Day 1

Roughly one hundred and sixty-five days from this Monday nightTuesday morning, I will find myself anxiously boarding a plane to India. It won't be until a few weeks or days before that I can wrap my head around the mere fact of it all.
In six months, I will walk the busy streets of Delhi and witness the miraculous beauty of the Taj Mahal. I cannot say I have been more excited about a single event in this lifetime. But can you blame me?

My thoughts of the Taj:
Marvel. All I can do is marvel at such a breathtaking preface.
To think it was built with bare hands is beyond me.
Stone embracing stone. Flawless gems.
Oh, and how its reflection looks just as perfect in a pond of wonder.
The seventh, in fact.

Every move I make seems to, in some way, reflect the rich culture of India. Althought this is mostly a subconscious act of mimicry, I would very much like to be accustomed to India's culture before I arrive. That way, I won't quite feel like the ignorant American tourist (at least not as much).

Therefore, in six months I will do the following:
- Learn the basic words of the Hindi language
- Successfully eat with only my right hand
- Attend as many overcrowded concerts as possible to overcome claustrophobia and become okay with being oreo'd between 10 people at all times

I already have the spicy foods down to a science. Now, the tricky part will be adjusting to the overwhelming heat wave. According to the owner of Swagath Indian Cuisine in East Lansing(you must go... it's amazing!), it takes about 5 days to adjust to the Southern summer heat.
Sauna anyone?

"So why India?"
I seem to get that question a lot.

Well, I cannot explain in words my feelings towards this place.
Basically, I was an Indian elephant in a past life (hence the name of my blog) and I am just returning home.

I'm simply a homesick Elephas maximus indicus awaiting my journey to the homeland