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.