global village

Yesterday, we went to an event that's put on by the Times newspaper, called the Times Global Village. It's only in town for a few weeks, and it's really worth checking out! It had different tents from different countries, and inside these tents were shops selling things that really are from those places! Inside the Africa tent (well...Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, and Zimbabwe tent), there was shop after shop selling the exact items we saw and bought in Tanzania, like the little wooden carved giraffes and Masai warriors, tinga-tinga paintings, and batiks. (Made me miss you, Al!) The UK got its own tent, but the US did not. We did get a special mention at the International Tent, with a pic of Mt. Rushmore (??) for added emphasis.

We tried out food from the different regions of the country, and were pretty stuffed before we turned the corner and saw all the international places - Czech Republic, Turkey, Africa, UAE, Thailand, China...there was so much to see that we ran out of time. We realized we had wasted our time in the South Asia section! It was a lot of fun, and really cool to see everything. They also had performers from different countries, although it seemed like most of them were from this country...or maybe not, I couldn't really tell. By the way, it's so dusty now that you can't take flash pics without dust particles showing up.

Today's High: 106; Today's High in Paris: 78 (yes I am looking forward to it! :)

boat ride

A few weeks ago, I posted that the weather was so nice that I felt like I should be headin' to the lake. While that's not quite true now, about a week or so ago, we went with some friends to check out a few sites in the Capital. The first stop was a crematorium. I know, I know, not your typical #1 Hit on the sight-seeing route. But it's a great place to see some of the culture, because a large percentage of South Asians believe in cremation and dying auspiciously. This means many things, but one thing it can mean is setting the body off into the holy river, or in the case of the Capital, a branch of the river. And this particular crematorium is on that river, so you can see a lot of what they try to do to pass their relatives on successfully into their next life. We got there pretty early, before any of the ceremonies were taking place. So while we were taking pictures, a man on a small wooden boat on the bank of the river called to us and with a swoop of his arm motioned for us to come for a ride. We weren't sure where we were going, but we knew we may not have this opportunity again, so we very carefully stepped around all the trash on the bank of the river, and who knows what else, and got into the boat. He rowed us over to the other side of the river, where there was a small temple. We got out and took some more pics, and found it really funny that on this somewhat island of a temple, there was a dog. How did he get there? Even though the river was pretty dirty, it was fun to ride around in an old wooden boat, and was really nice!

Who knew when I said I'd like to head out to the lake, that I'd get the next best thing - a boat ride on a polluted river!

High Today: 104; High Today in Paris: 80

the downfall of the mosquito dynasty

In our spare bedroom, we have a glass-less window. It was designed for a window AC unit, but since we only have one AC, it goes in our bedroom not the spare, and we have no window. The mosquitoes are awful, and they just swarm in the spare bedroom. Malaria and dengue fever are risks here, so we have to be real careful about the mosquitoes, and it can get a little frustrating that they just never go away! Well we had some friends tell us about this really cool product they have here...mosquito rackets! We bought two today and have already had way too much fun with them. They are little tennis rackets with wires that electrocute the mosquitoes! You can actually see them disintegrate in a quick blaze. They say on the there, "This is not a toy," but I don't really agree with that! They are fun, and stress relievers too. I have a feeling that a lot of bad days out will end with some fun mosquito zapping when I get home. Why aren't these in the states? Is this a bit like the Bag o'Glass on that old SNL skit of dangerous toys? Or have we failed to realize the potential for entertainment in mosquito swatting?

High Today: 107, High Today in Paris: 73

Happy Resurrection!

This morning, we went to the sunrise service at 5:45am. It was held at some really nice gardens here in the Capital. The gardens are home to several very very old tombs (from the 15th-16th centuries!) and were the perfect setting for a sunrise service on this special day. As the leader pointed out to us, we were surrounded by all these tombs, but we know that the tomb of our boss is empty!

Many Capital-dwellers come to this garden for their physical and spiritual exercises. As we walked to join our group, we saw many people doing Yoga. (to get a glimpse of the true meaning of Yoga, read this) But many others were doing their cardio or toning exercises, which to a Westerner, can look pretty funny. (check out the nicely dressed guy doing his stretches on the bench!) We in the West are cool, with our jogging and cross-trainer machines, or our serious weightlifting. During the service, while the speaker was talking, husband whispered to me that I should look behind the speaker. I peeked around him and saw a man doing jumping jacks! Right behind the speaker! It was pretty funny, especially considering the moment. But it's sad too that this is just another day to most of them.

By the way, I did not take the jumping jack guy's pic during the service. He was still jumping after the service was over, so we snagged the opportunity. :)

Today's High: 94; High Today in Paris: 63

recital

I've come to realize that no matter where you are in the world, He will provide others there to teach you, encourage you, love on you, guide you, or just plain have fun with you. And even the things you think you're missing out on, He'll provide that, too. Case in point. SE, a precious 9 year old going on 30, and one of her big brothers, C, 11. They are in a family close to us who just moved back to the States this week. C decided he really wanted to take guitar lessons, but they needed to find a teacher, preferably one who spoke English. He didn't have to look any further than husband. And SE had been asking her mother to take ballet lessons, and instead of having to miss out on an aspect of life that seems so normal to Americans, and so inaccessible to us living overseas, SE was able to take rudimentary ballet lessons from me. Of course all that blessing talk was about myself, because I never thought how lucky I'd be to get to do something so cool. It was so much fun for me, and to be able to teach something that I love, it's a great opportunity. So like I said, the boss will provide ways to encourage us.

SE began the lessons back in January, and on March 22, we had a recital. Yes, that's only 2 months to not only learn ballet steps but string a dance together. And SE, the prodigy, did it beautifully and professionally. We moved all the furniture out of our Yellow Room and about 15 people came to our place to watch her dance not one, but two dances. I was so proud of her! (these are all pics from the recital. As you would guess, ballet shoes and tutus aren't what you'd call readily available here, so we made do)

We had snacks afterwards, because I wouldn't be a good SB if I didn't offer food at function, even if the function did involve dancing.


High Today in the Capital: 95; High today in Paris: 67

P.S. Nothing has changed, I still love getting comments... :)

i heart alan jackson

This week, my heart rate has been higher than normal, according to the cardio machines at the gym. Yesterday, while I was doing the EFX, they had that awful techno music playing, like always. One of the workers went over and changed the CD, and what came out of the speakers? "It's 5 o'clock Somewhere," by Alan Jackson! I was so happy. Where it came from, I don't know. I'll probably never hear it there again, but for a few minutes it was great. I checked my heart rate, and guess what? It had dropped to normal.

I love hearing the music of my heart language.

new blog

(I'm still gonna blog here mainly.) But for my co-workers, I've created a new blog that is an entertainment review site for here in the Capital. I'd love for it to become a discussion between us about the places we like and don't like, because I am always looking for good new places to try out and see, but I just never know what's good or worth checking out. So please comment on that blog so we can help each other out. Even those of you who don't live here but travel here frequently can benefit. What's a travel budget without a place to spend it? :)

www.capitalfun.blogspot.com

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.