After a 14 hour plane ride into Delhi (from New Jersey) and a 6 hour train ride we’ve finally arrived in Dehradun! Apparently neither of us got up enough during our travel because our feet got so swollen they made our shoes almost unbearable. It was also difficult to adjust to the 10.5 hour time difference.

Delhi is a densely populated city and that was definitely apparent while driving. Even after spending a month in Botswana I still experienced some culture shock on arrival. Since increased tensions with Pakistan remain there were many security checkpoints of guards with guns. There are also many things that differ vastly from the US such as their water system, sewage system, how they handle trash, and driving infrastructure. Finally, with Delhi being such a big city the pace is very fast and it feels overwhelming to catch up.

We knew we were close to Dehradun when we began seeing the foothills of the Himalayas, which gave us an instant sense of calm. The pace in Dehradun, even though it has also become more populated, is much slower paced. Our homestay family, Mr and Mrs Mehta, have been amazing. They are an older couple that have been hosting students since 2001. They greeted us with a delicious meal of lentil soup, spicy califlower, basmati rice and paratha. After getting settled in, we took our first autorickshaw ride to a Buddhist monastary, called Mindrolling Monastary. It is one of the largest stupas, a monument housing sacred relics usually associated with Buddha, in the world.

Tomorrow we begin our first day of rotation! We will be working in the emergency department in the morning and pediatrics in the afternoon.

-Lindsey