Work related blog

This week has been jumbled, confusing and stressful at work. It is our first week all together, working as a team, and it's going great. We each have very specific specialties that the Maitri staff can utilize which is useful because there is not a whole lot of overlapping of assignments. While our specific tasks were initially confusing and up-in-the-air, we have finally been given some clarity and detail. It feels good to know exactly what my assignment is, but also somewhat intimidating, as I feel like my project is huge...much larger that I had originally thought.

I am putting together the entire Punjab police workshop on HIV prevention. This will target women and children who's husbands/fathers are in the police force. Similar to the problems that the armed forces face, police officers are often stationed near areas where prostitutes frequent, and they often engage in unsafe sex. It is my job to come up with the three phases which should be conducted over a period of one month. The first phase is a survey of demographics and basic knowledge, as well as an educational presentation on HIV. I've put together a powerpoint presentation and a skit for this portion of the workshop. The second phase will be conducted in small groups of women over the course of two days. It is my goal to create a support group for women who may be suffering. Because many of the women and children who are affected with HIV are judged and discriminated against, I am also implementing activities to promote self-esteem and teaching these people their rights as human beings so that they can live in dignity. I have also written two skits and included plenty of group discussion time during this phase. We will also be hiring counselors who have expertise in this sort of training. The third and final phase I have yet to put together, but the purpose is to come up with some sort of analytical findings to measure the effectiveness of the workshop. I'm happy that they have confidence in me and that they are willing to give me such a large bulk of work, I just hope that I can live up to/exceed any expectations that they have. It is intimidating that my original design will be judged by the specialists involved in phase two and that the effectiveness will be measured in phase three. Luckily, I feel like I have support from the other interns and they are being helpful in brainstorming different ideas and topics to discuss.

I also found out that I am going to be working in the classroom quite a bit. Today we worked on a permanent schedule that the students can rely on and a curriculum that will be taught according to the level of student. I think that the structure and organization will do wonders for these kids. Their eagerness to learn astounds me and I realize what a privileged life I have lived. Despite the fact that I faced my own barriers and had challenges to overcome, these children make me realize just how luck I have been .

Time to sleep. Early morning tomorrow. We may be going out of town this weekend, but we have to go to the train station at 7:30 to see if we can get last minute tickets. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but it would be great to get out of the city and check out another part of India.
Peace.

I like to eat. eat. eat.

Today I had a series of oral orgasms. No joke.

FIRST, this morning I woke up and had half of a plain bagel with cream cheese. After a whole week of heavy Indian food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, this simple piece of bread and cheese was like eating...well...a really good bagel and cream cheese. My "groggy-morning" self was able to wake up with satisfaction instead of being put back to sleep with a greasy potato and onion chapati and toast.

THEN, for lunch we had this cheese and tomato dish. I could write a novel about the way the cheese crumbled on my tongue and the creamy rich flavors sat in my mouth. I wanted to enjoy the flavor over and over again. The richness was just rich enough to give way to a lightness at the end-a true delight.

NEXT, after a long day at work, we came home and Janaki (our cook) was busy in the kitchen making dinner. Ugh. She wouldn't be done for another two hours and I WAS HUNGRY NOW! If only I could make my own meal....ALAS!!! She presents a huge glass bowl filled with sliced melon. Now, if I could rate this melon I would not hesitate to give it five HUGE stars. This melon was so sweet and soft, it dripped from my fork and into my drooling mouth. I'm pretty sure I gobbled up half of the bowl (much to my roommate's dismay, I'm sure.)

FINALLY, for dinner we had plain buttered chapati with this vegetarian yellow curry. Those of you who know me understand that I can eat with the best of 'em.....but you would have seriously been impressed with the way I took down four of these burrito sized portions. OHMYGOD it was SOOOGOOD!!!

Oh man. People curious about the food in India...it's JUST. THAT. GOOD.

And, the perfect discovery to be coupled with my day of eats....A GYM! Right next door to our apartment complex is a public school and apparently we can use their gym for free. Granted, their treadmills are falling apart and there are only two sets of free weights that match. However, exercise. I love to sit and relax, but my body gets restless-especially with the lack of dancing. Who knew I'd miss dancing?!?!? Peculiar.

Photos from our first weekend...

A parade on the way home...the fragrant rose petals were tossed into the air and stuck to the people's sweaty arms who were celebrating the event
The Sikh temple
Humayun's Tomb (which inspired the Taj Mahal)
Isa Khan's Tomb from a bird's-eye-view. This is where the bats were right above our heads! EEK!
An archaeological site in Lodi Gardens

I’ve included some pictures of our outing from last weekend. On a side note, I’m on Skype now, so let me know if you have it and we’ll chat!

Charming Encounters

So there is this kid that comes to school at Maitri and I’m so taken with him. He’s one of the most charming little boys that I’ve ever seen. He has the largest watermelon slice of a smile with teeth that look like white pieces of trident gum. Every time I talk to him, he reaches out for a handshake and seems to get complete satisfaction out of a high five. It makes my day.

I had my first memorable encounter with this Indian man tonight. Nancy needed to fix her phone & the man that was there to help spoke fluent English, so I didn’t feel like I had to keep asking him to clarify himself. (That always makes me feel like a major ass.) We talked about computers and cell phones and he told me about how he can get hook-ups on all of this pirated software. It wasn’t so much that I cared about the software schemes and whatnot, but he was just friendly and genuine. He gave me his business card and then started to talk about being Sikh and how his last name Singh is really common for Sikh’s….and blah dee blah dee blah. It’s hard to explain, but talking to him tonight put me at ease and in a warm mood. When I travel I put my guard up and don’t allow myself to trust anyone. I act indifferent and at times unfriendly because I hate being taken advantage of. I sort of hate that I naturally do this because it makes it near impossible to meet anyone without a formal introduction from a mutual friend. But this encounter was different. Maybe it was because my belly was full and I was feeling sleepy and was not in the mood to play tough-guy. Maybe it was because his friendly demeanor dissolved my wall. Either way…it was nice.

Peace, love and ice cream

Today was sight-seeing, tourist day. Nancy and I were getting ready to start a fun-filled day that we had planned last night, when Johnny and Jenny showed up at our door! It’s great to have them here so that the whole team is finally together. I was surprised by their willingness to drop their bags and come with us after an early flight.

First, we went to a Sikh temple called Gurud Wara. There was a crowded mob of chaos outside of the temple doors and as we trekked through the jumble of vendors selling silver Sikh bangles and worshipers, we took off our shoes, washed our feet in the fountains, put scarves over our heads and entered. As I looked around this expansive veranda of holy space, I became so overwhelmed with a feeling of spirituality. It is the closest that I have come to this feeling in my life and though I’m not ready to whip out the bible, I think that there is some spiritual element that I may be missing in my life. As people laid out to nap in the shade, others rinsed their bodies in the pool in the center of the temple to rid their sins or just be blessed by the holly water. Some women smiled at me, and I smiled back even though it made me feel like a stupid tourist invading on something that I didn’t understand. Men just stared as we walked by and children paid little attention. At certain moments, like stepping through a doorway, people would bend down, touch the ground and bow. I wasn’t sure if I should mimic the action and since I didn’t want to be disrespectful, I didn’t, but now that I think back to it, I wish I had. Maybe it was more disrespectful to walk through the doorway without bowing. The best part was being in the presence of a holistic love of God.

After the temple of chaos and love, we took an auto rickshaw to Lodi Gardens. It is the equivalent of Central Park in New York; enormous trees bend over dirt and semi-paved paths, skinny chipmunks scurry across the road, and vendors sell ice cream to help you bear the heat. There were a few historical archaeological sites with old tombs that I took pictures of, but we were restricted from entering. After a short walk in the blistering heat, we stopped in Lodi Garden Restaurant. The place was fancy shmancy and we felt like we were walking back into a hidden oasis, complete with air conditioning. I had an Italian-inspired pasta dish and a lot of complimentary bread. I think I needed a break from Indian food. I realize now how much it will lose its appeal when I return to Salt Lake City.

The next thing on the list was visiting Humayun’s Tomb which is the inspiration for the Taj Mahal. Despite the fact that I could care less about the dates, names and stories behind the monuments, I can’t help but let my imagination wander and picture myself living in the days when people got buried in tombs the size of castles. The architecture was elaborate, though cracking and falling apart at the seams and the buildings had an overpowering stench of piss. One of the tombs that we entered had a dark, steep, stone staircase with tall walls. As I stood to get a glimpse of the coffins from a birds-eye-view, Johnny looked up and saw a bat dangling right above my head. Startled, I quickly jumped out of the way. I’ve decided that bats are alright, as long as they are not two inches away from me.

The heat is getting to the sticky, uncomfortable degree. Upon arrival back at the apartment, I took a freezing cold shower to rinse off my own evils. It was a productive day of sight-seeing though I know that we were a little ripped-off by the auto drivers. The other interns don’t negotiate prices very well, and while I am willing to go along for the ride and bite my tongue, I just imagine how pissed off Aviva would be at my lack of bargaining that she drilled me on in Africa.

Peace. Love. Ice Cream.

Khan Market

If you know me at all, you know that I am a girl that loves loves loves to sleep. I could be a professional sleeper if it were a profession. Also, jet lag is something that usually never ever effects me. However, it has while I have been in India. I really thought that I was going to have to start gluing my eyes and mouth shut because I'm pretty sure that Nancy would like to slap some earplugs in and tell me to shut up every night. However, I am slightly reassured that I am getting back on schedule because this morning I was able to sleep in for the first time in so long it pains me to say. Granted, I only slept in until 10:00 (again, if you know me at all you know this is not really sleeping in for me.) but still....it was more promising than waking up at 4:30.

I visited Khan Market today and bought some postcards. The market is not so much of a market as a run-down outdoor mall with zillions of little shops. Indian fabric stores and tailors, souvenir shops selling little ornate statues of various Gods, and auto repair shops with greasy men squatting around scratching their balls all make up this tourist attraction. The stores line a zig zag dirt path where stray kittens wander, motorcycles are being washed, and guards eye you like you are a kid in a candy store. The higher-end shops (like the fabulous and expensive interior design store that took my breath away) are on the top floors and you have to walk up narrow, steep stairs to gain access. It's totally worth it though because once you enter you are blasted by this heavenly gust of freezing cold air conditioning, which is a nice break from the heat.

Speaking of heat, it's starting to get much hotter than the first few days. It's still bearable, but I'm afraid I am starting to smell like an adolescent boy....or like every other Indian walking around. I'm embarrassed to admit that I once winced at the smell of a man standing a little too close to me. Now, I am that man with the horrible body odor. The truth hurts.

The best news of the day: I found an ice cream cart right below my apartment today. A vanilla ice cream stick covered in a hard chocolate shell is only about 30 cents. Maybe there is a God.

Rain is over, summer's here

Nancy, one of the other interns, has finally made it to Delhi so I'm no longer all alone. She got in last night at around 1:00 am and I couldn't stop talking her ear off because it had been so long since I had talked to someone in the evening! I was starting to feel really lame with how dull my evenings were....me, on the couch watching crappy shows on the Hallmark Channel. Lame.

I also met a new friend I like to call Mr. Cockroach in the bathroom. As some of you may recall, the first experience that I ever had with cockroaches was in my apartment, the Palladio my sophomore year. It involved some hysterics and calling my mom at 3:00 in the morning to hyperventilate. My second experience was somewhat similar, only 20x more embarrassing, because it was in my homestay in Rwanda and I felt like that stupid ass American who gets freaked out by a bug. I have to admit, I held it together quite a bit better this time when I opened the door to the bathroom to discover a cockroach about the size of half of my palm sitting there looking up at me. I swear he was thinking "get over it little Missy, I plan on staying here for a LONG time, and there isn't anything you can do about it." I merely cursed about 92 times, turned on the light in the bathroom and closed the door. Never in my life have I been more thrilled about having two bathrooms in my apartment. I also gave Mr. Cockroach a warning that he has until Sunday when Johnny (the male intern) comes and kills him.

Today was great. I woke up, ate breakfast, and went to work. I spent some time working on my presentation and most of the time in the classroom helping a couple kids with their reading. There are so many suggestions that I have to make the classroom run more efficiently. I think my experience working in my mom's classroom for my whole life will help me tremendously here. First, there were about 40 kids in the class today ranging in ages 3-16 in ONE ROOM. Talk about chaos! So, I suggested that since everyone was doing something different at all times that they split the classroom up into different sections. This was easy to do with the new tall bookshelves. Now, the one giant room is two normal sized rooms. Also, some kids seemed to be falling so far behind their peers, likely due to a lack of personal attention both in the classroom and at home. I suggested that I take a few kids at a time up in the office to work on vocab and numbers. That way, they can focus in a quiet environment. Tomorrow we are going to a wholesale market to get some school supplies. They are in such great need for pencils and paper I can hardly stand it.

I'm signing off for now. Peace.

Maitri...and what my mission is...

Plenty of people have been wondering what I'm doing this summer in India, so....I'll tell you, now that I actually have a better idea.

India has many problems tackling the huge HIV epidemic in India because of the stigma attached to the disease. India has the 3rd largest population of people infected with HIV in the world and 90% don't know that they are infected. Those who know that they have the disease often try to hide it from their family and friends because it is typical that they will be shamed and thrown out of their household if the knowledge is discovered. One of the populations that suffers the most is the women and children who have fathers in the armed services. Because these personnel spend a chunk of time (3-4 months at a time) away from their families, they are tempted by prostitutes to engage in sexual intercourse. Officers hold a great deal of power in their hands and they often abuse this power. Similarly, prostitutes sometimes throw themselves at officers because they are attracted to the power. Some officers even have an entirely separate family in other locations. Needless to say, these encounters are quick and people rarely use protection. When the husbands go back to their wives and engage in sexual intercourse they transmit the disease not only to the wife, but potentially to conceived children. When this is the case, it is often the wife and children who are thrown out of their house so this becomes a huge human rights issue and is especially problematic when the husband is aware of his disease.

To make matters worse, for a period of time the Indian government put a ban on all sex-education courses in the country. As a result, education on HIV/AIDS/STIs has been restricted. -Until about 2 weeks ago. There is now a strict sex-ed program that has been developed by the government and it is now a matter of getting the logistics into Maitri's hands so that we can use it to compliment our teachings of AIDS prevention.

Maitri is currently beginning programs to target 1. the police force, 2. construction workers and 3. students. They also have a separate education program for women to help them become self-sustainable and children who do not have access to basic education.

I will be in charge of developing the presentation for the first phase of our workshop for the police force. This workshop will target 1000 families and discuss the causes and symptoms of HIV/AIDS as well as tuberculosis and Hepatitis C. It will also have a peer counseling component in small groups so that wives can speak freely about their thoughts, questions, concerns etc.

I'm also going to be working in the classroom at Maitri's office and helping the teacher follow a curriculum that is more structured that the one that is currently in place. My guess is that I will probably be helping most with the English program.

So there you have it. My life for the next 3 months. :)

Some thoughts and first impressions:

Heathrow Airport:
Heathrow airport is a mega-mall with designer shops, make-up counters and pricey restaurants. I remember the reverse culture shock that I experienced on my journey home from Africa last summer. I felt nauseous at the sight of bright lights and a material world. On my way through the airport this time around, I was thrilled to browse the shops and make a couple tax-free purchases. Speakers for my ipod and a memory card reader are justifiable in my book! After my luggage was checking in (with NO extra fees!) :) I felt much more relaxed. Excitement began to settle in and as I looked around at the people surrounding me in my boarding terminal I realized that I was already a minority.
I also started to think about being the first to arrive and the advantage that it would give me. Besides getting to pick out the better bed and closet space... :) I would be able to make a good first impression by myself. Since I tend to get shy in groups initially, being there first, alone, would force me to play "leader" and get the lay of the land.

India, Day 1:
The flight wasn't so shabby! Jet Airways was much better than US Airways from NYC to London. Jet Airways provides plenty of second-rate movies and Bollywood films, as well as socks, a toothbrush and an eye-mask. I was lulled to sleep by the soft porno/elevator music during take-off and since there was no one sitting next to me, I could stretch out. I almost died when I realized that the remixed song playing overhead during take-off was that one in "She's All That" with Freddie Prince Jr. and Rachel Cook during a party scene...it goes something like..."Give it to me! Give it to me!" as some random guy pelvic thrusts through the crowd. HA! Remixed it is barely recognizable....perhaps I just watched that movie one too many times in my day. Once I got to the airport, getting my bags and exchanging money was simple. I felt like a pimp when they handed over all of the rupee bills. Never in my life have I held such a wad of cash!

I found Rajmal, my driver, and he drove me to my new apartment. Not knowing was to expect, I LOVE IT! The place is huge with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (with stand-up showers), a full kitchen, dining room and living room with cable tv and internet. The best part of this place is the artwork on the walls. It ranges from abstract to traditional religious based art. Since I've been here three days, I've also started to notice little details, like the lavender accents in my bedroom and the embroidered curtains. Compared to last summer, I'd say I'm living in luxury. (If you don't include the mansion I stayed at in Uganda...that was an exception...)

After resting a bit, showering and unpacking, I went to meet with the Singh family who runs Maitri. They invited me to their beautiful home for a homemade Indian lunch (delicious!) and to discuss the country/culture/safety. They immediately made me feel at home and were incredibly easy-going. The best part is their 6 noisy, playful dogs! They even have 1 chihuahua that of course made me miss my little one....though of course no other dog will compare to Tiff. :)

After lunch, Sonali drove me to a market/mall with a cinema, lots of restaurants and a grocery store. It seems like a good place to hang out on the weekends and is only a five minute drive from the apartment.

Modesty/Cultural barriers (still Day 1):
I'm already confused by the Indian's perception of modesty. I don't understand why it is acceptable for some women to wear saris with their big bellies hanging out and it is considered inappropriate for me to bear my shoulders. I'm also having trouble with the thick accents. I could barely understand the maid/cook and I couldn't tell when or how much she wants me to pay her. This might be more difficult that I expected. AND! the internet isn't working properly in the apartment. UGH!

In the evening, I watched and obscene amount of crappy tv and came to the realization that I really am in India. It was a surreal feeling-I had been anticipating it for so long, and then, all of a sudden, there I was chilling out in my apartment...and it's like no big deal.

My India, Day 2:
So, everyone said that when I stepped off of the plane, I would be hit with a block of sticky heat. Instead, my India is cool and drizzly and gray. I'm actually rather comfortable in the weather. Books described colorful streets and scenes of extreme poverty and sick people reaching out and grabbing you and begging for money. My India is not colorful at all. Dirt covers all of the colors that were once bright. And maybe it is the fact that I experienced poverty in Africa, but it seems that everyone at least has a roof over their heads and flip flops. Perhaps this is because so far, my India is only a few streets-basically from my apartment to the office (3 minute drive), but the sensory overload that I've heard so much about is absent. (Minus the distinct smells of body odor and shit in every corner.

I am antsy to explore beyond this small space and see the India that everyone so vividly describes. I'm not really allowed to go anywhere by myself until the other interns arrive, so I will just have to be patient. (A trait that I've never been known for.)

A few good things happened on the second day...
After being abruptly awakened by Rajmal ringing my doorbell, I got ready, unsure why he had come unannounced or where he was planning on taking me. After a bit, I realized he was ready to take me to the office. Ok. Sounds good. Something to do. The office consists of 3 rooms of desks and computers for the Maitri team, 1 tiny kitchen smaller than my bathroom, 1 bathroom (that always seems to be locked), and a classroom. I spent 1/2 the time in the classroom meeting the 17ish students and listening to them sing karaoke (all day) and 1/2 the time figuring out internet, phone and work logistics. I met Sonal (who is a different person that Sonali-which I didn't realize until day 2...) and she gave me the nitty gritty on Maitri and HIV in India. I will write a separate blog on this if you are interested.

Maitri and Today:
Today was so bizarre. Rajmal was supposed to deliver my cellphone last night, but never came. It wouldn't have been a big deal, but I use it as an alarm clock and the only way to tell the time. So, I woke up when I felt it was a semi-normal time, though I knew it was a little early because it was still a bit dark. After laying in bed with that song that goes, "From the back, to the middle, and around again, I'm gonna be there til the end, 100% pure. love." for what felt like 30 minutes, I got up, peed, brushed my teeth and started reading this book on learning Hindi and practiced some traditional Hindi letters. Then, I heard this religious singing/chant from a mosque that must be somewhat close by and it reminded me of waking up to the same chant in Uganda for the first couple mornings. What time was it? Time to take a nap. After what felt like 1 hour, I got up, took a shower and got ready for the day. I called Sonal to see if Rajmal could pick me up and it wasn't even 9:00 yet! Which means, that I woke up around 4:30 in the morning!!!! Jet lag sucks!!!!!!!

I spent the rest of the day at the office working on my new assignment. I'll be preparing a presentation for the police program that will be presented on June 15th. The presentation will cover the causes and symptoms of HIV and the problem of HIV in India. I'm excited to have such a big task already, as it will be a large chunk of the workshop and I'm up for the challenge. I'm also going to be assisting in the classroom, implementing the curriculum and making it more structured. I'll probably be most helpful during their English lessons, as all of the kids speak Hindi. Hopefully I'll be able to learn just as much from them as I am able to teach.

This is so long....sorry, it's been a couple days trying to get the internet to work so there is a lot to say. The internet still isn't wireless and I'm hooked up to a very short cord in the apartment...not that I'm complaining....at least it's semi-working now. Also, I finally got my phone to work and I have minutes so I can call the USA starting tonight. The 12ish hour time difference makes calling somewhat annoying though. And I get much better rates if I call after 11:00 Indian time. For now, I'll sign off, as I've already probably put most people to sleep.

Sense of Relief...

SO, today I've been busy packing and running last minute errands. I've been a little worried because I wasn't sure how I was getting to my apartment from the airport in Delhi, but I just recieved word that I'm going to be picked up by a driver. Phew. I really wasn't looking forward to dealing with taxi stress right off the plane and in a new city/country/culture.

Today is the last day of playing with Chloe and Mia. Mia is getting impatient and wants me to play upstairs.

More later...

Weekend getaway

On Friday, I went into Camden Town. It is a bizarre area of Northern London filled with various Gothic shops and punk vendors selling anything from 3 foot long bongs, to Hello Kitty socks. I bough a postcard with the district's motto: "We don't need permission to be free." Had I given into the peer pressure, I would have bought some fishnet tights. However, I realized I'm over the "life-is-pain" phase. I'm glad I saw the area though-had I missed it, I would have been left wondering where all of the mohawks lived. I did eat a fabulous traditional English lunch though. I had a white Belgian beer coupled with beef sausage and mash. Mmmm...thick.
Friday night, after some delicious take-out Indian dinner (or tea as the locals call it) we headed off for a weekend getaway on the Southern coast of England. The drive was crowded and somewhat dull as it was getting dark and the girls were asleep next to me. I counted 12 bunnies on the side of the road and dozed off a bit. The cottage that we stayed in was absolutely delightful!-right out of a fairytale. It was 300 years old and still shared many characteristics of it's previous lives. Beautiful wooden plank floors, thick aged ceiling beams, heavy wooden doors with small brass handles and stained glass windows to let in light between rooms. The town was gorgeous as well with horses as chauffeurs, cows grazing freely, and homes with endless history lining narrow winding roads.
On Saturday, we went to the beach and people were dressed in winter jackets and beanies. It was so cold but it reminded me of playing on the beaches of Puget Sound as a little girl. The girls were so cute and didn't let the weather phase them. They ran around and flew kites and collected seashells. The beach was right on the English Channel and France was straight across from us (though way too far to see.) Although it was fun to watch the girls, I couldn't help but wish that I was there with some friends on a blanket with a bottle of wine.
Later we went to dinner at an old fisherman's pub. I became fat with grub and had a dull drunk off of one large English beer. By the time we got home, everyone was exhausted and I was the lone survivor. Without internet or a phone, I was left to think...
I began to realize how much I'm going to miss Walloon Lake this summer. This is the first summer in my life that I won't be visiting my grandparents at our summer beach cottage. Life at Walloon is bliss and carefree. I'll miss sitting on the dock and listening to the waves crash on the sand and rocking in the swing with my family sipping on lemonade and doing the crossword puzzle. It makes me realize how badly I want to raise a family near the water and how important that was in my childhood. I have the most vivid memories of my childhood at Walloon or on the rocky cold beaches of the Pacific Northwest.

I'm now completely procrastinating. I should be packing and planning- I leave for India TOMORROW and I'm so anxious I could flip any second. I talked with my mom and Colin again tonight though and their encouraging words are always helpful. I just don't know when I will be able to connect (either via phone or email) to anyone and it leaves me feeling a bit desperate and lost and alone.

Take a deep breath. If it all gets screwed up....I'll look back and laugh.

Photos so far...

The Elias' house
Neal's Yard...funky shopping district with hippie love personality-i LOVED it.
Kennsington Gardens
Enticing food on High Street Kennsington...so tempting I had to try some!
Mango ice cream anyone???

Olive vendor at Borough Market
Borough Market
Neal's Yard Cheese
Tate Modern; where I saw Picasso, Polke, Lichenstein, Warhol, among many many others...
Chloe's yummy purple potatos in a mayo/cream sauce.

Rain, rain, go away...

So, today I finally got to talk to Colin on the phone. We haven't talked since the first day that I got here and it was so incredibly wonderful to hear his voice. I swear I was on cloud 9 for about an hour after I got off the phone.

I woke up later than usual (8:20) and opted out of walking the girls to school with Vanessa. Instead, I stayed home and took a much needed shower and headed out into the rain. Today was the first rainy day since I've been here, and knock on wood, it soon goes away. I went to the Victoria & Albert Museum and checked out the zillions of artifacts that have been collected over time. The fashion exhibit was especially interesting to me. Some of the dresses were so elaborate and had the most intricate details. I realize how un-glamorous I am when I see what people used to wear. The closest I get to formal is a skimpy cocktail dress at a sorority formal.

As if to add to the feeling of frump, I decided to walk over to Harrods. Talk about glitz and glam! The day I spend 250pounds ($500) on a sweater for my dog, is the day she starts talking! I have never seen so many designer labels in one vicinity. Entire rooms full of Gucci, Versace, Prada, Burberry.

I've included some photos from the trip so far...enjoy.

First Week in London

I feel a bit like a tech-geek blogging, but it is the only way to keep in touch with everyone. Bear with me.

I arrived in London about a week ago, and already it feels a bit like home. Perhaps it is because I'm living with the Elias' and they are treating me so so well! I don't know how I got so lucky! Chloe and Mia wake me up in the mornings, I eat breakfast with them, then while they are at school, I have the day to myself to explore the city. At first going around on my own was a little intimidating, but I've got the hang of it, and it really is simple. London seems really safe and the transportation is great! So far, my favorite things that I've seen are: Neal's Yard (an eccentric collection of cafes and shops), Covent Garden (more shops), Notting Hill (antique and vintage shops), Portobello Road (bookshops and euro-cafes), and Borough Market (Euro-Pike Place Market). Hmm...i must like to shop! :) All of these places have such character...from funky to cozy...i love them all! I also went into the National Portrait Gallery and saw the Vanity Fair Exhibit. That was wonderful! Though I love celebrity photos....

I can't believe that I'm going to be gone until the end of August! I'm having slight/extreme anxiety about being away from home/dog/boy/friends for so long. Will I survive? Right now it is not so bad, but then again, I'm sort of living the life! I'm especially nervous for India. I'm worried about the work, the heat, what my project will entail, the heat, roommates, and the heat. Will I survive?