DEPARTURE TASKS

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

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

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

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

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.

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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?

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!