To Surya: hahaha...I´m laughing and shaking my head at the video, "Typical Indian Parents." Aren´t we glad that our Indian parents are much more "liberal" than others? When I say liberal I mean as in Indian culture´s standards.

Speaking of which, I feel out of place most of the time because I don´t fit in anywhere, whether it is American or Indian culture or church culture. Sure it makes me unique because why be like everyone else? That is overrated because being unique makes you frustrated very often. A man at church once told me, "We are not Americans, Indians or Hispanics in the Kingdom of God because we are all one in Christ." Amen.

And I´m seeing the beauty of how God works and expresses Himself through the different cultures of the world. Cultural differences among other differences show the beauty and creativity of God. To me the most profound thing is how God expresses and speaks truths through the ordinary things as well as the extraordinary.

I´m appreciating the Latin American culture. I always found it fascinating because it was a part of the world that I didn´t know much about.

Midterms: We just finished midterms. I passed both my Spanish grammar and conversation class. My Spanish is improving but I have lots of trouble with use of conjuctions and the "connecting" words. I´m getting used to Castellano or what is called Castillian Spanish. I´m getting better at understanding but wish I knew more Spanish.

Purses: Hey Mom and Surya! I got your purses. I think you will love it. And Dad, I got something for you too.

Toucans: This weekend we visited Iguazu falls, which bordered Argentina and Brasil. We walked through the park which was basically a rainforest. While hiking through the trails we spotted a toucan. I was excited to see a toucan out in the wild. That bird had black and bright red feathers and a bright yellow beak. It looked so exotic.

I couldn´t take the picture of the toucan because it was too far but I got a picture of another pair of birds.

Indu Shanmugam