1/13

Today I spoke with Mom and Dad over instant messenger. It was so great to hear from them! They are very hopeful about my adjustment and they help make everything look brighter. I miss them very much!! I started my morning of with that, 8am my time, 7:30pm theirs. We talked for a very long time, and although I felt that I was in the way at the office computer, I was too happy to be speaking with them to mind all the much. I also did not take breakfast today because of my stomachache from last night. After someone asked to use the computer, I said goodbye (with very few tears!) and went to the dining room to read the newspaper and have some water. I think that is why I had a headache yesterday, because I didn’t drink enough water. After reading for about an hour, I am here typing this. I know that many of you will be wondering why I haven’t posted on my blog for so long, and why so many posts came at once, but it is because the wireless Internet does not work yet. So I type on my computer in my room, and once the wireless works, I will post them all at once. I miss everyone at home though and know that you are all in my thoughts.
It is particularly cold today. It is foggy again, which I am getting sick of. When it is foggy the air is very wet which makes everything feel colder. I hope that the fog clears today and that the weather improves soon. Although I have been told that once the weather gets warmer it will be very warm usually 90 degrees and I will be very hot. So I am trying to stop complaining and enjoy the weather we have (besides the fog, I don’t like the fog). The fog also makes driving even more crazy, because you can’t see anyone.
I just got my phone card! This means that I can call anyone in the US for 6 rupees. From what I can tell, around 50 rupees make 1 dollar. It is a prepaid system, so you buy a phone card of sorts worth so many rupees and then charge your phone that many rupees. Right now I have 550 rupee on my phone, so I can talk for 90 minutes before I have to go to the store for more. But I have no one’s phone number in my phone, so I will call Mom and Dad and try to skype everyone else. Also, Father said the wireless Internet man is supposed to come today. I think that means we will have wireless within the week.
Getting my phone card was my first Indian experience alone. First of all getting a phone card (SIM card) is difficult because there have been terrorists who use them. So phone companies want to make sure they aren’t giving phone service to terrorists. This means that I had to give them a copy of my passport and visa, a copy of Fathers passport, a picture of me, and a letter from Father saying that I am in fact staying here. Once we got all of those documents together father walked me down the street to the phone shop. He spoke with the man and told me how much money it would be. Then he left; he said he wanted me to learn how to speak with Indians on my own. The man spoke some English and I was only 40 feet away from SWI, but I was alone. The first problem was that my old SIM card would not come out of my phone. Then after 15 minutes the man was able to pry it out. The next problem was that I didn’t have Father’s cell phone number, which I needed. So I walked back to SWI (crossing the street alone for the first time) and looked for Father. He was no where to be found, but I found the man we had dinner with last night and asked him for Father’s cell phone number. I was in luck! He had Father’s cell phone, and that was the last mishap of the experience. Back at the phone shop the man called a few people, had me sign in 3 different places and called some more people. Finally he showed me how to check how many rupees I have left on my phone and I paid. All in all, a success!
This afternoon we went to the village again to finish the program. Father took me for a walk through the village and we went inside one of the village family’s homes. There was one room/building for the kitchen (a stove) and in a separate room/building there was a bed and some shelves. He said that this was a wealthier village family, because they had a bed and thick blankets. Then after the last speaker the whole group went on a march through the village with a sign that said “Health is our Right.” A few of the group members were chanting things. Once we were back at the program room the program participants read the demands they had for health in their village. I didn’t understand them, and I was still impressed. On the drive home we took a taxi jeep. These are the vehicles that I have previously mentioned carrying 40 people. When we got in, there was only 1 other man in the jeep. But after 20 minutes there were 6 people in the front seat, 4 in the back seat, upwards of 15 in the far back (like the bed of a truck with a top piece), and 5 or 6 on top. There was a man who was taking money and he swung his head in the side window, while we were going down the street, asking everyone to pay. It was quite the experience! Then when we got off my cell phone was not in my pocket. I yelled at Father and he looked in the back where I had been sitting, luckily it was there!!