Keely's First Update From India

Hey All,

This is a long update, so let me put the PS first: the next Young Adults event will be Friday, July 20^th. We’ll meet in Somerville @7pm. The plan is to check out main street: ice cream, classic cars, etc. Friday nights during the summer on main street Somerville are worth checking out. And I live close by, so we can always take a jaunt over to my house as well. More to come on that.

But for now, as many of you know, our own Keely is spending a year in India! Here’s some of her first email update…

“…

For those of you who I haven't managed to talk to
recently, I graduated from F&M back in May and am currently in India
for one year of graduate school through an Ambassadorial Scholarship
from Rotary International. I'm slowly adjusting to my new
surroundings, which - I'm beginning to understand - will be a long
process. Of course, as usual, this is going to be a bit of a long
email, so just bear with me!

…

The hostel is a little rough - lots
of bugs here, and I need to get used to the cold showers, etc. but I
think with time I'll be able to call it home. I should be grateful,
really, because there's a major housing shortage, and a lot of
students don't have anywhere to live and are searching for a place to
stay in the city. Craziness! I bought a mosquito net to put over my
bed, which makes me feel like a princess, haha. I hope it works! I
don't want to get eaten alive at night.

So yesterday was our first day, technically, which was really just a
welcome session for everyone. The school is expanding into a new
campus down the road, and there's a beautiful new building where we
had our "inauguration". It was a really interesting experience. We
have a school song that we stand for, and there are a lot of
formalities that the professors take quite seriously - but they also
have a sense of humor about everything. Everyone I've met so far has
been incredibly nice and welcoming. Unfortunately, someone neglected
to tell me that I had an orientation that I was supposed to attend
last week, so I'm a little behind everyone else with filling out the
necessary forms, etc. For example, nobody told me I had to bring my
ORIGINAL college AND high school diplomas (seems a bit excessive,
right?), and then they acted like I should have known to do that. "It
was assumed" Sigh.. It really makes me appreciate what everyone at the
International Center at F&M does to prepare for our international
students! Hopefully they'll work out all the paperwork for me, though,
and I won't need to send them anything else. I had a bit of a meltdown
over everything (in my jet-lagged, homesick, control-freak state the
other day), and it's amazing how *everyone* knows about it within an
hour. I had about five people ask me if I was feeling okay. It was
nice, I guess, but it made me more upset sometimes! I just miss
everyone so much back home right now, and it's going to take some time
to get adjusted here. But the whole thing was a good lesson that I
need to make sure to watch what I say and do, because everyone will
know!

Right now, we have a bit of a break before our next orientation
session with the computer services and library departments this
afternoon. I'm hoping it doesn't rain too much today, because the
campus is pretty wet already. The temperature isn't too bad. It's hot
and muggy, but there's a lot of shade on campus and fans in all of the
ceilings. The rains come and go periodically, and they stop as
suddenly as they start. Yesterday evening, I was on my way off campus
to meet Indu's son to get my cell phone set up when it started POURING
rain. I watched the road from underneath the security check at the
gate, and people were still walking by, riding bicycles, driving cars,
waiting for buses, and - one guy - riding a horse down the street! I
wouldn't want to get stuck without an umbrella anywhere this time of
year!

Anyway, that was an incredibly long-winded way to tell you all that,
yes - I've arrived safely! I'm moved into the hostel, and waiting for
paperwork to be sorted out.

…”

So, everybody keep Keely in your prayers!

Peace,

Kevin