Roundabout Lifestyle

India, the country of endless time. Trying to get any work, commuting, or preparations done in a timely fashion is completely impossible. Random power outages, cyclones, motorcycle and car breakdowns are just a few of my experiences so far. I am understanding how difficult it is to get anything accomplished. Writing a document, you are distracted by your entire family watching Indian music videos, singing and dancing in the same room (having four generations of family in one room hanging out before dinner is something Americans need to take advice from India on). Arriving on time for a meeting like ODP, our last workshop with the LF India Board, college students, and graduates, the brake line in Mathews car was having trouble, so we had to stop by Pondicherry in a small village to have some work done. Traveling by bus is rather exciting though. The women, beautiful in a rainbow of saris, the children crying, playing, sleeping, then men staring with a questioning eye all jump on and off the bus while it is in constant motion. The people are pushing and squishing to find a standing spot during rush hours (which is all the time!) The bus conductor, with his sturdy purse, sells tickets for around 20 cents. The driver uses 3 foot long shift stick to grind the gears and careen along. I have been living on $5.82 a day. Anita, a Lead Forward student, took me on my first bus ride. At first it was so loud we couldn't talk. My head turned toward the window watching the greenery and mud huts pass us by, and while I was intensely curious about the landscape, everyone else just looked at me. As Phil, the president of LF US, said the last white face I would see was at the Chennai airport upon my arrival, and her name was Sugar.