So I have been in India for about 5 weeks and it has been a whirlwind. Coming in to India in Chennai was ridiculous. Its a big city and there are lots of people. Although we spent 3 days there, its still all a blur. Eating and sleeping is mostly what I remember interspersed with Autorickshaw rides, Hot Nux, and being overwhelmed by the sights and smells.

The Andaman Islands were gorgeous and I had a blast there SCUBA diving, doing reef transects, going to all the different beaches, strand lines, seeing and meeting the people, eating the food. I was sad to leave but I made a promise to myself to go back in the future. I even signed it in the guest book, so I have to. Leaving the Andamans was full of mixed emotions, leaving the familiar island lifestyle and people, yet excited to go out to discover what else India has to offer me.

Finally arriving in Pondicherry after another night in Chennai was like a blessing. Some place to call "home" after traveling for 2 weeks. We chose our huts, met the staff, and got the run down on how things go while we are here as well as what we were going to be doing in the future. When I was moved in my hut it hit me, that I really was going to be in India for 3 months. How I felt, I really can't describe because I don't really know. Excited to learn new things, excited to get to know the city and the people, homesick, and worried about how the group dynamics would play out because I lived with another small group last semester so I kind of know how it goes. But seeing the city, the beaches, the people, and starting to do some "class" I realized that I am going to come home with so much knowledge and many memories.

I'm excited for our group research project, independent projects, seeing more of India, and learning all I can while I'm here.

Remember the Seinfeld episode that was played backwards, the one that had Elaine travel all the way to India for a wedding? At the beginning of the episode, which was actually the end of the half-hour time slot, Elaine gets the invitation in the mail and reacts by saying, "Yeah, like I'm going to India."

Well, that's kind of how I felt when I got an email from my program advisor informing me of the opportunity of studying abroad in India. I laughed when I read the email and said the exact same thing Elaine said, "Yeah, like I'm going to India." Turns out we both wound up making the trip, however my experience is real of course, hers is made in some Hollywood studio.

Already, five solid weeks into the program, I have many memories. My first auto ride through the crowded streets of Chennai, scuba diving in the Andaman Islands, my first couple of bathroom visits after my first couple of Indian meals, the countless numbers of new species of living things I've encountered, all of these, brand new. This place is another world. But it wasn't until today, sitting on the beach watching the waves crash onto the beach, that I thought about why I decided to take that email from my advisor serious. After a few breaths of ocean breeze and a couple of glances from some curious crabs inside their sandy abodes is when I remembered the very moment that I decided to take this probable life changing experience.

It was in the spring of last year. It was a Thursday morning and I was filling out my class schedule for my senior year. I remember it being Thursday because I had no classes on that day and Ted was crashing at my place because Friday night he would be our drummer for our show at Boxers. Ted was a great guy for filling in as our drummer and I'll never forget the stories he told me about his semester at sea. I didn't know him that well but he and I shared a few interests, music and marine biology, just to name a few. He told me, if I was interested in marine biology as much as he was, that I should get involved in a semester at sea or a similar adventure. Looking at my boring schedule, I felt unsatisfied. That's when I emailed Dr. Pelkey and said, hey, tell me about India. Just for the recorded, we rocked Boxers to the ground.

After a few emails from Neil and some meetings with the lovely Jarmila, the rest was history and here I am. Eating, breathing, having nightmares about all about rice! Maybe the nightmares are from the mefloquine, who knows?

Now, I can't give all the credit to Ted for me being in India. My parents were very supportive of my decision to venture off to a distant world. I can't even imagine them having a restful night while I'm here knowing that their beloved son is in the company of scorpions, cobras, vipers, sea kraits, malaria juiced mosquitoes, and hot Euro-Babes stationed in Goa patiently waiting to get their hands on a defenseless, naive boy like myself during Spring Break. All of these potential threats would keep any parent awake at night. And what would they do should something happen? I'm in India! I'm on the other side of the world! And that's where it's up to me. And that's where I give my next bit of credit, to myself. This is a huge responsibility being over here. I need to be on my toes and have eyes in the back of my head for the next 3 months. I felt that if I could handle a year of O-chem as a freshman and 3 and 1/2 years of other Juniata shenanigans, I felt that I could at least handle 3 and 1/2 months in India.

I'm not only on this adventure for the outstanding knowledge in marine science and biology, there is also one other piece of knowledge that I would like to keep in the back of my mind. And that is knowing that I did it. I survived India. I survived the heat, the curry, the snakes, the traffic, the homesickness, the studies, and everything else India will toss my way. To me that piece of information will be the most valued, remembered and worth price of admission.

Zak Kupchinsky

If you would like to post to this blog, please email me @

pelkey at juniata dot edu

Welcome to the india marine science travelogue. We will be posting to this weekly to give you all an idea of the Juniata College India Marine Science Course. There will be new posts every week.

Please feel free to comment, leave messages, or ask for help. In general, join us in this journey.

Back from paradise

Well we all survived 10 days in paradise. We stayed in Cafe Del Mar on Havelock Island. The weather was unusually cold for the islands. It ranged between 75 and 85 degrees the entire time.

The cook there is a Tamilian named Selvam. His cooking was absolutely fabulous. I will leave it to the students to fill you in on the variety.

The concierge was an occasiionally worried chap named Santosh. he also did a fabulous job.

We were treated to fabulous scuba training by Jez, Gayathri, and Umeeth. Jez loves diving, Gayathri loves nudibranchs (sea slugs), and Umeeth gets pretty excited about symbiosis. While none were scientists by vocation all were great naturalists by avocation.

Well with this little teaser started, I need to sign off and pester the students to post.

More later.
NWP

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