counting down

in around 12 hours, i'll be leaving for the airport to begin the 18 hour journey to mumbai. and we still don't have a hotel... yikes. it does say, however, on the first page of my guidebook: "india rewards those who go with the flow," so i am trying to tone it down and get ready to be at the mercy of the "flow." a friend told me recently that when one undergoes "bite training" [if working with disturbed youngsters who have violent tendencies], you don't pull away at the risk of having your skin ripped off; instead, you push towards the biter. hopefully india won't be like having my arm chewed on, but ... it's an analogy.

i think the contents of my suitcase are pretty incredible. i haven't yet taken a trip like this, so i really went above and beyond to cover all the bases.

- medical creme: antifungal, anti-itch, antibiotic
- bandaids
- laxative, anti-diarrheals ["it's not a matter of if, but when..."]
- bug juice, sunscreen
- purell
- clorox wipes
- hand wipes [we will be eating with our hands]
- aloe
- anti-malarial drugs
- antibiotics
- duct tape
- mosquito net
- string
- sneakers, sandals
- raincoat and umbrella [monsoon season!!]
- sunglasses and hat [apparently there are bursts of rain, then hell-hot sun...]
- trail mix and granola bars
- flashlight
- hindi book
- midnight's children by salman rushdie
- love in the time of cholera by gabriel garcia marquez
- guidebook
- journal
- notebook for research
- toothbrush, toothpaste, soap
- two skirts, two pairs of pants, a shirt or two and plans to buy shalwar kameezes there!
- flash drive [they have computers there so you can email me]
- 2 frisbees
- plug to (bottle my anxieties and) stick in the sink when i wash clothes
- playing cards
- disposable cameras
- stethoscope

and i managed to get it all into one suitcase and a backpack - with an extra suitcase jammed in there to bring stuff back!

i have traveled enough around europe that i feel very comfortable doing so; in anticipation of a trip to europe, i can really picture the types of things i will do and how i will do them (eg. subway to train, what to expect from a 1-star hotel, what's safe). my insecurities about india are that i can't even picture myself there because - despite this modern age - i don't really know what it will be like. it's an adventure into the unknown. i anticipate writing again once i get to jamkhed in a few days, after having experienced the chaos of mumbai. i don't know what i will have seen, but i can't wait to share it with you...