India

As a young girl I dreamed about the days I could travel back to Hyderabad, India, the city and country I was born in. The first semester of college I went to the study abroad fair and took back 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.

However I was not sure which location and by the end of my search I found a program in the perfect city and....

...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 spoke highly of India and spent a significant portion of his young adult summers in India. He would tell me stories of how hospitable the locals were, his experience in Indian villages and how much he wishes he could go back.

Then the date came, December 26, 2016 --the day after Christmas I was at MSP saying goodbye to my family as I was about to embark on my journey across the Atlantic, stopping in Heathrow (London) and flew into DEL (Indira Gandhi International Airport). I was greeted by our travel guide, Surinder Singh, who brought our group around Northern India as we toured Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.

The architecture blew my mind, the vibrant colors and delicious food. I felt at home and was so excited for the five months ahead of me.

From the end of 2016 until May of 2017 I lived, studied and travelled all over India.

The program was incredible, I was able to take classes and experience the rich Indian culture, from the food, transportation, met amazing people, and visiting a few beautiful cities, all in five months.