It's exactly 26 days until I go and I'm fully excited! Just received a text and an email from the Visa office to confirm that my Visa has been processed and my passport is currently on it's way back to me :)
This was probably one of my favourite trips in India (although there were many!). We went to a fire ceremony in a temple and it was really interesting taking part in it. We all sat around a fire as the priests chanted and we all took it in turns to throw bark onto the fire. The ceremony represented Earth, Wind, Fire and Water and the blessing of our family which I thought was a lovely concept.

For any of my Liverpool friends who are interested in finding out more about the program I went on then this event is totally worth checking out: http://www.facebook.com/events/477216065705144/ I shall be attending too and it's worth checking out for any questions or queries you may have and to learn a bit more about India. The workshop shall take place next Wednesday (3rd July) between 5pm and 6.30.

If you're interested in another culture, particularly India then this book is for you :) I can't put it down! I'm on chapter 3 right now, I don't tend to read so fast because I like to reread a whole lot. Basically each chapter is a new story, which I love! The first chapter is about Mark Tully's servant's story - Ram Chander. This is interesting because Tully talks about Chander's daughters arranged marriage, why Chander came to Delhi in the first place and Tully visiting and speaking to people from Chander's village. It really shows his servant as a human being, shows all of Chander's personality and basically tells the story of how/why he came to Delhi, got lost as soon as he got there and ended up as part of Tully's family.

The second chapter is about The British Colonialism. This was really interesting to read because it tells of every aspect - art, religion, language etc and general shocking facts that I did not know. It's interesting because it is telling the story from a British guys point of view who does not necessarily believe we should have ever invaded. I feel similar but I've always had a general very idealistic view of how the world should be. I loved reading it anyway because it's so much more than just a view and it's just so interesting to hear of every aspect and hear of other people's views other than Tully.

The third chapter, I'm about half way through and it's about a festival called the "Kumbh Mella" Tully's book is now a definite recommendation and I wish I'd read it sooner, it's captivating and I love how it's separated into several stories/themes. It's so interesting that I've not shut up to my dad with facts/opinions/views about India as I'm reading ha! If you get the chance then read it guys :)

Oh and I've just finished reading this! I'm not a huge reader but recently I'm really into wanting to know more about India and since I've finished my studies I have free time on my hands before I fly back over there! The Little Book of Hindu Deities was drawn and written by Sanjay Patel who is one of the animators for pixar. He is Indian but was born in America and based his style of drawings of the Hindu gods on Hello Kitty. I really enjoyed this book and actually read it really fast, the idea behind it was basically to teach young Indian children and foreigners about Hinduism. I've never really been a religious person myself but it was so interesting to read all of the stories behind the gods against these amazing drawings put forward in a more simplistic way. It was also amazing to learn about the festivals centering around these gods that take place in India every year.

I've now moved on to Mark Tully's No Full Stops in India which I've only just started but I love it already! We met him when we were in India and when I was looking for a book to read it was the first thing that came to mind! Mark Tully is a British national living in India and I think that is fascinating in itself coming from a British person with a massive interest in India. As I said earlier, I've never been much of a reader so it's difficult for me to get into a book because I'm such a visual person. Don't get me wrong - I'm in love with foreign cinema, subtitled and I can't stand dubbed films but it's still going back to the visual. Mark Tully was such an interesting person to meet and I am so interested in learning more about India that his book was the first I thought of. I love it. I'm currently creating my own visual as I go. Will let you guys know more once I've finished the book!

Thought I'd share a video that was made of some of our experiences from start to finish! The applications are now open for the program I went on - if anybody is interesting in applying it's open to students at university but you can apply even if you're graduating this Summer! All accommodation, food and trips out are funded and you will be able to take part in an internship of your choice :)
Applications close on the 6th of July and if you fancy your chance at applying then go to www.studyindia.co.uk - it's seriously amazing so get on it and check the video!

The second day of Delhi I went shopping, I literally got a Sari tied around me and I was in so much shock I didn't know what was even happening. To this day, I regret not buying it! I was so caught up in the moment I wasn't even sure what was going on, I later looked at the photo and fell in love with it! Indian culture is totally amazing, the way one minute you can be dazed by the moment and the next you can be wishing you didn't let it go by so fast. I'm not saying India is a first in this feeling but it's by far the most intense. A month felt like a week, and it felt crazy, yet amazing at the same time. :)

A little about myself.

I'm from a family who doesn't like to sit still. My dad used to work away in foreign countries on business when I was small and my mum, well my mum met my dad and he inspired her to go back to university. She became a doctor and as my dad ended up starting his own business in the UK, my mum began traveling away to Uganda with her job. My parents both did their degrees in science and I chose to do mine in Film Studies.

I've always expressed an ultimate passion in going away and experiencing new cultures. At the age of ten, I said to my mum that I wanted to go to Japan - I'm not sure of many ten year olds who express this interest but my mum figured it was a phase and I'd grow out of it. Eleven years later and Japan is still one of my aims. I can't quite imagine what my life would be like today if I hadn't have had the amazing opportunities I have had. Something fascinates me and always has about all different cultures in the world.

I purposefully chose my university based on the study abroad program that they offer and that alone. Life is funny though and I didn't end up going on that program which actually worked out better than I ever could have imagined. Last year my mum was applying for funding for Ugandan students and accidentally stumbled on what would impact on my future more than I would ever know.
My mum called me and told me about a program called 'Study India'. My parents are well aware of my absolute fascination with Asia as a whole, more than any other continent in fact. When I was 16, I went to Hong Kong and Beijing and it was pretty much a dream come true. I always wanted to go to India but I honestly didn't expect to come to love it as much as I did.

I applied on a whim, the applications were due in a couple of days after my mum stumbled across it and I honestly wasn't one hundred percent that they would even pick me. It was worth applying since they take university students and paid for accommodation, trips out and food. I was completely shocked to be chosen, and headed to India for a month last Summer. I'll blog more about India in later posts and include pictures, but I'm going to end by saying that I never could have expected to love India as much as I did. In fact I made friends that I'm sure I will stay in contact with for the rest of my life and had the best experience ever. India felt like a home from home, therefore I've recently booked to go back on the 24th of July for 5 months. Counting down the days now and I'm utterly excited.