I am just back from my third research trip to southern Rajasthan - another fantastic and successful trip. I am in the process of trying to write the third (February) report to send to my supervisor in Seattle. Usually I try to send these by the 1st of the month, but there was too much going on at the beginning of this month. When I look back at the report that I wrote just five weeks ago I have to laugh at myself - my research, my understanding of what I am seeing has changed and developed so much. Now I am faced with a different kind of dilemma: I have now so much information and so many ideas that I have to work really hard to keep on task, to keep reminding myself what is important for right now and what I do not have time to chase after. Everything seems connected and everything seems important.

Leaving Rajasthan this time, the day before yesterday, we were relieved to get a break from male egos. We were working on interviewing labor contractors in the area and encountered more than our share of men that were so full of themselves and arrogant that the three of us alternated between suppressed laughter and grimaces. Often times my foreigness seems to help counteract this, but we just happen to run into a few that had been drinking and some that said things like this man, "You don't need to talk to anyone else because I can tell you everything you need to know. I know all there is to know about this kind of labor and about migration". When we asked whether he himself had ever gone for this kind of work he said that yes, he went 10 years ago. He refused to help us contact other people, and seemed deeply offended that we might seek the help of anyone else after him.

I have one week until Sage arrives and we travel around the subcontinent. Once she leaves I have only one month before I head home for a while. This is a time of some serious decision making and I am getting a little nervous about how much I will be able to get done in the month of March.

I treated myself to a nice lunch today and found on the menu a snack that is basically mashed potato balls with fresh grated coconut and cilantro inside - whoa mama!