Yes, the difference in climate is palpable. It is good to be home. It's trips like these that make me think about how the landscape affects thought and people. It's fascinating that landscape just modulates the expression of thought...the fundamental verities of human life never change. Love, grief, fear, anger, lust, faith, ego, joy, and hate. It's all there. It just comes out in different ways.
While I do miss my lovely Indian friends (seriously!!), I'm overjoyed to be back in my own bed. I've often thought that if I could temporarily park my "space" in another country, I could live comfortably anywhere. Well, for at least a short period of time. I'm not talking about camping on fjords for months or anything ;)
Lots of changes at work. Lots of changes. But as they say, "Nothing stays the same, but change." I've decided to make exactly 21 entries in this blog, so I'm saving the last posts for all the random images, words and experiences of India I didn't mention. And maybe for the four poems I had obligated myself to write in the first entry (which none of you kept me honest on, BTW ;) We'll see what wonders the last entry will encapsulate, won't we? Love to you all!!
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Sari...saree...sorry?
Hello, everyone! I went out and got myself a spiffy chartreuse saree on Wednesday night. Saree shopping was amazing. I can’t believe that women here can do it all the time. I was really overwhelmed by the sheer variety of colors, patterns, fabrics, stitching, flair – everything. Fortunately, I had five savvy Indian women with me (yes, five) and we were given complimentary sodas. Turns out they don't come ready made, so we had quite an adventure finding a tailor who could finish off the edges and make a top to go with it.
Shams put mehendi on my hands while we were waiting at the office for my saree top to be finished by the tailor. (I’m bringing the tube of it home and I’m fully intending on marking you all up given half the chance ;) . You have to let the henna sit on your hands for at least two hours for the color to stick and you can really move them or touch anything. So that meant a cab ride, a walk on Commercial Street (which is just like it sounds – lots and lots of shops with very little sidewalk and tons of people intermingled with vehicles), Shiny having to get the money out of my wallet to pay, getting lost during the cab ride from there to my hotel, handing my bag and room key to the bellman at my hotel to let me into my room, and having to hold a matchbox between my knees to strike a match for a well-deserved post-shopping madness cigarette. All with my hands flat. Fun! At least the hotel staff found it highly amusing.
I left the henna on my hands for almost exactly two hours and when I washed it off, the color was deep and red. I can still smell the henna on my hands – warm and earthy. It will stay for at least a week (longer if I wash my hands in lime juice with a little sugar), so those of you in Seattle might get to see the designs in person. Those of you who are not will just have to see the pictures. I’m having a tough time sending pics from my phone to my email, but rest assured I will post them as soon as possible.
Mehendi is traditionally done for brides-to-be. They have it done halfway up their arms, as well as on the feet and calves. When I was in the office today, a couple of people told me that the deeper the red of the design, the more affectionate the bride’s soon-to-be husband will be. I was told that I would have a very affectionate husband (who knew? ;)
First thing yesterday morning, I donned the saree. For those of you who know me well, showing midriff is...um...not so much Anne. That was definitely a stretch for me. That and wearing makeup and heels and having to walk like a girl, too. Scary, huh? I'll be sure to get ahold of more pictures so that you can see me with a properly folded, tucked, etc saree. It's a really complicated and lengthy process to get it right. But I felt good because all the pretty ladies at the office dressed in traditional clothing for me. Here's a pic.
Everyone seemed impressed by me in the saree. I heard that I looked very natural in it more than once. Isn’t that sweet? The only thing I can say is that observation pays off ;) I eventually had to take it off because I was getting the stitching caught on the buckles of my sandals, but it was certainly good while it lasted. I only hope that I can actually wrap it on my own once I get home. I didn’t spend good money for nothing ;) If worse comes to worse, I’ll search the internet for an instructional video for clueless white women.
Only 36 hours or so left in India. I’m planning a bowling outing with everyone I can convince to come tomorrow night (Mark it 8, dude). I realize that I will be completely exhausted once the evening is over and I’ll be struggling to stay awake until I get on the plane Saturday morning, but I think it will be worth it. I’m fairly certain that I will be ok (at least ok enough to sit around passively) if I can get a solid nap tomorrow afternoon. Here’s hoping!! I’m very much looking forward to seeing you all and I’ll get in touch with everyone whose number/email address I have as soon as I get back. Take care of yourselves and much love!!
Shams put mehendi on my hands while we were waiting at the office for my saree top to be finished by the tailor. (I’m bringing the tube of it home and I’m fully intending on marking you all up given half the chance ;) . You have to let the henna sit on your hands for at least two hours for the color to stick and you can really move them or touch anything. So that meant a cab ride, a walk on Commercial Street (which is just like it sounds – lots and lots of shops with very little sidewalk and tons of people intermingled with vehicles), Shiny having to get the money out of my wallet to pay, getting lost during the cab ride from there to my hotel, handing my bag and room key to the bellman at my hotel to let me into my room, and having to hold a matchbox between my knees to strike a match for a well-deserved post-shopping madness cigarette. All with my hands flat. Fun! At least the hotel staff found it highly amusing.
I left the henna on my hands for almost exactly two hours and when I washed it off, the color was deep and red. I can still smell the henna on my hands – warm and earthy. It will stay for at least a week (longer if I wash my hands in lime juice with a little sugar), so those of you in Seattle might get to see the designs in person. Those of you who are not will just have to see the pictures. I’m having a tough time sending pics from my phone to my email, but rest assured I will post them as soon as possible.
Mehendi is traditionally done for brides-to-be. They have it done halfway up their arms, as well as on the feet and calves. When I was in the office today, a couple of people told me that the deeper the red of the design, the more affectionate the bride’s soon-to-be husband will be. I was told that I would have a very affectionate husband (who knew? ;)
First thing yesterday morning, I donned the saree. For those of you who know me well, showing midriff is...um...not so much Anne. That was definitely a stretch for me. That and wearing makeup and heels and having to walk like a girl, too. Scary, huh? I'll be sure to get ahold of more pictures so that you can see me with a properly folded, tucked, etc saree. It's a really complicated and lengthy process to get it right. But I felt good because all the pretty ladies at the office dressed in traditional clothing for me. Here's a pic.
I'm the one in the middle, just in case you didn't know :D Aren't the women in the office lovely?
Everyone seemed impressed by me in the saree. I heard that I looked very natural in it more than once. Isn’t that sweet? The only thing I can say is that observation pays off ;) I eventually had to take it off because I was getting the stitching caught on the buckles of my sandals, but it was certainly good while it lasted. I only hope that I can actually wrap it on my own once I get home. I didn’t spend good money for nothing ;) If worse comes to worse, I’ll search the internet for an instructional video for clueless white women.
Only 36 hours or so left in India. I’m planning a bowling outing with everyone I can convince to come tomorrow night (Mark it 8, dude). I realize that I will be completely exhausted once the evening is over and I’ll be struggling to stay awake until I get on the plane Saturday morning, but I think it will be worth it. I’m fairly certain that I will be ok (at least ok enough to sit around passively) if I can get a solid nap tomorrow afternoon. Here’s hoping!! I’m very much looking forward to seeing you all and I’ll get in touch with everyone whose number/email address I have as soon as I get back. Take care of yourselves and much love!!
Monday, April 23, 2007
It's the final countdown...
Yes, dear readers, it's only a few more days until my return to Seattle. While things have evened out and I'm enjoying myself now, I will really like being back in familiar surroundings. I've not missed much except my people and my cat. I've not really missed the food and I've been fine with the temperature, thanks to spending time in Goa.
One thing that I have missed is being able to easily communicate with people outside of work. The AMZN peeps understand what I'm saying (more often than not) and I understand them, but I've had a hard time with people at hotels, in cabs, etc. Unless I keep it to supersimple, single word sentences, I can't get my message across without multiple rephrasings.
The good news is that I've managed to muddle through and soon, it won't be an issue. In the interim, it can be rather frustrating and I've wished that I knew more Hindi on more than one occasion (although that's no guarantee that I would be understood by everyone).
Well, I should post and get back to watching bad American sitcoms and listening to the panoply of hornage on the street outside. Laters!
One thing that I have missed is being able to easily communicate with people outside of work. The AMZN peeps understand what I'm saying (more often than not) and I understand them, but I've had a hard time with people at hotels, in cabs, etc. Unless I keep it to supersimple, single word sentences, I can't get my message across without multiple rephrasings.
The good news is that I've managed to muddle through and soon, it won't be an issue. In the interim, it can be rather frustrating and I've wished that I knew more Hindi on more than one occasion (although that's no guarantee that I would be understood by everyone).
Well, I should post and get back to watching bad American sitcoms and listening to the panoply of hornage on the street outside. Laters!
Sunday, April 22, 2007
REVENGE!
Ever seen the movie, A Fish Called Wanda? If so, you might remember the scene where Michael Palin's character is driving a steamroller towards Kevin Kline, shouting, "Revenge!" Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that's exactly how I'm feeling right now...
You see, I went out with Bala, Nick and Melinda to TGIF again and again had some vats of Long Island Iced Tea. The last time I was out there, I bet Bala $10 USD that I could drink him under the table, so he's been really focused on winning that money. His underhanded tactic for making that happen? Asking his buddies to put extra shots of TEQUILA in my drinks.
Those of you who have known me for a long time (or even a short time with alcohol involved) know that my body does not like tequila the next morning. It dents me...badly. The only place that I have been able to drink tequila and not wake up feeling like I'm having a major remodel done on the inside of my skull has been in Mexico...and that was MEXICO people!!
Bala knows that tequila hurts me the next day because I told him so - I think that's the reason I was hungover after the last TGIF outing (I had a shot of it that night). But he conspired with Nick to get it added to my drinks anyway.
मदचो! (yeah...that's right...I said the bad Hindi word)
This is a shout out directly to Bala: if you believe that making me more hungover the next morning will somehow win you my hard earned money, you are sorely mistaken. I will be more than happy to drink you under the nearest available table at any point in time, but it will be with the alcohol of my choosing. Tequila doesn't make me any more drunk than other alcohols (as you saw last night), it just makes me more bitter and angry the next morning, buddy.
Bala, you've been good to me, man and I will always appreciate and love you for it. But I swear on my mother's eyes that I will somehow make you suffer for the hangover I have this morning. I'll find a way, my friend...oh yes...yes I will. Oh yeah and Nick? You're included in this, too :P
I had five vats of LIIT (funny acronym!) and I was still sober enough to walk out the door. I was even wearing my wedges and I didn't trip/stumble/otherwise humiliate myself. HA! So there. I even managed to keep my highly inappropriate and provocative thoughts to myself. I settled for the more culturally appropriate saucy and/or cheeky. Those of you who have seen me highly intoxicated will appreciate the effort that this took on my part, considering the ease with which shocking things will roll off my tongue after a few cocktails have run over it ;)
I also had my first Cuban cigar last night since they're legal here. Fascinating. I felt like Columbo with a fine cigar. It was wonderfully aromatic and stuff, but I couldn't smoke much of it before I had to let it go out :P
Tonight, it sounds like we're headed to Purple Haze again. I'm hoping that Melinda comes along, too - she's good times :D If any of my dear readers have suggestions for appropriate revenge on the tequila twosome, please let me know. It will be awhile before my little grey cells are back up to snuff ;) Luvs!
You see, I went out with Bala, Nick and Melinda to TGIF again and again had some vats of Long Island Iced Tea. The last time I was out there, I bet Bala $10 USD that I could drink him under the table, so he's been really focused on winning that money. His underhanded tactic for making that happen? Asking his buddies to put extra shots of TEQUILA in my drinks.
Those of you who have known me for a long time (or even a short time with alcohol involved) know that my body does not like tequila the next morning. It dents me...badly. The only place that I have been able to drink tequila and not wake up feeling like I'm having a major remodel done on the inside of my skull has been in Mexico...and that was MEXICO people!!
Bala knows that tequila hurts me the next day because I told him so - I think that's the reason I was hungover after the last TGIF outing (I had a shot of it that night). But he conspired with Nick to get it added to my drinks anyway.
मदचो! (yeah...that's right...I said the bad Hindi word)
This is a shout out directly to Bala: if you believe that making me more hungover the next morning will somehow win you my hard earned money, you are sorely mistaken. I will be more than happy to drink you under the nearest available table at any point in time, but it will be with the alcohol of my choosing. Tequila doesn't make me any more drunk than other alcohols (as you saw last night), it just makes me more bitter and angry the next morning, buddy.
Bala, you've been good to me, man and I will always appreciate and love you for it. But I swear on my mother's eyes that I will somehow make you suffer for the hangover I have this morning. I'll find a way, my friend...oh yes...yes I will. Oh yeah and Nick? You're included in this, too :P
I had five vats of LIIT (funny acronym!) and I was still sober enough to walk out the door. I was even wearing my wedges and I didn't trip/stumble/otherwise humiliate myself. HA! So there. I even managed to keep my highly inappropriate and provocative thoughts to myself. I settled for the more culturally appropriate saucy and/or cheeky. Those of you who have seen me highly intoxicated will appreciate the effort that this took on my part, considering the ease with which shocking things will roll off my tongue after a few cocktails have run over it ;)
I also had my first Cuban cigar last night since they're legal here. Fascinating. I felt like Columbo with a fine cigar. It was wonderfully aromatic and stuff, but I couldn't smoke much of it before I had to let it go out :P
Tonight, it sounds like we're headed to Purple Haze again. I'm hoping that Melinda comes along, too - she's good times :D If any of my dear readers have suggestions for appropriate revenge on the tequila twosome, please let me know. It will be awhile before my little grey cells are back up to snuff ;) Luvs!
Friday, April 20, 2007
A Request
Greetings on a Saturday afternoon, Indian Standard Time. I've been thinking about it and I realized that, while you've all been reading almost all of the minutiae of my life during my time away, I know very little about what's going on in your worlds.
That being the case, I have a simple request for all of my dear readers. If you have my email address and you're reading this blog, please send me an email to let me know what's been happening in your world while I've been gone. I don't want to be completely ignorant of what's been going on with you and I'm thinking that an email (however brief) would help me transition back into the world of my loved ones. I really do care and want to know. And, to be perfectly honest, the blogging for the next couple of days is going to be uneventful (unless you consider me hanging out in my hotel, watching the Sopranos and going out to drink "events"). Your messages will keep me from feeling like well...like I'm not home and stuff.
Thank you for your support :D
That being the case, I have a simple request for all of my dear readers. If you have my email address and you're reading this blog, please send me an email to let me know what's been happening in your world while I've been gone. I don't want to be completely ignorant of what's been going on with you and I'm thinking that an email (however brief) would help me transition back into the world of my loved ones. I really do care and want to know. And, to be perfectly honest, the blogging for the next couple of days is going to be uneventful (unless you consider me hanging out in my hotel, watching the Sopranos and going out to drink "events"). Your messages will keep me from feeling like well...like I'm not home and stuff.
Thank you for your support :D
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Rock the Casbah
I went back to Commercial Street last night and got my bangles - they are lovely!! They make it a little tough to type, but one has to suffer for fashion, right? :D I also picked up a bunch of souvenirs that were requested by folks back home. I only have a little more shopping to do and then I am done! Woot!
After we were done, Bala, Nick and I went to a club called Purple Haze, which plays very loud metal and rock videos. Fun! I was actually wearing earrings (I can hear the gasps of amazement from my audience ;) and my earlobes actually hurt from head banging. It's been a long time since I've done that and my neck kinda hurts, too :P Ah well, perhaps I should grow up and stop tossing my head around to music? Nah...I'll just go to the chiropractor when I get home.
And now I'm feeling sick again, dear readers. Will this *never* end? I'd like to feel normal again. Fortunately, it's not the same sickness I was feeling before, so at least the viruses and/or bacteria have gotten creative about making my life hell. Now I'm feeling like I have the makings of the flu - I was feverish and simply exhausted for most of the day. I also felt as if my mucus membranes were working overtime on the mucus part. Sorry if that's an overshare, but it's a funny line, you must admit.
Plans for traveling to Mysore have been cancelled based on how I'm feeling. The newest trainee was out for the last two days of the week because his wife was having a baby (Congratulations to Azeez on his new baby boy!!) so I have to have to have to be in the office for the full week so that I can spend as much time as possible. Traveling for at a minimum of six hours, walking around all day in a new place, etcetera seemed to me to be a recipe for sick time during the work week. I'm nothing if not committed (or at the very least, I should be...to some nice, calm, padded place where a pill cart comes by regularly).
Sounds like the weekend will be pretty quiet overall. I'm planning to go out to Purple Haze again tomorrow night. Everyone was trying to get me to go out tonight and jam again, but I just couldn't bear it. I think this is the longest that I have consistently had alcohol and it's depressing my poor widdle immune system (along with a profound lack of sleep).
I think that this is enough for the moment. Love to youse guys!
After we were done, Bala, Nick and I went to a club called Purple Haze, which plays very loud metal and rock videos. Fun! I was actually wearing earrings (I can hear the gasps of amazement from my audience ;) and my earlobes actually hurt from head banging. It's been a long time since I've done that and my neck kinda hurts, too :P Ah well, perhaps I should grow up and stop tossing my head around to music? Nah...I'll just go to the chiropractor when I get home.
And now I'm feeling sick again, dear readers. Will this *never* end? I'd like to feel normal again. Fortunately, it's not the same sickness I was feeling before, so at least the viruses and/or bacteria have gotten creative about making my life hell. Now I'm feeling like I have the makings of the flu - I was feverish and simply exhausted for most of the day. I also felt as if my mucus membranes were working overtime on the mucus part. Sorry if that's an overshare, but it's a funny line, you must admit.
Plans for traveling to Mysore have been cancelled based on how I'm feeling. The newest trainee was out for the last two days of the week because his wife was having a baby (Congratulations to Azeez on his new baby boy!!) so I have to have to have to be in the office for the full week so that I can spend as much time as possible. Traveling for at a minimum of six hours, walking around all day in a new place, etcetera seemed to me to be a recipe for sick time during the work week. I'm nothing if not committed (or at the very least, I should be...to some nice, calm, padded place where a pill cart comes by regularly).
Sounds like the weekend will be pretty quiet overall. I'm planning to go out to Purple Haze again tomorrow night. Everyone was trying to get me to go out tonight and jam again, but I just couldn't bear it. I think this is the longest that I have consistently had alcohol and it's depressing my poor widdle immune system (along with a profound lack of sleep).
I think that this is enough for the moment. Love to youse guys!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
I don't know whether or not you all remember...
But mosquito bites suck. I mean, first they suck your blood and the after effects suck, too. I got my legs savaged on Sunday night and I'm itching like...well...I can't come up with an apt simile at this point, but it's maddening. It's only a few more days. I suppose I can hack it.
Shamala tacked on my first bindi today. Here's a pic for y'all taken with my handy dandy cell.
I took another pic, but I look kinda psycho, so I'm posting this one instead.
New hotel is sweet still, except for the fact that the power has gone off for a few seconds about five times since I returned to my room. I keep forgetting that stability is not really this place. Kali rules here, people! Speaking of which, I need to gets me some statuary. Hopefully from that sweet sandalwood shop that Tim visited.
I'm going out to get my bangles and a sari tomorrow. Should be interesting! I'm planning to get everyone else their trinkets, too if I can. We shall see how the finances hold out!! Here's hoping that Tim has bought lots of mac and cheese and/or top ramen for my return. Otherwise, I might be fighting Viggo for his food. I'm sure that that, coupled with my long absence, will further endear me to the fuzzy, demanding one. Maybe I should tell him that cats are good eating in some Indian states?
Blah blah blah...clearly, I'm needing to ramble on via blog as I have rambled from hotel to hotel in this city. Speaking of which, as I was about to check out of my second hotel, the power went out and I had to wait for 20 minutes before I could do so. Good times.
Dunno if I'm going to be able to go to Mysore this weekend. I kinda want to get out of the city and I kinda don't want to spend the money and/or swelter. We'll see how persuasive my AMZN colleagues are, won't we? Luv 'n' stuff.
Shamala tacked on my first bindi today. Here's a pic for y'all taken with my handy dandy cell.
I took another pic, but I look kinda psycho, so I'm posting this one instead.New hotel is sweet still, except for the fact that the power has gone off for a few seconds about five times since I returned to my room. I keep forgetting that stability is not really this place. Kali rules here, people! Speaking of which, I need to gets me some statuary. Hopefully from that sweet sandalwood shop that Tim visited.
I'm going out to get my bangles and a sari tomorrow. Should be interesting! I'm planning to get everyone else their trinkets, too if I can. We shall see how the finances hold out!! Here's hoping that Tim has bought lots of mac and cheese and/or top ramen for my return. Otherwise, I might be fighting Viggo for his food. I'm sure that that, coupled with my long absence, will further endear me to the fuzzy, demanding one. Maybe I should tell him that cats are good eating in some Indian states?
Blah blah blah...clearly, I'm needing to ramble on via blog as I have rambled from hotel to hotel in this city. Speaking of which, as I was about to check out of my second hotel, the power went out and I had to wait for 20 minutes before I could do so. Good times.
Dunno if I'm going to be able to go to Mysore this weekend. I kinda want to get out of the city and I kinda don't want to spend the money and/or swelter. We'll see how persuasive my AMZN colleagues are, won't we? Luv 'n' stuff.
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