One week down....

Hi everyone!

I can't believe that one week has gone by. It has been so fast! Everyone here is on the go and there is so much to do. Even though it is "fall" it is sooo flipping hot! I am sweating so much here! I don't ever really see other Indians sweating as much as me, BUT I know the sweat because I can smell it.... ewwww. It is really bad when I have to ride the metro from one of the clinics back home because it is usually around 5 and everyone is getting off from work. We pack into the carts like sardines. There is one bench for ladies and one bench for old and disable, but no one follows those rules. Men usually sit there and don't give you a seat. That is ok, standing is much more fun! We have taken all modes of transportantion that India has to offer to go to our clinics. Motorcycle, bus, metro, autorickshaw, and cycle rickshaw. I love the motorcycle the best!

Some things I have done in the first week is visit schools for street kids. There are many vocational schools for the street kids free of charge and it also come with free meals. After learning all these programs, I don't feel bad for not giving money to the beggar children because they usually give their money to their parents for drugs. I got to visit a care home for HIV patients. One lady is 6 months pregnant and her husband just died from complications of HIV5 months ealier. Dr. Gupta kept on reffering to the baby as a "precious child" because it is all that is left of that lady's husband. Later in the week I got to go visit a place where they do needle exchages, and abcess management. The also do a drug treatment program there. I got to learn how to dress an abcess, it was soooo cool! I was so nervous I almost dropped the gauze on the floor. The building was so small because Elton John pulled his funding from the program due to the mismanagement of money. On Friday, I got to visit a boys vocational school and the slums around there. One of the boys wanted me to draw a picture of him and he didn't like the hair I gave him so he erased it, it was pretty funny. They didn't understand english so they thought that I was pretty boring. Luckily someone pulled out a stereo and all the boys started dancing. They were so good!

Yesterday, my roommate Yasmine, and I went to Agra! After the 4 hour very bumpy bus ride, we arrived at Akbar's Tomb. It was so beautiful! There were deer in the garden. The buildings were made of sandstone and white marble with inlays of precious stones. You all should look it up, words cannot describe how pretty it was. Then we went to the TAJ MAHAL!!!!!!!!!! It was so hot and so crowded, but worth it. It is breathtaking, and the details in the marble was goregous! You can't tell in pictures that there are lotus flowers all over because they are so small. Each lotus is made of 60 precious stones and it took 60 days to make just one! No wonder it took 22000 people to make it in 22 years. Then we had lunch at McDonalds, mmmmm! The tour guide tried to make us eat at this hotel restaurant since this whole thing was rigged, but we all went to McD's. It is so cheap here! I got Chicken nuggets, fries and a soda for less than 3 dollars! the portion sizes are smaller than ours, no surprise... The guy took us to a place were they made crafts so we could buy stuff. You can get a white marble coffee table with stones made by the 8th generation of families who worked on the Taj themselves. I got a pink sari for 750Rs!!! Lastly we went to Agra Fort. I think if I had to choose a place to live it would be there. On the balcony, you can look across the river and see the Taj. The guy who use to live there imprison his dad in one of the towers there. It is a pretty nice tower, I wouldn't mind being kept there.... :)

So today, Delhi Belly has caught up with me :( I am sure you all wanted to know that. ;)

I am missing my Pepsi, they have it here but it is different. It is so much sweeter. So Lisa, if you ever come here, bring your own Pepsi!

This week we are going to be at the Venu Eye Institute. And on Monday I get to get all dressed up for dinner at the Scottish Embassy! Our coordinator's husband works for a company in the UK and he has done a lot of good work. He get's invited to all these fancy things so he invited me and my roommate to go! I still need a blouse to get stitched and shoes. I forgot to bring my sandals over and wheat thins :( I can get new sandals but not my wheat thins....

I'll try to post more picts. The computers here are soooo slow.... And I can't find postcards....

More later!
Loves!

xoxoxo,
Teary