Soggy boxes of cold puris....yum!

Meagan and Raksha in the jeep eating kulfi on the long drive home.

During data collection, we had a long drive every morning and evening to and from the villages. Unicef ordered boxed lunches for all of the data collectors and for us, but these left a lot to be desired! Everyday we got a stack of puri (deep fried bread) and a teensy tiny bag of dal or sabzi. It was gross because the oil from the puris would soak through the box and they were cold by the time we ate lunch. Nothing like old, cold puris in a soggy cardboard box! Sometimes the villagers gave us little snacks and they gave us chai (tea) pretty much everyday. The chai came in tiny glasses the size of shot glasses, and was rich and super sweet. At first I could barely handle the sweetness of it but by the end I sufficiently developed my sweet tooth to be able to drink a whole glass.

Brenda, Mary and Meagan...it is a strange world when I am the tallest in a group!

During data collection, the girls and drivers were really worried because they thought they noticed my skin getting darker and they knew I had a wedding coming up. I told them that in the US, people get dark on purpose for their wedding and they couldn't believe it! They took extreme measures to keep themselves protected from the sun. They wore long sock son their arms and wrapped scarves around their face and heads. It looked miserable to me because it was around 110 degrees there!