We made it to India! Finally!! On Thursday afternoon we boarded a seven hour flight to Paris. There, our layover was exciting and filled with Orangina and macaroons. After a little less than three hours of waiting, we got on our second flight - nine hours to Mumbai. The plane was about half full of passengers, so it was great to spread out and occupy two seats. On this flight, most of us got some much needed sleep. We got to Mumbai at about midnight and made it through customs and luggage pickup by 1:30 am. After checking into our hostel at 2:30, we all finally got to sleep horizontally (a luxury we had not been afforded in a while).

Today it took me a little while to realize that it was actually Saturday instead of Friday. We left the hostel at about 9 am and headed for the Gateway to India. The Gateway marks the landing of King George V and Queen Mary from 1911 and when the British occupation of India ended, the last British troops ceremoniously exited through the famed arch. Lots of other tourists were very excited to see us and we received copious requests for pictures with strangers. Following the Gateway to India we ate lunch and then hit the shops. Most of us got skirts, scarves, and tunics to help us dress appropriately while managing the extreme heat (the heat index was 100 today) and found that we aren't so great at bargaining yet. It's okay though, we've got some time to practice.

Tomorrow we are headed to Walchandnagar! I'm very exited to be working with these kids. As the former high school outreach officer for our section of SWE, I was able to work with American high school students many times this year and I'm interested to see the difference between American and Indian teenagers in a school setting.

I look forward to Walchandnagar and the rest of this promising trip!!