India

India was breathtaking. There were so many beautiful sights and colors. I was surprised at how much I loved the food. On the first day in Cochin, I visited an area called “JewTown”. I went to the old Paradesi Synagogue and was overwhelmed thinking about the history of the Jewish people. I learned so much that I had never known about the origin of the Jews. I also had the opportunity to meet the oldest living Jew in India, a 93 year old woman named Sarah Cohen who still hand embroiders beautiful pieces regularly. While we were shopping, my friends and I had an interesting encounter with one of the local rickshaw drivers. A random driver off the street followed us into a store, and told the shop owners that they brought us there and that he was looking to collect a commission because of it. The shop owners told us how the rickshaw guys are something like a little gang and that if they didn’t give them commission they’d come back at night with 20 more guys and try to fight the shop owners. They kindly asked us to come back in 10-15 minuets to complete our purchases. It was nuts. That night, I got to chance to meet local university students. They taught us about their culture and told us their favorite things to do in the area. It was interesting to meet people who were about my age and hear the differences and similarities to my life in America.

I then traveled to the Taj Mahal in Agra. It was overwhelming to stand in front of something you have seen in photographs and movies for so long. I almost felt like I was looking at a screen. When I went inside, I got the chills. The Taj was such a beautiful structure of love and I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I saw it in person. I also had the opportunity to visit Mother Theresa’s orphanage. This was an experience I will never forget. As we walked in, the sign out front read “Home of the Poorest of the Poor.” The Nuns explained to us how they took in people who have been rejected from society and have no one else in their lives. I have never seen anything quite like this place in my life. It really put life in perspective for me. Next stop was Delhi Where I stopped at the Dilli Haat market to pick up some beautiful handcrafts. I explored Delhi for a day, visiting local religious sites, and taking a rickshaw through the market places. From there, I flew back to Cochin to finish up my time in India. About an hour from Cochin, there was a small boating village that I was able to spend time exploring. I visited a weaving factory where local women were hand-weaving cloths to sell in the market. Then, my friends and I went on a boat ride through the small canals that ran through the village. We then got to see how the local people made food, and goods that they bring to the markets to sell.

India was an incredible experience. The culture was so rich and different from anything I had ever experienced before. A professor, Nelly, on our ship grew up in India and gave a talk about how we can help with the poverty issue in India from home. Nelly goes around on her home campus in the US and collects pennies. At the end of the year she changes the pennies to cash and brings it with her when she goes back to India. Nelly works with a specific community near her old home and helps buy school supplies for the local school. A few years ago, she was even able to build a public bathroom that 400+ families had access to. Rather than just throwing money at issues, Nelly physically goes to the community she is helping and interacts with the people there to figure out exactly what they need to make life better. I was inspired by Nelly’s talk and plan on helping her collect pennies when I get back home to the US.

My Semester at Sea journey is now more than halfway through. I am sad to see it coming to and end but there is still so much to see and experience. Unfortunately, our stop in Mauritius had to be cancelled due to a dispute between our ship owner and a 3rd party – not really sure what happened, BUT I cannot wait to reach South Africa. Stay tuned.