First week in Babrala and the Taj!

I am happy to report that these last few days have been just as busy as the first. I have been in India for about a week now and the days seem to just fly by. I have already learned so much and met some really wonderful people. Pedro and I have spent the last week getting to know the organization and the current development projects. We have had some wonderful trips to the local villages - The learning never ends. On Friday we traveled to Agra with some of our TSCRD colleagues: Shameem, Kartik, Lipi, Swarn, and Venot. They have really tried to make us feel like part of the family. We visited the Taj Mahal, which is just as exquisite as described, and had such a blast taking pictures of each other. I was pretty surprised when strangers kept asking to have their pictures taken with me (there were very few American tourists, so I guess we really stood out). We spent the night in Agra and went to the Jama Masjid Mosque on Saturday. We walked through the tomb of Salim Chisti with was absolutely breathtaking – covered in beautiful abalone pieces. Afterward we stopped at the wholesale fabric market in the middle of the city. I am constantly surprised at the order in such a seemingly hectic county. There is so much going on at once that it is easy to become overwhelmed – cars honking, cows blocking the roads, rickshaws going every which way, and people. But once you get used to all of the people and noises there is something calming about finally surrendering to the hustle and bustle of the city. We reached Babrala late last night and went back to work in the field this morning. I bought some embroidered cloth (called Karjobi) from one of the TCSRD Self help groups and Kartik is taking me to get the material tailored tonight!
Hope all is well in the US of A. I hear Obama is getting the nomination.
Love from Babrala.