Today was our first day in India. We landed at the Delhi airport at around 6am, so our first look at India was the sunrise over New Delhi. All of the things that I heard about India were on display: the smells, the amount of people, the crazy drivers and all the animals roaming the streets. It was truly incredible. 

We went straight from the airport to a five hour bus ride to Dehradun. Even though it was just a bus ride, I had an amazing time and I loved getting to take it all in from a bus window before it engulfed me. I got to just sit in the bus and listen to my music and look at all the wonders passing by. 

For me, the most impactful thing I saw was the sheer amount of homes in Delhi. It is the most populated place on the planet but you don’t really understand what that means until you see it. There are an extraordinary number of homes and people everywhere. 

After taking in all the views for a couple of hours, I started playing road trip games with my classmates. The games were a lot of fun and a good way to enjoy our time on the road. 

After arriving in Dehradun and getting all checked-in, we went straight to the AASRAA Trust and met hundreds of kids who are sheltered and fed there. We talked to groups of them at a time. We got some insight into their lives and we told them a bit about ourselves. I enjoyed getting to talk to the kids because it gave me a good introduction to the hospitality and excitement of the people here. We watched them perform some songs and dances which were very impressive. Then it was our turn, and we performed a song and a dance for them from the Ramayana. After wrapping up at the Trust we headed back to the hotel and had dinner.