Everyday India

Even in exotic India life can be ordinary, so forgive me for neglecting my blog. I have been working hard the past week interviewing people involved in the sustainable development community and trying to get my dissertation proposal finished (I have spent almost three hours a day in the planet-cyber typing away). I also attended an all-day conference with delegates from all around India to make recommendations to the national delegation to the United Nations meeting in New York on drought and desertification. Unfortunately we spent a lot of time debating which were the best words to use in certain occasions (at times to an absurd degree), but that's Indian democracy for you. The most contentious issue involved including language on population stabilization or omitting mention of it (in the end we deferred the decision and then never got back to it). The best part was the lunch feast, but unfortunately for me, as in most all-you-can-eat situatgions, the meal ended with a slight belly ache. We got a brief respite from the summer heat (which means temperatures in the low 90s) but the thermometer should break 100 again today. I still haven't had to use anykind of cover for sleeping (except for once on the coast when there were to many mosquitos to turn the fan off and the temperature cooled at night) and I have had no problems drying my laundry, even at night. It did rain for about ten minutes, the first precipitation so far during my journey. I am finishing my stay in Gujarat today with one last interview and then heading off to Rajastan on the overnight train (hopefully I get a spot in the sleeper car, I was fourth on the wait list). I am also contemplating getting my face shaved, but every time I try to go in the barber shop I chicken out when I see how fast they move that sharp blade around the neck area.