India on my mind

I've had India on my mind for some time now.Main reason is because I have some dear friends serving there.They are about to have a baby and I just see their heart for the country of India.They love the Indian people and its culture.I also know of a fellow blogger about to travel in May to India and a friend who leaves this week for India to dig wells for drinking water.This person is also beginning the process to adopt a child from India.So this has alot to do with why India is on my mind.But I also think alot about culture and diversity.For some reason when I see the people of India and their culture it just seems soooo different than mine.It is the best example I see of how another country is so different than mine.I question myself all the time about how "americanized" I am.I have not had the privilege to travel outside of the US but know MANY people who have.I've seen TONS of pictures,videos,etc from many different countries and also have crafts,clothing,etc from these countries.I treasure each and every item I have from another country. I think there is MUCH to be learned from other cultures and pray that I remain open to that knowledge as long as I live.
Do you have any thoughts or comments? Do you have a story about traveling to another country you'd like to share? Do you have pics to share? I love pics :)
I'd love to hear anyone's story !!

What's your self indulgence?

With the release of "Confessions of a Shopaholic",the state of the economy and just personal life situations I've been in lately,I've started thinking about just how self indulgent I can be.Don't worry this isn't going to be a "soapbox" type of post.I've just wondered just exactly what people's self indulgences are and if they've had to cut back on them lately.I saw on tv the other day that some people don't see how they could go shopping at the grocery store only once a month or even once a week.Luckily for me,when I was working and getting paid bimonthly,I went shopping bimonthly. I'm a coupon queen and would be even better if I had the storage space for extra groceries.But,I'm also the same person who gets something on her brain and JUST HAS TO HAVE IT !! It's a bad trait of mine I've had for years.I've started getting smart and asking for such things at christmas,birthday,etc.I used to work overtime alot and would know how much I made on a Saturday working.Then I'd think to myself well,that just paid the utility bill or paid for those shoes I've been wanting.I moved last fall and realized just how much junk (and I do mean junk) I'd accumulated.What I found most interesting is I found a handful of things I just HAD to have and never opened them.To this day,I have 2 pairs of shoes in my closet and a purse that I've never worn or used. So,just wondering if all my readers out there could relate and had a story of their own they wanted to share. I gave up getting my nails done and a few things like that since I'm not currently working.Have you had to downsize a little and if so what have you given up?