omg...internet, for the first time in days!!

We got these net-card-modem things when we were in Hyderabad, thinking that we would be able to use them while traveling...but they only worked in Hyderabad (and, now it seems, Delhi). whoops. HOWEVER, we were in such a rural area for so many days, that we probably wouldn't have been able to get much service anyway.

So, now we're in Delhi! We have been to Hyderabad (where I posted last), Dumka for a couple of days, then in "interior villages" throughout Jharkhand and Bihar, Bhagalpur, Allahabad, and now Delhi. The time has passed surprisingly quickly...we have been very busy. Now, we have the rest of today and tomorrow in Delhi, then I fly home tomorrow night! yay!

I got a bit of sickness yesterday, but have been attacking it with antibiotics and electrolyte fluid and as much rest as I can get, so I'm feeling better today. yay! I can make it through these last couple of days!

Overall, it's been a really good trip. In terms of work, it's been really productive, but it's been a really good trip for me personally, too. I had a rough first few days (I usually do), but then I settled into my groove. It was good that we didn't have internet or cell coverage...I think I needed a chance to be totally separated from my "connected" life, which allowed me to experience a sort of spiritual cleansing...a lenten fast, if you will. Plus, we were in the middle of Beautiful Nowhere...Bihar and Jharkhand...very rural villages, beautiful scenery...most of the places we stayed barely had electricity (for only a couple of hours a day, if at all). It was a good time to reflect.

Plus, being placed in a culture that is sooo different from your own allows you to examine your own culture, and habits, and lifestyle, and thought patterns. (You would think that I would be used to this by now, since it's my fifth trip to India!) This process can sometimes be unsettling, but when combined with the rural exile, it allowed me to have a particularly reflective time. ahhhh.

So anyway. Really only a day and a half left...and I'm ready to come home. I miss my little home in Kansas City. :)

hyderabad...

Well, I made it safely to India...barely. My flight out of Kansas City was delayed a couple of hours, so I was literally running through Chicago O'Hare (a la 'home alone') to make my connecting flight. I did make it, but my bag didn't.

The bag was supposed to be delivered to Hyderabad yesterday, but wasn't. Now it is supposed to be sent to Calcutta tomorrow evening so I can pick it up on my brief (very brief) stay in that airport...PRAY FOR MY SUITCASE! I was able to go shopping and have a few extra outfits, but not enough to last for 10,236,273 days or however long it is until I get home.

But, I've been in Hyderabad for the last couple of days, and it's been good. Very busy (though I did have some down time this morning...loooove the down time). And we've been to a few gatherings where we have been the "honored guests": this is nice, but it can be exhausting (literally) to be treated like a celebrity all the time. I'd rather just sit in the back row and watch everyone else.

So, tomorrow we have a few more meetings, then we fly to Calcutta (Kolkata) in the evening where I will RETRIEVE MY BAG and then we will get on a train to...somewhere in Jharkhand.

It's the middle of the night now, and though I'm having a hard time sleeping (hooray jet lag), I should probably try. I really miss everyone, and Kansas City!

(and: phone tweets work! you can view them at http://twitter.com/sarainindia)

bye! pray for my bag!! :)

tweet tweet

I'm contemplating a new way of keeping in touch while I'm in India. I've set up a twitter account that I will try to update while I'm there, either from the internet OR *crossing fingers* from my cell phone. We'll see if it works. My twitter username is "sarainindia" (@sarainindia). If you're a twitter user, you can "follow" me. If not, you can visit http://twitter.com/sarainindia to see my updates! (If it works, of course!)

Oh, and...I'm going to India on Saturday. In case you didn't catch that. ;) It should be a good trip...I'm looking forward to the HOT weather! woohooo!!!

I think it's about time...

...that I also announced the launch of KC Bookies, the official blog of my book club.

Our book club is the best. We have great members, we read great books, we drink great wine, we eat snacks.

Our blog is a way for us to share our books with the world. You should check us out.