The Status Quo

Suffice it to say that things have changed a bit since we arrived here a year ago (almost exactly a year at this point).  We made it through weeks/months of hartals for the anniversary of the election.  We made it through the blockade of the city.

The current situation is definitely something new.  It might or might not have made the international news.  About 3 weeks ago, a "western looking" man was shot outside the grocery store in the diplomatic enclave.  This is a bit surprising for several reasons.  First, with all of the violence we have seen in the past 2 1/2 years that we've been here, westerners have not really been the target.  Occasionally, people are in the wrong place at the wrong time, and they get caught up in events.  This was not the case however.  Second, the man was shot in the back.  There is reason to assume that he was essentially picked at random based upon the way he looked and was merely found to be a convenient target when someone was looking for one. 

It's certainly sad to see something like this happen in a country where we (personally) have been shown nothing but friendship.  One of the things I will take away from my time here - however long that might be - are the friendly smiles you get from most people you meet.  This event was clearly something out of the ordinary.  Unfortunately, that fact alone does not make it less likely to occur in the future.  A few days after the first shooting, another man - a Japanese man - was shot while riding a rickshaw.  The circumstances are similar enough that the two shootings are thought to be related.

In an effort to ensure everyone's safety, our movements within the country have been significantly curtailed.  We have very specific places we are allowed to travel and are required to keep very specific hours.  Sadly the grocery store is not one of those places; neither are restaurants or shops. 

We continue to hope that the situation will improve, but naturally there's no timeline for something like that.   So far, we're very happy staying in focusing on school, work, movies, baking, and the things that have always sustained us in the past.  Home is still here - and we're happy to be together.