Just Around the River Bend

With the trip almost at hand I have just a few things to note here. First, I am subletting my apartment, so yes, all of my stuff is safely (getting) boxed in NJ. Second, if you want to mail me anything you can:

Amanda McDonald
Shanti Bhavan Administrative Office
#316, 5th 'A' Cross, HRBR Extn.
3rd Block, Kalyananagar Post
Bangalore, 560043. India

as for sending a package, there are a couple of things to note:
Bangalore is pretty cosmopolitan, so most things are available there in general, food and otherwise.
They will take about 1 week to 10 days to get there. You shouldn't
send anything perishable and make sure to mark the items
contents as being worth less than 100 dollars (even if the value is
more than 100 dollars--but don't exceed 100 dollars by much). There is
a chance that customs may still charge you extra for the packages, all
the same. So be cautioned about this--customs can be a little
aggravating to deal with at times, but you can certainly send
letters or packages and they should get to me with a high level of
reliability.

Through the Looking Glass

To keep in touch with family and friends during my time in India I plan to update this blog when I have internet access. I'm currently fund raising and preparing for my journey and this is step number 364 out of at least 2,708.

Some interesting books I've read to prepare:
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Holy Cow by Sarah Macdonald
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies by Abbe Dubois
India Untouched by Dr. Abraham George

Now to plan, purchase, pack and pray!