First Days in Baroda

July 22- We packed up to get ready for the overnight train ride to Baroda. The train station was a little chaotic. Once we got settled in the train almost everyone seemed ready for some rest.

July 23- We arrived in Baroda and checked into the Maharaja Sajajiro University of Baroda guest house. After lunch, some of us freshened up or took a nap before going to the university's Department of Human Development and Family Studies. There we learned some similarities to our own department back at Purdue. We were also able to take a tour of the department. After meeting some of the fauculty and students at the school we left and went back to the guest house and the girls decided to go to the 7 Seas Mall. There most of us enjoyed a meal from McDonalds and some of us had Chinese food. After getting ice cream, we went back to the guest house for the night.
July 24- In the morning we had breakfast at the guest house and then had our course meetings. A few of us needed some rest while the rest of the group went to Dominos Pizza for lunch, and went to an internet cafe to check emails and facebook. Then everyone met back at the guest house to go through a garden located across from the guest house. In the garden, we were able to see lots of monkeys and a variety of plants. We ended our walk at Bal Bhavan, which is an activity center for children ages 5-16. At Bal Bhavan, children are able to participate in a variety of activities such as dance, karate, and art.
After touring Bal Bhavan, we were split up into two groups. Each group visited the homes of a student from M.S. University. One group enjoyed a traditional Gujarati dinner. We sat on the floor to eat and also used our hands instead of silverware. The other group ate in a more Westernized dining style, where we sat in the family room in chairs around a few small tables and enjoyed an Indian meal. We also took a tour of their house and took pictures with one another.