Dearest Friends,

In the not-so-distant winters of my High School career, I traveled on a few occasions to frigid Chicago, purportedly to develop debating skills in Model United Nations. In reality, it was a prime opportunity to miss school and hang out with friends in a fancy hotel (sorry Mom). Unsurprisingly, we had bizarre adventures and got into trouble. It was superb.

However, the journey was always horrendous. For over three hours we were on a single school bus, some three to a seat, every spare space taken up with luggage and coats. We were crammed in, alternatively shivering and sweating as the temperature maddeningly, impossibly jumped from the two extremes. Knees were pressed up against seat backs, heads rattled against chilly window panes, and everywhere were numb extremities from the lack of space in which to adjust position. On top of this, everyone was required to...

Hello-

I’m not dead, nor even seriously injured. Where to begin? Well, on the ride to my place from the airport I was delighted and slightly frightened to learn that all Indians drive as though they are on their way to the hospital with a pregnant woman in labor. Constant and angry horns blare from every direction. Pedestrians do not flinch when cars pass within inches. Auto-rickshaws, tiny moped-like taxis, squeeze in-between larger cars with a bravado that I can only envy. Every car, without fail, has multiple scrape marks. Insanely brave Indians will ride their bicycles in the midst of this. Not in a bike lane, just weaving through traffic like everybody else. And yet, despite all of this, I saw a rickshaw operator texting while driving.

I have purchased a phone of my own, for the humble price of Rs 500, less than ten dollars. It is fascinatingly primitive. I have...

I’m not scared.

People always tell me I must be brave, that this is a huge scary thing I’m doing. I don’t feel very brave. I feel relieved, to be honest.

For those of you just joining me, blissfully ignorant as to my life and the various intricacies of its future, I must start by saying that I understand, that I realize the irrelevance of my decisions in comparison with the grand majority of things in this world. If you care to read it, I hope that this blog will be at least slightly interesting.

For those of you who look on in horror as I throw my future away, I apologize. You may very well be right, that I will grow to desperately regret this decision. I do not belittle your concerns. However, at this point I’m going to do it anyway. We can only hope now that I don’t muck things up too badly.

To my friends, who have heard the well-rehearsed rationale so many times...