Happy New Year!

Can you believe it is 1/1/2012?!?!  Perhaps it is because it does not at all “feel” like January here that I am having a hard time believing it is actually New Year’s Day!  Where did 2011 go? 
Last night, we celebrated the New Year’s coming with the volunteer team that is here.  We had ice cream sundaes, played B.ble Outburst, and blew our horns  No kidding—one sweet lady from America remembered that we would need loud, obnoxious, but oh so fun horns for New Year’s Eve.  As we went home last night, we blew them to our heart’s content, while causing more stares than normal.  I skyped home at my midnight (which was noon for my family) and ushered in the New Year with them.

Julie and I also had a cultural experience last night…we took the local train for the first time!  You know how on the movies people climb on and hop off while the train is still moving?  Well, that was us yesterday.  Some very nice gentlemen told us where to stand and then when to get on.  Behind us we could hear, “Now, Madam, get on now!”  And, up we went.  The train actually wasn’t too bad.  It wasn’t that crowded and was better than I think I was expecting.  The best part is it was about 7 cents to ride through the city…a ride that if taken on an auto-rickshaw would have cost around $3.

On the train!

Tomorrow, Julie and I are finally going to get of the city and take a little trip down to the beach.  We are traveling by bus the on the way down (I’ve heard it described as a Greyhound, South Asian style)and hopefully by train (a much nicer one than the one we rode yesterday) Thursday on the way back.  I’ll take lots of pictures to show you what is sure to be some beautiful scenery!