Anyone who knows me knows that I can be a bit of a hypochondriac. Seriously. I had recurrent chest pain for a week and convinced myself I was having angina, only to find out I had costochondritis, which is just an inflammation of the cartilage in your ribs. So, after a 5+ hour bus ride to and from Mammallapuram, I have a souvenir that has lasted me 3 days. First, it was the sore throat. Then, the extreme exhaustion (to the point where, after taking a nap and waking up thirsty, I was too tired to roll over and get a drink of water from the water bottle sitting beside my bed). Then, the muscle aches and slight fevers. And now, the sneezing, coughing, and runny nose. I think in the last few days, I convinced myself that I had bird flu, dengue fever, and tuberculosis.
So, that's my long excuse for not updating this blog in the last few days. I apologize, and promise to be better about it, if I am feeling better.
On the other hand, Mammallapuram was wonderful. It's a small beach town just a little south of Chennai and is famous for its temple carvings. It was nice, especially to get out of Vellore, but to tell you the truth, I think Angkor Wat spoiled me in terms of temple carvings and nothing else can compare (much like when people ask if the beaches are nice and I can say they're "ok" because Hawaii has ruined it for me).
Also, I am getting used to living in Vellore. I have yet to really venture into town, which was my goal this week, but I have been so exhausted and lazy. I still have 2+ weeks, so that can wait.
Oh, a note on the wildlife here on the campus - it's amazing. There are bats, a dozen varities of butterflies, another dozen varieties of ants, a mongoose (maybe?), monkeys, many varieties of birds, geckos, lizards, and who knows what else I can't see. It's pretty amazing though. The coolest thing has to be the bats, especially at dusk, when you look up to the sky and you realize the black spots are not birds, but giant bats (wingspan of about 18 inches).
And thank you to everyone who has commented on my blog in email and on the blog... I really appreciate it!
3 comments:
Oh, dengue fever's no fun -- much better to have something like tuberculosis so you can tell everyone you're suffering from "consumption."
Yeah...I got a cold there too. At least you can't blame it on a completely nude massage by some random man in Varkala! Is there a dog on the CMC campus that is always lying in the middle of the path in front of the dining hall? Marcia and I loved that dog!!!
Actually, no dog in front of the dining hall (or canteen?), but always a dog in front of the computer lab. I want to pet them, but then am reminded that I'm in India and not in California... ergh.
And I really hope it's not TB, as it won't be detected until I'm really being "consumed" - I already test positive for the skin test, so the only way to know is when it's wreaked havoc on my lungs... not fun!
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