LEAD Annual Day

Well I had chili bhajis yesterday—the closest thing I’ve had to Armadillo’s chili rellenos since coming here. Of course, you don’t eat chili rellenos with your hands or dip them in coconut chutney, but whatever—I’ll take whatever I can get!

We bought computers for our VIP Centre yesterday. Apparently I am the computer expert here. I felt very uncomfortable making the final decision on computers, and even more uncomfortable to have to be the one to sign the bill! Now I just need to work on getting computer tables at the Centre before the computers get there! It seems like pulling teeth would be easier to do than the task at hand…

I leave for Ahmedebad for Indicorps Workshop #2 next week. I can’t wait, although Prashant and I had a fight about whether to take 3rd A/C class or Sleeper—Prashant won somehow, and I’m not happy about having to spend two days each way in sleeper class! You all have heard my mouse-on-train story, so I’ll be sure to let you know how this trip goes.

I got to attend LEAD’s Annual Day last week. All the staff showed up in Trichy for a function to celebrate LEAD’s 18 years in service. There was music and speakers. During one of the speakers, someone came up to me and said “You’re next.” And I said, “No I’m not!”…I lost this argument, too, and five minutes later I was walking across the stage (very awkwardly in my sari) and addressing a crowd of over 400 people. I refused to talk in Tamil, however, and I still haven’t heard the end of that one from the staff here. (I only partially regret not speaking Tamil—-English seemed to be hard enough at the time.)



Nothing else is new. There are good days, when there seems to be some impact/participation from the girls I am to be working with. Then there are days when I can’t wait to get back to America and have a nice shower and put all my clothes in a washing machine all at once! If anyone else wants to send a package, the next thing on my wish list is a washing machine…I can do without a dryer.