reba's indian adventure and other random things india, or not

DEPARTURE TASKS

2011-02-27T16:57:00.002+05:30

I got an email yesterday with that title. Scary. OMG. There are about 10 weekends left until the pack out...a million and a half more memories to be made...and 4 years worth of experience to process. Can you tell I'm getting a little sentimental? Sense the nervousness?

Yup. I am officially leaving India, despite the lingering disbelief that I will actually leave. AH!

The flowers are blooming, the days are getting longer, but this Spring is passing FAR too quickly already. Last vacations, last shopping trips....and then the couch that has to be totally refurbished! I get really excited when I talk about moving home, moving into my room at my mom's, and possibly moving to Chicago. But I guess first things first. My plan is just to be present here...and I think that's the best thing I can do for myself.

My band played last week, this band thing is a total riot! We play at the bar at the commissary, so most of our crowd is usually our friends and family....it's a very forgiving crowd! I've been exposed to totally different different types of music than I ever would've sang...and I love it!
We rehearse a couples of times a week....and then all our friends come out for our gigs. Yay!

Our annual trip to Rishikesh to raft the Ganges is coming up quickly at the end of the month, and then there is a quick 4 hour trip shift to my Spring BReak trip to Bali and the Gili Islands!

Life is good.

november news

2010-11-14T20:08:00.002+05:30

Winter in Delhi is quickly approaching. The garbage fires have definitely started and everyone seems to have a lingering cough . SAISA Girl's Soccer has started, so Ive been living soccer 4 days a week, and we have a good team heading to the tourney in Sri Lanka in 3 weeks.
Got back from Goa a few weeks ago, a fabulous trip with lots of relaxation and great food. Ended up running into Tom and Isabelle who I talk with my first year in India. You know you've lived some place for a long time when you have visited the same place 3 times, and run into people you know there:)

Last night the bar at the embassy reopened, and my band played. It's been quite a trip, learning new songs, learning how to sing with your voice singing back at you, being flexible with solos, etc. It's been such a great experience for me, and it's nice to do one thing with not all teachers!

Next Sunday Ill run my 2nd half marathon...when I think about it is still freaks me out, but we're plenty ready. THere are about 20 people I know running it, so it'll be good company:)

The year is FLYING by. I've started to mentally prepare for a move next summer, I'm trying to just stay in the NOW and enjoy every minute.
That's November news for you.
LOVE
b

a birthday playlist

2010-09-23T10:29:00.004+05:30

A friend recently challenged me to make a playlist with one song from each of my years on earth. Seemed too hard, but I compiled a list of my favorite birthday memories, a play-list of sorts:)

I've always loved having fall birthday, backdropped by leaves changing color

Most of my 6-16 birthday parties were in the backyard on Lake Forest, homecoming on the horizon. One year we made a pyramid:)
16 year old birthday on Mom's back porch on Lake Hill....big bash, wore a Red and White shirt, did a Eric Nies dance with Lizzie (peppa, peppa)
My 21st at 104 W Gorham. BIG PARTY. Lots of my friends from Madrid drove in
India birthday #1. Jeff Perkins oh so lovingly pointed out I was drinking Delhi tap water-and 1st time I could throw an adultier party:)
Keg on the Yamhill porch....that was probably 26 or 27 Trav, Kevin, and Tyler groovin some tunes
Another Yamhill party, this time with Mom and Tim
The blue oakley sunglasses birthday (thanks SCS!) , celebrated at the Nitty, and then hosted by Sarie- on Bassett?
Every birthday celebrated with Jules who decorated rooms, sang songs AND invented dances for my two left feet:)
Roller-blading birthday party on the lakefront with the happenstance of big balloon arch that we skated with
First year in Portland birthday, Sarie came in (left little Ian alone at home with craig) and we went to the Cuban place with Rose (el was working)
Nitty Gritty birthdays with a tag-off to Missy:)
Birthday at the Delta Cafe in Portland-same year as party on the porch?
Madrid birthday, celebrated in our dorm, then went dancing
Today-starting the day with a 4 mile run with my friends, my motivation and lots of love!
All the parties I've shared with Doug (and this year marks the end)
Coffee date birthdays with Kyle before school
My birthdays with my birthday twins, Laura Chrusciel Stone, Brandon Markle, Josh Jenkins, Douglas Beam, Carrie Bui

Thanks for all the memories:)

september stuff

2010-09-19T20:30:00.001+05:30

It's been a crazy few weeks! Fall is my crazy time. As trip leader for our Week withOut Walls adventure, Team 6 leader, and a member of 3 different musical groups, it seems crazy that I'd also add half marathon training to the mix. But yes, I have. It's been such a fulfilling month. From trips to some Delhi landmarks, to incredible classroom work, I'm totally pleased.

For those of you not on facebook, ask if you'd like to see some pics....haven't quite gotten to that.

I got pulled over last week (not a highlight), which has always been one of my biggest fears of driving in a seemingly lawless city. I was talking on my cell phone, and I suppose I don't know if that really is illegal or not. THe cops here are usually on motorbikes, so they just risk their lives by tapping on your window and pulling in front of you, using there very delhi hand signal of pull over. I WAS FREAKED. Most things in Delhi I have under control, this I did not. I have heard many a horror story about emptying wallets and unsatisfied police officers. I tried to get smart and force them to come with me to the embassy. The policeman was having none of it, or understanding none of it, not quite sure. Eventually he just wabbled his head and said matter of factly "money, " followed with a smile and "now." Um yeah, there aren't many fabulous times to be a white girl in delhi, and this wasn't winning any first time awards. I was able to win a small battle of getting him to back up off my car, which he was leaning into with a creepy grin on his face, while I got my money out. 500 INR was a fine exchange for letting me continue to drive, somewhat lawlessly, on the Indian roads.

I've also started another blog...a professional one with my kids, if you're interested, check it out
http://rgalvan.msblogs.aes.ac.in - my kids are doing AWESOME and inspirational things with it. Very exciting.

What else? I'm in a band. This is pretty much a dream come true gone blues. While I never dreamed of singing the blues, I'm loving the opportunity to sing and perform, it's definitely taking me outside of my comfort zone, which is a welcome adventure. On Friday we'll have our first gig. Ha, a GIG! Love it!

Lots of trips and adventures coming my way this next month. Stay tuned!
LOTS OF LOVE, and drop a comment!

Tea with Gandhi's Granddaughter

2010-08-18T18:38:00.009+05:30

Tara was only 14 when her grandfather died, but when she spoke of him, you would never know that over 50 years had passed. Her stories of him and with him are so vivid and clearly hold great importance to her. She actually called herself the most illiterate of the family, because rather than study other people's interpretations of Gandhiji, she uses her memories of him to make sense of who he was and how he thought.

When talking about the separation, what Gandhi above all strived to achieve although he did not agree with partition ,
she shared that eventually he agreed that there was going to be more bloodshed without it. But then she spoke of the terrorism that was present in pre-independent India and how it ensued post-independence. The terror she spoke of, though, wasn't the terrorism we think of. It was the terror of going to sleep hungry, having hungry children, or the terror of being lonely.

I only had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Bhattercharjee for a short time, but her presence was generous and full of love. We all speak the same language, the language of heart.

back.

2010-08-15T18:15:00.003+05:30

i'm back. it's the same, yet different.

year 4 brings more comfort than year 3, so where is all this discomfort coming from ?

i arrived 2 weeks ago to the deceivingly fabulous new indira gandhi airport. after waiting for an hour for my bags, i pushed my cart excitedly out the door of the airport. hot. humid. slippery. chaos. welcome back to india.

my house had seemingly stood still, my plants continued growing, and life had carried on without me for 3 months. the hole next to my house is still there, and the house across the street appears to be finished. my car sat waiting for me in the school parking lot, as did the broken side-view and a/c and the newly broken passenger side door and window.

i find it fascinating how different my school life and summer lives are, and moreover how seamless the transition might appear from the outside. i'm experiencing the emotional transition more than usual this year. or is it just that the mundane has hit hard or that i'm more cynical than ever? not sure. it only took 1 drive home to get the road rage back, an appointment-less salon to get the tears flowing, all the while the voice in my head saying 'why did you come back again?'

schools started monday and it was glorious. the reunions with friends have been extraordinary. life is comfortable, too comfortable? i'm looking forward to learning more about myself and delhi this year, try to leave the nah-saying behind and step out into every day as if it were my last (in new delhi).

is this what it means to be a runner?

2010-05-05T20:40:00.003+05:30

short post, but needed something short to get me back on here.
last weekend i decided i was a runner....these are my findings.

R est-lots of it. 9:30pm has become "late" for me. i spend most friday's home by 7 or 8pm, in bed by 9pm. getting up early is pretty much my new favorite thing, 430am is a common weekend wakeup time. most running days i end up snoozing at my desk at some point. it's so hot here, running has to at least start before sunrise

I ce- YUP, lots of it too! tonight i sit with my leg propped up: frozen veggies on the foot, frozen hot dogs on the knee, and newly added ice pack to the place where the masseuse rubbed a little to hard!

Carbs-man, i eat them a lot. fuel fuel fuel

Excellant. How I feel after each and everyone, especially now that early runs are over in 3 weeks!

Madison Half in 25 days. Woop Woop!

*disclaimer-all i talk about is running these days, sorry!

lost

2010-03-07T19:26:00.003+05:30

living abroad can feel like a different hemisphere sometimes. the highs and lows that we all feel seem like they are magnified sometimes, and the bubble that is our social scene sometimes feels to big to handle and at the same time to small to contain us all.....strangeola. if mom is reading this she's probably say "you're just tired, go to bed." which is probably true, but i haven't eaten dinner yet and just wait til you hear the options: chili (amy's not hormel) or toast. oh joy.

the past month has been another adventure i spent the first 2-3 day weekends ever at HOME, and just welcomed the relaxation and good company. things are getting tricky now with the running load on my plate. not sure how i can get in 5 and 6 miles run in some interesting indian destination. i'll have to find out soon though as the trip to tanzania is right around the corner!

if you're not on facebook you haven't seen the holi pictures floating around on my homepage, it was another incredibly fun year of holi. actually, the best year yet. i went to an awesome progressive brunch, played with the locals, and definitely did not get touched inappropriately! i did, perhaps, overindulge a bit, but that's what holidays are for, right? AND i didn't miss my 4 mile run the following day!

i have officially finished my last after school activity of the year, so i am looking forward to some more afternoon free time, but not for a few weeks. i enrolled in a SUNY grad class about the brain to get my brain going again. i don't think i'll pursue another masters, but the class is really affordable and seemed like something to get me back into academia. it's feeling good to get into the new research about the brain, it's a hot topic in my circle.

what else? it's getting hot here, and i fear that i am spending the best two weekends inside at class! it's perfectly pleasant during the day, which is really about 90. the calm before the storm indeed! i'm looking forward to spring break, and then it's really only a short time until summer.

would love to hear from you all! xoxo

becky's a runner-ish

2010-02-07T21:31:00.003+05:30

it's official. i've signed up for the madison half marathon on may 30. i decided that it is my time, and i am up for the challenge. training officially begins tomorrow, and my mouth dropped when i looked at the impending mileage.

today i ran the first ever cansupportRUN here in delhi for cancer. there was a good crew of us, and 4 of us ran the 4 K. my friend melissa and i ran together the whole time....along with an indian man. picture this: jeans, wool sweater, backpack, cell phone, and tennies holding pace next to us. for some reason he found it necessary to run directly next to one of us at all times, and when i mean next to, i mean all i had to do was make a chicken wing with my arm to hit him. at one point i was convinced he was going to ask for my number...he must've had some important business to be carrying the cell phone...and what was in that backpack?

either way, as i plugged though those 2.4 miles i envied his ability to run in clothing that was clearly better suited for 40 degrees and not 75, nonetheless more appropriate for casual fridays.

i'll stick to my dry-fit until i start having perma b-o in them:)
xoxo

my wish list

2010-01-23T17:24:00.003+05:30

Things I look forward to doing in 2010.

1. being more mindful, staying more in the present
2. sitting on beaches, watching sunsets and eating shrimp
3. my job. it totally rocks
4. making plans for life post-delhi
5. cooking better meals for myself
6. not worrying as much (see #1)
7. staying better connected with friends in the usa
8. appreciating and being appreciated
9. cambodia and vietnam
10. the unknown

[editor's note: both editor's note and the idea of this blog was copied from thinh, thanks bud]

serendipity

2010-01-23T16:49:00.003+05:30

last night I was reminded of the fabulous-ness of delhi

last night i took laura out for her birthday dinner. the night started with some sweet tea vodka and transitioned smoothly into sangria and steaks for dinner. we decided to try out the lounge on the ground floor of the restaurant. we huddled up to the bar, and ordered some beers. naturally, people are drawn to two cute girls like ourselves....add that to being some of the only foreigners! we talked to one interesting gentleman who seemed to be shocked when i compared his experience of 'meat and potatos' in texas and my 'rice and dal' in india. he hung around 10 minutes too long or so, and then eventually went his own way. by this point, midnight or so, the lounge was PACKED, and the thought of using the bathroom seemed overwhelming, but we each ventured out. while laura was pushing through the crowds, i befriended the guy next to me and tried to use my mad skills to get him the beer he was waiting for. epic fail. nonetheless he stood there for a while, and we were making pleasantries. laura came back, and we all started chatting and exchanging names....only to find out that laura actually knows this guy from the eat pray love shoot and he has her number in his phone.....and in a city of 14 million!!!! turns out we had just met 2 dudes who know more about the club/party scene than anyone i've ever met. nonetheless, their evening out was not going to end at smokehouse, their night was just beginning! so, we headed out on an adventure to another bar @ 1:30am....and ended up heading to capital, a club closer to school. the night just gets better from here....we go into the club and hit up the buffet. there were not chicken fingers and french fries, much to my dismay, but of course there was some dal makhani that i slopped up. heck, it was already 5 hours since dinner by that point! laura refused, assuredly convinced that we would regret that decision tomorrow. not me, free food? im all over it. we danced the night away for about 3 more hours and headed home @ 4:30am. Seriously, i haven't been up that late if not for a flight in FOR-EVER! it was totally one of those super awesome nights that you could have never planned. and now we're sure to know where all the great parties are!

the fun continued today (after the initial ibuprofen was consumed). thinh and i went out to lunch and, randomly, and again in a city of 14 million, we run into tricia and maureen. we spent the lunch hour laughing hysterically.

all in all, a fabulous weekend in delhi:)
xoxo
b

life in the month of october

2009-10-15T14:02:00.002+05:30

oh blog. you totally overwhelm me. i think about you all the time, and how funny this or that would be to post, but somehow it never seems quite so easy.
this month was one of the most overwhelmingly satisfying and tiring months ever! since i came back to india thinking it was my last year, i quickly filled up each three day weekend with a trip. here is that experience, in a nutshell...
trip 1: dharamshala, home of HHK the Dalai Lama, travel companions Thinh and Laura.
there are so many funny parts of this trip. starting with the fact that both laura and i had packed our bags and brought them with us on friday. i had a middle school dance to run, she had a concert to attend, then we rendezvoused and headed to the train station. funny part #2. laura booked a little later than us, so she had a 2nd class bunk while thinh and i had first class. all our worrying was without when we discovered that the conductor didn't even care that the cute blond was on our bunk without a ticket. so laura and i had our first shared bunk experience after a very healthy dinner provided by thinh of doritos, pigs in a blanket and nuts.
our trip in dharamshala was incredible. we laughed a lot, we caught up with each other, we reminisced about the 'early india days,' and just enjoyed each other's company. laura and thinh also made me climb a mountain, thanks guys.
the 'flawless' trip ended quickly at the airport when we found out our flight was cancelled and we had to take the train back. the 3 hours of waiting at the train station were EQUALLY as fun as the entire trip....ahhhh. love it!

trip 2: dubai to visit maureen's friends
meeting maureen's life in dubai was fabulous. it was so nice to put faces to names, and spa experiences to spa experiences:) we spent a VERY indulgent 3 days with her friend erika and her two children. we ate well, drank well, shopped well, and laughed well. a mighty fine trip indeed! this trip ended with a lovely experience at indira gandhi international when i was pulled aside for swine flu screening. a week of quarantine flashed in front of my eyes as they busted out the MERCURY thermometer. really india? stick that in my armpit. thank goodness i was not febrile.

trip 3: goa. oh goa. you rained on us the entire time. dang you. better luck next year.

retrospectively i wouldn't plan three in a row again. it was too crazy. but really? when else in my life will i have three weekends in a row to travel in and around india?!?!?! maybe next year. yup, that's right. i'm staying for year 4. i fear that leaving next year will be so sad. my friends here are just phenomenal, and they're really more like family. i'd be crazy to leave now......

well, it's time for dinner here @ parent/teacher conference world. so i'll go for now. i feel like there is so much more i could write.

MUCH LOVE to all of you who are still logging on!!!!!!!!! besos y abrazos.

the month in review (ish)

2009-09-13T18:34:00.003+05:30

the last month of delhi has truly been a blast. year three is so comfortable both with friends and with school. the things that used to seem like such a struggle are still a little troublesome....but they don't ruin days like they used to. the bizarreness of this place also continues to amaze me as well....today we saw water buffalo running along the "highway."

it's the little things that make delhi special. it's waking up with a broken cell phone and getting it fixed for $5 when you planned on having to replace it. it's the delivery of ice for a party, in addition to the delivery of delicious food and beverage.

what i've realized about things this year is that i've got something really good going on. last night about 50 people came over to celebrate my friend doug and my birthdays. i cannot explain the pure joy of being sang to by my family and friends here....and in beautiful harmony! it was one of the BEST parties i've ever thrown, totally one of those nights that you never want to end.

despite having rained all week, i'm feeling lots of sunshine in my life now!

Monsoons. What a mess.

2009-08-11T18:42:00.001+05:30

Monsoons. What a mess.
Last year at this time it was raining almost daily, making footwear quite the challenge, as all the walkways are a very slippery smooth walk. However, for some reason, this year we’ve gotten the humidity but not the rains. Until yesterday, when it rained, but was soaked up so quickly that 2 hours later everything was dry again. Today, on the other hand, it rained heavy for a few hours this afternoon, two separate storms (so far). This disruption of norms has quite the rippling effect. The rains flooded our art room at school, made the pool quite dirty, and flooded the hang out area. Then there was the city itself. Streets flooded and downed traffic lights made the trip home quite the adventure. By that I mean a nightmare. The traffic was crazier than usual…. and I’ve never seen so many policemen failing to actually keep order, it was the mass quantity part that surprised me, not the later part. At one point I thought I might get out of the car and just walk. The roads are now torn up in new places; potholes have turned into swimming pools. But the air is cleaner, for now at least! Once safely back at the home front I found my kitchen rug mysteriously soaked, reeking of sewage water. I’m bound to experience quite a few more power cuts this evening….so, that’s it for now.
xoxo

other things delhi

2009-08-02T14:28:00.003+05:30

my car just got towed. what was a very fun shopping experience turned a little not fun but yet a little fun when i realized my car had been towed. of course, we walked around thinking maybe it might have been somewhere else, but after talking to traffic police decided that we had to go to the tow lot. of course the tow lot isn't a "lot". it's actually on the side of the road, and the police officer sits on a random public bench and collects the 6 dollar (300 rupee fee), 200 for the towing and 100 for the bad parking spot. it's funny though. there were at least 6 other cars parked where mine had previously been. i'm chalking it up to having exited the car with 4 foreign females.

dreamstate

2009-07-30T17:47:00.002+05:30

perhaps i've been walking around half awake, perhaps it's the heat, maybe the probiotics?. who knows. i just walked through the market and had some weird sort of out of body experience, do i really live here?
does the fact that i make more mean i have to pay more for services which have fixed prices?
need i really pay the auto driver more for waiting even though the price he quoted was double what it should be?
does the girl at the light think she's going to get me to give money by wiping the nose of the baby and then touching me?
i guess year 3 doesn't make me a pro at this whole india thing. just saying.

don't forget to read the other new post.
peace.

i'm back.

2009-07-29T07:22:00.000+05:30

I’m back. Arrived last night to what is making up to be “world-class airport.” Was a little surprised with the health check before immigration….really? Like you would fly for 15 hours and then tell them you were sick? Navigated through duty free (again) and the luggage reclaim just fine. I didn’t feel so bad about my overage fee after many of my colleagues showed up with many more than two bags.
Side note, electricity just cut for the 3rd time in 10 minutes, and my pot of coffee isn’t even done yet, ARG!
Came home to a house that was WELL taken car of. With the exception of a few plants that need to be stripped and given rebirth, the house is pretty unscathed. It was apparently so hot that the basketball size candle on my coffee table is not a deflated version of a Frisbee. My plants are thriving outside and must be enjoying the rains. After checking out the place, I went down to try and start my new, to me, car. I purchased a green Maruti 800 (with AC!!!) from a friend that left. It does, however, come with a little trick. Apparently, after it’s sat for a while in the heat, the gas evaps out of the carborator. If you are a car person you might just want to stop reading. So I have to take my handy dandy leatherman and open the air filter cap, remove a gas line, take a little bit with a plunger and put it in some hole. Believe it or not, I actually got all these instructions, again, from my friend Dharma who is in Peru, on facebook chat. Dad, I thought you’d get a kick out of that. The car jazz was not successful. I am going to try it again now.
So night one went quite well, went to bed at 12:30am, and woke up @ 6:15. Clearly this isn’t my preferred 8 hours, but I’ll take it on night one!
So, with my Alterra Blizak and Tizan on the pot in the living room (kitchen is sans power) I’m back on the couch, watching another rerun of Numbers, listening to the dogs barking, waiting for the power to come back on so I can post this!
MUCH LOVE!

highs and lows of 2008-2009

2009-05-22T09:44:00.003+05:30

it's been a long time. sorry blog, if anyone is actually still reading you! so, i write this on the eve of my departure from year 2 in india. i go home with sweet tales and memories of a year well lived and well spent, and anticipate the return for year 3.
so, the top ten highlights.
1. my new digs and all the rad parties i had there
2. the friendships of new and old that continued to blossom ...and give me strength and support
3. travels: thailand, mumbai, kerala, rishikesh
4. going to my first ever: book launch and fashion show....
5. finding new shopping delights with tricia and maureen
6. actually being able to manuever around delhi, with a map of course!
7. the new workout craze, thanks in part to liz, chris, kendra, gene, and julie!
8. being able to come home 3 days early for jules' wedding
9. feeling like a real expat
10. paying off my loans

lowlights:
1. bombings
2. no week without walls
3. missing christmas at home
4. drama
5. loss of grandpa bill
6. missing brooke and roses' weddings.
7. missing births of new babes!

Thanks for sticking to this. I promise to start fresh next school year!
See you in the USA I hope!

indian machismo

2009-03-25T19:27:00.003+05:30

i've been dying to talk "to" this subject for a while. i admit, however, i couldn't come up with a catchy enough title for it. either way. i take taxis to school most everyday. every morning i wake up, get ready, and call C Block Market Taxi stand. the conversation usually goes something like this
them: "hello"
me: "uh, yes, taxi stand? i'd like a taxi please, B1-24"
them: "d for delhi?"
me:"NO! b for bombay, 1 by t-w-e-n-t-y f-o-u-r"
them: (any take on the following): "(silence, then hang up), yes madam, coming, right away"
me(screaming at the phone which is now disconnected): seriously? i call every freaken day....ahhh!

a little sidetracked....back to the taxis. i usually take a taxi or an auto home as well. some days i read, listen to the ipod or talk on the phone. lately, however, i've been doing a lot of noticing.
the setting is usually the same. taxi/auto going too fast, dude in front slams on brakes with or without brake lights, we almost crash into it, my heart leaps into my mouth and we stop 3 cm before their bumper. it's what happen next that varies according to the machismo. (would machindian have been a better title?)

in the fall a taxi behind mine crashed into us. the driver sped ahead (i relaxed) but then proceeded to cut the other driver off, force him to stop. then he got out and whacked him. one might call it a bitch slap. it was awkward and uncomfortable. had it not been for the 2 cases of beer in the trunk i would've ran into an auto.

just last week before my 630am workout (eat your heart out!) we had one of the above mentioned scenarios....the slamming on the brakes. this time we sped ahead of the driver and slowed down. i knew this situation all too well and started firmly telling the driver to just keep going....but he slows down just enough to creep past and make this creepy eye contact, which basically means, what the *#$*#( you #*($@(#*.

and today, which was the inspiration to post, was the macho tuk tuk driver. he flew over speed bumps, careened around traffic circles....and then yelled at the police officer who was (very poorly) controlling the street lights. after yelling he continued the stare down far into the middle of the intersection...nice, dude.

it's these little things that keep it real here in india.

do you want to play holi with me?

2009-03-11T20:07:00.003+05:30

school's out, for wednesday at least. today we celebrated holi with millions of indians. the streets clearly out, the morning is spent throwing colors, and then a visit to the temple! holi celebrates the welcoming of spring. this year there was a genuine effort to throw "organic" colors at each other. either way you look at it, it's a mess. a very fun, colorful, rowdy, messy mess.
fabulous day off!

india mike

2009-03-09T18:29:00.001+05:30

found this cool website from my friend jon. has tons of forums and articles about, you named it, india. i just read an article about a man's travels through india and found this quote quite approp.
enjoy!

"Every westerner could benefit from spending at least one full year in India, during which time you will be broken down, disassembled, reassembled and honed into a full-fledged human being, for better and for worse.... Namaste!"

a saturday in delhi

2009-03-08T10:51:00.003+05:30

laura, julie, kate and i on our way to q'ba

yesterday was an exceptionally fun delhi day. one of those days that you can't plan. it started with a little trip up to connaught place. laura and i were going to check some of our favorite shops, because, afterall, in delhi shopping has become my hobby. we did our buying and moved on to a place in my new "LOVE, DELHI" book. it highlights some of the funkier places that are not to be missed. so, we headed to triveni tea terrace, after about 4 rickshaw drivers that didn't know how to get there i realized i should have brought the map. kate and julie met us there and what was suppsed to be this funky little place where all the "artsy folk." it wasnt actually all that great, but it was a sweet location. the restaurant was apparently closing, which really just answered everyone's desire to go somewhere else. so we headed to q'ba. famous (to us) for it's 1+1=4 Happy Hour equation and shwarma. So, one drink each turns to two, then three, and you guessed it, 4. not wanting the fun to end with came back to my house and sat on the porch for another few rounds. and just like that, saturday was over.
great day in delhi with great gals:)

and life goes on.

2009-01-28T21:25:00.003+05:30

my apologies for skipping out on parts 2 and 3 of thailand. things got busy, as things often do, and the stories will have to be told in person. the last few weeks have been a whirlwind. january was filled with musical rehearsal. 20 of my colleagues and i spent the last 4 or so months rehearsing for "once on this island." it was the first time i actually had a role in a production that wasn't very backseat. my character was ti moune...it was magical. we performed in the "theater under the stars" aka 'outside' to a combined 2 night crowd of about 300 people! we raised almost $1000 for a local charity. it was such a great experience, so fun to be a part of something. it gave all of us the opportunity to get to know each other better in a place that is seemingly small, but realistically HUGE.

the day after the musical finished thinh and i went to bombay (mumbai) to see our friends tom and isabelle and their new baby margeaux. i think it was lunch on saturday when i realized what a trip my life has become. i was eating lunch with friends that i made in new delhi on my 3 day holiday in bombay. i love that once i leave here there will people i know (and love) all over the world. amazing how the world has become that much smaller in 1.5 years.
we loved mumbai. it was so much more liveable. but, then again, might we have felt the same about mumbai if we started there instead of delhi? we visited many of the spots that were bombed in november's attacks, bombay is suffering. the people are resilient and are joining together to hold their government accountable for the mistakes they've made. leopold's, below, opened the day after the bombings. it was SO full of life when we went, it embraced all walks of life and had a very special vibe. it was one of the highlights for me. lately so much has been going through my head. i've struggled to put thoughts into words, and sometimes i've avoided the thoughts by using other words. missing christmas at home seems to have made the year seem longer. i didn't get my wfb fix nor did i see my niece and nephew gaga over the excitement of it all. the little things that i've previously held onto seem much more important now, in retrospect. hard to balance the bliss of thailand with the loss of home.

time for bed, and shantaram. becky 630, the book 270. i'm getting there:)

i love thailand part one: chiang mai

2009-01-10T11:15:00.004+05:30

there is nothing much more fascinating than arriving at the airport the night winter vacation begins. guaranteed to see fewer than 150 people that you work with or teach. we arrived in bangkok early morning just to board another plane up to chiang mai. we decided to leave bangkok for the end because of all of the fabulous shopping opportunities.
chiang mai was incredible. because of it's location on trade routes, they figured out tourism early on. It's one of the easiest places I've ever travelled, it was a great introduction to thai culture. chiang mai has "walking streets" on saturday and sunday nights in addition to a night bazaar every other night. the shopping possibilities are endless, as are the culinary options. we met up with gene and kendra one night and ate bugs. all sorts of em. we chased them down by sangsom, thai whiskey, which on that ocassion, and a few other throughout the trip, knocked me off my booty. it was so dangerous that eventually we had to declare "no sangsom nights." chiang mai was the adventure sport part of our vacation. we did a one day trek with elephants, rafting and "trekking." the following day we did the "flight of the gibbons," ziplining through the jungle. no gibbons sitings, unfortunately. you might have seen it on Amazing Race....super cool:) 11 lines, 2 bridges. it was def. one of the highlights.
post bug night we had a late start. ended up renting a motor bike and heading up the mountain to check out some wats, palaces a beautiful sites. we ended up visiting a coffee plantation in a hmoung village. it was actually about 3km from there when the tire went flat on our motorbike. and.......since it wasn't a vespa, we were in a pickle. long story short the first car to pass us was a pickup with just enough room in the back for our scooter and us. we were so grateful for the 36km trip back to chiang mai. killer story.
the next day we explored some more, and then jetted off to koh samui to start the beach part of the vacation.
check out pics...http://picasaweb.google.com/rebeccagalvan/Thailand200802?feat=directlink

natural gas.

2009-01-10T10:57:00.002+05:30

in delhi, there is always something exciting hiding around the next bend. just so happens that we are in the midst of a natural gas strike. i just talked to laura and we admitted to knowing nothing about how the products in our house run, and what the real impacts for us, the off campus dwellers, will be. school has undergone a series of changes to prolong the efficiency of the gas we do have as well as our generators that run on diesel. at time of print school has enough energy of some sort for about 4-5 more days. this being said, it could get ugly in delhi, lack of food, heat, cooking gas, etc. although the government has declared this strike illegal as it is an essential service, the strike goes on.

friends

2008-12-08T20:23:00.003+05:30

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

2008-11-15T14:52:00.006+05:30

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.

2008-11-04T08:28:00.002+05:30

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

2008-11-02T11:46:00.003+05:30

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.

2008-10-12T13:33:00.004+05:30

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.

2008-10-09T23:04:00.001+05:30

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.

2008-10-01T16:09:00.003+05:30

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

2008-09-24T20:07:00.004+05:30

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.

2008-09-21T16:39:00.005+05:30

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

2008-09-21T16:31:00.003+05:30

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

2008-09-14T01:09:00.002+05:30

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

2008-09-02T18:36:00.003+05:30

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

2008-08-31T12:23:00.004+05:30

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

2008-08-24T11:01:00.003+05:30

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...

2008-08-14T09:25:00.000+05:30

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"

2008-08-05T19:03:00.006+05:30

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....

2008-07-20T10:13:00.006+05:30

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

2008-06-06T13:45:00.002+05:30

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

2008-05-27T19:47:00.005+05:30

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?

2008-05-21T08:32:00.002+05:30

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?

2008-05-12T21:28:00.003+05:30

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.

hill stations: mussourie

2008-05-12T21:20:00.006+05:30

they're all over the foothills of the himalayas. they are small towns that the british established to get away from the summer heat. a few weeks back eamon and i headed up there to do just that, escape the heat. truth be told there wasn't much to see, so we booked a fancy hotel and enjoyed getting pampered. hey, that's why we work, right? here are some pics from our fancy hotel, and it's fancy view(s)

we opted for a day trip to kempty falls. aka: wisconsin dells india. just picture, hundreds of indians renting swimsuit (probably more like swim wear) and innertubes, just floating under this glorious waterfall. just to top it all off, they had a 'hindola,' a pleasant ride up down to the falls.

the taj finally

2008-04-14T20:49:00.002+05:30

So my mom and Sara came to visit last week! My mom's friend Sue also made the trip. We had quite the adventures. India is def. not for my sister, but I think she walked away with some lasting impressions:) right sare? We headed up to Rishikesh, they met Eamon, rafted and survived the (seemingly) treacherous roads. We washed away all of our sins in the Ganges and even got some henna-mehndi tattoos! What a hoot.
After that trip we headed to the Taj in Agra and then to Jaipur in Rajhastan. I thought it was a fabulous trip...we met a few great people who helped make out trip fabulous, and we did some serious shopping...it was non stop fun with a little exhaustion in between
Below is a pic of Amber Fort in Jaipur, and you know the other one....it's the TAJ!

i do believe it.

2008-04-04T16:34:00.003+05:30

bizarro.
so i left today to go get my teeth cleaned, really unimportant to the story, but nonetheless, i walked by my flower wallah, around the corner from my house. and there was no flower wallah. there was a dude sitting there, and a few flowers, but all the buckets of flowers were gone, or lying on the floor.
apparently the government of delhi goes through and "cleans up" whenever they feel like it. last year it was called 'the ceiling' and they closed down a bunch of allegedly great restaurants, much to my dissapointment. i tried to ask the older gentleman what happened, he said something about 'committee.' an older lady was kind enough to come and explain that the gov't had come through this morning, picked them up, and destroyed the stand. apparently they'll be back after they pay a fee, but who knows when.

so, it's been a while since i blogged. i have been sick, again, and procrastinating the blog for some reason. nonetheless i went on a little trip a few weeks ago to varanasi, the religious center for hindus, the place where every hindu must take a pilgrimage to at some point in their lives.
thinh and i stayed in old town, at the end of a seamingly endless maze of tiny streets packed with people, cows, goats, and motorscooters. smells that i cannot describe wafted through the air as we miraculously arrived at our 'luxury room' at the hotel.
varanasi is an experience in and of itself. add the holiday HOLI to it, and wow, it's a trip. holi celebrates the end of winter and coming of spring (even though it had to have been 100 degrees) by spraying color on everyone. by the end of the trip i was a varanasi picasso of color. i don't have pictures, for fear of ruining the camera, but if you happen to see me soon i am sure you can see the traces of color still in my scalp and finger nails. varanasi will have to remain a story told over a beer or coffee....for now, some pics

saris and such

2008-03-16T16:10:00.004+05:30

last night we got all dolled up to go to night under the stars. once you get over paying a bundle to go to a SCHOOL function, this was hands down the best party of the year. school was transformed into a bollywood film. red carpets, spotlights and paparazi and even a hookah lounge. it was beautiful. you can see all pre and party pics on the picture site. we were lucky that skye's maid helped us get into those saris. it is truly an art. i think the sari is just a beautiful thing. notice how all of us wore them quite differently.
i loved it.

chicken schnitzel in paradise

2008-03-10T22:31:00.002+05:30

went up to rishikesh this weekend to see eamon. we stayed in town at a cute little place called the swiss cottage. our suite was right behind where eamon is standing and had a killer view of the town and the river. spend the days bumming around rishi and finding little, peopleless beaches. headed up to camp on saturday and got some good reading and tanning done, even got a little rafting in on sunday with some indian clients. ha. that was a trip. of course, a trip well taken with fabulous company, and great food, see title.
back to the drawing board here, only 10 more weeks of work. who is counting? i am, for sure!
much love, and happy mondays!

what do you know about crickets?

2008-03-03T22:57:00.002+05:30

i have one in my guest room. super loud chirping. apparently that is the mating chirp. only males can chirp. who knew? some people think it means money is coming in....or that rain is coming. i prefer the former.
:)

have you seen juno?

2008-03-02T20:56:00.004+05:30

i love that movie. it is most definitely on my top 5. a little obsessed with the soundtrack as well.
hi blog. it's been a while. since i have last posted there have been several exciting happenings. these are the top 8.

1. i changed my blog layout. clearly

2. i went to kashmir. indian kashmir i guess it should be called. kashmir has been disputed land ever since the british left. the paskistanis also have a kashmir. because of this closely disupted land it is heavily occupied by the indian army. i heard that more that 75% of india's soliders are up there. i don't doubt it. kashmir, and it's people are just beautiful. the british used to holiday there because of it's pleasant temperatures when it's hot as ever in delhi.

we cabbed it from srinagar up to tangmarg, where we transferred into another 4x4 with chains. it was fabulous for us that the kempers were part of this journey. never would've thought to bought a bunch of water at the gas station on the way up...ah so many things to learn about traveling in india. once we made it up to gulmarg the first thing that made me giggle was the dudes who pull toboggans around. sometimes with indians sitting on them. the giggles continued, but were sometimes just a mask to the incredible frustration that lack of infrastructure that exists even there. i'm slowly learning i need to be a little, ok, A LOT more patient with my indian friends. of course, i paid a deposit for the powder 160 skis, but i understand that you already rented those out. sure, the 170 early model parabolic skis will do. giggle giggle.

the skiing was beautiful. there aren;t any cleared trails, only the trees and the groomed road option. and then there is the beast that was the top of the world. i should've trusted my gut instinct to ride the gondola back down, but i couldn't help but want a taste of the pow pow that the top of the mountain held, but 45 minutes into my pursuit down the mountain, i was defeated, physically and mentally. glad i did it, even more glad i didn't take of my skis and walk down the mountain like i wanted to. another crazy indian experience.

3. i bought a sari! last weekend my friend skye took laura, kendra and i to the sari wallah at sarojini nagar market. it's much like carpet shopping in india. you are memorized by continuous patterns and colors being plofted in front of you, and all of a sudden you convince yourself that you know what type of silk that really is, and you justify to yourself why you need the most expensive one you have seen. it's crazy like that. so, again, thank goodness for skye who was with us who taught us all about the buying a sari process. who knew that ladies wore a petticoat under their saris? or that you have to take the blouse to a tailor to custom make it, or that they have to add a 'fall' to the sari. clearly, not kendra, laura or myself:)

4. I practiced wrapping my sari. HA, there are pictures on skye's camera that i will get to show you.

5. i decided what to do when school is over....i'm going to get PADI open water diving certified in bali. apparently my 40,000 united miles will take me from delhi to bali for FREE. get out of here! how rad is that?

6. it's hot here. i spent the afternoon at the pool. yeah for a tan.

7. world language week has come and gone

8. 12 more weeks of school

thanks for not giving up on the blog. will post again soon
love,
b

fun new pics

2008-02-18T19:26:00.003+05:30

hey! tons of fun stories tell....but, too tired for now.
check out the link above to get to my NEW PHOTO PAGE. it totally rocks. it has the latest pics.
xoxoxox

making history or herstory

2008-02-05T23:23:00.000+05:30

i voted tonight in our nation's first global primary. at 6pm i boarded a school van that took us to ploof restaurant, i walked upstairs, and cast my 8.5 x 11 ballot in a tupperware box. then i got a donkey cookie for participating:). amazing to be part of such a historically significant event. worldwide expats are lining up to show their support. we will have 22 delegates at the democratic convention in august.
super cool.
all the best. singapore pictures to come. i was there last week on business.
much love

thought i'd post some pics too...

2008-01-29T19:11:00.001+05:30

can you believe it....2 posts in one day? please dont forget to read the one below!
eamon and i checked out some tourist sights these last few weeks. the mini-taj is humayan's tomb and the fort, is well, the red fort !

a joyful reminder

2008-01-29T18:53:00.000+05:30

some days we get all wrapped up in the day to day. the minute to minute. even here, halfway around the world, we have those days. (i promise to move away from the doogie howser, md. closing scene style)....but truly, we do.
today, i met laura in the canteen for a quick 'samosa tuesday.' we hurried through the scrumptousness because we had to go to the republic day assembly. i'm sure we debated going at some point, thinking about how much we could really use this time to, blah blah blah...but as we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised with what was before our eyes.
saturday was republic day here. a few of us newbies went to the parade, honoring the 59th year of the republic, which was pretty fascinating. no, no pictures here. you couldn't even bring a pen onto the parade grounds. in fact, i got my boobs touched on the way in, just to make sure i wasn't hiding any pens, phones, or any other electronics. so all that remains of the parade lies deep in my memory. ok, so back to the school assembly.
because of the independence day there are many dance 'troupes' in town, of course, what else would they entertain french president sarcozy with....well, our indian studies teacher is a fabulously connected woman, and somehow, she gets these groups to come and dance at school every year.
it was an hour of pure bliss and amazement. there was representation from 5 of India's 28 states, all presenting their own dances, dress and music. it was just brilliant. i realized that maybe i should start exploring more of these types of things rather than bitch about delhi not having any decent coffee shops.

so, as i left the assembly, i felt a renewed vitality for my life in delhi. hey, we may not have good coffee shops, but we have some ridiculously rich culture to explore.

happy india.

i said what what

2008-01-17T21:31:00.000+05:30

oh delhi.
everyone seems to be hating on delhi. don't get me wrong. i am one of the biggest haters sometimes. i think it comes with the seasons. but really, this is winter? you've gotta be kidding me. it's beautiful. especially (and almost exclusively) when the wind is blowing, so all the funky fire junk gets blown out of dodge. otherwise it's almost temperatureless because all you focus on is not breathing while your outside. it's like poison floating through the air.
i've managed to keep my healthy constitution since i have been back. meaning, i think the lactose intolerance i picked up at home left me when i got back. and my stomach has been pleasantly calm. i haven't picked back up that nasty cough that lingers in the lungs for like 2 months...i think that's why i am not on the hater side, today at least.
what i have picked up is some noisy neighborhood dogs who are HATING life most mornings. lots and lots of barking. i am pretty sure i hear monkeys too. the other morning a monkey was sitting at my window while i was dressing. what the? the monkeys have seen me naked...who ever thought i would say that. oh yes, and the cows are still roaming. i saw my friendly (joking) humpback buddy walking down the street today.
school is busy. i spend my middle school prep periods watching my mentor teacher teach, which blows that 85 minutes. i am learning a lot though, which is good. i am coaching the girl;s soccer club at the middle school. that's a whole new bag of worms.
ok, well i am back to AMERICAN IDOL. you bet. it's here too. and i am fondly getting addicted. it comes in at a close second to season 3 of the OC. omg. how did i miss that one in the states? it plays nightly. i am blessed!

well. i'll post a few more pics from my trip home....much love
b

so, how was your break?

2008-01-09T19:27:00.000+05:30

2008
new year, new delhi....
got back to delhi early monday morning. was able to grab a few hours of sleep before getting right back into the swing of things. i'm feeling it today. 3 nights of waking up in the middle of the night wondering which way is up, what part of the world is my bed in, and is my alarm set has left me pretty haggered.

the talk around school is all the same. so, how was your break? where did you go? some amazing travel tales told at the lunch room table these last few days. but, with winter break, also come resignations. i came back to find out that 4 of my favorite people at school are moving on to greener pastures (that couldnt be more literal). the only way to look at it is to think of my world getting smaller, more people in between the other people that are already quite far away.
the vacations were awesome. home was fabulous, albeit quite cold. going home is a challenge within itself though. i can imagine it's as strange for others as it is for me. so, how is india?
mke highlights:
ian and el
christmas time with the fam
quality time with friends.
consumerism

after mke i went to amsterdam for four nights with eamon. we had a blast. roaming the streets, having pints here and there, and taking it all in.

Cheers to a new year!!!

All my love,
b

home-milwaukee style

2007-12-18T01:30:00.000+05:30

hey everyone!
i'm back in wisconsin after a very long journey home. luckily, i had some coworkers and their daughter on my flights from delhi to amsterdam and then on to detroit. it was nice to have some company, and some other brains to navigate the crazy delhi intl airport. i arrived in mke on saturday to a snowy town and brrrrr, lots of cold temperatures. i spent most of the last two days ooogling over my niece and nephew and trying to catch up on sleep.

so far things have been wonderful! i am looking forward to some friendly faces this week. and of course, the holiday shopping!

hope the holidays bring you warmth and love....
hasta pronto
b

not a creature was stirring

2007-12-04T17:35:00.000+05:30

and all through the house, christmas draws nearer, no sitings of a mouse!

the mouse-capade that i had a few weeks ago is no longer. the little mouse friend hasn't visited good ole B8, at least, not landing on the sticky trap!

delhi continues to go well. we have 7.5 days of school until the holiday. pretty darn exciting. i wrote my first midterm exam for the high school. sometimes i still feel like i should be in high school, taking sra. rathjen's exams. let me tell you this one is a killer!

eamon arrived on saturday and we've been having a ball. just hanging out, cooking, watching movies and tonight we are headed out to dinner. crazy that this time, in 2 weeks, i'll be home.

can't wait to see everyone!
much love
b

snooze control

2007-11-30T07:33:00.000+05:30

as december draws ever nearer....and the mornings grow ever darker...i am reminded about how much i love the snooze button. it's actually a two part snooze, as my phone conviniently snoozes long with my alarm clock. nonetheless it is quite handy to live a 5 minute walk from school, i am learning just how late i can leave and still be where i need to be on time. dont get me wrong though, i LOVE getting up early when my body says it;s ok.

fun weekend ahead. choir concert tonight. i am singing a solo in alison krause's down to the river. cool! then it's my friend tom's bday, he and isabelle are having a get together.
tomorrow we have a few parties to go to . one at the canadian high commission and another on a friend's rooftop. convinient that both are 70s parties. i got a 70s kurta made! i have to go pick it up tomorrow. then on sunday there is a big mela (market) at school! shopping! and even more exciting eamon is coming to town. we have social engagements in the evening, a friend's dinner, but he'll be around all week, which i am psyched for.

ok. HAPPY FRIDAY. and don;t lose your snooze control

glorious goa.

2007-11-26T20:23:00.000+05:30

we knew when we stepped of the plane and looked at the bright blue sky and breathed the clean air that it was going to be great. and goa never disappointed. thinh and i spent most of our days laying on lawn chairs, and soaking up the rays. we met up with tom and isabelle (work friends) on sat. up at little vagator beach which was more stunning than our baga beach.
had some incredible seafood (followed quickly by incredible belly aches, surprise surprise) and vegged out. much much needed.
highlights? most def. the tan. and also the rave on saturday night. so very much not my scene, but i was glad to have experienced it.
check out the pics!

i survived

2007-11-26T07:26:00.000+05:30

i survived my first, and hopefully last delhi earthquake. any earthquake is bound to feel big at 445 in the morning when you wake up shaking with your bed. it was just a little one, but provided quite the jolt of fear

goa pics and stories to come

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Strong_tremors_rock_Capital_adjoining_areas/articleshow/2570791.cms

xoxo
b

gobble gobble

2007-11-21T20:23:00.000+05:30

happy thanksgiving.
as we sat in the teacher's lounge eating the fabulously prepared turkey (from our principal's cook) and stuffing i think of just how much i have to be thankful for.
there is something about india that really humbles you. it makes you take a step back and see just how fortunate you are, and how blessed you were to be born you. sometimes these exact humble moments really make you feel like shit, but that's india.
i'm blessed to have been adopted into a wonderful school with a fabulous staff who invite me to come over and hang out with their kids:) it is the next best thing to having my little ian and eloise. i'll take what i can get. and of course, i am SO thankful for my friends and family. seriously. what would i do without all of you? being here is half the battle, i admit that, and it is courageous and enlightening (these are your words, not mine, i don't always feel all the courageous)...but i truly couldn't do it without all of you as my anchor. reminding me that i am not really alone here, and that i do still make some semblance of sense even though my blog entries clearly show that i am in a constant state of flux.

THANK YOU!
and happy thanksgiving.
i'm going to the beach in goa. (im REALLY thankful for that:) )
all my love
b

mascarade balls and such

2007-11-18T19:50:00.000+05:30

fabulous weekend here in delhi. i got some new wheels! i finally picked up my bike from school and took it to the bike wallah who got it all spruced up for me! riding home on my indian bike i felt a new freedom...it was amazing
shopped yesterday with my friend briar who showed me all the good fabric stores. i have moved into the time when i am ready to explore getting clothes made...quite exciting. i gave the tailor some of the fabric to get started on some kurtas for my trip to goa next week.woohoo!

my friend laura takes a dance class here in delhi, and last night was the celebration evening. so, we headed to a hotel for a lovely pool party (albeit a bit chilly). i met an old friend, captain morgan. amazing how he never ages, right?

rishikesh, rafting...

2007-11-12T19:20:00.001+05:30

just got back from a fabulous weekend in rishikesh. went up to see my friend eamon for the diwali holiday 4 day weekend back to the camp where I went with my middle schoolers a month ago.

diwali is a fabulous hindi and nepalese holiday celebrating the return of king rama from his 14 years of exile in the forest. "Divali/Diwali" come from the Sanskrit word "Deepavali" . Deepa/dipa means "light of the dharma", and avali means "a continuous line". The more literal translation is "rows of clay lamps" (thanks wikipedia).
nonetheless the holiday was celebrated on the beach by lining the tents and the shoreline with candles, and heaps of fireworks being blasted off. it was lovely to be out of delhi where the same thing happens...reeking havoc to the environment and such.

so i spent the weekend in the sun, playing cards, rafting, enjoying campfires at night. eamon and i were able to head into rishikesh a few times too and saw the aarti ceremony, we lit some candles and floated them down the river with our sins.
to the left are veejay and eamon at the camp.

back to the valley now. marveling in holiday bliss. anticipating the next holiday and doing good work in the meantime. lots of love, b

night soil

2007-11-05T23:26:00.003+05:30

at some point or another everyone has heard me talk about the poop problem here. read on...
ok, so clearly not everyone has time to read it. here's a smidge

Health hazard

2.6bn people in the world do not have access to a lavatory (700 million in india alone)
80% of all sickness in the world can be attributed to unsafe water and poor sanitation (i.e. the water that comes out of my kitchen sink)
400,000 Indian children die from diarrhoea every year, usually because of dirty water

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2788635.ece

marine ball.

2007-11-04T21:29:00.000+05:30

we went to celebrate the 232rd birthday of the marines. the party itself was quite dull. the dancing and the table fun, getting ready and dressing up was quite fun though.
here is a picture of the ladies with the marines. from left to right....skye, laura (red), natalia (back), kira (green) and i

amritsar- the tales

2007-11-01T20:53:00.000+05:30

we decided on sunday that we should eat at the temple with all the pilgrims. the world food india book suggested it (thanks kari) but presented it with a story that was almost unbelievable. here is my story, the way i experienced the golden temple and lunch.

walking into the golden temple on saturday night was magical. the magic of walking into a structure and seeing the golden temple seemingly floating in the middle of sparkling water is unexplainable. the feelings i had paralleled those of other holy places around the world. i immediately think of family, present and past, and feel an overwhelmed proximity to them, not physically but spiritually. moreover, watching the reactions of other guests arriving at their mecca, as close as they can be to their higher being. i'll never forget the feeling of the cold marble floor as we walked around and took in the temple from all four sides.

the visit the next day was a very different experience. the sheer quantity of people that were around put more guards up. the lady who tried to open my bag as she walked by didn't help either, but the magic was different. i prefer the evening. lunch was the most profound experience i have had in india. we paid our donation and went towards the kitchen with the other 2000 or so people hungry for grub.

we were handed a plate, bowl and spoon, each by a different pilgrim volunteering his time. we herded, literally, up some stairs, each person desperately hoping to not step on someone's sari or get stepped on. then we stormed into a hall with long strips of cloth delineating where people should sit. all the while, petar and i are quietly trying to decide what we should be doing and how we are going to do this without offending anyone. the next few minutes are spent cross legged among thousands of hungry sikks trying to figure out what everyone is doing. bowl here, oh that's a glass, turn your plate, move your spoon, here comes the dal, and the rice pudding. oh, the bowl is for water? water to wash our hands or water to drink? "two hands" the guy with the roti says to me and i hold my hands up to receive my other utensil, the bread.

the clanking of the kitchen is something i will never forget. the sound of constant dishes being washed by hundreds of volunteers around the clock. so that everyone who is hungry can eat, regardless of class or religion.

at the golden temple, life works. the hungry get fed, the tired sleep and the religious pray. a seemingly perfect harmony.

loneliness

2007-11-01T20:43:00.001+05:30

sometimes having a big apartment in the diplomatic enclave just doesn't really cut it. case and point that things can never really make you happy forever. of course it's great to come home to a fabulous place, but it is so isolating too. i have always wavered on the whole alone time thing. it's not that i don't enjoy alone time, i do, because i can do things like this, but when it comes down to it, i would love to jump over to kyle's or molly's in 10 to sit on the couch and jab or eat nachos. those are the things i miss. the convinience of a small city, the luxury of a car, and a city that isn't hard to drive places. so i find myself in between two scenarios, almost always. so busy i can't keep track, or so isolated that i feel like crying. the happy balance is hard, as always, to find here in delhi.

the novelty of it all has worn off. at this point i find pure frustration in not knowing where things are, not having the umpfa to go into the market and deal with 'men's club' and not having the cushion that living some place for more than 3 months (yes, i am at least realistic) gives you.

i feel like i constantly have to make india sound like a fabulous and intriguing place, which it is, but what i fail to mention and what really digs at me the most. that india is posterchild of the 'lack of.' the land of 'tikhe' the land of 'just ok.' i think this is for you, the reader, and those who love me and want this experience to be the fabulous that it is sometimes, and retrospectively will be. summatively it's just been a tough few days.

amritsar

2007-10-29T22:09:00.000+05:30

to really tell the story of amritsar i would need at least an hour. all i really have in me right now is 1 minute. it makes for a hard start to the week to arrive home at midnight on sunday. while there are some phenomenal pics, the chills can't quite be felt the same as they are when you are actually there. stories to come. i promise
xoxo

dear monkey...

2007-10-23T08:25:00.000+05:30

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7055625.stm

and this is how delhi gets into the news? let me tell you, on my way to school this morning ( to workout and shower due to the lack of water, again) there was a monkey giving the next door house a STARE DOWN. who knows what it was thinking about eating. they are definitely a freaky animal.

you don't know what you've got til it's gone

2007-10-22T21:50:00.000+05:30

don't it always seem to go?
i just finished a movie, which i put on partially to comatose myself from the pure disappointment of not having any bathing water. but as i write this, i hear water pouring into the tank on my patio. and just to confirm i lifted up the lid, and sure as hell there is water. this is coming from a near week of hit and miss shower water. in 7 days i took, uh, maybe 3 showers. and the rest of the time i just bathed from the sink water. handy that my bathroom has a drain. assertiveness comes in here. i went into FMO (facility maintence) today and firmly insisted that something be done about our little water issue. the neighbors upstairs don't have it either, so there is some motivation on that end too. long story short our water is piped in from the water center every night from like 6-9. this isn't enough for all, i don't know, 9 people in this building? so usually the tanker brings water in and fills up my tank (courtesy of the american embassy school). so, the tanker has said he was coming the last 3 nights. he didn't come. some bs about flat tires, who knows. the maintenance guy at school says my lady won't let him fill up the tank (who is bs-ing now?) and my landlady says that school never chips in for the water. monkey in the middle. that is me. oooh. please share in my excitement. i just heard the pump go on. sure sign that water is currently being whisked up to the roof where i will draw my first bath from. oh yes, and in the middle of that long winded sentence, it has turned off. i think i might have to pack that gym bag and shower at school tomorrow.

nonetheless. next time you get in your shower, relish in the fact that at least in the next few years you won't ever have to worry about turning that knob and getting nothing. afterall, american bathrooms don't usually have drains.

garba- dandiya raas mahotsav

2007-10-18T23:10:00.000+05:30

http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071012/NRSTAFF/710120301
this link clearly describes what i saw tonight. this is a holiday celebrated in gujarat. it involves 9 nights of dance and worship. my friend skye practiced for over a month, daily, to participate it was BEAUTIFUL!
here is a pic of the dance, skye is in the marroon outift in the middle
this is a video i took from the opening puja

karims, old delhi

2007-10-18T22:53:00.001+05:30

karims is one of the oldest restaurants in old delhi. we took a trip down there last night to feast on meat. holy carnivorous adventure. mutton stew, leg of lamp, you name it, we ate it.the toliets here were squatters.
isabelle, scott, me and catherine
thinh and catherine on the pedi rickshaw
my first rickshaw ride!
stay tuned for videos!

beautiful ganga

2007-10-14T18:12:00.001+05:30

i feel guilty now that i didn't mention the absolute splendor of the ganga. it was phenomenally beautiful and miraculously clean. to jump out of the boat and body surf down the ganges was something that one year ago i never would have dreamed about. to be able to spent 5 days, and to get paid for it it just a blessing. i really didn't even want to come back. if i got to choose between my 2 bedroom apt in Malcha Marg and a tent on the ganges.......well then i would really have something to blog about:) my ganga tent view
much love
xoxo

incredible india

2007-10-14T17:57:00.000+05:30

hey. i've been hesitant to post since i've been back. seems like so much happens and choosing what to share becomes hard, and if put off enough, a bit daunting. we got back from our field trip on thursday afternoon. we spent an amazing 4 days staying on the shores of the ganga river. it is ganges in english, but ganga in hindi script. much like the pronunciation of himalaya. we stayed at an incredible base camp, the himalaya river runners. they take super good care of you, carrying your bags, prepare meals, and they keep you alive down the river. pretty impressive.

i have never rafted before. to be honest, i am not quite sure how much i like it. it rubs your booty from your swimsuit for one. and the thrill of it is sometimes breath taking...literally. there was a rapid called 'the wall.' yes, it kicked our booties. it was too dangerous for the kids, so they decided they would take us adult thrill seekers down it. of course we flipped over and i spent a good minute thinking that it wouldn't totally suck to die in the ganga if it was my time. then i found the bottom of the boat, found the supposed 'air pockets' and found my way out. jeez. my heart raced for about an hour.

we travelled via train up to hardiwar where they met us with the busses. the rest of india is just as dirty as delhi. it is the land of 'tikke,' the hindi word for 'ok.' everything is done "just enough" and never spectacular. in fact, good would be pushing it. the consensus among some of us expats is that no one in india can really be bothered to do anything about the ridiculous litter problem(don;t even get me started on the poverty). little things, like heaven forbid someone build a bathroom on the road...we just pull off the side and pee in the sugar cane. make you think twice about sugar?

either way. the words incredible india have so many meanings. i can imagine that i will continue to come up with punch lines that help me make it tolerable while i live here...and of course, to keep my frequent readers entertained.

thanks to you who are still logging in....you rock

8th grade WOW trip-Rishikesh, Ganga river

2007-10-13T19:00:00.000+05:30

WOW-Rishikesh/ Ganges

you can see the whole album by clicking on the photo. it will take you to the picassa website.xoxo
b

2007-10-06T17:40:00.000+05:30

hey dudes and dudettes! After a great 4-day weekend out of Delhi..I am leaving AGAIN!
this time, I am heading north to the Himalayas...and will be going on the
school's week without walls program...I will be with the 8th graders and we
will be rafting down the Ganges...i am so excited.
clearly, I will be out of contact cell phone contact from Sunday morning October 7 (5 am-yikes!) - Thursday evening October 11....
you can check for updates on our trip at ...

http://aes.ac.in/mswebsite_07/aesms/AES/

if you are interested
stories to come
xoxo

the fires are burning

2007-10-03T22:49:00.000+05:30

it's cold here. no, not like wisco cold, but cold when you don't have doors to your house, which happens to be like, uh, 1/2 the delhi population. or so it seems on this such " ill'in on india' day." on my way to my yoga class i could feel that cool breeze drifting in....on the way home, everyone else felt it too. the reason why delhi is the most polluted city in the world? it all comes back to pobreza. the people who live in jugghis or squatter communities will burn everything and anything to get their heat on. literally. it's awful for the environment...but it's even more awful for humanity.

some days this is really just heart breaking. to see how some people live and think about how i live disgusts me. what is even a little more disgusting is how easy it is to just pack it in. just pretend that i am removed from it, even though i am literally 2 feet away from the child with no pants on the side of the road. it continues to be trying. my friend gene said it so well on his blog....made me think also...
what is it that made me lucky and them not?
the least i can do is acknowledge people. acknowledge that i was blessed with the things that i have. and acknowledge that some people were not.
at this point i offer a smile. a look in the eyes. a 'hey, i know you're human too'
after all,
how different are we?

udaipur

2007-10-02T20:29:00.001+05:30

Udaipur

stories to come

out of office reply

2007-09-28T23:17:00.001+05:30

sorry, i won't be around for a while. i'm on holiday! i'll be in udaipur, rajhastan for four days, and of course, celebrating gandhi's birthday.

tea hut

2007-09-26T21:23:00.000+05:30

just got back from seeing the bourne ultimatum. fantastic movie, but hardly the topic of this blog entry.

thinh and i went a little early and bought tickets. tickets divide the classes as do many things in delhi. we sat in the 'premiere' section, which is the upper deck of the theatre. upon walking in i saw a mouse/rat scurry up the stairwell and proceeded to keep my feet above ground all movie. i wonder what the standard section looks like. but wait, there was more. when we walked into the theatre the dude pointed at our bags and told us that was not allowed. i think "what, are we supposed to go home? what a screw!" but no, he points to the tea hut. i look over, in disillusion, and ask the guy to repeat himself, as thinh tries to convince him that these are our purses. but yes, he did say tea hut, which is basically a mini smoke shack that sells candy and smokes, and keeps your bags during the movie. yeah right. you are probably thinking this is crazy. indeed, i was too! so as we approached the 'hut' we saw people retrieving their bags with coat check esque tags. seemed to be pretty legit. so low and behold we did it. handed him our bags, took out the valuables and he wrote some # on our bags in chalk and confirmed we didn't have any cash or cameras. i think "yeah guy, i am a total idiot...my bag is being put in some sketchy old refrigerator looking thing and i left all my valuables in it." all for a bargain deal...$.50. safe.

so after the movie i was half expecting that tea hut to have disappeared, flashbacks to my trip in morocco at the "restaurant" that had prepared our food before we even ordered....but it was. anti-climatic end to my story...but that's the skinny on movies in delhi.

when did vowels go out of style?

2007-09-26T12:42:00.000+05:30

ok, so i joined facebook. it's all the rage here. i have received countless friend requests from people i don't know. some are even as poetic as this one. name and email has been deleted for privacy.

Hi........ this is *(*&^ from mumbai (india) ..1 st of all gd evening to u......am working in mumbai in mnc and am well settled single guy ...am 178 cns/35 yrs/ athletic built and cool guy....am interested in frndship with elite and good girls women of all ages who dare to have real frndship... n so am interested in frndship with u...and i assure u that u wl not regret being my frnd ..and u wl get the most of everything from our frndship and no doubt u wl be the most happy to be my frnd........so if u r interested feel free to call me or mail me on &*(*() @gmail.com

i don't know about you, but i am always certain to give my height and age when asking someone to be their friend.

are you sensing my sarcasm???

top ten (or so) things i don't get about india

2007-09-25T21:22:00.000+05:30

1. my toliet sometimes doesn't have enough water to flush (especially brilliant after a #2)
2. my cell phone bill is cheaper here than at home, yet i call internationally all the time
3. tuk-tuks will sometimes refuse to take me places
4. i've been drinking out of the wrong water faucet-doh. no wonder i had so many tummy aches when i first got here
5. black dal? yellow dal? what's the dif?
6. the cheese looking thing on the salad bar that i eat up and always feel sick after eating
7. cow pies and why they are perfectly round
8. everyone carries their left overs and milk products in steel jars
9. the government. and how they allow the extreme poverty to pervade the society
10.some cows have a hump that looks like a camel hump
11. if cows are so sacred why are they eating out of the dump at every corner
12. how tuk-tuk rides will be in the winter
13. where my clothes are washed when my dhobi comes
14. my maid, when she talks to me

?????
of course, these are just today's thoughts. i thought that if i wrote them down i might, just might sleep tonight. amazing how a full head keeps you awake all night.

xoxo

power

2007-09-23T21:37:00.001+05:30

you think you want more. you get it and want much less. as a white person here working at the school i have more resources than ever before. yet it comes with much responsibility of which i wasn't quite sure i was ready for. still not sure. yesterday there were 10 people here working on my house. i strangely feel much more adult-like here than i ever have before.

i threw a killer party last night. tons of great people came to help me ring in the new year of 27. i have no evidence of the occurance. somehow my camara decided to only document one picture of the 30 or so i took. whahappened??of course, the most elegant picture remained on my camera. this is quite late in the evening. obviously

yikes. am i really 27? we deduced that quite a few people that were here last night could be my parents...they really got a kick out of that. maybe it was india, or maybe it is something much deeper, but it really didn't feel like a birthday today. it was a great day though. my fabulous friends thinh, kendra and gene and i went to a lovely champagne brunch at claridges hotel....fueling last nights reminents and leaving me partially zombied all day. went for a little swim at the embassy and had mexican for dinner. now i am trying to stay awake to answer all the calls.

i miss home today. a lot. there is something strange about having to wait until 6pm to talk to your family. like it's not really happening until they wake up too.

this quote seems to explain so much of my day to day here...

"No one lives on top of the mountain. It's fine to go there, occasionally--for inspiration, for new perspectives. But you have to come down. Life is lived in the valleys. That's where the farms and gardens and orchards are, and where the plowing and the work is done. That's where you apply the visions you may have glimpsed from the peaks." Arthur Gordon

i suppose tomorrow i shall return to the valley....sweet dreams
xoxo

all in due time

2007-09-18T20:04:00.000+05:30

today things started falling into place. amidst all the craziness of my day to day, i have tentatively hired a new staff member. in 1 hour she cleaned my kitchen, tidied up the place, bought and cut up fresh fruit, and didn't move a single thing around. amazing. i will actually meet her tomorrow, but for now anju, upstairs, is handling her. many people prob. wonder why help is needed. while that answer is ridiculously complicated, the skinny of it is, that between work, meetings and extra curriculars, i would never actually see india if i had to come home and clean and cook. does that sound familiar?

i got my new bed today. the icky bed buggy one is gone, and i now have a bed that my egg crate and sheets fit on. i am on cloud nine (literally). also, my birthday preps are going wonderfully well. i figured out how to order alcohol. albeit quite expensive, good friends like bacardi and tanqueray will be delivered tomorrow night. i also met with the head chef at school and we set up a little menu of finger food. what party would be complete without pigs in a blanket and paneer tikka? the one catch, and motivation i suppose, is that i need to pick it up on saturday. which of course could be done in taxi, but i am going to DRIVE! yes, my friend jen (wisconsinite) has agreed to coach me through it. shifting with the left hand, driving on the right, and the opposite side of the road. yikes!! i will need to be fully rested i suppose.

so yes, i will rest tonight more than i have in a while.
xoxo
b

bumming around

2007-09-16T19:23:00.000+05:30

first official weekend that i truly did some bumming around. it was great to not have to spend the entire day shopping....
this pic is from a while ago....better late than never, that's thinh if you need to put a face to the name.
happy sunday/monday!!

no, it's no new gang symbol

2007-09-13T22:39:00.001+05:30

bugs. they got me bad last night. i woke at 2am scratching like crazy. that's me, pointing to my crazy bug bites, no, it's no new gang symbol. those are just 3 of the ginormous welts on my body. there must be like 10 from last night. time to make a game plan. in addition to the bug stuff i already put on before bed i think i need to fumegate or something. if not, i could be a strong dengue contender. just kidding, kind of. i really am doing the best i can.

horn please

2007-09-12T18:30:00.000+05:30

horn please. for real. this is what the back of trucks have painted on them.
if horns could talk in india they would say....
"hey, don't step into the road"
"get out of my flipping way"
"passing on the left"
"i just got repaired, don't i sound nice"
"&*(*#&$("
"move it"
"you're way too slow"
"i'm in a hurry"
"no reason, just bored"
"isn't this better than lane driving?"
"oops, i missed my turn and now need to cut you off"

and of course, my favorite.
"hey, pretty lady"
usually accompanied by men banging on the door out the window.

isn't india wonderful?

picture courtesy of: http://photo.net/philg/digiphotos/200103-d1-jaipur/horn-please-sign-on-back-of-truck.thumb.jpg

shipment!

2007-09-11T21:54:00.001+05:30

my things arrived today. i'm almost all unpacked and now feeling like i can start putting up pictures, etc. it's amazing how seeing your own pots and pans gives you such a warm feeling. the smell of the clothes too, i suppose, was awesome.

i got some new furniture made for me, and the place is coming together. i am working on getting a mural painted on my wall in the dining room. figuring that is a once in india kind of thing.

found out today that there is skiing in india, believe it or not. so the shipment of my ski boots wasn't all that unrealistic. now i am thinking the skies themselves would have come in handy.

so, i have these 'duh' moments which could also be called 'aha' moments i suppose, but i must admit to not knowing that tea in hindu is chai. chai isn't some sort of spicy indian tea. in fact it is just assam or darjeeling with milk and sugar. am i the only one in the world? please laugh at me, i have already laughed at myself. another duh moment was my realization that not all diplomats are gorgeous people. was that a hollywood myth? i keep looking for beautiful people. it's just a 'freak that i am' moment.

my recent thoughts about my experience: moving to third world india is nothing like moving to madrid was. home of the cafe con leche, the croissants, the street food that wasn't prepared by poopy hands. but there is something very distinct about actually being an adult and having to figure out how to set up your life in a new place. it makes it especially trying to have to bargain for every other thing, and also to battle the 95+ heat. oh, but the glory of seeing that ocassional monkey, or eating that samosa or smelling the lovely jasmine on the way home....it's all a very fine and delicate balance. i am currently dealing with a employee issue. i'm just not all that sure about the guy who is working for me. so i am in the process, with anju upstairs who is truly my guardian angel in delhi, of exiting him. he moves stuff around to weird places, and the whole aspect of common sense is just not there. of course, i am battling big time with letting him go....not wanting his family to go hungry, etc. i need to be much stronger than i am right now. i hope i don't come back to the states a real tough gal, or perhaps that could serve me well to.

dost shubh ratri ... good night friends

commenting the blog

2007-09-09T11:47:00.000+05:30

yes please, keep commenting! but please do write your name when you post, especially if it is in question form. otherwise i don't know who you are:)
much love
b

achha

2007-09-06T19:47:00.000+05:30

achha means 'good' in hindi. things are indeed achha. i started hindi this week. it's tough. the problem is it just goes into my spanish brain sector and hangs out there. i keep trying to relate it, somehow to what i know. not so wise. i need to make flash cards all over again.
what else? i got a haircut here. haircuts are universal wherever you go i suppose, but this one was good, as was the massage you get with it.

choraliers started today also. it's a choral group for the school community. that means all expats i am pretty sure. nonetheless it was sundar (beautiful) to be singing in a group again. my solfege needs some word as does my sight reading.

i went out with a new friend last night. carrie and donny from portland introduced me to raj via email and we met up last night for dinner. after dinner, italian oddly enough, we went to a bar and watched the end of the england-india cricket game. raj explained the whole game to me, and we got to see a bunch of indians get all emotional over the win. it was like american football, spain soccer, you get the idea. lots of hooting and hollering. i love it!

looking forward, very much so, to the weekend. tomorrow is delhi black, an expat party at a club...attire is, you guessed it, black. there is rumor that i might get my sea shipment on saturday, let's just say i am not holding my breath. when it does come i will be thrilled. reunited with old things. how darn materialistic? nah. just a taste of home.

much love to the west....or east, wherever you are.
xoxo
tomorrow milenge (until tomorrow, it is ok to use english words according to my teacher)

neemrana pics

2007-09-02T18:28:00.000+05:30

Neemrana

it's raining.

2007-09-02T17:26:00.000+05:30

these are the monsoon rains i suppose. they have been holding off until today, perhaps they could continue as to bring some more cool air our way. i just got back from an overnight stay at neemrana fort palace. school arranges this trip every year as a way for staff to get to know one another, relax and get out of the city. is is about 100 km southwest....in rajhastan. it was a 17th century fort that has been converted into what they call a "non-hotel." it was absolutely breathtaking, literally and physically. it is set within a hillside so there are stairs everywhere. but the views that it offers are some of the most incredible you have seen. i spent my 2 days laying by the pool, chatting with new colleagues, trying to read, and eating. it was delightful.

getting out of delhi is refreshing. going to this resort was great, but yet again, not very 'india.' i mean, if you think that being waited on by locals really gives you a down home good feeling, i suppose you might think it was india. for me it was still a tourist attraction, which i am beginning to realize is a little bit more of what my life is like.

very few people have indian friends. especially opposite gender indian friends. in fact, most people are very quick to tell you that the only reason indians want to get to know you is because your white. this i understand, somewhat. but i keep questioning whether there isn't that same preference anywhere you go? and that being in a pretty homogeneous cultural country (per se. i know that is a whole other bag of worms) just exaggerates it? while i know why people say it, i don't want to believe that any type of relationship i form here is based on my skin color.

the longer i am here, the less i understand about india. there is just no way to describe the rich cultures and traditions that exist. people are rooted in tradition that i cannot begin to understand yet.

lovely modem lights

2007-08-31T00:02:00.000+05:30

it works. finally my internet works in the comfort of my home! well, the comfort part might be slighted by the drips i just felt coming from the air con, but nonetheless those lovely modem lights are a blinking, and it is just pure bliss.

we had back to school night tonight. gotta love it. the first class i must have looked like a deer in headlights. they are much quieter than their kids, let me tell you. there is something so different about speaking to adults than to kids. especially when you know half of these people are VIPs.

this weekend i am heading to neemrana on a school retreat. school just arranged it, there aren't any mtgs or anything. the plan is relaxing and more relaxing. perhaps a spa treatment or two?
i plan on finishing my book....eat, love, pray by elizabeth gilbert...and getting some sun.

filiz and jon come back tomorrow for friday and sat. and they are off again sunday. they narrowly missed the agra riots...and are flying back from varanasi tomorrow.
that's it for now. i'm off to bed. bedtime just keeps getting later and later.

dreaming of more blogging, and capturing the beauty of india....

reach out

2007-08-30T16:57:00.001+05:30

every thursday at aes is reach out day. on this day the gates allow the kids and adults from the jugghi come in and participate in amazing activites. for parents, there are doctors. and for kids, wow it's really just amazing. everything from hair-washing and nail painting to ring toss around an archie magazine...tutoring, puzzlemaking, cleaning up scrapes and bruises....you name it. the high school students are the volunteers as are the staff. i will take pictures next week:)
internet is supposedly working at home? we'll see tonight...

covered up!

2007-08-26T15:29:00.001+05:30

yes, indeed, my curtains have arrived and been installed. hallelujah. now the dhobi can't look into my windows while i bring him my laundry. as you probably imagined my internet is not working at home. figures doesn't it? one thing at a time. i am going to talk to the maintenance guys this week and ensure that the connection is consistent and conducive to my blogging desires.
this week was good. felice and jon got in on tuesday night and were in delhi until yesterday. as imagined, they have seen far more of delhi than i have. we actually went to the indira gandhi memorial museum here. it is at the residence she lived at, and also, sadly where she was assassinated in 1983 (or4). she was the prime minister of india for many many years. although she has the same surname, she was not related to mahatma gandhi. she was part of the nehru family, who shared similar political and social views as m.,gandhi. the families were friends.
it was nice to get out and see a sight. my weekends have been spent trying to make my place into a home...and little by little it is happening. my friend maureen keeps reminding me that it doesn't all need to get done in the first few months.

this weekend we went to a club called laidback waters for dinner, and saw the mixings of midival punditz. i have never seen a more packed club. it was ridiculous hard to weave through the crowd. luckily we had this upstairs area reserved for us. last night i went over to a colleagues house for drinks and then we went to dinner. very fun.

today i am just catching up on email and grading at school. heading down to the field in a few minutes for a game of ultimate. speaking of ultimate...you can't even imagine the ridiculous heat of delhi today. i might actually sweat of 10 pounds during frisbee. hey, bring it on!

i miss everyone dearly...but this place is starting to feel a little more like home everyday. always good when you can actually tell the tuk tuk driver how to get to your house.
ok, one more tangent. the auto rickshaws must be plotting some evil scheme against me. every single tuk tuk that i took this weekend died midride, leaving us in the middle of the road getting honked out by greater delhi.
i still have faith in the autorickshaw...for now~
pictures are from the museum. sorry, couldn't figure out how to flip it.

xoxo

ins or outs?

2007-08-20T21:09:00.000+05:30

monday nights rule. i love the little g-chats that i get to do when everyone arrives to work on monday morning. mondays are especially great when kind 'kr' is sharing their wireless with me.

ooh. what a few days it has been. i have been thinking about how exactly to go about sharing this next entry....when i got the job back in feb. barb, my MS principal, told me about the squatters that live outside gate 3. i have been intrigued to see what it is like. yesterday, i ventured into the 'jugghi.' my friend warren (AES 5 yearer from chitown) took me to find the tailor so i could get some pillows made. i was nervous, all day, about the trip. not sure what i would see, who would see me, the normal becky gets nervous about new things bit. the jugghi, let me tell you, is amazing.

props to warren for helping me with the following history...
50 years ago when AES was being built migrant laborers came in from the 'villages' (not yet clear on exactly where or what these villages are) to work. during construction they set up camp across the road, on what is diplomatic land of some sort (unclear who it really belongs to). nonetheless, when the construction ended the workers thought that life there was better than in the villages and they began building what is essentially a little city in itself. it is probably about 13 acres of land, although i can't confirm that. walking through there was unreal. everything is made from scraps. there is one guy who even has a tile terazza and apparently a marble countertop in his kitchen! far out. nonetheless it is a little maze of lots of life. the energy running through there was so positive towards us. this positivity stems from the generosity and thoughtfulness that AES offers to it. just to list a few of the amazing things is the intern positions that they open up to graduating seniors interested in computers, the uniforms, the library, and the girl's study hall room. i know that everyone wants to see pictures, but until i have the nerve to ask if it is ok, i am going to refrain. it seems like too much of a violation.

the pics i have included are the walk up to my house and a house i see on the walk to school.
xoxo