For the first week in India, I'd still dream at night that I was in America. All my crazy dream plots had familar settings. then I'd wake up and my mind zoomed almost 10,000 miles to my current location. It was a bizzare feeling, I assure you. My mind has now cuaght up with my body and all my dreams are in India.

Things are feeling less crazy than they did when I first arrived. I no longer grip the oh-shit-handle in the car/taxi as much as we swerve though traffic. I have been out and about more often. I'm more used to the slower pace of things (somethings are slower, some faster). I'm getting better at being uncomfortable. That may sound odd, but I'm WAY out of my element here, and that's okay. The phrase I use the most in my head as I adjust is "get over it." Whenever I hear myself whine in my thoughts, I use this phrase. "These people are staring at me." The misquitos won't stop biting me." Thoughts like that, It works pretty well.

My schedule isn't set yet. I get up at 7 am, almost exactly, everyday. this is a miracle because I dropped my Shiva alarm clock and all the arms fell off except for one. So, I get up from my body clock and that's all. i go to breakfast and then my day varies. There have been many days that I have gone to see the many different projaects that Maher has. yesterday was one of those days. I went and saw the house that they have for mentally ill women that Maher pulls from off the sides of the road. It also houses elderly and children. I was a bit nervous at first to go there because I have heard it can be difficult to be around the women since some are so mentally ill. I also have had very little experience with mentallly ill people. (I had to ask myself why-why is it so scary, really? Here's where that phrase come to mind- get over it.) i was actually quite impressed. The gardens around the facility where they grow veggies are alot bigger than I expected and they really add to the beauty of the place. The women I met there were a mix: some really friendly and easy to be around, some more ill and harder to be around. I even saw two familar faces. One woman had come to stay at the house where i live in Vadu for the holidays. The other woman was the one that Sister Meena had picked up from the trainstation in Mumbai. She rode the train back with us.

About a week ago a woman approached me and chatted on and on in Hindu (which i don't speak at all, not even to say I don't speak Hindu). I figgured out what was going on once she handed me a glittery gnesh wedding invatation. A Hindu wedding! Yes! Two members of the staff were going, so I went with them to Mumbai. We took the trainwhich was quite an experience all to itself. The Pune trainstation smells like stale and fresh human feces. it's worse than I imagined. There's people sleeping on the ground, trash everywhere (trash is everywhere in general, but worse in some areas) and loud noises. The train itseld wasn't bad. The windows were open so the hot air was at least moving. i got to see alot of stretched landscapes and green rice paddies. i like how much is sold on trains. Men walk up and down the train peddling their wares, yelling over and over the name of their product. "Idlis! Idlililililiis" "Chai Coffee Chai Coffeeeeeeee!" Things I saw for sale that day: egg sandwiches, vatapovs (indian burgers), hair barrets, table mats, candy (they call candy chocolate even if it's lemon hard candy),key chains, bottled water, Q-tips, and some delicious looking idlis with coconut chutney.

The wedding itself was not like I had expected except for the fact that it was colorfuland there were lots of flowers. They were SO honored that I was there that they sat me in front of even the families. They bought me a pepsi and touched my feet as a sign of respect. (Because I am a foreigner?) I couldn't tell when the ceremony started because people were up and walking around talking like it was still being set up. It was loud! Drums and a weird reed instument chanted in the background while people were yelling in Hindu. People swarmed the stage area and I could hardly see from the front row! Very Chaotic! They performed many rituals I didn't understand (but I was captivated by) including dumping lots of rice over the bride and grooms heads, feeding a fire bananas and other tid bits, and tying a bit of their clothing together. The fire made my eyes burn and water. They served the wedding feast on banana leaves. It was very good.