I'll come back to the events leading up to this hotel later. I'm at the hotel sitting on the bed, maybe bed is the wrong word, how about we go with cot. In the bathroom is a squat toilet that doesn't flush, a sink and a bucket that you fill with water to shower in. The room itself is a cement cube with tile floors a wardrobe that smells funny, a mirror and three, yes three different nightstands and a fan. Which I already really appreciate, and I'm sure by the end of the night I will have more respect for that fan then I have now. Right now I want to be home, I already have at least two bug bites, if there was a shower I could deal, I think. but there isn't I'm alone, scared and sad. Soon I apparently have to go to the office. I would rather just sleep until I get moved tomorrow.
We landed at the airport got off the plane and it all started I was shoved onto a buys, taken across dirt roads to a blue carpet with a red rope, dropped off. I walked into the airport, it was white, with marble floors. Then I headed to customs there were three lines. I was expecting something like the US where one was for India Nationals and one wasn't, but nothing was posted so I got in a line. Apparently I was right, and all lines were the same. The customs guy said absolutly nothing to me. I then walked into another room with 2 conveyor belts and waited, someone asked me if I wanted help (I think) I said no, and waited. My luggage was near the front so i got it fast. And had to guess where to go next. I walked through some lines, and the next customs guy was nice, because apparently I hadn't filled out the form right, but he smiled and told me what I had to fix. Then I left the airport, walked outside, it was hot, there were tons of people, and it was loud. I found the projects abroad guy he took me to the bus. there were 15 other high school students waiting. We all got on the bus and started our 6 hour bus ride. Our luggage was tied on top and we were squished to gether, there was a nice breeze at first so it wasn't too hot. It took about an hour before the bus was ready to leave. (about 6am) The bus was small neither heated (of course) or air conditioned. there were status and a TV it was carpeted all over. Like something out of a movie. We stopped by a hotel to pick up another person and then we began to drive.
We drove through a city, there were tents and shacks constufcted out of whatever was around. next to those were beautiful clean fenced 2 story houses. This continued the houses were either huge or tents, we passed coutless numbers of cows, goats, dogs, chickens, and there were garbage laden streets rivers and fields. Three men were talking one lifts up his skirt (doti) and squats and the bus drives on. People are bathing in a river, children are running naked through the fields. Women have baskets on thier heads, people go places, life is happening, in this hot croweded dirty place life is happening. but I am listening to my ipod and top gun is playing on the tv in the bus. we stop and a man squating on the street waves. it gets unbearably hot.
We get to "the office" it is air conditioned....how weird and yet what a relief. We go to a temple and we must take off our shoes to go in, I'm walking barefoot, its raining. The people are happy and excited to let us pretend to be a part of thier religion. they put dogs of ash on our foreheads we are exciting to them, people stare. I get back to the hotel for the night. There are no white people.
A buzzer keeps going off, in the hotel room. The lights went out for a little while, It was scary, but what isn't scary right now. I still want to go home, but I'm going to go to sleep and see what tomorrow brings.
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