Last Sunday I was hugging my wonderful India friends goodbye, shocked at how fast my month in Delhi passed & converting my rupees to pounds. Monday I was in London, and I fell over backwards like a turtle onto the ground, weighted down by my luggage! Tuesday and Wednesday I was catatonic in Florida recovering from The Almighty Jet Lag. Thursday and Friday I satiated my month-long craving of beef and seafood.

Saturday brought a day of laughter with different friends & recounting India tales – my favorite being a 12-year-old’s geographically-challenged questions: “So you used RUBIES as money?!”, “Did you have to wear that black blanket that covered you all up?”, and after a brief explanation of Hindi & Muslim dietary constraints “Did they shoot you if you ate beef?”. Clearly our public school system is lacking in the differences between cultures that are not America, Africa, Europe and Japan. Everything in the middle seems to be a blur of bad-news-tv, so they seemed to enjoy my stories & hopefully I left them slightly more aware that not every country is like Afghanistan.

By Sunday, a week from my flight from Delhi, I was on a red-eye flight with my boyfriend to D.C. for a little trip. He’ll be in work-related training for a software system called ArcGIS that is used to analyze geography and the people living in different areas, to help understand how a country or even a particular area of a town works and lives. It’s really interesting stuff and I can’t wait to see what he’s learning; he’s a history, culture and geography buff.

Monday (yesterday), we walked through the Georgetown neighborhood of D.C. and took photos of the gorgeous, pink and fragrant cherry blossoms: the first spark of spring color in a city still brown from winter.

Then we found ourselves on the Capitol lawn in D.C., amidst the healthcare reform protesters and supporters all with signs and loud voices. The House was doing their governmental “thing” inside, and according to the news, they could hear the angry chants of “Kill the Bill!”. We photographed them, as well as the smiling waving group of “Catholics for Health Care Reform”. My stress and frustration at the chaos of the scene was assuaged when we saw the million-man-style march for Immigrants Rights…. a flow of people like I’ve never seen before. People from all countries of the world: Latino, middle eastern, Muslim Africans, Korean; all waving American flags & smiling & peaceful. They are American citizens now too, and as their signs read “We work for America too”. The spirit they emitted felt more American to me, in my heart, than the screaming and literal whistle-blowing on the other side of the Capitol building. But both aspects are what are great about our imperfect country: the right to voice an opinion, to debate an opinion, to support or criticize the government, and to gather as a peaceful group. ALL WITHOUT FEAR OF PERSECUTION OR DEATH. This is not only a right, but a GIFT, that we should always hold dear. In so much of the world, even a whisper of contradiction can equal death to a person’s entire family. My feet & brain were tired, my feet were aching, I lost “the spirit of my liberty” half way through the day… but after the wave upon wave of jubilant, smiling & proud immigrants, I felt like I was bursting with hope.

And now it’s Tuesday. I have a metro pass and a day to myself; I’m going to attempt to explore the lesser known sights & places of D.C. with the goal of spending $0 except for food.

No matter how good or bad a day is, how long or short it feels at the moment, the next day will come. I’m trying to live in each moment, accept it for what it is, to enjoy the simple pleasures and the people around me.

Nothing screams “Steal me! I have thousands of dollars of camera equipment in me!” quite like a black Lowepro or Tamrac bag. I’ve scoured the web for the perfect non-camera bag for my India trip.

Naturally, I found it on Etsy. It’s going to be my all-purpose, camera bag, travel purse, and show-stopper airplane carry-on. I anticipate answering a lot of “No WAY, where did you get that?!” inquiries… I’m checking the mail every day to see if it’s arrived!

It’s handmade to order by Gypsy Rose Handbags. This large, chic messenger bag comes in a gorgeous print I picked out… reminds me of India. But she has TONS of prints and styles to choose from. While it looks fashionable outside, but she describes the interior as having “multiple layers of padding and stabilizers. It will stand alone, but is NOT stiff or rigid.”  Perfect. Who wants to cram a Pelican Case in an overhead bin?!

Also, inside are 4 padded lens / flash sleeves. The base is padded & structured as well, and has 4 metal feet. It measures 15 x 9 x 5 – I got the large size, but she makes them in a wide variety of sizes & can customize orders. I requested only 2 inside lens sleeves, as I typically carry around few lenses and prefer a larger inside cavity for general “travel stuff”. This little bag has tons of features & I don’t want to keep rambling. So if you’re in the market for a messenger bag, camera bag, laptop bag, netbook bag, whatever bag, go check her out!

5 weeks til I fly out to India! As you could imagine, I’m in overdrive / planning / learning / freak out mode. A month in India will be an exhilarating challenge, and I can’t wait. If you have any advice on any of the following, I’d love to hear it. (Really: Help me!)

• Airfare: I’m looking at Virgin Atlantic, Orlando to Delhi. Have you flown to India from the US on an airline you highly recommend?
• England?: Virgin Atlantic has an option where you can include a several-day stop over in London. I’m planning this for the return flight. After a long, hard-working, lack-of-personal-space month in India, I think a few days of relaxation would be good for the soul. Thinking maybe a day in London for the touristy sightseeing, then perhaps 2 nights at a bed & breakfast somewhere out in the gorgeous English countryside. Do you have any recommendations for an idyllic, peaceful B&B like I’ve described?
• dSLR Camera: My Canon 20d has bit the dust, I’m looking at either a Canon 40d or 50d “like new-ish” from keh.com. But all the reviews are a toss-up whether 50d was really worth the upgrade (and some image quality loss). Do you have any first-hand experience using both, or have any input regarding this issue?
• Passport & Visa: very anxiously awaiting the return of my “expedited” passport renewal, so that I can then apply for the visa. The timing will be incredibly tight. I can’t DO anything about it, so I’m trying not to worry. Advice to calm me down?
• Netbook: Thinking of upgrading it to Windows 7. Still need to “prep” it with all the software I’ll need, and plenty of music & movies to entertain me during a 30 hour flight. What helps you cope on international flights? Vodka & ambien? Die Hard 2? Ideas, people, ideas!
• Pack List: I’m pretty well set here. Travelled enough to go light & have the staples. Plus, going to get most of my clothes once I land (Indian-style, to be most cultural appropriate & respectful & modest). But any first-hand advice you have for India is always welcome!
• Hindi Language: I was trying to learn the Devanagari script & learn the right way, but am running out of time. Instead I’m focusing on spoken Hindi, so I’m jabbering along with my cd lessons during my commute to & from work. Augmenting these with conversational podcasts. What has helped you learn Hindi?

Here are some blogs & articles & podcasts, by people (mostly women) who probably don’t know just how much they’ve been helping educate me! Bahut dhanyavaad!

• Diary of a White Indian Housewife: awesome blog by Aussie woman who married an Indian, 4 years in Mumbai & counting. Great writing on her everyday life & perspectives.
• Breathe Dream Go: travel tips, but she also addresses the cultural / spiritual identity of India.
• Delhi Magic Blog: a photo-filled blog about Indian life & travel by an Indian woman.
• Tips to Survive Your First Trip to India: a boots-n-all article
• Nomadic Matt’s Travel Blog: an uber-resource for any traveller, a wealth of information.
• Namaste Dosti: Hindi language learning podcast. I supplement my “official lessons” with this more conversational podcast.
• Pimsleur Hindi Language Audio Lessons: Everyone has their opinions on the best language acquisition methods. I got an introductory 10-lesson set of cd’s, and I’m definitely making progress in not only speaking/accent, but understanding the responses I may hear back.