india preparations

Last night I got bit by a mosquito in my apartment and I got quite upset, because it reminded me that I needed to buy a new net for my window. I then realized that I was going to be in South India for the summer and that mosquito bites were going to be a lot more common. I came to this conclusion after recalling my previous summer trips to India as a child. I think that I traveled three or four times between the ages of six months and 11 years old and each time I came back with mosquito bites that were inconceivably large.

However, it got me thinking. Aside from insect repellent, what does one need to move to another country for a few months? I visited for three weeks last year, but in a travel/work capacity, where I was always at home in someone's residence or at a hotel. This time, I will be there semi-permanently. I won't be able to run to the rescue of a relative or family friend when I need something, I will just need to deal with things. I will need to be prepared with a lot of different things. But this is not so much a discussion about whether or not to pack insect repellent as it is what things I need to be prepared with that I cannot pack in my bag. What websites should I read? What phrases should I know? Will my Indian appearance make it more or less difficult for me to navigate the culture/language etc.? Will people even understand my dialect of Tamil?

Questions, I have so many questions.

In seven days time, I will be embarking on a journey for which I have been waiting almost ten years. This will be slightly more structured than I had initially imagined my three or four month research stint in India, but I think that it is a good way to get acclimated.

I hope that I will be brave enough to take dance lessons, visit schools and villages and take other calculated risks so that I come back with at least one or two answers. I hope that I come back with even more questions.

7 days and counting.