my holiday plans...

well, i know you all are wondering, "what are we supposed to do over winter break?...or not...
i, for one, am going to have a great time with my cousins (4 and almost 1)!!! they are coming tomorrow and they are soooo much fun! if you get the little one to laugh...you'll end up laughing just watching her laugh! and the 4 yr old loves to be around me and my brother...
gotta go...nikhil is calling me to play guitar hero
that's all for now...feel free to leave comments!
Sarika

Merry Christmas!!!

hey, everyone!! Merry Christmas!!! I hope you all have a great and safe holiday!
That's all for now, feel free to leave comments!!
Sarika

My PSP Addicted 8 Year Old Brother!!

nikhil was (surprise, surprise) playing his PSP one day and i just decided to add some pics to my blog.....i know, how cute and funny!! :D

hey, everyone!!! it is time to PARTY!!!! winter break is here and we all know what that means...
ok...gotta go now, bye 4 now!!
feel free to leave comments
Sarika

hey hey hey!! what's up? it's me, again, back from India! my trip was awesome! i want to go back sooo bad, it was in the 80s and 90s in the WINTER!! that's crazy, that never happens here! but, think about how hot it gets there in the summer, if it is our summer weather in the winter there!! and they say it's cold!!
anyway...i just found out that my cousin has a blog that she started YESTERDAY! now we can keep in touch through blogs, cool, huh? her blog is on the blogs i follow now.
sooo...i have to get up at 6 (ends up being 6:30...but anyways...)and i actually have to go to SCHOOL! (the horror) i'm just kidding, though...school is ok...towards the end of break!! we always do these tacky winter activities (remember, i'm in 6th grade?...) and then...FINALLY...we are FREE! well..for 2 weeks anyway. yay!! i can't wait until break, my cousins are coming and i always have a great time with them!
that's all 4 now, feel free to leave comments!
Sarika
p.s. it's really easy to create a blog, it's FREE, and a great way to share your day with all your friends.
Sarika

I'm Back!!

Hey, everyone!! Well, my trip was amazing. I had so much fun, it's too much to type!! I had a great time meeting family I had never met before and seeing family I had a great time with before. My dad's 2nd cousin(my grandmother's 1st cousin's kids) and their 2 kids are really cool. Jahnvi, 17, and Jeet, 9, Nikhil and I had the best time together at their house in Mumbai (Bombay). We would play games, watch Hindi movies, and go shopping together. The shopping in Mumbai is amazing!!!! They have streets lined with shops with just about anything you can think of. You name it, it's there!! Shoes(yes), jewlery(yes), pictures, wall hangings, clothes, books, furniture(yes, yes, YES!)
I think I've made my point.
Anyways, call me crazy, but I really want to go to school tomorrow! I can't wait! I want to be able to tell my friends about my trip. I can't wait to see you all again.
That's all for today. Keep in touch, the comments bar is always open!

Jaipur

In Jaipur, we saw the Amer ,or Amber, Fort.
On the way to the main section of the fort, we went on an elephant ride, which was quite an adventure. To get onto the saddle, you step onto a platform and literally walk onto the seat. There is a lot of historical background there.
We saw a science related observatory, called Jantar Mantar. In the 14-15th century they didn't have watches or clocks like we do today, they used sundials. We can still read the time on the dials today!!!
Jaipur is called the Pink City. We saw pink houses, sandstone, and a lot of the buildings are made from the same stone.

Taj Mahal

We visited the Taj Mahal on November 6th. It's hard to describe, it was so beautiful. I found that the Taj Mahal is not sitting by itself, but there are 3 gates around it and a mosque on the left and a temple on the right, to keep everything symmetrical. The whole thing is totally symmetrical. On the main and most elegant gate, there are 22 domes, similar to the ones on the Taj itself. The 22 domes represent the 22 years it took to complete the Taj Mahal.
Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. She became very sick and was going to die after giving birth. Her last wish to him was to build a monument so the world would know their story. Shah Jahan looked at many designs for the monument and finally chose this Persian design. Then, he hired many architects to build the Taj Mahal. Now, these workers didn't have today's technology, this was the 16th century. They used ramps that were at least 1 mile long to push marble to the top dome. On the marble, they have stones inlaid in the marble in different designs, which is very beautiful and extremely detailed. Inside, Mumtaz Mahal is buried there and so is Shah Jahan, but nobody can see the real caskets anymore. It gets too crowded. They have replicas in the center. Mumtaz is perfectly centered, and Shah Jahan is next to her, not centered. There were slabs of marble that a pattern had been cut into. It was amazing.
That's all for the Taj Mahal. Keep in touch and updated for my trip in India.

We Made It!!

Well, we made it. India is very different from the states. They drive on the opposite side of the road, traffic's crazy, and everybody speaks differently. Some speak Hindi, Gujurati, and English. We were shopping today and stopped in a couple of stores. One of the stores, an emporium, to be exact, had rugs, clothes, instruments, and lots more! An emporium is like a mall, only smaller. It was a lot of fun. We took auto-rickshaws to the different places. As we were going around New Delhi, we saw the schools as they were ending. The kids wear uniforms to school and take public buses or walk to and from school. The traffic was crazy. The motorcyclists can drive between the cars, but sometimes the cars are so close that they can't get through. We also saw monkeys roaming the streets. This was a great first day.
Keep in touch and stay updated for my trip in India.

I'm still counting!

I am still counting the days! There are only 56 hours (2 days and 8 hours) to go!! I am so excited. I am going to lots of different places, like New Delhi and Bombay. In Bombay, I will see my 3rd cousins and in Agra, I will see the Taj Mahal. That's all for today. Keep in touch!

Counting the Days!!

Hey, everybody!! Only 2 more days to go!! I'm sure you all know the song, "It's the final countdown". Well, I'm absolutely counting the days...and hours! Keep in touch and stay warm!
Stay tuned for my trip to India!

My Family's Names Written in Hindi!!

सारिका निखिल भीस्म गौरांग

Sarika Nikhil Bhisma Gaurang

My Goofy Cousin, Rohan

My cousin, Rohan, is just so goofy, we always have a great time together!!

My Cute Cousin, Rhea

My uncle, aunt, and two cousins came over to our house over Labor Day weekend and we had a BLAST!

White House

We got to go to see the White House, too. The team leader on my bus said that Bill Clinton had been seen near the White House, but we couldn't see him.

Lincoln Memorial

When I went to D.C., I also went to the Lincoln Memorial. There, I learned about his Gettysburg Address, which he delivered in Gettysburg, PA.

Newseum

We also went to the new museum on Pennsylvania Avenue. It opened this past April and is all about the freedom of press.

Korean War Memorial Soldiers

I got to see the Korean War Memorial during my Jr.NYLC trip. I was there for 5 days and went all over D.C. It was great!!

Washington Monument

Here's a picture of the Washington Monument from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.