Wait... where am I from again?

Sorry it's been a while since I have updated. I have not really been busy, I just have not had anything to report. So I figure now is a good time to update.

So I do not know if you guys have heard about it or not, but for two weeks in a row now, there have been bombings in Delhi, fairly minor ones, but bombings in the capital none the less. It's not really worrisome to me, because Nagpur is really safe, but it is so different to read about bombings in "my country." The trend is that every Saturday something happens or something is planned to happen. Hopefully this will pass in time...

I have been gone for two months tomorrow, and it really doesn't feel like it. I am not sure how long it feels like, but i think it is really helpful that I am able to see my family and friends when I talk to them. I really do not feel like i am actually on the other side of the world. Maybe that's because I have traveled before, and maybe because I have been away from family and friends before. Either way, it's really nice not to have been hit by culture shock. My host family is amazing here, they make me feel at home, well, I am at home here, just my Indian home. Last night I played tag with Zoya, a cousin Sayna (i think that's how you spell it) and the two maids. We ran around the driveway for nearly an hour or so, and it was so fun.

I really do forget where I am from sometimes, after just two months, so many things are familiar here, I can recognize some auto drivers, I know the staff of the school pretty well, the landmarks and sights are really common to me and it's like I have been here before.

Hindi has been getting easier for me, so I am able to interact with friends and family better, especially in the past two weeks. I cannot speak a whole lot, but i am learning what words are and I am able to follow some conversations, which makes me really happy. Hopefully I can start speaking more and writing soon, that's be really great.

-addition to the post-

Last night we went to a festival mainly celebrated in Gujarat and it was really fun, there was this large circle of at least 200 people just dancing. There was some order to it, but people were taking the normal Gujarati steps at their own pace. It was so fun, though I completely failed at the dance, maybe i should stick with bhangra and katuk, two types of dances I am learning.

Today is Eid, the equivalent of Thanksgiving for Muslims, so I got dressed up in my kurta and trousers (traditional Indian clothing) and greeted everyone at the mosque with "Eid mubarak." That pretty much means happy Eid.

I am going to another Gujarati dance tonight, so maybe we can get pictures of me looking foolish, with my new haircut.

Ha oh yeah, that's new. So I had about 3-3.5 inches of hair on my head, and I went to a salon, not a street side barbershop mind you, and when asked how long I want it cut (in Hindi) I responded "medium." And then an English speaking woman who worked there asked what I wanted and I said "about an inch off." That apparently translated into "cut off everything and leave barely an inch." So my hair is a lot shorter, but I actually like it, it's just a lot different.