Losing Your Mind in India

Lately at work I've been doing some really boring work; double checking numbers in reports against hard data.  I will write more about my actual purpose at work soon, but since I currently only have internet while at work, I cannot post a lot.  Anyways, so I've been doing boring work but have been able to listen to music online.  I've found that I can listen to This American Life from 1030-1130am (my time) on PRIorg everyday, and then from 1230 on I can listen to WERS music (Boston college radio) which is always good.

Today I heard this week's This American Life episode, entitled Contents Unknown.   One segment was about a man who got amnesia while living in India for a year.  He "woke up" in a train station with no passport and didnt know who he was or what he was doing.  The story was really scary and I almost ended up crying at work at the part when his parents came to visit him.  **Spoiler Alert!!*** He lost his mind beecause of his malaria med he was taking, Lariam.  It happens sometimes with that med, but very rarely.  That also happens to be the anit-malarial I'm taking!!!   So if I ever forget who I am here, remind me to read this blog :o)

In other news, I went out to dinner last night with a co-worker and his girlfriend (who happens to be an American ex-AJWS volunteer!) and another volunteer who has been living here for 2 months already.  It was nice to get out into a different neighborhood, although it did take me 1.5 hrs to get home on the bus (not lost, just TRAFFIC!!!).  my co-worker and his GF met through yet another volunteer and now live together.  She has to travel a lot for her job, so my co-worker moves wherever she moves.  It's pretty crazy, but inspiring.  Love can happen anywheres!!

I also got to go out to lunch today with another co-worker, which is rare.  He said he was very impressed that I was dressing and eating like a native.  He said it was really respectful and he really appreciated it.  That made me feel good.  You guys should see how I eat, I have it all figured out!  I also got invited to his house, which is nice.  But not this weekend, 'cause I'm going to a wedding!!!  Yeah!  Im totally going to win first volunteer invited to a wedding!  But it's just the reception, so I think I've already missed all the interesting rituals.  But I'm sure there will still be lots of good food and hopefully dancing.  I figure I can continue my wedding crashing into India!

Things at home are going well.  My place is empty empty, no tables, furniture, etc except for beds.  So I moved the second bed into the living room, covered it with a blanket and some pillows and now i have a couch!!  I still dont have gas, but do have water in my house now.  Because it's summer, there are ants EVERYWHERE!!  I found out (the hard way) if I leave something on the counter, the ants get it to it quicker than I can take a shower.  So, then I put my biscuits in what I thought was an airtight container, but they got in that too.  Furthermore, they got into my peanut butter.  Inside the jar!  How do they do that?!?!  Mani, one of my co-workers says the trick is to put things into containers and then put them on a tray of water.  Ants cant swim!  I can't wait to try it.  First I have to dig out all the ants from my peanut butter- gross.

Tonight I'm going to the movies, a popular Hindi movie, 3 Idiots.  I can't wait to see it and I can't wait to see what the movies are going to be like!  But I wish you guys could come too, I miss yous.  Then tomorrow I'm going to try to go to the mall and the ATM.  Ill report back on Monday.

namaste,
C