Udaipur

I guess I should talk a bit about my life outside of work, eh?

I live with (and have befriended) Alice from the UK and Alli from Ottowa. Other girls working at the organization but living at different sites are Amareth from New Hampshire, Christa from Seattle, Sophie from Amsterdam, and Sara from Montreal. We have all hung out quite a bit since my arrival and they have helped me much in getting food, clothing, cash, transportation.... and in seeing the sites of the town. Unfortunately, they have all been here for months already, so most of the things I'm wanting to do/see, they have already done/seen. Hopefully I can find some time to go on my own to get through my to-do list.

As far as the food goes, I have unfortunately not had an appetite since I've arrived. I'm not sure if it's the time change or what, but the thought of food makes me nauseous. I even bought Oreos at the store the other day, and couldn't even eat those :(. I have tried to eat some though, including some fantastic Indian cuisine (and some less fantastic). I'm unsure of what the name is (or the contents are) of majority of what I eat.... I just kind of take what people give me. The chai here is absolutely amazing though. I can get some outside the dorm on the street corner for 4 rupees (<1 cent) and most places you go will offer you some to enjoy (including the tailor where I went to get my kurta).

Speaking of kurtas, they are the longer shirts that most Indians wear with leggings or jeans (a more casual alternative to the saree). I bought three and a pair of leggings for less than $20. Another must of the indian attire is a scarf. I brought one from home, but have also purchased one here and plan on buying many more to take home. They are absolutely gorgeous (and much cheaper than the j.crew alternative)

To get around town, we generally take an auto rickshaw or a "bus" (a very slightly larger rickshaw). Seva mandir is on the northern side of the city, so we have to take the bus down to the old city where most if the shops and tourist spots are located. The bus is 5 rupees (~1 cent).

In general Udaipur is a very dirty and crowded city. It indeed has some charm and beauty, but for the most part I just feel like I need a shower all the time. It's almost as though they gave up on cleaning at all because of the immense amount of dust and dirt that accumulates in a short period of time. There is trash everywhere and cow shit scattered along the streets (which makes looking up at the buildings while you walk quite difficult). My mother wouldn't last a day.

Perhaps the thing that surprised me the most was the number of cows wandering the streets. It's just so odd to see a cow digging through the trash as opposed to a dog or rat. Traffic stops for them and they roam around as they please: downtown, in the alleys, in the villages, EVERYWHERE. Also, I was walking home from CCC yesterday and saw a family of pigs just wandering down the street. I'm in a city, people!

My favorite thing by far has been my car rides out to the villages. India is a beautiful country! There are miles of fields, speckled with a few Indian women in their brightly colored garb. School children in their uniforms walk along the road, and the occasional toddler runs around in the streams completely naked.

I guess that summarizes my time outside of work as of now. I'll try to do better at being a little more attentive to my readers ;). Miss you all!