From Delhi to Dharamsala

It's now been a full week since I left home. So much has happened that I'm at a loss to know where to start. Everything has gone exceedingly well. Even the usual travel difficulties have had good outcomes. Technology access, however, has been something of a challenge.

It will be impossible to summarize what we've been up to; nonetheless here's an attempt:

Arrival in Delhi: Rebecca met me and my colleagues at the airport in the middle of the night. After getting them sent on their way, we headed toward her flat. It was nice to see where and how she lives: "Very homely" as they say in India. She navigates the hustle and bustle of Delhi with great efficiency. We did a bit of shopping and wandering. Also I hosted an event for Emory alumni and incoming freshmen (and their parents) with the help of an alum who works in the U.S. embassy, which was great fun. The next day, along with one of my colleagues, we met with officials at the Embassy to get some advice regarding visas for visiting scholars and artists trying to get from India to the U.S. It, too, was very successful.

On Wednesday, we headed in a van from Delhi to Dharamsala with others in my group. It was a long and winding road, taking close to 12 hours. Originally we were scheduled to fly, but with rain and storms in the forecast, we spent the day on the road seeing much of northern India along the way.

Finally arriving in Dharamsala was like a long-planned dream coming true. I will write more along those lines in an upcoming entry. And at some point I'll figure out how to get photos from my iPhone to my iPad.