Parents

PLU strong international focus can be seen in the wide array of academic programs offered in the pursuit of a global education as well as in the great efforts to provide students with many opportunities to experience different cultures first hand. Many Study Away programs (from a few weeks to a year) are available to students every semester. For more information on the programs offered please visit the Wang Center website.

Below is a blog posted by Amanda Peterson, a Junior at PLU currently studying away in India. Enjoy her accounts of the first few days of her stay!

There is so much to tell you all in this second post, but I will try to keep things to the point. We’ll see how successful that is…. My stay at the group residence flew by so quickly as our Orientation has been extremely packed with activities. Exhaustion every day became the norm, not only from how busy we were but also simply from the heat and humidity that plagued me the moment I rolled out of bed in the morning to prepare for the day. Just as soon as I was getting used to living with the other students, I moved in with my new host family. They are an interesting and jovial bunch, so I'll spend a little space talking about my first impressions.

Lata (I call her Auntie) is the mom. She is in her last year of studying for a law degree at Delhi University (over 50,000 students!!!). She is fairly traditional in the way she dresses (i.e. no jeans), but she has a light, pleasant spirit, sings around the house all the time, and is definitely a "comforting hugger", which I love.

Vinod (I call him Uncle) is the dad. He works in real estate, which means long hours every day and on holidays when other people have time to make appointments with him. He is a very hard worker and disciplined; Lata said that I'd fall in his favor if I was also disciplined and not wild!

Manu (short for Manurut) is my little sister. She can be quiet but will often break into excitement when there is school or family drama to tell me about. She has beautiful, deep eyes and is tall for her age. I also have a brother, Vikrant, but he goes to school at SUNY Buffalo in and is not home for the summer.

I live in a huge gated suburb of Delhi about 45 minutes from the center of the city. It is 5km from the airport and from what will soon be Asia's biggest shopping mall. A Hindu temple sits right outside my window, where ringing bells and singing can be heard in the morning and evenings. There is also a wonderful green park where my father, sister and I often walk in the mornings at 6am! I have my own room where I share a closet and bathroom with my sister, but the whole family sleeps together in a huge air-conditioned room in the summer when it's too hot…the mom and dad on the floor and Manu and me in the bed. They have a maid who comes to help cook, clean and wash clothes, but she leaves in the afternoon. A drying rack is how my clothes are dried outside, which has so far resulted in 2 items marked with bird poop!

Orientation was filled with seminars on topics from safety to health, numerous Indian classical music recitals, and 4 hours of intensive Hindi every day that made my brain feel mushy afterwards. This past weekend all the students traveled to a former British retreat called Nainital in the Himalayan Mountains where the weather is cool and Indian tourists are plenty. Although I had my first bout of major sickness while there, I still thoroughly enjoyed how peaceful and beautiful the area is there; however, it only made the return to Delhi weather that much more painful. The monsoon rains have been pitiful this year, but it rained an amazing amount yesterday, so today the weather is more pleasant.

This week brings the makings of a somewhat regular schedule as my IES classes have finally started. However, I've already made many trips to JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) this week, where I will be taking some graduate courses. So far, I've nothing much to show for my efforts. Upon hearing of my intense frustration, my host mom just said that this is my first cultural experience with Indian bureaucracy and organization, which the university is notorious for. I'm off to visit them again today and will update you all on how it goes. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I've been marked with my first experience with henna (mehndi). As I type, eat, and drink, I'm constantly faced with dark brown flowers, swirls, loops, and a proud peacock that stretch from my fingertips to mid forearm.
 
Until next time!
 
Amanda

Questions?
Wang Center
253-535-7577  
wangctr@plu.edu