link to VIDEO! rickshaw ride

the best i could do for now was a link. i guess a zillion other people have done videos on rickshaws too. mine sucks in comparison, but i still think i am pretty cool.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6021819130524607303&q=rickshaw+ride+delhi&total=44&start=10&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=8

i would love to know who is checking the blog out. many many people have the address...please don't hesitate to post a comment. you don't need to set up an account anymore to do so. would love to hear from you!
xoxo

mmmm.

the head nod. it looks like the head is going to just roll over and drop off. it means, yes mamm, or ok, or, i suppose so. it is a very indian thing i guess. you can't really understand it until you see it.

life is great. things are getting easier by the day. i decided yesterday that i needed to continue asking questions, but take the answers very loosely. everyone has their own interpretation of living in delhi. some people have decided to let other people do more of the everyday chores for them. while jatin does my cleaning, i have still decided to do my shopping, so that i get a feel for the city. thin and i decided tonight over dinner that next year we would volunteer to come a week early and help the new hires with everything.

my shipment was just silly. i can find everything i need here, for sure. it definitely takes more work, no target or anything close to it. you can see on my pictures the market that i have been to several times already, khan market. it has everything. you just need to look. fabindia is a fabulous place for textiles. they have beautiful comforters and table linens. cannot wait to start decorating.

the more i comfortable the more i really start to see. like in the bathroom just now, i saw a little gecko running on the ground. i'm sure they've been around. just haven't seen them yet.

school is great too. haven't quite thought about anything there outside of the alloted time, little by little. i got my satelite tv installed yesterday. watched the birdcage last night. just got some water and diet coke delivered.

off to bed now. check out the pics!
http://picasaweb.google.com/rebeccagalvan/July2007
xoxo

monkeys

monkeys are crazy. i was walking to school this morning and saw a family of at least 10 monkeys walking across rajdoop marg. a few had baby monkeys on their backs and they were just trotting across the street. i got some pics. sorry, please be patient, they will take a few weeks to upload.

spent the morning in meetings. then went out for lunch and to the market. I LOVE THE MARKET. it was quite nice. i have now moved from instant to brewed coffee. yippEE! i bought a coffee pot and some indian coffee. amazing how little things make it feel so much like home. the market is an acquired liking. i presume that once you know where things are, and who to talk to, life becomes quite easy here. already amazing how less stress there is in a daily life, even despite the daily challenges.

i hired jatin to help me with the housework. he works upstairs for my neighbor anju and her family. today we had incomunicato parts I and II. he speaks hindi, i speak english. oh, it is very interesting. he bought some cleaning supplies and really does amazing work. i could speak at length about hiring help in india, it has its own customs and procedures.

after the market and unloading my goods i showered up and went back to school to the director's house for TGIF. hallelujah. international teachers like happy hour as much as i do. catered snacks and bartenders. they really know how to do it up here!

tomorrow we have a tour of delhi! yes! can't wait.
hasta pronto.
xoxo

home!

travel this link if you want to see where i am living. i actually life west of rajdoop marg in the circle that looks like a triangle...
http://www.google.com/maps?q=New+Delhi,+Delhi,+India&sa=X&oi=map&ct=title,
thanks dad!

call me, cheap!

https://www.relianceindiacall.com/
check out this website if you are thinking about becoming a frequent caller. frequent callers rock!

feeling much better;. just went out to a nicer restaurant than i would go to in the states. the smokehouse grill. nummy risotto. braved a salad too. my stomach should start little by little adjusting to india i believe.

ok, off to bed.
xoxo

my big tv is small!

51 inch must mean 51 centimeters.

day two

day two started a little rocky. my apartment has some indian intricacies that i am still learning about, immensely. my apartment (and most of delhi) loses electricity at several times a day, so it takes a few minutes for my inverter to kick in. the time between energy loss and the inverter is passed with many beeps, which drove me to partial craziness last night. lack of sleep and newness was the cause for my grump. on top of that i got lost on the way to school today. figures. i found myself at the chinese embassy. hmm. that wasn;t right? people were very helpful on the street and helped me soon find my destination. nonetheless i arrived at my meeting late, and quite sweaty. the heat, again, is significant.

today we toured campus, had 'how to' and 'who to' meetings, and spent a lot of time walking around in herds. we ate lunch at school, and then i went to the middle school meeting. my schedule is quite interesting. i teach 3 classes at the middle school, in 2 different classrooms, every other day. my other two classes will be at the high school on the even days. we are on a 8 period block schedule. confusing, indeed.

most of my day i found myself choking back tears. everyone seems to really find normalcy in everything and i am not there yet. the balance between new city, new apt., and new school is overwhelming, expected of course.

after all meetings i ran into maureen, who will share spanish at the middle school and her classroom with me...i introduced her to my neighborhood, and she helped me find my way home. amazing that it took me 3 minutes to get home and about 25 to get there this morning.

i think i am going to take a nap now. rohit, rachael canter's boyfriend, is coming to pick me up at 8 for dinner and drinks. i am excited to get out of the neighborhood and see more of delhi. my neighborhood is wonderful and i am excited to explore more.

amazing how i feel very less-abled i in this situation. ion. AES makes everything so simple for us that you almost begin to feel like you aren't capable of doing things on your own. this is leading to my frustrations as well. i bet it doesn't make a whole lot of sense in writing either.

i am looking forward to meeting the regular staff, and of course, getting my access card to the commissary. i haven't even attempted to buy food yet. again, my lack of ableness feelings.

i can't even explain what a treat it is to get online and communicate. it is, at this point, my saving grace. a place to try and communicate what goes through my head everyday.

as always, hope this finds you well.
xoxo

is toliet paper really expensive?

ok. day one. am i really in india? the driver picked me up this morning, not until after poonam showed up inquiring about employment however, and took me to the director's house for the new hire breakfast. very nice. he lives on campus, which is about 4 blocks from my house in malcha marg. malcha marg is the name of the neighborhood and the biggest street that runs through it. i live on B street. we toured the INCREDIBLE campus and had some long informative sessions. yawn. everyone is a little jet lagged. we went to lunch at the embassy. note to self: NO CAMARAs in the embassy. after that we went to khan market: a conglomoration of everything you would find at freddies, split up into about 1000 little stores. it's crazy, i heard jay-z in the passport photo place, you need passport photos for everything in this international loop. then i got dropped of here at B8 MM. ran out of toliet paper, hence my first trip to 'the market.' lots of people. lots of little stores. after scanning all my options i turned around and went back to the first stall, the garg store. i am not yet assertive enough and had about 5 people jump ahead of me. ah, the patience begins. mr. garg was very nice, asked if i lived in MM and told me that he could, in the future, deliver anything i needed. not quite sure about that. his toliet paper was very expensive. i think i got ultrapulsh tp.

it's so hot here. hot and humid. brow sweat within seconds of leaving my apt. but everything is very lush. i have a fabulous garden out front. i suppose i have a gardener that is charging his hours as we speak. so many many things to find out.

it's dinner time here, i will cook the lasagna that was left in my fridge for me. then i think i need a harry potter fix, and a good night sleep.

the pic is the plaque on my door and my front patio.

baskets on the wall!

hey everyone. i got here yesterday. met tons of great people on the plane ride over and was greeted with a lovely, fragrant garland. i am living off campus, big surprise, in a neighborhood called malcha marc (sp.?) in the diplomatic enclave of delhi. i am about 4 blocks from campus. my apartment is RAD. it is huge! 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, living room, dining room, front green space and back cement porch. big kitchen too. i have wireless in my apt. very handy! and the couches are ORANGE. it couldn't be more perfect. no baskets on the ceiling...no real weirdness at all. i am thrilled. i will email more later with my new address, phone numbers etc.
all my love!!

where's waldo?

i leave tomorrow. who knew it would come so fast? i just finished packing up all my stuff...i am prepared to spend several minutes tomorrow stuffing extra stuff i find in every last inch of my bags. note to self, check and make sure the handle in the suitcase works before you pack. woops. at least there will be someone to help me at the airport! today was filled with many many questions. basically my brain is a little numb, still not quite sure about a lot of things that i will find. ah, the glory of travel and new places! that's me in my american embassy school polo shirt that i will wear to the airport tomorrow. there will be at least 10 other new hires in chicago with the same shirt on. where's waldo? next blog...INDIA!!! xoxo

packrat, that is me~

after two long weeks in mexico with 10 middle schoolers (sigh) i made it back to portland in one piece (kind of). we jumped in the car, literally, and started the long haul home. i think we made record time! we left on sunday at 11am and pulled into milwaukee on tuesday at 6pm just in time for summerfest fun!
the last week has been a whirlwind. it's hurry up and see everyone before you go mode. it's kinda exhausting.
the movers came today to survey my upcoming move. 48 cft is smaller than it would seem...i have to start making some decisions about what to leave behind, and where to leave it also! i had to go through my closet and throw away years upon years of stuff i left here. packrat, that is me~
so tata for now, hasta pronto