happier, non-whiny, no longer lonely post

it finally occured to me that i should write the picture descriptions up near the top of the post where..you know...the pictures are - more pictures from rickshaws - they seem repetitive to me but i'd like to think they give you a more complete picture of mumbai -- the bottom picture are these shacks by the side of the road made from sheets of metal and tarps where some families live and work. shocking, but actually better living conditions than the people who live on the sidewalks near the busy roads and just have makeshift tarp/tent constructions. the shanty towns of mumbai look a lot like that third picture, except that they go on forever

happier note: people are here!!!! the apartment is full again!!! quick rundown of NEW apartment-mates:

lindsay: my new roommate, just came in from pen, she's doing her second month of the ymedical program now - from ohio, goes to ohio state, is also 20 and seems nice and drama free (desiree if you're reading this she doesn't compare and i still miss you and you should come back)

ariadna: came in two days ago, she's from argentina but lives in washington dc where she works for voices of america (the former dean of annenberg AND his dad were both presidents of said organization -- fight on) as a video journalist, she's here together with the other new roommate (with whom she attended a masters program in documentary film production in barcelona), taking a month off from work to learn about india/travel/etc -- oh, in case you couldn't get from that that she's a bit older than i am....she's 29 - but looks 23 i swear - i've had time to talk to her the most b/c she's been here an extra day and she is just super lovable and sweet -

des: came in late yesterday night, she's from greece, and still lives there, and produces documentaries for some production company there...i think...she and ariadna were roommates during their masters and haven't seen each other in a long time and it was fun watching them catch up last night, switching back and forth between spanish and english (ironic that all i've been craving during my alone time was people who spoke english as a first language and 2/3 of the people that arrive speak it as their second or third....but they're fluent and that's all i really wanted) she has a really dry sense of humor - i like her.

even though it was getting later and later into the evening and i was tired from stupidly going to work today -- it's been raining really heavily, and i couldn't go to work or really leave the apartment on friday b/c of flooding (which was the day after ariadna arrived - i think heavy flooding is mumbai's way of saying "hi, welcome" to new residents of 202 sargam society) anyway it took me over 2hrs to get there, and my taxi driver was an absolute moron and got us lost, and then when i got there they had more mind numbing work for me, although towards the end i got to "help" with photosets which was fun except the person i was "helping" doesn't speak english so it was more like watching with a purpose --- BUT, even though i was exhausted i stayed up for an hour or so just sitting in the living room and listening to people talking in languages that i partially and completely understood. it was magical. plus i really like ariadna/des -- we're planning on going to goa next weekend together (sans lindsay, who went last month with her roommates from pen) and i'm SUPER excited for that.

it's funny b/c each of them arrived seperately, but was brought here by mukesh (the coordinator who speaks the best english -- i'm learning to love and appreciate him dearly), who was always standing right there when they all asked me the same first question, "how long have you been here?" the answer to which was "about a month", and then "five weeks" and then "too long" and he thought it was very amusing - but honestly every time they asked (even though all three questions came within a 48hr period) i felt like i'd been here for longer and longer and longer...

it's really interesting talking to new people and answering questions about life here and the program and assuaging fears and kind of giving them the intro/orientation i never had (and creating realistic expectations about the somewhat lacking film program's programming). it gave me a lot of perspective on how much i've adjusted to being here and how much i've gotten a handle on mumbai and india etc. it always feels nice to realize that you know things and have gained insight/knowledge - especially after a week of feeling like india was just a frustration and a waste of time.

this is a useless story but i found it amusing so here it is: the first night ariadna was here we went to the mall so that i could buy some more books (my suitcase is going to weigh SO MUCH coming back filled with blankets and statues and the library of books i've accumulated while here it's ridiculous) - and we stopped in at the little supermarket in the mall so that she could pick up some facewash etc that she'd forgotten and just as she was commenting while we got online that we were the only foreigners in the entire store/mall -- i turned around and noticed that the man standing online behind us was white, with incredibly blue eyes. we waited online for about 20 minutes (only behind three people to begin with, i might add -- lines in india are painfully slow and inefficient and i have no idea why), and as we were finally paying i turned to the white man, who had been waiting all this time just to buy a single jar of mango jam, and asked him, making small talk, "wow - i hope that jam is worth the wait" and he smiled, and said "well it's not for me (at this point i realized he was russian), it's for a friend who requested i bring it back - and we call him 'Jam' as a nickname, so i thought it was funny, to go and get jam for Jam (at this point i laughed...i guess that is kind of funny - like me bringing back an ugly doll for rachel - OOOOOHHHHHHH, and then he added - ) Plus, i very much like the color of your hair, and enjoyed looking at you while we waited" awkward silence ensued....but it did answer why the only other foreigner in the ENTIRE mall/greater andheri area had chosen our line out of all 20 to stand in. (end of useless space filling story)

to answer zurow's (big haired gandhi? really?) question - no i don't have a shaved head, in fact quite the opposite - it's weird but my hair and nails grow freakishly fast here so my hair has gotten really long, and b/c of the rain it's not quite hot enough to warrant going bald in the name of comfort/conformity (sorry to disappoint) - also the matching little boys/children are seen everywhere b/c all schools here have uniforms and many have delightfully pink ones for the boys (oh and these ugly blue potato sack dresses for the girls) - and the fact that they're holding hands is one of those weird mumbai things that men/boys do where they....hold hands -- it's really disconcerting at first to see grown men holding hands while they walk down the street (when you KNOW they're not gay) -it's a friendship thing apparently.

it's amazing how much having people here has improved my mood/outlook on india and life.

love - h