What's in a name?

I want to start by saying a big thank you to my roommate from college, Rachael, who posted my last post for me because I wasn't able to get on here! Thanks roomie! :-)
Let's see the happenings here....Well I have spent the last two days in the hospital shadowing the nurses on the wards (the main rooms of the hospital). I won't go into too much detail lose you all but this has been a great learning experience for me as health care here is drastically different then in the states. Not all bad mind you, just different (and yes, I always where gloves!). The hardest part is that I cannot talk with the patients because I don't know any Hindi beyond, "Hi. How are you?" (Namastae. Op kay say hey?" Yeah, be impressed.) I spend a lot of my time getting lost in Hindi conversations of the nurses. Sometimes I can at least figure out the subject but other times I have no idea. I must be getting really good at pretending though because sometimes they start talking to me in Hindi even though they know I don't know any!! All the nurses on the ward speak English however so they translate for me sometimes, or at least try to include me.
At night we have been doing the traditional thing and having chai with friends. Indian people amaze me with their hospitality. It doesn't matter what is going on you are always invited in for chai and biscuits (the British influence still runs high around here!) Sometimes people come here but Tuesday night we went to Jana and Joni's (J&J from here on out) Hindi teacher's house. Her name is Rani. She had three American men stay with her this week while they were ministering in the villages and they gave a Bible study. Rani and her nephew are Christians but the rest of the family is not but they all came to the Bible study, which is neat. We sang a lot of songs in Hindi (some of the more popular ones I am getting to know!) then the three guys shared. After the study and chai they through an impromptu dance party. Even though I didn't participate (you IWU students understand...) it was a blast to watch!! I wish I would have taped it...
Today (Thursday) we went to the bazaar. It was an amazing cultural experience to be among the hustle and bustle. There are stores for everything wood, silver jewelery, chemists (pharmacy), grocery stores, restaurants etc. I need to work on my bartering skills however.... Probably the most fun was picking out my fabric for my salwar suit. The fabric store is floor to ceiling fabric and carries everything from cotton to silk in every and any color you can imagine. I won't tell you what color mine is because I want it to be a surprise when I come home! You can buy pre-made suits but most people don't. Then we went to the tailor, where my suit is now, and I picked out the neck line and got measured. I can't wait to see the finished product!
Tomorrow we leave for a village in Unterkashi Provence (north east of here). We are going to be doing some health teaching to teachers of a school there till Sunday. It is a 7-10 hour drive (depending on the roads) through the mountains, I am told it is gorgeous. It is going to be an exciting experience because J&J have never been there and resources are limited (aka clean drinking water(we are taking a portable filter), no phones,...) but we are staying in a "hotel" (the other option was rustic camping so at least I will have a bed!) Please pray for health for all of us!
This blog seems so random and inadequate I apologize. When I get home (hard to believe I have been here over a week and a half!) come over for chai and I will fill you in with all the details, lucky you! I am feeling more and more comfortable here everyday. Please pray that I don't get too overwhelmed at not understanding the language and the Christ will radiate through me even in my silence. Thanks so much for reading. ~John 16:33

Hindi lesson for the day: Anna is the verb for "to come" in Hindi. Jana is the verb for "to go"