Tues June 29 and Wed June 30, 2010:
Had a long day of traveling from Dallas, TX to Ahmedabad, India. Flew American Airlines to Newark, NJ and then switched to Air India. The short transfer on Air India in Frankfurt, Germany was a hassle. We had to de-plane, go through security (again), and wait to re-board for the same seat assignments (new crew). The shuttles out to the aircraft took forever and delayed the flight. I'm glad that on the return flight we fly direct from India to New York. The flights were generally good. A little turbulence here and there, but nothing major.
Air India flight was on an older but refurbished plane. It had little leg-room, but plenty of overhead compartment space, plus personal video screens, complimentary headphones, pillow, blanket, etc. We had two curry meals on the way over. I opted first for lamb, then vegetarian (lamb was better). The flight was nearly full so the plane was very crowded and customs and luggage claim in Ahmedabad was a mad-house. We arrived at 9:25pm (local time). Our one flight took up the entire waiting area in the little Ahmedabad airport. It was hot (even at night), with no moving air and a slow wait. Most travelers had lots of luggage to claim, so the baggage area was crazy. My bag got fairly beaten up, and one wheel is nearly coming off. I'll probably need to replace the suitcase before we fly home.
Once our group was ready to leave the airport, we were bussed about a 45 minute drive outside the city to the MICA campus. The campus (what we could see of it in the dark) looks small but nice. Our rooms are in the new dorms that will usually house the PhD candidates. The dorm area was under construction the last time an SMU group came two years ago. From what we were told these accomodations are much nicer than those they shared last time. Our rooms have a bathroom en suite, plus two twin beds, two desks, two separate cabinets for clothes, and a shared vanity area. The shower set-up was like nothing I've ever seen before. A whole slew of faucet fixutres are on the bathroom wall, with a curtain separating them from the toilet, and a small drain on the floor. It was interesting trying to figure it out and not make a mess all over the bathroom. My roommate and I unpacked, showered, called home, and got to bed about 2am. We have a breakfast and orientation to attend for Day One at 9:30am.
First impressions of India: hot, sticky, pungent, loud, grimy, crowded, assertive, friendly, and gracious.
Bible Reading from Our Daily Bread Devotional today: Matthew 6:25-34 on not worrying. It was very fitting for the start of this trip. A good reminder for me to surrender my circumstances and needs to God, and turn my worries into prayers and/or actions instead!
