Yesterday afternoon, I met with the girls from last year’s Pune program over an excellent home-made Maharashtrian dinner. Danielle, Emily, Sam, and Sara shared unique insights on the program, which reinforced the experience as being extremely subjective, depending heavily on host families and social networking. They also taught Tara and I how to squat without toilets, wipe without toilet paper, and eat without silverware. The girls were all great, and talking with them about their experience reminded me that it would be happening to me in just over a month. I’m still struggling to realize that it’s real.
My innoculation appointment is scheduled for this Friday, two days after I come home from finals. This is seriously exacerbating my near-debilitating fear of needles… On the to-inject list are: my Measels, Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Polio Adult Boosters, Hepatitis A, Malaria Prophylactic (chloroquine-resistant strain), Typhoid Fever, Yellow Fever, and Japanese Encephalitis, as well as having my blood typed. Somehow, I’ve managed to slip through the cracks of the American system for the last 20 years without knowing what type of blood is flowing through my veins. Maybe this was by choice… If I’m brutually injured within the next five days, and you’re a universal donor, I’ll need your blood.
