I know it’s been a while since I updated. Things have been crazy here and the Internet has been down. Much has happened.

I guess I’ll start with Darjeeling. While Suds was in Calcutta and Delhi casting, Suds’s father took the five of us to see some of his tea estates. We stopped in Darjeeling and…
…I just typed out the whole story here and deleted it. It’s probably one of the greatest true stories I will ever tell, and I’d prefer you hear it in person. It involves wine, the jungle, a fence, the manager, and his motorbike. Sorry, you’ll have to wait. Ask me what happened in Darjeeling when I get back.

Suds returned from Calcutta/Delhi with good news and bad news. He found a camera, but we have to hire two assistants with it. One of which is the crazy, anal, 70-year-old camera owner. We’re really not looking forward to shooting with him. Also Suds had nothing confirmed on casting. Bummer.

A couple nights ago Ashley and I decided that we would cook the whole family (all 15 of them) American food for dinner. The accidental theme we came up with was “A College Students’ Feast” and we served Mac and Cheese and peanut butter and Nutella sandwiches. Well…we tried to make Mac and Cheese, but it didn’t really turn out that way so we decided that “Ashley and Christina’s Three Cheese Noodle Pie” was a more appropriate title. Everyone liked the food and the rest of the evening was spent dancing and playing games.

An update on the Jared situation:
So the schedule that I made meant that we would be shooting for 24 hour straight if Jared were to DP the whole thing, which, lets be honest, is totally not practical. The quality of our work would drastically decline and we didn’t come all the way here to shoot scenes half assed. So I made a second schedule talked it over with Suds and it looks like Jared won’t be shooting one of the biggest scenes in the whole script, a rooftop party in Haridwar. I feel sorry for him but it’s one of those “What can ya do?” situations. He doesn’t say anything, but we know he’s not happy about it. I think he’s going to try to stay as late as possible to at least do some of the scene. Hope it works out.


Switching Gears:
Mira Nair is considered by many one of the greatest directors of our time. Her most well known film is probably Monsoon Wedding (great flick, you all should watch it). What does this have anything to do with me? Natasha Rastogi, one of the actresses in Monsoon Wedding has now been casted in our film. It’s kind of a huge deal. How Suds does it is beyond me, but for those of you who know him I’m sure it’s no big surprise. On that note we move to location tomorrow and we’ll be shooting until the day before we depart for the states. Two of the roles were casted yesterday, so for those of you who have worked for Four Line Films, you can tell that nothing has changed. We still do everything last minute.



The past week or so has been dedicated to finding locations. All the scenes that were originally written for a home in the city were rewritten so that they now take place in the mountains. Logistically, everything is becoming much more difficult than we had prepared for and it’s pretty much causing panic among the crew. Things have kicked into high gear and everyone is stressing out. Jared has been working his ass off on storyboards and if it turns out anything close to what he has in mind the film will be amazing. Molly is working on gathering all the props and set dressings, she still has to make something like 15 curtains. Dave is building a dolly track, assembling more lights, and trying to figure out how to power our DAT (sound recording machine) with a car battery. Suds and I have been in meetings all day working on transportation for the cast crew and equipment between 4 cities, scheduling, planning every hour of the next 2 days before we roll, and taking care of a million other little things. I have much to do but I know that this is probably my last chance to update before I go home. The next time you hear from me will probably be over a beer back in Glenview.

…And I’ve just been informed that we blew a fuse in the DAT.


Flippin’ quotes:

Christina: Potstickers.
Suds: Screw yourself.

Suds: (in the middle of flipping out on us for no reason because he can) I SWEAR TO GOD I WISH I COULD MAKE YOU ALL UNLEARN ENGLISH SO THAT I WOULD NEVER HAVE TO TALK TO ANY OF YOU AGAIN! CHRISTINA! I kind of like you right now, a little. THE REST OF YOU PIECES OF SHIT…

Suds: Cliché much?

Suds (to Dave McNayr): Don’t take that tone with me McFairy!

The phrase “There is an elephant near by. You gotta go! You gotta go!” is one that I never thought I would never hear. Until yesterday.

The last few days in Delhi were pretty chill. I made a lot of new friends due the tight quarters caused by 15 people staying in the apartment that usually houses 4. After learning how to take the metro train around, we saw the Gates of India and Red Fort, an impressive palace that was probably the size of the whole Ithaca campus. Another highlight was going to a movie theater here. It's slightly unnerving that they check for bombs under your car as you pull in, and that you have to walk though a metal detector before they tear your ticket. Fanna was the name of the film we saw. There is no English translation for the title, the closest thing that Suds's cousin could come up with was "to suffer in love" or "to die for love." Although terribly predictable, the movie was beautiful to watch. Obviously, I don't speak Hindi so Suds's cousin sat next to me and translated 3 hours worth of dialogue.

After running out of options and time with casting, Suds decided to fly to Bombay to see who he could find there. The rest of us left the next day and boarded an overnight train to Siliguri. Seeing the Indian countryside was a nice contrast to the loud and bustling Delhi that we had just left. I met a twenty-something med student on the way, after a few hours of interesting conversation about traveling and movies, we exchanged email addresses and parted ways.

Suds's home in Siliguri is incredible: spacious rooms, a grand stair case, 2 kitchens, and a fountain in the living room. This is a significant change considering that 5 of us are used to sleeping on the floor of the apartment in Delhi. Shortly after arriving we went out to the hardware and electrical shops to begin building lights and other equipment. I worked on scheduling and for the first time since April, I finished a One Line. Steve and Char will know the significance of that.

Pictures: We visited the Songachi tea estate which is probably one of the most breathtaking places on Earth. We toured the tea gardens and the factory. I made a new best friend. His name is Raghav, he's Suds's 11 year old cousin. I have a ton of stories to tell out about these photos, but some stories are just better in person. Ask me about it when I get home.

A serious dilemma: So we are shooting this wedding scene in Calcutta on June 30th, a date that can't be moved. After that we are planning on heading back to Haridwar to shoot the remainder of the film, according to my calculations about 3.5 days worth of shooting. Travel from Calcutta to Haridwar will take a least 1 day. The problem is that Jared, the director of photography, has return tickets set for an early departure from Delhi on July 4th, meaning that we have to leave Haridwar on the 3rd to get back to Delhi to he can catch his flight from there. Confused yet? Basically it doesn't add up. There are two solutions. Either we shoot for 24 hours straight so that Jared can shoot it all, or Suds will have to shoot and direct a few scenes after Jared leaves. Right now the later seems more likely. It pretty much sucks for Jared because it doesn't look like he will be able to complete the project that he has put the past 7 months of his life into. It'll be interesting to see where this goes.

Missing the Glenview Crew... and Char.

P.S. Char, is our fish still alive?

May 31:

I've never had so many insects on my body at one time. Soon my skin will be completely covered in bites, even my fingers and toes. I'm realizing that so much of this trip is mind over matter. Convincing yourself of one thing when your body is screaming another. No, I'm not hot. No, I'm not hungry. No, I'm not tired. No, I'm not uncomfortable. No, I'm not full. No, I'm not sick. That's the hardest one. Faking not sick. I had myself and everyone else fooled until dinner tonight. I just couldn't eat.

Tonight was spent along the Haridwar Ghats, the markets and walkways along the Ganges. At sundown thousands, literally thousands, of people gather to pray and place offerings of floating flowers and candles in the rushing river. We participated in the service which was so powerful Jared and I were nearly brought to tears.

After that Suds and I ran around Haridwar and snuck on to roofs of hotels and apartment buildings in search of a point to get a good shot from. We found 3 of the locations that we need to shoot scenes at. Equipment is difficult to find here. Not many people shoot on 16mm. Another problem we've run into is that our actress is Muslim and we are shooting on a Hindu worship ground. We need to acquire special permission for her to be there.

After finding the locations, I sat down next to Suds's mom near the water. What followed was the best conversation I have ever had. We talked about the differences between arranged marriages and "love" marriages. She really changed my views on many issues. Ask me about it when I get back, I'll tell you what she had to say.

One of the best days of my life.


June 1:
The Ganges has been dubbed the dirtiest river in the world. People bathe in it, wash clothes and dishes in it, even lay their dead in it. This morning I took a dip in the Ganges. You only live once right? It's believed that if you dip in the river that all of your sins are absolved, and so every morning hundreds of people enter the water to cleanse themselves. So looks like I'm sin free :)

After that we spend more time exploring the Ghats. While I was sitting talking to Ashley a line of about 15 children formed at my side. Each of their parents wanted to have them take a picture with me. I'm not sure if it's because they're making fun of me or because I'm so obviously foreign. Probably both. The five of us stand out here so much it's insane. I can't get used to it. We're an easy target for street merchants and beggars, who will often follow us around for up to half an hour hoping to get money out of us. People still stare at us wherever we go and being grabbed my men in crowded markets has become a common occurrence.

Extremely sick today. Nausea, dizziness, and fatigue made just standing a chore. We've been traveling a lot. This evening we left Haridwar and went to the city of gods and goddesses, Rishikish. I have never seen landscape so beautiful. My day had to end early after I felt like I was going to collapse.

June 2:
Everyone is sick. I have seen everyone on the crew puke at least once. Jared had the most interesting episode with his projectile vom that went all over the van. Yummy. See that "Think Summer U" shirt he's wearing in the pictures below? It was thrown on the side of a highway somewhere between Haridwar and Delhi after we used it to clean up.

June 4:
Now that we are back in Delhi, the past few days have been pretty chill. Everyone is starting to get better. I'm back to normal. We played Cricket today, which is the craziest sport ever! We're all so playing when I get back. I was in a great mood all day. Life is good.

P.S. If you haven't gotten skype yet do it. www.skype.com If you get it we can talk for free! Yay!
Also, sorry I'm having problems with pictures. It's really hard to upload them here. I'm working on it.

Announcement: Please do not let my parents or any of my family members know about this blog. I would really love to write totally uncensored, and I know that I would not share everything if I thought my parents could read this. If you have mentioned this to my parents already please let me know. I'm sending my mother watered down email versions of what I am typing here. That being said...

The Plane Ride:
After dealing with another flight cancellation I finally board the Boeing 777, Continetnal direct flight to Delhi. Overall an interesting 10 hour ride. There was a baby girl sitting next to me not even old enough to speak, who unbenounced to her mother would pinch my nose every time I fell asleep. It was probably the most adorable thing ever. I was really excited when I saw that every seat had a screen in the back of the headrest, of course mime was the only one on the craft that was broken. :) And the highlight of flight was, drum roll please...someone shit on the plane. That's right. I'll say it again. Someone shit on the plane. Some guy took a crap in his seat.

Interesting Story:
So the first person that I speak to when getting of the plane in Delhi is this well dressed man with his wife and kid. We talk for about 5 minutes and it turns out he lived in Niles. Crazy huh? He leaves me with one piece of advice for traveling in India: "Do not trust anyone."

India, an attempt to describe:
Heat that you can't even imagine. Humidity that makes the air thick and heavy. Sweat dripping off every part of your body. Traffic that any Chicago commute can't compare to. Often there are no lanes just however many can fit go. Seas of men in motorbikes with women in saris riding side saddle behind them. Pedestrians. Animals. Ashley was asked to remove her glasses in one area because monkeys will come up and grab them off your face and break them. Stray dogs. Goats. Hogs. Camels. Elephants. And cows, tons of sacred cows, everywhere. Sidestepping all the animal feaces that cover the street, along with human excretions as well. I saw hundreds of people who live on the side of the highway. Before we even get out of the car a little girls runs up to my window and asks for food. And once we do get out, children run up to us screaming, "Pen! Pen!" They ask tourists for pens because they can't go to school without them. Suddenly being white means something totally different. I am the minority. People stare at us like were celebrities. Kids leave their parents and run up to us to say "Hello" and shake our hands. They ask to take pictures with us. Quitting smoking. Only speaking 10 words in Hindi. Converting from 12 hour time to 24 hour time. Converting from American to metric. Converting from dollars to rupees. Just converting. I realized within a few minutes that there are far more men out that women. It took me until lunch today to realize that the men at our table are always served before Ashley and I are. Food that I've never imagined before. And so much of it. All of us have been told repeatedly about the dangers of drinking the water here. Every house that we enter they bring out water for us to drink. To refuse it would be offensive. So we drink it and hope for the best. For the next 6 weeks this is home.

5/28/06:
We took a 4 hour car ride to Jaipur, visited Suds's relatives and The City Palace. We heard stories about maharajas who were 7 feet tall and 4 feet wide. We saw carpets, weapons, paintings, and writings that were hundreds of years old. An incredible day.

So, on the list of things that I thought I would be doing last night, shooting pool with Matt Pfhol in Long Island never really came to mind. But it was a blast nonetheless. So today was spent running all over Manhattan, it was my first time in NYC. I saw Time Square, strolled through Central Park, and took the subway all over the city. I've come to the conclusion that NYC is exactly like Chicago but with more cabs, and everyone is angry. Our trip ended with Matt, Jared, and I running down 5th Avenue during rush hour to get on the train so that Jared could make his flight. All of yesterday's problems were solved and by this time tomorrow I will be on my way to Paris. It looks like I'm staying with Matt's friend Timmy's family again tonight. Seriously these are the nicest people I've ever met. Jared and Matt, I owe you guys huge! You saved my ass big time! Here are a few pics of my day. Most of them are around Time Square, there is also one of Jared and Matt riding the subway and the pic of the three of us is in the Apple Store that just opened. Char would have thought it was very sexy.

Best lines of the day:
Matt (singing his own opera): "Tengo pantalones rancheros! Donde esta la biblioteca?"

Matt (Still singing 2 min later, he holds this word out for nearly a minute): "Boligrafo!"
Christina: "Peeeeeen!"

One thing I forgot to mention about yesterday: funny story. So my luggage broke at JFK, and Random Cute Guy comes up to me and asks if he can help. So we start talking, it turns out Random Cute Guy works for CBS and he's doing this story on pilots who fly drunk, which was very comforting just before we were about to take off. Either way I tell Random Cute Guy that I've shot for CBS before during my internship in Chicago. So Random Cute Guy and I decide to get coffee. That's right about when Random Cute Guy turns into Random Douche Bag. He proceeds to tell me about the guy's wife he just hit on. And then says "So, you're from the Midwest huh?" and then tells me about the slew of Midwestern girls that he's slept with. And what started out as an intelligent conversation about contemporary news media digressed into lecture about which state has the best tits.

Ok so the trip is off to somewhat of a rocky start. Due to a error on my part let's just say I'm going to have a longer than epected layover in NY. So right now I should be in Paris, but instead I'm hanigng out in Long Island. But hey, things could be worse right? It's not so bad actually I'm with this amazing family, they've been really welcoming, and they seem to have a great sense of humor, which comes in handy in situations like this. So, I'm crashing here tonight, fixing my major fuck up tomorrow, and then leaving for India on Friday. Believe it or not Long Island is so much like Glenview, it's crazy. I've already spent 40 minutes in a Walgreens here. If' that's not Glenviewish I don't know what is. Advice: if you're ever down listen to "Too Young for the Blues" by Ella Fitzgerald. Works wonders. Tomorrow is going to be crazy. I'm looking forward to it.