"goodbye love, didn't know what time it was"

I thought I posted last night, but it's not showing up... very curious.

I have arrived in Kolkata after a 26 hour train ride. I was on the train from 4 pm Saturday to 6 pm Sunday. It wasn't too bad, actually. I managed to meet some interesting characters (all Indian). I was in first class which kind of rocked... I had a huge bed and it was cold and there was a really pleasant and funny family from Bihar with me. No creepy men, no cockroaches, no threat of theft... was I even in India?

Before I left I filled my iPod with music from my friend Isabel's computer, and thank God I did that! Instead of listening to my normal wacked out sad folk music I was listening to David Bowie the whole ride, and other such bizarre dance-inducing songs. When I'm alone in the middle (or in this case the East) of India I find it's best to listen to music that makes me laugh. That will be the weirdest thing about being completely alone for a month--I know I have to laugh a lot and I'll just have to make myself laugh at things. That isn't really too hard in India, there's a lot of hilarity.

So, yes. I'm here. I should be out doing work... but I'm taking this morning slow. I just arrived last night, after all. Last night I was pretty upset about the state of the hotel I checked into. It's called the Hotel Paragon on Sudder Street, and the downstairs area is just a big s**t-hole. All peeling paint and toilets that smell like they've never seen a toilet brush (in fact, I am positive they haven't). I had a lime green room with two beds and nothing but a flourescent light and a fan. Yes, depressing. So this morning I went up some stairs in the hotel and what should I find?? And entire rooftop terrace with plants and open spaces! I switched rooms, the rooftop room costs about 20 rupees more (less than 50 cents), and I have big windows and a dresser!! It's still a communal toilet situation, but there's something less gross about a toilet that opens to the outside when you're done with it, than one that's in a dungeon... My new room will be much more condusive to making collage in... and I can even use the tables on the terrace to work on. It's great. I'm much happier. Now all I have to do is buy some toilet paper (I did the Indian thing this morning, I need no EXPLAIN that, but it's not that pleasant) and bananas.

I'm off to start the first day of ISP. I'm just going to tool around one of the markets looking for collage materials, and then I'm going to a museum that has a display on the history of the Bengali Independence movement! History! Cool!

Love you all, I'm safe and happy.