Mountain Dreams, Malaria Nightmares

Have made the decision to stick with Plan A and teach at the school in Dehradun. I'm catching the train there next Monday. Working at the magazine would be a great way to see the modern culture and nightlife in Delhi, but it's not really why I came. My two main reasons for coming were to help people on a tangible level and explore the Himalayan region. Obviously, this is not happening in Delhi.

For instance, I spent yesterday reading a novel on Jewish identity (for review in the magazine) while listening to Tori Amos in an air conditioned office while the chaos of Delhi swirled below. Replace the Jewish novel with a boring article about the latest and greatest in hard drives, and you have my job in New York.

Will miss the girls at the magazine though. It's been great to be exposed to very modern and cultured women in Delhi, although I've encountered some funny situations. Last night, they invited me out for happy hour. Thought I would get to see the hip scene in Delhi. We ended up getting drinks at TGIFridays and dinner at McDonald's. I will say that the McChicken Maharaja Mac is quite good.

So this leaves a week to explore more of Delhi and hit Agra (home of the Taj Mahal) this weekend before I head for the hills.

On another note, the malaria-vaccination induced dreams I've been having provide plenty of nighttime entertainment. So far, I've flown to Paris with May's mom, shopped for maternity clothes with my sister, and adopted pet monkeys.