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how lovely on the mountains


Take a look at the view out my front door! Yes, I have arrived at my post and am relishing evening walks with Prerna, my mentor's daughter, in the shadows of the Dhauladar Mountain range. My mentor, his wife, Bimla, & Prerna live downstairs from me and they have been my hosts at mealtimes, navigating my way through the market yesterday to outfit my flat, and sharing their lives with me. I have heard much about Kirstin, a former volunteer, who became fast friends with Prerna, also. Prerna has been a lifeline of sorts to me since I do not speak much Hindi and my hosts do not speak much English.
I have been here two days now and am adjusting to a slower pace where meeting times are merely a nicety, where I have to register as a foreigner before I can get my mobile working, where any trip to the market seems an enormous affair. Even getting drinkable water is an ordeal (thankfully I have purification drops just in case - thanks, Jason!).
Despite the beauty of this place, I miss home. My hosts decided it would be helpful for me to have someone clean my flat once a week. Mina came yesterday to clean but I also cleaned this morning for 2+ hours. Perhaps I AM my mother's daughter - I sorely missed Mom's company and refreshing cleaning presence. Thankfully, Prerna weathered the cleaning storm with me and proved quite stringent in her standards. While cleaning, we uncovered what I considered a large spider. It was about 5 inches across with a medium sized body and it JUMPED! Though I am usually the one to come to the rescue when arachnids encroach, trepidation filled me while Prerna cheered from the sidelines. Her father laughed when we retold the story. Apparently that was a small spider compared to what we might have found! Hmm, Aidan, this might not be the best place for you.

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p. said…
Holla. It's Patty K from City Pres. I just wanted to stop lurking and say hi and let you know that I'm thinking about you.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
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