I want to start this off by saying that although I'm writing this pretty much all at one time, I'm making it as though I had written it almost daily so it's not just all in one big blog. Some of this is taken from other emails I've written and some from stuff I wrote in my journal...sorry to not put it up sooner! But from now on, when I go somewhere, it'll be easy to update.

First off:

Wedding Week:

(from my first email from India):

I think that if you guys were to experience things here, you might be able to understand kind of why I am the way I am. EVERY Indian function/event is:

1. NEVER on time 2. Always a big deal 3. Includes everybody 4. A long PROCESS The people we've been hanging around are awesome. I was worried that we were going to be some strangers, just observing, but it hasn't been like that at all. Actually, a lot of the family that is here is actually from MN. The guy that's getting married, his sister, and mom and dad are all from MN and my dad knows them. It's nice to have people around that are Americanized but also doing the Indian thing. We're just in the middle of the whole wedding process. So far we've been to the engagement party and then last night the older men (my dad included HAHA) had a "Bachelor Wannabe" party and then the ladies and the younger guy cousins had a party at the house. So far there hasn't been any drinking for us...so don't worry. :) Tonight we have a cocktail party, tomorrow night is a girls side thing, so only close relatives on the boys side are going. I'm actually thankful to have a night off. Sunday is the Wedding Ceremony and then Monday night is the reception. The most difficult part has been figuring out what I'm wearing every night, my Indian stuff is limited and then there's the cold.

For example, the engagement party was "only" 200 people. It was supposed to start at "7pm sharp." Things probably started around 9:30, and the bride finally made her "grand entrance" 11:15pm. Actually, the everyday schedule (were I not adjusting to the time difference, which is 11 1/2 hours ahead of MN) would work great for me. We eat breakfast around 11/11:30. Lunch is around 3-4 and then dinner is about 10-11pm. Everyone, including the grandmas!, stay up til like 1-2 every night. Everyone goes to the flow, a little to much even. The joke has been that everything is five minutes, which usually means two hours.