More on Landour

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So Landour is actually a kind of neighborhood of Mussoorie; a quieter side to a popular Indian vacation city. The area we drove through on the way up was Landour, and Mussoorie is farther down the road. Mussoorie has wider streets and many western businesses like Baskin Robbins and Reebok, and delicious dining.
Hindi is a difficult language for a beginner, as it has a different sentence structure from most Latin languages, with the verb coming at the end of the sentence. There is also a lot of memorization involved (obviously), and the pronunciation of many sounds often confuses me. We are simultaneously studying Hindi script and characters, and luckily the writing is phonetic (unlike English!). I have already learned more than I thought I would learn.
I have spent a lot of time exploring Landour and Mussoorie, hiking around, and reading. There is not much to do except hang out up here, which is very mollifying after Delhi.
Our group has been divided between two houses known as Devdar and Oak Land. Both places are situated at the top of Landour. We have laundry service and three meals a day plus tea, although there are often water and electricity shortages. We get water between 6 and 7 AM, and 7 and 8 PM, and we have to take cold bucket showers. It is humbling when compared to the luxurious showers I take at home! The food at the place we are staying at is also delicious and simple, with a definite homemade feel. They often make pizza or pasta to make us feel more at home (it helps!).
The monsoon finally began today. It’s not as exotic as it sounds: just a shit-ton of rain! But after each downpour, the clouds clear and the views are gorgeous.

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Comments

[Jessica Smith]

Um
Please elaborate on cold bucket showers.... Just kidding. Putting yourself in the shoes of others (despite how uncomfortable it may be) for the sake of learning and understanding is incredible. Miss you lots and keep emailing me. Love, Sis