I'm Not Dead Yet

I'm here! I'm alive! I finally have internet! Yes, I know I have been in Bangalore for two weeks already, but I'm going to start from the beginning:

Plane rides are not the most comfortable experience in the world. The seats are cramped, the food is bad, the bathrooms are nasty and you're stuck making awkward conversation with your neighbors. Now, imagine dealing with all of this for twenty-four hours. Oh yes, not fun. The first leg of the trip was a 15-hour flight to Hong Kong. I was in seat 48F. I had an Indian guy on my right and an old Sikh couple on my left. Both men seemed to believe that they had the right to both arm rests. At one point, both of them fell asleep leaning in my direction. It was a bit cramped and very awkward. All in all though, the flight could have been a lot worse. Cathay Pacific had enough movies and TV shows to keep me occupied almost the entire time.

When we finally landed in Hong Kong, I got to meet the rest of the USAC people on the group flight. All of my flat-mates were there so it was nice to have that time to talk to them. The second leg of the flight, I'm glad to say, was way better. It was a seven-hour flight and, once again, I was in seat 48F. This time, however, fate took pity on me. I was the only person in my row. I got to spread out across the four empty seats and sleep for the entire flight. It was wonderful!

When we got off the plane and finished with customs, we left the front door and got our first look at India. My first impression was that it was not what I expected. People tell stories about arriving in India and talk about being drenched with sweat in minutes and the smell of sewage greeting you at the doors. In reality, the air was fresh and while there was more humidity than Spokane, it wasn't unbearable. Apparently 2:00 in the morning is the perfect time to arrive in Bangalore.

It was late, we were all exhausted, but after 10 months of waiting, I was finally in India.