Gabes' final night...

This was hilarious when Nate bought Judy her coffee in this cup... you should have seen her face.

And again, Gabs makes the most amazing apple pie, and Nate gets the credit for the epic pastry triangles on top.

I am so guttered that I have only been able to know this girl for under two weeks, and she is already leaving! I cannot wait until she comes back later in the year.

Waiting for our egg-rolls and more guests to arrive... too hot to do much more.

Look at what I found in my room....!!! Indian music hits, and Bollywood dance workout. Can things get any better??

Scribblings from my first Bangla lesson!

Gotta love a self-portrait. Just so you know where I am am when I am writing to you, or emailing etc. I think most of my friends back home would think/expect me to be in a full sari, with Indian music playing, and typing away. (Well, it is half true... I am listening to the music CD I found....)

This fan is both a blessing, and a sleep-aid. It makes a rhythmic noise while it spins, which helps to get me to sleep.

One of my walls.

The tiny window in an alcove above my head. I love the pebble design on it.

Above my head.

I had thee biggest chocolate craving in the world. And then I found someone selling Cadbury Silk. And then I didn't crave it so much anymore.

I took this photo of myself, as I feel so separated from the life I had back in NZ. When I looked at it, it helped me to remember who I am, and to bring everything back to reality. It is easy to feel like I am living in a dream here; sometimes bad, sometimes good, but disconnected from time.

Namashkar!

Many firsts have happened this week.

I saw a man peeing on the side of the road right next to me for the first time.

I saw two grown men holding hands out of friendship for the first time.

I tried my first egg-roll (where have they been all my life?!).

I went to my first Bangla lesson.

There have been a few other things too. This week started off pretty down, because I was ill with a really bad migraine, a stiff neck, sore stomach, and aching eyes. I an better now, and we have been busy at work! I am now becoming a bit more independent in my work, giving Nate a bit of a chance to not stress so much, but I am still learning - which is a good thing! I love learning, but knowing that I understand what is being said, and that I enjoy it.

The ladies here at FS are just so lovely. They have the largest smiles, and they talk to us in Bangla, and either laugh or get frustrated when we can't figure out what they are saying. One of them, A, calls me 'Aana-di', because 'Alanna' is a bit hard for them to pronounce, and 'di' as a sign of respect. I love it.

Love you all.

x

Don't 'Complan', it's just water.

Here is the latest update for you all!

This is the Aussie-themed apple pie we had! Yum yum!

The funniest Indian graphic I have yet seen. One of the guys we had dinner with last night was born and raised in Kolkata, and he said that Complan was like a nutritional weight management for growing kids etc. So what you see is a boy growing too big for his shirt. But without knowing this, you could come up with some pretty hilarious captions. 

On the way home in the taxi last night. Took just under an hour to get there, and a little less on the way back. Only cost us each 50 Rupees = approx $1.50 in NZ. It was on the ride back when it starting pouring down, with thunder and lightening, and huge gusts of winds!

This is the sight I came home to last night - the rain had spread across the spare bed, onto the table next to it, which unfortunately had all of the items that you see on the bed..

The lovely (dying) flowers on my bedside table. So much pollen everywhere!

Good morning/evening to you!

I have no idea where to start updating, because a lot happens in just a couple of days. Yesterday morning Nate, Judy and I went to meet a guy who teaches english in Kolkata, and have arranged to learn Bangla from him on Mondays and Wednesdays, which I am so excited about! It will be good to slowly learn the basics, so I can at least have a brief conversation with the ladies at FS, and to be able to get into a taxi and know what to do etc.

Last night we went to dinner at some friends of Nate and Gabs, in South Kolkata - the richer part. It was so nice to be in a big group of people laughing and chatting in the same language, and eating a 'western' Mexican meal. So yum! I can only remember a couple of names of the people there, but they were all so welcoming and took me in. It's nice, because we are all here for similar reasons, and we have varying periods of time for how long we have been here, so we could share stories and advice etc.

I got to start doing basic design processing yesterday which was nice. It is a bit different to what I am used to, but I do like it.

Hmmm there is so many more things to tell, but I really cannot think of them all right now!

Well I am going to get out of my pyjamas now, get ready for work, and thank the Lord that the rain has stopped haha. Tonight there is a farewell party for one of the girls who is moving to NZ to study, but I am not entirely sure whether I will stay for long, as last night the jet-lag kicked in... I began to feel quite dizzy at dinner - I think a few of them thought I was just really shy, until they found out that I had arrived only two days earlier.

All in all, the days are getting warmer (it is noticeable even just after a few!), my feet are getting dirtier, but I am learning to love the city that I first thought was a mass of people just trying to live. But I am beginning to see it as so much more, as a functioning city that is just going with the flow of everyday life. It is just easier to get swept along than fight the current... I haven't quite understood the fact that I am in India yet, it is all still very surreal, and the sights I see haven't really sunk in.

I miss you all, but not too much!

Much love.

x