Janelle

Hello all! I have not written in awhile but I am glad to see my tripmates have. Things are definitely interesting and exciting. We are all still getting used to “Indian time” which is not so prompt and other cultural differences we are not used to but I think we are doing ok. The people here treat us so well, which is wonderful and hard at the same time. Sometimes I just want to help! I want to do the dishes or put things away. But to them it would be wrong for guests to help. Sunday we got to spend our day with a family, and it was amazing. In pairs, we spent the entire day in regular Inidan family life here in Kupam. I am confident in saying that everyone had a good time with their families, each experiencing something a little different. Val and I were paired up and we actually got to help make the chapatti (sp?), their flat tortilla-like bread. They made us a wonderful lunch and we learned as much about them as we could with our language barrier. The parents spoke little english so we mostly spoke through their two sons one of whom goes to the medical school we are staying at. The father owns a granite company so they piled us in their suv-like vehicle to go and see it. The day ended by all of the families meeting in a small village, having music, tea and snacks, then climbing a rocky hill to a beautiful sunset. It was a great day. We head back to Bangalore tomorrow, so if no one writes for a day, don’t be alarmed!