Last Saturday my mom threw me a Thanksgiving party because she knew I would miss it come November. I was very pleased because Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love turkey and dressing and all that comes with it. My mom even made me prune cake, which is my favorite dessert! I was able to visit with my entire family (grandparerents and all) and share with them what I would be doing in India. It was a wonderful way to close the summer.
My 21st birthday was the day before my departure, and my boyfriend threw me a birthday/going away party a couple days before I left. It was a fun time, and I’m glad I was able to see many of my friends who I hadn’t seen all summer before I left.
I went to a local Indian restaurant to drink mango lassis the night before my departure just to give me a little preview of India.
On the day I was supposed to depart for India, I said all my goodbyes and some tears were shed just to find out I wouldn’t be leaving Knoxville that day after all. I was supposed to fly to Chicago then to London then to Mumbai, but the flight to Chicago was cancelled due to a mechanical error. Because of this cancellation and the next flight to Chicago scheduled to depart only five hours later, I would have been unable to catch my flight to London or Mumbai. The clerk at at the orginial ariline was beyond nice, and we started over with a new itinerary. Because it was a mechanical error, the original airline was responsible for my ticket, so they upgraded my ticket wiht a better itinerary. Now I’m leaving a day late for Newark and then leaving Newark to go straight to Mumbai. I should arrive in Mumbai a day later than expected. The Program is going to make arrangements for me, but I will miss the first day of orientation. It all worked out for the best though because now I have a better flight itinerary and have had an extra evening to relax!
The week leading up to India has been very exciting and nervewracking! I think I will be relieved once I get to India and settle in. The first week or so will be the hardest. I’m looking forward to the adventure of studying abroad in India! I think it will challenge me and give me new perspectives on life. I’m also excited for the opportunity to make new friends and share in this experience together. At the end of the trip, I’m meeting my boyfriend in London (where he’s studying abroad this semester) for a week before Christmas, and I’ll be looking forward to that the whole time!
