updates

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

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

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

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

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

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

things india.

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

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



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

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

camera is dead:-(

silver lining.

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

bummers.

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

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

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

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

assorted things birthday style

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

check out this rose piece in the lobby!

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

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

yesterday.

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

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

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

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


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

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

the whites, melissa and scott

the outside party

the kitchen party, funny how that always happens

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


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

What a weekend!

what a wild ride

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