More like Flood-alore (you know, instead of Cuddalore)

Hmm....I was going to do a lot today, like add the photos I thought I had uploaded last time, put new photos up, and then add the stuff I've been writing on my laptop throughout this past week...but the computers at this internet center seem to not like my jump drive, and so I can't do any of the above.

Cuddalore has been flooding the last week. I went down some roads in boats yesterday, and walked down other roads in water that was waist high. We were doing "flood relief" by handing out food throughout a few villages isolated by the water, but we were creating our own problems along the way. We handed out packets of rice in plastic bags. After eating, everyone threw their bags in the water. And we also handed out water in plastic bags. After drinking, everyone threw their bags in the water. No one is taking my suggestion that we need to figure out a different method for tomorrow seriously. Sometimes I feel bad to be taking part in the relief meausures at all.

I also got in an argument with the male staff yesterday by saying that as a women's empowerment organization we were doing nothing for women's empowerment (this is because the men completely planned the flood relief without involving the women--we couldn't take part because they planned it in their dormitory--and in the morning they asked me to come last minute because i have a camera and their camera was somewhere else. needless to say i was very angry.) i think i may have soothed things over today by having a more "grown-up" conversation with them about it, and some of them were receptive to me :).

All the astrologers, and newspapers, here have been predicting lots of disasters throughout 2005--so everyone is just waiting for the next month to be over with!

My project is progrressing surely but slowly. I have some great pictures I want to show you, but they're on my jump drive. I'll try to figure it out soon. Now I'm off to wade back to the office (just kidding--I'm trying to stay out of the water as much as possible.) Don't worry about me, I'm high and dry :)