The first person I met was Neela. She's a movie producer! She told me that the dot on her forehead is called a bindi. It shows that she's married -- kind of like a wedding ring.

My friend Nandan showed me a family tree: a picture-list of his whole family. Then he showed me his REAL family, including his grandmother and grandfather! He calls them Patti and Thatha.

Patti was wearing a sari. That's one long piece of cloth you wrap around and around, so it becomes a dress. And Thatha wore a dhoti. It's kind of like a skirt. Many men wear them, especially in Southern India.

I had some cool fruit in India. Nandan had gooseberries growing in his backyard. They were sour, but pretty good. And I drank the water right out of a coconut! You just cut off the top and stick a straw in it. It's a drink in its own holder!

I had something else to eat in India, too: dosas! Dosas are kind of like pancakes. But you don't put maple syrup on them. People eat them with sugar, butter, vegetables, or other side dishes.

Aditya is another friend I met in India. He learns FOUR languages in school: Tamil, Hindi, Sanskrit, and -- lucky for me -- English! Sanskrit is a really old language that's not used much in daily life, but Aditya speaks English, Hindi, and Tamil all the time.

I saw these kids playing soccer -- only they call it football. Do you know how they chose sides? Rock, paper, scissors -- just like we do! I had no idea that rock, paper, scissors was popular so far from Elwood City!

I learned about kolam from a girl named Amruta! Kolam are chalk drawings. You put them near your front door to welcome in the Hindu goddess Lakshmi. Hinduism is a popular religion in India.