Today was our first day of class. We arrived at the Institute and received a tour of the campus. It is very beautiful. The architecture is amazing. You move from inside to outside without doors. There are flowers everywhere, which adds to the beauty - reds, purples, yellows and greens. It is very inspiring and yet peaceful. The sun shines bright, but yet the heat is perfect.

The instructor lectured on the history and major accomplishments that have taken place in India. He was very interesting. I like how the instructor seems to command respect from the classroom just by his presence. We had a tea break, which makes sense given their background with the English. They served us lunch in the cafeteria. It was very good. The sweets are very different. We had a deep fried dessert, which was very rich.

From there they took us on a tour of a hospital. The head administrator of the hospital spoke to us and answered questions. I found it interesting that physicians didn't make as much income as those in management. Also, the difference in prices of procedures between the US and India was quite large. No wonder people from the US are coming over here for surgerys. The rest of the hospital seemed very much like those back home, at least to me.

In the evening we went to a New Years Eve Party. They sure know how to party here. It was outdoors, which is very different for me, since it is always cold and snowy in Duluth during this time of year. There was a buffet of food laid out for all to partake in. We danced from the time we got there to the time we left. I found it interesting that the males over here really seem to love to dance, unlike back home. I also have to say they are very good at it. I danced with so many people it was unbelievable. It seems like they really wanted to dance with the "Americans". I danced with little children as well as adults. There was one lady from Russia who was married to an Indian. She came up and shook my hand and asked if she could dance with me. I agreed as did Mary and Theresa. We ended up dancing as the Russians do - arm in arm kicking our legs into the air like we were on a danceline. It was a lot of fun and they seemed to really enjoy it. I was told it was great to see that Americans have the ability to dance like the Indians. I took that as a compliment. I think some of the younger members of our group were surprised that us older folk could dance and keep up with them.

Many people came up to us to shake our hands and wish us a Happy New Year. They wanted us to shake their children's hands as well. It was amazing how friendly everyone was. They video taped us many times and put us on the big screen. It was kind of overwhelming. At midnight the fireworks display began. It went on for over a half hour. We were dancing and watching the fireworks at the same time. It was definitely a New Year's Eve I will never forget.

I rode on the back of a motorcycle back to the hotel. I put my life in the hands of another in a place where drivers are crazy. We just missed getting hit several times, but it was so much fun! The just missed getting hit part seems to happen a lot over here.

Today a bunch of us took three rickshaws into town. The drive there was a lot of fun. We were racing each other and taking pictures along the way. We all went to the shop that we found last night. The owner and his son laid out piles of clothes and scarfs for us again. Almost everyone of us bought stuff. The colors were so vibrant. I found some fabric I liked and they are going to make me an Indian outfit. I was brought to another store where they had a tailor. He measured me and said my clothes would be ready on Tuesday. They served us water and soda while we shopped in the store. They wanted to make sure we were happy.

We all then went walking and viewing other stores. I found myself looking at the clothes women were wearing as we were walking down the street. They are so beautiful, exciting and to me - exotic. We stopped into a men's tailor store. Harvey, Karl and I spent several hours looking at fabric. We picked out fabric that we wanted tailored into clothes. I'm having three shirts made based on Harvey's measurements. I made them short sleeves so that I wouldn't have to worry as much about them fitting my guys back home. They will be done within 10 days. I'm excited to see how they look. The shop was owned by a father and son again. They made sure we understood that they were there to serve us. They wanted to make sure we were very comfortable and happy the entire time we were in the store. What a difference from many of the stores I normally shop at back home.

From there we went back to the hotel and ordered pizza. Lunch was pretty much over at the hotel and we were hungry. It was ok. A little dry. I wanted to see what pizza was like over here. We had cheese pizza and pineapple pizza.

In the evening we went to a palace. It was beautiful. They gave us a tour, which gave us background about the palace. There was a buffet dinner that we got to partake in. We sat at tables with six students and two instructors from the Institute. Our instructors were very interesting to talk to. The dinner had many choices to select from. I tried a little of almost everything. Some things I really liked and others did not suit my taste. I want to try as many different things as I can. There was Indian music playing in the background. Our host was the person in charge of the Institute.

It has been very interesting to see the differences within the Indian culture itself. There are the very poor and those of more wealth. In just two days, I have seen both. They seem to co-exist side by side one another. The hotel is nice, but is set in the middle of a very poor area. Then you drive a few kilometers away and there is the grandeur of the palace. I'm learning to appreciate the different aspects of each part of the culture. It was shocking at first, but I have now been able to get past the initial culture shock and move onto the desire to learn more about each aspect.

On the way back we found a Nature Reserve that we decided to go into. It was very pretty. There were flowers and birds and a lake. All 8 of us got into a boat and a young man rowed us around the lake. It was very nice to see another side of India. We then continued on back to the hotel. I was very hot and red faced by the time we got back.

Later on in the evening, our group met and then they brought us to a grocery type store that was in the middle of what I would call a downtown looking area. There were lots of stores and people everywhere. I bought a bag of chips to eat for my dinner and strolled up and down the streets. Harvey, Mary and I found a store that had beautiful garments. We told him we'd be back tomorrow because it was overwhelming. He laid out so many garments I felt bad about him having to put them all away.

I hadn't slept much and was totally exhasted. I fell asleep during the taxi cab ride home. I had pushed myself to the limit.

I made it! It was a long journey to get here, but everything went real smooth. My luggage arrived and I was thrilled. The bus ride to Mysore was quite an eye opener. The poverty here is overwhelming. It was evident the entire ride here. Lean to homes and grass huts were very common. The smell wasn't what I expected. It didn't smell like sewage as much as burning rubber. There were times where it smelled like sewage, but not as bad as I thought it would be. There were men and a small boy relieving themselves on the side of the road. That was pretty disgusting.

The hotel we are staying at is clean and very nice. I was so happy my room had a normal toilet. Ah, the things that make me happy. After we checked in and exchanged some of our money, a group of 8 of us went out exploring. We walked for several hours. There were cows everywhere and their manure. I had to watch every step I took. Two little girls were begging for money and wouldn't leave us alone. Finally I stopped and told them they had to leave and then they did. We walked to what we thought was a palace, but it was a police station. We then turned around to head back to the hotel.

The computer I am using is running out of battery, so I will have to add more later.

Hello Everyone,

This is such an exciting time. It is Christmas Night and I'm getting prepared to travel to India. I am really looking forward to this exciting experience. I have tried to think of everything I can to prepare for this trip, but I know I will forget something. I've reviewed the plan of activities and feel we should be able to get a real taste of the Indian culture. I think that is what I'm looking forward to the most. I love to learn about the way others view the world and how they live. I've traveled to Europe, England, Australia, and New Zealand to learn about those countries. I've had foreign exchange students stay at my home to expand my knowledge and now I'm traveling to India to open my eyes to a culture I know very little about.

When I traveled to Australia and New Zealand, it was as the leader of a group of high school students. The organization that we represented was called People to People Student Ambassadors. There was 40 of us with 4 leaders. It was quite an experience. I think traveling with college students will be a lot more enjoyable.

I am almost done with the courses needed to complete my MBA. All I have left are two electives and the capstone class. This trip to India is one of the two electives. Since I love to travel and learn about other cultures, this class fits me very well. When I took the Marketing class, my instructor, who is from India, periodically would talk about India. We did a case study about whether a company should invest in India and he showed us clips of Bollywood films. It really sparked my interest. Then in my Human Resources class, the instructor talked a lot about the resources India has to compete with people from the US. If these instructors hadn't brought India into so many of our discussions, I probably wouldn't have thought about actually going there.

So now the adventure begins. Stay tuned for updates. It will definitely be an experience I will never forget.