Where’s The Floor?

We’ve all had this experience- when we move out of one place and into another and disaster ensues. My dorm room is successfully sprawled all over my home bedroom floor. Successfully, I call it because it was quite a long move- I really don’t know how or why I have half the stuff I have.. but anyways, this would not be an issue if it weren’t for the fact that I have to get myself organized, and soon! Just 12 days till I leave.

Preparations for this trip have been a lot of work. Yesterday I was on hold with my insurance company to get my prescriptions filled for over an hour, only to find out that the prescriptions were written incorrectly so they couldn’t be filled. And now, some are still at CVS in Waltham, so they have to go through a transfer process.. oh bureaucracy. They don’t like to make anything easy.

I’m unsure if I want to unpack my things to repack them again- but I don’t have my suitcases yet (I just ordered new ones) so that means I can stall my packing till then. I’m still unsure what to pack- I need to find out if ankles are a no-no, since I bought myself cotton capris. I do know that bathrooms are squat style and buckets of boiled water is a shower. I think I’m going to cut my hair shorter since I won’t really be able to wash it too well. All these things to think about.

Another thing, it’s funny- you tell one person you’re going to India and it becomes evening news wherever I am. My Doctors office all knew about it, as did the pharmacy– its funny the connotation of foreignness and intrigue that comes with a trip like this.

Of course, I share these thoughts of foreign culture shock, but I believe I’ll find a lot of parallels between India and the US.. we’re all human beings after-all, and there is certainly a lot of trouble going on no matter where in the world you are. I think we need to stop thinking of everyone else as “the other” and rather embrace these other cultures as just another facet of the beauty that is humanity. Rather than tell me that I’m going to be smelly and sick (thank you pharmacist for pointing out some of the obvious) why don’t we feel the need to discuss the many beautiful traditions of this country, the people’s warmth and hospitality, their traditions we as Americans can’t even seem to fathom.

Not that I believe people shouldn’t give me advice and remind me of the stark differences between my lifestyle today and my lifestyle in two weeks– but I guess it’s just frustrating when all we can do is focus on our difference and forget to acknowlege just how alike we all are.

But I guess figuring that part out is my job.

Ps. Help me reach my goal of 1000 hours before I go! If you haven’t clicked the one lap top per child side bar on the left, please do. If you did it before, try it again- they change! It would do a world of good. We’re at 784 right now.. let’s get it up there!