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.