Day 1: The first taste of Bangalore

You may have been taught that one day is made up of 24 hours. But, when you factor in a few time zone hops, and an afternoon and evening spent in a new country, a day can also equal 30 hours of travel and a full day spent exploring a new city on the other side of the world. Tiring, yes, but most definitely worth it.
You may have been taught that one day is made up of 24 hours. But, when you factor in a few time zone hops, and an afternoon and evening spent in a new country, a day can also equal 30 hours of travel and a full day spent exploring a new city on the other side of the world. Tiring, yes, but most definitely worth it.

We finally arrived at the United Theological College where we’re staying at 5 a.m. After getting our rooms, we slept for around 4 hours and got up to continue our day, which started with introductions by the Indian student interns who will be accompanying us during our stay.

Lunch was three kinds of curries and rice from a nearby restaurant. We learned not only how delicious Indian cuisine is, but also how to eat with India’s preferred utensil—your fingers. The Indian students showed us the proper form, which uses just the tips of your fingers.

No time was wasted in getting to know our new city. For the rest of the afternoon, we broke into groups and did a scavenger hunt around Bangalore, finding landmarks with help from the locals. A few stops included the state legislature building (Vidhana Soudha), the cricket stadium (Chinnaswamy), an ice cream shop, and Ulsoor Lake.

We also learned how to ride in rickshaws and take the metro and, I would say most importantly, learn to cross the street. The typical “look left, look right, look left again” rule we’re used to to get us across safely back home doesn’t apply here. Instead, you put your arms out to oncoming traffic in a Moses-parting-the-Red-Sea fashion and continuously check all directions as you proceed.

In one day we’ve only glimpsed the surface, but so far Bangalore is a vibrant city filled with a beautiful flowers and trees and a bustling culture. With all the excitement of the three weeks that lies ahead of us, I would say it’s hard to go to sleep; but thanks to a 10.5 hour time change and 30 hours of travel, I don’t think that will be much of an issue!

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Jacqueline W.