Summary of Events

First things first. I now have a way to post photos and it on the Picasa photo site. The weblink to my photo albums is

http://picasaweb.google.com/erbergman/39149

Please check that out and I will try to keep it up to date with the postings that I put up on the blog!

I have not written in a while and so much has happened since my last post that I hardly know where to begin! Here is a brief overview of some of the most exciting events since last post –

1.Pooja’s dance show – One of the girls I have become friends with does traditional Indian dance. She is an actress and has just begun filming for her first big movie ever! So on Sunday morning, Rhea picked me up and we drove to Juhu to the HUGE Iskon temple there. We found our seats, froze in the over airconditioned auditorium, and watched an amazing dance show! From tiny tots in adorable costumes spinning like dervishes to the dramatic and spectacular solo pieces, the whole performance was awesome! Some of the numbers were accompanied by live music (like the River Yamuna album of Karakkol and Katak music) and some were danced to a recording. Each group danced one song with passion and flair but Pooja was truly gorgeous! What a performance (and new experience for me). The show itself reminded me of the spring New Haven Ballet expositions… but a bit different in style.

2.Touring around South Mumbai – Monday and Tuesday of last week were marathon days of touring and sightseeing with the best tour guide ever, Harsh Mehta. A Mumbai resident and fellow Haverfordian, he has been amazing in showing me all of the sights, introducing me to his lovely family, and generally being a fun friend! I took the bus (more on that later) into town on Monday afternoon, met up with Harsh and went to see the Gateway of India, Taj Hotel(s), Hanging Gardens park, and much more! On Tuesday, I went back into town to meet up with him and we went to get my cell phone fixed, buy REALLY cheap pirated DVD’s in the sketchiest place ever, met up with Karan (another Mumbai resident and Haverford student) and went out for a delicious Indian dinner on a rooftop overlooking the beautiful nighttime Mumbai lights! On Thursday night, I once again met up with Harsh and yet another Haverfordian who came flying in from her study abroad program in Hyderabad. Karen Terry, Harsh and myself went out to eat and then met up with one of Harsh’s home friends from high school and went out! It was really nice to see Karen and be able to talk to her about India especially because we were coming from a similar background. Both white female Haverford students in India for an extended period of time studying, there was a lot to talk about and learn from her!

3.My first meeting with Dr. Pai of the Bombay Leprosy Project - Finally after about 1.5 weeks I met with my contact from the BLP! We had been in touch for about 9 months and I was anxious to go to the office, meet the staff, figure out where I would be living and working for the next 2 months! As it turned out, there was someone occupying the flat that I would be moving into so I didn’t get to see it, but I did get to see the office of the BLP. Description of work and BLP activities will occupy a separate blog post… too much to say!

This is a very simple overview of a couple of the events since last post. Please look at the pictures to get a better sense of some of these activities! Cheers.