I'll try not to gush...

...but I'm in Mumbai, so the odds of pulling that off are poor. We arrived yesterday afternoon and for the whole very long bus trip from the airport to hotel I sat staring out the window, still not quite able to believe where I was - and that feeling didn't really subside until later in the evening, when I went to the Gateway of India, where I strolled around and then sat staring at the sea (the Arabian Sea - woah) and the lights, and then it started to rain. I ask you, is there a more perfect introduction to Mumbai for a filmi lover than that? No. No, there is not. Even on the bus ride in everyone could tell how excited I was; Rajan came up to me and said "Beth! You're in Mumbai!" and made a sweeping gesture towards the panorama out the window.

I've been here less than 24 hours and am already loving it. The city vibe seems to have reenergized some of my colleagues, and there is a night outing planned for some dancing and people-watching. The funniest part of this to me is that I am somehow the person in charge of figuring out where to go; those of you who socialize with me will realize what a topsy-turvy world it is in which I am the person who chooses a nightclub. Clearly I will have to fob off most of these responsibilities onto Rajan.

Sorry, my thoughts are not pulled together. But just know that I am in Mumbai, and I am very, very happy for many, many reasons. But also know I had a short but powerful surge of homesicknesses the other day, and that I miss everyone and everything very much. Meeting friends here is really helping, as is being in scenery that I've seen before. A full night's sleep will also help - but who wants to sleep when they're in Mumbai?