I found myself back in Bhimtal with a group of Badgers from the University of Wisconsin. One of the site visits that was on the agenda was a walk in the local village on Jone’s estate- sometimes now referred to as June’s estate. As we were stopped at the house of one of the oldest […]
India
Lake in the Mountains
Sometimes for my job, I get to travel to different places across India with university programs. For about three weeks, I’ve found myself in Bhimtal India. Bhimtal is this smaller city in the state of Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand used to be two rival kingdoms of Kumaon and Garhwal. The rivalry was so strong that Kumaon used […]
Hindi: From Madison to Varanasi
I’m still not entirely sure why I chose to do an intensive Hindi language program the summer after my freshman year of college. I was mildly interested in India, but the same way I was interested with the rest of the world. Going to a public university surrounded by all of these new opportunities and […]
Varanasi is a Walkable City
I love going on walks. It can be while having a conversation with someone, talking on the phone back with someone at home, or even listening to an audiobook or podcast. I simply can just go, and go, and go. Varanasi is a city that allows me to walk as much as my heart desires. […]
India First Impressions-2016
This was written upon arriving in India for the first time during my 2016 study abroad program. This shares my first thoughts of arriving in India and the whiplash that it seems India can bring to someone coming for the first time. “How is India” is the usual question that I am getting from […]
What’s In A Name: Varanasi, Kashi, Banaras
If you have looked up anything about Varanasi, you may have seen that it holds many names. Before learning anything about Varanasi, I figured that these different names were just what people called the city of Varanasi throughout time or some of the names were because of the British influence (like Mumbai and Bombay). I […]
First Trip to Agra
My first travel excursion in India was a big one: Agra and the Taj Mahal. Before I left, many people asked me “Are you going to see the Taj Mahal?” to which I would respond “Well, I’m going to India, I kind of have to, don’t I?”. So it was my time to finally see […]