Day 20

The sari party was a success. Despite how tired Allie and I were from school and orphanage today we squeezed into our saris and danced the night away. Our bodies could have probably used some rest, but we were too anxious to start the weekend and get to know the new volunteers a bit better that we could not resist. The music was on, our saris were beautiful, and we needed to unwind.

Ariana unfortunately could not join us this evening. She was having dinner with Rishab, a friend she introduced us to in Delhi. He flew down from Delhi this weekend to visit the magical city of Udaipur, at least that was his alibi. Really, he was coming to see the magical world of Ariana. She will probably get embarrassed, turn beat red and scream, "Emily!" when she reads this, but the truth is simply, Rishab is falling in love with Ariana.

And how could he not???!

Especially in a city like Udaipur, called the Venice of Asia, one of the most romantic cities in all the world. There are a hundred rooftop restaurants overlooking the lake, grand intricately designed palaces, the second most expensive hotel in the world, and the view of the Aravelli hills as a backdrop. The sunsets are breathtaking. The food is amazing. I can't think of a better place to fall in love. Of course, I have a feeling Rishab started falling in love with Ariana back in Delhi….. sorry Ariana.

On a side note, however I must cover the topic of Indian boys and their approach to targeting females. From the three weeks study I have done on the subject, many areas are apparent in which their courting practices differ than American boys'. For instance, "love" is not a four letter word. It is thrown around much more casually, making it difficult to interpret when a male is being truly genuine. In addition, when an Indian male does "fall" they appear to have fallen hard, having no conception of giving a relationship time. An Indian guy would make any US man look entirely uncommitted. Compliments are given out fast and frequent, but they are the type of compliments that put into question the male's sincerity as they sometimes come out sounding like cheesy pick up lines. What American's might call "obsessed" is just the Indian version of "interested". There is still much study to be done on this subject and I fully intend on coming to a thesis by the end of our stay here. The male homosepian is an interesting specimen of study….


On a completely unrelated note, I promised you an update on Jack and Allie.

Allie did have to get on his case the first night they washed dishes together, but it was only that first night. I think he learned his lesson after she called him out in front of everyone for being a lazy SOB. Right now, they are either getting along great or at each other's throats. At the sari party, Jack had a bit more to drink than he should have, something that unfortunately happens more than once a week. He got a bit out of control, which also unfortunately happens more frequently than it should, and he put his hands around my throat because I wouldn't let him hold my camera. It wasn't anything serious, which is why I wasn't more freaked out. However, he did have a serious look on his face, and he was pretty intoxicated. Well, that was enough for Allie to step in…. my hero… They got in a heated argument about his excessive drinking. Ten minutes later he passed out on the couch.

But seriously, the coordinators need to have a sit down with Jack about his behavior. He has been getting on a lot of people's nerves, and the coordinators don't hear half of the inappropriate things he has said. I am surprised they haven't talked to him yet based off what they actually have heard come out of his mouth. I can't tell if he is saying these things to look macho or if he really has zero common sense. Jack is a really nice guy most of the time, but he needs to manage his filter. Right now, all we have is the Allie police… and, honestly, that could just be scary enough.