India is amazing, indeed (shoutout to my favorite blogger, ha). Anyway, I have been having a great time-- I don't even know where to begin describing it! To me, India seems like a place of extremes: it is both hectic and refreshing; the streets are packed with beautiful women wearing expensive saris, emaciated mothers with newborn children begging for money, men of all ages holding hands, "hawkers" selling every item you could imagine; there are people of every religion and every graditation of skin color, yet there is a visible Hindu predominance in the area-- statues of Ganesh in every store, stores and restaurants with names such as "Laksmi Bakery" or "Hanuman Medicals." In this spirit of disparity, I thought I would give a little window into the past few weeks of my life by describing a few of my near death experiences, and what I will call "near-life" experiences (meaning those which made fall in love with India or are telling of my wonderful time here thus far).

So to start off on a pesimistic notes, as per usual, here are some of my "near death" experiences:
1. My dog bite definitely tops off my list. My host family's satanic dog, Brownie, had a nice little snack on my hand a few days after I arrived at my homestay. To preface this story, I should tell you that Brownie is described by her owners as "moody." Nevertheless when she came up to me wagging her tail, I assumed she wanted to play. But when I reached out to pet her head, I found my hand inside of her mouth instead. Luckily, I was able to pull it out quickly enough to survive with only a few bruises and a little cut. After finding out that Brownie has had her vaccines, I decided not to go to the doctor. But about a week later, when I told my teacher about it, I was rushed to a doctor's office. The doctor, who was trained in allopathy but later decided he agreed more with homeopathy, told me, "If the dog doesn't die in five days, you are fine." Great. Needless to say, being the pre-med, pro-allopathic medicine snob I am, I was a little skeptical, but I decided to let it go. The next day, I fell ill with a high fever and vomiting. This graduated into a chest cold and sinus infection, still with a fever. Now the vomiting has returned. But Brownie is still alive! Super. I have been trying to convince myself that this is just the regular sort of illness that visitors to India notoriously experience, but I am a little shaken by a) the fact that Brownie has fallen ill, b) another doctor was shocked that I did not receive the Rabies vaccine post-bite, and c) I am still sick. So, if I die, I love you all and Annie, you can have Manny.
2. Crossing the street. Drivers in Bangalore are absolutely INSANE. Every time I cross the street, a rickshaw, motorcycle, or other out-of-control vehicle comes close to claiming my life. No joke.
3. In a literal interpretation of the phrase "near death," I have repeatedly found myself in the presence of people who looked like they were on the verge of death. This has been one of the most difficult aspects of being in India. I struggle with walking by the malnourished beggars, some very young children, every day. I usually give a few money or food, but I wish I could do more. This past week, I visited a private hospital that treats patient from very poor tribal and rural communities. While I was there, I saw patients dying of TB and other diseases, along with the thinnest man I have ever seen in my life. The only consoling thing about seeing all of these horribly ill people was knowing that they were in excellent hands-- the Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement's hospital, education system, multiple primary health care clinics, and other projects, were all truly inspiring.

My "near life" experiences:
1. In another literal interpretation, and also at the Swami Vivekananda Memorial Hospital, I almost accidently witnessed a live birth. While being given a tour of the hospital, I was led into the labor ward. As I was being brought past curtains intended to provide the expectant mothers privacy, I unexpectedly heard the sounds of a mother giving birth. With American standards of privacy, I, and the other students on my program, quickly turned around and ran out of the ward. The people leading the tour seemed a little confused as to why we did not want to barge in on the poor mother mid-birth. The Indian concept of privacy is absolutely baffling.
2. My trip to the Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement was amazing, in general. The rural landscape was breathtaking, particularly the backwaters. Much to my dismay, I did not get to see an elephant, but hopefully I will be able to on my trip to rural Wayanad this week. Perhaps the most "near life" aspect of my trip was meeting all the children from the villages we visited. Each time our bus passed by children ran up to it, waving and shouting "hi!" I felt like a celebrity. Most of the kids didn't speak English, but it was still fun to play with them. They could not get enough of having their picture taken and seeing it on the camera screen. It was so cute! Talking with the adults, always through a translator, was also really interesting. I wish I could speak some Kanada (the local language here), so I could have had more personal conversations. Nevertheless, it was amazing to learn about lives so much different to mine, and to see that these people, who have so much less than I do, were still so happy and so eager to show us their lifestyle.
3. Seeing Strada in Bangalore! Seriously, who gets to casually meet up with their friend for lunch and shopping in the middle of India? It was so great to see her!
4. Playing with my homestay mother's two adorable grandchildren, Thandvi and Arnav. Not to brag or anything, but they are in love with me. (And I am in love with them too). They are both convinced I am coming back to India for their birthdays. I keep telling them I have to be at home then, but they don't seem to understand (they are 4 and 7 years old).
5. The shopping here! I know, that sounds so Greenwichy. But everything-- the jewelry, the clothes-- is so beautiful and the exchange rate makes everything so cheap! I bought a gorgeous ring, designed by my host sister and her husband, for $30...and I am pretty sure it would have been a lot more in the US.
6. The dance party I had with my host sister-in-law, Lavanya (who is incredibly nice and so much fun), the other girl on my program staying at this homestay, and about 7 thirty-year old Indian men. Lavanya, who is a dancer, taught us some Indian, Bollywood-esque dance moves. I, of course, looked ridiculous and felt incredibly awkward at first, but it was definitely a great experience! The music here is so great-- seriously download "Desi Girl" (it is stuck in my head as I write this). Just wait till I bring my new moves back to the US.
7. Hindi movies! In particular, "Luck by Chance." I watched it in Hindi (no subtitles) and it is still one of my favorite movies of all time. I have legitimately fallen in love with the lead actor, Farhan Akur. Google him. Amazing.
8. Everything else! I can't think of many negative experiences I have had here. The only ones that come to mind have to do with the tendency for things to be slow and inefficient in India, which obviously irritates me, as Annie Connell would know. I love the Indian culture, the weather and the people! I will hopefully be able to write one more blog post before I leave for China (eek)!

Oh, P.S., one more near-death experience: missing you! Awwww.
P.P.S. Also, my classes, which have such potential, but fail miserably.

Love you all :)