Haha! Ok, I'm alive, I've made it. Let me just say that 15 hours on a plane in the last seat (in the corner) near the bathroom which has a light permanently on, is kind of annoying. Although they had really cool seats where everyone had their own tv screen and could pick movies or shows to watch when you wanted. So I watched The Office, House, Hairspray, Superbad, Medium, and some others. They also had this thing that shows you all the stats about the plane so you could know how high you were in the air, what speed, how cold it is out side (it got to -61 degrees F outside the plane!!), time spent in the air, time at the departure site and destination, as well as the distance traveled. It was nice because I could count down how many hours were left. I had a b**** for flight attendant, but that's another story.

Mumbai was gross. It's dirty, smells like ass (although not as bad as that guy on the plane), and poverty is everywhere. It's hot and humid too (which doesn't help the smell). My first day was ok. I waited until Rachael arrived (she's the girl I'm traveling with) and when she got there we decided to go to the Gateway to India, a monument on the Arabian Sea. First we took a Rickshaw to the train station. (Oh, Will, I'm never going to complain about driving ever again! Nothing compares to India traffic- NOTHING.) Remind me to tell ya'll about rickshaws, I mean auto-rickshaws. When we got to the train station we stood in a huge line waiting to buy our ticket. Little girls kept coming up to us for money. It's really hard to say "F-you" in body language to a little girl who is obviously hungry and in need of food. But they'll swarm you if you give them money. Anyway, we went to the train station and bought a second class ticket... and got on the first class car. We didn't do this on purpose, honest, we didn't! We just stood with the women since there are male and female segregated cars. Apparently, the only other car than the first class car that's labeled is the one for "cancer patients and handicap people". Anyway, Rachael and I got slapped with a 600 rupee fine ($15). It kinda sucked because we had no idea we were on the wrong car.

Mumbai was Mumbai. I personally didn't like it. I could only stay out for so long because I found the poverty to be so exhausting. It's everywhere. People pissing in the streets, stray dogs running in packs, half naked children playing in sewage, and THOUSANDS of shanty homes. Everything is covered in dirt. EVERYTHING! It's like the only pride they have is for themselves and their family, nothing else. Buildings are in major disrepair, even the University of Mumbai had broken windows and trash spewed across their entry lawn. They keep themselves very beautiful, especially the women, but beyond that... The trash is what really gets me (and the smog). It's everywhere! It's so sad to see children digging threw it for food, especially when you know that someone or something has taken a piss or s*** on it. People come up to you begging for money everywhere. They see that you're not from India and they automatically think $$$. It's hard to carry a stern face everywhere you go. Eye contact is very dangerous here, especially women to men. It's an invitation for conversation that's really not welcome, frankly. Rachael and I have got the "frown, give a once over, and roll the eyes while turning away" down. It works better than telling someone to F-off.

We drove to Pune today. It was supposed to take 3 hours.. it took 5. It took us 1 1/2 to get out of Mumbai and then the remainder on the highway. I was really excited because I saw monkey's in the middle of the freeway and cows, lots of cows (and goats but they're not so special). We had a very interesting conversation about marriage with our assistant coordinator. She's 25, lives with her parents (which is common), and "of course I want to be married" she says. It's funny because I finally saw how American are perceived, and fellas, it aint pretty. Apparently we don't value family, we're all depressed after the age of 50, we're lonely, fat (not a big surprise since we have an obesity epidemic), and all we do is go to "disco-techs", smoke, and drink on Saturday nights. It made me laugh (inside of course) that people really perceive us as one thing. I don't think the world sees us as being a multitude of cultures, a blend of so many lifestyles that it's hard to put America into one category. It doesn't help that Bush is our representative, but that's... ah, don't get me started.

So we arrived in Pune, had fresh squeezed juice (I had pineapple juice) and met our Dr. Dubak. He's our medical director in Pune. I'm getting tired so I'm going to make this part short. We have internet the whole time we're here so I'll be able to stay in touch, at least for the next 5 weeks. He's set up this huge program with a bunch of doctors which is nice. We're planned to watch a sterilzation procedure one day, which might be a little much to handle since they're subsidized by the government. His wife is also a doctor and is an associate professor at the medical school here in Pune. Their house is very clean and nice. Oh, and did I forget to mention, we have a servent that cooks and cleans for us. I can say that I definitely did not expect that! The only s***ty thing so far is that I got a mosquito bite on my head (and we all know that they swell on me, so it looks like my head is really swollen- it's funny). The bed is really hard, I've already had a point where I couldnt lift my hips because it was so painful. The floors are tile so it keeps it cool. The food is spicy, the chai is wonderful, and the hospitality is, well, kinda restrictive.

I have to report in at various times, meals are served at specific times, and I can't be out passed 8:30pm without prior notice. No drinking alcohol (which I didn't expect to anyway) and we will have a woman with us at all times. They really freaked out when Rachael told them that she travelled to Jaipur by herself. It was really funny to watch them in shock. Anyhoo, it's time to go to bed. I'll try to write back as soon as possible. I'll try to check my email at least every other day while I'm here in Pune, although I spend 4 days out in a rural site where I wont be able to get internet, but i will be able to watch surgeries!!!! Hey mom, guess what!? I can only wear scrubs and my lab coat at the clinic sites.. so much for proper dress attire. Maybe in Dehra Dun? Oh well what can I do about it now.

Love you all!
steph

P.S. I get my phone tomorrow. It can accept all incoming calls at no charge. I'll email my number to you as soon as I can. PLEASE remember that I am 13.5 hours AHEAD of you, please don't call me at 4 in the morning :) Love you guys!