Still alive...

Hey all,

I don't recommend agravating elephants, drinking the water, or travelling with fast drivers who don't recognize restraint when using their horn or the road. Any of the above can lead to trampling, massive exodus of fluids, and crowds of angry citizens seeking revenge, respectively.

To flesh out this description... it may be considered fortunate that I am still alive (exaggeration must be taken into account with this story).

I went on a spectacular animal-filled safari last weekend, well... technically speaking it would have been a spectacular animal-filled safari if monsoon weather had not washed out the roads. Fortunately, I had the wonderful chance to sit in the back of a jeep scrunched and facing three other people as I attempted to fit my anguished knees into places that cause contortionists to quit in protest. All of this while travelling on highways designed by demented civil engineers who must have practiced mine warfare during their time in the army. So after this 5 hour midnight inferno, we arrive at the park, fall asleep for an hour, wake up to find a monsoon had washed out the roads... so we decide to jog a little. Not recommended in a national park with wild elephants, roving (seemingly irritable bison), and the odd tiger or two. Innocent of all these thoughts, we jogged an appropriate amount, and after returning to our steadfast jeep, proceeded to watch in shocked awe as the elephant we were disappointedly watching disappear into the forest come charging out with the firm intent of flipping over the jeep and feeding the soon to be mashed souls to his feline friends.

Safari trail washed out... watch out for leeches when walking through leech-infested forest (follow recommendations for high boots, do not wear sandals...), do not lose helljeep when needing to return to Bangalore in a timely fashio, expect helljeep to lose himself.

Well I survived, and thought I would make it through the week until yesterday some bad water finally caught up with me, climbed inside, and on its quick exit, took every last parcel of good fluid with it... i recommend avoiding dehydration and the accompanying fever, vomiting and other "side effects." No worries though, I have some anti biotics (cipro) and a lot of good people to take care of me, almost to the point where every teacher in the school (almost all women) have coddled me into eating some of the nastiest nonreactive easily digestible fluid known to man.

We'll see how this weekend treats me, but the children have been wonderful, they're beginning to understand I'm not going to be a pushover teacher who gives them easy workloads, but they are taking to my interactive teaching style.