A Great Grand Splendid Day!

Parking spaces (and cars) are smaller here! Aren't they cute? Reminds me of the white Escort that so generously made the rounds in our family. (Originated with Billie and Paul!! Another thank you sent out for that one - man that was a good little trooper - aerodynamic too!)
This picture is weird and kind of corny, but it is of my fingernails. They are really long and strong and have no new white specks so I just had to show the fam. and anyone worrying about my health. Healthy nails = healthy girl, so I guess this travel thing isn't so hard on me after all!

I have sugar chunks in my hand. They are given out kind of like the prasad is (that is the stuff with the religious significance I wrote about earlier). It is believed to be more pure sugar and healthier because it is bigger I guess and not so finely granulated. . . . My friend gave these to me!

This is my building no. I work upstairs (in the air conditioning!) I used to be downstairs (with a fan!). Either way, the weather is nice now ;)

And this is my delectable snack. You must read on to find out more.

I have been having the most wonderful day today! I had a great time at work and got a lot of work done on my report. It is nice I have been working so hard because I have done a lot of the background work which is necessary. Of course it will be difficult to analyze the data and all, but I am just so excited for it because it will be so new and exciting. I mean, I am going to get to realllly reallyyyy go out there and see, experience, smell, and taste India. So I went to my supervisor today and met with him. I gave him some updated versions of my research proposal and told him what I have been thinking about my data analysis and stuff, and he seemed really great and flexible with everything! So that was so nice! It seemed like it would be ok for me to do whatever I need to do in the interests of time so I was quite pleased. We made 3 handy-dandy little manila folders with my info. in them I have been working on - one for me, one for him, and one for the big boss who. . . is baaaa-aack! Yay!

So, he also asked me about my weekend and how it was. He is so nice to me, on Friday before the weekend, he wrote down his no. for me again and told me to call him if I ever needed anything - not to hesitate. Personal or professional! I am pretty lucky I think. Now tomorrow I maybe will get to meet this boss that I have only heard of before now. I am beginning to believe she is just a name with an office that they talk about! Just kidding! But it will be really nice to meet her, and I am happy that I feel like I am settled in with a good head on my shoulders too for when I will meet her. I pretty much have a great idea of what I want to accomplish and what I am working on and she has been copied on all of my emails, so if she was vehemently opposed to anything I was working on I think she would have let me know before now!

So, I will be sure to wear a nice outfit for work tomorrow and hopefully my pillow will give me a good hairstyle tonight! (You never know what you will get now that my hair is thickening and growing out a bit, but a little water always does the trick if there are any big issues!) Anyway, so John, I think I have an answer for you!!! To fill everyone in, after my last post, John asked me about the reason why I only see boys in the village usually and why I did not see many girls out playing. So, I never really thought of this myself and was glad that he asked me. I asked my workmate today why this was so and she didn't quite get what I was saying! So I made it a little more clear and asked her about her childhood - because she is Indian. So when she was young she loved to play and play. They played all sorts of games - more than she could even name. The one she was telling me about sounded a lot like hopscotch and another involved some type of hand/eye coordination with a ball. She said they always played outside. This wasn't helping get to the bottom of my situation, so I then asked if she played with just girls or girls and boys. And, against what I had presumed, she played with both boys and girls!

So, John, I have just come up with my own gander about why I see more little boys. I am white, quite white indeed, and most people here would not be as used to seeing white people like me - off campus especially. So, I think the boys are just more adventurous and are closer to the fence to get a better look at my ghostly appearance or something! The girls must just play somewhere else on Sunday mornings - probably more in the village. The fence is against the edge of it, so yeah, those are the only answers I can come up with! Also, speaking of the village and my little boys, it reminds me, when I was walking past the village on Sunday, there was this huge thing going on. There was a really loud person talking into a microphone and maybe some singing also. It was a big affair. I don't know if it was at the Christian, now I know Catholic (from my friends!) Church or what, but it was really cool! I wanted to know Telagu so bad then (the native language of Andhra Pradesh.

I was very upbeat and happy all day at work today as I plugged away quite content on my computer. Then after work I came back to my room for about an hour or so before workout time. I talked to Mom for a minute before she left for work and also to Dad for a little longer before he left for school. (I forgot summer school was still going on for him!) Then I, after chatting with some people online, headed out to the gym so I could get out of there in time to go to supper at 7 and before the nastiest 'squitors came out. (I am talking with a lot of the other Borlaug-Ruan interns and getting close with them!) It is so cool - we are in all these different countries, having these tottttallly different experiences, yet we all have such a common bond! I am soooo excited for the Youth Institute and WFP Conference! It will be so fun and amazing and . . . yeah, indescribable. It sure was last year!

So at the gym I signed in the book with my room no. and signature as usual and the man came over to me. He kind of asked me some question, oh yeah, how long I was staying. I told him 2 mos. and he said ok. Well, he actually shook his head, but that means ok. It is just like nodding yes, except here it is more of a sideways nod - imagine touching your ear to your shoulder - not that drastic, but in that direction. It goes back and forth - the same as our yes, like how we bob up and down. It is funny though. You don't think of other countries having different yes and no symbols and non-verbal communications. It makes sense! Can you imagine how silly some people must think we look - well mainly me because I am the one here. Always bobbing my head up and down like a fish during every conversation! I have been a little more timid with the head nod, but I am just such a head bobbing type of person - I seem to nod yes a lot! I was actually going to challenge myself to get the Indian head nod down while I was here, but I didn't want people to think I was ever imitating them or anything. Claire thought they might think it is weird because I mean, they know I am Western - look at me! (We've been over the ghost thing!) So, I have resigned to sometimes a half-way my "yes" nod with a little of their "yes" nod! It works!

Lunch was good today and I am thrilled with this new snack I have come up with. I took a picture of it for you! It really may not look very good, but it is my favorite treat!

You see, I bring back bananas from the cafe all the time and keep a stash in the fridge - nothing like the black banana stash you all viewed earlier - I promise! I also have started to bring back a few other things because some people just always order their food to go, so that is fine also. Specifically, I bring some chapatis! I've talked about these before also, they are the whole grain tortilla-like thing eaten with Indian dishes. Well, there are other types of bread also so these are not at every meal. However, these are the ones that I like, so when they have them I bring home a little baggie with them in it! Then during tea break or when I want a snack my favorite thing to do is have a banana and chapati rollup!

Anyway, so back to the gym. They have just one working treadmill now, so you are only supposed to use it for 20 minutes a night to give everyone a chance! (Ha, ha! Tonight I had the place to myself, but of course I must follow rules, right!?!) Anyway, there is also this "emergency stop button on the treadmill in a very easy to hit place. So the first five minutes of a workout - at least for me - are never the most pleasant. I mean, you need to get into the running rhythm before it gets to be fun. So I had just gotten past those minutes and was really getting into the rhythm and having a good time when, "ACK!" I hit the stinking emergency stop button!! Oh, it always upsets me when I do that because 1) I have to start over and 2) it is terrible for your body to go from a good pace to a stopped pace! And did I mention I then need to start over? Ha!

Ok, so I started over and then I had a longer run and I was actually happy I got to be on there a little longer - it was fun to run again! Part of my brain is pessimistic, telling myself the joint pain will kick in soon, but hey, until then, I am a running woman! I had a nice workout and bit a few mosquitoes there. You see I have this new theory - bite or be bitten. So, I keep a daily tally and have gotten way too competitive. Yesterday I was down, so today I went out with a vengence and totally won - by over 5 pts! If I bite, it means I got them. If I am bitten, well you know what that means, then they get a point.
After this, I ran back to my room (oh, and by the way, found out earlier the gym is free b/c I am an intern - I guess if you are here longer you have to buy a membership. . .) and hopped in the shower. Now comes the time when I am going to talk about how grateful I am that Claire is here. So, if I wouldn't have Claire, I would put my sweaty clothes on and go back to my room to retrieve my towel when I realize I forgot it. However, I do have Claire, so she just got it out of my room for me! I took a lickety-split shower and then we headed to supper and I was hungry! Yippee! I mean I had a biiiig meal and then came back and had some more chapatis and 2 bananas, so I think I am getting my active appetite back again because of these daily workouts!
And the men are so nice at the cafe. They know I want my steamed vegetable bowl every meal and they have it sitting out for me - just for me! There are so many people that go through line, but they do that for, like I said, me. :) It is so sweet. And they also always just smile at me now, they know I have the card thing that says my meals are paid for. They don't care if I take food for later b/c I only eat half the amount of Rps. that my card pays for in a day anyway. Tonight the man said, "for breakfast?" when I was getting the extra chapatis. I said yes, and thought, and for snacks. . . because I usually just have fruit for breakfast, so he probably notices that!
Well, I am just in a great mood, but better get some sleep somehow. Hopefully I am not too full after my big appetite! At dinner I was in the best mood ever and I am just wired right now also, so I really think the endorphins are to thank. Ta, ta! Can't wait to tell you how tomorrow goes!!!!