We're checking out of the hotel tomorrow and anxious to get unpacked. I still feel like I'm on vacation. We met our new friends for lunch today, Anne and her teenage daughter Emily and Jillian and her husband Gautam. Happy to report, there were no rat sightings at the restaurant although we did see a poor rat soul (one down!) in the gutter on the way there. We got there a little early so we walked around the neighborhood, where we had not been before...or had we? I fear this city will forever confuse me. I know it hasn't even been a week but, Chandan our driver is always taking us out of the hotel one way and back a different way. I guess "grid system" doesn't translate. (Check out the map on George's page.) Maybe that's why he has GPS in his phone! Anyway, we saw some authentic Indian shops and sandwiched in between the occasional, Addidas or Reebok store. (This was good for my research because I'm still not sure if it's acceptable even to work out in shorts. There was a great scarcity of shorts on the shelves, so it's not looking good.) Anyway, the streets were dusty and crowded and Indians will try to sell you just about anything if you so much as look in their direction. Surprisingly, George turned down a toy snake and miniature chess set both being sold by the same guy. "You don't like chess? How about a toy snake then?" We were like two bobbing bullseyes through the crowd.

Anne is British and Jillian is American (North Carolinian) who married an Indian. They gave us many helpful tips and hopefully we can use them as a resource in the future. I also found out that I can't really work because my visa is as a "dependent." Oh darn. But I can work at an NGO - if I so choose. Today, I do not so choose. But again, we haven't even been here a week and I'm not really sure I can make a career out of blogging.

Some other random comments on India:
1. There are all these commercials on TV for products to "lighten the complexion." Most are face washes and lotions but I find it funny that they are trying to lighten their skin and in the West, we are always looking for ways to be darker.

2. If anyone knows anything about cricket, please share. They can't get enough of it over here. From what we've gathered, the guy who "bats" is at bat for a really long time. There appears to be a "catcher" but there also seems to be 2 or 3 other guys who stand next to him. The batter never runs. I looked it up on Wikipedia but it was ridiculously long and complicated. I'm looking for the Clif's Notes version...Wiki-lite.

3. India's LOVE the song and dance - from Bollywood, to music videos to what happens on every other TV station - people singing and dancing. I don't say this is as a bad thing, just different. We have violence and sex, they have singing and dancing.

4. Bob Barker would be appalled by the stray dog population here.

Tomorrow should be a big day. Will let you know about the new place and put up some pictures of it.