Oh say can you seeeeeeee....... :)

So it’s been quite an interesting week. We have had almost no rain and its kind of worry some because if we don’t get any soon we’re going to be on a permanent blackout until we get rain. I was told by our neighbors that we only have electricity enough for four more days. The heat has been fairly brutal as we are all getting somewhat sick from it. We already had one person faint on the train and another get really sick but they’re both recovering fairly well. From that train ride I was able to learn that I definitely act quick on my feet so that was a good lesson learned. Anyhow it’s still been a great trip none the less.
I think I celebrated my favorite Fourth of July ever this year (note the appropriate fourth of July attire). Nine of us Americans bonded together and made spaghetti, garlic bread and fruit salad for dinner. It might not be the good ‘ol American bbq but man was it good. It was awesome because every single person was helping- cutting onions, tomatoes, peeling garlic, the list goes on, We made the spaghetti sauce from scratch and it was sooooooooooo good… it was like a restaurant working around the clock to make the sauce just right and man was it!! I’ll definitely have a spaghetti party when I get back. We went to the roof top and got speakers and blared the music all night. The family downstairs bought fireworks and we fireworks off the rooftop- it probably wasn’t the safest thing but it was still a lot of fun!! Surprisingly enough our India family wanted us to sing a song and guess what we sang! The star spangled banner!! It was definitely a sight to see and yes we were all sober!... we had a lotta fun just had wine, beer, and this coconut rum stuff and of course my favorite fanta and frooti!! As you can probably see we had lots of dancing and I couldn’t have asked for a better time. I really do have my own family here…
Despite the fainting spells and people getting sick we’re all still really good about sticking together. We went to Barista this weekend and got stared at some more but it was all worth it for my paneer sandwich and chocolate shake. Then we went to a restaurant called Cornucopia (Bat & Ball is what it’s also known as) with a friend of a friend, Rajni! We happened to find out that she’s a host for a popular TV show so reena if you’re reading this THANKS!!! She’s going to take us out on the town in Cochin which I’m super excited about and they seem to know the right places to go so it should be fun. We have Bombay planned this weekend then the taj Malabar the next and then possibly kanyakumari the following weekend and then Gujarat!! I have to say I am soooo excited to go to Gujarat where people understand me and I understand them!! They keep giving us a lot of rice and not enough dinner so I have to say I eat a lot more cookies and chaiyya (or for us non malus- chai)… its getting old pretty quick though… L But I still never the less am having a great time. This weekend is Mumbai so I’m sure we’ll have some interesting stories for you. And over the day that it took me to write this email I am happy to say that it finally rained so I’m hoping we ought ourselves some time

P.S. I know there are typos (Sibu!) but its because I am in the lab such a limited time and I get sick of sitting in the warm air so I write as fast as possible… so I apologize for that :)
I'm trying to add pictures so hopefully it works!! Here's one more from a previous trip we took :)