Landscapers

I've mentioned before the lines of people you see doing manual labor.  Here are the landscaping ladies in their sari uniforms, sweeping up the grass clippings at Sula's resort.  At least they had a mechanical lawnmower.

Weight loss

Shama's weight loss tips:  Sleep on your stomach for 10 or 15 minutes in the morning.  Apparently her doctor recommended this after her c-section 18 years ago?  Drink hot water.  I only know this as a Jewish remedy for nausea.  And nausea seems like it could be an asset to weight loss.

One of the things I wanted to do while on this sabbatical thing was lose some weight.  I'm embarrassed to say I don't feel like it's been going well.  I have been working out regularly when not sick, but I've been sick a lot.  I think I also expected to walk more, which isn't always practical here.  And let's face it, I'm pretty lazy.  I also really like food.  Haven't really curbed that at all, but am glad there are no Taco Bells for Boaz to suggest deliciously, shamefully unhealthy food.  But McDonald's delivers.  Sigh.

It isn't all bad news.  Progress is being made, apparently.  To refer to the situation as 'muffin top' might be an understatement, but I did get myself into the pants I wore on our first date almost 3 years ago.  So there's that.  Maybe it's safe to unpack the scale now.

How India Sees the World

(Click to biggify)

Conversation with a Nigerian expat

I recently got my first reader e-mail.  Exciting in and of itself, but she also turns out to be a Nigerian studying in Jaipur, Rajasthan.  We've been e-mailing a bit and I've found it really fascinating.  She was kind enough to let me post parts of our conversation here.

J:  Hey, I'm J, saw ur blog:  "who ran away with her bf to India" thats really funny.  I'm a student in Jaipur so if u ever come to Jaipur maybe we could meet and just say.  I've been here for almost a year and I totally agree with u on every thing.  Incredible India!  :)

S:  Thanks for writing!  That sounds cheezy, but  I'm really glad that you did.  I  know more than just my friends and family read the blog, but it's a great mystery who they are and where they come from and just wonderful to hear a stranger is enjoying it. 

I don't know a lot about Nigeria.  Since moving to India I read a lot more about the developing world.  One of the founders of Tech Crunch spent some time there and had a lot of interesting posts about it (http://techcrunch.com/tag/nigeria/).  How does the infrastructure compare (electricity, internet, roads)?

J:  About Education, what ur saying makes alot of sense.

But honestly, there is no place like home.  I discovered in India u have to pay for electricity as u use it but back home u just pay monthly no matter hw much u use.  Internet, when I left abt 2 years ago was very dull and except u had enough money pay for internet u ur home u'll hv to go to cybercafes.  But right now almost all my class mates are on facebook, my teachers neighbours, etc so I guess its improved alot...trust me.  Roads are same but the governor of the state I'm from is trying his best with traffic lights and less potholes.

I think everything is getting better back home but the kind of news I hear of Nigerians here just makes all the good seem bad and like nothing's worth it.  Thats why they "sent us here" to experience a culture other than ours and bring back something to develop the nation.  But no matter what I prefer Nigeria to the Indian food, mentality(the way they think) and reception of foreigners.  Remember there isn't a perfect place on earth.

I'll tell u a story of what my pastor went through when he first came to India.
Here it goes.....

Travel minutiae

Planning a selfish weekend getaway to a local vineyard, wrapped in the guise of a surprise for the Manboy, I've encountered an interesting travel reality/feature in India.  The destination is (hopefully) less than 4 hours away by car.  Of course we don't have a car, nor do I want to rent one and drive myself.  Obvious solution: I'm hiring a service. 

But do we have to keep the driver for the whole weekend, or will he drive back and forth?  If the former, do we have to put him up at our destination?  It turns out 'bedding' your maid or driver is part of the hotel service.  Yes, they actually called it 'bedding'.  And imagine taking your maid to a hotel!  It is too much.  I want to say 'Only in India', but this is probably common in many other places too.  You guys, I am so not coming back.

Arindam Chaudhuri sues the Caravan, Google, ect.

In making an actual list of the articles I read about India, I realized I was not reading any Indian publications.  Ever since I've been making a point to seek them out.  One of my favorites, The Caravan, along with Google India, Penguin Books, and  the author of the article, Sidddartha Deb, is being sued by IIPM .  Here is their press release about it.  I'm honestly very upset about the whole thing, but it is a fascinating conflagration of issues. 

Firstly the Caravan is great and I have to admit I've had a hard time finding Indian publications I like.  Arundhati Roy talks about some of the problems (sensationalism, corporatization, censorship, lack of integrity, whathaveyou) with the Indian media in an interview at Guernica (another fine publication, but not Indian).  I don't feel qualified to pass judgement on these matters.  I don't like say the Oregonian much or any American TV news either.

Although the plaintiff and The Caravan are located in Delhi, the suit was filed in Silchar, Assam (and they have used the same tactic in similar suits).  That is just bizarre and seems like a gross abuse of the justice system.  What, they've got a judge in their pocket in Silchar?  And they'll just be allowed to file wherever they want?  That is messed up.  An injunction has already been issued and The Caravan has taken down the original article (but you can read it here).  And corruption scores another point. 

There's been a lot of chatter lately about new internet regulations here.  I'm afraid I haven't been following it much.  But the fact that Google is included in this suit and individual bloggers in previous ones, highlights that some of the new regulations will make censorship even easier in India.  Media Nama has good coverage of these topics, in particular this post calling out some of the more troubling language in the new legislation.

I hope people get all riled up over this stuff.  But it's also funny that I am so up in arms about it.  One interesting side effect of moving to another country may be a renewed interest in politics and what not.  I was pretty cynical about all these issues back home and didn't pay a lot of attention.  I haven't been burnt out by the futility of the machine here yet.  Or maybe it's more about India being a developing country and there really is more opportunity to shape things.  Either way, it's welcome.

So go post about this nonsense on Facebook.  Make jokes at Arindam Chaudhuri's expense on twitter or at least read them and have a chuckle.

Price comparison addendum - veterinary care

I pointed out before that medicine is wicked cheap here by US standards.  This doesn't carry over into cat medicines.  I figured the cat had fleas.  I was using flea powder for a bit, but didn't know when she was due and figured flea killing agents on nipples that tiny babies  keep in their mouths was a bad idea.  So they've really got fleas now.  And this is very likely how Cat got tapeworms!  I especially love the little, wriggly egg sacks that get deposited on the guest bed.  (We'll be replacing the mattress pad after this.  Please don't be disinclined to visit!  We like visitors!)  So off to the vet for better flea treatment and worming medicine - Rs. 400.  Or $10.  Still less than at home I guess, but I was kind of surprised.

India guidebooks

I read three of these I think, but only remember two specifically, Wanderlust and Lipstick: For Women Travelling in India and India - Culture Smart!: the essential guide to customs and culture.  These are both generally about visiting India, not about Pune or moving permanently.

Maybe because Brij is Indian or I'd read enough about India online already, but I didn't find either of these helpful.  There are some very short anecdotes from travellers in Wonderlust that were enjoyable to read, but otherwise I found these books very superficial.  I also haven't spent any time in rural India, which I'm sure is a totally different experience.

Some specific peeves.  Both books suggest that women not make eye contact or small talk with strange Indian men.  Yes, sex is quite under wraps here and that can create some weird tension.  Baywatch and other American media has pretty well gone and sullied our reputation almost everywhere.  We'll just overlook the fact that Bollywood's got a lot of skin and booty shakin' and unarranged romance.  Be aware of that, dress modestly, but don't be rude.  I smile and nod at people I pass in my neighborhood, make small talk with rickshaw drivers, ask strangers for directions and nobody has ever mistaken that for a sexual advance.  Hopefully you travel for more of an experience than just looking at things from a distance.  Indians are on a whole friendly, inquisitive people and there's very, very little violent crime.  You know, except for all that communal violence...  But I'm not part of those communities (Hindu, Muslim, Dalit, upper caste, etc.).

And about how to dress.  A common piece of advice is to look around and dress like the most conservative woman you see.  That's not bad advice, but it cramps my style.  In my experience the more affluent and westernized women are not walking around on the street.  They are in cars, malls, restaurants, etc.  You may blend in more at the open market in a Punjabi dress, if a white chick in ethnic clothing counts as blending more than contradiction.  But as soon as you're inside the swank mall or at a party with modern Indian women, you'll stick out like a very sore thumb.  Jeans and a kurta is a nice compromise.

Interpret the ambiguous head wobble as the answer you want.  That almost always works.  Be polite, use common sense, and go with the flow.  Don't drink the water or eat at an empty restaurant.  Pack assuming you won't be able to buy whatever you need easily.  This isn't always true, but it does make things easier.  Most Indians are not my size/shape and miming diarrhea is embarrassing.  If you want a better understanding of where folks are coming from, read In Spite of the Gods.  Get a travel book on the specific place you are  going.  Find out what holidays are going on when you travel, but be particularly cautious in crowds.  There, you don't need to read these all purpose India travel books now.

Mosquito bat

Good things to know about the totally awesome mosquito bat:

It is darn cheap.  I plan to get one for every room in the house.

It is darn satisfying.  I love killing mosquitoes.  This week we have some fruit flies.  It kills them too!

If you are wearing leggings  (they are good to work out in, shut up), it will not shock you through them.  You can rub that bat all over yourself in a fit of bug paranoia.

It holds a charge for AGES.  I plugged it in overnight as recommended, and it held its charge for like a month.

You cannot actually kill all the mosquitoes with it.  It is a sad reality to face.  As empowered as you feel bringing down all those bugs with a loud snap and bright spark, there are always more.

At first you will want to touch it.  I can't recommend or discourage this, as I haven't tried it.  This went away after killing some number of bugs, but the urge is coming back.  If I succumb and shock myself with it, you'll be the first to know.  If you've already done this, please post your story in the comments.

Maybe that was obvious

I'm beginning to think that if you have sensitive skin and abhor heat, India isn't the best place to move!  I know, I'm a genius.  I've handled it so much better than I expected that I don't consider it a big deal, but I am surprised at some of the presentations.

The rainy season has kicked in.  The humidity isn't exactly comfortable in some ways.  It feels warmer than it is, but is so dramatically cooler as to more than make up for it.  I welcome the humidity with joy.  Even though the laundry takes forever to dry and my hair always looks kind of weird (can I blame that on humidity?) and there are more bugs and we're all sweating more.  But it should be the end of all my problems.

I find my troubles fascinating.  That's a requirement for having a blog, right?  My fingertips were like paper; dry with little creases, tiny bubbles would sometimes form and break only on the very surface, my fingerprints were shallower.  Much longer and I could have been a spy!  'Cause  I wouldn't have had any fingerprints!  ...  Anyway, the change in weather has brought back pretty normal, supple fingertips for me.  I had some rough patches of skin various places too.  Most lotions are downright ineffective, but Mom brought me several Costco sized bottles of my preferred lotion that fixed that right up.  Pedicures are now mandatory. 

Today I discovered a whole new weird skin thing.  I think it is Miliaria Crystallina, a form of prickly heat/sweat rash.  A little spray of super tiny, clear blisters that don't itch or hurt or anything.  It just looks like I have some dew drops on my arm.  In the time it has taken me to identify them and write this, they are already almost gone.  They were probably kicked off by my new, more intense workout routine.

Should I show you a picture?  Of course I took a picture.  I also take pictures of my more horrifying looking mosquito bites.  It's an unflattering picture of a nearly unidentifiable part of my arm and you may not want to look at my weird skin problems, so I'll put it after the jump.  I'm not  sure the picture is even very good.  I took it with my cell phone and it emphasizes what I think is pretty normal white chick pink blotchiness, but you can see the dew drops too.

Gardening

Along with the rain came an explosion of weeds in our totally neglected little back yard.  Believe it or not there were actually a few sad looking rosebushes under all this.

I finally bought some plants and did some weeding.   The surprisingly helpful rickshaw driver and maid concur that I paid far too much.  But I haven't stopped feeling $10 for the 9 plants and a big clay pot is pretty reasonable.  

I was hoping to get some herbs and vegetables too.  The nursery purveyor looked at me like I had some kind of illness as I mimed eating plants.

Paid somebody else to do the heavier pruning nonsense, weed the scary corner and soon to extend the flowerbed all along the fence.  Did you know a lot of bugs live outside?  True story.

Now we just need to decide whether to re-sod the whole yard or pave it or what.  It's mostly dirt without all those weeds.

Electricity

I sometimes, very casually, wonder about basic infrastructure in India.  In the States when your power goes out it is usually a physical problem that a human has to come out and fix.  Most of the outages we experience here are really short.  I cannot imagine there is a system in place in India to monitor local power in real time.  (Is that a thing?  Compstat for the power grid?  It must be.)  I cannot imagine people are calling the power company to report it.  I really, really cannot imagine the Indian power company has teams at the ready to promptly address any problems. 

I'm obviously pretty ignorant about the nuts and bolts of power delivery systems.  
What is it that puts the power out anyway?  Does where you live matter?  Do hospitals and schools get  better response times and whatnot, exceptions from rolling blackouts?  Should we just get a generator?  Why do our fans make more noise when they are running on battery?

I thought the hot season would bring the worst of the power failures.  What with all those A/Cs running.  I was wrong.  The rainy season is the worst.  The power goes out every day now, several times a day, for much longer than ever before.  That's not the worst though.  A power outage is alright.  It's a bummer to lose the internet and the air conditioning, but we have a battery back up.  And it powers essentials like the fridge, ceiling fans, some of the lights, and one lone outlet.  Now we seem to be getting reduced power from the grid - not low enough to kick on the batteries, but not strong enough to fully power the fridge, A/C, DSL modem, or incandescent bulbs. 

I had reckoned halogen fixtures were the norm because they are cheap, but they also don't pulse and fade in a half-powered moment.  Which is annoying, really annoying.  I may be easily annoyed.  It's the little things I miss.  Like not feeling as though I'm showering in a cheap motel as a train goes by in a bad horror flick. 

Useful services in Pune (and beyond)

One of the harder things to adjust to here is not being able to use the internet to find shops, restaurants, services, etc.  For a country that's always in the news for its booming IT sector, the average Indian and average business here just plain doesn't use the internet.  I'm glad that hasn't translated to a doorstep piled high with YellowPage type directories.  Fortunately there is JustDial.  It doesn't have much in the way of reviews or detailed information about products and services, but is nontheless a vital resource.

Do you like having things delivered?  Then you would probably like India.  Using JustDial of course, I found a pet shop in my neighborhood.  I called to confirm that they had cat supplies (dog supplies are more common) and to get better details about where they are located (addresses aren't always that helpful here).  But instead of getting that information, they asked what I wanted and delivered it to my door within the hour.  The wine shop, the small local grocer, probably just about everybody will deliver.

Including just about any restaurant.  (Not the Hard Rock Cafe, no sir, they are too good for that.)  You may have difficulty taking advantage of this if you don't speak Marathi or Hindi though.  I've been told by more than one neighborhood restaurant that they don't take English orders, even though it seems like a list of food shouldn't be that hard.  YumKing to the rescue!  We love, love, love this service.  There are a fair number of Pune restaurants on the site and it's very easy to use.  It only shows you restaurants that deliver to your area, warns you if they aren't open at the moment, and delivery is free!  McDonald's has online ordering too, but that is more like a curse than a blessing.

We also love BigFlix, which is available in several cities throughout India.  It is pretty much just like NetFlix.  Major differences being:  the suggestion algorithm, if there is an algorithm at all, is not very sophisticated; there is some streaming, but not of English titles; they tried to emulate NetFlix I think, but the  second icon that looks like it will add a movie to the top of your queue, adds it to the bottom just like the normal 'add to queue' icon; I hear they have brick and mortar stores too; they hand deliver and pick up your movies the very next day.

More bugs

Living in Pune tip:  Don't leave your porch light on overnight unless you really like bees.

That's a pretty blurry photo, huh?  It was a hurried shot, as I was sure they would wake up and swarm me any second.

Bee stings are one of those things that can grow mythic in the anticipation.  I was old enough the last time I was stung that it wasn't traumatic.  I recall gaining some perspective from the experience.  But it's also been long enough now that, on a basal level, I'm just positive I would die of pain.

Monsoon

 
I think the rainy season officially kicked off yesterday.  There was thunder, lightning, wind and power outages all day.  Then it rained all afternoon and all night.  The change in temperature is really dramatic.  It's been close to 100 degrees all day for months.  It wouldn't even really cool down in the evening.  Early morning was the only pleasant time of day to my PNW-raised, heat averse body.  Last night felt blissfully cool at just under  80.

Indianisms, from useful to hilarious

Prepone - Like postpone, but to have a meeting earlier rather than later.
Upgradation - To upgrade, obviously.
Do the needful and the same - "Here's the form.  Please do the needful at your earliest convenience and return the same."
Contest - To run in an election.
Intimated - Contacted personally.  "You will be intimated by customer service shortly."
Haan - Pronounced like a nasal ha, it means 'yes'.  Usually 'haan, haan, haan'.  Okay, okay, okay.  Acha, acha, acha.
Bas or ho gaya - Enough.
Chelo - Let's go.
Peg - A shot of liquor.
Coolers - Sunglasses.
Cousin-brother and cousin-sister -  Just being gender specific, I think.  There are a lot of these compound familial relation descriptors.
Eck, do, teen - One, two, three.  You don't really need to know more than that, do you?
Lakh and crore - Hundred thousand and ten million, respectively.  "You totally want to have like one crore of his babies."
Double/triple - As in 'our phone number is 8408271 tripple 9' (that is not our number).  Or 'No, see in this case is spelled s double e.'
Only - Along with its usual meaning, used instead of 'just' and often at the end of the sentence.  "How's the concert so far?"  "I don't know.  I got here only."
Gymming - Going to the gym.  "You look great.  Have you been gymming?"
Mugging - To memorize.
To pass out - To graduate. 
Rubber - Some of them are really just British English.  Like duster for blackboard eraser and shift for moving house.  When the students ask me for a rubber, I'm pretty sure they want an eraser and not a condom.

The firang

I noticed that in talking about our trip to Lucknow and Delhi and the wedding, I didn't talk a lot about how people react to the obvious foreigner.  I must be more self conscious about my reactions to their reactions than I am at being the center of attention.  Now that's saying something.

We stayed at a hotel on a busy road in Lucknow.  Sometimes we stood outside to wait for one of Brij's eminently gracious family to pick us up.  Passersby on foot, bicycle and motorized vehicle alike would slow down to look at us.  I've adjusted to lingering looks and whathaveyou in Pune, but I still noticed that it was more pronounced in Lucknow.

My greatest fears realized

Okay, I'm exaggerating again.

I had two major fears about coming to India and they may seem trivial because they kind of are.  Those fears were of paralyzing heat and bugs.  Part of the reason these were my topmost fears is that I didn't think there was much I could to do about them and I can't see getting anything in return for coping with them.  Running away to another country without a job or anything?  Scary, or wildly irresponsible, but I get to live  in India!  Witnessing incredible poverty, animals that aren't cared for and whathaveyou?  Hard, but character building, right?  Plus sometimes I get to help and that is awesome.

So I was scared of bugs and heat.  The heat has turned out to be bearable.  It affects my activities, but I'm not dying or anything.  I don't think I've even seen a cockroach.  If I am particularly brutalized by mosquitoes in a short period of time, I do go a little whacko.  That's mostly unfortunate for Boaz.  The spiders are especially scary because they all jump, but there aren't a lot of them.

There weren't a lot of them.

More cat antics

The cat really doesn't like using the litter box.  This hasn't been a problem per se, even though she can only go outside when I open the door for her.  That is until one night when I had eaten something bad.  I threw up a bunch and slept much longer than usual.  The cat opened the window to the roof and climbed to the ground from 3 stories up!

Alright, Cat, let's make a deal.  I will leave the door to the office open a little so you can use that window.  But you have to promise not to spray in there and hope that the electric mosquito destroyer machine protects the rest of the house from vampiric marauders.

She agreed.  And then she decided a little box full of cds and books in the mountain of partially unpacked miscellany in the office was the best place to keep the kitten.  Silly Cat.

My first Indian wedding!

One of the women that works at the education center, Swati, generously invited me to her wedding.

You can barely see her here surrounded by, oh, about 30 women in a room the size of a big closet.  Having trouble getting shots of the bride will be a theme for the evening.