Intro From Lucknow

Hello from Lucknow!

I've decided to resurrect my blog, which ended after three posts back in December 2010. The difference this time is that I've decided to expand the focus of my blog to include more of my interests. My original blog was meant to be a travelogue (side note: -nama, is a suffix often used in Persian and Urdu to denote travelogues E.g. Baburnama, a very famous Persian-language travelogue) chronicling my time studying abroad in Hyderabad, India during the Spring 2011 semester. The problem with studying abroad in a vast country like India is that, unless you happen to have some money, you generally cannot afford to spend much money on trips that are under time constraints due to class schedules. The result is that my time abroad had very few of those adventures from place to place that make travelogues so engaging. I didn't get to make it Delhi or Bombay, nor did I get a chance to see the Taj Mahal (a 22 hour train journey from Hyderabad in the south) during that trip. That isn't to say that I didn't have great experiences in Hyderabad, but it was limited in many ways.
Another problem with writing travelogues is very simple: eventually you have to come home. It is too easy to stop doing a blog once there are no longer India adventures to report. It is for this reason that I chose to expand the focus of my blog. This blog will be about the things I love: India/South Asia, Literature, and Otters (With an emphasis on the first two but seriously, have you seen otters? They're adorable.). If I happen to pick up any additional passions along the way those will make their way into my blog as well. I think that this is how it should be-no reason to set limits when it comes to writing.

A little bit about me:
I'm 23 years old.
I have a BA in English from Boston University (Class of 2012)
I am currently studying Urdu through the American Institute of Indian Studies (run by the University of Chicago)
I've always been prose oriented when it comes to literature, in both English and Urdu. My library is full of novels and collections of essays, with a very small poetry contingent.
I love animals, and I love being around so many here in India.

More to follow!