Monsoons and Spiders

The Monsoons have started here...it isn't quite as amazing as people have told me but it is quite power ful. Outside of our flat is a stairwell that leads to the top of the hill. When it starts to rain it is like a mud slide or mud river rushing down those steps...I will say that is amazing. I really try not to climb those steps during that time. Last night the rain was so bad it sounded like the Niagra Falls and the shutters and doors were banging everywhere. I woke up around 1 to lock down the windows and doors so that they wouldn't keep me awake. An advantage to the rain is that is cools everything down about 10 degrees. If I was here much longer I would have to buy a little coat...I brought a sweat shirt but I don't want to get that too dirty before the three day trip home...where they freeze you out on the bus and plane. It rains in the afternoon seems to stop for the evening hours and then rains all night...at least that is starting to be the pattern the past two days. Unfortunately, that brings out more mosquitos....DEET Please!!!

I haven't blogged much about this but the spiders here are gigiantic...and I am not joking. One of the first days here I found a spider the size of my hand on the wall...it took a little more guts than I had to kill it so I called a guy in to kill it for me but by the time I came back it was gone....not very cool when you have to sleep in the flat with a spider the size of your hand. Since then we have had quite a few spiders half that size, which is a rather large US spider but probably a regular size one here in India. I can work up the guts to kill a half hand size spider...but today, at the day care there was a spider larger than my hand with a white pouch attached to it....It was so large even the Indian ladies were jumping and they usually laugh at us when we freak out about the India creatures. Yet, they just jumped out of the way and let it go into the school building next to all the food...they did't try to kill it. I think they told me that the large spiders are water spiders but I didn't entirely get that so it might be a translation thing. Lynn is petrified of spiders so every night she sprays the DEET bug spray around her bed to keep the bugs and probably the spiders away....however, part of me wonders if DEET bug spray actually works on spiders. But what do I know.

I leave tomorrow evening for the three day trip home so I am in Mcloud buying my last little gifts...I had a bunch of necklaces made but of course they weren't ready on time so I am sitting here wasting time until they are ready trying to stay out of the rain. As I sit here, there is Indian music of "Pretty Woman" playing...I laugh everytime I hear that song and they play it alot. The only reason I know it is Pretty Woman is because it only says those words in English and the rest is Hindi...it has the basic tune but more upbeat...I find that I like some of the music but most of it is too high pitched twang (at least the woman's voice) and they play it soo loud.

Ah well, I will probably only blog one more time while in India and then maybe a few times when I get home....I will be sure to upload all of the pictures when I get home. I miss you all and look forward to seeing you. Thanks for your prayers.