hit the ground running

Written 11:30 pm - June 10th

So, we made it in one piece – luggage and all. Right now, I don’t have internet access, but wanted to write down some things to post later, just first impressions really. It didn’t really hit me that I was going to India until I got on the place today (yesterday?). And when I realized what I was doing, I just started crying a lot. It’s rather embarrassing to be openly crying in public, but I couldn’t stop it. Part of it, I know, is just what I do when I travel – which is wonder why I leave home and isn’t it so nice and comforting there? I second guess myself and get really homesick. And check, I’m at that point now. Really missing home and the Boy and my parents and Tatertot and normal toilets and being able to use the water, etc.. Not for another two months. God, that feels like such a long time. On top of that, I haven’t been hugely excited for this trip. I’m really looking forward to seeing the beautiful temples and markets – but that is muted by the horrible things I know I will see – that I’ve already started seeing. Meaning that the latter just compounds the former, so I’m a bit sad right now. Also, I’m painfully tired.

Oh yeah, and my iPod died. I don’t know why. I fell asleep on the plane with it on, woke up and it was off, now it won’t turn back on again. Dammit.

The hotel that we are staying at (by “we” I mean the two other interns that met up with me in Chicago and one of the program directors) is rather nice, by US standards. Own rooms and bathrooms, TV, minibar, desk. This was in extreme juxtaposition with the part of south New Delhi that we drove through from the airport to get here. There were lots of people – everywhere. And it’s disgustingly hot here, a heat wave actually. It’s about 115 F WITH humidity. You start sweating in the first minute of being outside. There are lots of street vendors, bicyclists, stray dogs. The thing that got to me the most were the shops. Tiny holes in the wall that you could barely walk into straight on – most likely scoot in sideways. Of course, there is barely any room to show products, of which there are only a handful so it doesn’t matter anyway. Buildings are dilapidated and there is open water on the street (no rain yet)l People are just standing around eating and talking, but dirty and in general they just look gray to me. When we were landing in New Delhi, there was a hugely thick brownish gray cloud: smog. There were people just sitting on the divider on the highway.

This is not too bad, I know, but that really made it sink in that I was, in fact, in India. I need to sleep before I over analyze the world in a very me-fashion. Plus, we go to Udaipur tomorrow. It should be a bit cooler there.