It is 6:30am here in Hyderabad and it's 88 degrees Fahrenheit. I woke up about half an hour ago feeling so hot I couldn't sleep. I ended up dousing my shirt in water to help keep cool, but it's already dry. When I arrived yesterday, the temperature was 115 degrees Fahrenheit. I have already had to remove one of my rings because it got so uncomfortably tight - the other one is stuck on my finger and won't come off. I can still spin it around though, so my finger should be safe. The knuckle is just too swollen to get it off. My fingers and toes look like sausages and my fear of swollen ankles has become an uncomfortable reality. It is so hot that it makes me feel ill. It's crazy important to stay hydrated in this heat, so I've been trying to drink lots of water, but the water isn't cold. Ever since I can remember, drinking warm water had made me fill sick, so this whole thing is kind of a no win.
My flight from Dubai to Hyderabad was terrible. It was a perfectly normal flight, I was just SO SICK of planes that the 3 hour flight was too much. When I arrived in Hyderabad I had to fill out an immigration card, get an arrival stamp, and then go through customs. It really didn't take too long, but it felt long. All my luggage arrived no problem, and I headed out to find my ride. I was told a man named Melvin would pick me up and that he would be holding a sign with my name on it. I came out of the airport and was hit by a wave of heat and humidity. There were so many people everywhere holding signs. I tried to see one with my name on it but couldn't. I ended up walking out of the gate and getting stuck where I couldn't see anyone's sign or the people coming out of the airport. I had a mini panic attack at that point. How was I supposed to find my ride? How was I supposed to find Courtney, whose plane had landed just shortly after mine? For a while I just stood around praying for divine intervention. Finally I asked a local girl if I could borrow her phone, and called my coordinator on her Indian phone. She told me to just ask the guards to let me back in and that Melvin hadn't been able to make it so another man would be there holding a sign that said "Help International." She told me he didn't speak English, but that he knew where he was going and had already been paid. So the guards let me back in and I just started wandering aimlessly. Shortly after, I heard someone calling my name and found Courtney. What a relief! She had found our driver so we dragged our luggage out to the car and were on our way.
The driving in India is TERRIFYING. There are so many people everywhere. Half the people on the road are either driving a motorcycle, or a 3-wheeled cab - and they think they can go anywhere they like. Drive in your line? Sure! Drive in my lane? Okay! Drive in the middle of the two? Why not? Make up your own lane? Go for it! There are lanes on the road, I've seen them - but I don't think anyone uses them. And everyone is always honking. They honk if you're going too slow. They honk if they pass you. They honk when they turn a corner. They honk all the time; constantly. The truly ironic thing about driving in India is that you have to be SO AWARE of everyone around you, and yet no one pays any attention to themselves. Drivers just go where they want, when they want and you better not get in the way. You have to always be watching the other drivers so you don't get hit, but when you're ready to change lanes or make a turn, they just better be watching you. The roads were SO crazy. And pedestrians just crossed the street wherever, whenever, and cars did not bother stopping. I thought I was going to die no less than 6 times on the way to our apartment. It didn't help that our driver's car kept stalling and randomly dying in the middle of the road. We eventually made it to our apartment - alive. A nice man helped me carry my suitcases up the stairs and showed us where our apartment was. The other girls were out working on projects, except Christy who hadn't been feeling well, so she was there to great us and give us a quick run-down.
The AC is broken. The water only runs from 6am-9am. You have to dump half a pitcher of water into the toilet in order for it to flush. The drinking water is in the kitchen - not chilled. There's a note for us on the table.
The note said a lot of the same things. It also gave us the wifi password (heaven bless!) and told us when they expected to be home and that we should rest. Courtney and I have beds next to each other in a room with Isabelle and Janie. When I say "bed," it is a small cotton filled pad on the floor. It doesn't sound like much, but after an airplane - it was perfect. I slept for probably three hours and then woke up. Lauren and Isabelle were home and I went and visited with them. Lauren gave me a mango to eat, which was wonderfully refreshing in the heat. Soon after, Sarah, Asia, Megan, and Janie arrived home. I stayed and visited for a few hours and then went to go lie down again. It was unbelievable how tired I was. Okay, not really. I hadn't slept really for two days. I woke up again after another 3 hours. I'd missed dinner, but luckily they'd saved me some. Rice and curry! Are you surprised? Haha. A few of the men from the local ward came over that night to give Courtney a blessing. She had been throwing up ever since we arrived. I've thrown up once, this morning, but it was just all the water I'd been drinking, so I don't know if I drank too much (is that even possible??) or if the water was too warm or if it's just the crazy heat of India. I am feeling much better now though, so hopefully it won't become anything serious.
Before I went to bed last night I had a "shower." It's actually just dumping water from a bucket all over your body. But let me tell you! In this heat, there is seriously nothing better. I soaped down and even washed my hair. Having wet hair when I went to bed really helped me to feel cool as I was falling asleep. I think staying cool is going to be my biggest struggle on this trip. Lauren called the AC guys and they said they will be here today to the fix it - so hopefully that's for real. We've also got a lady coming to visit this morning who is interested in being our cook. I finally got smart and filled an extra water bottle I had and stuck it in the fridge. I figure I'll get a rotation going with my two water bottles. Hopefully that will help me to stay cool as well. I can't even begin to tell you how jealous I am of everyone back home with their 63 degree weather! Do not complain that it is nearly summer and you're too cold - I will hunt you down when I get back and slap you. I would give ANYTHING for it to be that cool here. The high today is supposed to be 111, so just think of that. Which would you rather have?
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