Where did Monday go?

We arrived safely in Hyderabad at about 5 am this Tuesday morning (Indian time). The first 10 hour flight wasn’t too bad. We all had aisle seats near each other and the seat next to me was empty so I was able to stretch out a bit. Very nice.
When we arrived in London, we met up with Nico, a good friend from Romania who will be part of the team this trip. After a short but joyous reunion, we climbed aboard the plane and left London for yet another 10 hour flight. This one was a bit more difficult. There were 4, yes 4, infants sitting in the bulkhead row in front of me and it seemed like they had organized a rotation, crying in turns so that there was never more than a half hour of silence. I did manage to catch a small nap, since I can sleep almost anywhere as some of you know, but I can’t say I enjoyed the experience. It is all over now though. Yay! We got a hotel in the city to wait for our 10 hour train ride this evening. After a shower, breakfast, and a walk, I feel much better.
My first impressions of India have been that it’s like Romania and Mexico combined. The side streets are dirty and shoddily paved in a Spring Break Mexico Trip kind of way. But the door locks and the air fresheners are distinctly Romanian. The incessant honking, however, is distinctly Indian. I have already noticed the three of us girls are getting quite a few second looks from pretty much every Indian man. I am still not sure whether I should be flattered or creeped out. Maybe a little of both.
I have already seen many people sleeping on the sidewalks whose only possession seemed to be the thin blanket covering them. There was one man with only one foot sliding down the street on his bottom. It’s the kind of thing that is common in the poorer places of the world, I’ve seen it many times before, but it still makes my heart ache. It is so easy to feel defeated by the sheer magnitude of need in any place I visit. Sometimes I feel so callous, but I have to turn the emotions a notch down and focus on the task at hand.
Having a language barrier all over again is really annoying. I know that it is something everyone has to overcome, but after hurdling one barrier in Romania, being back at square one in India is frustrating. On a lighter note, it has provided for some entertaining moments. For example, the word ‘guy’ pronounced with an Indian accent may sound like the word ‘gay.’ It’s terribly funny when you are running on as little sleep as we all are. Also, hearing Nico converse in slightly Romanian accented English with Dileep in his Indian accented English is something that could entertain me for hours.
Anyways, sorry there aren’t any pictures (and probably won’t be many since I will have to bum all my pictures off of other people), but I can assure you that everyone is doing fine. All the adorableness begins tomorrow. You can’t go wrong with crafts and songs! Please continue praying for safe travel as we finish the last leg of out journey.