Imagine traveling somewhere and having all five of your senses go into overdrive… the overwhelming smell of spices and things burning; cars continuously honking, sounds blasting; the sight of overcrowded streets and an incomparable array of colors. When I think of India, I think of beautiful chaos. And in order to appreciate that chaos I really needed to take a step back and take a deep breath.

The best representation of India that I can give a to person who has never been, is in the movie “Eat Pray Love”. During the opening scene of the India section, Julia Roberts is racing through the city in a taxi and appears to be completely overwhelmed. When I think about my real life experience, I think this is exactly what I must have looked like; shocked, but extremely thankful to be experiencing the different cultures and religions that are so present in India.

I have always been the kind of person to plan everything out to the last detail and while planning for Semester at Sea, I knew that I wanted to experience one big field program that was entirely planned out by SAS. While researching, I found that the place I was most nervous to travel to was India- I also had the most I wanted to see while I was there. I decided it was in my budget to sign up for the The Holy Ganges: Unity and Diversity program, which spanned from the 2nd day in the country until the 5th. This gave me the entire first and last day in-country to explore with my friends.

Day 1: 

The ship arrived at the Kochi port sometime in the late morning and after going through the tedious immigration arrival process, I met up with three of my friends to take an Uber to downtown Kochi. – We were in search of one thing, and one thing only… Sarees (beautiful dress-like garments that Indian women wear).

Dragging our poor guy friend Finn along with us, we weaved through malls and streets until each of us 3 girls found the perfect Saree. I bought my Saree at the Lulu Mall at a store called the Lulu Celebrate store for just $40. Afterwards we stopped at McDonalds to try some Indian fast food (very American of us.. oops). The mall itself was pretty disappointing because it was just like an American Mall. I would not recommend going here unless you are looking for a cheap Saree.

Later that evening we headed to an AirBnb to relax before going out to a birthday dinner. Dinner took place at the Mosaic restaurant in the Crowne Plaza Kochi; I ordered the ribs, Gulab Juman (a traditional Indian dessert, 100% recommended), and a Pina Colada. It was so delicious I felt like I was in heaven after eating ship food for so many days. I returned to the ship later that night to get enough rest for the next four days on my field program.

For those of you just joining along with me on my journey, a field program is a program that SAS has 100% organized, it is completely optional to purchase (except for in countries that are a 1 day fuel stop- you must purchase a program on one-days to get off the ship).

Day 2: 

We departed around 9:30 for a day filled with travel, starting with our 2 flights to Varanasi. I would say my experience in the airport was interesting, along with almost everything else in India; up until this point I had only been in US and European airports. It was fascinating to see how different the process was between men and women while going through security.

We finally made it to Varanasi and our hotel, Hotel Hindustan International. The majority of the students on the program gathered shortly after to walk around and explore a tiny portion of the area. There were cars and people buzzing all around us, but I couldn’t get over how amazing the entire experience was going to be. During the walk I got to meet some really amazing people that I hadn’t gotten the chance to talk to on the ship yet. After checking out the area we made our way back to the hotel to get sleep- the next few days were going to be jam packed with information.

SAS TIP: If I haven’t said this already, I highly recommend saving up for one large field program midway through the trip- it is MUCH cheaper to do independent travel, however, field programs let you see a country through a different perspective (you don’t really have to worry about figuring out what to do if something goes wrong- SAS will take care of everything).

Day 3:

Our excursion started extremely early in the morning when we headed to the Ganga River for a sunrise boat ride. For those who might not know- Varanasi is known as the holiest city to Hindus. It is one of the oldest living cities, and has been a centre of culture for over 2,000 years. The Ganges River borders the city and is home to many religious ceremonies and practices; we were able to witness the bathing Ghats and cremation of the Ghats. It is the religious goal of every Hindu individual to live out their final days on the river and is believed that being cremated on the Ganga river ends the cycle of reincarnation.

Personally I felt like I was in shock; there were so many ashes in the air I couldn’t help but feel like I was breathing in the burning bodies. Upon returning to the hotel, I couldn’t even eat my toast because I was in complete disarray. As I said earlier in this post, it really took for me to take a step back to really appreciate the beauty and the abundance of culture in India.

On our way back to the hotel, we made a few stops along the way while walking through the city of Varanasi; I remember roaming past tiny homes, monkeys swinging from rooftops, mothers carrying their children begging for money, cows wandering in the street, local produce stands- it was a whirlwind of emotions.

The first stop was the Bharat Mata Temple- I not only appreciated this stop because I was able to escape the morning sun and crowds of people, but because there was a huge geographical model of India in the center. It depicted the Himalaya Mountains and the different regions in the country; it was eye opening to take what I was learning about in Global Studies (the required course for all SAS students that teaches us about the countries we are traveling to) and compare it to a visual.

Buddhism… a religion that has always fascinated me. As I have mentioned previously in this post, India is the birthplace of two major religions Hinduism and Buddhism; the field program was dedicated to comparing and admiring different religions. With that being said, we found peace at the Sarnath, where Gautam Buddha gave his very first sermon.

I loved Sarnath, it was one of the most serene places I have ever been. The sun was shining, there was a light breeze, and for a moment everything was silent. I wish I could describe it perfectly, but words do not do it justice; it’s a place everyone should have the chance to visit.

We also visited the Bharat Kala Museum which is home to Mughal paintings and ancient artifacts: I know a lot of my classmates really appreciated this stop, but I could have done without it. Nonetheless, I enjoyed getting to see little parts of history and the air conditioning. I couldn’t wait to head back to the Hindustan International Hotel for a big nap before the last excursion of the night. 

Every evening hundreds and thousands of people gather on the Ganges River and the Ghats (riverbanks) to perform an ‘Aarti’, or a prayer to ‘Mother Ganga’. The ceremony is said to be uplifting- It was performed by seven main spiritually chosen people and incorporated a lot of fire; people along the river came together to vibrantly sing and worship. I thought the symbolism of the river was fascinating; it’s used for worship, celebrating life, bringing peace to the dead, for gatherings, and life essentials. 

Day 4: 

Following our time in Varanasi, was yet another travel day. We spent the morning catching a flight to Delhi and then 5 hours driving via bus to Agra. On the way to Agra we visited a Gurudwara, which is defined as a ‘Sikh place of worship’ (learning about another religion!). Before traveling to India I’d never even heard of Sikhism. 

After leaving my personal belongings, stripping off my shoes, and dipping my feet in running water (a must before entering the Gurudwara), I spent the afternoon wandering around the beautiful white and gold structures learning about the Sikh way of life. 

I remember walking into the temple barefoot and realizing how exquisite everything seemed. My favorite part of the day was being able to work in the kitchen with the staff and helping them roll out the balls of Naan (a famous part of a traditional Indian meal- like the Indian version of an American breadstick). I was in awe that they were able to make so much food for so many people. 

When we arrived at our hotel, we were greeted by other SAS students on other field programs and had a traditional Indian dinner with them. During the trip we ate so much rice, naan, and curry that I didn’t think I would be able to eat another forkful of Indian food in my life. But of course, I was wrong, I found my love of Indian food- I learned the importance of trying every kind of food no matter if you think you’ll like it or not.

I mentioned this in my previous post, the importance of seeking field program recommendations from previous SAS students. When talking with a few of  the students from other field programs, they seemed to be disappointed in the programs that they signed up for. I was extremely lucky to not face this disappointment in my entire semester abroad; but this emphasizes my point of making sure you thoroughly research the program you are signing up for. Look at the individual place reviews online, get recommendations from previous students, ask yourself “can I accomplish this safely on my own instead of paying a fortune for the program?”.

Day 5:

1630… the year Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal as a symbol of love to house the remains of his wife. It took 22 years to build and is considered one of the Seven Modern Wonders of the World.

2018… the year my breath was completely taken away by the Taj Mahal. Sounds cheesy, but I’ve honestly never seen anything so beautiful in my life, I could have sat there for hours just taking in the view. It was like the entire structure was glowing along with everyone else that stepped foot within the premises.

I was lost for words in the moment, I am here too. So instead, I would like to share my favorite memory from the day: In the morning I tied my own Saree and pinned it myself, however, at the Taj it started slipping and coming undone. This is when I met a young couple who were on their honeymoon; the woman who was about my age (21-22), she noticed, started to help me redo it, and gave me tips on how to make it stay. It wasn’t much, but it was such a kind gesture.

The last stop we made before heading to the airport was at the Agra Fort. 

History: The Agra Fort was home to many Mughul Dynasty Emperors and acted as the Capital of India. In 1638, the capital was moved to Delhi. Shah Jahan (the same man who built the Taj Mahal), ruled in the Agra Fort and was the only ruler to build onto the site with white marble. This is why half of the fort is built with sandstone and the other half with marble.

Upon landing, I was able to sign out of my field program early and make my way to a hotel where my friends were hanging out and staying the night. 

Day 6:

Everyone whether they were on the field program, or not was tired by this point. Hana (my roommate) and my friend Evan, made our way back to the ship to relax for the rest of the day. We had a pretty early report dock time, so we looked at the little shops set up outside of the port and reflected on our separate adventures in India.

India was tough for me: mentally, physically, emotionally. There were times where I was on top of the world, I couldn’t believe that this was my life. There were times where I got annoyed with friends or people on my program due to the abundance of travel, overwhelming amounts of things to see, and lack of rest. Where I was reluctant of my field program because I felt like I was being rushed. Or times where I just wanted to take a freakin nap. 

But that’s the beauty of travel, we learn so much about ourselves, how to deal with other people, and how to take in unfamiliar cultures/religions. I will return to India someday and I will give myself more time to embrace every single part of the beautiful chaos.