Our group of sixteen students and two professors arrived in New Delhi on an early Sunday morning. After traveling for more than 20 hours from Los Angeles, we were exhausted but equally happy to finally Indian soil. It was an exhilarating moment for me since I had dreamed of visiting India since third grade after seeing "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom." From thereon images of India on my mind continually evolve as I see more movies, read books, interact with its people, and savor bits and pieces of its beautiful culture. Upon arrival at Indira Gandhi International Airport it was hard to contain my excitement, especially with the thought of adding to my image bank. So I braced myself to seeing the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of this country I've come to admire.
Day one in India and the first thing that left an impression on me is the friendliness of the people. Starting at the airport, I was amazed at how friendly and accommodating airport immigration officials are. We were politely directed where to line-up to have our documents checked. Wanting to document every step of the trip, we snapped photos here and there and took group pictures during the wait, but not once did I see a look of impatience from Indian travelers in line or an expression of annoyance from airport personnel. The immigration official who stamped my passport even took the time to pose for the camera after checking my documents and dismissed me with a warm welcome to the country. Never have I taken picture of an immigration official before, much more have my picture taken with one. In my travels I always see them as stern-faced, interrogating figures and I never thought of photographs while in an immigration queue until India. I told myself that if immigration officials are friendly, the general population must be pretty friendly as well. And that rationale proved correct.
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| Pictures of Bollywood stars grace the entrance of airport restrooms in Delhi. |
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One of the many pictures we took as a group while waiting in line at the immigration.
(From left to right: Xinyan, Li, Me, Gloria, Mayra, Alfonso, and Doris) | | | |
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| A quick pose with the immigration official at the booth after stamping my passport. |
On the way to EMPI, our host institution and our home in Delhi for two days, we were warmly greeted by Prof. Vipin's father. He met us during a quick stop on the side of the road to take photos of the monkey god Hanuman. It was so nice of him to warmly welcome us to India with a smile and a handshake as each one of us exited the bus. After unloading our luggage at EMPI, he also welcomed us with fragrant flower garlands that left us beaming from ear to ear. Nothing feels better than to be welcomed warmly with a genuine smile, a handshake, and flowers after a long journey from the other side of the globe.
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| Alfonso being greeted by Dr. Vipin's father upon exiting the bus. Mayra comes next. |
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Donning of garlands. Jesse above smiling as he gets his welcome in flowers
while I happily posed with mine. |
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| Gabriella and Dr. Lin with Prof. Vipin's father in front of an EMPI building. |
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| The group happy to have finally arrived at EMPI. |
More warm welcomes followed during our stay in Delhi and as we traveled to different parts of Jaipur and Agra. The faculty, students, and staff at EMPI were also very welcoming, accommodating, and exudes friendliness during our short stay with them in Delhi. They did their best to make our stay comfortable, enjoyable, and a pleasant one by allowing us access to their facilities, providing us with great cafeteria food, giving us the chance to exchange ideas with their intelligent student body, showing us interesting points around the city, and preparing a special dinner on our behalf. With these, I see that Indian people are the most welcoming hosts and in nature are very hospitable and warm toward their guests. Below are some pictures depicting the friendliness of our host in Delhi. I really appreciate EMPI for having us, for being the most gracious host and for showing us true Indian hospitality.
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| Getting a bindi and more garlands from EMPI students. |
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| Rangoli, a traditional decorative floor art to welcome guests. |
Tea break by the window overlooking an Old Delhi farmland.
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| Alfonso and Doris enjoying lunch at EMPI cafeteria. |
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| EMPI staff helping Gloria and Gabriella access the Internet. |
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| At the Lotus Temple in Delhi with students from EMPI and Colombia. |
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Archi Dam, an EMPI student, takes Alfonso's picture
at the Red Fort while Robert looks on. |
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CSUSB and EMPI students at the campus ground after day 1 workshop.
Some of the photos taken on our second day
with EMPI students, faculty, and staff...
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EMPI faculty and students introducing us to traditional Indian accessories.
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| EMPI and CSUSB students happy to work together. |
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CSUSB guys looking good in traditional Indian accessories.
A night of good food, good music, and dancing sponsored by EMPI.
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EMPI student teaching CSUSB students basic Indian moves.
(From left to right: Gabriella, James, Jesse, and Ashley) |
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EMPI and CSUSB students having a grand time dancing.
Thanks for having us, EMPI. Your hospitality is appreciated
and hope to meet you guys again in the future. |
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