Tuesday.

Well this morning I woke up and I felt awful. Being sick especially away from home sucks. I decided not to go to my placement today and just let my body rest and rehydrate. Although the past week has been really fun and exciting, we are constantly on the move and I sometimes forget that I need to listen to what my body needs. Lately I have been feeling run down and just super low on energy. This environment takes so much out of you everyday. India is a very stressful environment. At home I used to take good nutrition for granted. Being able to decide what you want to eat whenever you want to and easily accessing it is such a luxury. I can understand why malnutrition is so common in places like this. Here you aren't able to get the necessary vitamins and proteins your body needs daily. And you really feel the effect that has on your immune system. We hardly ever eat meat here. Just a lot of starches and spices. Which taste good, but don't give you the energy that India requires. And I never thought India would take such a toll on my mental and emotional state either. It's hard not only being away from home, but dealing with an entirely new culture you aren't familiar with. As much as I thought I knew about India, I wasn't prepared to have felt just the array of emotions I have felt in the past week. I am still really enjoying my time here and am feeling better than I did this morning. While this is a great learning experience and volunteer opportunity, it's hard. Both on the mind and body.