Understanding India?

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I wish I could explain simply how life is going here, but for some reason India is not so black and white. I am staying in the village with the kids we are assisting and commuting every day by scooter to get to the office. Last night, a new volunteer from Germany arrived- he's a young bloke only 19 years old, and he's here for one year. He reminded me of how I felt when I arrived for the first time in 2004/05- completely isolated, helpless and powerless. It's quiet out in the village- when the kids have gone to bed and you go back to your room, night time reminds you of that. I reckon it takes a solid month to settle in for the first time.

On a lighter note, I had a typical Indian moment yesterday. We were going to a sponsorship meeting with one of the big IT giants here in Bangalore and stopped at a petrol station. It was a hot day so I wandered over to the fridge to get a Sprite. I pointed to a 375mL can. "How much?" The girl with long black hair and big black eyes said, "25 Rupees."
I then pointed to a 600mL bottle. "And this one?"
"20 Rupees," she calmly replied.
I just stared. "So the big one is 20 Rupees, and the small one is 25 Rupees?" The girl nodded. With a puzzled look on my face, I said "I'll take the bottle" and gave her 20 Rupees. She smiled. A logical explanation would be disappointing.

I will never understand this place!

To see more about 40K's Project: the construction of an eco-home and learning centre for severely underprivileged Indian kids, see www.40khome.org.

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