Adjusting

Everything seems to be fitting into place now. My stomach is normal again and I am still enjoying the glorious food here. My host family always teases me, saying that I say EVERYTHING is good, it's true though. =)

I was out on the balcony watching the sunset. It's so beautiful when it sets. When I was on the plane to come over here, it was as if we were chasing the sun, it was a pretty cool thought. Where I am living, we are right next to this lake, it's not too big and people definetly don't swim in it, but it's nice, it gives us this cool breeze.



















School. Hmm... I am just going to say that it's different and that it's going to take time for me to adjust. It's not that it's hard, it's just very different. They are very formal and strict. There was this ceremony at school where the new headboy and headgirl, captains, prefects and etc. were all sworn into "office" for the school. It was actually quite neat seeing them march, intense. I was at the ceremony with my host brother, we both had our blazers on from rotary, representing rotary. I must admit, we looked pretty spiffy and everything.

My host family took me to Mumbai, which people still refer to as Bombay, and we went sightseeing while we were there, it was nice. Saw a lot of amazing architecture. I have grown fond of my host family. They are amazing.My host parents, Rajiv and Parul Desai, have always wanted a daughter, and my host brother, Binish R. Desai, always wanted a sister. So kind of works out. My host brother and I at the Gateway to India. =D





















I am still in the stage of just purely blind bliss. Still surreal to me that I am here. Here, 500 rupees is like $100 to them. 500 rupees is only $10 for us. It's an odd thing to me.

I see poverty, I see stray animals. children running around with no shoes, playing in the dirt. I have seen an old man sleeping on the side of the road, underneath a tarp, shivering. I see tarp huts everywhere, where families live who can't afford housing. Then I look at myself, and I feel fortunate. I feel lucky and thankful for the life I have. I feel helpless, when I see a child, begging me to give him only 5 rupees so he can feed himself. It breaks my heart.

Culture shock has begun.

Still, being in a thrid world country, there is still unity. That is what I love most. Through all the hardship that people go through, they still find happiness. I went to the beach with my host brother and father. We stood there and watch people stand on the wall that separated them from the ocean, it was hightide. Whole families came to watch the hightide and to be splashed. People walking past with raincoats, ready to battle the waves. Everybody is laughing and having fun, even though they are all strangres there. Still they share the same joy. It was great. I loved it. Happiness out of the simple things in life. That is what I need in my life.



















Hope everything is well at home.