Quick weekend update

To get the weekend started off right, BOTH bags arrived safely and completely. My only regret is that there was no tracking device in either; I would love to see where in the world my luggage traveled (I know it was at some point in London then Australia, finally arriving on Singapore airlines)!

Friday night I attended a traveling circus with new friends from the office. I'm not sure what was more of a spectacle--watching the ancient elephants playing "doctor"to one another or FIVE of us piling into an auto rickshaw after the show.

The elephant performed some old-school tricks, like standing on a stool.

For the sake of the trapeze artists, I hope the ropes in the tent were NOT old-school.

New friends.

Saturday morning I ventured out to explore my neighborhood and stumbled upon Cotton Alley, a wonderful street lined with vendors selling textiles and fabulous fabrics. After meeting up with a couple girls to grocery shop, we enjoyed a delicious meal with the rest of the interns. After church on Sunday, one of the American couples who work here drove me and the other "new guy" an hour and a half to "Ideal Beach," a very resort-y spot, perfect for some R&R. We finished off our evening at a dance festival in a nearby town, marveling at the rhythmic dance movements and accompanying musicians.

And you thought motorcycles were dangerous...try an auto-rickshaw!

Hindu temples are everywhere, tucked in between office buildings, apartment complexes and

 restuarants. They are usually fairly small, sometimes not room for more than the statue inside.

There is actually a large Christian population here, about 8%

 (relative to the rest of South Asia)

Cotton Alley.  Get ready to barter.

And for those of you missing my face,

here it is (sort of) searching for a flat.

Whew! What a weekend. As I begin my internship this week, I look forward to sharing more about IJM's unique vision and hard work here in South Asia.