Try taking a bucket shower

Yesterday night, our plan had been to chill out, maybe watch an Indian movie and then hit the sack. That was totally reversed when athidi asked us if we wanted to go visit her cousins in Anantapur. So I'm blogging today after an 8 hour ride in a no-AC bus (actually finding the bus was a whole other story), a fantastic home-cooked meal, and a phenomenal shower (actually bath) that I took via bucket. If you've never done this, definitely try it tonight. When you take a shower, you don't really know which droplets are coming from where and then where the water is going. With a bucket, you have total control over the water - it's amazing! A few days ago, we were lucky enough to visit the Smile Center, a teaching center in a slummier part of Chennai. It was quite a learning experience. Because it is summer vacation, there were only three children (aged 2-5) learning English in a 5x10 box with no AC. Not ideal learning conditions at all, especially considering that during the school year, there are 20 kids learning in that room... When we arrived, all the kids became stone-faced and rigid. Apparently, the only strangers that usually come are there to give them injections and vaccinations, which is who one girl started crying and asked to be taken home. It was sad. It was kind of inspiring too though cause the three of them seemed to be putting in some real effort to learn English and were doing a good job. Also yesterday we started a first task for AID (the NGO we are helping). We started making an answer key for their workbooks because even some of the teachers are not 100% sure if their answers are correct. It was nice to feel productive and useful! Yesterday, we were taking our auto home and the girls challenged me to pick up an auto home for 150 rupees (our normal price). They didn't think I could do it because I wear a (slightly) funky hat that is (a little bit) out of the ordinary in India. Not only did I pick up an auto, but I received the BEST price that we've had yet - a cool 100 rupees. BOOM - I'm a boss. Sorry for no pictures again. Neil Sent from my iHedwig