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Recently I have been busy going to school and attending my tennis classes.  School is quite busy now for all the students because everyone is busy studying for the First Term exams that start on September 17th and end September 26, well those are the dates for my school.  All my friends from school are busy studying for these exams so it is hard for me, and the other exchange students to go out with our classmates.  But we then just use the extra time we have to go out with each other.  I have heard that many of the exchange students do end up just hanging out with each other a lot rather than their classmates since school is so important here in India, but especially Gujarat. 

Recently I have gone out a lot with the other exchange students that are here in Baroda.  There are a total of 7 of us, between 2 schools.  We often go to the movies, watch movies at someones house, and go shopping together!  It is always fun to be able to hang out with other exchange students because they always understand you!

Don't get me wrong, I do hang out with my classmates from school when they have free time from their studies!  For example their is a festival that has been going on for 10 days now, and will end today called Ganesha Festival or Ganesha Chaturthi.  For 10 days people hold pujas in their homes or in their socities (neighborhoods) around the Ganesha Idol, Ganapati.  This festival normally takes place between August 20th and September 15th, depending on the Hindu Calender.  So for one of the nights of this festival I went over to a friends house to participate in the puja that was held at her house!  It was very fun!  Since tonight is the last night of the festival this year, all the Ganapaties must be emersed in water.  So in the old Baroda city it will be very busy this evening because everyone will by emersing their Idols in the lake that is in the center of the city.

Another festival that I participated in was for the Birthday of Lord Krishnas birthday on August 23rd.  This is also called Janmashtami.  During this festival people put a pot, filled with curd--yogurt-- with a coconut on top, on a very very high string.  Then a human tower is built to climb up to the pot, break the pot with the coconut and let the curd fall out.  Curd is used because Lord Krishna is known for loving curd!  The males are the ones who make the human tower, and then the girls stand around and chat, and we even pour water on the boys to make them really muddy and slippery so it takes them longer to crack the pot!  The one I went to the girls got the boys all wet, and they were really muddy, and were slipping all over the place!  But surprisingly it only took them 3 tries to get up to the top and crack the pot!  The way they planned the route to the top, was very smart!

The next festival that starts will be Navratri Festival.  This festival lasts for 10 nights when the Hindus honor all the Goddesses, and through this they dance for those 10 nights all the traditional dances, and they dress up, offer food to the Goddesses!  It should be lots of fun and a very cultural experience! 

Tennis!  Here tennis is quite fun, the other players in my class are very nice and we are able to talk about all sorts of things together!  I may even be able to travel with them to play a few matches.  That would be a fun!!!