Click-Click-Click-a-roo

I have uploaded picutres from January and February on my website where I put all my pictures!! So if you wanna see my pics then click HERE.

I just added 5 flippin' sweet albums.....

So CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-A-ROO...get clicking today...

hmm...maybe i wasn't unispired....

I have come to a conclusion that my lack of blogging had nothing to do with my lack of inspiration, but rather Grey's Anatomy. Instead of blogging in my free time, I watched Grey's. But now Grey's is over (I actually have to wait now to see the next episode like the rest of America...kind of sucks) and now I am back in a blogging mood!

I will however answer some of your interesting suggestions...

I will start with Jared's suggestion/question.
Q : What color is sad?
A: The color of your mom's face is sad.

I Have Arrived.

Tonight, I had a break through. Some of you, especially those from my past, will really appreciate this particular blog entry. I attended a party tonight with my friends that turned into a spontaneous dance party and I actually knew all the songs!! I wasn't in the dark.

I grew up in the type of family that only listened to "Christian" music because all other music was "bad". Therefore, my entire life I have been the music misfit. I am clueless when it comes to music. So on all the road trip sing-a-longs, high school and college dances, and random spontaneous dance parties (like tonight) I always had to pretend like I knew what all the "hip" and "cool" songs were. But deep down inside, I was a faker and I hated it ( I sound so serious...ha). I wanted to be cool and know all the songs that everyone else knew.

But today...I have arrived. Tonight's spontaneous dance party with the ladies was the first dance party that I actually knew all the songs and was able to sing along with everyone else! I felt so human. I felt so cool. Yep, it's alicia...the girl that had a clue about music. Yesssssss! Just call me "Alicia- the not-so-clueless music girl".

Well honestly, for the most part, I am still clueless, but I am definitely improving. So keep putting your hope in me friends...I am not a lost cause....

My roomie and I both got i-tunes gift cards for Valentine's Day from our parents. So what music should we purchase? Tell me your favorites. Between us we can buy 5 new CD's! What would we do without itunes?!!

I am Rich.

Recently, I started visiting my friends Deepa and Ponnam's house every week. My relationship with these girls is shifting from not only a teacher student relationship but also a friend to friend relationship! It has been fun to meet these girl's families and friends. We usually drink chai together, talk about the recent Bollywood gossip, and try to understand each other's language!

For several months now, they have been asking to come to my house. Normally, I would jump at the opportunity to have young girls in my home. This sort of thing is right up my alley because young girls and hospitality are two loves of mine. Lindsey and I have been able to keep them away for several months, but since visiting their home more frequently they keep insisting on coming to our house. Today was the day.

Let me explain my hesitation for having the girls over. Deepa's father only makes 2000 rps a month ($50 USD). My bedroom alone is bigger than her entire house! My house is three bedrooms, a large kitchen, two living spaces, a kitchen table, a couch and 3 Kings size beds. Deepa's house is one bedroom, one small kitchen, and the small double bed without a mattress is their couch. I have never felt so uncomfortable having so many material possessions. But what to do? Today, I was exposed for the rich white girl that I am.

The girls were dressed in their best salwar kameez suits or their best western clothes! They were really excited as we were in the rickshaw on our way to our apartment and I was really nervous. They walked in our apartment and were a little awestruck and uncomfortable. We served them chai as they looked through my college photo albums and scrap books. They still seemed a little uncomfortable (because they were really quiet) so we decided to move from the unfamiliar couches to my bed! This was a great idea. Once we sat on my bed they relaxed a lot because they felt a lot more at home. The girls thought it was really weird that Lindsey and I slept in two different rooms and probably wondered why we had such big beds. (Deepa only has one bed in her house for 8 people).

We decided to go to the mall that is close to my house. Two funny cultural things happened. First of all, one of the girls asked to use the bathroom and she had never used a "western" toilet before! So all the girls took their turn at "sitting" instead of "squatting". Lindsey and I got a HUGE kick out of it!! I also put on blue jeans to go the mall and the girls freaked out. They had never seen me in blue jeans. They said, "You are looking very smart". Which translated means ...your hot. Lindsey and I only wear a salwar kameez suit in their neighbor hood so we don't get stared at more than we have to and we don't want Aunties blaming us for their daughters wanting to wear western clothes.

At some point Deepa said, "I am very poor." But the truth is she is rich because she is happy and her family is overflowing with love. There are many people in America who would do anything to purchase that kind of happiness. And I am rich because of the friendship I have with these girls.

Preity (Deepa's older sister), Me, Deepa, Poonam, & Nitu (neighbor)


About to leave to go to EDM mall. Me in my "western" attire.


At the mall, Lindsey and I treated the girls to coffee! This was some of the girls first time to go to this mall! And, many of their first time to go on an escalator- always a funny site if you can imagine.

In Need of Some Inspiration

I have been really really silent on this blog lately because I am uninspired!! So I have an idea- Give me some ideas of what you would like to read on this blog!!

What do you want to know about India?
What do you want to know about me?
Any great philosophical questions?
Any silly questions?
Any theological questions?


So I notice too that there are a lot of you who view my blog from places I didn't even know I knew people from! So please please...if you have never commented on my blog...this is your chance!!!

I would love some creativity and some inspiration!!

I love you all!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

I had a very very very cute date for Valentine's Day this year! What do single people do on Valentine's day...they babysit! It was my joy and delight to give Jonathan and Kelley a much needed date. Kiran is so grown up now at five months- she is sitting up, laughing at me, and rolling over!!

Lindsey and I were thinking ahead to Valentine's Day 2008 and wondering if we would have HOT dates this time next year. Who knows?! I can honestly say that I am thankful for my singleness this Valentine's Day. Singleness really is a beautiful thing and it's even more beautiful when we surrender to it and find genuine contentment.

At the turn of this year, I also began to get excited thinking about dating one day again! It has been over three years since my last (and only) boyfriend. I felt like Jesus told me I needed to start seriously praying for my husband. I have never been one of those girls that started a journal for my husband and pray for him non-stop. Sorry. But at the beginning of this year, for the first time, I felt Jesus released me to start getting excited about meeting my spouse. Jesus told me I needed to start asking Him persistently for my future soul mate! It honestly makes me giddy to think that God created someone specifically for me that when we come together that we serve the Lord better together! A man to link arms with that shares the same passions and heart for His work among all the nations. A man who just desires me...that kind of baffles my Alicia brain. But I know He is so faithful and He is already at work to bring us together.

Who knows how much longer my singleness will last?! Will I be thirty? I certainly don't have any takers, yet, but it's exciting to think that the Lord has released me to ask for my husband diligently for the first time in years! I am also filled with so much peace as I move forward with God's mysterious and radical plans for my life ... knowing He will give me what I need when I need it.

So this Valentine's Day 2007 I am celebrating my season of singleness and the mystery of Christ's love for me. What will Feb 14, 2008 have in store...more babysitting...or a HOT date?

Friday night fun...

This past weekend, the girls got together for yet another goodbye party. Karen is leaving soon to America and my city will not be the same when she is gone...sigh. Karen and I met two years ago and she is actually the person that convinced and strongly encouraged me to move to South Asia. She was one of the first people that I saw at the airport over a year ago when I first set foot in India!!

There are two things that I especially love about Karen- her coffee and her ghettoness. First of all, Karen has made me a coffee addict because she makes the best coffee on the planet! Seriously. Everyone would become a coffee lover if you had her coffee. Just trust me. Secondly, after spending time with Karen, I talk Ghetto for like the next 3 days...I just can't help it!! We share the same love for da' hood. There really aren't many people in south asia you can talk "ghetto" with...so this is always a treat for me!! She is family and is just another one of many people that makes this city my home. There will be a huge void here when she leaves.

OTHER NEWS in ALICIA's LIFE:

So guess what Lindsey and I did directly after this party? We stayed up till 5 AM watching Grey's Anatomy. And we stayed up till 4:20 AM Saturday finishing up Season 2. We finished all 12 episodes in about 24 hours. Pretty Ridiculous... I know. Right now, we are in the process of downloading season 3 off I-tunes. Did you know it takes like 14 hours to download just one?!! It will take several several days! Seriously.

I would also like to ask for a moment of silence. (Silence..........................................)

My wallet was stolen today. My favorite wallet I have ever had. tear. Since July, I have lost my carry-on, passport, and now my wallet. Am I this irresponsible? Should I even be allowed to be a grown up? What happens when I am actually responsible for other people?! Am I this incompetant. It was a pretty frustrating experience....again. Seriously.

( I would like to make a note that all three losses were NOT MY FAULT).

Another Trek to the Himalayas

I apologize for being so quiet on blogger these days. I guess there is just nothing too exciting going on around here. However, this past weekend, Lindsey and I traveled to the magnificent Himalayas to visit our friends Julie and Emily. Where they live is depressingly cold and their community of friends leave for the winter...so we went to give them a little encouragement and community.

Lindsey, Emily, Julie, and I had a great time together. I started this journey with these ladies and now we are on the home stretch of our journey together. In August, (just 6 short months) we will be leaving for America together to begin our next new and exciting journey in America.

So what did we do for these 4 glorious days together? We talked, played cards, talked, watched movies, talked, and made it to town once a day for food. Julie and I even stayed up till 5 AM talking. It was a really sweet time. We pretty much did NOTHING but enjoyed each other's company.

We also planned our futures. ha ha. We planned what we would do when we get back to America and what we will be when we grow up ( oh wait- i think i already am a grown up!). We will see if my current plans pan out in the long run. God seems to have a crazy way of mixing up my plans...so they all might just be in vain! But I am a planner...it's what I do best...it's natural and sometimes it drives me NUTS.

While we were at it, we planned our last vacation together as single journey girls. One day it will be hard to say goodbye to this season...so we are living it up while we can. We are trying to take advantage of this time in our lives. So where are we going in July? Bali, Indonesia!! Blissful island...here we come.


This past weekend really was encouraging. It was a great time of rest and just being with sisters who love each other!! I do want to give a shout out to Ruthart who wasn't able to be with us...you were greatly missed!

on a side note...I think my English is officially screwed up. I talked to a friend and he told me I spoke English just like the Indians. Sad. I guess my English is now spoken in broken, illiterate sentences. sad sad day.