Our day began with a rousing game
of “Heads Up! It’s Jeopardy!,” a game invented by Emily and Izzy to review our
India trivia. We then packed our things and made our way to the ferry, the
first leg of our journey from Mumbai to Chinchoti, where we will spend the week
living, laughing and learning with our homestay families. From the ferry, we then traveled to the
village by rickshaw. Throughout the long
journey, we passed by many buildings covered in fluorescent blues, greens,
purples, and more. When we arrived in
Chinchoti, we spent some time discussing our hopes and fears before splitting
up to meet our families. All of the students would agree that though there were
awkward silences, these silences were filled with positive energy. In Izzy’s
homestay, we played an intense game of UNO, got our hair braided by Yamini, an
excellent English speaker, and learned how to write our names in Marathi.
This afternoon we were treated to
an energetic rooftop dance lesson. We had lots of fun and anticipate dramatic
improvement in future rehearsals! Our newly acquired skills will come in handy
over the next couple days as we prepare to attend a local wedding ceremony. We
closed the evening with ANCHOR, and acronym for Appreciation, News, Concerns,
Hopes, Observations, and Reading. Almost
all of us shared that we are very appreciative of our homestay families and how
they opened their arms and welcomed us into their home. It’s been a long day
full of travel and new experiences, and we are excited for what will come next.
Love,
Izzy and Emily!!
