Dear Mom and Dad

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Dear Mom and Dad,
I know I said I was coming home tomorrow but I've decided to stay a while longer. I went ahead and cancelled my plane ticket. There are a couple of reasons why. First and foremost I'm really happy here, perhaps the most I've been in awhile. India, she's teaching me so much, everyday is an adventure and I'm the kind of girl who thrives on that. All of my affairs are in order and I'm not slacking on any responsibilities. I have no commitments and it's not hurting anyone, so why not?
Secondly, there might be a nice handsome Punjabi boy involved. I know you think it's Sukhi, I'll bet you all think that, but you're wrong. You know how I'm always like "our driver this, our driver that", well, his name is Narinder. I don't know if I love him but I'm certainly happy to be spending time with him right now.
Laura is going home tomorrow and I'm very sad about that. She says she can't stay on vacation forever and that's why it's called "vacation" but I can stay, and I'm going to. I told Sukhi and his family that I was heading back to the states but only because they would have had a fit if they knew I was running off with the driver. Casteism is very much alive and well in India. Not only that, and let me preface this by saying I couldn't make this sh*t up if I tried but it has come to my attention that Sukhis family was trying to arrange a marriage between myself and him. I just thought they were really super nice and I liked how if a single hair on my head strayed there were 3 people there to primp me and how my every wish was granted and whim catered to but they had alterior motives and that's gonna have to be a story I'll tell when I finally do get home.
I'm in Delhi right now. Narinders uncle is living in the states but he has a beautiful farmhouse outside of the city that he is allowing us to stay in. Last night the farmers lit the fields next to the house on fire to burn away the stubs of the wheat they had recently harvested, it was beautiful, entire fields of fire in the night is quite a sight, I took it as an omen. Not an omen that I'm going down in flames (ha ha ha, I'm cracking myself up) but as something good, that everything will be alright and that I'm doing the right thing because I'll admit I was a little nervous. I told Narinder that my staying here meant I would require him to assist me quite a bit, I don't speak the language and a couple of other reasons that there's no way I could make it here on my own. He promised to take care of me and I have no doubts. I'm happy, healthy and safe. I love you so much and I promise I will come home someday, I'll have to! Monsoon starts in June and if that doesn't drive me out then my visa expires in September, so September at the latest!! I'll try to keep up with the blog and call once a week or so.
Love,
Your Firstborn xxoo
PS- Tell Grammy not to worry and that I love her, I'm scared to call her myself, I'll have to explain my antics

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Comments

[Josh]

I miss you!
Hey Miss Hamilton. You know me, it takes a while for me to do anything.... such as reading your blogs. I have spent over an hour catching up on your life. WOW does not even begin to express what I am thinking. I am jealous... and worried and fascinated and so proud of you for going on such a trip. I will continue to follow you a tad-bit closer now. Just know I love you and miss you dearly! Muah! Josh

[Kevin]

The Force Be With You Lassie!
hehehe... what a twist! ha!... I love it! The mysterious "driver" I have been wondering about now takes the stage and forces us to re-read the entire story with this new light! I had been envious and wishing that I too could have my own personal attendant and tour guide, taking me where ever I wished and wanted... who is this person I wondered, what is his name, where are the photos of him, what does the car look like... always mentioned, but never a main character in the story until now... well done Lady Adrienne! hehehe! Well done! Bravo! Just when I thought this grand adventure story was closing to an end you have announced the sequel in an even grander Adrienne gusto: "I have only just begun to visit India!!! ROOAAARR!!!" I for one am very excited for you! I am proud of your brave courage and faith... India has been good to you and I believe you are correct my friend... you are not quite done learning and experiencing all that India has in store for you. Aren't you glad you didn't commit to any contracts? Aye! Keep writing lass!!! I can't wait to read them! Oh... and yes... do tell us about your driver! All I know, when you do return, you are going to be a very different Adrienne than the one that left us six weeks ago! How splendid and exciting... the Force continue to be with you and keep it up with your faith in yourself!

[Salma]

hello
I just don't know what to say??!! You have to email me or something...call me or I can call you....I'm just asking you to be careful and think about this really hard. Either way, it's great to hear that you are happy. Richard says hello and asking you to be careful as well!!

[Salma]

i'm in somewhat of a shock...
hey, hey...i wanna see a picture of this guy...you haven't posted any pics of him...

[laura]

how goes it??
well girlfriend, i have to tell you how unbelievably happy i was to be back in LA and not seeing a single cow on the streets. to take a shower, i didn't have to turn on the hot water thing 20 minutes ahead of time, or dip water out of a bucket. i can go to any store and purchase toilet paper... and i've decided something... I LOVE TOILET PAPER!!! and the best thing was pulling up to the mcdonalds' drive thru and i didn't see the 'chicken maharaja mac' on the menu. that was one nasty sandwich that should have never been created. however, i do miss you and Narinder, and i miss India. i loved riding camels in the desert, and the beaches of goa. and no matter what sukhi said, the taj mahal was spectacular. how on earth did they build that in the 1600's? does he really think he could do better? i somewhat miss being the white-girl rockstars we were in ropar, they just couldn't believe TWO WHITE GIRLS... AT THE SAME TIME??? being a rockstar, as we found out, is hard work. it requires you to repeat phrases like 'chak de phatte' and 'chalo chalea' over and over and over and over and over. or to sing songs like 'chadigarrh de nazaria ne patia'. ugghh. on the good side, crazy boy down the street who was once scared of us, finally bonded with us by both wearing pink shorts and giving us each pink roses he plucked from the neighbors' garden. how nice. the himalayas were fantastic. i'm still trying to get over the snow monkeys. and running over the little boy... so glad we didn't have more days like that, but on the good side, it was another lesson in culture. it always amazed me the livestock outside our front door, running free. pigs eating trash? cows eating trash? ponies eating trash? check out that mule on the hill, etc. and i still laugh about you and i dragging narinder all around chandigarrh, into no less than 20 stores, to ask if they had toilet paper, and if not, then where could he score some? and buah? no words to describe her. i never will forget our first night there, looking out the back balcony down below, then having you look. i thought i must be imagining... is that an old lady sleeping outside on a cot? i miss trying to step over her as she sleeps on the landing of the stairs that led to our upstairs suite. and how sometimes she would wander up the stairs in the morning, and just walk in, make some gutteral sounds, wave her hands in the air, and walk out. and i remember asking sukhi her name. nobody knows her name. but he said he thought he was 90-something. that's reassuring. and when she was pointing to her chest and sukhi's mom translated for me she was having chest pain, 'she always says that'. nice. alrighty then. for you, i'm hoping the 6-10 grocery store is a national chain. however small it was, at least there was toilet paper. and just a word of advice, 'TAKE YOUR MALARIA MEDS!!!' don't mean to yell, but i know how you are... :-) drink a limca for me, and give narinder a big hug and a kiss on the forehead. i love that sweetie pie, and i love you too. btw, i almost missed my flight. when i got to the ticket agent, he said i wasn't charged for the ticket change. so i had to go across the street, and wait. and wait. and wait. and pay $. and wait. in all, i was the last boarding pass issued for my flight, and the last passenger on my flight. there were air france ppl waiting for me at the end of the security checkpoint to escort me to my gate. that was a sidenote. the part i was really going to tell you is this: while walking back across the street, near the terminal door, there was a pig laying down, sleeping. but as i walked closer, it looked like a dog. i looked again... no, it was a pig. i'm sure. i asked another white guy 'pig or dog?'. he shrugged his shoulders and got a funny look on his face, trying to figure it out. geez, if my camera had been accessible and if i wasn't almost too late for my flight, i would have stopped to take a pic. you would have loved it. but now, i think i've decided it was definitely a dog with a snout. yep. hope you are well, I MISS YOU!!!

[TAMEKA]

Come Home
Come home!! I think you spend enough time in india. To many things are going on here in the States, and I think you need to come back!!!

[Joe]

Dear Sister
It was really nice to hear from you today!! I really want you HOME for June 30th, so we can go to PEARL JAM!!!! I love and support you no matter what you do, as long as you are safe and happy and healthy :) Love, Brother Joe :)