SEPARATION ANXIETY

It's easy to see why I would be so home sick as I write this post. I am in the state of Orissa to cover Christians celebrating their first Easter after secular violence against them last August by Hindu fundamentalist. All of this with the upcoming election as a backdrop. So far things seem pretty quiet with everyone on their best behavior since there are a ton of para-military soldiers keeping watch. I am sitting around boiling because we are going through the second power outage in six hours. Another reason to get a wireless card and a bgaan asap. It's not just the feeling of missing home but the loss of high speed internet, the cool breeze of an AC or at least a fan, Starbucks coffee(yeah I know it's corporate evil, but I'm addicted), and consistant power. All these things I take for granted at home. All of these things come here when they come and not a minute before. People stretch out relax in the shade and wait it out. I stress that my pictures have not filed. My pal Scott Eells who spent years in the trenches here says patience needs to be my new mantra. With that in mind I am taking a deep breath, drinking chai on a hot street in a dusty town and enjoying the site of beautiful women in pretty saris. I realize I am actually starting to like it here.