dust

Well I am back in Delhi now. Me, my brother-in-law (Bhutty), niece (Sonali), and another kid from Affour took the Licchvi Express from Chappra. The journey was about 20 hours, but I was lucky to have been able to reserve a ticket. The rest of my party snuck into the Sleeper class bogey and paid fines.

The stay in Affour was quite enjoyable. The best way to describe it is as an extended camping trip with 15 relatives. Typical routine: wake up at 5am, sit in the back courtyard with everyone and take turns to use the toilet. Have tea around 6 or 7am (after the buffalo or cow is milked), then start making "breakfast". I hesitate to call it breakfast because it takes so long to prepare and no one really eats until 11am. While some cook, others sweep and mop. In the afternoon, everyone takes turns taking a bath, and then around 3-5pm we nap or sit and fan ourselves. Wehen the sun starts to go down, we begin cooking dinner, have tea, and go sit on the roof. Many evenings I helped my nephew with his kindegarten studies. It's fascinating to see him learn in English because he is already bilingual (as are most Indians). After eating around 11pm, we go to sleep on the roof. Some of the nights were very cool, and the sky always clear and full of stars. Just like camping, right? We also entertained ourselves by deep-frying and hosting impromptu musical events.

Now back in Delhi I feel like my vacation is over. Delhi is DUSTY. Everyday we wash and wipe and the next morning EVERYTHING is covered with a fresh layer of dust. Well, it is not really dust, but more like a fine dirt (think baseball field). The monsoon should help with this (But then I suppose there will be mud and mosquitoes everywhere). Natalie (brother-in-law's wife) is redoing the flat-- kitchen shelves, dining area, etc.

I got a mobile and feel quite liberated and cosmospolitan despite the fact the only person I really call at this point is my brother-in-law Santosh. This will probably change when I start my internship. If you would like to call me, dial 011-91 for India and then my number 986891-4287.

Did I mention we have cable? They show really good American and Hindi films. One of my favorite channels is the History channel in Hindi which caters to Indian-related events as well as western (we saw features of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty and Max Factor in the same day!).

DC-Delhi-Affour

I've been in India fore only a week or so, but it feels like much longer because India doesn't feel so foreign anymore, and Bihar and the suburbs of Delhi are quite like home.

I spent the majority of the first week in Delhi. The temperature reached 44 degrees celsius, so it was quite hot (especially with pollution and dust factored in). The good news is that the flat in Delhi is quite luxurious with a Dessert Cooler (the poor man's A/C), a semi-automatic washing machine, and an inverter. These contraptions are unknown to most westerners save the brave souls who have stayed in ghaziabad.

Three days ago Anand and i left for Bihar. The train left an hour-and-a-half late, and ended up arriving in Chappra 9 hours late. Lucky for us our fellow passengers provided enough entertainment. Two groups of men (one returbning from work in Libya, the other from Mauritius) took up ALL the luggae space and upper berths with their TV's, DVD players, etc they were bringing home. There was another family in our compartment who also had loads of luggage. The father got REALLY drunk, passed out, and some men plopped him down nearby where his wife proceeded to justifiably curse him out.

So i've been in guddu's hgouse the past few days and will stay here until the 29th. My bhabhi (guddu's elder brother's wife) is about to have a baby any seconbd now. hopefully i'll be around for some of that action. the village is a nice place to be after taking exams-- you don't have to do much, just simple tasks like washing or cleaning. free time is spent chatting and napping.

i'll probably write again once i reach delhi.

The Contents of my Suitcase

Guddu and I are almost done packing. These are the gifts I am bringing for my in-laws. They really are not as smelly and sugar-deprived as the above list may suggest:

13 bottles of Suave shampoo and conditioner (assorted scents)
3 bottles Suave lotion
4 cans shaving cream
3 speedstick deodorants
1 Scrabble game
6 sets of eye/lip/cheek makeup
2 bottles Baby Oil
1 baby wash
10 packs of Kool-Aid (assorted flavors)
2 Old Spice body sprays
2 bags hard candy
1 partridge in a pear tree
1 jar Vanilla Extract
4 St. Ive's Medicated Face Scrubs
1 humongous container of powdered Gatorade
2 walkmans
1 beachball
2 cans Spray Starch

plus my personal effects and clothing and cameras...

Were you looking for Amazing Bible Studies?

many thanks to steve m. (aka "army steve") who pointed out that if you go to http://skibak8.blogpsot.com , you will arrive at "Amazing Bible Studies." I am not connected to that site.

Do you listen to NPR? Ever heard the show "This American Life." Quality story-telling. I suggest you check out this true story, so listen to Act One about Shaheen and the frogs. There should be a link to realplayer.

Race Report: Lucy and I ran 8-minute miles at the 5K on Saturday. My time was 24:47. I am not Mrs. Speedy. There were aggravating circumstances: two mean hills and a VERY slow and crowded start.

grading, still. and shampoo.

i feel like i have been grading exams for 2 days straight. wait, i HAVE been.

last night guddu and i went shopping for gifts that i will take to india. we went to target and bought about 15-20 bottles of suave shampoo, lotion, etc. we also got some baby oil for the newborn. i hope i have room for all of this stuff in my luggage. and i really hope it doesn't all bust open on the way there. "shampoo" is actually a south indian word that the Brits picked up, so you'd think they would have shampoo in India. they do, kind of, but it is very expensive. so scented suave shampoo goes over really well.

i will be distributing these gifts when I go to Bihar in May. The coolest place in Bihar is the Khuda Bakhsh Library-- possesing a large Mughal collection and other Islamic documents. Guddu used to supply books to the library and is still in contact with the librarian there.

In June I will head back to Delhi to start my internship at the US & Foreign Commercial Service.

is it really May?

we have had the heat on in my house the past two days. this is just wrong! i need it to be in the 90s at least! how will i adjust to the heat of north india next week?

finished an exam yesterday. almost done. i got home and watched "Monsoon Wedding." SUCH a good movie-- not because of the main plot, i'm only interested in the subplot love-story between alice the maid and dubey the wedding planner. and the scenes of delhi in the rain!

it will be hard to be in delhi this summer without guddu. that is OUR city-- where we met, fell in love, etc yada yada yada. every couple has their city. my parents have new orleans. even though they are divorced and barely speak, they both reminisce about the Fairmont hotel, ralph and kakoo's, lefitte's blacksmith shop, and their old apt in the french quarter.

back to richmond. i went to pick up my Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure packet yesterday. i had ordered a small t-shirt and the t-shirt-hander-outer questioned me "now look at the small-- are you sure you want it?" really he was saying "you think you can fit in that?". i mean, it's not a FITTED shirt. i was wearing many layers of clothes, so perhaps i looked a little bulky-- 3 shirts, a fleece vest, and a jacket.

public mgt lessons from chimps

on PBS this evening there was a fascinating program showing how chimps and other primates use tools. "tool use" was thought to be what distinguished humans from animals. the apes also collaborate and participate in "organized aggression," and even seek out their own kind to murder. their societies are built around friendships and alliances. this is the beginning of culture. doesn't sound too different from our own system. how do humans free themselves from the laws of the jungle? our comprehension of consequence.

p.s. a true sign of friendship is falling asleep in eachothers company