People, people, and more people. This was one of the key differences I first noticed when entering the ‘City of Dreams.’ Coming to a place where the population of the city alone is 4 times more than the population of the entire country, seeing the rush compared to New Zealand was definitely eye-opening. Viewing Mumbai…Continue Reading The Magic of Mumbai
It would be dishonest to suggest that my expectations of Mumbai were entirely positive. Conversations prior to my departure had instilled me with greater caution than optimism. It has taken but a week for that caution to be replaced with awe and a true appreciation of the city in which I find myself. What could…Continue Reading An Expectation Exceeded
The title is not an exaggeration! Arrival 🛬 Arriving here, I was expecting a city a bit busier than Auckland — noisier too. I was expecting the weather to be slightly warm (even though it is winter in Mumbai) and public transport to be easy to manoeuvre. But I was off target on so many…Continue Reading Keeping Pace with Mumbai’s Heartbeat
Arriving in Mumbai was an experience I’ll never forget. Seventeen of us crammed into vans with barely any room, bags hoisted onto the roof, and a makeshift seatbelt strap handed to me in the front seat. As I settled into this chaotic, lively scene, I knew I was in for an adventure. In my first…Continue Reading First Impressions of Mumbai: My First Week
Since arriving in Mumbai 8 days ago, I’ve taken 182,212 steps, spent 434 minutes on trains, ridden in 12 taxis and 14 tuk-tuks, spent 24 hours at my internship, handed out just as many bars of soap, tried at least 1 new food at every meal, attended 2 hockey trainings, and visited 4 forts. Like…Continue Reading Numbers Tell a Story – But Not the Whole Truth
Where to begin? My first week in Mumbai has been such a whirlwind of adventure that it’s hard to sum up in just a few hundred words. I embarked on this journey to push myself out of my comfort zone and discover more about who I am. What better way to grow than by throwing…Continue Reading Mastering Mumbai, one street at a time 🛺
It’s beautiful how the stories we tell can come full circle. Recently, I spoke to my congregation about seeing the face of God in the least among us. To illustrate this point, I shared a story about a woman who receives this letter from God: “I will be coming over for dinner tonight. Please prepare…Continue Reading The Face of God in Mumbai
What an incredible first week in Mumbai! It’s hard to describe the mix of emotions I’ve experienced so far. I have never quite felt the way I did on Tuesday on the way to my internship for the first time. The nerves and excitement that rushed through my body were incredible – being that much…Continue Reading My Arrival in Mumbai📍🇮🇳
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all” – Helen Keller I’m writing this as I sit at Kochi Airport in Kerala, three hours early for my flight back to Mumbai. It’s the perfect time to reflect on what has been an incredible, whirlwind week. Honestly, it feels like I’ve lived 900 different…Continue Reading From Smog to Spice and many Surprises!
On the first day of our internships, I faced a 3 hour commute, on local trains, with no knowledge of the language, all alone. It was petrifying. After the first few stops, a young girl, no older than 11 perched herself beside me. She was in tears, begging her mum to stay, despite clearly needing…Continue Reading “The Girl On The Train”