little sari dress up doll

Things I miss:
Air conditioning
Hot showers
Continuous power (we have power cuts)

Things I do not miss (much):
My cell phone
Cows in fences (they just get to roam around here)
American food

It's hard to believe that I've already been here for five days. I will head off tonight to a bird sanctuary. I'll stay there for about five days, doing ecological surveys of the fish-eating birds there and taking soil and water samples. I'm really starting to get cabin fever-y, so it will be nice to have a change of scenery. So far, I've just been reading scientific journal articles on fish-eating birds and toxicology and learning some bird identification from my bird book.

The other night, one of the women decided that I needed to try on a sari. This is the traditional dress of Indian women. One's sari can say a lot: everything from whether or not one is married to where they come from. She put a gorgeous torquoise one on me, and then everyone wanted to take pictures. I'll load some of them on here as soon as I can.

eat with your hands

I've arrived!

I'm still getting over some major jetlag that has me wanting to sleep during the day and stay up all night, but it's slowly but surely working its way out of my system.

I'm adjusting to the food as well. A lot of south Indian food is super spicy...luckily my hosts recognized that I have a wimpy American mouth and point out the less spicy dishes for me. Most of my meals consist of rice or idlis (rice dumplings) with an assortment of curries to dip them in. The best part about an Indian meal--you don't have to use a fork! I'm getting used to eating with my hands and learning the etiquette of eating Indian-style. For starters, eat only with your right hand.

Another cultural thing that will take some time to get used to is head nodding. Side-to-side (which usually means no) means "yes". A bobble-head type of gesture can mean anything from "ok" to "maybe" to "I have no idea." I'm trying to perfect my own version of the bobble-head...it's coming along nicely. I still haven't figured out how to say no with head nods--that could turn out to be a problem.

Looks like I'll be going out into the field to do some breeding bird surveys and toxicology work for about five days. Then, I'll return to SACON to take a course in analytical chemistry (pretty much chemistry hopped up on mathematics). Then, I'll probably do some more field work and lab work. Hope to have some nice pictures for you soon!

P.S. There are supposed to be wild elephants around here. I'm hoping to see one!

chasing birds

During my time in India, I will be conducting research in the field of eco-toxicology. In short, I will be testing the water, soil, and fish for pesticides that may affect fish-eating birds. I may also get a chance to work with the spot-billed pelican (pictured in all his majesty to the right).

I will be working with the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology. You can check out their website here at http://www.wetlandsofindia.org/sacon/aboutus.jsp

I changed the title to the blog, but the URL is still the same--so no worries.

culture shock

I leave for India on Sunday and arrive on Monday. I've been trying to pack my bags and get everything in order. It looks like everything is coming together. I have my visa, vaccinations plane tickets, and arrangements for lodging.

I've been reading a book that Dr. Tonkyn let me borrow: Culture Shock! India. Hopefully, I'll be able to pick up some cultural tidbits and rules of etiquette so as not to make a fool of myself.

I'm ready for India to be vastly different than what I am used to, but at the same time I'm ready to be uncomfortable. It seems to me that I grow the most when I am the least comfortable.

I'll arrive on Monday--stay tuned for my adventures