tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13455718956313589292024-03-13T07:43:28.051+00:00so this is africahumble tales from the peace corpsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345571895631358929.post-76226786730968415132010-08-06T19:25:00.003+00:002010-08-06T19:54:12.274+00:00Wet seasonMy recent bout with illness(es) have left me a few kilos lighter. Now my child sized Holister jeans I brought from America hang off my behind and requires a belt to keep it respectable. We're fully into the rainy season which means a few things. Most of Senegal has transformed from a dusty sahara-like dune complete with sickly dry barren trees, to beautiful lush grasslands. This also means the spread of disease including infections, malaria, and all sorts of nasties bred in standing water. Nowadays when I bike around town it feels like I get a steam facial since I'm covered with humid sweat by the time I reach my destination. It's kind of cool, I think it clears my pores but I can't tell since I go days without seeing my reflection in a mirror. Yes, the wet season is lovely...especially from an air conditioned office in Dakar with high speed internet.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345571895631358929.post-7005152901054047932010-07-29T12:23:00.003+00:002010-07-29T12:32:20.652+00:00Village life in the big cityA while back my computer died on me. One too many power surges zapped my charger...and now I spend my siest (the three hours after lunch when everything closes so people can nap away the afternoon heat) reading any printed literature I can get my hands on instead of watching reruns of Golden Girls on my computer. So, I will be out of commission for a while until this problem is regulated. I will also probably build a wealth of knowledge of very random topics from all the reading I now do in my spare time.<br /><br />In other news my family is moving to a new house. In true Senegalese style, we are moving in before the house is actually finished. So it resembles less of a house you and I are accustomed to and more of a hobo squat shelter in Watts. Exposed brick, cement and dirt floors BUT we'll all have doors, alhumdulilah. No power and no running water for now. In West Africa, it is possible to be a villager in the city.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345571895631358929.post-74079967215271939442010-07-11T11:37:00.007+00:002010-07-11T17:05:14.783+00:00After much wear and tear, the chain on my bike snapped. So, I've been walking and sweating, a lot more than usual. Clandos (unofficial shared "taxis" that drive around town) are pricey for a PCV budget. <br /><br />There's African saying that goes "there are only two kinds of people who walk in the mid-day sun, the lunatic and the white man". Enough said.<br /><br />I'm not good at taking a lot of photos so this is the best I have of the Kedougou adventure until I snag some more from others:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR1jy6hOEGkq9mMZZYKqHXWMIBDGSI8cjuPvMXRzgQ4a-9zk_teNNpPWDyscj1I5n4DdKzgZsooyQl9Ik75qXpu30EJmU-rTE7CkklTtECnMd9lJMxlYwGBfShE-fmBwDgfSI3sWe2hSk/s1600/IMG_3794.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR1jy6hOEGkq9mMZZYKqHXWMIBDGSI8cjuPvMXRzgQ4a-9zk_teNNpPWDyscj1I5n4DdKzgZsooyQl9Ik75qXpu30EJmU-rTE7CkklTtECnMd9lJMxlYwGBfShE-fmBwDgfSI3sWe2hSk/s400/IMG_3794.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492680777270292130" /></a><br />Roadtrip!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8mvGiOGEBenj1CZcHx1TyChsQYH0IF1FPa3N6gR9rsLQ75ikkSTGi0dx1wgquhyo71l5WQQQhIDpWRnRY3hmLPkZPRSlFsavTkiw0_zbV1SPL3FEjG_dPveu_qroPjfPITsozWX8V9c/s1600/IMG_3799.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8mvGiOGEBenj1CZcHx1TyChsQYH0IF1FPa3N6gR9rsLQ75ikkSTGi0dx1wgquhyo71l5WQQQhIDpWRnRY3hmLPkZPRSlFsavTkiw0_zbV1SPL3FEjG_dPveu_qroPjfPITsozWX8V9c/s400/IMG_3799.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492681785978758482" /></a><br />Mary, mentally preparing herself for the ride back. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcg_P38khKvlVJZ9ovA9Q2w3vsiF1rTtPX6kSwmWgZ7x0l5QJaNPnD7Pi_ZZM9AX6VSRBZ3MFdyLZSCyB71VPGc1J6XPL4uh10eswVH6n2LiyxueOdJGQ4VjdSmQX89_N84iy3MC6dpJg/s1600/IMG_3812.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcg_P38khKvlVJZ9ovA9Q2w3vsiF1rTtPX6kSwmWgZ7x0l5QJaNPnD7Pi_ZZM9AX6VSRBZ3MFdyLZSCyB71VPGc1J6XPL4uh10eswVH6n2LiyxueOdJGQ4VjdSmQX89_N84iy3MC6dpJg/s400/IMG_3812.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492682563159361362" /></a><br />And on an unrelated subject...I took this pic the other day in response to people who don't understand how I sometimes mistake the roaches for mice.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345571895631358929.post-6236953394569154892010-07-06T20:50:00.007+00:002010-07-06T22:40:27.905+00:00Happy 4thI spent the 4th of July in Kedougou, a lush beautiful GREEN region of Senegal near the Guinean border 500 kilometers from my site. We made the 13 hour journey for the annual independence day bash held by PCVs. BBQ. Beers. Dance party. And a 3 hour bike ride turned 8 hour detour off the trail and lost through the fields and grasslands where the air was scented by wild mint and fresh rain. All in search of a waterfall. I was nearly charged by a cow I mistakenly made too much eye-contact with. My ankle is swollen from falling off a bike while riding side-saddle in the dark. All-in-all I had a wonderful holiday and I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate our nations independence than by lighting off Chinese fireworks and dancing to Lady Gaga, in West Africa. God bless America. <br /><br />Photos to come. But for now I will leave you with this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEz5tJezBtoxFMdQ1G67emNO6Kh8yiUkh3enO0V08S_RCNo5UzzXIHcWyKArKZVAkG8MNS4bEJTAweNf2RG8UbAeCztXUpFsyCF6Aun99x_SeBlNemHRzCaEccL2GcoWGq3111VgWqZv8/s1600/Senegal+005.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEz5tJezBtoxFMdQ1G67emNO6Kh8yiUkh3enO0V08S_RCNo5UzzXIHcWyKArKZVAkG8MNS4bEJTAweNf2RG8UbAeCztXUpFsyCF6Aun99x_SeBlNemHRzCaEccL2GcoWGq3111VgWqZv8/s400/Senegal+005.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490901663615217282" /></a><br /><br />My lovely host brothers wish you a happy independence day.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345571895631358929.post-38802381704548395312010-06-30T15:07:00.001+00:002010-06-30T15:28:19.416+00:00Relieve me, RainIt’s hot. I’m sweating profusely as I write this. Any part of my body that touches almost instantly forms a pool of greasy sweat. So, the space where my neck meets my face never gets a break unless I continually look up at the ceiling. My cement room bakes during the hot season and turns into a sauna right before the rains. What about windows, you ask? I have two. One is a window into the storage shed next to my room. The other is 10 feet from the ground, next to the ceiling. It mocks me as I look up at it from my bed every morning. Birds have begun nesting in it so pretty soon it’ll be covered with twigs. The birds wake me with their sing song chirps. It makes me feel like Cinderella, except the mice chew through my clothing instead of hemming me a ball gown. And they don’t dance. <br /><br />Today my supervisor walked out of his office with a downpour of sweat on him. It looked like someone threw a bucket of water at his face. A very large bucket. I don’t think Africans ever get used to the heat. They just deal with it. Like they do the swarming flies, mosquitoes, and roaches, buses that leave and break down at the will of Allah, and a slew of mechanical problems that Americans solved before the industrial revolution.<br /><br />The rainy season is here and provides relief from the suffocating West African heat. But it hasn’t rained at my site yet. I’ve been waiting patiently because as they say, in Africa, the clock is always half past 12. I still don’t know what that means.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345571895631358929.post-27051487784592915682010-06-16T15:51:00.006+00:002010-06-16T20:28:50.730+00:00I know I've taken a slight hiatus from this blog. I've only posted a few times since coming to Senegal and by now no one is reading this but the most devoted and peace corps staff. At the suggestion of my amazing friend, D, I'm going to put this thing in use again as an attempt to not drop off the face of the earth, which, I thought was the definition of living in Africa. D- you are full of gems of wisdom and I wouldn't have gotten this far in my service without your insightful suggestions. Drowning Wolof children in my douche. Laughing at my cousin who didn't have one dollar so he could go to the dentist. Kidding. Of course. <br /><br />A lot has changed in the last 10-months. Most of which occurred in my head. Nearly a year in-country and I now feel like this is my home. I listen to mbalax songs on my ipod. I can sit sedentary for hours at a stretch. My English has noticeably suffered. I can't enter a room without talking about how hot it is outside, greeting each person, or praising God.<br /><br />A few nights ago as a train went by at 3am, I jumped out of my mosquito net and sat perched against the wall of my room. In my sleep-walking state, I thought the train would enter my room and surely run over my bed, so as a safely precaution, I got out of bed and waited. Slowly I woke up, realized what I was doing, and went back to bed. Residual effects of paranoia-causing malaria medication? I wish I could say this was the weirdest thing I had done in my sleep. <br /><br />I'll leave you with a conversation I had with a random man who showed up at my garden yesterday. He is apparently my new fiancé. Translated from Franco-Wolof:<br /><br />Fiancé: Hello, how are you. <br />Me: I'm well. Have you passed the day in peace. How is your family.<br />Fiancé: Well. Peace only. Praise God.<br />Me: Praise God.<br />(Repeated a handful of times)<br />Fiancé: Where is Diallo?<br />Me: He went out.<br />Fiancé: Where are you from?<br />Me: America. I live here now. I am a volunteer.<br />Fiancé: Do you have a husband. What is your name.<br />Me: Yes. He's at home. Sofie (my African name).<br />Fiancé: Do you swear on your mother and fathers heads and in the name of God you have a husband.<br />Me: Well, I cannot do that because I am not Muslim. God would not like that. But, yes, I have a husband.<br />Fiancé: You do not. I would like to be your husband. My name is Juules. I hope in the future I can pass by and we will create a home. A home for Sofie and Juules with many children and a big house. I will pray to Allah for you to take me. <br />Me: Well, my father requires a dowry if you want to marry me. A cow.<br />Fiancé: (....hesitation....) I don't have a cow. I have many goats and chickens. But I will search.<br />Me: It's Chinese tradition.<br />Fiancé: I will pass by in the future and we will make our home. <br />Me: Don't forget the cow. <br />Fiancé: Not a problem.<br />Me: Praise God.<br />Fiancé: Praise God.<br /><br />(Update: he came back today at the same time to let me know he is searching for the cow.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345571895631358929.post-16679548021307881002009-11-24T18:06:00.000+00:002009-11-25T00:06:29.151+00:00Driver's ed<div style="text-align: left;">My work partner is very amusing only because he doesn't mean to be. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div>Nearly each morning I bike over to his office and most days I'll get taken from meeting to ceremony to lectures. I use the term taken because 90% of the time I have no clue what's going on or where we're going. I listen for the "on y va" (let's go) and I follow diligently. On a good day I understand more than half of the things he says to me (after several explanations), and since the meetings we attend are in Wolof and not French, I understand on average one word from every two sentences spoken. That's not a good statistic. At times I feel like I'm Indiana Jones, deciphering hieroglyphics. Sure, my life is less exciting but I do ride around in ancient vehicles, flight off creepy crawlies, and spend the majority of my day trying to decode the language here as if the Pearl of Allah depended on it. But I digress. <div><div><br /></div><div>My work partner comes off intelligent and mindful. </div><div><br /></div><div>Until he gets behind the wheel. </div><div><br /></div><div>Then he turns into a cross between a 16 year old practicing on a learners permit, and a 5 year old who stole they keys to dad's truck. In the last month since I've been shadowing him, he's run his car into the ground driving through several sand piles (which, afterwards, another female volunteer and I pushed the car in our dresses), he's backed it into posts, driven the door into the side of a wall, and has nearly ran us off the road more times than I can count while trying to answer his cell phone driving. It's extra humorous/disturbing that his ring tone is a prayer call. The car has broken down a number of times and once, it broke down in the middle of the national road and we just sat there in the dark. He also insists on driving through huge potholes that could be wells, while flying down the road. He, like most Senegalese, lack any social awkwardness. So it's hilarious to watch his reactions when he makes these driving mistakes. Usually, he brushes it off casually...as if nearly driving off the road was like discovering he wore mismatching socks. I guess in Senegal, both hold the same amount of seriousness. </div><div><br /></div><div>To his credit, during our first journey out of town, he made sure I used my seat belt (at the time I thought he was joking...so I laughed inappropriately). He then attempted to buckle his for 10 minutes before realizing it was broken. So after that, he just drove with the belt across his lap but not bucked to anything. Oh, Africa...</div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345571895631358929.post-23054950265851827352009-11-03T23:06:00.000+00:002009-11-24T00:18:04.180+00:00Finally at site!I wrote this a while ago but thought I would post it as a tribute to the end of training and life in the village.<div>Number of vaccination shots received since staging: 8<br /><div>Number of nights spent in the village: 36</div><div>Number of times I say "ca va" (how are you) on any day: 40</div><div>Number of people in my village family: 20</div><div>Number of family member's names I remember: 8</div><div>Number of languages my family speaks: 3</div><div>Number of people in my family who speak English: 0</div><div>Number of bucket baths taken: 60</div><div>Number of nights I've "sweated myself" awake: 15</div><div>Number of times I've thought to myself, this is the hottest I've ever been. No...now this is the hottest: Every day</div><div>Number of times I've been attacked by nuclear sized cockroaches: 3</div><div>Number of rats I've caught in my room: 3</div><div>Number of times I've ducked-taped my broken mosquito tent together: 6</div><div>Number of mosquito and/or insect bites on any given day: 20</div><div>Number of anti-malarial pills taken: 5</div><div>Number of times I seriously thought I had malaria: 1</div><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345571895631358929.post-33043576777361956982009-09-09T20:57:00.000+00:002010-06-16T10:15:33.728+00:00A day in the life of a Peace Corps Trainee.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-tcCHbnU2brytLpDcwvXqVEZ_wpc0v8Gvy_fbxB8nimjeAKy5-gX4Pgi4T2Wj0FerlDIth9qFwMUX0xJFePKHkFei36SzaQHkkevQpMwsdDf4lY2YXrIP_YfpqbNI5XI-oyqZfa2YT9U/s1600-h/First+month+in+Fandene+021.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-tcCHbnU2brytLpDcwvXqVEZ_wpc0v8Gvy_fbxB8nimjeAKy5-gX4Pgi4T2Wj0FerlDIth9qFwMUX0xJFePKHkFei36SzaQHkkevQpMwsdDf4lY2YXrIP_YfpqbNI5XI-oyqZfa2YT9U/s320/First+month+in+Fandene+021.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380220930482987650" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:-webkit-monospace;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap;font-size:13px;"><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I usually wake up around 6am to the sounds of either our family pig screeching for dear life, or to my mother sweeping the house or screaming at the kids. By then I’m usually covered in my own sweat and musky from a night perspiring and swatting flies from under my holey mosquito net. Language class starts at 8 so I’m off to Cail’s house by 7:45. On my morning walk I greet hello to the community pig. I’m not sure which family she belongs to, but she lives outside my family’s compound and has made quite a smelly, disease-infested home for herself there. I then swat flies for the entire day in French class (with a break après midi [afternoon] in which I go home to eat lunch with my family). At 6pm I head home and play soccer with the kids for a few hours before dinner. Our family sits in the courtyard on broken plastic chairs and wooden benches and gathers around the tiny family TV for the Senegalese news then for a round of Brazilian soap operas dubbed in African French. Some nights I make attaaya for my family (Senegalese tea boiled to a pulp and made with a mountain of sugar), which can take me an hour since I have to fan the charcoal that sits in a bowl, under the tiny metal tea pot, until the water boils. We have dinner around 9pm (watery bean sauce or fish sauce over couscous). Nearly all of my time outside of class is spent with my family--most nights we just lay on a mat in the middle of the compound and talk. The only time I spend in my room is the 7 hours I "sleep" (lay there sweating). </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I take a bucket bath and try to cool off before bed but the sweat quickly replaces the water I dry from my body. I usually go to bed hungry. I’m perpetually hungry.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">But let’s rewind this a bit since you’re probably asking yourself quite a few questions.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I live at alone at a wonderful homestay family who only speaks Serrer (regional language) and sometimes French. Like many Senegalese families, our home is more like a compound than a house and I share it with what seems like 10 other adults and 30 children all of whom I assume is my family. Since I don’t have the language skills to ask them whom exactly all these people are, I just smile and call everyone my brother, sister, uncle and aunt. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Everyday I have 8 hours of French class and during that time I fill my mind with a mélange of phrases, verbs, and vocab words once buried deep in areas of my brain I thought I would never use again. The Peace Corps technique to language learning is a unique one, and a crash course—to put it mildly. We are taught in French and we start speaking first…and figure out what we’re actually saying after. We live with families who speak no English so the learning process doesn’t end after class is over. It’s sink or swim. As you can imagine, I’ve gotten quite nifty at gestures. </span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Although our training group is over 50 people, we are separated into tiny language groups, and then sent to live in our homestay villages where we spend nearly 24 hours a day practicing our languages and 10 hours a day with our group members. As you can imagine, I’ve gotten quite close to Cail and Katherine since they’re my only English speaking outlet. Ever.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><p></p></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345571895631358929.post-27807138709315872522009-08-16T21:23:00.000+00:002009-08-16T21:35:40.306+00:00Alive and well in W.AfricaFour days in-country and all is well. Orientation "staging" in DC flew by quickly but I did manage to squeeze-in a tour of the monuments at our nations capital. PC gave us a hefty stipend for two days in the city and they've been taking care of us quite well in-country. The first days have been overwhelming but amazing. It feels like weeks and not days since I was at LAX and I feel like I'm a million (or 7,000) miles from home. We have a great group and tomorrow we're being sent to our "homestays" where we will live with a Senegalese family (alone) and train in our languages for the next two months. I won't have internet for at least a week so I wanted to post a note and say that I'm alive and made it to West Africa safely. Thoughts, photos, and amusing stories to come. A bientot.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345571895631358929.post-54413144879179517362009-07-31T06:07:00.000+00:002009-07-31T07:19:59.963+00:00Goodbye, RIM. I won't be too far away.<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; ">Peace Corps informed us about a month ago that Mauritania (RIM) will be cancelled. I then heard through the grapevine that 1st year volunteers were given the option to leave the country will full-term benefits. They've scattered our group throughout Africa and luckily for me, I'm one of the few who was placed in the adjacent country: Senegal. So, my packing list will hardly change but from what I've gathered, Senegal will be a very different experience. For one, the Sahara desert does not cover ANY of the country, so we can conclude that I won't be dealing with 125F degree days and sand storms ruining my electronics and zippers. Senegalese culture is less conservative than that of Mauritania, so there's no need for ankle-length skirts and head scarves. Alcohol is legal. Street food is plentiful and delicious. There's a mango season, and I'll have regular access to fruits and veggies. The country is, for the most part, green and it's inhabited by animals such as giraffes, antelope, rhinos, hippos, monkeys, and warthogs. Senegal is the Africa I had imagined living in when I first applied for PC over a year ago. But since they assigned me to RIM, I had been mentally preparing myself to live in exile, in a sweltering land of sand dunes and camels, surviving on oily sandy couscous, and gatorade flavored water. In a strange way, I began to look forward to it. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; ">This is new assignment is a blessing, as I've heard from many that the programs in Senegal are much better organized and the country is filled with more amenities. I can do without the sand-filled meals. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">I've been doing a good job of keeping my days jam packed. I spend much of the time explaining to people why I'm still in the country, and the rest is divided between selling my furniture and car, spending time with friends and family, studying french, and eating everything in sight. I've been indulging on Pinkberry, Krispy Kreme and a mountain of chemical-filled junk food that I haven't had an interest in since grade school. Cheetos, Twinkies, Slurpees, boxes of Nerds and bags of Pixie Sticks, Laffy Taffy's, ice cream bars, and spicy chips. I must be nostalgic of childhood and Americana. Two more weeks of lovely hot showers and soft down blankets. Then, Africa here I come...for real this time. Inch'allah.</span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345571895631358929.post-57234083935878603782009-06-09T23:31:00.001+00:002009-06-10T01:14:45.421+00:00so i was wrong...I'm not leaving in 6 days. I woke up this morning to an email from the peace corps country desk officer who left a cryptic message asking me to contact them as there have been a change in my departure plans. I first thing that came to mind was "oh by some miraculous twist of fate they've decided to station me in Fiji instead." I left a voicemail at the number I was requested to call and between then and the 15 minutes it look her to return the call I went through a full range of emotions from fear to relief to sadness. As much as I kid about RIM (Republique Islamique de Mauritanie) being hell...I've had six months to accept it, learn about it, and practice my french. It's a shock to the system to suddenly hear that I'm not going there for now...or ever.<br /><br />So our visas have not been approved by the RIM embassy meaning we aren't legally able to get on a flight bound there. Our staging (orientation), flight, and training have been cancelled. Peace Corps is hoping things will settle down after the elections in July and we'll be on our way mid-August. In the meantime, they say they have not heard a definite answer from the Mauritanian government so no one's really clear what the chances of us going are. This is all stemming from a military coup that occurred last August; since then there's been a lot of political tension and instability. They're hopeful that all Peace Corps programs will continue since the agency has a long history in the country and this is the first time they've run into this problem.<br /><br />I'm still letting news of this unexpected delay soak-in. I've quit my job and arranged my travel plans around my Africa departure. Basically all the decisions and plans I've made since last December have been for this program. I guess for now all I can do is wait. They said if this continues into August Peace Corps will start to look into alternative locations for us. Fiji here I come?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345571895631358929.post-53979361871594312772009-05-30T03:23:00.000+00:002009-05-30T03:36:43.896+00:0017 days and and i'm off again...so nepal came and went, as did china. i'm now home in los angeles for a few more weeks then i'll be on a plane to....africa! i never realized how much time it takes to wrap up "affairs" for two years, pack for the sahara desert, take 40 hours of french lessons......not to mention consolidate my endless medical bills. blue cross will have to shut down a division after i leave the country.<br /><br />what does one pack in anticipation for living in the sahara? lots of gatorade powder mix, high spf sunscreen, and three pairs of sunglasses i suppose.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345571895631358929.post-2820937815426869622009-03-28T11:31:00.000+00:002009-03-28T11:37:01.703+00:00the annapurna circuit230 miles. 18 days in the nepalese himalaya. they say it's one of the best treks in the world. i can't wait to find out for myself!<br />will update in a few weeks.<br />love from nepal!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345571895631358929.post-91471702769419958042009-03-27T02:51:00.000+00:002009-03-27T03:49:40.423+00:00no love from Agraeach time i get sick in india, it seems to get worse and worse. it's a good thing i'm off to nepal today. the first time i had indigestion and was woozy the rest of the night. the second time i had a fever, chills, couldn't move for a day, and was afraid to leave the security of my toilet for the next few.<br /><br />i should have known better; not to consume every buttery lassi and paneer pakoda i see on the street. but i never learn and i rarely stop myself from sampling the tasty treats found on the streets of india. i joke after each bout that it's almost worth the sickness...but when i'm laying on the floor with india's grimey foot stepping on my neck...all i want is a one-way ticket back home.<br /><br />this last time i woke up in a hot sweat at 3am a few minutes before my body decided to angrily reject the banana lassi i drank a few hours prior...in the toilet, on the floor, and in the bathroom bucket that indians use to bathe out of. for the first time i understood the panicky feeling one gets when they can't decide which end of their body more urgently needs the toilet. the rest of the night was a blur and by morning i had kicked over my water and was laying next to my security bucket. needless to say, i didnt make the 5 o'clock alarm set for myself the night before...just so i could get a glimpes of the taj mahal at sunrise; when i heard you can see it's reflection in the stretch of pond leading to it, and watch it's colors change from pink to orange to white. by 9am i decided through a hazy fever turned headache, turned earache, that i didn't travel 10,000 miles and two months through india not to see the taj--vomiting or no vomiting...i was going to see this monument to love that took 20 something years and a fleet of thousands of elephants to build. i dragged myself through the dusty streets of Agra and after 3 security checks, layed my tired eyes on the pearly white walls of the taj. i then spent the next 4 hours alternating between sleeping on a park bench and the cobble stone floors leading up to the monument. i have to admit, waking up from my sickly state and turning my head to see the glowing sunlight reflecting from the marble-lined taj made for a pretty spectacular sight. thank you, india, for humbling me once again ... then showing me some sweetness. you are never short of surprises.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345571895631358929.post-31759201604396059552009-03-14T11:55:00.000+00:002009-03-18T14:21:07.308+00:00where have i been?the last month and a half of travel through india has been an incredible experience. i feel like i took a tumble through the looking-glass the night i arrived--and though it's just as disorienting and perplexing as ever, i think i've finally stopped looking for my way out. i'm better adjusted to the ropes here (and boy, did i need to learn them)...but india has a way of tossing surprises in your face just after you start to feel settled. just when you think you've got a grip on things your ego gets a hard kick in the backside. it's mother india's way of humbling you.<br /><br />this country is mad. at first, it's bizarre. it seems contradictory....it balances between extremes. it's a sensory assault. it's serenity. it's heartbreaking. it's heartwarming. and what i call "heart-making". it tears you down then teaches you a different way of looking at things. it pushes you to new limits and just when you think you've had enough, it "gives you some sugar" as my travel buddy amy put it. it's rough on your body and your mind; it nourishes your soul. it jostles and shakes you from the outside-in, and then the other way around. it's rich in ancient spiritual and religious tradition that permeates even modern indian culture. india is heart-healing.<br /><br />*********************<br />and since the last post i've traveled through much of south india. from hill stations of munnar to kodaivattakanal; i spent much of my time in the southern state of tamil nadu, including a short stay in kanyikumari, the southernmost tip of mainland india. there, you can sit on a rock and watch the confusion of the waves at the only place in the world where three oceans meet. the waters from the bay of bengal, the arabian sea, and the indian ocean come from all directions and swirl into each other, creating a distinct color and pattern in the sea. because of it's location, there's a time of year when you can see simultaneous sunset and moonrise in kanyikumari, but i missed it by a month! i relaxed on the sleepy canals of the backwaters in kerala, then headed 2,000 km north to the capital of delhi. i'm now in north india; a much more aggressive place, or so i hear from the travelers i meet. so that's the geographical update of my journey thus far. stories, incidents, and my random ruminations to come!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345571895631358929.post-45569377163473350952009-02-15T07:32:00.000+00:002009-02-15T08:06:38.584+00:00green tea and leeches<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiboTS1-8OCmnijiiqTNsc4HE71rd-vQn0Vchcy2PtKNw7iQ8K3V82FPyPoLk-j4y1jfWxhi7j6VHEQB0fFXIjlE1mGa-K2IhG68txTVlJ6YlNjVVaDKWF2fH4uBoqK57DxMMKS-j6fxFY/s1600-h/IMG_0232.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiboTS1-8OCmnijiiqTNsc4HE71rd-vQn0Vchcy2PtKNw7iQ8K3V82FPyPoLk-j4y1jfWxhi7j6VHEQB0fFXIjlE1mGa-K2IhG68txTVlJ6YlNjVVaDKWF2fH4uBoqK57DxMMKS-j6fxFY/s320/IMG_0232.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302930748984920242" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />i went to bed with about 10 bites on my body...and woke up to find my arms, ankles, feet, and midriff covered with over 50 bites. all night i tossed and turned having nightmares of malaria and dengue fever. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">i'm</span> one of few tr<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdU4aSLoiscf9vDGfRXWo9pVDPg56dzgPsnCMv09M6tqp1NmlhlKVmXlWCo27dwBTpWnpwZi2HDZxr2_w-ydt8FFxDLhf4kXd57JjjsLix7tuWJvvJ4kVdCAFhxPHN-oz3wEbwhqKCt00/s1600-h/IMG_0311.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdU4aSLoiscf9vDGfRXWo9pVDPg56dzgPsnCMv09M6tqp1NmlhlKVmXlWCo27dwBTpWnpwZi2HDZxr2_w-ydt8FFxDLhf4kXd57JjjsLix7tuWJvvJ4kVdCAFhxPHN-oz3wEbwhqKCt00/s200/IMG_0311.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302931905815537426" border="0" /></a>avelers <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">i've</span> run into who isn't taking <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">laramine</span> or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">malarone</span> anti-malarial <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">meds</span>. at the time, i figured the side effects isn't worth the hassle but now <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">i'm</span> starting to think some night sweats and psychosis isn't bad compared to laying in an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">indian</span> hospital with malaria.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">i'm</span> in a town called <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">munnar</span>, where they grow the most green tea <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">india</span>. the tea plantations are a spectacular sight--bright green tea plants stretch into the horizon and the air is scented with dusty tea that's a refreshing change from the exhaust of bangalore. the town is high up in the hills of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">kerala</span> and the temperature at night dips into the 60s. now, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">i'm</span> no entomologist, but i thought mosquitoes only lived in warm weather at lower elevations. i brought up this point to the guesthouse owner, then showed him my battle scars.<br /><br />"ah madam, no mosquitoes. maybe small roach. or bites from leeches maybe. you stay away from woods. you keep bathroom door closed when you sleep."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345571895631358929.post-78479174903292120152009-02-15T05:45:00.000+00:002009-06-07T06:50:26.427+00:00finally...some pictures!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5VDpZb0xIZ_n-mgElZZFIeIyMyaex7tDY4U3yIFtTQIom0udmVOgEspblaU5NHw9-fWRYEl1A3BDvHSHzSBZHYZ7OT2ojnETFldX-DzxmX7ZcvcKqx6fl2zHWLYQaucKWXup64zhyphenhyphenKwo/s1600-h/IMG_0094.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302922442160589442" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5VDpZb0xIZ_n-mgElZZFIeIyMyaex7tDY4U3yIFtTQIom0udmVOgEspblaU5NHw9-fWRYEl1A3BDvHSHzSBZHYZ7OT2ojnETFldX-DzxmX7ZcvcKqx6fl2zHWLYQaucKWXup64zhyphenhyphenKwo/s320/IMG_0094.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />riding the famous indian rails<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyTx5T7e1V7SUtKDnW8LbfWfiPHu2MXCc0aDDdugTxhJJlGfySIuYcsjvig-_M35JQCDdYhG4qlw7kQxHRJZAHhE3MCn9Osb1LAfw5t0Opz5eGhc1EyeRyA7UmB_Uw2xeoshXJuwrZlUo/s1600-h/IMG_0125.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302921465992412418" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyTx5T7e1V7SUtKDnW8LbfWfiPHu2MXCc0aDDdugTxhJJlGfySIuYcsjvig-_M35JQCDdYhG4qlw7kQxHRJZAHhE3MCn9Osb1LAfw5t0Opz5eGhc1EyeRyA7UmB_Uw2xeoshXJuwrZlUo/s400/IMG_0125.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs7LzCdFB9qTII26sPtfVXD4sAb2P4SeVgDqDhV0ZSM4BWOFsVnF8pzirf0lkiRB_FQpnDZ7hLvWbnEFEhgR-lXfruXvV2IlDyftEdO8kgKkQJy0O0RYUVdxjN2gt-SEjwXGvshfVY4wU/s1600-h/IMG_0092.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302917032978640242" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs7LzCdFB9qTII26sPtfVXD4sAb2P4SeVgDqDhV0ZSM4BWOFsVnF8pzirf0lkiRB_FQpnDZ7hLvWbnEFEhgR-lXfruXvV2IlDyftEdO8kgKkQJy0O0RYUVdxjN2gt-SEjwXGvshfVY4wU/s400/IMG_0092.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOGh5SNHL6Uu1ssbTOeG0rfAoS0ymxxaQwQaio50LT17niKW_ZSHI50gB3lfyh_FfJuFqtLU6YGk6xah7VAXGlkwf_cbtUzgODhEWZebP4LpZqvJYk64DL_WYJkxVX3pa8emUrclRNKIA/s1600-h/IMG_0140.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302913977130676738" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOGh5SNHL6Uu1ssbTOeG0rfAoS0ymxxaQwQaio50LT17niKW_ZSHI50gB3lfyh_FfJuFqtLU6YGk6xah7VAXGlkwf_cbtUzgODhEWZebP4LpZqvJYk64DL_WYJkxVX3pa8emUrclRNKIA/s320/IMG_0140.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_H7muvWNrZUcEPfSKYNg3VvZjY7my5M7umt7ZT_LSCk2EatQ8LvFeMoQZr1YV7Me94vqGoR6wMQJPQcDa1jDVay7Iw_hYP8HPig6gN_4J_RyCI70fllBhHmyMZPbsh0et8vLQVax4wM/s1600-h/IMG_0198.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302907203988602050" style="FLOAT: left; 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MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQQy06XVWaPUR9EpdruV97BaKizrImkmeN3M9sRLC6JIPVyMTHrfzCSFUqYKtH4Aap1E2AEwvfZPSoTwyo1_bdQW2kuOLzyAIm6c9beKPbegwudFCKHZnsCYi7SQMzS5TKYpiLVwfHj4/s320/IMG_0158.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjacDMtrG4HELCflAKu6uV0JqMlbJPe0ZpjFP1lZ8VaCBlMeOv4Ng-Gdo4B2hiAhmjThT416UX7RRAitTPJeyGY5nLqAlZpFSxpW1ZfccOaHUz-PB1IDPpyMa869-nhOGLw_QJ7fq1Gxw/s1600-h/IMG_0221.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302902542890874626" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjacDMtrG4HELCflAKu6uV0JqMlbJPe0ZpjFP1lZ8VaCBlMeOv4Ng-Gdo4B2hiAhmjThT416UX7RRAitTPJeyGY5nLqAlZpFSxpW1ZfccOaHUz-PB1IDPpyMa869-nhOGLw_QJ7fq1Gxw/s400/IMG_0221.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq9gST8FYO_oMKiwIoD1VwUjmPwSePXj5yCVIQe8v2TTVm3u740lDExpoUfk6gNWwNO0qiMuLrxjmKZpRC8RuSLx0uckzvox9nRRLL-jJ5530bW83y1rtOtwFW1Y4sRkGKIY55V12KQWI/s1600-h/IMG_0085.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302899942900040098" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq9gST8FYO_oMKiwIoD1VwUjmPwSePXj5yCVIQe8v2TTVm3u740lDExpoUfk6gNWwNO0qiMuLrxjmKZpRC8RuSLx0uckzvox9nRRLL-jJ5530bW83y1rtOtwFW1Y4sRkGKIY55V12KQWI/s320/IMG_0085.JPG" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSS8qnUoaMdzRf63W5FXxZv-oic_isgstydBlN_ZZYW4SJFzs2RG8G3qRR6zYdbas4gvffAvzPmDo6y6lTbl-Nb4L8XFVnUi6MfaSOmyDhD0xfvp8c3ATfSIIwtGe5svLYqZHlZM-KWco/s1600-h/IMG_0135.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302899264940674962" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSS8qnUoaMdzRf63W5FXxZv-oic_isgstydBlN_ZZYW4SJFzs2RG8G3qRR6zYdbas4gvffAvzPmDo6y6lTbl-Nb4L8XFVnUi6MfaSOmyDhD0xfvp8c3ATfSIIwtGe5svLYqZHlZM-KWco/s320/IMG_0135.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVXMm_GXaAJLtf_YzUTlCPgZvWZQ_PrSFhH63FkQ_CYXK6YiUy7XTUpiiEDvZFuWF814ZTtQw2ra4RpqgasoabExjHTYXb64hp44lOwRMPnIYUkNJRM-RiTXahwzikMztCyi-pl4aXFI/s1600-h/IMG_0141.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302900712695867250" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVXMm_GXaAJLtf_YzUTlCPgZvWZQ_PrSFhH63FkQ_CYXK6YiUy7XTUpiiEDvZFuWF814ZTtQw2ra4RpqgasoabExjHTYXb64hp44lOwRMPnIYUkNJRM-RiTXahwzikMztCyi-pl4aXFI/s320/IMG_0141.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />so...i've been bathing in the toilet...it explains so much...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3umipKIqxoYkI2LrnH-jdKPfXEhoeABFL8hIM374ICs5kcW7wWUPUT0kODXROhBdek9itnzq-4kaSITlvQ-plZ-UrkEWlIwek9-DsBRgGvsdQGdpdfhPdygVNvZ0WU00r8X9xYuYmv4w/s1600-h/IMG_0092.JPG"><br /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345571895631358929.post-63249756348693063322009-02-14T12:47:00.000+00:002009-02-14T13:50:57.060+00:00Mumbai-->Anjuna Beach (Goa)-->Hampi-->Bangalore-->Munnar (Kerala)I've been hitting the buses, rickshaws, and railways like a madwoman. I've been in India nearly two weeks and have traveled through 5 cities and covered maybe 1,000 miles. This is typical to my usual traveling speed...we sped through nearly every major city in 6 countries of Central America in less than 2 months...i traveled the entire east coast of Australia and most of New Zealand in 7 weeks. the only difference between then and now is one major one i didn't account for: India is a different beast in every way.<br /><br />It is nearly impossible to speed through the cities here. The country makes it hard both geographically as well as mentally. The subcontinent is massive, and despite an extensive railway system, the train can only run so quickly through 1.3 million square miles and a parameter of 13,000 miles.<br /><br />But the distance is secondary to the main reason you can't rush through India; because you'll lose your mind. Imagine this: everytime you get into a big city you are bombarded with men staring at you up and down; children asking to take photos with you and shake your hand, "whats your good name (in india, everyname is good)?" "what's your country?"; crowds of people pushing and shoving through the streets; nearly escaping serious injury due to collision with [bus, rickshaw, car, motorcycle, motorbike, bicycle, the holy cow, and goat] at every intersection; touts hounding you to look at their store "just one look madam"; watching every step you take to ensure you don't step into [spit, a hole in the sidewalk, cow shit, broken cobblestones, glass, bricks]. And once you start to get the hang of things, you have to pack your bags and go...then you start all over again. This is traveling on the fly in India.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345571895631358929.post-79550840503393713202009-02-03T16:46:00.000+00:002009-02-05T08:54:16.395+00:00first night in mumbaii enjoy peering from the airplane window at cities i've never been to. the snowcapped mountains outside christchurch, new zealand. the sunburnt desert in victoria, australia. the sprawling skyline in tokyo. today i'm adding one more to the list of images i'll never forget. through the orange haze all i could see were slums. makeshift homes, that from 20,000 feet up, looked like tiny sheets of tin foil stacked on top of each other. 55% of the population of 13 million lives in these slums.<br /><br />this place is madness...people everywhere. cab drivers opening their doors in traffic to spit. more honking then there is silence. goats, cows roaming the streets. random parades. silver plated, technicolored horse and buggies. people selling things...cleaning ears...telling fortunes. hanging out. spitting. singing. cooking dinner. eating dinner. sleeping ... and this is all on the sidewalks. rats i mistook for rabbits share the gutters with babies going #1 and #2....and as thuy and i would say it...#3 as well. this is the mumbai i experienced in my first hour here. i can see why people take the next flight home after seeing India.<br /><br />now i understand what people mean when they say it's a shock to all your senses. ive been having stomach issues since i landed. AND i haven't even eaten anything yet. must be from the smells.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345571895631358929.post-82341100608154664332009-01-31T09:08:00.000+00:002009-01-31T09:53:08.504+00:00detoured...i caught the flu. for the first week i could barely move from the sweaty spot i claimed on the couch of the apartment i had moved out of. maybe subconsciously it was my way of hanging onto pointview st. nearly three years of late night talks, dinners in front of the tv, crazy weekends, laughs, bad jokes, bad fights, bad food, and way too many house guests from all over the city, state, country, and world. it was hard to leave.<br /><br />i'm feeling much better now and i booked the long awaited plane tickets. mumbai in two days...then who knows where?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1345571895631358929.post-57765413813320773982009-01-09T08:48:00.000+00:002009-02-05T08:31:46.057+00:00wrapping things upit's been a crazy month filled with too many changes. i'm slowly getting my things together and packing up my life to leave for the next three years. i should be on the road in a few weeks but i have yet to buy a plane ticket or come up with a plan. it's ok...it's overrated anyway (a plan, not a plane ticket).<br /><br />i've been on a rollercoaster of mixed emotions. last night i dreamt that i begged (more like groveled to) the country director in mauritania to station me in a large city where i would undoubtably have more amenities. some mornings i lay there thinking about what i'll miss.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0