19 days left. Friday, April 6th, 2012

As I was looking at my calendar, I counted that there were 19 days left, until I left to India. In 21 days, I will be sitting somewhere in Chennai. I can't even believe that I will be traveling to this land.

Coincidentally, my friend's fiancee was talking to me yesterday about my trip and he brought up some interesting points. He first said "I can't believe that you get to go there!! are you excited?" of course, when anyone asks me this, I always say that I am excited. But yesterday, I said "I am so excited, but I am also absolutely terrified" After he inquired as to why I was terrified, and after I told me him just the normal reasons, he said "Oh yeah I totally don't blame you. I was thinking about that the other day! I went without water and electricity for days on my mission, but that's nothing to what you are going to go through!" I was slightly horrified at his response to me... then he said "I just can't imagine living with no toilet paper!" I laughed for a moment, and realized that toilet paper was actually the least of my worries. I was surprised at this, because I am a CLEAN freak, and I know I'm gonna have a slight heart attack when I see that there's no toilet paper, but through out my preparations, and being in the field prep class, all I keep thinking about, is the people. I just constantly think about them, and how I will try to fit in and how I will try to build rapport and establish meaningful relationships with them.

These next 19 days, I will be thinking of ways to do that, and of ways to reduce the impact of culture shock. Perhaps people freak out when they hear me say that there is no toilet paper, and that I hate curry, but honestly, these things are secondary on my list of "to-think-abouts" for India. I keep thinking about what is most important and what really will matter most. I have learned in my field class, that the most important thing to me, will be the people of India. ESPECIALLY the women whom I will be interacting with. I have also found that thinking about the people, and how great they will be, eases my tension of the other insignificant things, that will be significantly different.