India and Israel - some exciting updates!

YUMMMMM!!!!

I woke up this morning and found a few bits of good news in my email.

First, I heard back from the professor at the Technion in Israel. Back in October, she told me that she had a project I could work on with her, and that they were expecting to receive funding so I could get paid. However, in the months since then, they have had some trouble actually getting the funding transferred from the grantor, even though the funds are supposed to be committed. I heard from her today that they talked with the grantor and it will work out, and just in case, they have secured interim funding from the Technion so that I will definitely be able to get a stipend for the work. Hooray!

Second, some exciting plans for our trip to India. A few days ago, I had the idea to use CouchSurfing to try and organize a sort of potluck dinner in Delhi where people can also cook together and then share a meal. (you might know CouchSurfing as a website just to find a place to sleep, but it is also a very vibrant community of travelers and hosts interested in meeting new people)

Well, I posted this idea, and the initial response was a bit slow...however in the last couple days it has taken off like crazy and there are now at least 20 people expressing interest! And luckily, there are a few different people offering to host this potluck! So now, it looks like we will have plans to meet a bunch of travelers and Delhi residents, cook together and learn from each other, and then share a wonderful meal.

I hope this all works out, because I really believe that cooking and sharing a meal with people is one of the best ways to get to meet someone new. And also, I hope I will learn how to make really excellent Indian food! When I try to make Indian food now, it turns out tasting pretty good, but it isn't quite the same as what you get in restaurants. Hopefully after this I will learn some new tricks!