Hey all! I’m Mekiya (rhymes with Papaya) Walters, a sophomore studying creative writing, psychology, and Spanish at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. (Needless to say, as a Spanish minor, coming to India was an obvious choice.) I love writing and reading, and after graduation I plan to write for publication, teach at a university, and lead a creative writing workshop in a prison. I practice martial arts and yoga, make fried rice and cookies, knit socks, and drink tea. I also nurse a not-so-quiet obsession with phonetics (to which anyone who’s been subjected to one of my lectures on the liquid /r/ will testify). I’ve never traveled outside the US before, but I’ve got to start somewhere. India’s definitely not for those who harbor unhealthy obsessions with chipped ice, traffic laws, toilet paper, or strong internet connections, but it’s a beautiful country: friendly, aggressive, acrid, spicy, and wonderful. While on the subcontinent, I plan to learn Hindi and Telugu, witness the gender revolution, and ride an elephant.