katrina lachner
INDIA
I kept a blog when I was in India, check it out!
As a young girl I dreamed about the days I could travel back to Hyderabad, India, the city and country I was born in. My first semester of college I went to the study abroad fair and took every catalog (not kidding!) available and I laid them all out on the floor of my small dorm room. After lots of reading and researching, I narrowed it down to a few countries and of course, decided on India.
...in July of 2016 I was accepted to study abroad with the American Institute of Foreign Study (AIFS) in Hyderabad, India.
As I prepared for my semester abroad I read numerous blogs, talked to my friends who lived in India and met with numerous people who had traveled to India (including my father who inspired me to travel). My father who spent a significant portion of his young adult summers overseas spoke highly of India. He would tell me stories of how hospitable the people were, his experience in Indian villages and how much he wishes he could go back. Naturally, I wanted to partake in my own adventure and create my own memories.
Then the date came, December 26, 2016 --the day after Christmas I was at MSP saying goodbye to my family, about to embark on my journey across the Atlantic, stopping at Heathrow (London) and flew into DEL (Indira Gandhi International Airport). My group was greeted by our travel guide, Surinder Singh a little after 1AM and brought us back to a hotel in the city. After unpacking and showering I finally was able to go to bed at 5AM. Of course that was not the easiest being that it was mid-afternoon back in Minnesota. Luckily I was able to sneak in maybe an hour or so before the full day tour of Delhi.
DELHI
While in Delhi I experienced the chaotic driving, from Mercedes’s, autos and men and women pushing carts with animals attached to them. So different from the driving experience I was used to, and that was just one way my mind was blown. The traffic we experience during rush hour has nothing on the traffic I experienced throughout India, maybe comparable to NYC or LA, but not in the Midwest.
.
AGRA
Anyways, back to sightseeing! The Taj Mahal (a must see) was as incredible as the pictures and even more so magnificent. Located in the city of Agra the Taj Mahal and Red Fort are two incredible wonders of India.
I love to learn and see how things are made, so when our tour guide took us to a shop to see how the jewels are inserted and crafted into the marble I was in awe. The Taj Mahal stands at 240 feet which is about 22 stories. An incredible marble mausoleum created for Shaj Jahan's (Mughal emperor at the time) late wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Hindi name means “crown of the palaces” and is made of ivory-white marble. It is exquisite. Leading up to the Taj Mahal is a massive garden which includes flowerbeds and a reflecting pool. The exterior includes various precious stones of jasper and jade. In the interior is intricate pierce work, carvings and jaali, an architectural decoration commonly associated with Indo-Islamic architecture.
JAIPUR
Before we left Northern India we celebrated the New Year in Jaipur the capital of Rajasthan. This city was breathtaking from the Amer Fort to the Hawa Mahal, the rich history of the city left me in awe.
HYDERABAD
After traveling around North India for a week, our group flew into Rajiv Gandhi Hyderabad International Airport, which I would frequently visit throughout the semester. Our classes began a few days later and I enrolled in: Microeconomics, the Study of South Asian Diaspora through Literature and Film, Hindi and Indian Philosophy. The Univeristy of Hyderabad was massive compared to home university. To compare the two: my campus back home was about a five minute drive throughout all of campus, at the uni in Hyderabad it was ten plus minutes to get from the main gate to the dormitory I was living in. The campus included lakes, walking trails, shopping complexes (which had some of the best food) and lots of academic buildings.
Hyderabad is known for so many things like its Biryani,
Charminar and Golkonda Fort. The city itself is comparative
to NYC in population lots of people everywhere all the
time (like NYC).
KERALA
The second month into India I celebrated my (golden) birthday in Kerala, one of the tropical states on the Arabian Sea. The state was so luscious and green, which was drastically different from the concrete city of Hyderabad I had grown accustom to. Needless to say that was a birthday I will never forget.
I flew back to Minneapolis on Memorial Day and knew I wanted to talk about my experience abroad with others and share why studying aboard can be so formative and impactful as a young adult today. The company I studied abroad with has an Alumni Ambassador program which is a community of other students who had studied overseas and want to share their experiences. I was selected from 180 applicants to participate in the program for my junior year and again my senior of college.
My first semester back to school was tough, my best friend and former roommate were both studying abroad and I was taking classes in a new major, but thankful I was able to share my feelings with a group of other students who experienced similar thoughts. Not only do we get to talk about studying abroad, we are coached through monthly professional development calls.
I am very thankful for my semester aboard and all the support I have received since returning back to the States.
VOLUNTEERING
Spelling Bee Contest
Gachibowli, Hyderabad
Read to Lead
Volunteered in the Hyderabadi schools with a program whose focuses are English proficiency and character building
Hyderabad
COURSEWORK
