Last night, I got to meet up with an Indian couple that are currently students at Princeton Theological Seminary. I was actually surprised at first because as I drove into their residential area I actually drove right past their family without considering that they would be the people that I was meeting. This was because outwardly, they didn't resemble the Indian people that I would be accustomed to seeing . As we talked more and more they shared about their background, and how they are from the Nagaland state, which is in the strip of India that hangs over Bangladesh and borders China and Burma. They shared about how Nagaland and many other states in that area have a greater diversity of Chinese and other ethnic groups, which is probably why I didn't initially recognize them as being "Indian."
It was cool being able to speak with them about what I was doing and how their experiences in India were previously. Ren, the wife, lived in Delhi for a long period of time, and Panger, the husband, also spent some time in Bangalore, where I'll be going for a week in July. They shared on some insights that would be helpful for my time there - things like basic Hindi, places I definitely have to check out, and some everyday mannerisms that I'll have to get used to like which side of the road people drive on and which way the light switches turn.
I'm thankful for their input - as I'm getting closer to leaving and setting foot on the ground alone, I'm really anxious to get as much input as possible for anything to expect once I'm there! They've also connected me with some of their friends who are either working and/or studying at universities in Delhi for anything that I might need once I arrive.
3 more days!
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