I am in India!  I arrived safely, slept for 14 hours straight my first night here, and have been staying busy since.  So, I arrived on Friday, and then slept, and on Saturday we went shopping.  I bought traditional Indian clothing, both Sari's and Salwar Kameez, which are so nice to have because jeans were killing me in this heat.  Honestly, the weather here is pretty similar to Virginia.  Today it is 93 degrees with 70% humidity.  What makes it killer is that it can never be escaped.  Oh well, I knew that would be the case.  It is hotter here than in Nepal, but there are more fans, so it all has seemed to even out.  I think you will find me comparing things to Nepal, often, and if that becomes tedious I am sorry, but it is the closest reference I know.  It is not as crowded as I thought it would be, but maybe that is because I am a DC girl, so I am used to large crowds.  Also, I am not in a super major city, so that is part of it I am sure.  Anyways, I love it here.  We have almost no indoor plumbing which means- you guessed it- squat toilets.  Ugh, I hate those things.  The rest of the third world I can handle without too much complaining, but I just hate squat toilets.  Oh well.  Stronger calves, right?  So, anyway, Saturday was a shopping day, and I also visited a temple in the morning.  It was pretty cool, though I have to say it wasn't my favorite I have ever been too.  It was much more reverently treated than the temple's I used to visit in Nepal, though, and I was able to talk to the head priest, which was cool.  He told me all about how they care for the idols each day, washing and dressing them, and offering them lunch.  Even though they know this food is never eaten, and never will be, they offer it to their gods because they want to take care of them, and show their love and respect.  I think that is pretty cool.  Sunday I went to church, and I saw white people for the first time since getting on the plain in Dubai.  That was kinda nice, mostly because they spoke English.  Very few people in this area speak English, but I have a translator, and I get along okay.
The staff here is wonderful.  There is Dr. Krishnayya, who has been super helpful in getting my project going and connecting me with potential informants.  He is like my social secretary, at least for right now.  Then there Are Durga and Raju.  They are married and have two little boys.  The crazy thing is that Durga is only a year older than me, but our lives are so different.  And I don't mean because she is already a mom and stuff.  I mean because she is a cook for BYU in India, and this is about the best job she will have in her life.  And here I am studying away so that I can have access to endless possibilities.  It is crazy how different the paths we are each set on can be.  Oh, but I love her.  She is a very good woman, she is a sweet mom, and she makes me laugh!  Then there is Sunaje (I haven't quite figured out the spelling on that one yet) and she is 22.  She does pretty much everything.  I think she is one of the most beautiful girls I have ever seen in my life.  I don't know why she isn't married...  Anyways, I love her quite a lot, too.  Then there is my translator, Rajlakshmi.  She is older, and so she is kinda like the mom to us all, and she just takes over in every situation.  She has already helped me so much.  And she just wants me to be happy.  Even last night, she thought I was bored so she invited me to her house to watch t.v.  Now, I want to watch t.v. in Telugu about as much as I want to use my squat toilet, but I went because I loved her for thinking of me, and letting me be a part of her home.  Anyway, these are just a collection of random thoughts, and this is not a very coherent post, but there you go.  I love being here, and am so grateful for all the people and miracles that have allowed me to be here.  Let me know if you have any questions about India!  Love,

Emilee