Woiking

Hallooo
I am at work, and at waiting for my umbrella to come back... The rainy season is well and truly upon us which means flooded roads, soaking feet, soaking clothes, smelly drains and grey, grey skies. But it's cool. It's nuts the way it just rains alllll the time. Allllllllll the time. Proper rain. English rain seems so pithy and cold in comparison to this hot, thick, drenching rain. And it's so dark! It is actually pretty depressing and I love the rain normally. It is very hard to get around because you get soaked. I arrived at work this morning with my trousers drenched (I had to wring out the bottoms!) up to my thighs and my shoulders soaked. I am just dry (5 hours later) and have to go out again! Actually, I would have left but someone ran off with my umbrella.

Work is cool! I am enjoying writing the kiddies materials but it is funny how exhausting it is! I have written two 700 wd stories today and just can't muster up any imagination for another. But today I talked a bit more to my neighbour, and have the internet on my laptop so also managed to be on facebook and look up flights from Goa. Hurrah! that's my kind of working.

I didn't come in yesterday. Yesterday was my (our - DB was v poorly) grumpiest day here and the first where I actually wished to be at home. We had moved accommodation to this place called Broadlands in Chennai, which is a sprawling old colonial-style mansion place just up the road from where we were staying. It was more traveller-y so we hoped to meet people, and the rooms were amazing - really high ceilings, open bathrooms with floor to ceiling windows, many windows in the bedroom and a little table and two chairs to sit at. It seemed perfect compared to our relatively dark and damp little room over the way. So we moved in lock, stock etc on Tues morn before work, all excited because they had said that we could have the room until after Jan. Which was a lie, and then they said we would have to move rooms (someone else had booked 'ours') and then that room was booked too! And that night we had had the most awful storm, which should have been very romantic in that old lodge with the giant windows and views of field, but instead we were bitten to death and didn't sleep until the sun rose!! To *death* - I have bites on my eyebrow, under my eye and on my lip - just to name my face. So, irritated and tired we moved back to our old place yesterday but have a better room! It has no gaping hole where the air con is meant to be and so is much, much quieter (a massive bugbear was waking at 6am to trance bollywood music played through a megaphone. I am NOT exaggerating!!). SO we are happier today. DB was terribly poorly yesterday when we moved too, so at least we had concrete walls around us and a nice bathroom and a nice bed and no bugs!! Hurray! And a tele back (sporadic reception) and a nice man who gets us cups of kaapi. So we will stay there until after new year - everywhere else we have tried is booked, and anyway, having had the broadlands horror we are so, so grateful, however dark it may be.

I heard from my sup today! I emailed him yesterday (feeling very despondant and rubbish at my researching skills) about my progress (lack of) this past month and he sent me such a lovely reply and am completely reassured. I didn't whine at him or seek reassurance (never do that) but just confessed about the kiddie book thing etc and my plans and what I have been up to and he said that research in actuality never turns out as imagined anyway and just gave me some tips. I was wondering what to do with the info that I get from general convos, with waiters etc - talk a lot to waiters actually - and he said they can count as a form of interview in the biblio and I can use it as anecdotal evidence. Which is ace because I get a lot of info this way, about corruption and how people feel about the aid etc - without it being a formal interview with the call for the 'confidentiality' speech etc. This kind of info also provides a lot of context to the research and would explian my thoughts and motives as I learn more (I hope I learn more).

My word the rain is coming down. It really isn't going to stop. Am going to see if my umbrella is back yet. I need a full body coat really and not these oversized, super-long trousers. It is rubbish as well, because I am going to have to go and have a fight with a rickshaw driver. Bargaining is just not my scene - why can't the just be fair in the first place?! They see my white little face and my wet feet and think KER-CHING!! So I have to prove my mettle and get it so I only pay double the fair amount (which is the normal amount). Peace studies be damned.

Friday tomorrow! WOOT! Hopefully I can blog a lot more now I have work internet.
x J