no, it's no new gang symbol

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

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!

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

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

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

Neemrana

it's raining.

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.