January 8, 2024

Young Foreign Girls

The phrase “I was throwing up the entire night” is usually the result of a long night of poor decisions and too much fun. But here at the end of our first week in Bangalore, it’s another reminder that we’re not in Kansas anymore. The gurgling in our stomachs, symphony of beeping horns, and loud calls of peddling vendors has become the new norm.

My weekend began with a brief rickshaw ride through traffic and a lazy walk through Cubbon park. This introduction to Bangalore’s infamous parks did not disappoint. As we lay on the grass under the shade of large trees and admired the beautiful flowers, we only had to move a few times to try to avoid strangers who thought us celebrities and the other people seemingly enamored by the allure of us young foreign girls.

We also got the amazing opportunity to see the Chitra Santhe, Bangalore’s annual art market. The 1,500 vendors that lined the winding streets each had unique and breathtaking art that made the busy surroundings melt into something more impressive than any museum. The sea of bodies ensured that our journey was cramped and slow but a hidden blessing lay in this cursed situation in that we stopped and appreciated pieces we may have simply walked past. The massive portraits, intricate sculptures and hyper-realistic landscapes were amongst the thousands of varieties of ways people were expressing the rich history and culture of India.

Though it was our day off, it was as busy and action-packed as the week. Each experience has been once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to see, taste, and hear our way through Bangalore. I look forward to many more field trips, late night talks, and silly moments to remember.

By Audrey