So you're moving to India . . .

This pending move has been difficult for a lot of people to fathom (including myself). My friends are excited, my family's curious, and as for others, well, there have been a spectrum of reactions. Some people have been concerned about my preparations, making sure that I "don't eat too much curry before I go," and that it's occurred to me to get a visa. Others are more interested in my trip itself. While many people have expressed concern about health precautions, some are focusing on cultural exchange and sensitivity to diverse ways of living. I have been warmly cautioned by two people, "don't fall in love with a guru," seeing through my protestations that I'm not going to Mumbai for 5 months just to find a husband. A concerned acquaintance notably asked if I'd have to wear a burqa (?!). Only for powerpoint presentations. Helps with masking public speaking-related facial tics.

My travel medicine provider told me a story about how the day after she moved her son to college for his freshman year, the boy who sat across from him at the dining hall breakfast fell ill and died of meningitis. Thinking of the New Jersey-on-steroids population density stats, I sprang for the vaccine. She also advised me, after I opted out of the $700 rabies shot series, not to pet cows, even if they "look cute." I've often said there's nothing more adorable than a rabid cow, so this might be a particularly difficult hurdle for me, lonely in a foreign country.

Some people did proffer incredibly helpful information: one of my new classmates gave me information for Suma Travels, a midtown Manhattan discount travel agency which caters mostly to Indians in America planning visits home. I'd highly recommend their rates for anyone interested in traveling to India soon (*visiting me*).

In terms of my preparations, I've gotten my shots and Typhoid pills (which need to be refrigerated at 46F max, but I was permitted to carry home from the doctor's in 95-degree heat), bought my tickets and gave my notice at both jobs. I've paid my last month's rent at the trash-moated South Street Castle.

But I'm still approaching malaria limbo (how $high can you go). Pill D costs $.60 per day but causes digestive problems and other lovely issues. Pill M has virtually no side effects, but costs $6 a day. Pill L is affordable taken only once a week, but can cause and intensify depression. None are covered by my insurance. Since my tourist visa will render me inelegible for a call-center job, I'm not looking kindly on taking out a loan to cover preventative malaria costs on Pill M ($900 total), but Pill D's warnings would compound math homework and the expected constant low-grade stomach disturbance. So I'm hoping against hope that Powerball comes through and/or Pill L doesn't shut me down. . . and wondering what others have selected.


P.S. Thanks, Alli, for titling my blog. Genius at work.