Post 2: Welcome to Shillong!!

 

After two hours of waiting at Delhi's airport due to a plane delay, a 2-hour flight, and a 4-hour drive, we arrived in Shillong!!!! I came with my two friends and colleagues, Veronica and Nicole. We made our way to the Meghalaya Administrative Training Institute (MATI) in the middle of the darkness and rain, the place that would be our home for the next two months. We arrived at around 9 pm, exhausted! The site manager, Bah Precious, offered a chai tea to rest and warm-up. Since then, we learned that out of respect in the Khasi culture, men should be called Bah and women Kong before their name.

Before I go further with my first impressions of our new home, I'll give you a brief background on Shillong and Meghalaya. Shillong is the capital of Meghalaya, located in northeastern India. Meghalaya's population is approximately three million, English is the official language, and the most spoken language is Khasi (34%) and Garo (32%). Unlike other Indian states, the dominant religion is Christianity (86%), and they follow a matrilineal system.

Source: Location Meghalaya, India. Coordinates. Wikipedia. 

Coming back to my first night at MATI, after the short context pause; that night, we could rest; however, a little sunlight began to enter through my window at 4:30 am. Dear friends! Sunrise is at 4:30 am!!! India only has a one-time zone, and we are very far to the east, so it rises and falls very early. Despite being a morning person, feeling the light so early is difficult.

The next day, Bah Precious kindly decided to be our tour guide and took us to various places around Shillong. The landscapes are fantastic; everything is green; you are surrounded by vegetation, mountains, and waterfalls—something I would never imagine seeing in India. It reminds me of some parts of Colombia with similar geography. I told my parents that I was in a place similar to a town called Anapoima in Colombia so they could understand me and imagine my life.

                                                

Upon my arrival, I am full of expectations for what we will do on a day-to-day basis in our internship, the topics we will work on, and future field trips where I will learn more about the Indian culture and its diversity.