I had a great day off yesterday and tons of fun shopping. The people here are so nice. First of all, it rained almost all day, as our newly found Iranian friend, Navid, who lives in Germany and is on a 1-month neurology internship in Pune, told us as he took shelter in the gem store. Don’t get impatient. Depending on your device, it may take a little time to load these videos.

When he said that, I didn’t realize he wasn’t Indian, but also didn’t expect to hear that saying in India. But evidently it was one of the first things he learned while studying English in school.

There are a few typical pictures I still have to share from the drive back from Alandi.

The apartment/condo building under construction below is in the middle of nowhere …

Water towers.

I have no idea what this is.

Cows & dogs dumpster diving.

Why not kill two birds with one stone … It appears this guy stopped to take a leak and make a phone call.

Notice this row of homes that appear to be nothing more than huts, but they all have some sort of dish tv.

Meanwhile, back at the flat. Here are some birds that decided to hang out on our window sill one evening. That’s our table cloth hanging to dry under the window.

And you know those utility boxes we have on the sidewalks that are sometimes painted with art and are always locked up? Well, here’s what they look like in Pune.

The guys on the construction site across the street are taking the scaffolding down – 8 floors up! Notice the safety gear and harnesses.

And below, the cement mixers are hard at work.

I guess having a house built around me while I was growing up and being married to an electrician “sparks” my interest in these things.

Today begins my last week in India. I’m still really enjoying it, but I’m looking forward to going home. If not for FaceTime, Skype, email and texting, I’d probably be horribly homesick, but being able to say good morning to your evening and good evening to your morning has made being away for this extended period easy. I’ve been able to stay in touch with my family and keep tabs on the new parents-to-be with hopes that delivery remains pending until my return.

I have taken nearly 900 photos and have captioned every one of them on my photo stream. At this rate, I should easily surpass 1,000! Sorry if some of the pictures are a little blurry, but snapping a quick photo from a bumpy rickshaw isn’t always easy.

I had another great 2 hour practice this morning and I have medical class this afternoon, followed by class observation. With only three medical classes left this month, I’m looking forward to making the most of them and learning as much as I can.

I was requested by my Boise friend, Don, to get a photo of the “shoe deposit” area outside the Institute for the cover of the IYNAUS magazine, Yoga Samachar, which will be about Iyengar Yoga “community.” I’ll leave you with one of the pictures I submitted (permission granted by Pandu).

The flyer top center is an appeal for someone to adopt a dog.

From Pune with Love!