Winter!

It is December and winter has finally decided to join us here... by winter i mean it is in the high 70's during the day and the low 60's in the middle of the night... the locals here think that the weather is very very cold. they are just not used to any type of weather that doesn't bake your skin.
here is an example of reactions to winter:
the other evening i was visiting a friend and her husband, around 6pm as i was getting ready to leave her husband offered to give me a ride home on his motorcycle. since i'm lazy and cheap of course i said yes, so he went to put on a sweater for the drive... he comes out wearing a long sleeve button up shirt, with a fleece sweater over that and a beanie to wear under his full head helmet. mind you its probably in the low 70's at this point. then as we are saying our goodbyes i look over and he is putting a newspaper under the front of his sweater for insulation! i didn't know whether to laugh or pretend i was also cold... i was only wearing my short sleeve shirt with a cardigan over it. once we were on our way he looked back at me and was startled to see i wasn't covering my head with my scarf to shield from the cold! don't worry, my ears didn't fall off due to this under caution of mine.
I love these people.

hair

My hair is falling out. I have several theories about why this is happening.
1. its getting below 80 degree's F and i'm shedding/molting
2. I'm slightly stressed
3. I don't actually own a brush or comb so I'm not combing out all the dead/broken hair in a normal way.
4. I don't shower very often so I'm not ruffing up my hair much there either...

you know how loose hair will fall out in the shower, it is just a bit more extreme when I do take a shower because I haven't been keeping up with the maintenance... when I do wash my hair, my hands come away covered with hair... is that normal? I'm reminded of the movie "the Little Princess" where Sarah pretends to put a curse on the bully and tells her she shouldn't brush her hair so much... maybe someone put a curse on me and my hair.

November at a glance...

awesome ingenuity

Cafe Shillong

I want to sit under a tree and listen to his stories.

Water? Panne? Tikasay.

How to travel in style

At the beginning of the month I was able to accompany some friends up to a different district about 8 or so hours north of the city. It was so nice to get out of the city; yes the road was long and arduous, but at least we were in a car and not the bus. The lady, we’ll call her T, we were going with has her own car so we got to enjoy her son’s sometimes erratic driving and some awesome music for several hours arriving late at night to her late husband’s home village. We stayed for several days, visiting and watching soaps on TV, then prepared to travel back to the city…. Now for the good part. T’s son had been traveling throughout the districts while we stayed in the village the whole week and when he came back to pick us up, he brought a friend with him, so me and Jessica and T sat in the back while her son and friend sat up front, switching driving on the hard roads. The point of all this jabber is that while the trip should take about 8 hrs, it took us ALL day to get back… first we had to make a detour into a nearby national park to see the elephants and the famous one horned rhino… that took a while, then we had to stop for tea with some family on the way out of town, then we had to stop and buy some tea, then we stopped for a snack/light pre-lunch.  As I finally settled in to get what little sleep I could while being jerked around in the car we pulled into a nice resort along the highway. It turns out that the friend works for a big hospital in the city and that hospital was somehow connected to this nice resort in the middle of nowhere and he was treating us to lunch. We didn’t just go into the restaurant.. No that would be too fast and easy; no instead we got a room and hung out for about 2-3 hrs! We rested, watched Bride Wars on TV (in English!) then got served our nice lunch in our room. Did I mention that T’s son and friend were not in the room with us?! No it was just us ladies resting and hanging out for this whole time... then after we had been done a while we got a tour of the place while the two guys ate really fast in the room! it was the weirdest thing that has ever happened to me. I kept looking at Jessica and asking what is going on?! Are we staying here? Are we leaving soon? Why are we here and what are are we doing?! They all just acted like this was completely normal. I enjoyed it and I guess they were just trying to make the trip less strenuous but I just wanted to get home and take a nice hot shower.

Oh and also we had five live ducks in the trunk of the car the whole way back; I’m amazed the birds made it all the way back to the city.. they sat in the sun and heat of the trunk while we took our sweet time and then got thrashed around the trunk as we kept having to slam on our brakes avoiding the potholes and sudden pavement changes… T later said that the ducks were all very tasty!

I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to travel more than 4 hours without stopping at a hotel to take a rest again…

Dinner for One?

Today I want to share with you what I eat, and how I make it and how, you too, can eat like me…

Maggie Madness:

Things needed- one packet Maggie noodles (I usually get the flavor “Spicy and Tasty” or “Curry”), one cup of water, a working stove or fire, a pot, possibly a pair of scissors.

Directions-

• Boil aprox. One cup of water on the stove (I am currently using a propane stove, I like it)
• Once water is boiling, open one bag of Maggie noodles and place carefully into boiling water
• Stir slowly and make sure all noodles have been submerged, leave the temp on high

Sometimes I put a lid on the pan and turn down the flame a little but it’s not necessary

• After the first time the water is about to boil over, add half the seasoning pack to the water (this is where I sometimes have to use the scissors) and turn the water down to about medium… since I’m using a flame, I just make the flame a little smaller…
• After the noodles have darkened slightly and are not crunchy, drain water and add the rest of the seasoning packet.
• Stir well and enjoy, (if I am alone or making just enough for myself, I’ll eat it out of the pan, otherwise I use a bowl)

(if you would like some variety, you can change it up by changing how much water you drain, Ginny likes it best with the water completely drained out but I usually like it best with a little water left to keep it from getting too sticky, feel free to be adventurous and switch it upJ)

I usually eat Maggie noodles (basically the same thing as Ramen noodles) at least once a day, if not twice. I eat Maggie’s the way that Indian’s eat rice. Sometimes I will have a tomato with my noodles but not often.  The nationals that learn what I’m eating always laugh, much like Americans did when I said I ate Rice-a-Roni every day. One of our partners felt so bad for me when he found out that I didn’t cook and was surviving on Maggie Noodles, he told me to come over for food anytime I was hungry and he would cook for me… I think he was really worried about me starving…

update...

our water is working again! but now i am paranoid that it will randomly turn off again, they will not catch me unawares again. they don't know who they are dealing with.
here's some photos for you to enjoy:

A gift from some friends...

our very own KFC- opening night

all in a day's work.

Water Project

the water is currently not on in our building; don't be alarmed, its on purpose per the management. they have started rationing our water supply in preparation for the dry months ahead. we now have running water at 6am, 12:30pm, and 8pm. the water will come on for about 30-40 min, if we're lucky. when the water comes on, we jump up from whatever we are doing and do the dishes or take a hot shower or try and do some laundry. the water does not always last the length of the 40 min wash cycle so when that happens i usually have to manually fill the washing machine and change the settings so it will at least spin the clothes the rest of the cycle. we have buckets of water lying around the house for use when the water is not running. and if we happen to be out of the house that day we just have to hope the buckets we have will last us another day. its not too bad now that we have formed a somewhat of a schedule. it's weird to have a schedule based around the water supply. last night we went out for dinner and i thought before we left, "dang it, we wont be home when the water's on- we'll miss it again today... maybe we shouldn't go out..." i don't know if my priorities are messed up for wanting to stay home for water or not staying home for the water.... its not a dire need, we have buckets to store it in... its just inconvenient. i woke up this morning at 6 so i could wash our dishes, fill up the buckets of water that were all running low and fill our drinking containers... only water would make me wake up that early.
it got me thinking about water here. during the rainy season; water is in abundance but its not sanitary to drink; which is why we have clean water projects to bring people clean water and inform them they are getting sick so much because they are using dirty water. but in the dry months, especially towards the end of those dry months, people literally have to deal with not having water available. period. they use water for everything here, from cooking rice to drinking tea to washing clothes. how do they cope with that? i get annoyed with having to wake up at 6 to fill the washing machine with water but they cant even drink water. how can we help them in that? build better systems to conserve and save water during the rainy season so it doesn't dry up during the drought that comes every year.

Over Eater

I had a reputation of being able to eat a lot. If someone had left over food or any food for that matter, they could count on me to eat it; especially sweets. My weakness has been food for a long time and, if you know me at all, you know that I can throw down food- fast. Well, over here in this part of the world, I feel like I am out striped when it comes to eating every day. I don’t know where these people put all that rice! They eat plates full of rice at every meal plus other food; veggies, potatoes, perhaps some meat… the point being that I can’t keep up with the locals! I don’t know how many times I have said here, “I can’t eat any more! Or I can only eat a little bit. No more please, I am so full!” and they give me a weird look, shrug and put more on their own plates instead. I don’t know what has happened to me, I was so confident that I could handle the food and when everyone said “be prepared for the rice” I didn’t take them seriously. I figured I could handle it- after all I can put down more food than most… I was so wrong. Needless to say, I have been humbled in my eating habits. And don’t even get me started on the sweets here! I can barely choke down one piece! The reason? They are TOO sweet! Who would have thought the sentence would ever come out of my mouth, but there you go. I have turned down sweets because they are literally too sweet for me. When people talk about there being sweets where ever we are going, I start to worry and turn them down if at all possible… I guess it’s good for my body but so against my mental attitude of all sweets are good for me! hahaha I guess my India diet is finally working for me.

Sorry i haven't updated in a while, i'll try to do better...

here are some sweet pics:

Normal?

Titanic theme'd durga puja model- the model of the goddess is inside- complete with Jack and Rose up front and 'My Heart Will Go On' blaring on the loudspeakers... 

Made out of cloth and bamboo- this is a model of a palace for the durga puja

sidewalk scandal

I've been walking more around town. it's usually easier than trying to find a fair auto or cramming onto the bus and the weather is starting to cool off a tiny bit. maybe i should clarify; by cool off i mean there is sometimes a good breeze that comes through to ease your sweating body... anyway i always enjoy walking by a group of young guys. that sounded weird. i get excited because i love watching them freak out, tell each other that i'm in front of them walking right towards them then trying to dare each other to walk closest to me as we pass... it so funny to watch them work up the nerve to look at me or walk close to me. i can see some of them teasing each other and making fun of each other. perhaps i am making up a lot of this interaction in my head but it still amuses me:) it always makes me want to laugh and say something to them, make a passing comment but i know that that would be really culturally inappropriate (which makes me want to do it more so sometimes) but i refrain...

photo update

 I have been doing well so far here in In. there are so many times that i wish my eye's had a camera inside; that others could see what i see, the way i see it. There is so much to be said for perception and what i see in something as opposed to what others might see. I have been exploring my neighborhood a lot more lately and there are so many things i want to capture on film... and i don't get it on film either because i am too shy to take the picture or because the camera doesn't capture it the way i saw it... i love the textures of this place and the many colors held in those textures! 

there is a building being constructed right next to our building right now.... they are literally working right outside our balcony door, if i were a guy i would probably try to talk to them... share some music with them, throw them over some food or something... but since i'm a girl that would be inappropriate. however, our washing machine is on this said balcony so if i have to do laundry i have to make sure i'm wearing pants and a kerta top (not just a t-shirt) since they will all be watching me. not only is it weird how close they are to our building but its also loud at times... especially early in the morning or late at night. i can understand why (they are escaping the sun) but it can be annoying when its like 9:30 at night and you can hear them sawing through metal wires.... sometimes i play my music loud so they can enjoy it.... i hope they enjoy Passion Pit as much as i do. maybe i'll start introducing them to Beyonce and Girl Talk to spice things up....

enjoy these snapshots:

Care for a ride?

The autorickshaws are a type of three wheel taxi; they are more expensive than the bus but more direct and it’s just your party in the auto… sometimes just that is worth the money for the auto. Anyways I have discovered that unlike my idea of a taxi and the unspoken rules of a taxi, the auto drivers are in charge and the customer is not the number one priority. The drivers will stop for gas, pull over to take a phone call, or I’ve even had a few stop at the market on the way to get some groceries! All this while I am in the auto waiting to go… just sitting there wondering where my auto driver went. The other night, my roommate and I were on our way home in an auto when he pulled over near the market. He turned to us and said “one minute” and walked away into the crowd. So for like 3 or so minutes we were just sitting in the auto on the side of a busy road, just waiting. We had no idea where he went, but he eventually came back with some bread and without saying a word, continued on our way to our flat. It’s such a different concept to me; the fact that they can just walk off with customers in their car and not seem to worry about it. the fare is based on distance and whatever price we have agreed upon before I accept the ride so no matter if he stops or makes good time, he will get the same price.

White Fang

I’ve been enjoying some of the classic books lately; the most recent being White Fang by Jack Landon. The book got me thinking about perspective and what we take for granted as westerners who are “entitled” to whatever our hearts desire. It got me thinking about the modern conveniences that so many people still go without and can barely fathom as possible! I think that’s what still blows my mind. Some people in this world do not understand the wonder of a freezer or a refrigerator, they cannot enjoy leftovers that taste the same as the first time you ate them. They do not understand what a high-rise is or the dependence on an automobile; much less one car per person…  there is this great part of the book, which is about and from the perspective of a wolf, where the wolf moves to California with his man-god and is surrounded by the power of man; huge buildings, streets, cars, trains, people and things everywhere- that one day in san Francisco haunts him forever, it is a terror; a display of the power of his man-god and he does not understand it. Have you ever thought about how there are still peopling out there like that? People who cannot even fathom how to use a car, they don’t understand a plane; they are scared of elevators and escalators. We are so lucky as Americans to have all of those things and to wield them for our own purpose- do we abuse that power? Are we using it for good? For His glory?                 There is a store here in the city that has an escalator going up 3 floors; I could sit there all day and watch people get on and off it. Grown men hesitate before getting on and some almost fall over when it continues to move up or down with them on it. They see what it is doing, but they are still scared of it. They have never seen anything like it! My favorite is when someone gets on without an example go right before them, they almost jump on and then hang on for dear life to the railing while looking around to make sure no one noticed. Even though this city is more crowded and seemingly scarier than any city I’ve been in, they still do not comprehend the splendor of other cities, the electricity, AC, lack of trees that accompanies cities in America. We are the leaders of the world, not because we have more people or the right way of doing things, but because we have a greater show of power and the world mimics us. The sad thing to me is that the things we show off the most are poor examples of how to treat each other and the earth. People are willing to lose their culture in favor of the western ways, they want to show more skin, use degrading language, and hold power over others- all from our example. Why are we lifting those aspects up if we do not agree with them? And although you might not personally agree with those things MTV is publishing, what are we doing to counter that image. I have always pretty much ignored that image; neither agreeing nor disagreeing- sometimes laughing at it or with it, but since I have been here I have realized that my inactivity has left me no choice. I am associated with that image because that is the only image they have of the States and I am from there so I must be like that. I have never had to work so hard to safeguard and defend my own honor and morality.  … I don’t know how I got from perspective of an outsider to this but there’s my thought for the day.

Productivity

I spent the better part of the day scrubbing down my new apartment. I was wearing gloves so when I took them off every 2 hrs or so my hands become increasingly unrecognizable. It’s amazing how pruny your skin can become! And when it’s that pruny you really can’t feel anything; it’s weird. My after several hours, and several walls now clean, my skin was starting to rub off on parts of my fingers and I’m still finding new blisters that I hadn’t noticed… I could have not worn gloves, but I think my hands still would have been beat up; I was using bleach water and a scrub brush, whether it was from sweat or soap my hands were getting wet. I’m sure my arms are going to be super sore tomorrow but I feel so good. Maybe this is what people talk about when they say exercising is good for you. I‘ll just keep cleaning in the heat and call it my exercise.

After cleaning, I took my first SOLO bus ride across town! By solo I mean I didn’t have an escort who knew what they were doing, do not be confused and think the bus was empty; Far from it. After I finally found the bus stop (I had to ask two different people) I had to wait for a few min for the right bus. I wish I had had my camera on me because this bus was so jam packed with people that I fit on the first step on and that was as far as I could go; but there were two other people getting on behind me… so as I stepped into some people we took off down the road. We stopped a few times and maybe one person would get off for the 4 getting on. I ended up being pushed towards the front of the bus (standing room only) near the driver; along with several people. It took about 20 min to get to my stop; I talked to the girl squished next to me a little and probably sweat a liter of water…. But I made it to my destination, I knew when to get off and I only paid 3 rupees! I say it was worth it and I will be taking the bus a lot more often. (Not the leisurely ride Adam R enjoys but still a semi-quality means of transportation.) I’m starting to open up to the city here and I think we will become good friends.

New home

I think that there is something honorable about a good cleaning job. I know I am turning my back on my childhood hatred of cleaning, but I do enjoy the satisfaction of being able to really clean something and see the desired outcome; a new looking wall. A few days ago a fellow worker and I moved into an older apartment; it looked like something out of a scary movie. there was a layer of dust and dirt over everything, cobwebs, fingerprints, the walls were supposed to be blue with pink borders but it was all a weird grey color; everything was just grimy and small. It was a vast difference from the flat I had been living in.

When I moved here, I moved in with two girls that had been here for over a year and had themselves inherited a lot of basic household needs. This place was a definite step down from their flat, especially without all the amenities they had.  For the past couple of days my new roommate and I have been shopping and cleaning, we had to buy cups and plates, pots, food, silverware, a broom… everything. While I was discouraged when we first walked in, late at night, with the last of our stuff; I’m feeling more optimistic about the whole move. I really did enjoy myself while I was literally scrubbing the walls today. There is nothing like being able to see a difference and a result after you hard work. I haven’t sweat that much since I got here but it felt good to be doing something so real. Learning the language is hard, but it is mostly mental and the results are less obvious. But with cleaning you can put the sweat in and see the results. I enjoy manual labor in that way; don’t tell my mom that.

So at the end of the day I am proud to say our living room looks 10 times better!

Our new kitchen.... yes the size of a bathroom.

squatty potty

new places; new faces

I’m moving. Again.

Me and one of my new roommates will be moving into a new apt. I’ll have my own room, but no internet at home…. So while I can still update this beastly thing, I won’t be able to get on skype as frequently. I didn’t realize how quickly I could take something for granted. Back to emails and missed calls. If I don’t learn more language, now that I am not distracted by internet, I don’t think there is any hope for me…. I’m choosing to look at this as a blessing- no more distractions and more incentive to leave the house.

Here’s a shout out to the LMC night staff! I feel like we are kindred spirits since we have similar sleeping schedules… Now get back to work!!

A day in the Life

The other day I was standing outside my apt complex waiting on a friend when I saw an elephant walking down our street towards the highway. Now don’t be confused, I do live in the city, I’m on a paved street, fairly busy, that is directly off one of the main roads that runs throughout the city. This was a work elephant that was coming from further down my street where more houses are (they are doing construction on some big apt buildings farther in the neighborhood so I’m guessing it was working on one of those buildings) going towards the main street! As I watched, there were a lot of motorcycles, cars, and rickshaws that were all honking and going around this un-phased elephant just walking along. Sometimes he would stop and eat some leaves from a nearby tree but mostly he just walked along the side of the street with two men riding on his back. They didn’t have any means of controlling the elephant that I could see, probably just their legs putting pressure on the side they wanted him to turn.  Anyways, the elephant walked right past me, within touching distance. I didn’t want to whip out my camera since no one else seemed shocked to see the elephant, I didn’t want to lose my street cred!

That same day the streets were pretty flooded due to some intense rain the past couple of days. When I say the streets flooded I mean the sewers from the side of the roads were now in the road… up to your calf. You have to visualize this from the beginning, when there is not water covering the streets, you have to be careful not to step in the cow poop littering the street and to step to close to the side of the roads where the gutter filled with sewage water is (and this is in the city where they have a semi sense of plumbing) so once it is covered in brown water, you have an idea of what’s making it brown… let’s just agree that it’s not just the mud. Even though it was pretty flooded, we still went out to visit some nearby villages. I was wearing my new Toms which meant that even after I had escaped the block of flooded street, I was still sloshing around in the poop water stuck in my shoes…  the people just accepted it and went on with their business, so I had to too- I tried not to think about what I was actually walking through. Some people (mostly kids) accepted the flooded courtyard and street so much so that they went ahead and saved the trip to the bathroom by stepping outside their door to pee from their front step. Honestly this fact did not endear me to the water I was walking through much. Can you imagine living in a flood zone and having to accept the poopy water coming into your house and invading your kitchen/bedroom?! I only had to endure the water for a few hrs until I came home and took a good shower, they had to stay in the wet mud/poop (at that point you can’t tell which is which). It definitely gave me something to think about.

Moi Pabu- I Feel

I feel like some days I am confident and excited to be here, learning the language and meeting people to practice with. Then other days, I cocoon inside myself hoping the day will pass swiftly so I don’t have to face anyone… these feelings lead me to believe that I am the only one or thing in my way of fully enjoying my time here thus far; self-esteem. I am learning who I am; who I thought I was, who I think I am, and who I am turning out to be. I have never questioned these aspects of myself this much before, and there are definitely times when my brain bulks at the effort of self-evaluation. I am obviously my worst critique. But I think right now, that is mostly a good thing. It is helping me to learn and grow. I think those days when I am encouraged and confident; I have stepped back and let Him handle my day. The rest of the time, it’s usually because I am wrapped in a book and don’t want to think.  My posts so far have been mostly a reflection focused on one aspect or thought for that day/week/hour. This is mostly because I am not doing nearly enough to entertain anyone for more than one min, and also because it is easier for me to do that than try to edit my thoughts enough to say what I’m thinking without getting in trouble for saying too much, if you know what I mean. Some of you probably don’t; don’t feel bad, I’ll let it go. I am not used to writing for people to read- my only experiences thus far were school papers (which I did well on but I have no idea how- they were crap) and my journal throughout 6^th and 7^th grade (which I still get made fun of by anyone who has read them- more people than you would think.) all that to say, I don’t feel like I have a lot to update on.

                I am doing well, I get lonely sometimes- but I think that is to be expected for someone who comes from such a close knit group of friends and family. I am enjoying the new experiences I am having here and my dreams of learning other languages are coming true. Well I guess it’s not plural- I’m only learning one; but if we include the Spanish from school (which I don’t remember) and perhaps piglatin I will fit right in with the people here who speak at least three languages…

I am learning the language and they say the best way to do that is to talk and practice with people who speak that language. Thus I am thrust out into the big city with a few phases and more than enough willing helpers. The end of my intense language study is at the end of next week- first week of sept. I am really looking forward to that time; I will still be expected to keep up with language and practice daily, but I will also get to work more hands on with the research project I came out here for. The more I look ahead the easier it is for me to push past my discomfort and really practice the language. I am encouraged daily by the people I am working with, both national partners and the company workers. Hopefully once I’m doing something beyond myself and my language I will be able to give better stories and not ramble so much.

Books I’ve read recently: from most recent back: Mockingjay, Breaking Dawn, Twilight, the Grapes of Wrath, Blink of an Eye, Adam, Namesake, the Portofino, and Little Bee.

Music I’m listening to the most: Sufjan Stevens, Dirty Projectors, Adam Randall, Andrew Peterson, Yeasayer and a lot of others.

Neighbors

Update List

If you would like to be added to my email updates about how i am doing and sometimes a more specific view of what I'm doing, give me your email address- you can contact me at arehn510@gmail.com

Culture Clash

The area I am in is interesting because it is like a cross between the Jungle Book, Grapes of Wrath and LA. Sometimes I feel like houses grew up out of the forest just like the tree next to that house. Not only does it look like the city and the jungles are jumbled all together into one new environment but the people are the same way. The city here is one of the fastest growing cities in the country with more people pouring in all the time; this is creating a new way of developing and interacting that I have never experienced before. I live in an apartment building and my neighbors live in a long bamboo hut that houses at least 6 families. On the other side of that hut is a house that is in the middle of being built- the cement frame of the house is done but the roof isn’t complete and no one is living there yet, beyond that house is a small field some more one or two story houses then another 8 story building that is half finished. And we are not far off one of the main roads of the city. It’s like, if you can find some land, you can build on it- however much you can afford at that time. I feel like everything is half completed and people are always working on construction. Almost nothing is done by machine- everything is completed through man power. People, cars, animals, nature… they are all a part of the city in their own right and they are all a force to be reckoned with here. When I look out my window from the fourth floor, I see mountains on all sides trapping us or protecting us, and I see a round valley full of trees with houses popping up here and there. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea, yes it is very crowded here, there is not a lot of open land, but what land there is, you can be sure there are as many trees as possible in that space.  To me, it looks like an abandoned city that the jungle has overtaken. What is really happening is that the jungle is being overtaken by the city; its just that the new buildings look about 50 yrs old- they don’t paint the outsides (or insides for that matter) so everything look solder than it is.

Language

I am starting to adjust... well a little.

right now my time is centered around learning the language. i have been given the charge to spend 30-40 hrs a week on learning/practicing/ and studying the language. i have a tutor who is working with me five days a week for an hour or two each day. when we are studying together i feel like i've got it. i understand the sentence structure and i understand the words when i look at it.... then i walk out the door and my mind goes blank. i wish i could just know the language without having to go through so much work. but i am also learning- which my mind already knew- that i am appreciating the people and the language more by putting in the effort. As a part of my language study i have to go out in the city to practice with locals. i can practice with my taxi driver, the shop keeper, this wonderful woman who runs a beauty shop near my house and any of her patrons. it sounds all good and well but it is the most nerve racking thing i do everyday. i get anxious every morning i wake up when i think about having to go out and talk to some strangers today. once i get out-its not that bad. the people are really nice, and they genuinely want to help. but still i get scared every morning. at night i think about the next day with big plans... "tomorrow i am going to get up early, hang out with L today for a little while in her beauty shop then i'm going to the market to get some eggs and talk with the shop keepers. if i meet anyone on the way- i will say hi and practice with them too. then i will go to my tutor and speak with her and learn even more!..." then when i wake up, i lay there.. then i eat something.. then i think about what movie i could watch today. its very discouraging... but my body and my mind will not cooperate.

i enjoy spending time with the people, and meeting people that can help me learn the language. its just the going out that i cant mentally prepare for.

i am doing well and i dont have a lot to update on. i'm learning the language- that my soul mission right now.(i spelled soul that way on purpose)

i love all you guys back at home- and other places. please Pry that i can get outside myself and learn the most possible.
over-n-out.

Arrogance

in order navigate the roads here you have to have a certain amount of arrogance. if you are walking or driving you have to act like you own the road; this is my road and i will walk were i like. you can not be timid or hesitate at all; otherwise you will surely get into an accident. if you are in a car you go where need to and at your own speed (whether that is fast or slow) if someone is in your way, you honk and go around them... this system would never work in the states, but it seems to work really well here. even though there are people, animals, holes and cars all using the same road, they all navigate around each other. i have yet to see anyone get hit; which is a miracle in and of itself. if you are walking- then you have to walk with confidence like you own the road- much like the students on the FSU campus. you just have to trust that the cars will see you and either stop or swerve around you- yes they may honk a lot but they always honk so dont take it personally.
that's another thing- honking. In the states if someone honks at you, you get offended and probably get some road rage... but here they honk all the time. a honk can mean "careful. I'm right behind you" or "hey, just wanted to let you know I'm about to pass you" or "watch your left side, I'm coming up and i don't want to splash you" or even"don't move out to the road unexpectedly because I'm coming up behind you" they honk at cars, people, animals or to the empty road if your coming up on a curve- you want to warn people coming from around the corner... it definitely makes for a loud experience.
i'm starting to learn the language and getting to know some of the people near my apt. everyone is so helpful and encouraging.
that is all.

up and down the mountain

one way to travel.

doorman.

the city from the hotel-4th floor

Blister at the beginning of the day

 

New Shoes

so when you go anywhere it is suggested to not bring new shoes; you should have shoes that have been broken in to fit your feet so that you dont have to worry about blisters or the shoe not fitting you properly... it's always wise to have a shoe you know and know what to expect... it is after all what you are relying on to keep you moving, yeah?     well i got a pair of Toms shoes on the Thursday (i left on a Friday)... they tell you this advice with good reason. i wore my shoes on the trip over here and started to get a slight blister by the time we finally arrived; it was more of an annoyance and didn't really hurt. then yesterday we climbed a very steep mountain and although i was thankful for my Toms, the blister grew a little more.  now before you say i told you so, the blister doesnt really hurt it just looks red and is peeling my skin a bit... i learned my lesson.

we have been having a blast meeting a ton of new people, learning the language (some better than others) and bringing water filters to a lot of people. Kimberly has picked up the language better than any of us, she can practically have a conversation already and i'm still stuck on hello and what is your name... i just do not have a mind for language like i wish i did, i will get it, but very lahey-lahey (slowly slowly).

another tip- dont let your sports bra show from the top of your shirt... i guess its inappropriate... i learned that about a week in when  a group of teenage girls quickly lucked it back into my shirt among lots of laughs and giggles... who would have guessed i would be the immodest one here!

Humidity

We are here! it was a long time traveling with delayed flights and extra stops along the way but we have finally arrived (well a few days ago) and we are already setting up water filters and preparing to visit more places. We have been doing a lot of training so far and yesterday got to go shopping for some local garb. It was quite the experience. I feel like I have so much to say already and every time I go to sit down and get some of my thoughts out of my head, my brain shuts down and doesn't want to confront all of the different thoughts and feelings i have going on at one time.
It has finally hit me that I ave actually moved here and am not just visiting for a little while. i have mixed feelings about that but today i was okay with that decision. we'll see what happens tomorrow. I was lucky to be able to get internet access through my kindle on the trip out here(that's the reason for the supper bad grammar on the previous couple of posts). i had another, funnier, post that i tried to upload from the fourth airport we were in but my Kindle froze right as i was about to post it so I'll re-post something similar later.
I just want everyone to know that i am well and the rest of the team and I are all getting the full experience here. tomorrow we are going to a school where we will get to install a water filter, which takes about an hour to install, and do some water tests in the neighboring houses... Its going to be a busy day.
a few side notes:

• it has rained every day so far and if its not raining it is so humid from the impending rain that you are constantly swimming through the air. 
• the area is so beautiful, we are currently more in the mountains near a huge river- It looks like something out of the jungle book-the real life version.
• my fingers smell like curry, constantly
• the people are so nice and welcoming

planes

im on the plane getting ready to travel for too many hours at one time.... and ive already been asked to switch seats 2 times... its cool. so many stories to tell... i think it will be a good flight. there are a lot of good movies available. also it hit me on the last flight that i'm moving not just visiting. i think im a bit scared.

Beginning.

We are off.
Traveling is both exciting and boring. I am anxious to get on the plane in order to sit and wait. It was an interesting time this morning getting the last minute things, finishing packing my bag, saying good byes.... I wish i had better control of my temper and my communication skills... but whats done is done and all i can do is try to be conscious of my behavior next time so that i can change it.
 I'm surprised at how much my friends and family's support has meant to me, I'm just starting to realize how much i rely upon their opinion and support. i almost cried while saying my final goodbyes. the final hugs... then i remembered i was a robot and sucked it up.

I'm really excited. now i just want to get on the plane so I can sleep.

I love you guys.

Last Days

I woke up this morning really tired and kind of floundering. I still have a lot to do, and no more days to do it.

I will miss the opportunities to get up at 8 and go shopping with friends or by myself, if I want to. Now I usually don't like shopping at all, but I will miss the chance and the choice to go whenever and wherever I like. I did my errands really early this morning then I fell back asleep when i got home around 10ish... now I feel groggy and sluggish. what a start.
I feel like my house just threw up into my room. I'm not prepared... yet. I will be by 3am...

I'm not looking forward to saying goodbye.

Timshel

I feel like i need to explain the name of this blog. i got the idea from East of Eden by John Steinbeck; in this section they are talking Genesis 4:1-16. the chapter is the story of Cain and Abel and ultimately the question of being a slave to sin or not... Timshel is in gen 4:7; which means "thou mayest"

said Lee. “Well, the story bit deeply into me and I went into it word for word. The more I thought about the story, the more profound it became to me. Then I compared the translations we have—and they were fairly close. There was only one place that bothered me. The King James version says this—it is when Jehov. has asked Cain why he is angry. Jehov. says, ‘If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.’ It was the ‘thou shalt’ that struck me, because it was a promise that Cain would conquer sin.” ...

Lee’s hand shook as he filled the delicate cups. He drank his down in one gulp. “Don’t you see?” he cried. “The American Standard translation orders men to triumph over sin, and you can call sin ignorance. The King James translation makes a promise in ‘Thou shalt,’ meaning that men will surely triumph over sin. But the Hebrew word, the word timshel—‘Thou mayest’— that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if ‘Thou mayest’—it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not.’ Don’t you see?”

... Now, there are many millions in their sects and churches who feel the order, ‘Do thou,’ and throw their weight into obedience. And there are millions more who feel predestination in ‘Thou shalt.’ Nothing they may do can interfere with what will be. But ‘Thou mayest’! Why, that makes a man great, that gives him stature with the gods, for in his weakness and his filth and his murder of his brother he has still the great choice. He can choose his course and fight it through and win.” Lee’s voice was a chant of triumph.

Adam said, “Do you believe that, Lee?”

“Yes, I do. Yes, I do. It is easy out of laziness, out of weakness, to throw oneself into the lap of deity, saying, ‘I couldn’t help it; the way was set.’ But think of the glory of the choice! That makes a man a man. A cat has no choice, a bee must make honey. 

... I have a new love for that glittering instrument, the human soul. It is a lovely and unique thing in the universe. It is always attacked and never destroyed— because ‘Thou mayest.’”

so you see, i have a choice. a choice to obey or not. it is not destined, or mandatory. it is the difference between I can and I may. ... so i am choosing to go on this trip and i am choosing to obey.

read the book. East of Eden by John Steinbeck.

Preparations

It's a weird feeling to be completely stressed and yet completely bored. maybe it's just my mind wanting my body to get up and get organized but my body just wants to sit back and watch TV while i have the option... I'm in the process of packing up my entire life into one suitcase, maybe a carry-on bag as well. It's going alright for now. I cant think of anything else that i really need to bring but i already have that feeling that I'm forgetting something. When I packed up for college and living in a different city, i literally packed my clothes took some stuff from around the house and left, i bought almost everything i needed there.. and i guess I'm doing the same thing only without as much clothes. It just feels different. IDK.

i still have to run errands like telling the bank I'm going to a different country for a  while and my card has not been stolen, and turn back in a certain car tag.. but instead of doing those things early this morning, i watched TV for about 3 and half hours straight... dont worry though, it will get done!

Things to do today:
pack up suitecase- not just lay it all out on the bed
figure out if i need to buy anything else for the trip- then buy it
pack up the rest of the things in my room- move it to garage
go to bank
turn in tag
spend quality time with Maxipad

The First.

well... I leave in less than a week so i figured it was time to start this thing up. I have only a few rules:
1. Do not judge me for my typos; including misspellings.
2. Don't think less of me if I'm not witty enough for you.
3. Enjoy.