Thanjavore, Chennai, Madurai... y'know, the usual.

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
GUUUUUUUUUUUYYYYYYYYYZZZZ!
so i am here in madurai across the street from my school in a sweaty little hole in the wall that has two computers and yet somehow is full of at least twenty people, ninety percent of which are shouting in a language i cannot understand. This has been my life: confusion, elation, frustration, sweat, more sweat, uncomfortableness in the stomach area, itchiness, power cuts, incredulousness, smiles, being lost and bike riding. ok so that makes it sound pretty terrible, but you will all be happy to know im sure that i am having a superb experience so far. it has been very confusing and certainly very new, but still great.
i have been in madurai for just under a week, and living with my host family the entire time. My host brother is getting married on monday, so the house is crammed with relatives whose main topic of conversation is, you guessed it, me. I think their favorite past time is watching me try to eat rice with only my right hand, and everyone telling me how i am doing it wrong and what the correct technique is. Going home is always an interesting experience, as my host father will demand that we do my tamil homework immediately with the whole extended family watching and then everyone bursts into laughter when i try to say anything in tamil. it has been fun though. i dont really mind being the topic of conversation, as i never understand what they are saying anyway and thats okay.
The women in my family are amazing. Both of my grandmothers are staying at the house right now to help prepare for Harish's (my host brothers) wedding. Every morning they insist on serving me breakfast and make chains of fresh jasmine to put in my hair. They put a puhdu on my forehead (the red dot that hindus wear) and bless me as i get on my bike to ride to school.
My host mom is wonderful too. She always shows me how to cook everything she makes and is sure to tell me every step and ingredient, even though she is not very good at english. She loves to take care of people, especially me. The food here is awesome. I have had more than few things that were disgusting and that i hope i never encounter again (AKA 99 percent of indian sweets), but overwhelmingly everything is delicious and i am getting used to the spice.
The power is cut at least three times a day for up to three hours at a time, which doesnt help with the heat. They kinda just accept this and try to go about their business even when it is 100 degrees or more in the kitchen.
There are also these really cool house geckos that change colors. I think they are really cool, but everyone else in the house considers them a pest. They dont really mind roaches or ants here, but they really hate those little lizards. they are about the only taste of wildlife i get here, other than the goats and cows everywhere eating trash. ugh.
the idea of trash here is also really differnt from home. There are no garbage cans anywhere, so people just throw their trash on the street, and most people poop and pee in public as well. sometime you will encounter a river of human waste just flowing neatly along the side of the road. Very pleasant.
I have a ton more to say about this crazy city, but my time is running out. I am really enjoying the grittiness so far, and yesterday we took a fieldtrip to a music college out in the country, where they learn instruments like drums, flute, violin, and vocals in the traditional karnatic style. The blind (literally made of blind people) choir gave a performance and then demanded that our group perform. So we sang mary had a little lamb, and they loved it. or pretended to.

i am sorry i havent been able to write until now, it is difficult to get to internet out here. Just know that i am thinking of all of you, but especially you.

miss you a lot, post comments and tell me whats new!
emma