obama?

someone mentioned obama the other day and i realized i havent heard his name mentioned in weeks. i love being far away from daily news and immersed in discussions of privelege, race, ethics, morals, religion....

i would love to tell you more but the flickering screen makes me feel like i shouldnt

hope you and yours are happy and well.

बुक्केट shower

I must warn all of you that for now i am using an ancient computer with a blinking screen, so please don't pay attention to the lack of capitalizations and the many grammar mistakes. this morning i woke up to a critter in my clothes. did i get your attention?

i roll off my cot around 7:30 this morning (late for breakfast, bummer) and stretch on my tippy toes to reach the top shelf of our "closet" and am startled by movement. As i jumped back, i apologized to my roommate (who has lived in Africa- as have many of the other fellows!) for my startled reaction and she laughs thinking it is a lizard or snake (which apparently have become "no big deal"). However as I embark on attempt 2 to fetch pants, i am greeted face to face with a rat (or the Indian version of a rat). I bolted for the door and found myself jumping up and down on the dirt with an audience anxiously awaiting to hear my news. i dont know where it went, when it will be back, and what attracted it there (mom's mix of nuts and dried berries? lets pretend it isnt...) but I will tell you no one had any sympathy for me. Sunita- our incredible guide and motherly figure thus far- said i was lucky to be greeted so early in the morning. so now i shift my understanding of luck.

I also took my very first bucket shower today during lunch. I gasped as each cup of cold water met my skin, but i was still able to accomplish some scrubbing. I wont pretend that all the dirt is gone, but i am remotely clean. I think the trick is to not apply too much soap and to move quickly. The entire time i was stuck inside the stall "bathing" i kept thinking: my sisters would leave the country right now if they were told to shower here. Thats how i knew i was in the right place!

today i am learning how to make paneer and curd so you have recipes to look forward to!

I also saw a monkey hanging out and had my first cup...correction thimble... of chai.

येल्लो fingers

I am here and, to say the least, its a bit crazy. I am staying in the same place that Gandhi lived in for over 2 years around 1917, Kochram Ashram. The space is extremely bare and the bed is a simple cot. We pick up leaves that fall from the trees (there are trees!!!) by hand and flushing consists of dumping a bucket of water down a hole in the wall. Bucket showers are all the rage here, and as soon as I figure out how to bucket shower I will be thrilled! I imagine i soap up and dump some water on me, but I am hoping there is a better technique. Ah..back to the surroundings... The ashram is as peaceful as you would imagine- you walk through a gate and abandon the chaos of the street. There is grass to sit on and trees to lean on. The sounds of birds chirping competes with the varied honking which now rocks me to sleep each night and shakes me awake each morning. People are invited to stay here for a spiritual getaway as long as they pledge to follow the 11 rules set forth by Gandhi. i will tell you all about the rules as soon as I am comfortable in my own apartment, but a few highlights include eat local, dress local, think peaceful, think fair. (MY OWN APARTMENT- Ahmedabad is home now...wow) The streets are filled with everything you are told to expect: cows, elephants, rickshaws, bicycles, motorbikes, people, monkeys, and of course the infamous dogs. Today during our first orientation lesson, my gaze was fixed on the window overlooking the street. I could hardly focus on the ice breakers we were trying to play because outside everything was bursting with color and moving so quickly.

This morning, i woke up around 4 am my time and read a few pages about global development (a light read, of course), fell back asleep, and awoke to a breakfast of bananas and Con Agra produced peanut butter. It was a refreshing reminder that even if I leave little ol Omaha, there are things I can not escape (Con Agra is a huge food packing company located in omaha nebraska- look for it on a label near you). The first few days have been simple and this journey to the internet cafe was my first time outside the walls of the ashram (if you didnt pick up on what an ashram yet is, think intentional community). As we dashed between cows and cars I tried to internalize that these streets would soon become familiar, but quiet honestly I can not. as the rickshaw came to a halt (and charged 4 of us a total of $.25 for a 20 minute ride) I found myself situated infront of a Subway. No turkey sandwich here, however. I dare not go in (yet...) but the sign in the window boasted Jared's 111 kg weight loss YEARS ago and the sandwich of the day: corn and peas! Next door was an amazing book store with tons of books in English, Gujarati, and Hindi.
I apologize for the scattered thoughts, but wanted to share a few first impressions. I have been drinking lots of water and eating up delicious Curd (yogurt). OH! looking down at my fingers just reminded me to tell you why they are stained yellow... I heard a few people say that in India you eat with your hands, but did not realize to what extent. You ONLY eat with your hands, or at least, I have only ate with my hands thus far. on a large silver platter you pile up some rice, whatever the entree is (ex: creamed spinach with homemade paneer), a blob of yogurt, and a cup of yellow dal (soupy goodness). then you begin to mix everything together with your fingers, adding more rice if its too soupy and more dal if its not soupy enough. then you dig in with your right hand only. you pick it up and shove it in using your thumb. its dirty, messy, but when everyone is doing it, who cares!

on that note, know all is well, I am in HIGH spirits and I look forward to your emails.