wedding

this morning when i woke up, my plans for the day were to string up a line so that i could dry my clothes somewhere in my room. instead i went to a wedding. one of the girls in the program got delayed for a day in delhi and met some americans who were headed to hyderabad for a wedding of a friend. they invited megan, so she brought 5 of her friends. it took an hour to drive to it and we didnt know where we were going, but once we were there, we were invited in with outstretched arms. the wedding started 5 hours before we got there and wasnt over when we left. we were there for 12 hours.

here we are, all dressed up.

polishing copper pots

 mister sun, marcin from poland, josh from CA, anna and anton - newlyweds from ukraine and KS, me, megan, sara, anders, grace, and joel from CA. marcin, joel, anna, anton, and josh all worked with the groom in CA and came to india just for the wedding.

 lunch. AMAZING.

 "digestive packet" dont question, just eat.

 decorated car and anders.

 grace with flowers.

 cows, of course.

 the couple.

the ceremony.

i am so tired. i better get some sleep because i have no idea what i will be doing tomorrow...

whining pups

 here is some telugu. this is an animal science book. i have no idea what is happening to the dog.

 aruna and anders.

 aruna, me, and my roommate, grace.

 my favorite note. 10 rupees.

 lunch.

 anders and mister sun with pups before they were hauled off to "the shelter." momma dog is currently crying to the moon.

 marissa.

 cows on the side of the road.

the view from the mall.

orientation

there are several different programs that all come together in india as SIP students. the difference is the cost and the structure. there are over 50 CIEE students. two students are independent, and there are four ISEP students. i am in the ISEP program. the CIEE students had orientation today. they listened to safety lectures and had tours and learned about classes.

instead of orientation, the six of us went into the city by rickshaw.

 i didn't leave the hostel without first saying herro to the pups.

 they are cute, huh?

 here we go, walking from the hostel to the main gate to catch a rickshaw. mister sun from s. korea, anders from norway, sumi from NC, marissa from OR, and shane from KS.

 mister sun liked shane's bike.

 notice the editing on the sign. evidence of the telangana separatist movement is everywhere.

 first rickshaw ride.

 fence decorated with marigolds.

 engrish. there was also an amusing advertisement for an engagement ring that said: expressing love now easier.

 chai

 coffee shop.

dinner!

here is a video i took of the rickshaw ride back to campus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxmqulKiFfM

welcome to.

sweet lime and mango juice on the plane tell me that i am near. travel was hard. with the time change, it was hard to know exactly how long i went without sleep, but when i finally rested my head on my sweet floral pink and purple pillowcase, there were only two hours before breakfast, and i expected to be awoken by a new roommate coming in.

here is my christmas dinner. cheese enchiladas. not bad.

and here is the sunrise from the london airport.

winding around the corners and down the stairs, i made my way to the dining hall where i laid eyes on ten or so americans, talking about travel and enjoying the cocoa puffs. i sat at a table and ate a fried egg and yogurt with tea and grape juice.

after that i spent a long, very annoying time attempting to get my computer configured for the internet. even after all that, it doesnt seem very reliable. it was just hard this morning because i needed contact so bad. after figuring out the internet, i showered in the washroom using a bucket. afterward i put all my things away in my room. i thought unpacking would help settle my nerves as well as my things.

here is my room. i still dont know who or where my roommate is. it has been nice to have a few moments of solitude before i have to socialize again.

remember my face?

 i like the key.

the lock on the door is for real. there are two from the inside.

and there is my closet with all of my stuff put away.

there are a lot of things that remind me of haiti so far. the airport was not quite as chaotic as in port-au-prince, but the driving is a bit crazy. driving on the left isnt as disturbing as driving in three lanes at once. there are painted lanes on the road, which differs from haiti, but it seems those lanes are ignored anyway. some smells remind me of haiti, and the dogs hanging out in the parking lot do too.

i am not sure what is on the schedule for tonight. i missed lunch but that is ok because all i have been doing lately is sitting and eating on planes.