Sunday, June 5, 2011

Here!

We made it here!! I got into India Sunday morning, India time.  So that was like 30 hours of travel. Very boring, but other than that it wasn't too bad. Plus I got to watch the Justin Beiber movie on the plane.

India has definitely proven to be an adventure already! We got to our host family's house last night.  We are living with a family of 7.  Plus us 2, so that makes 9 of us in the one house.  Oh, and 2 more volunteers are coming today or tomorrow, so we'll have 11 people together total.  And it's not a big house at all. Very basic for sure. Katy and I share a bedroom with a bathroom attached.  They don't have a specific "shower," just the shower head in the middle of the bathroom. So the water just goes all over and there's a drain in the corner.

Back to the family though...Dad is Gil and mom is Shalini. Then there are the 5 kids: 4 boys ages 4ish-12ish.  They are adorable and lots of entertainment.  William is the oldest, followed by Simon, Ellie, and Mowgli is the youngest. They also have a daughter, Velma, age 15.  She is very helpful with translating everything.  She also gave us henna last night.  We really like her.  Her birthday is coming up in June, so she told us we would be having a party! :)

They made us dinner last night and it was delicious.  I think I could eat Indian food for every meal of my life and love it.  Which is good, because we had the leftovers for breakfast.  Don't worry, I keep telling them that they have to teach us their secrets, so they let Katy and I cut the tomatoes and onions last night for dinner! They're starting us with the basics. Other than that though, they don't let us do much work. 

The really exciting part of last night came when we were about to go to bed.  Katy was getting a towel off of the drying line in our room and her finger hit the fan (which was on).  It sliced her finger pretty deep.  Lots of blood.  We're not sure how bad it is, and are kind of anxious to get to the hospital for our work part of the project, to have them look at it.  So far we've just had Neosporin and a cloth bandage for it. 

Speaking of work, we're not sure when we're going to start.  I think today, but no one seems in any hurry for anything.  I think we'll be going after we are done here at the internet cafe and market.  They really seem pretty lax on what we will be doing. 

I know there is a lot more to add, that just covers the basics of what we've seen and experienced.  But to sum up, it's very hot here. Very hot. And we're living in pretty basic conditions.  But still, it's been great.  Katy and I seem to have both adjusted to it very well thus far.   We're not bothered by the conditions, and the family is great.  They keep calling us "daughter" and "sister" and saying we are part of the family now.  It's been wonderful.

Also, the internet cafe is currently jamming some Justin Beiber. This kid is everywhere.






4 comments:

  1. We had smiles on our faces the whole time reading this!!! Brings back so many memories!!! Love you and can't wait to hear more!!! - Neea

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  2. Justin Beiber has infiltrated India too.... God save us! lol
    Glad to hear you are doing well Carly! Thanks for posting the blog. Stay safe!

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  3. Thanks friends! Neea, it is so great here! I love reading about your life too though! So much adventure!

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  4. I can't believe you watched Justin Beiber without me. I forgive you, you're welcome. This all sounds like so much fun!

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