Sitting in my social and behavioral science class Tuesday after our return, our professor, Anna Marshall-Baker, asked "How was the trip?" and I replied "Fantastic!"
To my surprise her response was: "That's it?" This got me thinking.
Yes, a one word reply to describe a two week trip half way across the globe is unsubstantial, to say the least, but by no means was "that it." "Fantastic" was about the only description I could come up with short of the 6 hour conversation it would take to capture just how incredible and informative our Architectural Sojourn in India really was.
The experience was not only educational in the sense that we visited some of the world's most historically significant architecture, but it provided us with cultural insight that has shaped our global perception on a monumental scale. Westerners tend to limit their experiences abroad to cultures much like their own. Comfortable as this may be, diving into a culture different as day and night is unbelievably fulfilling, as though enabling discovery of whole new universe. The people, the lifestyle, traffic jams caused by stubborn cows! It is unbelievable how very different American and Indian cultures truly are, despite western influences.
The trip itself is not capable of being captured by a single description; only by a series of memories and observations that bring the experience to life. I feel certain that this is the only way to truly describe my "fantastic" trip to India.
Taj Mahal
Fatepur Sikri
Elephants of Amber Fort
The "Blue City" from Mehrangarh Fort
Detail, Fatepur Sikri
Indian Traffic Jam (Camel, Cars, Elephant)
Amber Fort
Humayun's Tomb
Qutb Minar
The Paparazzi
Detail, Qutb Minar
New Delhi
India Gate
President's Palace
Ministry of Defense
