India 2015

I'm very behind on these posts, yet I refuse to compromise not doing some of them. It's a bit of a problem. Therefore, my updates are slow and rather outdated at this point, but I couldn't miss this one.

As most of you know, I was able to travel to India to host the 2015 MOS India Championship. At Certiport, we have international partners (distributors) that sell and market our certifications. One of the biggest Microsoft marketing tools they have is the MOS Championship, which then allows students to compete in our World Championships here in the United States.

Even before I got my new role as Competitions Manager, I made sure to put in my two cents about helping with the India event. I've always wanted to go to India, and I wanted to make sure that if the opportunity arose, that the higher-ups knew that I was interested. Well kids, nagging works because I got the job!

It was months of early morning calls and thousands (literally) of emails exchanged, but it was a life-changing experience. I wouldn't change it for the world and I'm so excited to be going again next year.

As I'm sure you know, getting to India from Salt Lake is a hideously long flight. By the time we landed in Delhi, I was completely exhausted. I met some darling Brasilian tourists in customs and everything was great. We arrived in the middle of the night, so I remember leaving the airport thinking it would be relatively cool. Unfortunately this was not the case. India is always humid, always hot, and I was always sticky. The weather ranged from a cool 90ish to over 110 degrees while we were there. Needless to say, I looked wilted for much of the trip.

After a much needed night sleep, we were off to explore. We stayed at the ITC Maurya, a gorgeous hotel in the Diplomat District. I loved seeing little details like this all around the hotel. Plus a gorgeous view.

Bowls of Jasmine Everywhere

Gorgeous Fountain!

Lobby Ceiling

Statues Everywhere!

Orchids by the Dozen 

Green for Miles!

Our first day we met with some of my coworkers from our Pearson VUE India office, Sandeep and Suraj, and they acted as our guides for the entire week. It was so helpful to have natives because they knew all the best places to shop, eat, and experience the Indian culture. 

Shopping was an absolute blast! I love getting cultural items from my trips, so they took us to the perfect spots. Our first day we went to Janpath Market. There were tiny shops selling everything from bindi stickers to shoes to full length, authentic saris. I was in heaven!

Hannah Want!

To Die For Fabrics!

So. Much. Color. 

Shoes for Days

I'll Take One of Everything

Rugs, Pillows, and Tablecloths. Oh My!

I was seriously in love with this place! Shop owners flagged you down and showed you all of their most colorful stuff. Some of the American tourists would get frustrated, but I just thought it was funny. I couldn't get enough of the place. It was everything that I hoped India would be: Hot, colorful, spicy, and vibrant. 

Since we wanted to experience as much of the culture as we could, we also took one of these around town: 

Rickshaw Anyone? 

"Natural" AC

We were also doing some video work for our event, which means we had my boss try to drive the rickshaw while we filmed. That gave our driver a nice laugh. Driving/riding around in Delhi is absolutely insane. There are no traffic laws and everyone just goes where they please. Not gonna lie, it frightened me at first, but it soon became the norm.

We had to experience the local cuisine as well. Oh. My. All I can say is, Indian food is amazing! So many rich flavors and textures. For lunch we had traditional food from southern India: dosas with sambhar, and idli. The dosas were these crepe like things with tons of curried potato in the middle. To. Die. For! We also had to try all the traditional desserts: lamba jamun, rasgulla, and kaju kalash (just to name a few). Since foreigners always talk about how sweet American candy is, I assumed the dessert wouldn't be very sweet. Boy was I wrong. We're talking explosions of sugar; your basic diabetes on a platter. 

Dosas with Sambhar. 

Traditional Breath Freshener of Anise Seeds and Sugar Crystals

Sugar Bombs!

Sweet Bread with Cheese?

Spicy Sponge Bread

After lunch, I insisted that I get a henna tattoo. So we drove over to Dilli Haat (an outdoor market) to get more souvenirs and ink me up. You can see the process (which took less than 20 minutes for both hands). My tattoo artist didn't speak any English, but was absolutely beautiful and so talented. I think the tattoos cost less than $10. 

Oiling My Skin to Start

Looks Like Green Frosting

All Free Handing!

So Focused

Why Don't We Do This Here?

Tourist Much?

Basically I was in love. We also got to spend some time walking around some more. I am obsessed with the gorgeous, rich color they had everywhere!

Scarves

Bags, Pillows, and Quilts

Too bad I couldn't fit more stuff in my suitcase. I did find a great Ganesh statue to bring home with me, plus a beautiful scarf and authentic sari. Everything is so inexpensive, which just made it that much harder not to buy everything.

That evening we had a quiet dinner at the hotel, in anticipation of the next day. We had to wake up at four in the morning to leave for the Taj Mahal. It takes several hours to get there, and the heat is absolutely killer, so we wanted to make sure we left early. 

On the way out of Delhi, we saw this little guy walking along the side of the road. Oh yeah, and his driver was sleeping. 

Come Home with Me!

Only in India I guess. I squealed like a little girl when I saw him though. So glad I got a good snapshot.

The rest of the drive was rather long. Once you're outside Delhi, it's a completely different world. There were acres and acres of farmland and brick yards. You could always tell what the land was used for, because they'd carve out different chunks of dirt if they'd use the land for bricks. Plus, they had these little straw huts everywhere to house all the cow dung to build their fires. (No, I'm not kidding). 

Don't Mind My Reflection in the Glass

After an incredibly long drive, we arrived in Agra. The city is full of color and life, and is even more chaotic than Delhi. Cows ran in and out of the road, along with dogs, motorcyclists, rickshaws being pulled by donkeys, etc.

I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb (as evidenced by the increase in price on my Taj Mahal ticket) but it's certainly an experience I'll never forget. Even the fort surrounding the palace is gorgeous. I also found out that everything is symmetrical surrounding/inside the Taj, which means the fountains line up with the center of the palace, there's a mosque on each side, and the gate is perfectly proportioned as well. The only thing that's not symmetrical are the tombs inside. Plus, the gate creates an optical illusion, where the further you are from the palace, the larger it looks. Don't ask me how they did that. 

Red Rock Reminded Me of Home

And That's Just the Gate

Quite the Entrance

Isn't she amazing? I had to sneak just a few snapshots. 

Dying

Pristine  

All the Detail!

Each Petal Is a Separate Sheet of Semi-Precious Stone

Doing Domes Right

The Operating Mosque (Open for Locals on Fridays)

Looking Back at the Gate. See the Symmetry?

My Favorite Shot

After seeing the Taj, we got to see the process of creating the patterns in the marble with the semi-precious stones. Lots of back-breaking work.

All Done by Hand

Just the Table I Wanted to Bring Home

We also got to see the Agra Fort. In it's day, it was also covered inside with precious stones, diamonds, and all types of jewels. However, the British certainly couldn't let those just lay around. Still breathtaking though. 

Blonde Hair, Don't Care 

Stunning

Now That's a Doorway

More Gorgeous Marble

Needless to say, we were worn out by the time the day was done. Lots of walking, lots of heat and lots of amazing sights. 

The next day was our first day of official work. We had to check out the testing center and awards ceremony venue where we would be holding our competition the following day. The people were amazingly accommodating and super helpful. Plus, we got to see another part of Delhi, outside of the diplomats circle.

India Habitat Centre, Frequented by the Dalai Lama

Is This Pond Not Adorable?

Indian Legislative Building

The Real Delhi 

Super Organized Power Lines

Happiness Guaranteed at the Koenig Testing Center

Cows: Kind of a Big Deal

Luckily we had a super amazing crew, so testing the next day went incredibly smoothly. Look at this place! It's like taking a test in a mini oasis. Plus, the team was amazing!

All with a River Running through the Middle

Let's Play "Find the Americans" 

Unfortunately the night didn't run as smoothly, since I was on my own. I had to upload all the exams manually to our server for grading back at the Utah office. My bed looked like this for the entire night. Plus, I went to bed around 1:00 and woke up startled at 4:00. Truly a treat.

Worst Part of the Trip

My coworkers back at the Utah office were truly amazing, and the grading went very quickly. The Awards Ceremony was the last piece of work for the trip, so I was very anxious for it to go well. I am so glad that I got to work with these amazing kids. 

Some of the Winners

Thanks Creative Team for the Amazing Signage! 

Love These Kids! 

Autographs from All Our Indian Champions

After congratulating all the students and taking about a million pictures, we decided to celebrate. Our amazing driver, Jaipal (who truly was my kindred spirit), knew I wanted to feed some monkeys. He happily obliged by taking us to a known monkey hangout.

Snatched Bananas Right Out of My Hand

My Future Pet

We capped off our trip with an amazing dinner at Indian Accent and walk around town to see a Hindu temple.

Hindu Temple

Happy Cows Live in India

Too Picturesque

Savory Popsicle in a Mini Pressure Cooker

Curried Tomato Sauce with a Poached Egg and Chicken

Rose Candy, Dried Fruit, and Spicy Candy

Overall, India made me feel like I found a piece of myself. I absolutely feel that there are certain places we need to visit to discover something that Heavenly Father wants us to learn about ourselves and others; places that help us connect with our fellow men on a more spiritual plane. India was one of those places for me. 

There are definitely pieces of India that I don't want to ever forget. 

1. How everything smelled like jasmine and spices

2. Bright colors EVERYWHERE!

3. Beautiful saris

4. Indescribable architecture

5. Busy streets

6. Beautiful temples with ornate detailing

7. All the monkeys, cows, and wildlife 

8. The Indian head bob (Look it up. It's adorable.)

9. The unquestioning hospitality

10. Rickshaws

11. Bollywood music

12. Food with amazing flavors

13. Rich culture 

14. Over-the-top jewelry

15. Henna

16. Divine fabrics 

Our 2016 India trip can't come soon enough!