INDIA EXPERIENCE: Realization of a dream
“Any kind
of travelling is good” was a reassuring statement from one of the Cleveland
State University students, Kerrian Walters.
On July 3rd, 2001, students from Cleveland State University
departed from Cleveland, Ohio and headed for Kerala, India.
From different backgrounds and majors, students left the U.S. from time
measured in semesters, lunch breaks, and summer breaks.
Eleven students were about to
take the step from acquaintances to friends, as well as become entrenched in a
completely different culture, and create memories that would last a lifetime.
The
exciting journey began at Cleveland Hopkins Airport, where the students boarded
a tiny plane and headed for JFK.
The flight was short and the landing was bumpy.
Hopefully this was not an omen of what was to come for the upcoming five
weeks. In
JFK, the CSU students joined students from Plattsburgh, NY.
After a long layover at the New York “mini-mall” airport, we finally
boarded the Air India flight.
Stepping onto the plane, we felt the magic of what was awaiting us.
We were greeted by flight attendants in saris and paisley patterns on
walls and seats.
The flight to London was a long 6 hours.
The seats were of course uncomfortable, but one could at least take
solace in the fact that every other passenger was experiencing the same thing.
The layover in London was short, and the airport employees were
refreshingly polite with their British accents.
Our
next flight to Bombay, or Mumbai, was 8 hours, but seemed more tolerable than
the previous flight.
Landing in Bombay at night, one knew that they were stepping into a
different country.
The airport was hot and humid.
We learned that there were three different kinds of “bathrooms;” the
toilet, the bathroom (if one wanted to shower), and a washroom to freshen up.
Some guards sporting berets were carrying rifles.
Fortunately, the students were permitted to use the executive lounge.
The beautiful lounge provided hot showers (although the drain in the
women’s shower was plugged), great service, tea, coffee, finger sandwiches,
TV, and Internet access.
Some students passed the time having their palms read by Elise Cherbourg
and Kerrian Walters.
After about 5 hours we left for Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala.
The flight was about 2 hours, and we landed among coconut trees in
Trivandrum International Airport at about 8:00 am, Thursday morning.
We sped through customs, checked in our luggage (only one student’s
luggage was not found, not “lost,” but just not found).
We lined up to be greeted by officials of Kerala and Fr. Anthony of
Loyola College.
Stepping out of the airport was surreal.
It was crowded and hot, but some Loyola students warmly received us: Deepa,
Janet, Anish, Surya, and Raju.
The inhabitants of Kerala are as warm as the climate.
We rode the bus with the Loyola students to Thirvananthapuram, where the
college is nestled among coconut trees and tropical plants.
The campus is set off the dirt road.
Every person we met was extremely warm and friendly.
Anish and Raju sang a Malayalam song on the bus for us.
Driving
in Kerala is an altogether different experience.
Aside from driving on the left side, there are no stop lights, the
streets are crowded with pedestrians and vehicles, some roads are not paved, and
people constantly honk.
There are cars resembling the old VW Beetle, taxis that have one wheel in
front and two in back, newer compact cars that are not seen in the U.S, and
large crowded buses.
When
we arrived at Loyola, more students, who gave us each beautifully aromatic
sandalwood garland, greeted us.
The Plattsburgh students left to stay with host families.
There are fans and beds with mosquito netting.
There are 2 “regular” toilets in the girls’ dorms and some
“Indian style” toilets.
There is also no toilet paper in the dorms.
After unpacking we ate a delicious lunch of green beans, rice, stew,
tomatoes and onions, an omelet and bananas.
We then went to the bank to exchange our money for rupees.
Two very nice men escorted us, one named Rajit.
We were running early after the bank so we visited a beautiful park.
After the park, we went to go shopping for Indian style dress.
This
is ironic in that we were about to go shopping in a palace of a store.
The store was air-conditioned, there were three different levels, and the
speakers pumped a mixture of Indian music and Kenny G.
Many employees who also brought us complimentary drinks helped us.
Bless their hearts for their patience with tired and unfamiliar
Americans! After
we made our purchases, we rode back for dinner and long – awaited rest.
The
scenery in Kerala is beautiful and the people are extremely accommodating. This
weekend we are to stay at Mr. Gopalakrishnan Nair’s house and we may have a
chance to ride an elephant.
We are excited for our adventures to unfold.
Welcome
to the Photo Session