A day in the life of ..... a WEDDING, Nov. 3-4

Wow, we were invited to a South Indian Wedding! Srini (our driver) invited us to his wife's brother's wedding. It was an arranged marriage, and over the past few months Srini had gone through some of the stages with me (incl. some disappointments at match.com type arrangements). Finally, in July, Srini had announced that the wedding would occur 3 months later in Nov. And how long had the couple known each other, I ask? Well, since July. They'd met a couple of times, SMS'd, and talked over the phone. Further, since their stars weren't perfectly aligned, they had to perform a couple of poojas to mitigate.

The wedding was AMAZING!! For us it started with the reception the night before the actual wedding. Bride and groom were all decked out, standing on a stage type thing, greeting well-wishers. For us guests, there was a buffet-feast set up upstairs. It was delicious vegetarian food, served stand-up style, and there was a wonderful festive atmosphere with people milling about, and children playing. I was wearing my brand new and 'modern' sari with sequin (by Neemrata -- a famous Bangalore designer) but many guests were just wearing jeans or work-type clothes.

Sunday morning was the actual wedding. After a special breakfast of special idli (white rice sponge cake) with coconut chutney and with sambar (S. Indian veg. curry) served on a banana leaf and followed by South Indian coffee served in two tin cups, we went to see the wedding couple perform their various pooja's (prayers/rituals). They must have been there from at least 8am-1pm doing rituals!!! But all around them there were family and friends (and a few token foreigners) milling about, and children laughing and running. Everyone was wearing their best sari (I came in a fancy salwar kameez --- pant suit with long shawl).

Meanwhile the poor wedding couple kept getting yelled at by the priest for doing something wrong or not at all. It was all in good jest though. The wedding itself was very ritualized and organized (sort of), but the guests and family attending were all over the place. No one was really paying attention to the bride and groom, except me and Phil. It was bubble-like.

Lunch was served upstairs for the guests, but the wedding couple still had to fullfill more pooja's. Again the food was served on a banana leaf, but this time in a distinct pattern: approx. from left to right, top to bottom. There were about 5 different veg. gravy dishes, 2 dry dishes, then rice, papads, pickle, and of course rice, rassam, and sambar, and dessert. It was scrumptious, but a bit strange for my palate to have the curries flow into the payassam dessert (sweet coconut milk with tapioca).

This was truly a grand experience. We couldn't imagine a more eccelectic mix of young and old, modern and traditional, Indian and foreign. It was ritualistic yet free and relaxed. There was beautiful decor but red plastic chairs. Guests were wearing opulent and extravagant sari's and jewelry, while others came in jeans and still others in lungis (a sarong worn by men).

Thank you Srini, for sharing this special event with us! We will always remember it.

A day in the life of .... CRECHE, Nov. 6, 2007

Just one note today, on the kids and life at the creche:

one of the kids had to go to the bathroom. He'd been crying/wimpering from the beginning, and kept wanting his amma (mami). He was really quite pitiful. But what are you going to do? You can't shower him with all the attention while the others probably equally miss their amma right? Well, but he wouldn't stop, and he wasn't doing it for show either, so ..... I DID pay him attention.

He raises his little pinky finger and indicates "I gotta pee". Oh, ok, well, then, "Go! .... HOGI!" I say. He stays in front of me, continues to plead with me in his eyes. He really gotta go pee. I'm thinking, this kid is about 4yrs. old, for sure he'll know how to go pee on his own. I don't really wanna leave my group of kids..... But he ain't movin'. Ok, he's getting desperate. I'll take him. I take his hand (he takes it, surprisingly), we walk to the bathroom.

He stands there, doin' nothing at all. I'm confused. I thought he had to go desperately. Then I notice, ...... OH!!!! There's a darn SAFETY PIN instead of a button. NO WONDER HE CAN'T GO TO THE BATHROOM BY HIMSELF!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh man, oh man, the poor bugger.

But you know what? If this hadn't happened, I wouldn't know the Indian universal sign for "I gotta pee". And that sure is useful something, no?

Learning Kannada

Learning Kannada:

There is no real text book, and the workbooks are …. interesting.

For example, all numbers until 100 are written out (like in English, they follow the same pattern after 20), so why write them ALL out? After the numbers section, logically (apparently) there’s the section on “Sentences of Two Words” which include:

Good boy
White horse
Little girl
Stepmother
Jasmine bud
Parrot’s talk
Drink medicine.

Very logical.

Sentences of three words include these useful phrases:

There are thirty days in a month.
He sings well.
The elephant has four legs.

The last section, which in all normal language texts would be a dictionary, is entitled “Some Words” and includes in this exact order:


Pure
Unexpectedly
Unexpected
Without reason
Untimely
Misdeed
Elder sister
Neighbourhood
Letter of the alphabet
Affection, liking
Gold-smith
Rice water
Irregular
Rice mixed with turmeric powder
Imperishable
The study of alphabet
A degree of terrestrial latitude
The eye
Eye-disease
Undivided
Pitch
Uneatable
Entire, whole
Wooden bolt
Uncounted

Lovely.

But here’s for something funny. In another text, here are two sample conversations:

What is your dog doing?
It is barking in the road.
Why is it barking?
There is a mad man going in the road, it’s barking at him.

Why did you come late to the Kannada class today?
Oh! I could not get the wretched bus; always there is some trouble or the other.
Was it late when you left?
When I woke up, it was already seven therefore I was delayed.

I LOVE IT!!!!

And you wonder why I am not learning Kannada …..



Here some pictures of .... the view from my classrom, the classroom itself with some students.

A day in the life of ...... Tues. Oct. 30 -- Creche for slum kids

Only highlight today: reading/playing/teaching children at the creche for slum kids.



I'm really trying to remember everyone's names, but with 50+ children, it's difficult! Today I noticed one little kid, Arun, who was sitting quietly in the corner. He's a little mentally retarded, obviously, and didn't understand what I was saying. But I got a huge, sweet smile from him at least once when he really looked into my eyes. I'd say that made my day.



Some kids are amazing. Santosh, who reaches to my knees, is witty and has bright white teeth. Lakshmi is sure of herself. Angel is shy but getting better. Nazia is really smart (note: what do I know, I've only observed her a few times). Nagaraj is lazy but smart too. Mahalakshmi likes to pocket things -- I THINK. Meena was quiet but finally approached me. Rose is forward. Munil knows what's going on but hides it! They are all cheeky little buggers.



Hope I can wrote more about other kids next week.



CURRENTLY, my kids are playing outside with Sahu, our nighttime security guard. I can hear their tummy-laughs. I don't know what they're doing, but they're happy. So am I!

A day in the life of ..... Sun. Oct. 28 -- L O V E

Funny day today: took an auto to Forum Mall (that's about 20mins. from our house) with the kids and Phil to buy some bean bags --- ended up with an iPod and HiFi system instead! Cool, right?



Auto on the way back has this sign:

L = Losse of mani

O = Out of mind

V = Vest of time

E = End of life



I'm lovin' it here!!!!!!!!!!



This afternoon I showed the kids and Phil my Kannada language school (classroom). Phil couldn't quite believe it -- very, very decrepit building with old, decrepit, dirty walls and benches from the 50s. No blackboard, only two big black sheets hung up on the wall. View of a mini-slum. Hardly any electricity, of course. I'm thinking: who cares? No one else seems to mind, so why should I? Phil just shakes his head.



Our way home, via side streets: immediately next to my school building, a 3 storey house whose ground floor is occupied by 5 cows. One was being milked. Some slummy housing, mini corner-stores, about 5 temples, a chicken centre (live chickens in cages, of course), the recycling distribution centre, etc. etc. Cow shit everywhere, goats hanging out on one plot. 5minutes later, we're at our house. Pretty amazing, ey?



I'm lovin' it here!!!!!



Dinner was delivered: thin-crust pizza, fresh salad, and homemade pasta with spinach sauce. The pizza is on par with "Facia Luna" in Old Town.



I'm lovin' it here!!!!!

A day in the life of .... Wed., 24 Oct. -- Forum Mall

Today:
went to a MALL with the kids, dropped them off at an indoor play area (with Devi). While they played, I got to do a phone interview (that's an "aside" story), got money from my American debit card at a state-of-the-art ATM (HSBC, in case you were wondering), took a look at all the latest mobile phones, and did my grocery shopping at a supermarket. Pretty good and normal, right?

But THIS, below, is really India.

At the phone shop: no stock of Nokia flip-phones. This is THE phone shop in one of the biggest malls in Bangalore. Hmmmm. Nevermind, Srini said that I could get anything for half-price at Bjkfsdkhfskjhfsdkj Market anyway. Just that they are smuggled, so there won't be any warranty. Not that that would be needed. :) :) :) . I'm looking forward to that Blksdfdjlkjksdf Market trip!

At the supermarket: was given a nice welcome by the mini-flies surrounding the onions ... on a pleasant note, was promptly informed of lack of Quaker Oats. My turn at check-out took 10 minutes for 10 items, plus 5 minutes to get my change.

At the indoor play-area: the price was REDUCED, and the staff were all playing with Tina and Lucy. THIS I love.

Got home, had lunch, blah, blah, blah. Only one power outage.

4.30 PM: went to my Kannada class (that's the state language here), and basically understood nothing, but then again, neither did any of the other students (all Indian nationals from other parts of India). Walked home, feeling ok.

7 PM: walked around the block with the kids in their PJs. Halfway home, was accompanied by our ironing-man, drunk unfortunately but not surprisingly. He wanted money, of course. I told him to ask Phil since I ALWAYS say no, but "sir" sometimes says yes. He was nice though, and we all happily said good-bye at our gate. Good, right?

That's about it for tonight!

At the meat shop

Phil brought back a mini-Weber BBQ from the States. So tonight we're going to grill steaks! ..... Off to the meat shop "NEW FROSTIES" I go:

Me: Good afternoon!
NEW FROSTIES: Hello, Madam.
Me: Do you have beef tenderloin today?
NEW FROSTIES: YES!
Me: You do, really? Tenderloin?
NEW FROSTIES: Yes
Me: Tenderloin?
NEW FROSTIES: Yes, madam!
Me: Not undercut ...
NEW FROSTIES: Yes undercut, no tenderloin.
Me: Ah .... can you get tenderloin by this afternoon?
Meat: No madam, not this afternoon. We only have undercut today. Tomorrow I can get tenderloin for you.

Se we didn't BBQ after all.

Settling In, Our House, Our Neighbourhood, Our India

The first few weeks in Bangalore (Nov.-Dec. 2006) were a bit ..... well, required some adjusting. After a couple of weeks in a serviced apartment, we finally moved into our house in a great neighbourhood, Indiranagar.

One of the major selling points, besides the donkey-drawn plastic bucket vendor strolling along, was the ironing-man perched just opposite our gate. Cool -- never again would I ever have to touch an iron!!!

Then I discovered:

The joys of cooking/cleaning dishes in a kitchen with midget-height counters, while Tina and Lucy discovered the joys of pulling everything down from the kitchen counters (not possible in the States due to babies' height limitations).

The joys of cling wrap that doesn't cling but also wrinkles immediately after you forcefully rip it from the soft cardboard box it's in (no sharp edges on the box).

The joys of counting cows on the street, and the beautiful big trees all around. The joys of hearing and feeling and smelling India. Hmmmm, the melodic sound of the languages, the shaking of the head, the feel of dust on your sandal feet shoes, the feel of the ground as you walk barefoot to the temples, the light touch on your arm of the beggar children, the sounds of the autorickshaws, and the smells of butter corn and roasted peanuts being sold on the street.