SO, I have lived here a long time now and I wonder just how holistic a picture I paint of life here. I think about how last night we almost hit and killed a man, his wife, and his little baby, (none of which had helmets on) because he decided that turning left from the furthest right hand side of a line of traffic, that was all turning right mind you, (we were the car next to him) at a light, as it turned green, was OK. I think it wouldn't bother me if it was a single occurrence but it happens every day, all the time. Then as we drove, later on, we almost hit another man on his motor cycle because the rule is here 'if you can get the traffic to stop, pulling out perpendicularly into it to get where you want is OK.' The look on the mans face ticked me off. He had a haughty look on his face as we drove past, he was amused, that the white lady did not bow to his recklessness and slam on her brakes in order to allow him to drive in a ridiculous manner.

Don't get me wrong. I don't hate this culture, nor does it frustrate me that much any more. It just doesn't make sense to me a lot of the times. People think this land is mystical. I am still searching for the word I want to use to describe it.

I spent my Monday taking in my first ever cricket match. INDIA vs. PAKISTAN!!. The biggest rivals these two countries have ever known. And this is no college kid rivalry either...there were plenty of armed guards protecting the Pakistan fan section...which was few, but LOUD! There are tons of rules I still don't understand, but after spending the day, one lunch and one tea break later(those are built into the game, for the fans and players, because the matches last 8 hours, and sometimes 5 days of 8 hour days, like this one did), I came away a fan of the sport. I have tried my hand at bowling and batting before and NEITHER is easy...nor is catching that REALLY hard ball with your bare hands as it flies at you at warp speed. Cricket is cool.


The Indian fans were awesome!

Me and Mandy got our faces painted  It was Fun times to be a fan again.


The Pak section cheering as their team took the final wicket...

Reason #1 why I don't think I could be a professional photographer:

You have to get up at 5 AM in order take pictures in the "best light". It is 5 am and I am up, and NOT so perky...my alarm TOTALLY just freaked me out...

Shoot dang I am T I R E D.

Off into the sunrise I go...

So, we are back, and all though it feels like a WHOLE day has passed, it is a meager 11am.

So, I asked on the way to our destination this morning what the others in the car WOULD get up at 5am to do.

The Answers:
The Photographer: take pictures
Me: Snow Ski
The old guy: catch an overseas flight

Quotable moment of the day:
Old guy to an Indian worshipper outside the temple: "Are you a linga?"
The Indian guy to the old guy without hesitation: "Yes"
The photographer and I standing behind Indian guy: SNICKERING!!!! Oh my!

So today, I Triumphantly went swimming. I was invited by 3 beautiful young ladies to attend their swimming lesson at a club called Patels. Patels...it just has this maffiaesque feel to me. Anyway, let me tell you that it was hotter than blue blazes today. Good day for a little lappage at the pool.

Right, so I arrived at their house to see them flit down the stairs in their awesome swim suits. From shoulder to knee with a little attached skirt. Welcome to India my friends. I told them "I was SO gonna buy one so that I could have one for the next time we swam together." I think it could be the new fad back in America...I am going to get one, and when I get home, drive to California so I can swim off the coast right before sunset in my cool new suit. Then send pictures back to Margit, their mom, who laughed when I told her my plan! OH, I forgot the best part, they not only had the full coverage suits...my favorite being the red/blue, and some other colors I forgot, one with the word "LOVE" scribbled all over it, (it made Gaubby's blue eyes come to life.) but they had matching swim caps to boot. Sweet! A day I wish I had brought my camera.

Then I realized I had no swim cap. Drat. No cap, no swim at Patels. But alas, the girls came to my rescue with a very beautiful PINK Triumph swim cap! They were not going to lose me to the adult conversation on the side of the pool! They had me at the hand over of the goods.  (I told Margit the next time I swim with it on, it is cloth so you can see your hair inside, that I was going to try and wear my hair like a Sikh with the little bun up front )

So we finally go through the entry process to get to the pool and I find that their swim lesson consists of the teacher telling them to swim 5 laps across the pool and he then proceeds to walk away and never look at them again! Are you kidding me? What in the world! You better believe I wanted to have words. BUT, they are not my kids, so what could I do? Anyway, I offered to teach them to swim for free. What is that about...some dude getting paid NOT to do his job! Ugh! So not ok. OK. Done with that little rant.
I did end up spending the better part of the hour making an attempt to teach them how to dive. Ha...it was belly flop spectacular! But it was a sure bonding experience. I loved seeing the eldest girl over come her discouragement with a shy smile as she reached out her hand to me so I could pull her back to the wall so she could have another go.

Today was good. It made me realize I miss hanging out with kids. I miss seeing kids accomplish something they did not think they could...

Now if I could just remember how I learned to dive...

HOLY CRAP!! I just found out Mandovi and I are going to NEPAL in 3 weeks!! Heck yeah! It's ur birthday, it's ur birthday...doin the cabbage patch....doin the cabbage patch...Uh uh. Wait, it WILL be my birthday! "How did you spend your 27th Birthday?" someone may ask.  "Oh, just chillin in the Mountain Kingdom of Nepal." I love my life!

Wow! I have spent the morning looking at flights back to the US. How has the time gone from 2 years to 3.5 months?!?!
I am thinking that I can arrange our flights, "our" refering to me and Mandovi, so that not only will most of our journey home be together, but we might spend a little time in Pari...good way to end our two years..the Eiffel Tower, Musee d'Orsay, etc? You think? Me thinks. I loved Paris the first go around...why not do a whirlwind tour with my good red headed friend as a well remembered marker to the end of this journey...
New profile pic: This is what you call a

 You will see Indians wearing such at special dressy occassions. I love mine and my crazy big pink jewlery that goes with it! I just found out I am going to be in my good friend Rumpita's wedding back in the States. She is getting married in July and so I might get to wear a gold ghagra for her wedding! Rock on! I am excited! You guys can pray the US will grant her a visa so that she can travel there to be able to get married to Lordly. 

And finally, since "the river has dried up" according to the words of the big man sup, I might be moving to Sri Lanka to help out with Tsunami Relief work...I should find out more details in the next week or so...

The Invitation:

His Highness Sri. Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar and Her Highness Smt. Pramoda Devi Wadiyar requests the pleasure of the company of Barbara T at Cocktails & Dinner at The Palace.

Edit: I just hijacked this pic from Mandi's online site...Mr. and Mrs. Maharaja...nothing like an Indian smile!

So I got dressed up (along with this beautiful girl) and spent the evening at The Palace...a REAL Palace, actually used in this country for Palace type things. Do I need a reminder I am not in America any more? We shook the Maharaja's hand on the way into the Palace and enjoyed an evening under the open sky taking in the Royal Fashion Show. I can not put into words the connundrum but along with elegance we were blasted with "I am proud to be an Okie from Miskokie", "The Chicken Dance Song", "Phantom of the Opera", and a few others. Hmmm. I am going to be sad to leave this culture.
Here are some pics from the evening:

I had a flash back today to life on the playground as I slid across the tennis court and skinned my leg/knee. Do you remember those days? Running around carefree, the only moments of harshness being those few moments when time seemed to pass so slow as you saw the pavement of the playground coming closer to your body inch by inch. Then your teacher coming to check on you.

Today, I had no teacher, but my 6'4 tennis partner actually coming to my side of the net with great concern in his manner as to my well being. It was an interesting moment. Then I remembered where I was as I saw a nursing student running up to the tennis court in her salwar kameez. I was almost embarrassed at the thought of her seeing me take the tumble and thinking it was serious enough to come to my aid...thankfully she ran right by. Funny though...Indian girls never run...I wonder where she was going?

What is also interesting is that even though I won the match I felt no victory because I did not play well. I wonder what that says about my personality? Today I simply got tired of playing terrible and managed a come back from being down 4-1 to winning the set 6-4. Is that the way life is sometimes...we just get tired of where we are/what we are so we make a change. Some how, though, my manner changed along with it...the tone of the match changed...we both walked back to the office in silence...back to our separate duties(for me, ha ha) to finish our day without another word.

Also, today a great friend of mine turned 50. She was upset about it. I found myself wondering how I am going to feel when I turn 50? I don't know if I will be upset or not...I kinda hope it is as exciting for me as the day I found my first white hair. What makes us dread getting old? Why is turning 50 a bad thing? Or 30, or 40...all those ages where people are unhappy that another birthday is coming...
Right now, I think it will be great to be old and hopefully wiser. Sitting in my rocking chair on the porch harassing my gran chillun.

Why is it that every time I want to be thankful around here I get smacked in the face with "it's my duty". Holy crap. I don't like that phrase. But why DON'T I like it? That is the question. People all around me are doing things, but are doing it because from childhood it is instilled in them as a duty to be hospitable or honoring or whatever. It makes things feel cheap to me. I get reprimanded by my friends for thanking them for things. I am told I should expect it and not show thankfulness. Is that screwed up to anyone else?

How will I know anyone is ever doing things because they actually WANT to instead of operating like a robot and doing because they have to. Blah! I think if we operate solely out of "duty" instead of choice it some how loses power, heart, passion, whatever word I want to find but can't seem to settle on right now. I don't want to operate out of "duty" but I want to be driven because my heart pushes me forward to do something. If I do something it is because it is from "me" and not from what others tell me I should be.
BUT is there actual power in choosing to obey the call of duty? I want to tell someone "well done for the strength you are using to obey the call to duty," but then I feel as though I don't respect choices made out of duty that go against what one would really in their heart want. Maybe because duty to me seems as though someone else is controlling you and your life...where if you are given a choice then you are being who you should, could, would be. I want to see into the soul of people...not have to forge through the fru fru facade first and figure it out later. Can there be real depth without choice? Maybe I am a choice monger...

Today I realized I am thankful I am not who I was 2 years ago. I am thankful I live in a place that makes me think. I am thankful I can read and be challenged to figure out what I really think about things. I am thankful that God allows me the freedom to wander about and ponder life. I realized I want people in my life who maybe don't have it all figured out. Those who will let me walk and wander and stand beside me knowing that down the road things will work out some how, some way. I don't want to return home to the uptight, expectations, socially appropriateness etc. Things have changed.

OH. I forgot. I beat Benny Wenny in tennis today. Take that mr. man! There will be no bragging for you today. ;)

It is raining here for the first time I can remember in I don't know how long. I have always liked the rain. I suppose I enjoy storms more so. There is something mystifying about lightening. I could sit and watch it for hours...

I just received a phone call from a girl I met on a plane 3 months ago. I gave her my number but I didn't take hers. Why tonight, of all nights, 3 months removed from the encounter we had on the plane where a question I asked brought her to tears, did she pick up the phone and call me?

Today while riding through traffic in my auto I was wondering if I could ever marry an Indian guy. I always thought at home that culture/difference would never bother me when it came to whom I would marry. Today I think there is importance to culture. I am not sure I could divorce myself enough to be able to meld into one such as this. But, then again, does love REALLY have the ability to conquer all?
Since I am thinking about marriage, I thought I would include a pic of a bride and groom I met one day a few weeks back. I thought you might like to see how ornate some of the jewelry can be. I think the outfits and the jewelry are amazing:

I came across this site and I think you all should go and read the thoughts/happenings in this guy’s life. Arranged marriage has always weighed on me and his life can explain more than I could in many words. Even if he does not post again, as least you will gain a little insight into the workings of this concept of ARRANGED MARRIAGE. I have friends who have told me their own stories. I want you to read and decide what you think about it for yourselves.

Arranged Marriage. Yea or Nay?

The word of the day: CANCELLED
No work you ever do is totally pointless, even if the intended purpose slips away to the wind.

Edit: I am random, and so is this post today:

Did you know that you can burn popcorn so bad it becomes a black moltenesk flow? I was able to smoke a few friends out of the office today with my microwave popcorn making skills. I have never seen smoke billow out of a bag like that before.

I ran across this music video today and thought it was an interesting twist to a song from childhood:  http://www.compfused.com/directlink/615/

You can actually tell the religious belief of an Indian male by what position he takes to relieve himself. The little things you learn by living in a different culture...

SECOND EDIT: I thought it should be made clear that I do NOT observe men relieving themselves on purpose...they do it along the side of the roads/side walks/walls here. OK. Just thought I should clear that up.

Funny that today I realized through "youth" and into my "adult" life thus far, I have been wearing medium and large shirts, when in all reality, I wear a small.

I finally wrote my dad back today after three weeks of trying to figure out what it was I wanted to say...I know you won't really understand why this is a big deal...but in a way it was a first, and hopefully a step tword something. I made my best attempt at being honest. Should honesty in relationships be such a struggle? A little while ago a friend commented on my honesty with people...but am I really honest? Is it a matter of confidence that allows one to operate in honesty throwing all other care and concern to the wind as one operates in personal integrity? Or is it about being willing to be out right honest in all aspects of my life. To make the choice. Is there a point when it is not about it being a choice but who you are? Honesty. Vulnerability. I think I am realizing that I have failed on the honesty account in certain aspects of life...it is time for some things to change...

I am growing increasingly tired of the facade.

Sick, REALLY sick...I think this fever is frying my brain...
Random thoughts from my days of illness:
Hariharan Kaash is, by far, my fav Indian vocal
Zakir Hussain is an amazing tabla player...it amazes me he can play like that with just his hands/fingers
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham makes me cry more than any movie ever has, and it happens every time...
Hot orange gatorade made from the powder...the jury is still out.

My Sis put this pic of me up on her site...it made me smile...remembering the days when they would show off this picture and how it used to slightly embarrass me...now I just wonder where the tooth brush is? Luv you Naf!