many new adventures and learning opportunities, I will be anxiously waiting to see what five more will do.

Our first week has been jam-packed with activities, visits, and tours of our new home. After taking a day of r&r we began our Sunday morning bright and early with a bike tour through the city. Im not going to lie, this was one of the most scary, exciting, and culturally-rich bike rides I have ever been on. Together, we biked alongside Bangalore traffic and prayed we wouldn’t get side swiped by an auto. Throughout our tour we stopped at temples, monuments, and any good view that caught our eye. One of my favorite parts of the ride was stopping for breakfast ( my favorite meal!) and trying iddly and vadda. This is a combination of a lentil rice cake with an Indian donut. I soon found out this this would become a very popular meal for me throughout the rest of the week. Once our bike ride was over we were ready for a nap, more food, and of course some shopping.

After an amazing weekend to begin our journey it was time to meet the schools we would be teaching at for the duration of our six weeks. Every school we visited was gorgeous and unique in its own way. The principals of each school are women who I will admire the rest of my life. As each principal gave us tours of the school we all began to fall head over heels for India. What I love about my school ( Delhi Public School Bangalore East) is that it has an outside concept with beautiful plants and greenery throughout the campus. How could anyone not be in love with DPS East? When I began school on Wednesday morning that is when my love for India was solidified. The students and staff made me instantly feel at home. I was called ” Kacy, Ma’am” (with an Indian/British accent), the girls loved my “golden hair”, and a line went out the door with kids wanting my autograph. Don’t worry I made sure to tell each one I was not famous. Overall, my first week at DPS East has been filled with so much light and love that I am craving for Monday to come quickly. In the mean time I am excited to spend a weekend with my classmates eating, exploring, and probably more eating.