About a year ago I spent a month traveling across India.  I traveled with 36 college students from all over the world, spent time in five different cities, and was able to meet with people from a variety of walks of life, from billionaires to homeless people.  The point of the trip was to gain as complete of an understanding of Indian culture business and politics.  The first city I spent time in was New Delhi.  I arrived at a very interesting time in the cities history.  I arrived just days before the victim of the New Delhi Gang Rape died of her horrific wounds.  At the time of my arrival there were protests in the Indian Square with thousands of people, demanding the Indian government provide better security to it's citizens especially women.  The next city I visited was the ancient city of Jaipur, also known as the pink city for its pink walls and buildings.  While in Jaipur I was able to see the "old India".  The buildings and dress of the people was more traditional, as well as their behavior.  We arrived in Jaipur at the start of the kite flying festival so the sky was dotted with hundred, sometimes thousands of kites, all dueling with each other.  I was also lucky enough to stay in a palace that had been turned into a hotel, but was still owned by the same family that had lived there for centuries.  The palace was made almost entirely of marble and white granite, with huge grass fields with peacocks slowly meandering across.  One night, we had most of our group gathered around a few tables, talking about the festivities of the day.  The owner came out and told us we had to go out if we wanted to stay awake so we ventured out into the night.  I negotiated the price for two tuk tuk (moped taxi) and asked the driver to take us to the nearest place we could find people.  I tried to pay close attention to where we were going (not an easy task on a tuk tuk in India with an experienced driver) and I thought I had a good handle on it.  The driver took us to a bar that had a cow inside eating from a pile of garbage and one lonely light bulb lighting the entire place.  A man stuck his head out of a hole in the wall and offered to sell us a few beers.  We declined and walked out of the "bar".  Luckily I remembered how to get back to our hotel so we wouldn't have to pay for a tuk tuk on the way back.  It took me about 45 minutes to realize I had no clue where I was, and that I had led a group of about 15 college students into the middle of the night in some town where I couldn't read the road signs.  Our tuk tuk drivers had followed closely behind us though so they drove us home happy they could charge a larger fair for the longer ride.  The next stop was a quick one, to the city of Agra.  I was only there for one day but it may have been my favorite day in India.  The city of Agra is home to the Taj Mahal, an ornate tomb built built in the 17th century by one of India's Mongrel Kings.  We had either the option to follow a guide through the site or walk on our own, I walked alone through the site and was awestruck.  First it was the size that captivated me, then it was the serene beauty of the place as it rose out of the morning haze.  I was lucky enough to go early so the crowds, while still massive, were manageable by India's standards.  I made a lap around the entire place, and noticed that it was perfectly symmetrical, so that no matter what side of the Taj Mahal you saw it still looked the same.  I took some time and enjoyed the symbolism of the place, a huge compound with a gorgeous tomb in the middle made of pure white marble, all to show the power of love.  After a few hours it was time to head to the next city, Pune, the Oxford of the East.  In Pune I was lucky enough to stay with a local family.  I stayed with a man named Sudhir Mehta, the chairman of Pinnacle Industries.  While i stayed with him and his family I was able to learn about his companies efforts to make the worlds cheapest wheelchair, and efforts to provide prosthetic limbs to people who otherwise couldn't afford it.  It was so nice to hear about a big firm like his working to help the people in the most need.  The last city I stayed in was mumbai.  The city was breathtaking.  It was constantly packed everywhere I went, there was so much to see on just a short walk down the street.  While in Mumbai I stayed in the legendary 5 star resort the Taj Palace.  The Taj Palace was the site of a horrific terrorist attack in 2008, where gunmen ran into the lobby with guns blazing.  There are still bullet holes in the walls and a memorial to the guests and employees who died in the attack.  It was a very sobering sight.  Sadly Mumbai was the last city on my journey, and after a short week in the city it was time to leave.  During my time in India I was able to learn about and see a huge part of India culture, although I am not ignorant enough to think I even scratched the surface.  I made life-long friends, and learned lessons that I will never forget.  I hope that I can again visit India in my life to see the spots I once saw, and see the friends I made while there, but until then namaste.