Quick Update

Well Hello...

Sorry for my negligence.  I've already been here a week and I know the masses have been clammoring to know exactly what has been going on.  To be honest I've had time to write but I wanted to provide a proper update with pictures, stories, allegories and possibly even myths.  All of that has been pretty tough to get together - mostly because I don't have a camera of my own and am extremely timid when it comes to asking for anything from anyone.  I finally got up the courage yesterday to ask for a camera and as it turned out, it was pouring outside, making it impossible to go outside or see anything.  I was left to take a very dark picture of the front room of the office and of my desk - both of which can be incredibly misleading not seeing the entire picture.  It's like seeing Dennis Rodman getting married in a wedding dress but then never knowing that he was a Hall of Fame NBA rebounder.  I don't know if it changes anything, but it's good information to have. Anyways, here are those pictures.  Take them with a grain of salt.  I'll have more later.

I can't emphasize enough how beautiful this place is.  If you closed your eyes and imagined a mountainous paradise you would open your eyes here and find that God has shown you things you couldn't even imagine.  Everything here is literally situated on the side of the hill, beautiful stone roads winds up and down and around.  The town itself is so high in the air (around 7500 ft) that you're literally walking through clouds most of the day.  You can walk into your front yard and see some of the highest peaks of the Himalayas.  It's just unreal.  There is something every single day that literally just makes you stop what you're doing, if only to afford a couple extra seconds to look.

On top of that there is a flurry of wildlife that you literally  need to contend with everyday.  There are several species of monkeys that are quite active in distrupting your day.  I had to scare off a couple the other day that were going through my garbage.  There are wild dogs everywhere.  Some of them follow you and protect you from monkeys actually.  There are rumors of leopards - which would be incredible to actually see.  Then of course a myriad of insects and other things that are creepy, disgusting, and much bigger than you'd expect.  I've already seen some big spiders, but I'm told I have cockroaches, rats, and scorpions waiting for me.

Work itself hasn't really started.  We're still in orientation mode, getting lectures everyday about various things work and culture related.  Work really starts this Friday as I'll be going on two projects trips - visiting the sites and meeting the people I'll be working for the rest of the semester.  I'll be spending two weeks in Orissa and then another week in Tamil Nadu.  After we get back, the real office work will begin.  I'm sure the traveling around India on trains and planes, in jungles and metropolitan areas for three weeks should be a worthy start and adventure to start things off.  

Alright...that's it for now.  More later - sooner hopefully.

Orientation

Before India - there was orientation Colorado Springs... It allowed an opportunity for all of us interns from offices all over the world (Costa Rica, Uganda, UK, Canada, and India) to get to know each other before we headed off into obscurity. We stayed at a retreat center in the hills of Colorado, quite appropriately, called the Hideaway. Below is a good view of Pike's Peak from our backyard. The week has been spent going on hikes (lots of hikes) through the mountains, rock climbing (which can be seen below), various seminars to help familiarize us with eMi (Engineering Ministries International) and good quality time to become acclimated with the interns that will be traveling half way across the world with us. As some of you may know already, I'll be working eMi's office in the northern Indian city of Mussoories (about 3 hours north of Delhi). I'll be there with a couple from Memphis - who I met at orientation, a Japanese-American arthitect intern named Ko (who is already there), an Australian intern named Miriam, and various other staff members that are already there. The couple, Andy and Susan Kizzee, are the best people I could have wished for. They are extremely laid back, down to earth, and easy to talk to. Not to mention the fact that they are shining examples of what it means to be a young Christian couple after the heart of God. After only this week, they're like family. That can be said of all the interns here. We're all extremely different people, from literally all over the country and world. Everyone has their own quirks, their own eccentricities. Enough so, that I probably should write a short story some time borrowing from the eccentricities of the characters here. At the same time we all have our own differences - yet we're all here for the same reason. We're all here to serve the poor around the world in the best way we know how - engineering and architecture. That is a bond that is shockingly strong and unconditional. Really, only after a short week - these people are family. That's really the highest compliment I can give them. All of this just makes it harder to leave. Yet....there is work to be done.

Tomorrow the journey to India begins. I'll have Atlas Shrugged, the Roots crew, and the Kizees to get me through it enjoyably. I'll arrive in India and the reality of the next 9 months of my life.....

Below: me and Kizzees plus a group picture with all the interns.

Don't worry the writing will become more natural and expressive as I write a couple more of these.

Enjoy - more from India.