Helllllloooo....how are YOU?

Hello again!!!! I love you ALL - especially the ones who have emailed me ;)

There is far too much to say....I'm definitely going to have to pick and choose some stories.

Since my last blog we took a whirlwind tour of Jaipur and Agra. Jaipur is the capitol of Rajasthan, which is a state to the west of Delhi. We boarded the bus early in the morning and tried to sleep. Somehow Kate and Deepa managed to rest but I was not gifted enough. There was a loud Bollywood movie blasting from everywhere (or so it seemed) and an unearthly, warbling (that's really the only word for it!) shriek coming from somewhere. Sadly, I didn't actually know what the shriek was. It seemed so supremely random that I thought it was just meant to keep us on our toes and I didn't really stress about it. It was the next day before Deepa informed me that it was the horn. Oh dear, I have much to learn. Honking horns are a little different here....they're used to warn people that you're coming, not just when you're angry....I didn't really get that at first. It makes complete sense because roads in general are a bit more free-form in India. Sometimes there are lanes, but lanes are almost always kind suggestions, not rules. Anyway - step one on the tour was being introduced to the horn. See, this is the problem - I could write a whole blog about five minutes over here and have quite enough to say!

One of my favorite sites so far is the Birla Temple - a Jain Temple in Jaipur. It was simply gorgeous.....white marble with very little other color used. We visited it at night and the white marble was incredible against the black sky. After we all walked around for a while I sat alone on a balcony while Kate and Deepa wandered. I'm fascinated with the massive range of religions that are everywhere in India. More and more I'm noticing huge similarities between all the religious sites and religions we've dappled with....I've also drawn many parallels to Christianity without difficulty. I'm sure these things will continue to come up in my mind throughout this trip and I'll write more when my thoughts are more fully formed.

I'm much more homesick than I thought I would be. My mom is probably glad to hear that - aren't you!? You needn't worry about me forgetting home. Being away makes it plain how comfortable I usually am....and it makes me appreciate my loved ones even more.

Paloma! I don't know if you've read this, but I thought of you the other day when I was a bit low. The poverty and begging children has been incredibly difficult for me to deal with. I'm not able to ignore them when they beg or try to sell their wares. Because I answer their questions and allow myself to be engaged, it's harder for me to tear away, and makes me even more attached to the tragedy of the situation. Kate and Deepa are trying to help me understand that I can't help and I'll only hurt them and myself more if I engage.....but that message hasn't sunk in yet. When I boarded the bus after a particularly difficult experience with some begging children I thought to myself, "If anyone could offer a ray of sunshine here, it would be Paloma Pineda."

The Taj Mahal. WOW. WOWOWOWOW. It's probably best that I don't try to describe it, because I WILL fail. I can say, however, that I had a very ironic moment at the Taj. I was drawing the backside of the Taj Mahal and having a marvelous time when I realized I had a small crowd circled around ME, watching ME draw the Taj Mahal instead of watching....the Taj Mahal. The crowning moment there was when a pair of guys asked to take a picture with Kate and I facing directly away from the Taj Mahal.....oh goodness. They could have at least had the Taj in the background! Though it was supremely awkward to have people ask to see my drawing (it wasn't THAT great, I only had one pen!) it was nice to be stared at for something besides my hair. It's weird how quickly I've stopped really noticing/caring about the stares...

Margot! We're going to see the Mosque in Delhi tomorrow that you recommended to Kate! We're all very exciting. It will be nice to see Delhi from above because it's such a HUGE and winding place and I can't fathom what it will look like!

Thank you again to Deepa's family! We love you all!

LOVE,
~Alice