rules of the road

The rules of driving in this country are a bit...different than those of American roads. I'm sure so many of you from my hometown have received that forwarded email about the rules of driving in that big city. It's funny, and it's so true. I know I can't contend with that author's creativity, but I thought I'd post a few of the rules of the road in case you lost your mind and decided to visit us and take a rental car out for a spin.

Wrong Turns: In case you take the wrong "exit" off of a major road, there is no need to panic. Simply put you car in reverse, dodge the traffic coming at you, and back your car up until you reach the correct road upon which you want to travel.

U-turns: Similar to this are u-turns under freeways, or flyovers as they are called here. Even though the u-turn is physically designed for only one-way traffic, if you are wanting to save time but are on the opposite side of the u-turn it is perfectly okay for you to drive through it as well. Of course then it's not really a "u" but that doesn't defeat the purpose. Don't forget to honk though, that actually is important.

Horn Usage: Speaking of honking, it is an integral cog in the wheel of traffic flow here. Since driving in lanes is optional here (despite the roadsigns that encourage "Lane Driving is Sane Driving"), it is important to honk. A lot. This way, you can tell all the other cars, "Hello. I'm here." And the other cars do the same, and awareness of others has reached a level of utopia - albeit a very loud one.

Light Usage: Another way to be aware of each other is found in the mountains. If you are driving at night in the mountains, you don't always know if another car is going to come around the curve. So the method of choice is to just simply turn off your headlights. If you can still see some lights, then a car is coming. Luckily, I don't have the answer to the question, "What happens if both cars use this method?"

Right-away: No need to watch out for walkers. Pedestrians don't have the rightaway. They will watch out for themselves. Same goes the for the hundreds of cyclists on the roads. They know to watch out for themselves. Basically, if a vehicle is smaller than yours, you don't need to pay any attention. Only drive carefully around those vehicles that are larger than your own. Obey the size dichotomy of the road, and you will do just fine.

Beware the Bovine: There is one exception to this rule, and that is the cow. Now, your car may be bigger than the bull, but the animal in question doesn't understand these rules of the road, or he has learned through experience that he will be safe no matter where he walks. There is no need for an "I Brake for Cows" bumper sticker, because everyone does that already.

Or...Pretty Much Beware All Animals: There are other animals to watch for as well, but still not near as common as the cow. Last weekend, husband and I were on our way home from dinner when we saw another large animal in the mix on the roads...an elephant. Our friends who were driving their car stopped and let us take pics of the elephant, whose driver graciously posed for some pics before taking off. Where he was headed, we don't know, but I do know one thing - even the man driving an elephant knows and obeys these rules of the road.

your ticket to cricket

If I could bottle up this weather and sell it, I'd be a millionaire. I realize that in about 2 weeks, the weather will be considered nothing short of hot, but right now, with a high of 88 and the morning sun holding the promise of warmth and a summer breeze, it's perfect. I feel like I should be heading out to the lake.

Onto international news. I know it's probably not even close to your radar in the states, but right now, the Cricket World Cup is going on. Cricket mania is in full force - everywhere I turn, there are TVs on with either a match playing or news of a just finished or upcoming match. Everyone was so bummed yesterday that their team lost, but they're hoping for a win tonight.

So husband likes cricket. He bonds with the guys here by watching cricket with them. I have tried to like it, because I mean, it looks so much like baseball. And I love baseball. But unfortunately, it's nothing like baseball. I don't understand a thing about it. It's like a foreign language, and we all know my woes of learning one language; I don't have the room in my brain to learn cricketese too. But for the sake of the world cup, I just googled a summary of the rules, and here's what I found at wikipedia:

Cricket is a bat and ball sport played between two teams, usually of eleven players each. A cricket match is played on a grass field (which is usually roughly oval), in the centre of which is a flat strip of ground 22 yards long, called a pitch. At each end of the pitch is a set of three parallel wooden stakes (known as stumps) driven into the ground, with two small crosspieces (known as bails) laid on top of them. This wooden structure is called a wicket. A player from the fielding team (the bowler) bowls a hard, fist-sized cork-centred leather ball from one wicket towards the other. The ball usually bounces once before reaching a player from the opposing team (the batsmen), who defends the wicket from the ball with a wooden cricket bat. The batsman, if he or she does not get out, may then run between the wickets, exchanging ends with the other batsman (the "non-striker"), who has been standing in an inactive role near the bowler's wicket, to score runs. The other members of the bowler's team stand in various positions around the field as fielders. The match is won by the team that scores more runs.

Got it now? Yeah, me neither.

arrogance

Yesterday I had chai with Doctor and Auntie. They had some friends visiting, a man and his grown daughter. This man had lived in the states for several years, studying and working. Not to generalize, but a lot of South Asians are knowledge seekers, and he was typical in that regard. He was very intelligent, and told me all about Europe and the foundation of different languages. He even told some American history, and if you know me at all, you know I love history. So he's telling me things that your average American 6th grader would know, like that New England was the early colony of the British and the original US flag had 13 stars representing the 13 states. I was so impressed that he knew so much about a country that wasn't even his that I nodded along happily, encouraging him. Then he said, "Of course, now there are 52 stars because there are 52 states." My nodding stopped. Since both he and Doctor are elders, they are to be highly respected in this culture, so I didn't correct him. But Doctor looked at me and asked, "Is he right?" and I said hesitantly, "Actually, there are only 50 states..." and this man shook his head and said, "No I am positive there are 52 states. Hawaii was the 51st, and Puerto Rico was the 52nd." I felt like I was talking to Joey on Friends when they were playing that name-all-the-states game and he was convinced there were 56 states, South Oregon being among them. Anyway, back to the scene at Doctor's house. After some pressing from Doctor I had to say that no, Puerto Rico is not a state. I did say that Hawaii was the last state, so then that got us talking about Alaska. They both told me they remembered Alaska becoming a state long before the 1940s. (not true, but I didn't correct them because they didn't ask) I just found it humorous that they were so arrogant about their knowledge of America.

However I think it's pretty cool that they knew so much. I can name maybe 15 of the 28 states here in this country that I live in. Maybe. And I just now had to google how many states there are total. :) If you were to ask me about their history, or which one became a state last, forget it. So considering a few extremely minor details, their knowledge, if not their ability to concede to an American's firsthand knowledge, is pretty impressive.

And that makes me think of the arrogance we have in the states about other countries. How many times have you heard this statement: "Well, if they would just eat the cows, they wouldn't starve." Even I've said this growing up! Religion views notwithstanding, a cow provides so much more nutrition left alive than killed for the meat. And besides, knowing that cows eat this here, would you want to eat their meat anyway?

I didn't type that to criticize America; on the contrary, I wrote it so that this wouldn't seem as if I'm making fun of Doctor and his friend. Even though they, and the countless other South Asians, believe that they know more about America than I do, we ourselves have lots to learn about other cultures as well.

the day the bird went berserk...

Yesterday I came home and husband was very excited to tell me about our first non-human, non-insect house invasion - a pigeon! It somehow flew in and then was trapped in our bedroom. Husband had to help it out, but of course took a couple of pictures first. And of course, the pigeon left us a present. I'm just glad it was a pigeon and not anything of the rodent family.

festival of colors

The people in the Capital are a lot more serious about their holi celebrations than those in the Himalayas. The main reason is because it's still really, really cold in the mountains in March, and here, it feels very spring-like. Holi is celebrated during a full moon, so last year it was Mid-March. We celebrated with Priya and her family, and we used only powdered dye, and then raced back inside to change and wrap up, because it started to hail. But we watched on TV how the crazies in the Capital were dancing around as people hosed them down in dye and water.

Well this year, we got to see that for ourselves! Not that we ourselves are celebrating, but I've been outside a bit watching everything going on. All week, we've been dodging water balloons! I've only been hit once, from one of the neighbor boys across the street, but husband has already been hit 3 times! The boys (and we've even seen girls!) will hang out on their balconies, waiting for innocent passers-by to pelt with water balloons from their vantage point! My friend, Jaya, told me to not even think of going outside on the actual day of holi! Here are pics of the snipers in action:I took this right before he dumped a bucket of water on some kids!

Our next door neighbors' son. Notice the water gun, poised in the air!

But this morning, when I heard screams and shouts in the park behind our house, I just couldn't resist. I thought I'd climb to the roof to get some pics, but when I snuck up there, the boy who lives in our building was up there, filling up water balloons. Luckily he didn't see me, so I quietly retraced my steps. I opened our back gate and took a few pics before retreating pretty quickly when our next door neighbor came running up with a water gun:

Then I watched from the garden as brightly colored boys and men walked up and down our street. Here are the pics I've taken so far today as I've cowered under roofs and awnings, like a spy in a paintball game:

holi cow!

On our way out to eat last night to celebrate a friend's bday, we saw an unusual sight on our street. This weekend is the celebration of holi, the festival of colors. It celebrates the arrival of spring, and people buy powdered dye to throw on each other. On our street, someone had made a little bonfire which had drawn 6 cows to it. And then someone had decorated the cows with the dye! Holi cow!

Pier Ek

Apparently Pier 1 has a factory here that makes all the wonderful and cute things you see in the states. And when they make defected products, they go from the factory to the little markets in the Capital. And so yesterday, my friend took me and another friend over to a market where the Pier 1 reject pillow covers are sold. (Thanks for that, AS!) Click here to see the ones sold in the stores in the states. For $35. A piece. Now look at the pic of the same pillows, sitting in my living room, after buying them for $4.50. Total. I love this country.

lessons learned early in 2007

I've mentioned before how life in South Asia is starting to seem quite normal to me. I used to blog all the time about the big and small differences I noticed between South Asia and America, but the longer I live over here, the more normal everything seems. Just yesterday, as husband and I sat at a red light and saw at least 20 bicycle riders at this major freeway-like intersection with us and other cars, trucks, mopeds, and rickshaws, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It wasn't until a horse galloped by, with no rider, that we noticed how weird it was that we represented several centuries worth of transportation all at one intersection.

But I am still experiencing new things here and there that make me remember that this place is a lot different than the country I am from. So with that, I'm doing a new top 10. In no particular order, Top 10 things I have learned in the past 6 weeks:

1. Bubble baths take ingenuity, but nothing 2 geysers, a bucket, a tub, and water boiling on the stove can't handle.
2. Even if your electrical box is sparking like an invisible man is welding it, you will not die.
3. As sad as it is, beggars will apply fake blood to different appendages to gain mercy-money.
4. Super Bowl game day takes a lot less effort when it comes on live at 4:30am.
5. Mail comes a lot slower when you didn't tip the mailman at Christmas.
6. Even florists in South Asia don't miss an opportunity to mark up roses 150% on Valentine's Day.
7. The FCC looks like Howard Stern compared to this government's communications watchdog. They completely shut down an entire TV channel because of an afterhours raunchy show, World's Sexiest Commercials, which happens to be the channel that the Amazing Race comes on.
8. Ordering groceries over the phone just isn't worth it when you have to spell out every item. C for cricket, H for Himalayas, E for England...
9. Playing a tuba and riding a camel can be done at the same time.
10. Explaining why I have freckles is hard to do in another language.

there's no substitute

Today in language class, our regular teacher, Teacher-ji, was sick and so we had a sub. Substitute-ji made class...interesting. I did learn the equivalent for "y'all", so that was great. And he really helped out with some work words that we had never learned before, so even better. But he went off on the craziest tangents. At one point, he started telling us, in Greek, the different types of love! Not that knowing the difference between eros, philia, and agape isn't important, but I wasn't quite sure how that fit in with language learning. To describe eros, he said he would draw us a picture. He drew a wavy line, then said, No, that's not it, and erased it. Then he repeated that wavy line/erasure step 4 times before he finished what he was drawing. I thought surely this must be some intricate and detailed picture he is trying to draw, what with all the erasing and re-dos. After close inspection, we realized Substitute-ji had drawn that oh-so intricate and detailed symbol - a heart. I could only tell it was a heart because of the arrow going through it.

Substitute-ji is as nice as he can be, but when he started singing a song in English in the middle of class, I found myself wishing for a miraculous healing for Teacher-ji. About halfway through the song, Substitute-ji must've come to his senses, because he stopped abruptly with this What am I doing? look on his face. I've never had that happen in a class setting before, so it was pretty entertaining. I hope Teacher-ji is back tomorrow for class.

the newest Texan...

Welcome to the world, Micah! My best friend just had a baby yesterday, and I'm so sad I missed out on that. But Auntie Lindsey did email me pics so I get to see him. Isn't he so cute, with his chubby red cheeks and fuzzy blonde hair?? I am so proud of Sarah and Terry for making such a beautiful baby boy!

lessons in English

Perfect tense. Gerund nouns. Post positions. Agentive markers. Transitive Verbs. Intransitive, too. Oh yes my friends, these are actual parts of language, like adjective and noun, only harder and more complicated. Who would have thought that these would actually be applicable past 5th grade language class? Sweet Ms. Daily tried to warn me, but I sure didn't listen.

Husband and I are taking language classes at an actual school. It's fun to learn with 4 others, because we all make really funny mistakes, and it makes for comic relief when you have to ask for the thousandth time what the heck a compulsory infinitive is.

We joke about how we've learned so much more about English from learning a foreign language. It's so true, but living here, we learn a new English anyway. For example, if I were to call a repair shop and ask for a plumber to come on Wednesday to fix my water heater, they may or may not understand me. However, if I asked for a plum-ber to come on Wed-nes-day to fix my geyser, I'd be getting somewhere. And don't get me started on the British English. Also I bet you didn't know that most likely you buy some capsicum, courgettes or ladyfingers at least once a week. (bell peppers, zucchini or okra) Now to be fair, some of the vegetable sellers know our word for zucchini, but even then it wouldn't be pronounced with a 'z' but a 'j'. Another example, the first time I asked if someone had a garbage can, I was met with a blank look. It took several attempts before I found out the correct term is dustbin. Finally, add in the incorrect grammar we use daily to make our sentences more understandable to an ESL speaker, usually with an accent as well, and you've got us speaking an almost entirely different language. Okay not entirely, but I have learned how to correctly use words like proudy, foodie, and crowdy. Does that qualify as half-lingual?

yea for south asia!

This past weekend was a holiday that celebrates when major nations around the world recognized this country as a sovereign nation. We celebrated by going to watch the big parade. The day was pretty funny because our plans were changed all day. We couldn't go to the main show because they don't allow cameras there, and we didn't want to go without a camera. Our thinking on that was we'll have next year to go without a camera. So we tried for the end of the route, which seemed like a good idea at first. But after going through security, we were told we couldn't bring cameras through there, either. So we began walking. We didn't know where we were walking, but we had quite a big group with us, so walking wasn't too bad. Our friends had the idea to try to climb to the top of a building and sit on the roof and watch the parade, but the buildings had been closed. After quite a few turns and questions, we finally found a road where the parade went by. This place, since it was more out of the way, allowed cameras, and we found a place to stand. We didn't have any flags though, and husband and I wanted to wave around some flags and show some spirit. I saw a little girl with a flag, so I decided to go ask the woman that was with her where they had bought it. I even practiced how to say it first..."Where did you buy the flag?" When I questioned, she immediately responded in perfect English, "Oh her school gave it to her." She asked me to sit with them, and fed me juice and french fries. She was great to talk to and invited me back, so I am looking forward to hanging out with her and her family.

After waiting about an hour, the parade came down the road! It was so cool, I had never been so proud of this country before. There's just something about parades. I had read in the paper several articles on the days leading up to this day that the people, while very patriotic, are not outspoken about their love for the country. I witnessed this first hand while the military men from different states marched down the road. We crazy Americans were yelling and clapping, though, and it wore off on the those standing around us. Eventually they began to cheer and clap as well. It was so cool to see the different states' military. One state known for their turban-wearing came by with big bright red turbans on every man. Another state, located in the desert, came by riding on camels. And the most surprising one to me, the military men from the Himalayas came by with snow-skis strapped to their backs! The military here marches with very swinging arm motions, so that was interesting to see. Also, each unit had a band following them. The desert brigade's band also rode on the camels! It was definitely a first for me to see a man playing a tuba riding on a camel. The different states and some government organizations had made floats as well representing what they do. They were very creative, and we were all blown away by how well put together everything was. Some states had tigers and jungles, some had temples, some had people dancing or making clay pots. One, representing some kind of national safety organization, had people going through a metal detector! Kinda weird for a parade float, but it did give them visibility.

After the parade, a family invited us over for chai and sweets, so all 9 of us trooped over to their house. It was actually in a fire station.

Here are some pics from the parade. Remember, these are just a few of the floats!

You know you've been out of America for a long time when you play a word association game like Catch Phrase. Our friends hosted a game night last Saturday night and we would never say no to a game night. So a group of us, mostly newbies who have been in South Asia less than 2 weeks, played Catch Phrase. There were some of us, though, who have lived here a little too long. I say this because, well I'll just give one example that speaks for itself. When a person gives the clue of, "You take medicine for this..." it's not normal to shout out, "Diarrhea! Giardia!" Yet sadly, that is the first thing to pop into our heads.

The answer, by the way, was a migraine.

the best dog that ever lived

During her short 10 months of life, Chini brought so much joy to all of us who knew her. Any dog we ever take into our home again will have much to live up to. She passed away on Monday, the 15th, from acute pancreatitis (http://www.vetinfo.com/dencyclopedia/depancrea.html). Fortunately, it was a quick disease and even quicker death, which brought little suffering to our Chini-Bear. It only took 4 days to take its toll on her little body.
Many of our friends in the Capital came by or called to see how we were doing in the last few days while her condition was so critical. We love that they recognize what she meant to us. And Chini was gracious even on the day of her death. When J&S, our supervisors, came by to see how we were holding up, Chini rose, with near-exhaustion, to greet "her" visitors. Her hospitality and friendliness are just a few of things we're going to miss from the best dog that ever lived.

With no monkeys around, bugs became her favorite prey here in the Capital. Not only would she pounce, paw, and kill the bugs, but she would literally take them in her mouth, shake them, and then roll around on their dead bodies. Is that dedication to the job or what?


On Christmas, one of our "nephews" taught her how to open her own presents!


People often commented on Rani Chini (Queen Chini) because she loved to snuggle in pretty pillows. I think more than anything, I'll miss snuggling with her. Believe me, you've never seen a dog snuggle with humans the way sweet Chini did.

I realize to some this may seem a bit cheesy to be so heartbroken over a dog, but believe me, she was way more than a dog to us. She was nothing short of family, and we miss her. A lot.

international marketing

Since I was an international business major in college, the cultural differences I see in business over here always interest me. Especially the obvious part of it in marketing. Some of the big brands in the states have made a niche here in Asia, some that you would expect like Coke and Lay's, and then some others that I am so completely surprised to see over here.

No matter what though, they've made changes necessary to their products and marketing to stay in business over here, and even corner some markets. Lay's chips have the "American" flavor of sour cream and onion, but they also have a very popular Masala flavor. Cheetos over here taste nothing like they do in the states. The McDonald's here obviously has no Big Mac or even a cheeseburger, but it does have the McVeg Burger and the Maharaja Mac (made with chicken, of course). Pizza Hut just came out with a whole new line of South Asian pizzas, which honestly look really gross (do you like chickpeas and cottage cheese on your pizza?), but hey, they obviously did their research. And I liked the commercials for it anyway, with a famous Bollywood character telling everyone egjactly how good the new pizzas were.

These changes really don't sound so weird to me, maybe because I've been exposed to them for a year and a half now. But when we went to Thailand I was definitely surprised at how much the Thai people like corn. At KFC. In their sundaes. Hmmm...tasty? I tried to convince husband to taste the corn sundae, because he's always up for a good experiment. But even he shied away. When we were at the beach, ladies came around selling corn on the cob. On the beach! We didn't pass that up, and neither did a lot of people. I've never seen so much corn eaten on the beach in my life. Actually before that day, I'd never seen any corn eaten on the beach. We also noticed that Lay's had two special Thai flavors...lobster and nori seaweed. We did try the seaweed Lay's and I must say I like them.

I think McDonald's does the products the best, though. In metric system ruled Europe, they realized the quarter pounder would mean nothing, so they changed the name. I mentioned above some of the fun South Asian varieties of burgers, and in Thailand they had the new rice burger. Like I said, I love how culture changes brands, names, products and strategies. I always look for these things when I'm in a new country.

Anyone up for a rice burger?

last post for awhile

We had a great Christmas yesterday! It was fun filled from our early morning webcam with husband's family to the late night one with my family. In between we went to two different places. First we were invited by over for Christmas breakfast by some very close friends who live in our neighborhood. They are pretty much our family away from home. We sang happy birthday, ate a scrumptious breakfast, and opened presents together. And laughed a lot! Then we all went over to a coworker's house for a huge Christmas lunch. After lunch was the most fun part - the White Elephant game! Now, some of your regular White Elephant gifts were present - candles, ornaments, etc. But the hottest items were actually gifts that if you opened in the states, you'd say, Um, thanks? Things like Skittles, Reese's PB Cups, and the hottest item of all, Dr. Pepper! You should have heard the hoots and hollers when that six pack of Dr. Pepper was unwrapped. I was too busy laughing to realize the actual length of the game, but it went on for awhile. One package I opened, mint Hershey's kisses, made me laugh because it was accompanied with a note exclaiming, "Straight from the US!" I ended up with Velveeta and Rotel, and husband ended up with a Nalgene bottle. Not a bad day in our household. Chini received 5 presents! I think she's more popular than we are.

We leave tomorrow night on our Visa run and retreat, and a little vacation tacked on. We'll return in two weeks. Everyone have a happy and safe New Year!

happy Christmas!

As they say here, Happy Christmas!!

mocha caramel cookies

Since they were requested, I will post the recipe for anyone who's interested. I can't remember where I got the recipe from...kraft.com maybe? Oh and if you don't have a cake icer thingy, I would recommend you close this browser right now unless you really want to spend 3 hours in the kitchen decorating these with a spoon like I did last year. If you don't have a mixer, no biggie; I didn't last year and it was fine. I also had no cookie cutters and that isn't too hard to do either. But take my word on the cake icer.

Mocha Caramel Cookies
(makes around 30 cookies)

1 C butter, softened
1/3 C powdered sugar
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 t instant espresso coffee powder or 2 t instant coffee crystals*
1 tbsp vanilla
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 2/3 C flour
Icing Instructions below**

Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl beat first 3 ingredients with a electric mixer on med speed until fluffy. Dissolve coffee in vanilla; add to butter mixture. Beat in cocoa powder. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. By hand, stir in any remaining flour. Divide dough in half. Cover; chill about 1 hour or until firm.
2. On a floured surface, roll one half of dough at a time to 1/4"-3/8" thickness. Cut into shapes. Place cookies on greased cookie sheets.
3. Bake in a 325F oven for 12-15 minutes or until set but not over browned. Cool completely before icing.

*I don't know what crystals are. I used that instant chickory stuff (Nestle Gold), and then just ground it a bit smaller.

**To make caramel, just get condensed milk, keep it in the can, and boil it in hot water for about 2 hours. Make sure you keep adding water to keep it covered. Careful, the can will be hot! Afterwards, put the caramel into a cake icer and decorate away. Melt some chocolate chips with a tiny bit of butter or shortening to also use for icing. I've heard the caramel thing can be done with 3 steams to the pressure cooker, but I've never tried that.

If you have access to packaged vanilla caramel candies, you can melt those with butter and milk over low heat on the stove to make the icing as well.

the Christmas Getting to Know the Neighbors Campaign!

Over the next two days (our Saturday and Sunday) we are going to begin our Christmas Getting to Know the Neighbors Campaign. Okay I just made that name up. Catchy, no? Ideally we would've liked to have a Christmas party in some capacity, but since we don't know many people in town, or at least not enough to constitute a good party, we realized we should use Christmas as a good excuse to meet our neighbors and build some relationships so next year we can have a real kickin' party!

Today I bought 3.5 kg of eggless sweets. (that's 1.59lbs!) At first I was going to bake some eggless cookies and fudge and things like that, but husband had the brilliant idea of using South Asian sweets instead. First of all, that eliminates any stress in the kitchen. And secondly, it will show our neighbors that Christmas doesn't have to be all western with weird treats, or cake, which is what they actually think Christmas is about. This is a bit more contextual to show them they can celebrate Christmas too. So here is what 3.5kg of South Asian sweets look like. The foiled covered things are called barfi, just in different flavors. Don't be fooled by the gag-worthy name; it's actually really tasty. It's like fudge, only without the chocolate. Or the marshmallows. So I'm not sure how it's like fudge, but go with me. And the foil stuff is supposed to be eaten with it. The first time someone gave me barfi, I threw it away because I couldn't get the foil stuff off and all I could think about was getting Alzheimer's later on. But I don't think it's actually foil... (Anyone know?) Anyway the rest of the stuff is...I don't know. The little round things taste like plain sugar in a ball. And the other two are too big for me to try. But I'm sure our neighbors will recognize them, and probably love them more than my mocha caramel cookies anyway.

I'm wrapping them in bags and tying them up with a gold ribbon and a verse explaining very simply what Christmas is all about. And then the door knocking starts! We're not going all white shirt/black tie/bicycle on the neighbors. We're just trying to introduce ourselves, tell them Merry Christmas, and hopefully they will invite us in or at least remember us as gracious people. I like that in Phil 4 - "Let your graciousness be known..." that's our hopes, and we ask you all to send money for this opportunity. We are asking the boss to open homes and to open hearts to us and our message, open doors for us to share with them, and that we can begin some great relationships from this. Thanks for your part in this!

ode to the ambassador

Some of the taxis here are very old rickety Ambassadors. I'm not sure how old these Ambassadors are, but I do know they are well past their prime. But South Asia just wouldn't be the same without the Ambassador, and so, I write a blog applauding the old car. Way to go, Big Guy.

For the Ambassador has a magical expanding interior. Here is a picture proving that the South Asian Ambassadors are a feat of engineering. A driver, his turban, 3 teenage boys, an 11 year old, a 9 year old, and 2 adults (one of whom is hidden beneath the pile of people) can all squeeze comfortably into this sedan.

A certain amount of grace is given to these cars, that cheat the system on the roads any chance they get. 2 lanes? Why not make it 3. A long line at the traffic light? No one will mind if we cut in front! Missed your turn? No problem, just reverse until you get back to it. Everyone is always very happy to see the Ambassador doing these things, and usually many cars will honk their approval as they dodge past.

Also, the Ambassadors are only driven by the most fun people who may not always know their way around the city, but at least they know that FM channel. Take tonight for instance. A traffic jam is not always the most fun place for husband and I to be stuck in. However, thanks to the Ambassador's sound system, a roomy interior, and the fun driver, we were all three able to dance to a lively Bollywood song as we creeped along the road.

And these reasons are why there is nothing like the Ambassador. They just don't make 'em like they used to.

post office experience #47

I've come to realize that the post office is where I experience the most culture shock, whether it be in the Himalayas or in the bustling capital. I know I've written a lot about the post office experience, because every single time I go, it's just weird!

Yesterday was no exception. We had a couple of packages to mail off, and I thought I had the hang of mailing packages by now. I mean, no more white tailored packaging mistakes. I now know the correct post office to mail international parcels and everything! Well just like in the Himalayas, it seems all the impatient people like to go gather at the post office, and it takes a lot to stay in line. This time I had husband with me who can speak up to the men crowding around. Normally at that point I would have to find a strategic way to hold my parcel so I could "bump" and/or elbow into people who were trying to cut in front of me. Husband just told them, "The queue is that way." In a never before seen South Asian moment, there was actually an orderly line at the post office, thanks to husband! Several impatient folks tried to get around waiting in the queue, but husband reminded every one of them where they should go. haha! One man even said, "But I'm in a hurry!" Husband just reminded him that so was everyone else. I think I should petition for him to be the Official Post Office Errand Boy, don't you? Well the MBTC (man behind the counter) was very confused about our package. I'm not sure why, but he didn't like it for some reason. So we had to walk around the post office and go to his desk. When we got back there, we glanced over at the customers who were waiting, and saw that in the short amount of time it took for us to walk around, the line had dissipated. I'm sure they were all thinking, "Yes! Finally, those ruly Americans have left."

The MBTC argued with us for several moments about why our package was incorrect - the items were loose, the box was too flimsy, etc. We tried telling him that no worries, we had done this so many times we knew it would arrive. He finally agreed that it was okay as long as we wrote really big on the white cloth "No Commercial Value." See, every time I go, I learn something new.

So I started thinking, I bet I could really shock these postal workers with statements about the USPS, like:
"In America, the mail man delivers things from a truck! To a person's mailbox!"
"You know, the USPS never rifles through packages and picks out what they want before delivering it."
"On holidays, it is not customary for a mailman to go to people's houses asking for money."
"In the US, you don't need paste to stick on stamps. And, you can buy stamps at places other than the post office!"
And probably the most shocking...
"The postal workers actually don't read every post card that I've written right in front of me!"

I'm pretty sure every one of these statements would be met with a gasp, a shocked look, or a, "No, you must be joking."

giving cheerfully

In this season of giving, I'm learning that I'm not quite the cheerful giver that I'd like to be. Last month, husband and I went with our friend Kyle to the newly opened Papa John's near us. Since it takes 45 minutes to drive there, husband and I decided to order enough to take home for leftovers the next day. We left the restaurant (yes, it's a restaurant here, and quite nice too) with happy tummies, swinging our take-away bags with visions of leftovers dancing in our heads. 3 little beggar children took that moment to approach us asking for money. Since it's illegal to give money to beggars in this country (because most beggars are bogus) we try to give them food, especially if they're young, which most are. Immediately Kyle gave his leftover pizza without a second thought. Husband followed suit, and I looked woefully at my pizza as I gave it to the children as well. Two held the pizzas as the third one continued following, asking for more food or money. At this point I became upset because I realized these kids didn't really care that we had given them a very hot commodity in our eyes; had it been Regular Joe pizza they also wouldn't have cared. All they wanted was our money. As I mentioned this, they guys said something about cheerful giving and I was immediately convicted.

I've been working on this, and thought I was doing good, until last night. Husband and I had a somewhat stressful day yesterday, and so for date night we treated ourselves to Bennigan's. (again, yes, Bennigan's is actually a treat here) After dinner was over, I was once again walking out with the take-away, and two beggar girls approached us. This time they didn't ask, just reached up and grabbed our food. I think it was an innocent action, something that had happened so much that they knew we would be giving them the food, but my first reaction was resentment at their sense of entitlement. I relinquished the food a bit grumpily, and then that still, small voice reminded me about cheerful giving. I turned around, smiled brightly at them, and said, "Merry Christmas!" I was trying to convey that my compassion for them came from the boss, but a lame Merry Christmas was the only way I knew how to say this in a way they'd understand. And sadly, my first reaction is what they'll remember more anyway.

So I'm learning a lesson here about myself. When it comes to rickshaw drivers and shop owners, I don't have a problem being a bit generous. But apparently American food is where I draw the line. This Christmas season, I hope we're all learning how to give generously, and more importantly, give cheerfully, even when it comes to things (or food :) that mean a lot to us. We did, after all, receive an example of this selflessness during the first Christmas season long ago.

yet another Chini blog

Chini had her spaying surgery last Saturday and that morning was one of the saddest of my life! Immediately after the surgery was over, the vet called for us to come pick her up. I realize that in the States, they keep the dogs for at least a couple of hours if not overnight. Husband left to go get her, and called me before reaching the house. "I'm calling just to warn you. Chini isn't in pain, because she's so doped up on pain killers. But the meds are causing her to hallucinate and she's crying, and will cry for the next 2-3 hours." I could hear her over the phone, and I started crying before we hung up the phone. I composed myself, but as soon as they came home, I started crying again because Chini looked so pitiful. She wasn't even conscious, but was just howling with her tongue hanging out sideways and kicking. We tried putting her in her crate, but she flipped out, turning circles, and shaking the crate, so we spread out a couple of towels on the floor and just sat with her for two hours.

The funny thing was, there is one neighborhood dog that is Chini's friend. (picture on right) He sits by our door and front gate a lot, and I guess because he doesn't have his own pack, he's nice to her. Well we had the screen doors open while Chini was howling and crying, and this dog heard her calls of distress. He came to the door and started barking, and Chini got real quiet. Every time he would bark, she would relax, and I thought that was so sweet. I wonder what he said to her.


Finally Chini would try to stand, but was falling over. (picture on left) Then finally the hallucinations stopped, and the drug-induced stupor began. She went to her crate and slept, but every now and then she would sit up then fall back to sleep sitting up. (picture of that on the right)

She's doing much better now. I was worried her personality would be a little different, but she's back to her cute and curious ways. She's even jumping on furniture and wagging her tail again. I should say that yes, I realize I'm quite over the top for blogging about my dog.

quiz time

So a friend of mine took a personality quiz that's a lot like Meyers-Briggs, but more fun. I'm so analytical when I take personality quizzes, because unless it's a universal truth, there are no absolutes with me. For example, if I was asked this question in any sort of quiz, "On any given day, would you rather burn down your house or watch soap operas?" I would hem and haw. Well that depends...what soap opera? Is anyone in my house? How much coffee had I had that morning? You see, I don't like being pinned down to one action. All that to say, I loved this quiz. Thanks BekiB! I got to rate my answers on a little slidy-bar thing instead of having to say true or false (well...there were a few of those, but not many). Here are my results:

Attentive Creator

If you put the cursor over the block you can see what I am. I'm pretty surprised that my openness wasn't higher. I mean, the fact that I share online the fact that not only am I more masculine than feminine, but I am very authoritative and not at all spontaneous...doesn't that demonstrate my inability to be ashamed? Well anyway it's a good quiz. I liked it, and I recommend it.

Here is a photo-journal of our time with the in-laws. Their time here started off slow and leisurely and seemed like the 9 days would go at a slow enough pace for us to fully enjoy them. But after about the 3rd day, time did what it loves to do when you're having fun - it zoomed by.

They were very adventurous and ready to experience the real South Asia.

Here is husband taking F-i-L to get a shave. Where else but South Asia can you get a shave, nose and ear trim, and head massage for less than a dollar? (the funny thing about that is husband semi-gripes because that's a lot more than he paid in the Himalayas :)

Street food vendor. Can you believe every one of them wanted to try street food?:

Husband is serving us our "fast food breakfast" on our road trip. I guess this is South Asia's version of the Egg McMuffin:

A little dancer boy than entertained us:

Sis-in-Law and I got mehendi (henna tattoos). Hers was on the back of her hands, while mine was on both the back and the palms:
Here's a look at both sides of my hands. We got this done exactly 2 weeks ago, and mine is still on, although it's very very light:

Here's M-i-L doing some shopping in one of my favorite markets. If you know her at all, you know she had the time of her life sorting through all the fabric here:


We took them to monuments, landmarks, and very old ruins. This one had some buildings from the 1100s!:

We also taught them how to eat this entire delicious meal with only their hands:

And finally, we set up the tree together and opened up some presents:
Although the tree is looking even more Charlie Brown-esque than last year, I love it. It's quirky, and more important, having the tree up means it's officially Christmas season and I have license to play as much Christmas music as I want!

pump [clap] you up

As of yesterday, husband and I are members of a gym. In the mountains, we were lucky to have free exercise and aerobics just from walking to the market, although I never thought of it as lucky at the time. Things here in the capital are a lot more Western and modern, so I haven't experienced many funny things like monkeys lately, or noticed myself doing weird stuff like wearing yak wool (my friends up in the mountains are getting quite rugged ;). So I expected my first South Asian gymming experience to be...well, American. And while we were signing up, it was. The woman spoke great English, she showed us around the very nice Precor machines, and she pushed us with her best sales pitch to sign up for a year. All very Bally's or 24 Hour Fitness, except much smaller and with regular power outages. A trainer is even included in the membership fee, and she assured me that mine would be a woman.

So we showed up yesterday for our first workout, extremely excited. They told us when we arrived to change and then we'd meet with our fitness manager to tell us what workout would be best for us. After changing, we were each introduced to who I thought were our fitness managers. Husband and I were separated, and mine spoke no English. And of course my barefoot language learning didn't quite get to exercise related vocabulary, so our conversation went nowhere. I had no clue how this girl was going to be able to tell me what workout I should do, and she looked about as helpless as I felt. Then, out of nowhere, a new girl came in who spoke English and explained that they were actually trainers, and our fitness manager had yet to show up. Then, after only about 2 minutes, without explanation, she passed me on to my third trainer, a man. Dun dun dun! After living in this culture for almost 16 months, let me tell you, I was very uncomfortable at first. Not only would I be talking and making eye contact with a complete stranger of the opposite sex, but he would be directing my workouts? Well I told my cultural instincts to put a lid on it, because he was a professional, and this was his job. Meanwhile husband was working out with his initial trainer, and I realized how difficult of a customer I must be for them to push me onto 3 different trainers in a span of 15 minutes.

It went surprisingly well. Except for one uncomfortable moment that had me scratching my neck and looking everywhere but at the trainer, it was a lot of fun and really helpful. And I feel much more comfortable going there even if I miss the 11-4 women only workout block.

Some pics of our time with the in-laws are coming soon. We've had some computer problems lately, so we're a bit slow with everything right now.