Hi from Delhi

Sorry for the lack of contact. My last days in Varanasi were a whirlwind. I manage to leave all my loose ends untied, which was simultaneously perfect because I didn't have to do proper goodbyes and really annoying (I left half of my clothes on a laundry line outside my guest house). Now I am enjoying Delhi, I LOVE THE METRO!!!! And saying more proper goodbyes to the people with me. Next I am off to Chennai. I will check in when I am there.
Love,
Violet

Off to Calcutta

Hey all, Now that I have given you a good long time to actually read my comic, I am sad to report that I am off to Calcutta for the weekend. Well actually I am not sad, I am really excited. But it means no internet. As a peace offering, I am taking requests for souvenirs. If there is anything you want me to bring back for you, besides myself of course, I know that is what you all really want, comment or email me.

Love,

Violet

Farewell Comic Book

Things I do when I am bored

When I am bored, I do a variety of things. Sometimes I practice the tabla, pictured in my room above, sometimes, and I do mean sometimes, I clean my room, mess pictured above, sometimes I go to the park with some of the kids from school, and sometimes I give myself little crafty projects. Michelle and I embarked on an afternoon of making a backgammon board entirely out of paper, with dice also. And as a going away present for Michelle I made a comic book, which I will post the entirety of at some later date. Oh, there is another one I forgot. I got my legs waxed, you know, just for fun. It was painful but the ladies in the salon, yes I may have gone back for a facial yesterday, refuse to speak anything to me but rapid Hindi, which I love. So those are the things I do everyday.

Love,

Violet

Auto rides

So, continuing with the thread of my daily life, I thought I would post a video from an auto ride, how I typically get around. When you are a cheapo like me, the best way to go is by shared auto. Then it is ten rupees per person anywhere and you do not have to deal with negotiation. What you do have to deal with is getting squished into an auto with five or more other people that you have never met, the usual turbulence of the ride and my favorite thing, the soundtrack provided by the driver. Sometimes they put on songs I know and I get to sing along, which everyone thinks is hilarious of course, especially because I make half of the words up. Anyhow, the recipe described above seems like it could only result in one thing: car-sickness, or auto-sickness? Is that a thing?, but surprisingly I remain relatively unscathed, even sitting in the middle.

Love,

Violet

P.S. Ten points to the person who can figure out who is driving.

A Normal Day

So, my mother requested something that showed my everyday life. Luckily Michelle, one of the other interns, took a video of me teaching a first grade class. They are super cute. This is pretty typical, barring unforeseen mishaps. For example: collage materials + fan + first graders = chaos. So two days a week I teach at the campus in Varanasi, video above, and two days a week I am at the village campus. It is very beautiful there, but eight or nine hours without filtered water or electricity is really tough. The kids are very eager to learn, at least early in the day and when it is not a hundred degrees, so sometimes. Other daily struggles involve the untrained dogs that people always let into the guest house. I ran into a small unidentified dead animal that they killed and dragged into the school on the way back home today, and then about five minutes later had the pleasure of kicking the same dog out of our common area where he was rolling around on the mattress we sit on. Sanitary. Anyhow, mostly things are great but I really hate the dogs. Haha. Anyhow. After being sick all last week and going to Lucknow, I am really exhausted, so I am going to bed.

Love,

Violet