The Low-Down

     It took me a really long time to think of a name for this blog. For the past two months, my mental backburner has been perpetually creating and discarding titles with no clear progress. However, it has recently occurred to me that there is fine a line between putting off starting a blog because you want a good name and putting of starting a blog, period. So, to preempt my hesitation, I have decided on the straightforward “Gap Year on the Ganga.” If you hadn’t already guessed, this blog is about the year I’m spending in India post-high school and pre-college. If you wondering why the name is “Ganga” and not the more common “Ganges,” it is because “Ganga” is, in fact, the proper pronunciation of the river that flows through eastern India. "Ganges" is a Western distortion of the respectful name of the holy river, "Ganga-ji." As I’ve learned from recent experience, names can be a big deal and as I am living in throwing distance of the water, I think It’s probably best to start off with a clean slate.
     For those who don’t know, I am participating in Princeton University’s Bridge Year Program. In a nutshell, the program sends 5 would-be freshmen to Ghana, Peru, Serbia, and, of course, India. The purpose of the program is cultural immersion and service. For me, this means I’ll be spending 7 months in Varanasi (Banaras) working for a local NGO, living in a homestay, and learning Hindi. On either side of those 7 months, the program heads to the mountains for a month to escape the heat, complete a more succinct service project, and have either orientation or debriefing. Accompanying me on this odyssey are my group mates-Katie, Daniela, Alan, and Josh-as well as our fearless leader, Daniel, and a whole host of other supporters.
     I have dawdled so persistently in creating this blog that it’s hard to believe over a month has already gone by since my group’s orientation in Princeton and our departure. However, we are now beginning our fourth week in Banaras and the shape of the months to come is becoming clearer. To give you an idea of how the past month has been going, I will post a couple entries describing our time in the mountains. After that, I will try to post as often as possible about my comings and goings, and more often than not, probably my many inevitable mistakes and mishaps.
     As for the specifics, I have begun working for Kiran Center, a non-profit organization that serves to help both rural and urban children with physical and mental disabilities. At this moment, I am not entirely sure what my responsibilities will be, although I expect to be teaching English to the staff and helping out in the vocational department. In addition, we began intensive Hindi training in the mountains with our awesome teacher Binitji and are continuing it in Banaras with the renowned and lovely Verendraji, who also happens to be my homestay father. I will be living with him and his equally sweet wife, Sushelia, for the duration of my stay in the city.

That’s pretty much all for now, my dear readers, but stayed tuned for the adventures and escapades of Damaris in what is called the subcontinent of divine chaos.