A New World

Hi everybody,

I have been slowly but surely adjusting to the new environment that I'm in. Each day gets a little bit more exciting. The celebration for the holiday of Durga Puja is going on now. The streets are being filled with bamboo structure that are held together by twine then covered with giant sheets. From a distance the structure look like real temples instead they are just make shift covers for some wonderful temporary shrines. I have been in two and the art is amazing.

Each time I have entered the temple or have been anywhere I have gotten a lot of strange looks. I've only seen one other white person since I have gotten to Ranchi . I get three reactions from people who seen my some smile and life, others look bewildered, while a few have given me a condescending gaze.

Everybody has heard of cows roaming the streets freely but that is only the beginning here. Animal that roam the street here include dogs, goats, water buffalo, cows, chickens, pigs and people. The strangest thing about all this is the animals are fearless the lay on the side of the road or in the middle of the road and that is an amazing feat considering that cars only stop for cows. The horn is necessary for this feat drivers are almost constantly honking their horn to worn bikes, people, animals, and slower moving traffic the danger that is right behind them. A sign I saw in Kolkata sums up Indian driving the best when it showed an infant begining carried by a passenger on a motercycle the point of the sign was to promote helmet use.