Hey, Guess What?

Oh gosh, I can't believe I forgot to tell you! I'm leaving for India tomorrow--for two weeks! Yay, for vacation! And exclamation points!

I booked my flight a few weeks ago and then promptly forgot about all the work that goes into going to India--I need clothes to wear during the day, comfy shoes with a heel so as to not get dirt on my feet all day, presents, underwear (I'm listing this as I forgot to pack this on my way to Dallas, sigh), snacks for the plane, books for the plane, books for reading there, 4 different lipglosses/lipstick, and well, you get the picture.

Now, in case you ever go to India (or anywhere east of Europe, really), the following are the most requested gifts:

1) Bath & Body Works lotion; key to your sanity: do not ask them what scents they like. They will say flowers and that is not helpful at all. Take whatever you want and prepare to be annoyed for the next 10 years when you get requests for the purple one you brought the first time but can no longer remember what that is and you're pretty sure it's discontinued anyway because you got it during the 75% sale/from the outlet.

2) Clothes from the GAP: The Gap is to India what The House of Dior is to the US. They go crazy for it. Crazy. Seriously, take it and prepare to be hugged. (If you can find clothing from the Gap that does not say Made in India/Pakistan/Bangladesh/Sri Lanka, you get bonus points.)

3) Candy: Nothing special, but these brands are more popular than other brands. Starbursts, Hershey's Kisses, Peanut M&M's, Gummi bears.

4) Bengay: This is like crack in India. Be prepared to bring 5 tubes and still not have enough. Also see: Advil.

5) Advil: If Bengay is the crack of India, this is the unadultered good-stuff cocaine. Free consulting to Wyeth: start selling this in India. Apparently Indian pain medication does not work nearly as well, despite having (I kid you not) the exact same active ingredients.

6) Corelle: Man, will your family/friends love you. (Also, did you know how to spell corelle--I did not and found folding tables instead when I googled correll.) Anyway, this chip and break resistant dishware is super popular. And no joke--my mom has had this Corelle set for the past 20 years.