Namaste! Vanakkam! Jambo!

I am so excited to meet this new batch of students and get to know you all and walk along side you on this journey. And trust me, it’s going to be a fun and crazy journey! You are going to be challenged in your faith, your viewpoint, and hopefully your attitude and actions in your life back home.

Let me introduce myself so that I’m not as much of a stranger to you. My name is Hannah Brown and I just graduated in May from John Brown University in Arkansas with a B. S. in Child and Family Studies. I grew up in Nairobi, Kenya which really grew my desire to travel and to experience new things. For the Spring semester of my Jr. year of college, I had the opportunity to go on the India Studies Program and it absolutely changed my life! I loved how alive and crazy India is and I really enjoyed getting to know the people and traveling around to see the beautiful sites. It was so fun to ride an elephant, tour the Taj Mahal, swim in the Indian ocean, and celebrate the Indian festival of colors- Holi. The very best part for me, however, was the relationships I made with the people in my batch (group). They challenged me and encouraged me and we helped each other grow. I can honestly say that some of those people are still some of my best friends a year and a half later.

I’ll be honest though that there are some hard things that you will see and experience in India such as power cuts, heat, and beggars. This is where I come in- I will be there living along side you to teach you some of the ropes like how to cross the bustling streets or what food to order. I hope to also support you as you encounter culture shock and process how to apply what you are learning to your everyday life.

You may have some questions or concerns going into this semester such as what to pack (or not pack) and what to expect. Feel free to message me on Facebook regarding those questions-I am here to help!

I kept a blog while on my semester in India so if you would like to get a little idea of what is in store for you, you can check that out at http://india-hannah.blogspot.com/2012/01/on-my-way.html . You can also go to the India Studies Program page on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/pages/India-Studies-Program-ISP/172820189398536 and 'Like' it to see lots of pictures from previous semesters and keep updated.

One more thing: be sure to tell your friends and family to follow this blog because this is where they are going to be seeing updates throughout the semester of what we are up to. I will do my best to keep them in the loop by posting stories and pictures of you on here!

See you in India!     ~Hannah