12:30am...

I'm so tired. My eyes are going blurry. It's the usual-- my roommates have long gone to bed, and I'm up, creepin' around the apartment (creepin' like a pro), my brain wired with words and ideas, analyzing and organizing and synthesizing. This seems to happen best at night. Each night here, I have mourned the end of the day. [That may have something to do with how I enjoy my roommates so much, or that I feel fervor towards the many tasks before me]-- The end of a day is the lost opportunity for even more conversing, reading, writing, thinking, eating no-bake cookies, laughing at Friends Season 5. [We just watched "the one where everyone finds out" about Monica and Chandler. Ross screams, GET OFF MY SISTERRR!!!"]

For hours today I've been researching prostitution in Delhi, skimming gargantuan documents like the 2009 Trafficking In Persons Report, and the "Report on Trafficking in India" from the National Human Rights Commission. Starting tomorrow, our outreach workers will be surveying the main Red Light Area, gathering facts and figures on the ground. Or rather, getting to know faces and stories. Best not to see the ladies as statistics.

Man I read a lot of statistics tonight! We're putting together a comprehensive report.

So I vowed to blog before bed. Usually I plan and draft, but I've been inspired by the quirky, brilliant persona of Ali's blog, so I'm just gonna let it flow.

Now it's 12:46 - oh man, my Hindi tutor is coming in the AM. Today when we went to church, I successfully communicated to our driver that he was welcome to come in with us. Usually he just sits in the car and waits (or sleeps). Anyway, he asked if the service was in Hindi. I meant to say "khabi khabi" which means "sometimes," but instead I said "abhi abhi" which means "now." So, to answer your question Sahil driver man, yes, NOW NOW the service is in Hindi NOW! Hurry inside before it's NOT in Hindi!

As I sit here at the computer desk, I constantly see the scurrying pitter-patter of ants across the floor. There is no escaping this communal living. We also live with a little gecko dude. Sometimes he stays outside, but sometimes (khabi khabi) he chills on the ceiling or the wall. We don't mind. He's nice.

BUT IN BHIMTAL, which is where we took a few restful days up in the mountains visiting friends Liz and Tim, I AM NOT A FAN of the non-human household inhabitants, aka spiders that with their long pointed legs span the size of my palm. There were some incidents. Girly screams and huddles.

Tal means lake, and we visited Bhim tal, Nhani tal, and Sat tal that weekend, elevation 6,000 and up. For want of nature, some mountains, cooler and fresher air, a body of water, I was nearly salivating. We got to hike and cookout in the woods, though 4 people had to pull a leech off of them. I'm not sad about not being in that club.

In Bhimtal we visited with a children's home. The kids are from slum/broken home backgrounds. Ali and I led an intense game of freeze dance. Then I taught them the hand movements to "Lord I Lift Your Name on High." I have one word: WONDER. There are maybe one or two people reading this who will know what that refers to. You know who you are. Enjoy this cryptic nostalgia.

Here's some other stuff I did lately:

-co-taught ESL at a Teen Challenge home for guys recovering from addiction and/or street life. I was worried that with cultural protocol and language barriers, I would not be able to "be myself" with them. But, in teaching them new vocabulary for parts of the face, I said, "does everyone have two eyes? That is very good!" They laughed!! and they were reminded of the English language's plural rule.

But hey, this is going to be a cool experience. These guys are precious, broken, and hungry for the tools for a better life. I'm honored to be a part of helping them. Pretty soon I'll be doing similar lessons for Red Light kids in our day-center.

-booked hotel and car service for a team coming in from Virginia in a couple weeks. Car service was asking for 1,000 rs + parking for the airport pickup, but I got him down to 700 rs, parking included. passhaaaa what's uppppp

Oh no it's 1:15am! I heard jet-lag can relapse...