Nothing like a little optimism..

I wanted to share with all of you a little bit of the comedy India has brought our way so far.... (Warning: some, if not all of the should be followed by a "you had to be there" disclaimer.)

1. We have constantly found comedy in the leaps and bounds Bridget has made. I pick on her only because she is such a lady...very feminine- some may even call her a "city girl" ;). She has been a great friend on this trip and we are SO GLAD that she is here- and not just for the comic relief that she has provided. In one instance, we were getting ready to go out for coffee. Bridget had showered, cleaned up, and went for one last bathroom run before we left. She came out..slightly damper than before. At some point her skirt had taken a dip in the toilet. This is something that would have made Bridget scowl two weeks earlier, but at this hotel in India it ranked so low on her priority list that she hardly batted an eye. She was so casual about asking for extra bottoms that Lexi and I couldnt help but burst out laughing.

2. That same weekend we decided to check out Sunday morning service. The preacher, bless his heart, was asking all new people to stand and introduce themselves in his best, but choppy, english. We soon learned that there are some things that just dont translate. Rather than saying speak now or forever hold your peace, he translated, without skipping a beat or cracking a smile "say something now or keep your mouth shut for the rest of your life." I guess that works too :)

3. As Danielle aforementioned, one part of the Indian culture we have less than enjoyed are the stares. The best way that I can explain to you just how bad it is, is to tell you the lengths to which natives will go to have their eyes linger one minute longer than western standards define as comfortable. We were walking down the street during Puja, and a father stopped his children, turned them around, and stood directly in front of us, pointing and seemingly teaching his children of the western worlds we come from ( or reassuring them we were not, in fact, aliens with our fair skin, blonde hair and blue eyes). While at the train station, a tour bus of native indians stopped in front of where we were stationed with the children. Each and every one removed their cameras from their oversized fanny packs to take a picture of us. Today at the train station, we looked up to find a group of male Indian teenagers taking pictures with their cell phones, assuming the curious horseshoe around us. For the first, and what we can only hope to be the last, we empathize with Brittany Spears. The best we can do is laugh, smile, and give them something pretty to stare at!

4. We were taking the train home Wednesday night. Like Danielle said, the women here are so sweet and pretty protective of us. They are amazing and we find ourselves so frequently grateful for their smiles and helpful gestures. That being said, most (justifiably so, as we are guests in THEIR country), dont speak a lick of english. We have tried our hardest to learn some choppy bengali but have yet to be conversational. Danielle is persistant, and the indian women love her playful attempts and pretty smile. Communication thus resorts to the only language that is translingual- touch. Approximatley 30 seconds into the ride the sweet indian woman beside danielle is holding- not one, but two - of Danielles hands. Cautious not to break her smile, Danielle turns to the rest of us and says " I am not a touchy person, and this is so far outside my comfort zone!" We burst out laughing and the lovely women assumes this as a reaffirmation of our gratefulness of her presence and pulls danielle a little closer. Bless her heart, she never broke a smile, and we once again were provided with some always appreciated comic relief.

5. Restrooms here are few and far between. We sent Lexi in to scout out the bathrooms in one fantastic restaurant we were at (ice cream, brownies, and coffee... what more could four girls ask for?) and as a result of her focus on the mission she forgot to lock the door, and was soon joined by an interrupting Indian visitor... At least this time she remembered to go into the WOMENS restroom ;) Sorry Lex.

6. Bridget and I have both had the opportunity to hold the sweetest, most angelic 6 week old babe at the train station on 2 different mornings. Each time we watched her peacefully sleep in our arms. Each time she opens her little eyes, and gives the faintest smirk.... and pee's all over us. We have learned the hard way the beauty of diapers...

More to come! Our story is far from over!

Erin