the past few weeks...

well, after such a long blog silence and so much time...where to begin?!?!

The team has been here for nearly 3 weeks. it's hard to believe time has gone so fast.

The first week they were here i stayed with them in a hostel and played hostess. showing the how to use public transportation, restaurants, how to get places, orientation etc. it was a full week. I'm so glad i decided to do it that way - it gave us lots of time to begin getting to know one another. It was also tiring for me. I didn't sleep well, and i wasn't quite prepared for how disconnected i'd feel from my normal life.

since then, i feel like i've just been doing whatever needs to be done most urgently. we've sent 3 shipments out from SB the past 2 weeks (which is a lot...a lot of work), we've gone on a WMF staff retreat, which was amazing - and beautiful...and deserves a blog post all of it's own, we've celebrated Beth's 30th birthday, and i'm still adjusting to my new responsibilties with the team.

i'm learning a new rhythm, and really, it sounds a bit crazy, but even re-adjusting my weekly schedule is taking some time (mostly cause things have been so crazy that i haven't made a new schedule mentally).

i meet with the team on Monday mornings for breakfast, and team devos and check-in (just to see how everyone is doing!) and on Wednesday afternoons for book discussions or disturbing movies. i really am enjoing getting to know them. laughing and telling stories - seeing how each of the girls is so unique, and the different strengths that they bring to our lives here.

in other exciting news, my co-worker Gita had a baby on Friday (she is one of the directors at Sari Bari, and has worked for SB from the beginning). a baby girl. she is healthy...and from what i hear has a lot of hair. i can't wait to meet her. and then on Saturday another one of our employees had a baby girl as well. it's been fun watching these two bellys grow...and now i can't wait to meet the newest members of the sari bari family!

it's still the tail end of monsoon, so we still get rain every couple days. the weather is starting to "cool down" (so it's like the mid-80's), and fall (well, our fall anyway) is in the air. i've noticed in the past few weeks that even when it's hot during the day, when the sun goes down it cools down. i'm looking forward to "winter" settling in...in preparation i've been crocheting a scarf/shawl. i bought the yarn when i was in Gangtok for the Sari Bari birthday...and a few weeks ago decided to start working on my project. winter doesn't last long...so i need to finish it so i can use in during my small window of opportunity.

on Friday at SB i stepped on a needle. it was a weird/freak accident the way that it happened...it went pretty deep into my foot, but didn't bleed much (but certainly hurt quite a bit!). if you want to read a more detailed reflection you can read it here. Sheila gave me a tetanus shot...and i'm hobbling around feeling like a wimp for having to limp cause of a dumb needle!

lastly, we're headed into a big hindu festival here in k-town. it's about a 10 day festival at the beginning of October (Durga Puja is the name of it). It's an interesting/hard time of year. the crowds are worse - everyone is out shopping...it's like the pre-Christmas rush...only it's a holiday i don't care about. the metro is more crowded. everyone is asking for their "Durga Puja Bonus" and i find myself getting short tempered and angry...feeling like its not my job to give the auto driver a bonus...or the gas guy...or anyone else who asks. The spiritual climate is also heightened. tempers are short. patience is thin. arguments happen easily...and random accidents and illness seem more common. we covet your prayers especially during this season - as we continue to fight for peace and freedom in our own hearts, and in the hearts of the women we love so dearly.