Hi.
I'm finally in the stage where I'm super excited to head over to India.  The trip came up so suddenly that at first I was just stressed about all of the details that had to be taken care of in a short amount of time - visa, immunizations, hotel, plane ticket, how to get around in India, setting up the work aspect, learning about the culture, etc.  I've gotten much of that taken care of and in the last week I was able to speak to a couple of colleagues from India in order to get more up to speed on the culture.  As a result I went shopping this weekend and bought some lightweight (modest) clothes (since I learned that I shouldn't wear sleeveless tops or skirts above the knee), comfortable flats to wear both to work and on weekends (since it seems I'll be walking A LOT), and a Fodor's travel guide (I hope to make the most of my weekends and get to various parts of India so that I can learn as much as I can about the culture). 
One of my friends and colleagues that comes from India mentioned to me when he first learned I'd be going to India (thanks Nikhil!) that "It would redefine my definition of crowd".  I thought of that while I was at a mall this weekend to stop in at a Barnes and Noble to buy a travel guide for India.  The crowds at the mall made me ridiculously crazy with their slow pace.  I'm always in a rush.  For no reason other than being on a mission to accomplish my current goal/task for no reason other than moving on to the next one (which might be just going home and hanging out!).  Maybe India will teach me patience and to go with the flow. That seems like a monumental task, but a lesson I would gratefully learn, no matter how painful. I am not a patient person, yet I would love to be one - for the sake of my friends, my family and my colleagues.  If that is the only lesson I take away from this trip, it would be a life-changing one....
I don't know what this trip will bring, but I'm very sure that there are some life changing times ahead of me, and I'm thankful for the opportunity.....  Stay tuned for what I'm learning, or experiencing yet failing miserably to really learn and incorporate into my life.  Time will tell.....
All I know is that right now I have way too many clothes picked out to take, so the next few days will include the "trimming" process.....
Talk to you soon....
Sheri