A Drive

Today, overall, has been a quiet day. This morning I awoke again at 4:00 a.m. restless and sleepless. When the time came for me to get up and get ready for school I was torn between going to school and staying home to attempt to sleep a little. I ended up asking my host mother if I could rest for the day, and since the students at school are taking tests right now it wasn't a big deal.
I spent the day watching Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond, watching a movie called "Glitter" that was on HBO, reading "Eat, Pray, Love," writing and trying to sleep to no avail.
This evening my host mother and I went out- my host mother's shoulder had been bothering her all day, so my host father sent a car to pick us up and drive us to a ceremony where the statues of Ganesha from "Ganesha Chathurthi" (the holiday that was on Sunday) are ceremoniously put into the river. Unfortunately, there was some confusion about where it was to take place, and when we finally reached our destination we discovered that the ceremony had in fact happened yesterday. Well, at least I got to drive around the city for a while and see some new spots! I saw all kinds of things that I never knew existed, including two lakes, and a big church that overlooks a lush green field of grass. We also drove through a market- this market happens every Thursday in a certain neighborhood, and vendors sell everything from vegetables (some that I've NEVER in my life seen before) to jewelry to underwear! Although it was dark, the market was buzzing with activity, and when my host mother and I got out of the car to buy bananas, I had my first experience here where I had to actually push my way through the crowds. There were people everywhere! The air was filled with the calling of vendors selling their goods, Tamil chatter from the buyers, and the smells of a "Mess" (road-side food stand) across the street. It was a neat experience- and I can't wait to go back another day when it's light outside and walk around a bit!