Well this is going to be a short post because I just got done packing and am leaving tomorrow morning for India. Me and my Mom are leaving at 11:30 to Detroit, to Amsterdam, to Mumbai. We're going to stay there overnight and hang out all day until our 1:00 AM flight to Chennai (in Southeast India) where we will be meeting up with the other 13 travelers from our church. I'm not really sure of our exact itinerary once we meet up, but I do know that we'll be spending time at different boarding schools and going to a hospital. We'll be with the group from church for 9 days, after which we will be splitting up and going home while they go to Deli, Agra, and see the Taj Majal. I'm pretty jealous of them for that part of the trip, and it almost looked like I could make the trip with them, but I decided to come home with my Mom anyways. There's a possibility that we'll be able to spend a day in Amsterdam on the way back, which I am defiantly rooting for.
As for pre-trip readiness, I think I've got everything I need packed, but some recent advice has me made me fairly sure that I am in no way ready for what awaits. Working at the hardware store the other day I was talking to my boss about the trip and a costumer overheard me and asked what area I would be in. When I said Chennai, he said he had stayed there for three months recently. I asked if he had any advice for me and when he said "Don't go during summer" I realized that I'm going to be in for some fun. He also told me about some banana pancakes that I have to try, so not all news was grim. More gloomy news from an Indian national that works with a friend of mine. When asked what the area around Chennai is like he responded "Very hot and very buggy". In the end, my lack of readiness for what is coming is making me more excited for the next couple weeks. I hope to post pictures and updates as I take them and have access to internet.
