The adventures of 2010-2011 exchange student: Cameron Houser
May 17, 2011 by cladmin
Cal-Mum Rotary is pleased to present - THE ADVENTURES OF 2010-2011 EXCHANGE STUDENT: CAMERON HOUSER.
With his permission, we have condensed his reports to the Club. It is with great pleasure we invite you to read and enjoy Cameron's year in India.
AUGUST - 2010
I touched down in Mumbai around 9 pm and quickly passed through customs. I got my bag and exited the airport and was immediately hit by the overwhelming humidity of Mumbai. I wasn't sure exactly where to go so I hung around the entrance looking for a familiar face for about ten minutes until finally Shabbir spotted me. ...We began to drive home by taxi ... Mumbai's roads appear to have little or no traffic regulations, which leaves the drivers to do pretty much whatever they want. They also honk much more than any normal U.S. driver, but it appears they use the sound to alert other drivers around them as to where they are.
My hosts' apartment is on the fourth floor and is quite a climb. However, the apartment is very nice and the fans make it much cooler than it is outside. ...I am sharing a room with Abbas,shich is great! He is so eager to share information about India and just talk to me in general. He is already making me feel like I'm home. The shower is in the midddle of the bathroom (!) and I also learned that I am going to be riding the bus or a taxi to college! I didn't get to sleep until really late because I'm still on New York time, but the jet lag will wear off eventually. I'm really excited to see the city and to get to know the Morbiwalas (host family) better. Aug. 21 I woke up to find that Rasheeda made me eggs and toast. I read the newspaper for a little while. It's similar to an American paper, just with a different perspective.
Abbas took me around Mazgaon to show me some of the local landmarks so that I can find my way around. The roads are very busy and could potentially be dangerous, but if I look both ways and stay cautious, I'll be fine. As I walk down the street, a lot of people stop and stare at me. I just ignore them and Abbas says they're just curious. There are many stray dogs and cats just living on the streets. An even greater shock was seeing people just lying on the sidewalk underneath tarps. I had never seen poverty like that before. AUGUST 26: Today was my actual first day of classes and I have already made a bunch of new friends! Professor Dias told them about me and they're very eager to help out. Abbas also took me to Colaba to see The Gateway of India and The Taj Mahal Hotel. I was surprised by the amount of foreign and Indian tourists. After that we went to Mad Over Donuts which had some of the best quality donuts I had ever seen! SEPTEMBER 10: Today was a busy day. First I went to Ramon's house for a mini-orientation. I got to know Ramon and Chetan pretty well and got to talk with the other exchange students for the first time. Then I rode the train back to Churchgate by myself!! I went straight home, took a quick shower, and went with a bunch of Morbiwala family membersto the Punjab Grill to celebrate EID. I had a lot of fun meeting the whole family. There were very nice and accpeting and I had a great time.