All right, trying to give some drive-by updates, as quickly as possible, b/c time is soooo of the essence, as always.

First off, I found out yesterday that I got into two colleges – Western Washington University (Fairhaven College), and Suffolk University. Woo hoo! I’m only waiting to hear from two more schools, Reed and Emerson, and then it’ll be decision-making time. So that was pretty exciting.

Let’s see what else? I got a tattoo in Calcutta, can’t wait to show people at home. Was listening to some Grey’s music as I got it done. It really barely hurt, nothing at all like my first tattoo.

Got a major haircut in Calcutta as well, by Willa Rose from my group, on the rooftop of the monastery where we stayed. It was at a very spiritually poignant moment and felt really symbolic. Then my hair got colored pink during Holi, which is written about in a few of the group blog posts, and I can’t get the color out, it’s still BRIGHT pink, and yesterday I got another haircut, so I’m rockin’ the short look. I’m happy to be going through so many physical changes b/c it feels like I’m going through so many internal changes.

Pictures from Holi:

Spent the last two weeks in Sikkim, a state in Northern India, in the Himalayas, at an awesome group homestay (and had my own room the whole time, which I couldn’t be happier about), with great food. We also volunteered at a micro hydro-electric project, which was a cool experience, and we got to know a distant village. Then we went on a Himalayan Trek, which I thought was fucking awesome. It was difficult, esp. for me, I was the slowest, hiking down narrow trails on the sides of cliffs at high elevation, in pouring rain and thunderstorms. It felt awesome at the end of it all!

Anyway, wrapping things up here tonight, cooking for our homestay family, and tomorrow we are taking off for Darjeeling!

~EJ