We got registered!!!!!!!

Today was a funny little day. After taking the bus back from Madikeri, we got completely ripped off by our rickshaw driver. Mr Thacker told us we would have to pay 1.5 because it was early morning, but the driver insisted we pay double. And then the meter went faster than any meter we have ever seen. We refused to pay him double, instead paying him 1.5, but when we talked to the Thackers about it later, they told us some drivers mess with the meter and we should have gotten them to come outside to yell at him when we got to their house.

Ale had not been able to sleep more than 20 minutes, and I had woken up a few times, so we got back in bed for a couple hours when we got home. There was a surprise in our bed though. Pam! She had thought her flight was later than it was, and found out her friends in Delhi wouldn't be going to work on Monday, so she called The Thackers when her bus got to Bangalore and they welcomed her with open arms. We told her that spending a day with The Thackers definitely beats out laying in a hammock all day, given she doesn't get to live with them for a month. For real. She even got to go to FabIndia today and eat Mrs. Thackers pani-puri. Luckily, one extra person in bed did not effect my sleeping and before I knew it, Mrs. Thacker was waking me "your tea and idlys are getting cold." Mmm, I was seriously missing some coconut chutney and idlys. She also made vada and samba. It's so nice being home!

I also got to take a hot shower for the first time since Thursday night. Since I'm in the mood to be honest ...There might have been dirt in the water dripping from my hair.

Ale and I went over to work, knowing what was soon to come. We had another trip to the FRRO (I finally saw what the real name is... Foreign Regional Registration Office.) This morning I went to clinic. It is absolutely amazing how much more efficient these clinics run (minus the total disregard for HIPAA.) we got through like 30 patients in 3 hours. It is very interesting to me the physician-patient interaction. The physicians tend to be a little bit rough and not so warm. The patients are very thankful and appreciative, which is odd because if patients in the US had physicians talking to them like this- it would not go over so well. After clinic I went to the canteen with the physicians I was working with. It seems to be a theme because every time I go to clinic, each team goes to the canteen after together. Nothing like free coffee and treats! It reminds me of the attendings in the US who always pay for lunches for the team. It is very sweet.

So after the sweet little coffee break, I grabbed Ale and we headed off for our last ever FRRO trip! First we stopped offf in the phone shop where I had boughten my Nokia and SIM card, because my phone had yet to start working and it had been more than the 4 days. Long story short, the paperwork was rejected, goodness knows why, so I get to bring back all my forms again tomorrow. Another girl from the states was throwing a tantrum about how she had been through 3 sim cards and I just internally laughed thinking about how much worse the FRRO was.

After that, Ale and I got in a rickshaw for what would be our last ever trip to the FRRO. And actually when we got to the FRRO, we were in and out in about 20 minutes. But that of course would be too easy, when we told the rickshaw driver "foreign registration office on double road, by ESI hospital" like we had done 100 times before, he said "yaya." We verified "you know where that is, right?" "Yaya." And then I even asked again when he made the wrong turn, and I asked again "are you sure you know where 55 double road by ESI hospital is?" And he said "yaya." Needless to say, an hour later with a lot of stopping to ask other rickshaw drivers and pedestrians, we learned there are two "double roads" in Bangalore. Of course.

So once we got into the FRRO, we walked straight to the second floor and handed over our little token sheets. Since we were at different counters (I was B, Ale C) we had to deals with different people. Ale got her new registration sheet in 2 minutes, while I had to fork over my passport that she put a big stamp in and wait for what seemed like an eternity. I tried to stand by the desk because she had my passport, but she kept saying "sit, sit" and there were no seats nearby. So I had to sit without my passport in sight, worrying about the stamp she had put in my passport that would say "Do not let leave country. Put in Indian prison if departing" circa Brokedown Palace. Finally, hours later (ok fine it was 20 minutes) "Lauren Rose" was called and I got my registration paper and my passport with a cool new visa stamp that Ale didn't get. Well worth the panic attacks. Ale and I hightailed it out of that joint as fast as we could. We really expected to be super excited after finally being legally allowed to stay in India until our flight was to leave, but we were just annoyed.

Luckily, Mrs. Thacker was home to melt away our sorrows with pani puri. Mmmm. We also starting working on planning our trips. This weekend we will be going to see ancient ruins at Hampi with Vaibhev and Vishal. The following weekend we are going to Kerala to lounge in the backwaters of this southwestern state. Then we get back to Bangalore in time for our first Indian wedding. We have officially been invited to the Thacker's friends wedding. The invitation even came today saying "Mr. and Mrs. Thacker and family and friends." We are the friends, in case you couldn't tell. We are each picking out one of Mrs. Thacker's saris and getting a traditional top tailored. Needless to say we are soooooooooooo excited.

Pictures: the first is from our final time in the FRRO. Please note the man in front of us was not posed. The second is how Ale and I keep pollution out of our faces in the rickshaw.