This post will be about the last three Sundays. Because we have not had to leave early in the morning to go on any big trips, I have been able to have some lazy Sundays around campus. Because the work week is Monday-Saturday, Sunday is the one day that you can do whatever you want. In reality, we get away with doing whatever we want during the work week as well, but at least on Sunday you can do it guilt-free. I have used the time on Sunday mornings to take extra long showers and wash my hair (something I only do about once a week here), wash extra loads of laundry, and lie around my room reading. The SEARCH bus into town leaves at 2pm, so this gives us a full morning to relax.
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Going back several weeks to July 11th. This was the first Sunday after Rushina arrived and none of the other interns had left yet, so our group was pretty large. Because we had just eaten out the night before as a going away party for some of the interns (mentioned in Changing of the Guard post), we made no plans to eat at a restaurant on this particular Sunday. This afternoon we mostly shopped around aimlessly. I wasn't looking for anything particular, but we went in and out of a dozen jewelry stores because the girls who had their noses pierced wanted some jewelry to take home. I was hoping to find a pair of earrings because I did not bring a single piece of jewelry with me to India: no necklaces, no bracelets, no earrings, no rings. I found a cheap pair of fake gold earrings that are cute enough to wear here, but I probably won't wear once I get home. We visited a fabric store we hadn't yet been to on previous trips into town, and I finally found cotton cloth- the material I wanted- in green- the color that I wanted- so that I could finally have a comfortable outfit tailored. During my first weekend here, before my suitcase arrived, I had bought fabric for two outfits, but I hadn't paid close attention and the fabric was not cotton, but some synthetic material. Further, the tailor messed up and the clothes did not fit and I had to trade them away. So I was very very happy to find the green cotton and I looked forward to my new outfit.
Some of the girls were also talking about picking up some yarn and needles because Marie was going to teach us all how to knit. This is something I've wanted to do for a very long, probably since college, so I was excited about this prospect. We went into one of the stores here that sells everything from henna hair dye to baby shampoo to knitting yarn and went crazy! I think the store owner must have thought it was his lucky day. At 3 or 4 rupees a roll we practically bought the store out of their yarn. I think we walked away with something like 45 rolls of yarn, in at least a dozen colors.
Over the last few weeks Marie has given various lessons on knitting. Sad to say, I wasn't too good at it. I learned how to cast on to a needle and the basic knit and purl stitches, but I gave up before I made anything real. First, I'm not a very crafty person. I always think I am, but I just don't have the patience to make something look nice. I'm always rushing through it. Because of this, the piece that I started had tons of holes and mistakes in it. Second, I had books I still wanted to read with me and at some point I needed to start studying for the final part of my QE exam taking place in September, so I think I saw the knitting as a distraction. Something I would love to do, but it would easily turn into an excuse to procrastinate. So after I got relatively far on my first piece- which I momentarily thought could be a sweater for a small stuffed animal until I decided it was a complete disaster- I gave up. When Haley arrived, the knitting really started getting going. Haley also has experience knitting, so now, almost every night, Marie, Haley, and Rushina sit around knitting. Rushina is making an awesome pair of socks for her husband Chris that look absolutely amazing for her first time knitting. They are knitting rock stars...and I am a knitting failure. Oh well, I'm glad that I know enough basics now that if I ever picked up interest again I could probably go to a knitting store and take some lessons, but who knows when I will have the time for that.
After shopping, we met up with Vimal tai. As mentioned in an earlier post (The Food) she wanted us to come to her friend's house which is about a seven or eight minute walk from the center of town. At the time that we met up with her it looked like it was about to rain. As we headed in the direction of her friend's house, very ominous clouds filled the sky. I remember Kate or Brenna saying that this was not a good idea, but we couldn't let Vimal tai down. The moment we arrived at her friend's house it started to pour. There was no way we could walk back to the SEARCH bus, so we waited around for the rain to stop. All I remember is that we gathered in the front room, which also served as a bedroom, and sat on the bed, while a cute dog hid underneath barking like crazy. That, and we all got tons of mosquito bites. Vimal tai's friend served us some really good tea, actual tea, not chai. Unfortunately the rain never quite died down and since the bus would be leaving soon, we had no choice but to go back through the storm. Because of our shopping we had a decent amount of plastic bags with us. We all used the bags and creatively used the scarves from our outfits to wrap up our belongings. By the time we got outside there was already some flooding. The first "river" we had to jump over, I slipped on the mud and my feet came right down into the waters and were soaked. As we got further along, Vimal tai realized that she left her shoes at her friend's house! She just walked away without them! (It's not uncommon to see people go barefoot here). We all were willing to turn around, but I think Vimal tai felt guilty about getting us trapped in the rain, so we never did. We tried to duck under awnings whenever we could, but there was no way around it. We were completely drenched, as if we had all jumped into swimming pools. Although my hair, my body, and my clothes were completely soaked, our smart packing kept all our belongings dry. Nothing of mine in my purse or my camera bag got wet. When we got back to SEARCH, I immediately stripped down and put on some dry clothes. Some of the other girls, including some interns who hadn't gone into town and were perfectly dry, decided to have a party in the rain. I thought they were crazy. It looked like fun, but I thought we already had fun walking to the bus.
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Sunday, July 18th was a couple days after four of the American girls left, and before Haley arrived, so there were only a few of us around. Marie and Rushina had returned on Saturday from their overnight in Nagpur. Jessica was busy with surgery camp. I really really really wanted to go to town and get eggs and chocolate, having not joined the sleepover in Nagpur. I was also looking forward to bringing my green fabric to the tailor. I spent the morning doing laundry and was all ready to go. Unfortunately, during lunch, right before the bus was to leave, Marie and Rushina both decided they preferred a quiet Sunday after spending time and money in Nagpur. As we finished up lunch, I saw some men get off the SEARCH bus and walk down to the front gate. I wondered if they were leaving for town by some other means. I quickly wrapped up my lunch, and went to see what was going on. Sure enough, unlike the previous Sunday, only five or six people were going into town. Instead of using the bus, they were going to go in a van. They waved to me from the front gate, because they could tell I was hoping to go into town. When I approached the vehicle, I wasn't sure what to do because it was starting to drizzle and my umbrella was in my room, and Marie was still in the mess hall and she hadn't completely decided if she was coming. The SEARCH men seemed like they were ready to leave, but I asked them to wait a minute. Marie was coming up the road and I met with her to explain that we were taking the van instead. With the rain starting, she decided she wasn't going to go. I had to make a quick decision, and because I had been planning on going all morning, I decided I was just going to do it without the other girls! I wanted my weekly chocolate! I wasn't too worried about going into town because I was going with four staff from SEARCH and one of their young sons, but as we drove in I wondered how I was going to communicate to them to not leave me behind. I started talking with the guy next to me, who I recognized as the guy in charge of shramadan (group cleaning). His name is Raj. He didn't speak a lot of English, but enough that he told me that since it was a small group we would only stay in town until 5pm, and confirmed the spots where the bus (now van) would pick up before returning to SEARCH. He gave me his cell phone number, but without the international calling directions on hand, we couldn't figure out how to get my phone to call his. I also had him give me Aditi's number, so that I could call her if I could get my phone to work.
I had a good time in Gadchiroli alone, but it was also a little nerve-wracking. I quickly accomplished going to the tailor and ice cream store, but I had to kill another 2 hours before it would be time to head back. I was very conscious of everyone staring at me. In India, obvious and direct staring is culturally accepted; people don't mean harm or to create discomfort, they are just curious. I was accustomed to this when we took our group outings, I knew that people always loved to stare at my red hair, but I was used to hiding behind others. It was a little uncomfortable being alone, but I knew I was dressed appropriately, and I just averted my eyes. I spent the time visiting all the stores that I had been to before- stores I was comfortable going into. I'm a pretty directional person, so I had no trouble navigating the streets. Even though I was disappointed that the other girls had not come with me, I still decided it would be nice to pick up the things they had expressed wanting. I walked down one of the main streets until I found a man selling various goods, including a plastic soap dish for Marie.
After buying the soap dish, I continued down the street to an area I had not been to before but still within the realm that I was comfortable being in. The street was a little bit narrower, but it was the same cart vendors and storefronts as the rest of town. I felt perfectly safe, but I really started to worry about finding the van at pickup time. I really wished that my cell phone was able to call Raj's, and I was anxious to figure out how to make it work. I decided that at 3pm I was going to call Ben and wake him up at home and have him check my email inbox where I had an informative email from Verizon. Good thing for loving fiances! I could never wake up anyone else at 5:30am in the morning to do an online favor! It also helped that I knew Ben would be waking up early for work. It was going to cost $2 a minute, but wasn't this the reason I had made sure I had an international cell phone? When I called, he was surprised to hear from me, and a little agitated that I woke him up twenty minutes before his alarm, but he was helpful and read me all the cell phone directions. After getting off the phone with him, I still couldn't get my phone to call an Indian cell phone, so I knew it was up to me to be in the pickup spot at the right time.
I went to Fashion World fabric and clothing store, a store we seem to go to every weekend. I needed an excuse to stay within the store (for the privacy and the shade), so I told the man at the counter I needed some white scarves, which I knew would be relatively cheap. They treated me very kindly in the store, giving me a chair to sit in and some mango candy. By the time the man came back with the scarves (he had to go somewhere to get them, probably another store, haha), it was time for me to go look for the SEARCH van at the first pickup point. I went out to the main road 15 minutes before 4pm and waited around. I wasn't nervous at first because I knew the driver would eventually come, but the sun was blazing and I knew I was turning red (despite having sunblock on), and as it got closer and closer to 4pm I started to worry. I didn't want to stand in any one place for too long, so I shifted over to another storefront, keeping my eye on the pickup location. An older, nicely dressed man on a scooter came up to me and started talking to me in English. He was very kind. He was asking me what I was doing in Gadchiroli and I told him about SEARCH which he was familiar with. He told me he was the owner of the store I was standing in front of and the one next door, and he told me to feel welcome to purchase whatever I wanted! I thought that was funny, he said it in a tone as if he was saying "Feel welcome to pick out a free gift!" After a couple minutes he drove off on his scooter. By now it was 4:05pm and I was severely anxious that I was going to be left in Gadchiroli. The van had still not arrived. I knew that worst case scenario the girls would realize when I didn't come back and SEARCH would send out a vehicle to retrieve me. Gadchiroli town is not that big and if I stood right in the center they would definitely have found me, but I didn't want it to come to this. The only idea I had was to go back to the tailor's where the woman at the counter spoke English (she even remembered my name from my first visit two weeks earlier!) , and try to get her to use her phone and call my SEARCH contact. When I went in the store she unfortunately thought I wanted to call a taxi. I tried to explain to her that I already had a driver, but couldn't find him, but she still did not get that I was requesting that she use her phone, and I didn't want to be rude and outright demand it. I decided to take one more look on the streets. Relief! The SEARCH van was at its designated location. I went and sat inside the van. The driver and another fellow went to go get a snack a few feet away. I wasn't sure what to do with myself because the van picks up at one location at 4pm, then at some point migrates to the second location down the road, and sits there until 5pm when it finally leaves for SEARCH (same as the bus, except the bus is 5pm and 6pm). I didn't want to sit in a hot car for an hour, and I also wanted to go back to the ice cream store and pick up the chocolate I didn't buy earlier for fear that it would melt. But I also didn't want to risk getting separated from the van again. Finally, Raj came back and I told him that I wanted to go to one more store, and please please please do not leave me. I left my shopping bag in the car as a sign that I intended to come back, in case the English did not get through.
Raj took me to a fruit stand that I had been to before and we bought some bananas, and then I went off to the ice cream store. I tried to be as quick as possible, but I had a lot of chocolate to buy, some cereal to pick up for Jessica, and I was thirsty and wanted another soda (which you have to drink inside the store because they collect the glass bottle back). As I rushed back to the first pickup point I prayed that the van would still be there. As I neared the block where it should have been, I did not see it. I immediately got mad at myself for wanting snacks and risking not getting back to SEARCH because I was greedy and wanted chocolate. However, I knew that there was a good chance that the van just moved to the second pickup point, so I wasn't completely freaked out. I also had a lot of faith that Raj knew not to leave me behind in town. I started walking towards the second pickup point, and thankfully, after taking two or three steps Raj was all a sudden next to me. Although the van had moved, he had waited around for me to come back to the first pickup spot. I immediately thanked g-d that people can still be kind, thoughtful, and decent despite the confusion created by language barriers. We walked together to the second pickup point. It was still only 4:30pm, but I wasn't going to take any more chances. I sat around in the car until 5pm, trying to stay cool with the evening breeze, until everyone else returned. When I got back to SEARCH I told the other girls about my experience. I wasn't sure in the end if going to Gadchiroli alone was a good decision. Nothing bad had happened, and I was never in fear of something happening to me physically, but I was anxious the whole time about being stared at, about the small percentage of English speakers, and about being left behind. Still, I also felt like I had accomplished something, and I brought back gifts for others to boot!
I had a good time in Gadchiroli alone, but it was also a little nerve-wracking. I quickly accomplished going to the tailor and ice cream store, but I had to kill another 2 hours before it would be time to head back. I was very conscious of everyone staring at me. In India, obvious and direct staring is culturally accepted; people don't mean harm or to create discomfort, they are just curious. I was accustomed to this when we took our group outings, I knew that people always loved to stare at my red hair, but I was used to hiding behind others. It was a little uncomfortable being alone, but I knew I was dressed appropriately, and I just averted my eyes. I spent the time visiting all the stores that I had been to before- stores I was comfortable going into. I'm a pretty directional person, so I had no trouble navigating the streets. Even though I was disappointed that the other girls had not come with me, I still decided it would be nice to pick up the things they had expressed wanting. I walked down one of the main streets until I found a man selling various goods, including a plastic soap dish for Marie.
After buying the soap dish, I continued down the street to an area I had not been to before but still within the realm that I was comfortable being in. The street was a little bit narrower, but it was the same cart vendors and storefronts as the rest of town. I felt perfectly safe, but I really started to worry about finding the van at pickup time. I really wished that my cell phone was able to call Raj's, and I was anxious to figure out how to make it work. I decided that at 3pm I was going to call Ben and wake him up at home and have him check my email inbox where I had an informative email from Verizon. Good thing for loving fiances! I could never wake up anyone else at 5:30am in the morning to do an online favor! It also helped that I knew Ben would be waking up early for work. It was going to cost $2 a minute, but wasn't this the reason I had made sure I had an international cell phone? When I called, he was surprised to hear from me, and a little agitated that I woke him up twenty minutes before his alarm, but he was helpful and read me all the cell phone directions. After getting off the phone with him, I still couldn't get my phone to call an Indian cell phone, so I knew it was up to me to be in the pickup spot at the right time.
I went to Fashion World fabric and clothing store, a store we seem to go to every weekend. I needed an excuse to stay within the store (for the privacy and the shade), so I told the man at the counter I needed some white scarves, which I knew would be relatively cheap. They treated me very kindly in the store, giving me a chair to sit in and some mango candy. By the time the man came back with the scarves (he had to go somewhere to get them, probably another store, haha), it was time for me to go look for the SEARCH van at the first pickup point. I went out to the main road 15 minutes before 4pm and waited around. I wasn't nervous at first because I knew the driver would eventually come, but the sun was blazing and I knew I was turning red (despite having sunblock on), and as it got closer and closer to 4pm I started to worry. I didn't want to stand in any one place for too long, so I shifted over to another storefront, keeping my eye on the pickup location. An older, nicely dressed man on a scooter came up to me and started talking to me in English. He was very kind. He was asking me what I was doing in Gadchiroli and I told him about SEARCH which he was familiar with. He told me he was the owner of the store I was standing in front of and the one next door, and he told me to feel welcome to purchase whatever I wanted! I thought that was funny, he said it in a tone as if he was saying "Feel welcome to pick out a free gift!" After a couple minutes he drove off on his scooter. By now it was 4:05pm and I was severely anxious that I was going to be left in Gadchiroli. The van had still not arrived. I knew that worst case scenario the girls would realize when I didn't come back and SEARCH would send out a vehicle to retrieve me. Gadchiroli town is not that big and if I stood right in the center they would definitely have found me, but I didn't want it to come to this. The only idea I had was to go back to the tailor's where the woman at the counter spoke English (she even remembered my name from my first visit two weeks earlier!) , and try to get her to use her phone and call my SEARCH contact. When I went in the store she unfortunately thought I wanted to call a taxi. I tried to explain to her that I already had a driver, but couldn't find him, but she still did not get that I was requesting that she use her phone, and I didn't want to be rude and outright demand it. I decided to take one more look on the streets. Relief! The SEARCH van was at its designated location. I went and sat inside the van. The driver and another fellow went to go get a snack a few feet away. I wasn't sure what to do with myself because the van picks up at one location at 4pm, then at some point migrates to the second location down the road, and sits there until 5pm when it finally leaves for SEARCH (same as the bus, except the bus is 5pm and 6pm). I didn't want to sit in a hot car for an hour, and I also wanted to go back to the ice cream store and pick up the chocolate I didn't buy earlier for fear that it would melt. But I also didn't want to risk getting separated from the van again. Finally, Raj came back and I told him that I wanted to go to one more store, and please please please do not leave me. I left my shopping bag in the car as a sign that I intended to come back, in case the English did not get through.
Raj took me to a fruit stand that I had been to before and we bought some bananas, and then I went off to the ice cream store. I tried to be as quick as possible, but I had a lot of chocolate to buy, some cereal to pick up for Jessica, and I was thirsty and wanted another soda (which you have to drink inside the store because they collect the glass bottle back). As I rushed back to the first pickup point I prayed that the van would still be there. As I neared the block where it should have been, I did not see it. I immediately got mad at myself for wanting snacks and risking not getting back to SEARCH because I was greedy and wanted chocolate. However, I knew that there was a good chance that the van just moved to the second pickup point, so I wasn't completely freaked out. I also had a lot of faith that Raj knew not to leave me behind in town. I started walking towards the second pickup point, and thankfully, after taking two or three steps Raj was all a sudden next to me. Although the van had moved, he had waited around for me to come back to the first pickup spot. I immediately thanked g-d that people can still be kind, thoughtful, and decent despite the confusion created by language barriers. We walked together to the second pickup point. It was still only 4:30pm, but I wasn't going to take any more chances. I sat around in the car until 5pm, trying to stay cool with the evening breeze, until everyone else returned. When I got back to SEARCH I told the other girls about my experience. I wasn't sure in the end if going to Gadchiroli alone was a good decision. Nothing bad had happened, and I was never in fear of something happening to me physically, but I was anxious the whole time about being stared at, about the small percentage of English speakers, and about being left behind. Still, I also felt like I had accomplished something, and I brought back gifts for others to boot!
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This past Sunday, July 25th, was a lot more easy-going than the previous two. No getting caught in the rain, no venturing out on my own. Aditi, Marie, Haley, Rushina, and I went into town for lunch and ice cream. We went to a restaurant called CityHeart. I liked it just as much as Rasika, I really liked the decor, but the palek paneer was really greasy. This was made up by the fact that we got ice cream at the restaurant and I had the most amazing chocolate chip, fudge-at-the-bottom, sundae cone! Yummy!
CityHeart decor.
Rushina, Aditi, Marie, and Haley at our table, enjoying sodas before the food came.
Me and my ice cream cone!
After lunch we stopped at the tailor's so I could pick up my outfit that was ready from the week before and Rushina and Aditi could drop off some material they had purchased. I told the woman at the tailor's that I eventually found my driver the week before and I hope she hadn't worried too much. Later that evening, I tried on my outfit and it fits! Not perfectly, it's kinda screwy around the arms, but at least it fits over the part of my body that I was having trouble accommodating in all my earlier shopping. Finally an outfit I truly can enjoy wearing! After the tailors we did some additional shopping at some jewelry stores and fabric stores. The street that I had walked down after buying the soap dish the week before was having some sort of festival. They had a green rug spread down the street and a tent setup covering several blocks. All these people were sitting along the sides and being served food. Aditi explained to us that it was a festival honoring a god and that after offering sacrificial food to the god, the people were enjoying it for themselves. As the others shopped for fabrics, I took these photos of the street outside:
Street with festival. The boy in the orange was one of many serving food from big pails.
A closeup of some women enjoying the food.
A photo of three young girls at the festival. I had to ask their permission to take their photo and they ran away before coming back and letting me take it. As always here, I showed them their photo after I took it. The kids always giggle and smile! I love this photo because it is so beautiful but it also makes me sad because I do not know the girls' names or anything else about them.
After the fabric store, we decided to go to a linens and sheets store because we have all grown weary of the hard pillows at SEARCH and we were looking for something more comfortable. We all ended up buying pillows and I bought two matching white with green floral pillowcases. I am hoping they stay nice enough for me to enjoy at home, but like everything here they already feel damp and will probably get mildewy. They are still beautiful now though, and they also match my new green outfit! Our last stop was at the ice cream store where we bought lots of snacks for the coming week and had a second round of ice cream. Lo and behold they had fruit popsicles! I enjoyed an orange popsicle straight off my cravings list!
So there it is wrapped up, if not briefly, the past three Sundays.
CityHeart decor.
Rushina, Aditi, Marie, and Haley at our table, enjoying sodas before the food came.
Me and my ice cream cone!After lunch we stopped at the tailor's so I could pick up my outfit that was ready from the week before and Rushina and Aditi could drop off some material they had purchased. I told the woman at the tailor's that I eventually found my driver the week before and I hope she hadn't worried too much. Later that evening, I tried on my outfit and it fits! Not perfectly, it's kinda screwy around the arms, but at least it fits over the part of my body that I was having trouble accommodating in all my earlier shopping. Finally an outfit I truly can enjoy wearing! After the tailors we did some additional shopping at some jewelry stores and fabric stores. The street that I had walked down after buying the soap dish the week before was having some sort of festival. They had a green rug spread down the street and a tent setup covering several blocks. All these people were sitting along the sides and being served food. Aditi explained to us that it was a festival honoring a god and that after offering sacrificial food to the god, the people were enjoying it for themselves. As the others shopped for fabrics, I took these photos of the street outside:
Street with festival. The boy in the orange was one of many serving food from big pails.
A closeup of some women enjoying the food.
A photo of three young girls at the festival. I had to ask their permission to take their photo and they ran away before coming back and letting me take it. As always here, I showed them their photo after I took it. The kids always giggle and smile! I love this photo because it is so beautiful but it also makes me sad because I do not know the girls' names or anything else about them.After the fabric store, we decided to go to a linens and sheets store because we have all grown weary of the hard pillows at SEARCH and we were looking for something more comfortable. We all ended up buying pillows and I bought two matching white with green floral pillowcases. I am hoping they stay nice enough for me to enjoy at home, but like everything here they already feel damp and will probably get mildewy. They are still beautiful now though, and they also match my new green outfit! Our last stop was at the ice cream store where we bought lots of snacks for the coming week and had a second round of ice cream. Lo and behold they had fruit popsicles! I enjoyed an orange popsicle straight off my cravings list!
So there it is wrapped up, if not briefly, the past three Sundays.
ALIZA, a great blog, as usual! I think it took a lot of guts to go into town by yourself. I was beginning to feel anxious for you.
ReplyDeleteI am now coming to realize you love green (it used to be pink or purple). But, you talked about the bridesmaids in green, and now your new outfit. I like green, too, but it probably looks better on you. I tend to lean towards green with blue in it.
Knitting is fun once you get the hang of it. I gave up because an Aunt of Grandpa's once ripped out 1/3 of the work I had done on a sweater for your father without my say so, because she thought I could do better! I never finished that sweater. The only thing I really made was a baby blanket for Aunt Miriam, and I did crochet a baby blanket for Alanna. Sewing was really more of my thing, if you remember.
I will tell you, tho, that you are eating more ice cream and candy than I do. I am jealous!
Have you decided on your plans re returning home?
Love you as always,
G'ma an G'pa
Yes, green and brown are my favorite colors to wear! And I do remember all your sewing! I think that must be a fun hobby. I remember learning to use a sewing machine in middle school. Maybe one day when I have some more time I will look into these things again.
ReplyDeleteI've had my return tickets to come home since this past Spring. I am scheduled to return on Thursday, August 19th. (Pretty soon!). I left the last week open because I was planning on doing some traveling, but I had decided to where and for how long. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find someone who is available to go with me, but after MUCH thought and MUCH planning, I have decided that I will go spend three days in Mumbai before my flight.
I have sent a lot of emails back and forth to my parents. I have planned a lot of details, down to the restaurants I will eat at and the stores I will shop in. I have researched hotels and booked one, and transportation, and prices, and taxi rules, etc. I've had half a dozen people who are familiar with the area look over my itinerary and advise me. I am collecting the names of some contacts in Mumbai to have on hand.
No one seems to be in much favor of this idea, but I am still planning on going with much caution and awareness. I plan to leave SEARCH on Sunday, August 15th.
Love,
Aliza
Well, I'm in favor -- anyhow, it's what I would do. It will be a wonderful adventure. You are always well-prepared and careful. I am sure you will be fine. I assume you've already discussed it with the SEARCH people; if they think it's okay, I would go for it.
ReplyDelete