Oh, India

India is generally a lot of ups and downs. You can be having the time of your life and then be infuriated the next moments. There's really no way to explain this than experience it (I read other people's blogs about this phenomenon and had no idea what they were talking about until I actually got here and lived it). This is such a large part of living in India, though, that I think I'll try to illustrate it anecdotally. Maybe that'll work?

Today, I got an amazing massage. I felt relaxed and relieved and happy. It was a very calming, meditative experience.
Then, I got in an auto-rickshaw where the driver tried to rip me off and had absolutely no clue where he was going. We stopped four times to ask for directions. I almost fell out of the rickshaw due to his awesome driving skillz. He then asked me for more money.

In Pondi, I biked with some friends to the beach. The Bay of Bengal in front of us was a rich blue, the sands looked a clean golden color, and the waves looked amazing. It was hot, so I couldn't wait to get in the water.
When I looked to my right, I saw four people shitting on the beach.

The MGML methodology RIVER has created has the capacity to change the world and greatly increase the quality of primary education.
Today, I saw a girl of about 5 or 7 doing cartwheels in the middle of traffic and begging for money (the cartwheels were part of the act). She is not an exception.

The Hawa Mahal is an amazing piece of architecture with beautiful pink walls, elaborate honeycomb windows, and beautiful archways.
People piss on it daily, because there are no public toilets around.


It's fascinating (among other things) to be constantly bombarded with extreme perspectives of a situation. I can't say I like it, but it does dazzle the mind.