I am having a difficult time weighing my options in light of the situation in Ahmedabad right now. Things have been calm since the blasts on Saturday, but the news warns that there may be several live bombs in the city. My colleagues and I are going to speak to the Embassy and to the directors of our program today and try to come to some kind of decision, which is to say, to stay or to go, and if the latter, when? I will certainly keep everyone informed about what I decide to do.

I'm safe

Hello all, I am safe. The horrifying tragedy of more than 16 bomb blasts that took place in this city on Saturday was in another area of this city. I believe I heard the last bomb go off at the hospital while I was in a store. At the time I thought it was thunder. The numbers on what has happened seem to be all over the map. The English-language papers here at first said that 50 were killed and over 100 injured, but the state government's numbers are smaller. I don't have much time to write at the moment, but I want to assure everyone that I am safe. I will write more soon.

Bombay!

After five lovely days in Bombay, I returned with a stomach infection that has kept me in bed for days! I went to the doctor yesterday and was very interested to find that his office reminded me of a funky antique shop, but he was nice enough and gave me some treatments that appear to be working so far.

But Bombay...A few of you have heard from me already that Bombay reminds me so very much of Rio de Janeiro that I almost felt it familiar. The humidity, the decay of the buildings, the very fancy next to the dreadfully downtrodden, the lush flora, even the designs on the sidewalks. We stayed at the YMCA which was a great little hotel in the middle of things and allowed me to visit all sorts of museums, stores, restaurants and parks. I got a visitor's pass to the glorious University of Mumbai library and was able to do some work there for a couple of days. I wandered around, despite the extreme heat, down to a fish market and got to see a few different neighborhoods. Some friends treated me to a home cooked meal and I very much enjoyed myself. I will write more and post pictures tomorrow - I hope all is well with you!

Palitana and off to Mumbai!

Wow, it has become difficult to keep up with everything that's going on!

Last weekend our class went on a trip to Palitana - a town that is filled with Jain temples - about four hours from Ahmedabad. One in particular is absolutely fantastic. It is at the top of a huge hill and there are 3600 steps to the top. The way up was hot and long but not all that difficult, but when we began to descend it began to rain. The steps became slippery and difficult to navigate, and together with goats and donkeys rushing past, sadus and sadhvis running down, men and women being carried and children also running, it was total chaos. This was the final weekend of the period during which Jains make the pilgrimage to this site, so it was particularly busy. We had a lovely time and it was wonderful for me to see another area of Gujarat (called Saurashtra), and this one is a huge cotton growing region, so it was of particular interest to me. The one difficulty with the area is that the Gujarati spoken in that area is quite a bit different, and very difficult for me to follow.

Tonight my classmates and I leave for Mumbai. I am absolutely delighted because this will be my first time, and I am ready for a five day vacation - it is summer afterall! We will take a train called the Gujarati Mail. In Mumbai we are staying at the YMCA, which everyone says is just a normal hotel, and it is 'centrally' located - though I haven't the slightest idea what that means in Mumbai. I am planning to use this trip as a chance to relax, see the sights a little, and to get into my research and proposal writing. I am delighted to report that after several weeks of not a single response to my attempts to make contacts I am suddenly flooded with interesting leads and I will need the time to write emails and make appointments. When I return to Amdabad next week the real craziness will begin, and I will have reached the halfway point of the course!

Classes are going quite well and I am even beginning to be able to communicate with people. Mumbai will likely not do me well in this, and don't ask about my Hindi, but when I return I plan to turn up the heat to get as much out of the final weeks as possible.

I miss you all dearly! I will post a bunch more pictures in the next few days!

Udaipur

We returned from Udaipur this morning at 4am and I am paying the price this afternoon. I had to leave class a bit early because I was coming apart at the seams. I ventured out again this afternoon only to make contact with you all, and then I will rush back to the quiet of my room. I am very homesick and sleepy today. Certainly this has to do with that feeling that comes with returning from vacation, and returning to the harsh reality of daily life in a huge polluted and fast paced city. Have I mentioned the traffic? The horns are s constant soundtrack that I have had to learn to not hear.

In Udaipur I had a lovely time, reading for my own work, reading the paper, ordering room service on our balcony, and watching birds and monkeys making their way through the day. There were also sites to see, and I have added a new slideshow, but mostly we read and read and it was wonderful. Udaipur is much smaller than Ahmedabad, and far more beautiful, but also a lot more touristy.

Two of the best things about the trip were that we could have beer at the restaurants (Gujarat is a dry state), and the last hour of the train ride into the city through the Rajasthani countryside. There is one photo of it. That stretch of the ride was very very slow, so I could see well the handful of brightly clad women farmers in the fields already at work early early in the morning. It was breathtaking, particularly after three weeks in one of the largest cities in India.

Udaipur, Rajasthan

I am delighted to say that tonight a friend and I leave for Udaipur where we will stay until Sunday. We will take a sleeper train there and arrive at 8 am tomorrow morning. I have really gotten into the book A Suitable Boy, which Sage gave me to finally read while I am here in India. What a fantastic book, and so much of it relates in subtle ways to the things that I am hearing, seeing and learning every day. This weekend will be a combination of relaxing, finally working on my research proposal, studying Gujarati (of course), and reading this hefty novel. I may even finish it before I leave the country! I promise pictures upon my return!

Bharuch

On Saturday morning a couple of us arrived at this funky hotel in the city of Bharuch and awaited a friend of a friend of a friend to come by and pick us up. She arrived at 11 am and there began two days of adventure! Shirin first asked us each about our research interests and set about to find related information for each of us. We toured around and saw a Mosque built in 1030, several beautiful old Parsi houses, we met tons of interesting people, visited a farm on the Narmada river, met with a Parsi priest and saw a fire temple and a tower of silence. We saw fisherpeople communities and swimming water buffaloes. We ate Parsi food and visited museums and libraries. Every minute of it was fascinating. This Thursday night a friend and I are off to Udaipur, which everyone tells me is a lovely lovely place.