A taste of Bollywood...

These are the most popular songs of the moment. I am going to assume so because they come on the radio all the time... Enjoy!

We’ve been adopted, had a date with Gandhi, experienced segregation, and partied all Sunday long...

So the title may be a little controversial, but it really captures the nature of the past week... btw- I apologize for including so much in ONE post. Our persistent internet problems have really put me behind.
Last Saturday, Meli and I visited Rajghat (the final resting place of Gandhi), the Gandhi National Museum, and Lodi Garden (a garden that houses the tombs of past rulers). At Rajghat, the experience was surreal. It’s hard to explain what I felt in standing in front of Gandhi’s resting place. It was overwhelming feeling of melancholy mixed with inspiration. In silence, everyone bowed...it was as if our collective prayers fueled the flame that kindled over his remains and provided a portal for his energy and spirit to be timeless. I lifted a silent prayer in his name and bowed as I stepped away. This reflection process continued through our visit to the we Gandhi National Museum. It was not fancy by any definition, but it was filled with posters that highlighted his speeches, artifacts that he owned, and the clothing he wore on the day of his assassination. As P. Diddy put it, “what a life to take... but I know he’s still living his life, after death” (“I’ll be missing you” by P.Diddy). His energy and passion were felt at Rajghat and throughout the museum- there is no doubt his spirit remains.

This was followed by a visit to Lodi Garden. In brief, we saw couples sitting on benches, underneath trees, next to ponds, on the stairs... PDA everywhere! (for those who don’t know, PDA means public display of affection). The masjid (mosque) and tombs where gorgeous and I was amazed at how preserved they were despite the fact that people visit on a daily basis.

Fast forwarding through the week, items of note: we were without internet (allegedly someone stole a cable-I didn't buy the story lol), we finally figured out that the yellow and gray box that looks like a radio from the 70s is a generator, Laxmi’s cooking saved our lives, and I heard the familiar sounds of reggueton and hiphop coming from an adjacent neighborhood (perhaps a wedding or street party that, of course, we were not invited to).

Oh yes! So Meli and I were adopted by Dadaji (grandpa) and Dadiji (grandma)! Considering that our internet was out, we visited the local cafe which we expected to open at 10am (as advertised)... this wasn’t the case. While we waited for the shopkeeper, we were approached by an elderly man, Joe Dadaji, who said that we reminded him of his grandchildren. In conversation we explained that we were without internet and that we are in India working with Maitri. He immediately celebrated our volunteerism and offered his wi-fi. “You can use the internet and meet granny- I am sure she would love to meet you” he said. I looked to Melissa getting ready to accept the offer and then the shopkeeper arrived. We thanked Dadaji for his offer and promised to visit him later. After using the internet for an hour (charge is 60 rupees per hour or USD $1.30), we had some time to spare before we met the internet technician so we decided to visit the grandparents. :) Our visit was delightful. Dadaji was very curious about our origins, the nature of work, and he was amazed that two “little women” (he meant it in a loving way) would be so entrepreneurial. We got to know each other, exchanged contact information, and got our palms read over tea. Meli said I was glowing after this experience... I love viejitos (the elderly) and feeling like I have a little family away from home.

On Saturday, we visited the Red Fort in Chandhni Chowk (Old Delhi). Well, only the exterior. We would have entered the fort to get the full experience, but like most places here, there are two quotas: one for Indian Citizens and another for Foreigners (usually 200 or 300 rupees more than the rate for nationals). Considering that Meli and I didn’t want to pay 250 a pop, we decided to forgo this experience and visit the Red Fort again later with an Indian friend. :) The most exciting thing about this trip was the metro-- I have to say that it was better than the DC metro. They have a “women’s only” section which at first I was leery about, but then understood the value of it when I noticed that women were much more sociable and relaxed when in the company of other women. During our ride we met two lovely young women who insisted that we squish and make room for everyone, a PhD student/university Professor examining feminism in India, and laughed coyly at a couple of men who after standing awkwardly in the women's car decided to walk to the back where the rest of the men gathered.

Last but not least, on Sunday we returned to Aashriwad to celebrate the General’s birthday... without him! lol (That's how they do here... you ain't gotta be present to have your birthday celebrated) It was great! We socialized with the elderly, meet cute-little-miss Punam (Resham’s daughter), ate some cake, had a traditional south Indian lunch, and then rode home in a race car (it’s not really a race car, but every time the peyas drive, it feels as though we are in a fierce competition).

I have officially surrendered to India...

Namaste!

ps. our internet was finally fixed! :)

India in focus...

DISCLAIMER: I would like to preface that these are my PERSONAL observations

1. PDA is most common between males who are close friends or family (it is common to see men holding hands/pinkies or with an arm around each other’s shoulder)
2. Homosexuality was punishable by law until 2009 (Section 337, a British inheritance dating back to the 1800s)
3. Bartering is the only way to survive markets
4. According to Mr. Jolly-Sir the 3 Indian pass times are: cricket, Bollywood, and marriage
5. Car owners, mainly men, wake up early to clean their cars
6. Indian food is fantastic! Paneer is my favorite.
7. Parks are common place for courtship among young couples
8. McDonalds, Pizza Hut, KFC, Dominoes Pizza, Subway, and Taco Bell have a presence in India 9. Produce is mad cheap
10. India produces 52 varieties of mango
11. 50% of the world’s mangoes come from India
12. Toe rings symbolize marriage. Some women wear as many toe rigs as they have children
13. Vegetarianism is the norm (I very much enjoy it)
14. It is common for movie starts to be elected into office- people strongly attach to their acting roles as "saviors", so they take a leap of faith by voting for them
15. According to Mr. Jolly-Sir the 3 issues facing India are: overpopulation, corruption, and poverty
16. Smiling in pictures is not a common practice (I tried the straight face in one of my pictures, you know, to fit in, and I looked like I was going to murder someone. I will leave this practice to the people of India and those with softer, natural facial expressions)
17. Rickshaw drivers are notorious for: 1) refusing to use the meter, 2) smoking while driving, 3) suggesting or driving you to businesses that pay them a commission in exchange for new customers, 4) taking naps in their autos, and 5) being incredibly reliable
18. Honking is a sign of courtesy to pedestrians and other drivers (one day a car passed me without honking and I was personally offended. Doesn’t he care about my safety? lol)
19. The people have mixed reviews on my ability to pass as an Indian woman
20. The people are beautiful
21. A normal work day starts at 10am and ends at 5ish
22. There is a general belief that Americans are too neurotic about time
23. I have not spotted any clocks around the office
24. Milk is sold in sealed, plastic bags
25. White people are considered a spectacle; Indians enjoy taking pictures of them
26. Verbal “thank yous” are an anomaly
27. Curd is eaten after every meal (helps cut down the oil and the spices- very good for the digestive system)
28. Homemade chai tea is amazing!
29. People are very giving and caring (every time the Maitri children are given a snack, they insist that Meli and I take one. THE ROUTINE: Someone offers a banana we say “no thank you!” The children say “Ma’am please!”
30. Sunday is a casual day (everything is OPEN!)
31. I have only seen a handful of women driving cars, small motorcycles, and riding bikes
32. I have yet to see a snake charmer
33. Head-bobbing is an important non-verbal cue (a single bob to the right means yes or understood)
34. The caste system is outlawed, but its influence remains
35. Advertisement is fraught with images of White men and women OR Indian men and women of light complexion
36. I have not seen anyone with braces
37. Meli is the best roommate and the most appropriate person to share this experience with
38. Coffeehouse does not equal wi-fi
39. Coffee does not equal US idea of coffee (here, coffee is regularly served with milk and is blended)
40. Unless you’re at a market or a bus stop around the time school is out, women are a rare sight
41. Birds are held in the utmost regard by Hindus
42. Cold showers during the summer are the BEST
43. People are baffled by the fact that we don't have rice for lunch and dinner on a daily basis
44. People sweep constantly
45. Flatulence is nothing to be embarrassed about
46. People advise against eating mango until after June 1st
47. The metro has a "women's only" section- the only time I have favored segregation lol ... the metro gets packed
48. I rarely know what time it is
49. Drinking age is 25
50. Driving age is 18
51. Anu & Baby are the coolest little people I've met (they are the two students I tutor/mentor at the Maitri Tutorial Center). It is difficult to communicate due to the language barrier, but I do my best to illustrate ideas with pictures and using non-verbal communication. Usually they try to teach me Hindi. :) In fact, yesterday they set aside the "English book", picked up a "Hindi book", read me a story, and had me repeat every word they said. A beautiful role reversal. All I could gather about the story was that Abu and Laxmi were going to school on a rickshaw. hehe

My chubbies never felt so humbled...

As you know, eating is a personal pastime that I do exceptionally well, if I do say so myself. Typically I eat every two hours, almost on the dot. I am notorious for lugging around snacks and "everything a person could possibly need." Since my arrival to India, I have discontinued this eating pattern. On one hand because there is a limited selection of trusted, healthy foods (besides fruits and veggies) and on the other because it can be expensive to sustain such a diet. During my shift today, around 3:30pm, I began to feel very weak and dizzy. My first hypothesis was "I must be dehydrated"... but after some thought, I realized that I have been drinking a good amount of water (which is awesome considering that I am not very good at it). My second hypothesis was "it must be the temperature of the room"... but then I felt the gust of the spinning fan (btw- spinning fans kinda freak me out. Idk why I often imagine them coming unhinged and slicing my pinky off... dorky, I know). Then, aided by my chubbies and a growling tummy, I came up with what seemed to be the most accurate hypothesis "I must be hungry." I was indeed hungry. I started thinking about what I had eaten since waking up at 6:30am.

• 7am Breakfast: one banana, 4 scoops of plain yogurt, and 1 slice of multigrain toast with peanut butter and mango jam (7am)

• 10am Homemade Chai Tea courtesy of Jagir-peya (peya means brother)

• 1pm Lunch: approximately four spoons of white rice, three spoons of beans, and a few potato slices
  

As I began thinking about the rumble in my tummy, I remembered an experience I had yesterday while visiting Maitrigram (a center that offers vocational training and empowerment programs to women living in the slums). In route to the center, we passed Som Vihar. “Hey, there’s our place!” I exclaimed. We didn't travel much further before I realized that a slum was located a few blocks from the apartment. With poverty and struggle as my neighbors, I couldn't help but feel undeserving of my unearned privilege. I eat at the table, and my neighbors, well, if they eat at all, they do so on the dusty floor.

My thought was interrupted as I felt a jerk from turning right into the neighborhood. Immediately, my eyes were overwhelmed by he sight of people who lined both sides of the street-- as people would at a wedding expecting the bride and groom to come out of the church, except here, the people, would expect nothing but traffic. Women, men, and children crowded underneath the shading of trees and under tarps to soften the rigidity of the sun. Many used newspaper as mats and beds. A few feet from an abandoned security post, we pulled onto the unpaved walkway which at that moment became our parking lot. Exiting the car, I saw a little boy, around age 5, who was running up and down a narrow walkway between slum homes holding a short stick to which he had attached a small, white plastic bag. As he picked up speed, the bag would inflate the way an air balloon would in preparation for flight... this was his toy. We walked straight onto the walkway where the boy was. We were surrounded by homes as tall as myself with tarps and metal sheets as roofing and curtains as doors. Some were painted blue and others were the color of cement. Down an intersecting walkway came an 8 year old boy who was riding an old tricycle with flat tires. Moments later he was joined by a shoeless little girl, of age 3 or 4, who came out from behind a curtain in an off-pink dress. Despite her "boy cut" hair, she had enough hair to wear a little pony tail that spread like a palm tree over her head. I followed her with my eyes as she traversed a puddle of dirty water with her bare feet. A wave of curious children fell upon us wondering what we were doing.

“Let’s go!” Said Mr. Jolly-Sir. “We are having problems with the lock, but we will come again, soon!” We didn't get a chance to see Maitrigram or to play with the children, but I hope we will on our next trip.

In walking back to the car, I witnessed of a group of people filling buckets and bottles with water of the color green that was emerging from a street well (for lack of better terms- it was just a hole in the street). I wondered “Is that for drinking?”

Recalling this experience, made my hunger feel so trivial considering that it was not related to food insecurity (lack of access), as many experience in India and around the globe. All of a sudden eating every two hours as I accustomed felt snobby and inappropriate. It struck me that for some of us thinness and weigh loss are a conscious choice or genetic trait, while for others it’s an imposed and undesired state. In counting my blessings, my Abuelita Lupe’s voice replays in my head reminding me to be grateful for everything I have, for the meals that I have not deserved or needed, and to remember the hungry when I am being wasteful.

It was humbling to feel hungry. I am blessed to have the income to purchase the food that I need and it was so painful to think that others cannot do the same when their tummies start to rumble.

I apologize for the disorganized writing. As of now, my chubbies, heart, and mind are having a conference on hunger.... more to come.