(at this point i went to Niloufer Hospital and spoke to (name removed - email if curious) as well as most of the rest of the staff. no one had heard of me, trudy, or adia. i returned home to go to sleep - in the morning, trudy had accused me of stealing money in adia's name).

i think maybe a lot of your suspicions are from not knowing firsthand what india is like. the image people have in the West of India is maybe different than what it is - in any case it is VERY hard to get things done here. the infrastructure is lss than functional. to get help from people who are there to help is almost impossible - sometimes things like that even work on bribes (the police and gov't too). also a lot of thins are jsut done very differently. your friend might have had a different experience here because he was 'someone important', but we're just a couple of artists and no-one special here.

i am sorry about your friend being upset with you. i still just cannot figure out how we miscommunicated that so badly. you were wanting me to see him - and I was wanting to see him too! i figured he'd call me if he needed to, or somehting like that would happen - i asked a bunch of times where and how i could meet him and i didn't get an answer - anyway i didnt see it or didnt understand properly. then i got sort of afraid about the organization who you said you didn't know who they were - why are they asking me things when they wont say who they are, etc, am i going to get ambushed by some shady group and end up getting hurt somehow....it sounds paranoid maybe, but it wouldn be the first time something REALLY weird has happened in India! i had a friend who was held hostage BY THE COPS for a bribe. that sort of thing makes me nervous because we are totally alone here - and i have a baby daughter.

you weren't getting clear answers from me, i wasn't getting vclear anwers from you - it all turned into something horrible where it should have turned into something good. i sort of hate using the intrnet for important communciation because of that - it is so easy to miss something or understand it wrongly. and our inability to talk to eachother well made such a mess - i feel so sad about that. but Adia is well so that really lifts my spirits regardless - she's way more important than what i am doing here online!

i'm going to be scrambling for the next 5 days to find an NGO here or anywhere who will get someone to supervise Adia and the family while i am in Nepal. it will be 2 weeks max (because of transit time eand waiting for the visa) but i am not comfortable leaving them for so long. fortunately i will have internet access there too (my laptop is the most useful thing i have for this!) and can keep rallying for attentions for her cause.

another really good thing is that this week there will be a feature about her in an Indian newspaper. i am happy beyond words at that.

okay, i said i wasn't going to take up uch more of your time so i will cut this short and go. trudy, if you ever hear of any NGOs that could help me help Adia in the next couple of weeks, PLEASE tell me thier contact info. i need every resource i can get and i dont want our arguement to stand in the way. i know you are a good woman, we just somehow hit it off badly. if you can help me help even in that small way i would be grateful - i trust your information as you're someone who has been a social worker for a long time. i need someone i can learn from.

love,
nutmeg