This place is on fire! (in more ways than one)

As I was sitting down to write a new post, about a half hour ago, I thought that the first sentence I would write would be "Today has been a very uneventful day".  At that same moment, however, I heard a shout from the other room: "Oh shit! Fire!"  I ran out of my room to find Anne standing by the laundry machine which was emitting a toxic black smoke.  From the smell I could tell it was an electrical fire.  Flames were coming up from under the machine.  I snatched a wet towel and tried to smother the fire but that didn't work.  Iko grabbed a bucket and poured water down the back of the machine as I tilted it to make the flames more accessible.  We got the fire out pretty quickly and now just have the smell and the wet floor to deal with.

The other kind of fire, of course, is the heat.  I think that is the hardest thing to get used to here.  I've always thought that being hot is better than being cold, but that doesn't apply when trying to sleep.  I would much rather be bundled tight or cuddled up to another warm body than laying without covers, in only boxers, and still be shvitzing uncontrollably.  The power outages have been getting longer as well.  We had no fan most of the night and all of this morning.  I asked someone why that is and they said that it's because in the summer there is less water to run the turbines.  One more reason to bring on the monsoons!

Yesterday, my buddy Abhiram picked me up and took me to Pamencap.  I met the people who run the organization and got a tour of their facilities.  As it turns out, the children are on holiday and won't be coming back until June 8th.  Until then I will meet with the teachers and learn how the school works as well as relaying my experience to them.  The office is a bit far from my flat though so it looks like I'll have to ride the sardine can of a bus sooner or later.  After the meet and greet we went to a great lunch place where I had a veggie pastry called a Paneer Puff and met the sister of one of the other guys that was with us, Siddhartha.  Abhiram and I had a lot of fun riding on his motorcyle, taking turns singing songs from our respective countries.  He is hoping to come to U of M next year for grad school.

Last night I went out to an awesome restaurant with Anne, Iko, and her boyfriend Joe (who is from Chicago), and their friend Jane (from Philly).  The atmosphere was great, all outdoors with couches and candles.  Unfortunately there aren't many stars to see in Hyderabad due to pollution.  I counted two while we were at the restaurant.  Once we were sated by delicious grilled chicken and Kingfisher beer (local brand) we went to a nightclub called 360.  It was someones birthday that someone knew so we got free drinks. 

Today I have been sitting in my bed, reading a book about a buffalo hunt in Alaska.  That has helped keep my mind off the heat.  Thanks for all the comments on my previous entries.  As much as you guys seem to like hearing about my trip, I love hearing from you, so keep the comments coming!  And good luck to the Red Wings tonight, who can really squish Chicago's chances by turning a must-win for them into a did-win for us.