So I haven't really posted on here for a while. Things have been a little chaotic lately, and sometimes, I really just don't want to write about my days. The most important update from the last week: I polished off the quart of pickled limes. I'm a little disappointed in myself because it took me a whole month to eat the whole thing, but I finally finished it. Mmm. Limes soaked in lime juice and spices. And probably some other stuff I don't want to think about. Also, for dinner tonight, I ate the chili peppers. My Aai served me and said something about “there are many chili peppers... be careful not to eat them.” And a couple minutes later, she looked over and my plate was cleared and there were no chili peppers. And she made some noise of horror and said “you ate... the chilis?!” And I agreed, and she laughed. And then she served me more food. I'm pretty sure I ate about three whole chili peppers tonight. That might have been a bad decision.

The court trial was finally decided, and I got some extra information about what it was. Ayodya (or some similar spelling) is supposed to be the birthplace of Lord Rama. Muslims built a masjid there years and years ago. In 1985, the Hindus decided to tear the mosque down because it was their religious holy-spot. 25 years later, the court finally decided the case: this place really was the birthplace of Rama (India's idea of secularism doesn't quite align with the American version...) Anyway, 1/3 of the land goes to the Muslims, 1/3 to the Hindus, and 1/3 to some other group that likes to smoke pot to get close to god(s). I'm not really sure what role that group played in things, but that's all the information people here really have to give about them.

The trial was kind of a big deal. ACM held classes; however, they set a 2:30pm curfew for us, so we all had classes, ate, and went home. As Emily and I got into our community, the gates were closing. All the Indian schools dismissed early for the day, and our gated community closed and locked its gates in case of mob violence or riots. Doors stayed closed. People stayed inside.

Yesterday, I was attacked by a pigeon. I was walking along the street, and a pigeon landed on my shoulder, dug its claws in, and flapped its wings in my face. If it hadn't been for having Jake around this summer, I'm pretty sure it would have been a pretty big shock.

Yesterday, I also got my sari. My aai picked it up from the tailor. I tried the blouse on... it was too small. When we went to the tailor, he measured me. I watched. He wrote the numbers down right. So somewhere along the lines, there had to be some thought of “they can't really be that big...” because the blouse will not button over my chest. Today, I get to take the blouse back to the tailor and make him fix it.

Sarah and I are going to meet up and go shopping today; we're going to go back to Tulshibag Market, the place we went the week of India. It's kind of a giant open market that sells clothes, jewelry, dishes, scarves, material, etc. I'm a little excited for it. Indian prices make shopping actually kind of fun. It's always a downer in America to shop because everything is so expensive. But here, I can get two shirts and a pair of pants for under $10. It's like going to garage sales, only it's all day every day and the supply is virtually unlimited.

I've been doing a lot of work for my independent study project. I have lessons for about four hours each week. That's starting to take its toll because Indian violining uses completely different muscles than Western violining. My right shoulder is pretty much just in a constant state of tense discomfort. I've been reading books and typing things up, and I so far have about eight pages worth of rough draft and another three pages of extra notes to add in. So I'm actually kind of on top of things for that... two months left, and 8 pages in. However, I got kind of annoyed at one of the ACM people the other day because she made a comment on how easy my project is compared to what everyone else has to do. I very much disagree.

More on the Sarah-Anne Tulshibag shopping spree: it's done. Total cost (including refreshments, ice cream, and transportation): $20. I got two pairs of pants. I got two kurtas/dress shirts. I got a scarf. I got four pairs of earrings. I got drawstrings for the pants. I got a petticoat (for my sari). And I got presents for two more people back home (so Derek isn't special anymore). I'm pretty sure if I had gone shopping in the States, nothing I bought would have cost less than $10. It was a pretty good day for shoppings.

Side notes:

Ashley Gilland, if you're still reading this, Jolie said you're looking for some kind of tunic/blouse type thing and not having any luck. Tell me what you want in a comment on here, and I'll see if I can find it for you. Color/pattern/cut/sleeve-length/etc. Tunic-y shirts are pretty easy to come by.

Jolie, since this is easier and cheaper than texting you to ask, you said you want a shirt, too. Tell me what kind/color you want. What size does Joacquin wear in a shirt? I mean, I know he does the XL or whatever, but do you know what that would equate in inches? Also, if I buy you something with shiny blue stones and tell you they're sapphire, will you believe me?