Countdown

In exactly two weeks I'll be boarding a plane to India and beginning my nine month adventure there. I'm going to India on Princeton University's Bridge Year program, a really amazing program that allows students to defer their freshman year and sends them to one of four different countries (India, Peru, Senegal, China) to do meaningful, long-term volunteer work and to immerse themselves in the surrounding culture. I'll even be living with a home-stay family and taking intensive Hindi classes! I've always loved traveling, and ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to take a gap year and travel the world, so I'm incredibly excited for the opportunity to spend nine months in India.

Of the nine months, seven will be spent in Varanasi (also known as Banaras), a large city in north-east India. Varanasi sits on the Ganges River and is considered one of Hinduism's holiest cities. It is also one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities! The other two months (the first and the last) will be spent in various places in the Himalayas. More on that to come.

But, for now, back to the present. I've been in preparation mode all summer long, running from REI to EMS to CVS, stocking up with a million sticks of deodorant, as well as buying my first ever pair of hiking boots (yes, I was that person who insisted sneakers could serve any situation). Other than a crazy dash to New York to get my visa, it's been a very calm summer, and I'm feeling ready for the exciting changes that lie ahead. I know that India will be a huge change from my hometown of Boston, but different is always interesting and I'm so looking forward to the millions of things there will be for me to learn.