1. THE TAJ!!!!

    A couple weekends ago we finally got to go to Agra! We visited the Agra Fort and (drumroll please)….. THE TAJ MAHAL!!!!!! It was a marvelous sight! It was packed with tourists, but even more than that, it was packed with Indians! Here’s the thing. It costs a foreigner 750 rupees (or about fifteen dollars) to get into the Taj Mahal, and it only costs an Indian 20 or 30 rupees. So LOTS of Indians travel to see the Taj. Many of them are from villages, and therefore have never seen a foreigner. Ever. I have never had more people walk up to me, stand in front of me, and (not discreetly, I might add) take a picture of me on their cell phone just because I am white. It’s very strange; they don’t even try to hide the fact that they are doing it. Some people even approach you to ask if they can take a picture with you. I politely decline.

    So, needless to say, we were all PUMPED about getting to go see the Taj. This picture may help convey our level of excitement.

    This is the stereotypical “YOU HAVE TO DO THIS WHEN YOU GO TO THE TAJ” picture. Yeah, that’s right, I’m holding up one of the wonders of the world by my FINGERTIPS!!

    The Agra Fort was really neat, too! It was massive, and from it you can see the Taj Mahal just across the river. Here is a picture of the main entrance to the fort!

    And here is just a neat picture of what I thought was a really cool structure of columns in the Agra fort.

    All in all, it was a really cool weekend! I think I might add all the wonders of the world to my bucket list. This one definitely did not disappoint!

    Lastly, here is a picture of my whole group in front of the Taj Mahal. Framer, for sure!!

  2. This past weekend, we entered total tourist mode and went to see a couple famous Indian sites. This one in the background is definitely NOT the Taj Mahal, it’s another impressive structure called Humayun’s Tomb. However, the Taj will definitely be visited in the near future. I am anxiously anticipating that day.

    This past weekend, we entered total tourist mode and went to see a couple famous Indian sites. This one in the background is definitely NOT the Taj Mahal, it’s another impressive structure called Humayun’s Tomb. However, the Taj will definitely be visited in the near future. I am anxiously anticipating that day.

  3. The Free Market at its Finest

    It’s no secret (economics degree here) that I’m a bigtime fan of the free market. Something that I love doing here in India is to use this system to my advantage when negotiating with our auto drivers.

    Here’s what happens. You approach an auto driver and tell him where you want to go. He initially says a very high price, thinking that since you aren’t an Indian you might not know you’re being ripped off. So you laugh at his price and say, “that’s a joke, right?” You proceed to name a price that’s about a third or a half of his original amount (you go a little lower than you actually want to pay). He says “no no no” in the best English he can, then says a new price that’s barely lower than his original. So you say, “No way,” and you raise your most recent price by about ten rupees (or twenty cents).

    Here’s where the laws of supply and demand come into play and it becomes a little more fun. You repeat your price, and when he won’t come down to that, you start walking away towards the rest of the auto drivers (there is usually a cluster of them). Since supply (the auto drivers) exceeds demand (you) by a large amount, you have all the market power. So as you’re walking away from auto driver #1 to approach auto driver #2, auto driver #1 generally will shout at you that he will accept your price. You walk back to him, verify that he agrees to your price, and you go to your destination for a bargain. Victory: Americans.

  4. A comical aspect of India: the men love holding hands. This is a pretty common thing over here. This country just has so many little idiosyncracies that you just can’t help but chuckle at. This is definitely one of them.

    A comical aspect of India: the men love holding hands. This is a pretty common thing over here. This country just has so many little idiosyncracies that you just can’t help but chuckle at. This is definitely one of them.

  5. Neighborhood Friends

    Well, there are a lot more stray animals running around this country than I am used to. I have seen each of the following taking strolls around my neighborhood: dogs, pigs, cows, goats, and I think maybe even a few chickens. Keep in mind, we live in a good size city. Can you imagine pigs just trotting along a street in Los Angeles?

    So these pigs just kind of peacefully trot around and mind their own business. They live a few blocks away. The other day, however, a cow posted up in the lot right next to our house. About ten feet away from our house. Not every day you walk out of your front door and are face to face with a cow!

     

    These goats weren’t actually in our neighborhood, but we ran into them in a different part of the city.

    And same goes for this chicken (rooster?).

    So these are just a few of new friendly faces I have gotten used to seeing during my first few weeks!

  6. This is a view from a ride on the Delhi metro! (Touched up and brightened by instagram, of course) In some ways, the Delhi metro makes you feel more like you’re in London than in India. After the next stop is announced in Hindi, it is announced again in English by a recording of a British lady, ending with “please mind the gap.” Just like the London tube! Certain parts of the metro are above ground, which mean you can sort of sight-see while in transit! Hence, this picture. While I was taking this picture, I guess I drew a little extra attention to myself, because all of the Indians sitting around me started turning around and scanning the area to see what on earth I could be taking a picture of. It was kind of comical; I guess they just aren’t used to enjoying the sights on their daily ride!

    This is a view from a ride on the Delhi metro! (Touched up and brightened by instagram, of course)

    In some ways, the Delhi metro makes you feel more like you’re in London than in India. After the next stop is announced in Hindi, it is announced again in English by a recording of a British lady, ending with “please mind the gap.” Just like the London tube!

    Certain parts of the metro are above ground, which mean you can sort of sight-see while in transit! Hence, this picture. While I was taking this picture, I guess I drew a little extra attention to myself, because all of the Indians sitting around me started turning around and scanning the area to see what on earth I could be taking a picture of. It was kind of comical; I guess they just aren’t used to enjoying the sights on their daily ride!

  7. This is Khan Market in Delhi. We visited here last week! I’ve heard it compared to Rodeo Drive, in the way that everyone in India knows what it is even if they have never been or don’t live in the area. I found my favorite Indian food to date at this market, at an apparently very famous restaurant called Khan Cha Cha. Their chicken tikka roll… delicious.

    This is Khan Market in Delhi. We visited here last week! I’ve heard it compared to Rodeo Drive, in the way that everyone in India knows what it is even if they have never been or don’t live in the area.

    I found my favorite Indian food to date at this market, at an apparently very famous restaurant called Khan Cha Cha. Their chicken tikka roll… delicious.

  8. First Impressions of India

    After arriving late last night, here are a few of my first impressions of India:

    It is SO HOT and HUMID. I keep reminding myself: it’s July. It’s expected. But apparently this isn’t even the hottest month.

    Drivers do not use the lane markings on the road, or seem to follow any other kind of driving rules for that matter. I asked someone who has been living here awhile if traffic laws even existed in India. (They do, in case you were curious.)

    People stare more here than what counts as socially acceptable in America. It kind of weirded me out at first. It will take some getting used to, for sure. I want to stare right back, but then I stop because I feel mean.

    Power outages: daily way of life. No, really. It’s a miracle if you have less than ten outages per day. I promise I’m not being over-dramatic.

    In short, India is a completely different world that’s gonna take some getting used to.  But I’m excited to learn the ropes over here and start adjusting to daily life.

  9. Oklahoma’s Dynamic Duo… Remixed.

    Oklahoma’s Dynamic Duo… Remixed.

  10. "Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore."

About me

Hi! My name is Lauren and I'm 22. I love Harry Potter, chicken fingers, and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

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