This is why people wonder why I don't have a TV...

Slums and Satellite TV
or cable for that matter...

Thank you to my friend who took this photo and then posted it on his blog:

http://ben-hereinindia.blogspot.com/

Monday Musings

Last night I mindlessly watched the beginning of Season 5 of FRIENDS. As I was watching a wedding started just below my back balcony. I had to put the subtitles on because I was having a hard time hearing the show=) Promptly at 11pm as per community associate rules, the wedding ended...yeah! I tried to go to sleep...but that didn't happen. So, I did my Xmas shopping online.

I dozed off to sleep about 1:20 this morning. I woke up about 7:30 all bright eyed and bushy tailed. Of course, Mondays are my days off...so of course I can't sleep in. I got up and put the coffee on to percolate. I made myself a cup when it was ready and snuggled up with some good words. About 8:45ish I got ready and set up my computer to play my exercise DVD. It was actually refreshing. Then came the question...did I have enough water to take a shower and do laundry...hmmm...ok, so I left the hair unwashed. I checked the meter again. Ok, maybe just one load...YES! coloreds are done...now, let's see if I can get the whites in. Of course, with some water to spare.

As I listen to the machine tumble and rumble I look ahead at this weeks assignments and download the necessary documents and bookmark websites but the actual work can wait till tomorrow. Then I read through some of my favorite blogs. I've never loved Monday sooo much.

I do need to drill those past tense verbs before class tomorrow...but class isn't until 1:30...I've got plenty of time. I'm just thankful the power has stayed on all morning. Usually with the kind of rain we are having today we would have lost it for most of the day.

I broke my rule and ordered McD's. I will either have some of my pasta salad I made yesterday for dinner or make some stir fry...ah, probably will save that for Wednesday. I get to buy a printer/copier/ scanner on Wednesday. Looking forward to that and having lunch with a friend. Though I am also doing another friend a favor and taking her passport in for her visa for her her trip next month. That should be an adventure.

A Day as a Eunuch

Yes, you are reading the title correctly. And no, I have not had a sex change.

It all started when I opened my bank account. When my profile was entered into the computer system they made a mistake and marked that I was Mr. and not Ms. This seems like something simple to correct, but 18 months later I'm still Mr.

I had to get this corrected my profile so that when my bank statements were printed for income tax return it would be correct. The first attempt I made at changing my gender, I was told that I had to produce proof that I was not married. Now, you probably are wondering how one does that but after living here, I am aware of ways to do that and I'm not willing to go there.

When I went into the bank the other day I needed my bank statements printed, my address changed and the Mr. changed to Ms. The address was changed on the spot (after filling out the request for address change form of course) without any documents to verify this change (this is highly unusual) and the statements were printed after this change and a request form for printed bank statements was filled out.

There was still the issue of me being a Mr. The bank teller was in agreement of how this error could cause me great problems in accessing and managing my account. He wrote up a formal request asking for the Mr. to be changed to Ms. He too was chuckling at the absurdity of the situation. He had to go ask four different supervisors to approve this change and verify the process which was necessary to do so. It was concluded that a third party had to vouch that I was for sure and without a shadow of a doubt a Ms. and not a Mr. The bank teller said that he would act as the third party and vouch for my gender. (Thank goodness! Can you imagine having to ask someone to come to the bank to verify your gender!) One supervisor came over and asked him (in Hindi) how he could be certain that I was a Ms. and not a Mr. He responded (in Hindi), "Because she's sitting right in front of me." She looked up and exclaimed, "A mistake has surely been made!" duuuuuuuuuuuuh!

After all this I was notified that the request had to be sent to the central office and approved before the change could be made. It would take about 3 to 5 business days for that to happen. Finally, in 3 to 5 business days I will be a Ms. again and not a Mr.

As I was telling this story to a friend of mine, she suddenly became wide-eyed and gasped. "I know why they would question your gender here!" "Why?" I asked...."Because there are eunuchs here!" LOL! We both busted out laughing. It never occurred to me of that being an option.

Beck in the Big D

What can change in 3 months... A LOT!

First, I landed in the new terminal...wow! Really beats the old one. The traffic is same as usual...actually, not really...it's worse! It has to do with the weather (we are having a very wet & long monsoon) and construction for the upcoming Common Wealth Games in October. Also due to the games, there are new street lights and street signs. I have to chuckle at the signs because the proper names on the signs are not what the locals call the different roads for the most part. The venues for the games are almost finished...spectacular. ooh, ooh, they have fixed pricing for auto rickshaws now! The prices are higher (and fairer) but I don't have to fight with drivers anymore...Yippeee! WoooHooo! Turning cartwheels.

Things were immaculate in my flat. Only one problem, day 2 and something made something do something and power wasn't getting to my lights and fans...no bueno! It was fixed by day 4. All is nice and cool.

I've been going here and there to see friends and visit my favorite markets. Today I'm sitting in Choco la working on my online professional development courses. I enjoyed a nice croissant as an appetizer, then I had my favorite tomato basil tart for lunch. But to my horror, they no longer make their caramel tart=( That's worse than finding out the cafe by my language school no longer serves my favorite pasta, bummer.

I had a great first Hindi lesson. I was complimented on my pronunciation. I found out that this letter I thought I was not pronouncing correctly and was effecting my pronunciation of 2 words in particular actually had nothing to do with the letter but a missed placed vowel in each of the words! Those "ah" ke matras get you every time=)

I'm slowly getting back into routine and getting a schedule going. It's only Wednesday, here's to hoping the rest of the week is as good as the beginning.

Back in Texas Part 2

I’ve been writing this but not able to publish it…let’s pick back up with my trip to Missouri...”The Show Me State!”

I was very excited to visit some good friends who live just outside of KC. It was a good week of nothing. I just hung out and learned about their life and schedule. That’s one thing I enjoyed about being home…I now have a picture of what everyday looks like for my family and friends at this moment in time. For some, it’s about the same. But for others, their lives have changes in significant ways.

These friends had a new addition shortly before I left. It was great to get to meet this little guy. I was surprised that his older sister still remembered me. She was still so young when I left. I have to give her parents credit on keeping me in their conversations and skype calls and pictures for that.

One of the highlights for me was getting to eat KC BBQ. I’m from TX. I’m a Texas snob about a lot of things, but when it comes to BBQ I like it all. I really loved KC BBQ. The sauce and slaw mix was very tasty. I still need to go to the Carolinas and Memphis and try their versions out before I make a final decision. But I must admit, KC BBQ is leading at the moment=)

I also just got some girl time with my friend. I know that was good for both if us. I cooked some Indian food for them which didn’t turn out too bad. I made aloo gobi (potato cauliflower) which is becoming a specialty of mine. I also made bhindi masala (okra with spicy tomato sauce). This time I used frozen okra and well…it was very slimy. I know now to stick to the fresh veggies. I also had a fun evening with the kids while the parents had date night. All in all it was a good vacation.

Before moving on, I almost forgot...4th of July!

Papa and Nani smooching @ the fireworks

Just wanted to sneak in a pic of one of our dogs...Dakota...love this dog!

This is what we eat for Independence Day...ribs baby!

Let’s see…after KC….my mind is blank of the order but here’s a summary:

Nani's b-day (yes, that's what we call her...never knew it was a Hindi word)

I made my mom her favorite dessert....coconut cream pie (we made a double pie in a cake pan)

flowers we 3 girls gave her (church altar flowers)

I made (I think) 2 more trips to Waco. One for a beautiful wedding which I was thankful to be in attendance (love ya Mrs. Kemper). I also went to see my grandma one more time. They had shifted her to another room fit for a single person. It was so odd. Still working through the loss of my grandpa. I got to see another good friend and meet her son who is now one. I made a trip to Aggieland and had lunch with a friend and met her new boyfriend (shawn, you have my approval=). After lunch I went to see some long time friends and catch up after not seeing each other for several years. Other than that, I think the rest of the time was spent working on getting a visa and having lunch/dinner/coffee with various friends.

Mrs. Kemper=)

This is my family when I stay in Waco.

These are the boys I want my nieces to marry=)

These are the pets I wanted to smuggled in my suitcases and bring back with me.

Oh, yes! How could I forget. My sister and I took the girls to the Downtown Aquarium. It was soooooo much fun. We rode the Ferris Wheel, carousel, and the train which took you into a tunnel with sharks! We rode the rides and then walked through the aquarium and then rode the rides again before we left.

The shark train...cue Jaws theme music...

Petting sting rays...no animal was injured in this act nor was any child forced into touching the sea creature=)

I also had an interesting day at the mall with my sister and her girls and Chris (family friend) and his 4 girls. That’s 6 girls ranging in age from 5 to 13! That was a trip. The best part was watching Chris on his first ever trip to the mall with his girls.

@ the mall...she's wants a puppy so badly...

My sister and I also took the girls to see Ramona and Beezus. I loved these books as a kid and as a teacher they are part of my collection. Now the girls are hooked and we read them each night before bed. We will continue once a week over skype. So, yes, basically for the rest of the time I was spoiling my nieces. I also spent some good time with my godchildren. My friend and I called me holding my new godsons my baby therapy. Just before I returned, I got to go meet my nieces’ new teachers and see their new school.

More spoiling @ Build-A-Bear...or in this case Build-A-Jaguar and Build-A-Dog

SPA DAY for my nieces and the girls next door....

pedi-mani

Even hair and make-up!

THE NEW GODSONS!!!!

Time with friends...

Here's a pic of my little sis with her boat down at school before she left....I was very sad I didn't get to see her before I left again.

Thus, is the end of my trip back to Texas...until next time.

Disclaimer: If I forgot to mention something it is because I was able to do so much that I haven't been able to keep track of everything. I was pleasantly overwhelmed by the wonderful opportunities I had to meet up with people and their wonderful hospitality. Thank you!

Back in Texas

I thought I would share my reactions and thoughts upon returning to the States after being in India for 16 months.

The first thing I noticed was the organization. It actually annoyed me. There was empty space and it seemed odd and a bit wasteful. As I stood in lines I kept anticipating people to move in and fill in the gaps. They never did and I felt like we would never get anywhere like this.
Where I live there are about 18.4 million people…that’s about 24,000 people/sq mile. They know how to make the most of space.

The next thing that got me was the silence. It was soooo quiet it felt eerie….like in the movies when something bad is about to happen….that kind of feeling. I guess that doesn’t come just from being overseas. I grew up in a 3 bedroom house with one bathroom along with 7 other people on a regular basis. Sometimes that grew to 8, 10 or 14 on the holidays. Currently I’m staying in the house I grew up in and there have been as little as 5 people staying there to 10 people. Silence, space and privacy aren’t something I’m use to. Being in India takes me back to how I grew up as a kid. My college years (even in the dorm) and the years following were rare years of having my own room, my own bathroom, and sometimes my own apartment. I never had to share the bathroom with more than 4 people. In India I have a balance because my public life is crowded but I have my own place all to myself.

It has been the strangest thing to be able to brush my teeth in the tap water and drink it. It made me feel giddy at first but now it seems kind of gross.

The beds and pillows here are so soft. I have been spending extra time enjoying the coziness.

The first day I woke up to an odd sound that I couldn’t place…a lawnmower! I never noticed that they were missing until I heard it again.

Having unlimited access to Dr Pepper and Tex Mex has made it feel like Christmas has come early. I’m enjoying the sacredness of the cow. It is sacred here but just in a different way. The portions are killing me…well, maybe not killing me but definitely increasing my waistline.

Driving! It’s been an awesome experience to be behind the wheel again, especially in a truck. I definitely know I am back in Texas. I’ve had to make some adjustments even though I never drove in India. I’ve been a bit disoriented about which side of the street to drive on sometimes. I probably have seemed a bit rude to others as I have kindly butted my nose into any space I have wanted. Those darn lines…why do we drive between them. I am glad there are more rules here and people follow them but sometimes it does seem a bit excessive. I am thankful for the lack of honking. The lack of honking (noise in general) and people makes it feel like I’m living in a ghost town sometimes.

I walked out in front of a car in the parking lot and held up my hand….a little reminder: cars don’t respond to that here.

The first few times I went out to eat with my family I kept giving my dad my order and expecting him to order for me. He was gracious and kindly reminded me I could order for myself=) In India, usually if a man is present he orders for the entire table.

I tried to go swimming with my nieces and my sisters and couldn’t do it. I felt naked in shorts and a t-shirt. There wasn’t any way I was going to swim in front of men in public in just a swimsuit. I’ve been able to wear shorts in public since that moment but no less and not that often. I feel daring wearing Capri pants.

There are some things I appreciate having more choices…cereal, cheese, meat, food in general. Still too many choices give me anxiety and render me unable to make a decision. Good thing my mom has been great at giving me limited choices and changing them up so I can enjoy things without having to go and face the grocery store. I have to have an idea of what I want to eat before I go somewhere or I stare at the menu forever it seems like. I finally had to make a list of places I want to eat for when people ask me where I would like to go. Most things are overwhelming. My goodness, how many types of shampoo and toothpaste can there be! Don’t get me started about TV stations. I can never figure out what to watch. Good thing the World Cup is going on.

I greeted some Muslim people in their tradition greeting out of habit. The smiles that followed the shock were priceless.

I must say I have been disoriented and can’t tell time since I’ve been here. I never hear the call to prayer or temple bells or the sound of the man who picks up paper or sells fruit and/or veggies. I used to be punctual (actually always early) but now am habitually late or right on time. I keep thinking that life here moves way to fast. People expect to get way too much done in one day than they should. Why are stores open so early? People go to bed so early here. I like the late nights and not so early mornings back in India.

I’m enjoying being back around Hispanic and African-American culture. It makes me very happy. I also can’t get enough Country Music. We certainly do have our own culture here and I miss some of that.

Believe it or not I miss bucket baths and bathrooms that can be totally covered in water. I have burnt my hand with the hot water on multiple occasions. Not use to having an actual cold water-hot water system.

I must say the best part of being back here is the weather. Yes, it has hit 100 F (38 C) and the humidity has made the heat index 105 F (41 C) but it hasn’t hit 116 F (47C)—yet. That’s what August is for. By then I hope to be back to post-monsoon weather. Here I have unlimited A/C. The power hasn’t gone off once. I don’t have to worry about pumping my water or there being a water shortage. WooHoo! I get to leave my A/Ced house and get in my A/Ced car and go into the A/C ed store. It’s going to be rough going back. I must admit that most of the time I’m freezing my butt off here in all this A/C.

What’s coming back to Texas during hurricane season and not having one hit? Thank you Alex for the nice rains from your outer bands which have cooled things off a bit.

It was an unexpected thing to be here but I’m glad I have been. A week after I arrived at my parents’ my grandpa (dada-paternal) died. I hadn’t had a chance to see him. It was a good thing for me to be here. I know my family was glad that I was here as well.

I spent two weeks up in Waco visiting friends. I got to hold my two new twin godsons and hang out with the other three as well. I’ve been spending time with family this week. My little sister just left on her skills cruise. I won’t see her before I leave. That was bittersweet to take her to the Island for her departure.





I’m heading back to Central Texas to meet up with other friends who are visiting from out of state. Then I’m off to Missouri to visit some other friends. By then I hope to have what I need to return to my job.

the flower girl....

India is a land of stark contrasts...paradoxes on every corner. It's a place where the rich and poor cannot avoid each other. I encounter/interact/engage with street children on a regular basis whether by choice or not. I've had some difficult interacts but this past week I had a very positive interaction with a street girl.

She was selling roses. Her name is Lakme. She wore a beautiful yet wore and dirty dress which had bright yellow and blue flowers printed on it. Her hair was short, dark and matted with dirt. Lakme's eye's were big and intense and they still had a twinkle of hope and innocence in them. She asked if I wanted to buy a flower. I told her I didn't want any but asked her what her name was. She smiled and told me then showed me where her name was tattooed on her arm. Then I told her how beautiful she was and how nice her dress looked on her. She smiled. I asked Lakme how old she was...8. I said that my niece was also 8 and she giggled and her smile grew bigger. Then she reached into her bundle of roses and picked one out. Lakme handed it to me and said it was a gift for me and then she disappeared.

I think I met an angel in disguise.

Inspiration...

A good friend of mine inspires me almost on a regular basis. She is able to capture things in her art, photos, and words which I cannot. She is a true artist...heart & soul. She also finds the greatest things and shares them. I appreciate her for who she is and allowing herself to be a blessing to others by using her work to raise attention to important issues such as slavery and human trafficking. I love her heart for the neglected and abused. She's a beautiful person trying her best to be transformed to be more like her Creator.

You can check at her blog here: http://simplediva.blogspot.com/

She recently posted this on FB and it really sums up where I feel I am at in my spiritual journey.

Thanks Sarah Ro! Love ya babe! mwah!

Patient Trust In Ourselves & The Slow Work Of God

By Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are all, quite naturally,
impatient in everything to reach the end
without delay.
We should like to skip
the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being
on the way to something unknown,
something new,
and yet it is the law of all progress
that is made by passing through
some stages of instability-
and that it may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you.
Your ideas mature gradually –
let them grow,
let them shape themselves,
without undue haste.
Don't try to force them on,
as though you could be today
what time (that is to say, grace and
circumstances acting on your own good will)
will make you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new spirit
gradually forming within you will be.
Give our Lord the benefit of believing
that his hand is leading you
and accept the anxiety of
feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.

Another ride thru the city...

I couldn't get this to load on the other entry, but here it is. Enjoy the ride!

My new godsons....

Random pics of my life...

These are my favorite flowers here.

I felt adventurous and was low on cash so I asked my language helper to become my beautician.

First, she dyed my hair. No more grey! (my hair has gotten so grey since coming here. when i put my hair up in a ponytail my hair looks completely gray. i don't really care but here random women were commenting about it on the street and in the market. it's actually that culturally inappropriate!)


Then I asked her to cut my hair! Yes, I've lost my mind. She's never done steps (layers) before. I assured her it would grow back and I could always go get someone else to fix it. She did great! (even with the below audience jeering her the entire time)




To finish it off, I got my eyebrows threaded...


The Common Wealth Games are coming here in October, so there is a lot of construction going on. This is one of the stadiums they are building.



Sai Baba of Shiridi is a very popular guru. Here's a temple in his honor. For more info see... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sai_Baba_of_Shirdi

This is THE Sai Baba...not the one who people know in the States (you know the guy with the big bushy hair dressed in orange).


Since my language helper is Muslim, I am usually at their house during at least one if not two of the prayer times. His a picture of Naniji doing her daily prayers.



You might have heard me talk about the fog (sorry, I mean smog) here. This is my street in the middle of the day...


Here's a video that will give you a taste of what it's like to take a ride in an auto rickshaw through town.