friends

have you ever met someone that you thought would be a fabulous person to hang out with? recently i've been thinking a lot about friendship in adulthood. it's one of those things that no one ever told you about or warned you about. up until now every friend has a pretty solid grouping: there are the "grew up together friends," the "went to college together friends (aka got really drunk together friends)," the "portland" friends. and now, i suppose i have my "expat friends." i find myself super blessed because many of my friends (YOU) actually fit into a few of those categories.
so, a little bit more about these "expat friends..."
at this stage in my life i'm suprised at how many people i find myself having a [very platonic] crush on. people who i wish i could be friends with, but really it'd just never work out. instead we pass each other at parties and make the common small talk. They become the "Haven't seen you in ages friends" or the "We ReALLY should hang out sometime friends."

then there are the friends that you'd never, in a million years, think that you would be hanging out with, let's call them the "isn't this funny friends?"and then i also have the "omg, thank god you're here too friends"

friends are truly the vein of my existence (i don't think lays potato chips count here). they've supported me here and in all the steps of getting here beyond what you could ever formulaically produce in some "how to" book. they showed me that no specific friend or friends, especially at this stage in the game, are the end all be all, but together they make up part of that bigger picture, the feeling at the end of the day that you are loved and for lack of better way to say it, that people like you. can you tell i'm nostalgic?

i just spent a fabulous weekend with friends doing random "just friends". i'm truly blessed to be surrounded by such good people this holiday season!

empty nests

i woke up this morning concerned about what my visitors were eating for breakfast. was there enough food? could they find the coffee? but when i modestly put on my nightgown and walked out to the living room my next thought was that no one came home last night. oh my, where could my dad have stayed out all night. It truly took about 3 minutes of walking around to realize that no one was here any more, and i was alone in the nest, again.

i love having visitors, but it truly wipes me out. since living here, i've realized how much i love planning other people's travel, and i love taking care of them. it's particularly useful here in india where everything takes ridiculous loads of effort.

my dad and becky's liking of india far exceeded my expectations. they really came in running and never really stopped. if jet lag affected them, i'd never know...they were probably awake more than i was:) the last few days of their journey they hung out with charlie (eamon's sis) and explored parts of delhi that i have never seen!

we had a great dinner on becky and charlie's last night at a place called Park Beluchi.


the same day they left, my dad went to pushkar with my friends gene and chris. i met him there on saturday morning with my friend kate. we spend 2 very colorful days in pushkar. it was incredible. i keep saying how seamless the trip was, because honestly NO TRIP in india has gone that well for me. perhaps it was because someone else found the hotel? perhaps i was so worried that everyone was ok that i didn't realize it sucked? or maybe just one time in this crazy country the stars alligned for me and my father:) and india just worked....

**kachunk, katchunk. the power just switched over. i have no idea what that means, but that's how is sounds**

pushkar, in midwestern rajhastan, is where teh annual camel fair takes place. people walk there camels from all over in hopes of a sale. the fair coincides with a religious festival as well. pushkar is home to the india's only brahma temple...i've posted some info below if you are intrigued.
here are some pics from the trip.



it's been a great weekend so far (despite this morning's scare). went with some friends to see quatum solice last night. i forgot how nice that ONE mall in delhi is:) was also fascinated by the m.a.c. makeup store's indian line...not that i wear make up or anything. but it had fun packaging. then last night i cleaned my bathroom. amazing how many toilitrees one person can really own.
this morning i vowed to start working out again, so i walked around the hood with my ipod, hit up the grocery store, and came home and was very domestic. i tended to my compost. eew. it's so nasty. there were so many larvae in there, it reminded me of my fruit fly project from 9th grade. but my plants are happy:). then i made some pesto with my garden basil and some gazpacho. i'm pretty impressed with myself.....i've also started packing for FLORIDA! that's right. i saved my professional development money for 2 years and my department and i are heading to orlando for the ACTFL conference. highlights? well surely all the great new teaching tools i'll see, but really the family who i will see on the way! get ready for pictures of mickey mouse, eloise and ian!
xoxo

hasta pronto!






IMPORTANCE: http://www.pushkar-camel-fair.com/about-pushkar.html Pushkar is among the five dhams or pilgrimages that are held in high esteem by Hindus, the others being Badrinath, Puri, Rameswaram, and Dwarka. It is said that in battle lord Brahma killed the demon Vajra Nabh with a lotus flower, whose petals floated down to earth and landed in three places in and around Pushkar where lakes sprang up. According to legends, Pushkar Lake was surrounded by 500 temples and 52 palaces (several rajas and maharajas maintained palaces here for pilgrimage) at one point. The Brahma temple is the most important temple here and is, in fact, the only Brahma temple of India. Pushkar Fair - Rituals and Traditions These five days are a period of relaxation and merry-making for the villagers, despite being the busiest for them, as this is one of the largest cattle fairs in the country. Animals, mainly camels, are brought from miles around. Trading is brisk as several thousand heads of cattle exchange hands. All the camels are cleaned, washed, adorned, some are interestingly shorn to form patterns, and special stalls are set up selling finery and jewelry for the camels. Camels at the Pushkar fair are decorated with great care. They wear jewelry of silver and beads. There are silver bells and bangles around their ankles that jingle-jangle when they walk. An interesting ritual is the piercing of a camel's nose.

amazing.

i half chuckled, half gritted my teeth on my taxi ride to school today reminicing of last night's amazing race. much to my surprise AXN is running the CURRENT programming of the amazing race, one day late of course. survivor too! now, if i could only get grey's.....ah. back to the story.

if you are a watcher- and you saw the amazing race this week-i must tell you- IT'S ALL TRUE. i had to call my buds here and tell them to turn it on so that i would have some people to laugh with. living here is THAT WEIRD. and THAT frustrating. and THAT dirty. so it looks like you got a peak into my life!

keeping my fingers crossed for presidential goodness tomorrow......

updates

i went to bed last night with great appreciation of the lie-in that would be this morning. i got up early to send dad and becky off to agra, and went back to bed. somehow i woke up feeling more unsettled than rested, amazing what a bad dream or two can do.

the last couple of weeks have been "full on" as eamon would say. charlie, eamon's sister, came into town last friday. we battled our way up to the train station on saturday morning (man, you DON"T want to be in a taxi accident in delhi) and went up to rishikesh/ himalayan river runners beach to spend the diwali holiday there. it was lovely, but also full on. the camp was filled for the first few days with 45 welsh kids on holiday. relaxing? nonetheless we managed to do LOTS of rafting. i have somewhat perfected the art of "GET DOWN" and holding on to the raft when it flips. diwali was welcomed on the beach with beautiful candles, and small fireworks. it was lovely.

on wednesday i headed back to delhi with mrs. chadda who is one of the more unique indians i've ever met. the train ride back was eventful. stories about that will come......
so my train arrived at 11pm. i got home at 12pm. dad and becky's flight was suppossed to arrive at 1:30am. it didn't. 4:15am bedtime followed by a 7am wake-up is ROUGH.

but the fun continued, dad and becky trucked all around delhi and met me at school in the pM. we went to ACSA for a drink, and then to Nizamuddin to watch a singing ritual that pays respect to Niza-muddin. My dad thought it was the most "in it" he's ever been. might have been something about the millions of people down narrow allies, the absense of shoes, and the little turban he was wearing....it was a trip

we finished the night with a meat fest at Karim's with some of my besties here.
and truly...the celebrations just continued on Friday with 2 halloween parties, and on saturday with LOTS of great shopping.

the house feels super quiet now that everyone is gone, but charlie returns tomorrow night, and dad and becky on wednesday night. everyone except my dad leaves on friday, when we will leave for the pushkar camel fair. whew.

things india.

laura and i were out shopping the other day, and after she dropped me off she called. " there's a huge elephant at the end of your street," well that is not something you hear everyday. so i grabbed my (dying) camera, and grabbed these shots.

It came towards me...
grabbed a snack....
and continued on its way....



continuing with other things india....my friend did dandiya again this year. look for october's 2007 post for a description of this very neat gujarati event.

the spectators: matt, jon pitales, laura pitale, doug, julie

camera is dead:-(

silver lining.

every cloud has one, right?
with the untimely cancellation of week without walls, i was quite disappointed. but now it looks like we will get a half day on friday! wahoo. i am trying to arrange a last minute trip to mumbai to visit my old colleagues Isabel and Tom, and their new baby margaux!! i'm excited.

bummers.

From our director...
"During my eight years here I have seen the walls go higher and wire placed on strategic places. Electronic gates with guards housed in booths with bullet proof glass have been added. Daily our buses are swabbed for evidence of explosives and we have a catastrophic crisis plan. We practice a drill called "Shelter in Place", which trains children to hide in the event a terrorist should gain access to the campus. Surveillance cameras surround the campus. Finally, we employ a private security firm, provide us with security audits of the campus as well as all our trips out of the city. We also hold monthly meetings with the Embassy RSO office. Eight years ago none of this was thought to be necessary but now it is essential. You expect it of us."

Sadly, our week without walls (WOW) trips in the middle school and the mini-courses in the high school have been canceled. Postponed til spring, but who really knows then. These trips have been in the makings for over a year, however with the current risks travelling in India poses, it's safer to be safe than sorry with over 500 students at risk.

Realistically, Delhi isn't as safe as it once was. I don't think I ever saw Delhi as a "safe" place, but I definitely didn't think twice about shopping in markets, or traveling on trains. The way I see it, once I do have to think twice, I might have to consider relocating.

This last week I've found myself questioning why? when? how?
It's unsettling.

assorted things birthday style

the shangri la-quite sunday brunch is quite impressive. from left to right: moi, doug, skye, matt, thinh, stacy, melinda and kate.

check out this rose piece in the lobby!

eamon came into town on monday night....
to celebrate the 28th year....i got roses, a grill....
and candle light dinner with champagne (flash is way too bright)

it was great. only 364 days til the next one!

yesterday.

yesterday i participated in delhi's first ever yogathon. this event kicked off our school's week of peace and compassion. the founder, meena, envisioned getting people together to send positive energy, peace, and compassion around the world. much like any other "thon" that i've done (oh wait, this is the first) we got t-shirts and lined up our yoga mats in the hall of peace in the middle school. we did some mindful meditation and my acapella group sang a lovely song about peace. the goal was 10 collective suryanamaskars (sun salutations) and many people aimed to do 108.

The Vedic system believes that 108 represent the universe or supreme. Lord Krishna had 108 gopis, there are 108 beads in Hindu rosary, there are 108 Upanishads, there are 108 holy places associated with Lord Vishnu (Divyadesams) and Sati’s body split into 108 pieces on hearing Daksha insulting her husband Lord Shiva. The list grows as we dig into scriptures. Then are some complex explanations to this too.

Knowing I had a big day, and that i'm no cardiovascular machine I aimed for 13, and ended up doing 14 (on each side) for a total of 28 for my age. a mela followed the yogathon....i'm very excited for mela season to begin.

i feel a little uncomfortable sharing spiriturality in the same room with 50+ people, mostly because i'm not sure i could really pinpoint my spirituality. but something happened in that room that followed with me. i had more patience for people yesterday, i smiled more, and i felt more content with myself. now that is truly something.


the positivity continued into the evening for a fabulous celebration of the upcoming 28th birthday. all of my favorite people came out to dance, drink and be merry. it was a marvelously cool evening, which lended itself well to an inside/outside party. it was such a great party and all of my india family was there. i'm really blessed to have come to such a great place with great people.

The "8" was already eaten (thanks for the cakes, maureen)

the whites, melissa and scott

the outside party

the kitchen party, funny how that always happens

what would i do without these two? thinh and laura tore up the dance floor!
end of the night, clearly. doesn't everyone end their parties with a little mariah sing along?


so to really end the weekend well, we went for a champagne brunch at the shangri-la. its my friend doug's birthday on tuesday...so we ate, drank and we merry.

What a weekend!

what a wild ride

it's been a crazy week. life went on as normal at school. thankfully none of the 1500 members of our school were hurt in the bomb blasts, nor were the attacks directed at foreigners. what most people don't understand about this terrorism is that, while the outside world surely influences the tensions, it really roots between two religious groups, muslim and hindu. but this religious war has claimed so many lives here in india in just the last 3 months that the danger is very present. sad. scary. but not in the respect that we walk around in fear, or even second guess trips to the market. the way i see it, if we do, they win. people have different takes on why the attacks take place...my indian colleagues have mentioned that whenever elections are coming these attacks happen.
nonetheless the terror has come "closer to home." the islamabad attacks, while in pakistan, really hit home in the respect that it is not unlikely for us to dine at a 5 star hotel, or at least get cocktails. so the thought that life is so fragile in that respect is scary.
i'm rambling.
i have a more uplifting post to come.

safe and sound

not like this would be the first place you'd check, but i am safe and sound.
bombs ripped through delhi today. i had been shopping in GK-1 this afternoon and left around 2:30. the bombs occured around 6. the mood around town is not scary, and life in our circles goes on as normal, so far.
much love

xoxo
b

photo pages

i've done some serious photo updating...including pics of my new flat.
click here, or look on the right side to "glimpse of india and beyond"
check out: bali, england, B124 Vasant Vihar


xoxo

becky is confused about bells

ever since the move to vasant vihar this summer my doorbell rings off the hook. it's particularly strange because for some reason i hear at least 3 different bells, and i have yet to figure out which is which. most times i walk out to my balcony, look over the side and yell 'hello' and there is no one there, so who the heck is ringing the bell?
other times, i look over and someone screams something up in hindi to me...."panee madam" it's funny, because i didn't order any of those big water jugs he has attached to his bike. oh india.

changing gears completely....i thought it worthy to mention my new found love for facebook. or shall i call it an obsession? yesterday i read about a friend's disdain of the social networking demon and could really identify with her argument that people of our generation are losing the beautiful art of conversation, and perhaps we should spend a little more time talking to each other, rather than reading about each other's lives online (or learning how to write sentences that don't last for 4 lines and 15 commas). true that kim. i hear ya. somehow, however, i am addicted. maybe it's my true voyeur coming out, or my grand feeling of isolation from everything america? whatever it is, i can't seem to get out now...and watching the numbers of my friends grow is strangely gratifying. like somehow now that i am friends with 90 people i never talked to in high school my life is better? hmm. strangely though, today a girl that i went to school with in traiguen, chile in 1996 found me on facebook...now that is impressive.

ah, the doorbell rings again....

i hate india days

they kind of catch you unexpectedly. you wake up feeling great, happy to have arrived at the weekend, and then, BOOM you hit the streets. yesterday i ventured out to a pilates class which is essentially in another city. it too FOREVER> not because it's far, but because of saturday mid morning traffic...logically, right? so it took about 35 minutes to travel about 10 km. and of course my auto took the heavily laden with street children route where i was confronted with at least 10 street kids. the trip home wasn't much better, i had an auto driver who decided to 'cut through' this shopping area/ parking lot/ street food eateries/ public toliets (remember, it is india) to try and beat the traffic. it took everything i had not to scream outloud and take my chances walking.
i boycotted india for the rest of the day until we went out to dinner......long story short i shoudn't wear heals in india, i skinned my knee. lovely.
lets see how india treats me today.

only in india...

rats, mmmm
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Rat_snacks_to_solve_food_crisis/articleshow/3362835.cms

no shirt, no shoes NO PROBLEM!/"welcome back, madam"

i'm home. that sounds weird. it is weird, who am i kidding? so. i'm back. and now, with a longer commute, i see more each day to write about. i've moved to vasant vihar. land of all the embassies that didn't fit in chanakyapuri, many expats, mcdonalds and a movie theatre. this place is as close to convenient as delhi gets. inconvenient only in the regards that it's about 7km to school, which is still relatively very close, barring traffic. i'm driving sometimes, but find that sitting and zoning in the back of a taxi or an auto is really a pleasure. today i took an auto. it's been unseasonably cool because of the marvelous rain and storms that pass through almost daily. at least during the monsoon you don't smell as much poo. so, back to ride home....i saw a few things that made me chuckle. the first was the cows that were completely blocking the other side of the road. just lounging about, probably laughing their butts off about the traffic mayhem they were causing. and the other was people waiting for buses. there was the "work" bus stop, with work dressed people waiting at it, there was the school bus stop with all the kids in their white uniforms and then there was one lone man at another bus stop with no shoes. this got me thinking about the policy for bus riders. i cannot believe there is a dress code, at least not for the bus that you have to run after, open the metal container and slip yourself into the sardine can for. i can only imagine the sign says no shirt, no shoes NO PROBLEM!
ah yes, i am back in delhi.
probably the best part of being back is being recognized by staff at school and acsa and even the taxi drivers "welcome back, madam" like i am famous or something!

i included a few pics from my bomb diggity trip to england for you. it was a fabulous 7 days with eamon, meeting his mom and sis, and seeing the countryside. eamon had the whole thing planned out like a proper tour guide. what a guy. we saw wicked in the west end, did the jump on jump off (or sleep if you're jetlagged) bus tour, toured the river, rode in the london eye, toured london tower(which doesn't "tower" over anything) and drank many pints. then we headed to cheshire to his mom's house in nantwich and had a fab. bday dinner for eamon, and finally we went to devon. MY FAVORITE. spent a few days on woolacombe beaches before heading to stonehenge on the way to the airport.

this post has been dedicated to april reynolds, for without her i would feel no pressure at all to post new things on this page. thanks for reading apes, who else is still committed?
xoxo
moi

ps. i am a working woman again. school started today. are you impressed, i still wrote!

13 flights, 15 beds and one killer sinus infection later....

yes indeed, it has been a wild ride.

i'm all packed up and ready (and a wee bit sad) to leave the good ole u s of a. from milwaukee to boulder to denver to minneapolis and madison this truly has been a fabulous summer. i got to see all but just a few of my favorite people, albeit quite short and very action packed. here are just a few of my pics from the trip.

snow cole represents: april, me, kristin, jules and rose

the bride herself : kim sagami verly!

the bay crew at the 4th: brooke, katie, olivia, beth, allie and i

the schedlers

my portland ladies: katie, me, kyle, margo, molly and mara

grandpa bill and me in his dodge caravan


thanks to everyone who gave me a bed to sleep in, an afternoon to lunch with or just welcomed me back like i had never left. i'm so blessed by incredible friends and family!
until next summer....

bali

i've been in bali for a week already, loving most minutes of it! i've met some great people, and have enjoyed being able to do or not do things as i please (then again, when don't i?)...some of the highlights thus far have been nusa lembongan. that little island was fabulous. i met some great people at my hotel, lots of solo travellers and a great couple from england who i did a little scooter excursion with. beautiful snorkelling and sunsets...and fabulous fish kabobs.
i've been in ubud for 3 days now, will stay for two more. went on an incredible eco-educational bike tour yesterday. biked downhill for 25 KM and then back up for 5KM. yeesh. my body woke me up screaming this morning...lots of aches and pains. but it was incredible to pedal through the rice fields and the small villages, high fiving the kids as we went.
i've done some great yoga an incredible yoga studio-the yoga barn. no other space will ever compare to this...
and i've also seem some phenomenal(running out of adjectives) balinese dances.
below are the pics:)
i'm off to plan my travel to the next place....seminyak or canggu...haven't decided yet.
much love!
b

sweet endings

in a year so much can happen. sometimes retrospect doesn't really do it justice...it's what the future starts to look like that helps you realize the growth. it's not only the expectations that you have acquired, nor the places you now couldn't imagine never visiting, nor the people you know you want to experience it with, what it is just that newer part of you that carries on.
school ends on thursday at noon and i can't wait. i'll be off to bali at 11 that night. my move will happen while i am gone, so when i get back, ill be in my new digs.


ill write from the southern hemisphere, and look forward to seeing you all in less than a month.
all my love

monsoon may?

it's been a crazy few weeks of storm and rain! for the last 2 weeks we have had crazy rains and storms every night with the exception of one or two. big booming thunder, crazy lightening and monsoon like rains. so has the monsoon arrived early? i am no expert to say. i do, however, kindly welcome the 75 degree rains. they are much more human than the 110 degree heat. happy rain.

so we have 5.5 days of school left. clearly, i am very busy today. i can't wait. patting myself on the back for making it through the year in india. it;s been an experience.

i am off to bali on the 29th...going to learn how to scuba and travel the island on my own. i'm excited for my first real solo travels, nervous too. i'll be back from bali and hopefully moved into my new apt., then I will head up near Mori Village to see Eamon at the Tons River camp.

On June 18th I head back to the states, just in time to see the beautious brides Allie and Kim get married.
And heads up all you PDX people. i bought my flight, expect trouble to roll in on the 5th of july and stay through the 12th!

All the best to all my readers...thanks for sticking with it!

who did it?

murder mystery party 2008. skye, gene and kendra started this lovely tradition.
i was rosie marie, the proud owner of the juice joint where all the trouble went down. you can see we all played our roles (at least dressed them) well!
man, my life is fun.