More Elephants

I'm telling you elephants are now a part of my normal life. It's the second wave of weddings for the year. This means bands, fireworks, horses, carriages and ELEPHANTS!

I was kept up most of the night by the loud bands and fireworks. I finally fell asleep about 3 or 4 in the morning. I'm so glad I didn't have to be up early though I was hoping to get some things done before my Hindi class.

As I left to go to my Hindi class I encountered the remnants of the wedding. I walked toward the roundabout to catch an auto rickshaw when I saw the horses. Next to the white horses (they are always white) was the band which looked a bit ragged and then stood 2 elephants all painted for the occasion.

Of course, I didn't have my camera. It is the season, so I guess for you I will start carrying my camera. I wouldn't want you to start thinking I was just telling you a bunch of elephant stories. Don't want to become the girl who cried "Elephant!"

"Normal"

I was hanging out at a friend’s house yesterday and they had company. Their company was a newly arrived family. We started talking about the strange things that have become “normal.”

Two stories included elephants. When did elephants become “normal?” Apparently they are now. My friend shared about the time he got ran off the road because a small herd (4-5) of elephants walked out on the road and a bus had to swerve to miss them. Of course in the process of swerving to miss the elephants, the bus almost hit my friend…hence he got ran off the road.

My story happened on the way back from the Christmas market. Sounds pretty “normal” until you pull up to a stop light and the only think you can see are elephant legs. I need to point out that these roads are not in rural village areas. I’m talking about downtown metropolitan city with 20 million or so people. It would be like being in any major city in the US driving along on any interstate and these things happen.

The other thing that came up is how there are specific people to do every minor little job possible. Really. I need new curtain rod holders. There is a specific person to do that. I can’t just go into a hardware store and buy them and do it myself. This is not the land of Lowe’s. Most people don’t even own a hammer. I can’t even buy one. If I want a picture hung, I have to get the man who drills holes in wall. My walls are concrete/brick. Every little problem requires another type of fix it man. It’s customary to go through your landlord. My curtains fell last night b/c the curtain rod holders broke. I’m optimistic that it will only take a couple of weeks to get that fixed. Patience takes on a whole new meaning.

It’s interesting how one gets use to the never ending honking and monkeys running across the street along with the dogs. This is my “normal” now.

My New Flat

Since my picture uploaded in the reverse order, I will begin my tour from the back of the flat and work forwards.....

Here's the view from my back balcony. I think people thought I was spying when I was trying to get this shot. Sort of strange to take a picture of your neighbor's back porch=)


People are always interested in what the bathrooms are like over here. Here's what mine looks like.


This is the shower area.




Above the toilet is the hot water heater which I'm actually using again.



Here's the actual shower. Hand held one this time. This was a negotiating point when discussing the rent. There wasn't a shower in either bathroom. This was the compromise. I'm still looking for a thing to attach to the wall. That was sort of forgotten about in the chaos of shifting.




This is what it looks like on the other side of the toilet.



Here's my bedroom. You can see the door going out to the balcony. The door to the bathroom is next to the blue shelves. Right outside of the bathroom/or right next to it is my wardrobe and some shelves I bought along with my furniture. My bed is covered in the stuff I was gathering to take on my trip.



This is my guest room/office/hope to be my roommate's room/storage for things I don't know where to put/work space for my house help. Still need to get a desk and a chair and some extra beds.





Here's the second bathroom. My house help is very grateful for the wash machine because it means she doesn't have to wash my clothes by hand. You can't really tell but there is a toilet on one side and a sink on the other side of the wash machine. There are faucets similar to the other bathroom on the opposite wall.

The Kitchen



Here's what the stoves are like. The red thing is my gas cylinder. You can see the blue tube which connects it to the stove. It's much like a glorified camping stove.

Here's the living room...



This is where I eat my meals, study, and do work.




People have asked about my reference to pumping water. We do not have 24/7 running water. Twice a day (crossing our fingers) water comes and we must pump our tank full. This meter lets me know when the water comes and how much water I have. The adventurous part of this system is hoping that you have water coming when you also have electricity. The other fun thing is that water usually comes at odd hours like 3 or 4 in the morning. But it also comes sometime in the late afternoon/early evening which works if you are at home.


Welcome! Here's my front door.

Here's the view from the front balcony.

This is also where the kids liked to hide and throw firecrackers at you (or each other) during festival season.

I like my new place. My landlords are great and so are my neighbors. The flat has great air circulation which will be nice when it's hot. It's also very bright and open. It gives me just enough space without being too much. The space is flexible in the sense that I have an extra room which can be for guests or a roommate. I have enough space to host people. It's just what I wanted and needed.

More B-day Fun!

Here's the lovely cake that was set ablaze in the video I posted. It has my Hindi name, Karishma, as well as my nickname. Karishma means miracle and was given to me by a friend on my 2nd visit to the Motherland.




This is my language helper, Zarina, and me outside her home. Her mom is hiding behind us along with some sister-cousins.


Zarina presenting her gift.





This is my choti bhai (little brother), Rizwan. He's quite the dancer.




Here's Naniji (Zarina's maternal grandmother) getting down.


My language helper.


This is Zarina's sister-cousin, Tabassum. She made me the cute 3D card below. The little girls are here sisters. The little sisters made the smaller 3D card and gave me flowers. Together all three sisters gave me a pair of ear rings and a necklace.





The blue shawl was given to me by my Latino amigas!







One of the uncle's (the above mentioned sisters' dad) wanted to get in on the celebration and put up these lights for me. The other uncle decided to rent a sound system so we could have music to dance to. It was a complete family affair. All the neighbors turned out to watch.





Zarina's mom (who I call Didi, big sister) gave me a very interesting gift. It's sort of a good luck wish for what she hopes to happen sooner than later.

Happy Birthday!

Here's a video of my birthday party at my language helper's house.

The Season of Festivals

Eid ul-Fitr

Eid Mubarak! Which is followed by a warm embrace is what you will observe today. It is Eid ul-Fitr, the last day of Ramadan or Ramzaan as it is known in South Asia. Everywhere you look you will see Muslim people in new clothes greeting each other and visiting each others’ houses. It is not only for Muslims, but others will visit their friends on this day and enjoy a massive feast. It is also a day to give zakat, offerings to the poor. For a month now Muslims have been fasting from sunrise to sunset asking for forgiveness. Last night was Laylat al-Qadr, the night of power when the Prophet Mohammed received the Holy Qur’an.

For more information on this season, please check out these links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_ul-Fitr

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan

The Nine Nights: Navratri

Navratri, meaning nine nights, is the Hindu festival of worship and dance of the Shakti/Devi, or Mother Goddess. During these nine nights the nine different forms of the Mother Goddess are worshiped. Depending on the location the different forms vary. Where I am, the celebration begins with the Durga Puja. Durga, as known as Kali, is known to be fierce and powerful. Her name means “the inaccessible or invincible one”. She is the consort of Shiva. To see an image of the Mother Goddess, check out this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durga. This year Navrati runs September 20-28.

For more information on this festival, please see the link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navratri

Dussehra

The Navratri leads up to the festival of Dussehra. To understand Dussehra one should be familiar with the epic poem The Ramayana.

This epic poem tells the story of Lord Ram and his wife Sita. It is the story which portrays the perfect marriage and ideal brotherhood. Lord Ram and his wife Sita are exiled to the forest. During the exile, Sita is kidnapped by the demon-king Ravana and taken to Lanka. In a fierce battle, Lord Ram defeats and kills Ravana. Dussehra commemorates Lord Ram’s victory over Ravana. On this day, images of Ravana are burnt is a bonfire sort of ritual. This year Dussehra is September 28^th.

For more information, see the sites below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vijayadashami

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramayana

Diwali

The time between Dussehra and Diwali is considered to be the most auspicious time of the year. Diwali marks the return of Lord Ram and Sita to their home, Ayodhya. It is commemorated by lighting diyas, small clay oil lamps, which symbolize the victory of good over evil. This is why Diwali is known as the Festival of Lights. The lamps are also said to attract the Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Diwali is known as a time of prosperity and is a season of gift giving. This year Diwali is October 17^th.

For more info, see the site below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwali

Independence Day

Today we are celebrating India's 63 years of independence. Especially compared to yesterday, Krishna's birthday, it has been a very quiet day. It seems that they celebrate independence in much the same way as they achieved it...peaceful.

I did learn the reason that I've seen so many kites this week has been because of Independence Day. The kite symbolizes independence and freedom. Today the sky was full of kites. It was a beautiful site. I did also learned that only boys fly kites here. I must say there is some irony in this fact and how it reflects the culture.

All the shops were closed. Only restaurants were open. Honestly, most of the nationals stayed in and enjoyed a day of rest. It was mainly the expats that were out and about.

Here are two links for you to read more information if the history of how India gained its independence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_independence_movement

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(India)

Happy Birthday Lord Krishna!

That's what everyone was saying yesterday as they decorated their houses and set off fireworks. There were parades through different neighborhoods where images of Krishna were carried through the streets. People lined up to worship Krishna. Pujas (worship) were being given in temples and in tents set up for the occasion. It made for some fun sights to see and a lot of new experiences to take place.

Lord Krishna is an incarnation or avatar of Lord Vishnu. Vishnu is part of the Hindu Trinity and is the lord of sustaining life. Most women and young girls love Krishna. He is easily recognized as his skin is blue. There are many stories of his love for the milkmaid Radha. Women long to be loved as Krishna loved Radha. Krishna is known for being mischievous and flirty.

They call this day Krishna Janmashtami.

For more information check out this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna_Janmashtami

Raksha Bandhan: Brother’s Day

Yesterday (Wednesday) was the day that the relationship between brothers and sisters are honored and celebrated. Sisters travel long distances just to honor their brother(s) by tying the Rakhi on their wrist. The Rakhi is a band of threads that symbolizes the unique and strong bond between brothers and sisters.

In return, the brother(s) are to present gifts to their sisters. This made me think of those men in my life who are like my brothers.

The obvious one is my brother-in-law, Ryan. He’s just a great guy. I’m glad he’s a part of my family. I love the way he loves my sister. He’s thoughtful and creative. His girls just adore him.

The closest thing I have to a brother is my friend Dale. Our relationship is very much like a brother and sister. We have a unique understanding of each other but we also pick on each other and fight like siblings. His poor wife has to always sit between us to make sure we behave.

Then there are my other brothers who have shown me great respect and care throughout the years. I am honored to call them my friends….Chris F., Darren C., John E., Paul HP., Wes C., Aaron G., Cini, Sagar, Michael F., Travis J., Andy K., James W., Ben B., Chris R., Chris C., David T., Carlos M., Jeff A., just to name a few.

For a girl who doesn’t have any biological brothers, God made sure to give me men in my life to fill that role. Being in a culture where a women’s identity/reputation comes from the men in her family and extended family, I must say I miss having my brothers around to defend my reputation and offer protection and covering. I am thankful for all of you and especially the ones who are in country with me. Your presence (or absence) is not taken for granted.

Happy Raksha Bandhan!

For more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raksha_Bandhan

FYI: The swastika is a symbol of unity used in South Asia long before Hitler distorted it's meaning.