"Stop planning. Stop wanting. Stop hoping. Just do."

Me to Me (via sonofafieldnegro)

(via thafourth)

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mmmm i wanted more decorative than this honestly #boring #nosering #india #indian #travel

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a page from bharvu’s general knowledge school book - india. auto rickshaw. love it.

i feel like “the best exotic marigold hotel” (almost) perfectly depicts rajasthan. please watch for a view of my life.

the raja just told me i could stay for free in his haveli as long as i want and to cancel my flight. the RAJA. he was serious too.

omg

the raja of bhadrajun is in udaipur. and i saw my drivers and singhji. my life is complete, now im ready for my flights home.

last full day

it’s the morning of my last full day in udaipur - tomorrow i fly out to delhi with a 9 hr layover until my flights to hong kong/chicago. i was originally booked for an overnight train to delhi tonight, but apparently i lost my adventurousness this past week. probably because of the large amounts of tourists here.. it makes it easy to be “comfortable.” since it’s my last full day here, that also means it’s my last day volunteering at animal aid. thank you SO much to everyone who helped me by donating, i was able to fully fund my living expenses while volunteering (though i am completely out of money now - literally the equivalent of $6 in my bag to last me today and tomorrow in the airport haha). however, if anyone is interested in donating directly to animal aid i know they (and i) would appreciate it so much. i really believe they use every dollar the right way, they are a staff of GREAT, caring people who made me feel welcome the moment i stepped on their grounds, and it was so easy for me to see how much they care about the animals they are rescuing and treating. their website is animalaidunlimited.com! ANYWAY! i am so sad im leaving now that the day is almost here. my homestay has been great - again, such welcoming, caring people. i am eating my last dinner with them tonight (since i haven’t eaten dinner with them in like a week with my stomach being sick..). and singhji, my tour guide, arrives in udaipur today with his new group so i am hoping to meet up with them and the drivers tonight or tomorrow!

p.s. finally ate indian mcdonalds. mcveggie. mcspicy paneer. why don’t we have these options.

horses

just stayed the night & went horse back riding at a “ranch” in india. i feel like this is one of the sketchiest things ive done…

blah

right now it’s the “diwali festival” - hindu festival of lights, and it’s basically as big as Christmas. where everything’s closed, schools out, etc. everyone paints their front steps, puts candles in every room, hangs up lights and decorations, wears their best outfits, shoots off fireworks. and of course during this joyous time of year i get sick with a stomach bug for the first time since ive been here (why does this happen a week before i go home?!) and then today i got burned by the motorbike i take to and from Animal Aid. im feeling sort of….blah.

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happy diwali #india #udaipur #temple #holiday #decorations #travel #happy

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maggie

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babies @ animal aid

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my packed hot lunch

udaipur life

im finally all settled in to my life in udaipur. ive been in udaipur over a week, but this is my 6th day at the house im staying at. i live with a family of 4 generations - a great-grandma, a grandma/grandpa, a son & his wife, and their 2 daughters (7 yrs & 1 yr). i usually eat breakfast there before i go volunteer at animal aid for the day - whatever they prepare, which is always always so good. and then a guy from another side of the family takes me to animal aid (about 10km out) on his motorbike and brings me a packed hot lunch from his wife’s cooking. volunteering at animal aid has been so much fun so far. they have tons of dogs, cows, donkeys, and pigs - all which either live there permanently because their injuries wouldn’t allow for them to fend for themselves outside of the shelter, or they are being treated in hopes of release. the dogs in india are mostly “street dogs” not pets as we would think of them - and there are dogs that are paralyzed, blind, with 3 legs, etc. that live at the shelter because they wouldn’t be able to live on the streets anymore. since i have shelter dog experience ive been more or less “placed” in “A” kennel where dogs with injuries that need treatment stay (all kinds of injuries from dog bites, infections, tumors, fractures, whatever). depending on what time i get there in the morning i help with feeding and making sure every dog has water, and then we do a round of treatments where ill help hold the dogs. i can also take dogs for walks (as long as they’re okay on a chain because remember they’re not used to being leashed) and ill work specifically with a dog or two to get them adjusted, coax them to eat, and just generally give them love. the last few days ive been hanging out w a sweet girl who had an infection in both eyes. one of her eyes is much better and pretty much back to normal but her other eye was infested with maggots and completely opened up. she was super shy and didn’t want to be touched and wouldn’t eat, but now ive gotten her to come out of her kennel on her own and she’ll follow me around nudging me to pet her. in only a few days ive already had such a rewarding experience! once i leave for the day i go back to my house and occasionally will go out to a cafe or shops - i live right in the center of tourist nation.. and usually i go back home for dinner. the homestay has definitely been a challenge, there’s a small language barrier, and you feel like you’re constantly intruding, but the family has been so nice and tries to do everything possible to make me comfortable. the other night i went to a birthday party for singhjis nephew - a little awkward (that’s when you really wish you knew hindi) but still fun. they ate the cake first - and the birthday boy goes around and hand feeds everyone a piece before they serve it. like a wedding lol where the bride & groom feed each other. and the night before that the family bought KFC hahahh i guess it just opened like 2 weeks ago and they really wanted to try it - so awesome because they have vegetarian options. anyway, it’s been really easy to meet people here - foreigners & locals alike, so there’s always something to do if im looking.. can’t believe i will be back home in 10 days!

bittersweet

every day so far in india has been the best day ever, but so so especially happy today. i finally got to visit animal aid, the hospital/shelter ill be volunteering at for (at least) the next 2 weeks and i absolutely loved it. and arun (one of our drivers) took me out saree shopping durrrr of course im happy. i got a frackin beautiful saree that i wore tonight, our last shabang before everyone leaves me tomorrow :(((((( it was at our guides house (which im staying with his family while im here so it was also nice getting to see where ill be living!) and it was just so bittersweet. like so much fun - all dressed up in indian clothes, the drivers got to be with us, music & dance, turban fittings, pictures, henna (even richard got henna…) but the fact that this is the last time for all of this….. no. stop.