Down to the wire!

Now that the end of the semester is behind me, I am in full prep mode! With only 11 days to our departure, getting ready this time around seems a lot easier than when I travelled to India in 2013. My good friend and I booked our tickets and basically winged it almost the whole three weeks we were there! It worked out pretty well, for the most part.

This time around, the entire trip has been planned for me AND I have my OCI (Overseas Citizenship of India) card that I am excited to present in New Delhi. I am looking forward to meeting the people in India that my University has formed a relationship with. I am nervous about questions people may ask me, seeing my Indian appearance and hearing only an American accent, and interested to see how I will respond. I'll be experiencing yoga as a beginner again. While I've practiced yoga since 2012, it has has been heavily influenced by the West. I wonder what my ancestors would think. I wonder what I will think-I'll either love it or hate it-and then love it again!

I hear there are caves in Rishikesh that lead to the Ganga and I tear up thinking about feeling its waters over my toes. Here's to hoping.

I've been waiting for this return for almost six years, since returning from India for my first visit. It will be beautiful and messy and over in the blink of an eye.

India, I'm comin' for ya!

29 Days til India!

Follow me as I share with you the places we see in India!

My name is Rupa Ryan Kryzer and I am a second year grad student studying Holistic Health in St. Paul, MN. Part of the reason I chose this program was for the opportunity to study abroad in India. Most of my postings will be about the places we go. We will spend two weeks in Northern India in the cities of New Delhi, Haridwar, Rishkesh and Agra. Our visit will include sight seeing and time at a university, an ashram and a hospital. We will be studying healing traditions rooted in ancient wisdom including yoga, meditation and Ayurvedic medicine.

Here are the places we'll be exploring!

New Delhi: general sightseeing including Raj Ghat (Gandhi's bural site) and the Qtab Minar)

Haridwar: DSVV (http://www.dsvv.ac.in/)

Rishikesh: Jeevandhara Ashram (no website) and Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust (http://hihtindia.org/)

Agra: Taj Mahal

Woven within my sharing about our day-today activity will be how I am experiencing this journey as an Indian adoptee (all thoughts, feelings and opinions are all my own and not representative of our whole community) returning to India. Will share photos along the way, as I am able!

More to come as we get closer to our departure (and after the current semester ends!).