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Vijayawada

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Katie Revell

Friday 01 September 2006

This is going to have to be pretty quick I'm afraid; loads to say but the library is closing soon and the librarian looks kinda stern...

I'm here. It doesn't feel that odd to say that; I don't know whether the culture shock is just delayed or whether I'm just thick-skinned but I've found it relatively easy to adjust. The heat is probably the main issue - it's hot, unsurprisingly. And the 'Second Summer' is yet to come.

We arrived in Hyderabad which was our first taste of India. The car ride through the city to the guesthouse where we stayed was crazy enough: India doesn't seem to have such things as traffic rules; rather, people use their horns and a dose of luck to navigate their way through the streets. Vijayawada, however, seems to be even more manic than Hyderabad. The campus is reasonably sheltered (but still noisy) but on our way here we saw some of the city. There is advertising on every available surface; you are constantly bombarded with pictures and words. The noise is impressive too: car horns, dogs, people...Everybody uses the road together - pedestrains, rickshaws, motorcycles, tuk-tuks (three-wheelers), cars. And we've seen a few cows, too.

We're still settling in here having arrived at the College late last night. We have a meeting on Monday with the principle to discuss what we'll actually be doing - I think it'll be a mix of conversational English and getting involved with some of the social work the students do outside the College. All the teachers, students and Sisters are very friendly and have made us feel welcome, although obviously the environment is still alien.

I'm going to have to go, but hopefully I'll be able to give a more comprehensive update soon!

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