India

One of the things that was great about my trip to India was that I was going for my friend's wedding. That meant 1) that I would actually get to see an Indian wedding, 2) that I could ask my friend all the dumb questions you may have about another country that you can't always find the answers to (what to bring, what to expect, etc.), and 3) that I was going to be there with friends.

My friend gave us all some tips before coming to India...
e.g. leave food on your plate when you're full because otherwise they'll keep serving you (I guess it's a hospitality thing...they want to make sure that you've definitely had enough so they keep giving you more until you stop eating...my grandparents do that too...they ask if you want more; you say no; they put more on your plate; huh?).
One of the tips was to dress conservatively. My friend was really worried that people would stare at us if we wore "too revealing" clothes (such as shorts or short skirts, low-cut shirts). Now, the people there definitely didn't dress the way we did or would have; at Kovalam Beach we saw families go in the water fully dressed (men and women...even though some men would just wear shorts...women went in the water in their beautiful dresses and saris!!!!) but I'm not sure if it would have been that much worse if we'd been wearing our "normal" summer clothes. I mean, we already got stared at. We were all the way in the South - not a very touristy area. Some of them may have rarely (or even never) seen White people. So we got stared at - no matter what we wore. People asked us if they could take pictures with us. Beggars and street vendors followed us around. Random people would start following us, try to help out (e.g. if we said, we wanted to buy clothes, they'd drag us to the next store - probably someone we knew - then they'd recommend restaurants, etc.) and then ask for money. My friend had warned us not to give beggars any money or they'd all start following around. It was tough. You see these little kids, bony and tired-looking old women and men sitting in the dirt on the side of the road or otherwise coming up to you with their big smiles offering help or trying to sell you cheap touristy trash - and you want to help and you know you wouldn't miss the couple rupees but you also know that giving them money isn't going to fix the problem. You don't even know what they'd do with the money - and even if they bought food with it, it'd keep them fed for a couple days but then they'll be back on the street hungry, asking for money. We need to change the systems that keep so many people in poverty; we need to allow those countries to develop and grow like Europe and the US have and if we go there to "help" we have to teach them to help themselves. But when you look into those big black eyes of the cute girl with the injured foot, you feel like a bitch when you say no.

Updates

Hello everyone,

I know, I know - it's been a while. You think when you're "on vacation," you'll have all this time to do things - like practice playing the guitar and write your blog and catch up on e-mail. But then things happen and the days just kinda fly by and before you know, you're a few days away before the end of your vacation and you haven't done half the things you wanted to do.

The weather has been miserable in Austria. When I first got here - in May - it rained every single day. I think the only day we got a few rays of sunshine was my friend's wedding day. Then I left for India, where I had 10 days of quite a lot of sunshine (even though it rained almost every day since it was the beginning of the rainy season - but it only rained for short periods of time and it was still really really warm out). Then I got back home and almost immediately left for my grandparents'. That was the only week of sunshine I've experienced in Austria this summer. And yes, it was nice to have some sun but it wouldn't have killed me if it'd been raining. I mean, there's only so much I can do at my grandparents' anyway...rain wouldn't really have bothered me there. But rain really bothers me when I'm at my parents' house. And of course, as soon as I returned to my parents' house, it started raining again and has continued to rain for the past week. So much for hiking and swimming in the lake....

I now have one more week of vacation in Austria left. Then I'm heading back to the US to tie up a few loose ends at my last institution, spend some time with friends and after two weeks pack up my stuff and move.

I've received and signed the official offer letter. We're working on the immigration paperwork (that's the part that always gives me the most headaches...it just always feels like there is so much outside of my control and that they make it as complicated and difficult as possible). At first, I felt relieved but lately the worries about the immigration paperwork have come up again and I'm using my usual tactic of avoidance and denial. You shouldn't worry about things you can't influence, right?

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This summer has really flown by. There's just been too much going on. First my friend's wedding in Austria, then India, then visiting my grandparents, ....

I know I still owe you all a few India stories. I haven't forgotten. Just hang in tight for a few more days....

A few more India pictures...

Just to tie you over until I get back from my grandparents' house...a few more pictures from India:



Women outside the temple in Madurai. Don't you love the beautiful colors of their saris?



Maybe I should hire them for my next move. With their help, I could definitely fit all my stuff in my car. ;)



Kovalam Beach...no scandalous looking bikinis for them; some men and all women went fully dressed in the ocean.

Don't worry about things you can't change...

I have a lot more stories to tell you about India but now isn't the right time. It's late and I should be in bed. Tomorrow, my sister, her boyfriend and I are heading to Innsbruck (a city about three hours away from my hometown) for a Pink concert. And I just realized that OneRepublic is one of the opening act. I'm so excited!!!
After that, I'll be heading to the Steiermark, one of the nine provinces of Austria, where my grandparents live. No internet and only two TV channels - yes, that's good old Austria for you. I'll be back in a week and than I should have more time to tell you all about my trip and everything else that's been going on in my life.

A brief job search update: I'm still waiting for that "official" offer. It's a bit nerve-racking. Apparently the international background check is taking a little longer. *Sigh* Everything always has to be just a little more complicated for me. I guess I'd just feel a bit better if I had something official; if I'd signed something...you know. Oh well, nothing I can do and there's no point in worrying about things you can't change, right?

Back from India

I just returned from India. It's been an adventure, to say the least. :) It was amazing and colorful and overwhelming and sad - all at once. Oh and loud and dirty. Haha. I've started looking at the picture I took - the first one of about 800 you can see here. I'll post some more later and will add some stories about my impressions of India and traveling. But right now, I just need some sleep....