Here in London I have class 2 days a week, Tuesday&Thursday.
But we are constantly learning about the history that is ever where. Today's adventure took us to Southall, an area a little outside London...it felt like a whole different world!
After class, we all headed together on a train to this area full of Indian culture. The minute you step off the train you can smell the curry. We were given a few hours before dinner to explore the city and visit sites.
Our first stop?: A Hindu Temple.
This was not like any other temple/cathedral/mosque we have visited. We walked in and had to do several things. We removed our shoes and got into our stocking feet. We then had to take our scarves and over our hair and neck. We went upstairs where music was being played and sat cross legged on the floor. There were no chairs in the huge room, only people meditating or praying. It was neat to see the Hindu religion in action and the temple in use. We had a great time!
Next we walked back the other way through the city. It was just like I pictured it: markets and sketchy looking shops with all sorts of overwhelming trinkets displayed. There very very few normal stores and we constantly had to watch our things and what we were doing. Southall is known as a rough area if you are not careful, but it was fun to experience the different culture and interact with people from other areas of the world. We stopped at a market and bought 5 oranges for a pound. It worked out great because there were 5 of us walked around together. We stopped to peal our fruit and with juice running down our hands we ate while we explored!
After stopping at some shops we found what we were looking for: a place that did henna. We all wanted a henna tattoo, don't ask me why! Just for fun :)
We found a hair salon that did it for cheap. It was neat to watch them design things. We just let them go for it and they are super talented!
After we went and got henna done, we went straight to dinner. The entire group met up at a true Indian restaurant for true Indian food. We arrived late so we sat at a huge booth the 5 of us (Carly, Kinsey, Annie, Ramzi, and I). They kept bringing plate after plate of food out for us. Endless food with TONS to take home back to the center. We got to try all sorts of fun dishes, some very...interesting. Others were actually pretty good. We had fun eating one-handed letting our henna dry.
We left and headed for home walking in the pouring rain. I came home to a fun surprise on my doorstep which led to a fun girls night and talking late into the night! Oh I just love the girls here.
Another great day in London...or should I say Southall.
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