We’ve done and seen so much in the short time we’ve been here, I can’t believe it’s only been a week! On our first day in Delhi, we visited Qutub Minar (built in 1193!) and the Gandhi Memorial Museum. Both sites were beautiful and informative, but I especially enjoyed Qutub Minar. Being as the US is such a young country, we don’t have many historical sites older than a few hundred years. It was exciting to see architecture built so distantly in the past and still standing proudly. The next day, we traveled 4 hours to Agra in order to visit the majestic Taj Mahal. It is my dream to travel all over the world, so I was happy to cross one of the famous Seven Wonders of the World off my list.

As our time in Delhi came to an end, we discovered that we couldn’t fly directly to Hubli as originally planned. We flew to Goa instead, and drove 5 hours over mountains and through rainforest to Hubli. Goa is renowned worldwide for its beaches and tropical landscape, and all of us were in awe of the beauty we witnessed just simply passing through. The impromptu road trip ended up being a blessing in disguise, and honestly a highlight of our travels in my opinion, as we were able to experience an aspect of India that we probably would have otherwise missed out on.

The Indian students were anxiously awaiting our arrival in Hubli. I wasn’t sure what to expect from them, but I quickly found that every single student had a kind smile to offer and words of welcome. They have gone out of their way to make sure we are comfortable and happy, and as someone who has never left their home country, words can’t express how much I appreciate that. It is so pleasing to me that even though we’re from completely different cultures, every day so far has been filled with nothing but fun, laughter, and bonding. I can easily say that my favorite part of the trip so far hasn’t been witnessing the Taj Mahal or the amazing landscape in Goa, but the connections I’ve formed with my classmates, American and Indian alike.