Three Towns in ONE day

Woke up at 7. Tried to get motivated to get out of bed, with NO success. Finally got up at about 7:30 and shoved all my stuff in my bag. I also upgraded to 2 bags, if you call that upgrading.

Then breakfast- yummmmieee. Basically a repeat of yesterday. Western food makes me happy. A taste of home. :)

So... time of departure: 9:03. Went to meet the rest of the team and then to travel to Billimora. When we got there, everyone got out and met the Billimora rotary club. Then we got back in different cars and went to some of this town's rotary club's projects.

First, was the water treatment plant. Amazing. We first saw where they get the water (a river near the plant, complete with a dam) and the original filter steps. Although definitly not up to par with official US water filtration plants, it's still better than nothing. Much better than the water most of the lower class people would be drinking otherwise (whatever they can find- river, creek). As we reached the end of the water treatment process ("clean" water) they offered us some of the final product. Of course we declined. But still, cool. :)

Then another hospital. Not much to report on this, in India when you've seen one hospital, you've basically seen them all. But they gave us bottled water and ice cream. Success.

On the way back to get in the bus and leave our driver (rotarian) stopped at his house (resort) and showed us his swimming pool. He was saying how it was only half sized... he meant only half the size of an olimpic sized pool. That's big, even for the US.

Back at the home we met at we found a tour bus ready for us to ride to the next city- and lunch.

But again. Indians have no sense of time or a schedule. So, instead of lunch we first went to another hospital. Same old, same old. But a new rotary club. We were now in the town of Gandevi. They gave us flowers (traditional indian welcome) and everything.

Then, was lunch. Or so we were told.

We actually went to a school. Co-ed, so both boys and girls. But, it actually was lunch. We went back behind the school where they had set up 2 long tables and lawn chairs. Then the whole team sat down and the children (all girls) served us. And I remembered to take a picture of the food this time! BEFORE eating. :)

Also at lunch, we met doctors from home. They are from India originally but have moved to the US. Then they come back to India to help out medically and any way they can. It was nice seeing people from america though.

After lunch and a little tour of the school, we got to ride a school bus (yes. yellow bus with no AC) to the next town. Prakish met us there, along with our new host families. Then we loaded our luggage in our new host's car and went to his home.

Our host was Halmen Desai and his wife. They live in an apartment- on the top floor (9). Then once in the apartment you go up a flight of stairs to get to the bedrooms. They also have a balcony, and then you can walk out on the roof and look down ten stories. Or not.

We rested for about 15 minutes, and I worked on typing my blog (even though we had no internet) and tried to fix my hair. Then we rode with Prakish (and his hired driver) to the next stop- Dandi Smarak. The rest of the team following in their host family's cars.

Dandi Smarak is a muesuem for Ghandi. Mahatma Ghandi. The house is where he stayed for 1 night while on the "run" from the brittish who were trying to arrest him. Outside is a big statue of Ghandi picking up salt because of his belief that Indians should be able to make their own salt and not buy it back from England. (world history :D) This was after his great salt march and the spot of the statue is where he actually picked up the salt. We've met several people who's ancestors walked with Ghandi in the salt march. Prakash's uncle did too, and we are to meet him tomorrow.

Cool, huh, Mr. Dixon?

Then "home" to our host families homes for a much needed hour of rest/ "freshening up". I took a shower and then just pulled my hair back with a clip, slept for the rest of the time and then braided it for the meeting.

We were hustled off to the rotary meeting/dinner/event at a restaurant near by. They put us in the back of the building with a bunch of garden/lawn chairs for all the people. We got to sit up front (thrill, thrill) on little black stools. Kind of like that african kind we read about last year in world history with the golden stool. Haha.

But we again got leis, I mean, malas. They had silver streamers in them this time. Pretty. :)

I had to keep my eyes open while some men were speaking. I didn't want to be rude, I tried to listen. But I was so dang tired. Sleep deprivision must be common among exchange students/rotarians. At least it is within this group.

Anyway. Then was the dinner. Good, but I wasn't that hungry. I really just had bread. Naan.

Then "home" and bed. *yawn*

G'night 'yall.

**word of the day: namak (hindi)-salt {Mithu (gujarati)}

** extra: davakhanu (gujarati)- hospital

** extra exta (read all about it): suieja (gujarati) -sleep

**just for my teachers: faatak (hindi)- railroad crossing