The Transformation is Complete

November 13, 2012

Hello Sports fans!  Go Huskers and EMAW!  The Chiefs still stink so I don't care about them. 

We are in the middle of celebrating Diwali - the Festival of Lights!  On this holiday we burn diyas (candles or lights) and our houses get a complete cleaning so Lakshmi (the Goddess of Wisdom) will come to visit.   Apparently she doesn't like dirty houses.  Who knew but that explains why I haven't seen her around :)

Our complext (living community) had a Diwali party on Saturday night.  We had a parade of brides representing all the states of India, a talent show, which was put on by all the kids (some of them are amazing) and dinner.  It was great fun!  Joel even traded in  his steel toed shoes and nerd pack for some festive Diwali clothes!

Not to be outdone, I, too, donned local finery for the party.  Note:  These clothes make me look like I weigh 300 lbs. I DON'T WEIGH 300 LBS!!!!  It's just the clothes - I SWEAR!

 

Our apartment complex was lit up like the proverbial Christmas tree.  Our local mall, R City, was also decorated! 

Our Diwali celebrations culminated last night with dinner at our friends home.  The best part of Diwali, as far as I'm concerned, are the fireworks.  Imagine if on the 4th of July, every family in your state purchased a bunch of fireworks and then set them off all at once!  It was beautiful and very, very loud.  I'm sure cilia death occured.  It was just amazing - booms and colors and pops - all at once and for 3 straight hours.  And then, it was like there was an agreed upon stopping hour, all the noise stopped.  Pretty cool.  Walking home from our friend's house the air was pretty awful :)   Diwali is the last holiday of the season - everyone is pretty sad about that.  The next one isn't until March so we have a while to wait.

Our next adventure will be next week when Joel and I go to Goa for Thanksgiving.  We will leave on Thanksgiving evening and come back on Sunday night.  Look Goa up on Google and you will find a paradise!  I am very excited to sit on the beach and have someone bring me drinks..........oh wait.......that's not much different from what I do on a regular basis :)

I hope eveyone is well and happy.  Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!  Eat lots of turkey and stuffing ( I will miss that) and it won't be long before I can see lots of you at Christmas!

Love and Happy New Year (Indian),
Beth

Happy Navaratri!

October 21, 2012

Hello! 

It's been a long time since my last blog.  Life has become very "normal" for me here, very much like life in the U.S.   I am meeting more and more new people.  This week I had lunch with a woman from Kansas!  Her husband works for Black and Veatch, a company that Joel used to work for, and they lived in Leawood.   Always nice to meet another Kansas girl!

The Ganesh festival is over and now we are in the midst of Navaratri.  Navaratri (Nava means 9 and ratri means nights), is the celebration of the feminine devine, specifically Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati.  I know you have all seen statues or pictures of Durga - she is depicted as the multi-armed goddess with one leg in the air and carrying several weapons.  My kinda girl :)  She is know as invincible and the Mother Goddess.  Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and prosperity (both material and spiritual) and she is the embodiement of beauty.  And last but not least, Saraswati, who is the goddess of knowledge, music, arts and sciences and it is said that with her knowledge Brahma created the universe.........proving once again (or maybe for the first time) that behind every great man is a great woman :)

If you have been paying attention, Navaratri is a 9 night festival celebrated by a specific type of dance called "garba."  Garba is performed around an image of Durga.  One of the dances of Navaratri is Dandiya, which is a folk type dance using special sticks.  There is a point to all this explanation.....last night, Joel and I attended a Dandiya festival organized by the Hindi Society in our building.  Joel is the photog in these pics and I, well,............one reason I love India is that there are so many festivals and the Indians are very warm and welcoming in allowing untalented white people to participate.  In other words, gotta love people who let you dance :) 


My friend, Anita, and I in our Dandiya garb.

Above -  dancing with the Dandiya sticks.  The sticks are struck, much like rhythm sticks from kindergarten.  There are various patterns to perform with a partner or in groups.

One of the younger participants in traditional clothes

Anita teaching me a Dandiya pattern

People who know what they are doing :)

The outside lobby of our building



                                                                                   



My very own Dandiya Sticks



So, that was how we spent our Saturday night.  Very, very fun and such a treat to be included in the festivities.  The Indian people are very warm and friendly!  The next big holiday is Diwali, the "Festival of Lights."  Diwali involves the lighting of oil in small clay lamps to signifiy the triumph of good over evil.  The lamps are kept on all night and the house is cleaned to make it ready for Lakshmi.  Firecrackers are used to drive away evil and new clothes are worn and sweets are eaten and shared with friends.  We're looking forward to this holiday!

For Thanksgiving, Joel and I are going to Goa, which is an area of India originially settled by the Portugese.  It's a lovely resort - the northern part of Goa was a great hippy destination and the southern part is wonderful palm trees and beautiful beaches.  We're going to the south.  Can't wait!!!

That's about it I think.  A big thank you to all of you who have kept in touch through Skype, email, Whatsapp, and phone calls.  I missed my son's debut on the Wichita State stage and I'm pretty sad over that but I know he's going to be so famous one of these days that I'm going to have to pick and choose what to attend!  Time is flying - I can't believe it is the end of October already.  Christmas will be here before we know it!  We have a VRBO (vacation rental by owner) on the Plaza reserved for us for two weeks in December and we are really looking forward to seeing all of our family and friends.

Take care everyone!  I'll try to post more often!

Love, Beth



I Miss My Boy!

September 21st


Big Mom Moment:  Our Indian friends, Anita and Arun have their college age son living with them.  Anita was showing me around her apartment, opened the son's room and said "this is our son's room."  I stepped in and took a breath and started crying........not just crying..........CRYING!!!! 

Poor Anita.

She asked me what was wrong and I told her...

"It smells just like BOY!"

I miss you, Boy!

Visiting Ganesha

September 20, 2012

Just a short note today to add to my previous post about Ganesha.  I spent the afternoon "visiting" with my Hindu friend.  This is the way you spend this holiday - going from house to house, paying tribute to each and every Ganesha, putting a bit of money on the altar for the priest, and being offered teas and sweets.  What a GREAT holiday!!!   I couldn't tell you everything I consumed this afternoon......a mung dal fermented in salt ghee, samosas, candies, chikki, vada (that might have been the name of the fermented dal)...so many names and all so strange to  my ears and taste buds.   I can honestly say, however, that everything was wonderful!  I cleaned my plate at each and every house (my mamma would have been proud)! 

Right now it is about 6:30 pm, and the first of the worshippers are lining up, getting ready to submerge their Ganesha so he can go home.  Outside the air is filled with chanting, the Moslem call to prayer, drummers, revelers, and fire works.  Add to that mix horns honking, dogs barking, and one very unhappy Cockatiel that lives next door and it's totally overwhelming but in an "I can't believe I am in India and get to participate in this" kind of way. 

In one of the homes I visited the husband is a public official (he was introduced as a republican......I spoke to him anyway) LOL  We were discussing the pros and cons of Wal-Mart and IKEA coming to India, as well as Costco and possibly Target.
He asked me what I thought......and you know me, I might have unloaded a bit..........but he ASKED me!  As you can imagine, there are many, many people (shop owners) who are very upset by the decision to open trade like this and invite these stores into the country.  I've been told that the governmenet is not going to change it's mind. 

Okie dokie.  Enough about Ganesha. I promise - no more Ganesha until the 29th, when my friend submerges her Ganesha and has invited us to come along. 

My laundry is just about done for the day (doesn't matter where you are, you still have to do laundry).  Joel is working a bit late so we will have a grilled cheese/tomato soup supper.  Yes, we have Campbell's Tomato Soup!

Take care and love to all,
Beth

Adventures in a Jain Temple

One Saturday, Joel and I wandered into a Jain Temple.  Wow!  We were so surprised at how open and friendly they were and how welcoming!  In the center of the main room there were women playing drums and cymbols and singing.  They saw us standing in the entry to the main area and motioned us in.  We were given our own private tour of the temple and shown all the gods and goddesses.  We were even allowed to take pictures!  Take a look:

Some interesting facts about Jains:  Jains believe in self-restraint and astheticism.  Jains are vegan, in fact, some Jains wear clothes covering their nose and mouth so they won't accidently inhale bugs and Jains won't eat root vegetables because insects might have been harmed by the harvesting of the vegetables.  As we were leaving the temple, the Guru for the temple came in and asked to speak with us.  He was a lovely man......and ok, dumb American thing to say, but you know the Indiana Jones movie that is set in India?  Remember when the old man with the white hair is telling the story of how the children were taken in the night?  The Guru looked EXACTLY like that!  He spends his time traveling Europe and India and his biggest concern is the problem with malnutrition in India.  We spent about 20 minutes speaking with him - we exchanged phone numbers and maybe we'll see him again one day.  What an experience!!!

Fast forward to today - September 19th.  I was very honored to be invited to the home of my Hindu friend for the first day of the Ganesha Chaturthi festival.  On this day, Ganesha is welcomed into the home as an honored guest.  He is set on an altar decorated with Marigolds (red and gold) and for the next ten days sweets, water, and fresh flowers are provided for him.  The Ganesha that is welcomed into the home is one that your family has made of clay and painted with red and gold paint.  Ganesha is the Lord of New Beginnings, the Remover of Obstacles, and the God of Prosperity and Success.  You wouldn't leave an honored guest alone in your home and so it is with Ganesha - a member of the family has to remain home with him for the ten days.  Because of this, my friend says even though you are "supposed" to keep him happy for ten days, some people get tired of him and take him off the altar. (I guess what Benjamin Franklin said about company and fish pertains to Hindu Gods, too). 

So on this first day of the festival, you invite a priest into your home to perform a puja (ceremony).  There was much chanting and annointing with water.  We expressed gratitude for the gifts of the previous year and asked for blessings for the new one.  The priest wove red and gold threads around all of our wrists (individually) and tied them - as a blessing -  and we were all marked with a third eye for wisdom. 

On the last day of the festival, which will be September 29th, all the Ganesha statues will be put into the water which signifies his return to his home.  We have been invited to participate in that, too, so more pics to come.

The mood around Powai is unbelievable.  Constant drumming, chanting, fireworks, and parades.  If you are lucky (and I was) you catch a glimpse of a huge Ganesha statue being moved into position.  There are young men in red dancing in the streets  - it's a huge party.  This is especially true in Maharashtra, the state that Mumbia is in.  Ganesha is their special deity, in fact, in Northern India, Ganesha Chaturthi isn't celebrated. 

The following pictures are of my friends Ganesha altar as well as the big Ganesha I caught sight of this afternoon.

That's all for now.  I hope you enjoy the pictures - this is quite an experience and every day something new happens.  Thanks for reading and I love and miss all of you!

Beth

September 7, 2012

Hello Readers!

We've just about finished shopping for our new apartment.  Our move in date is this coming Monday, September 10th.  I am VERY excited to be out of this hotel and to be able to cook my own food.  Check back in a month to see if I am still excited about that :)  Joel and I discovered that spending someone else's money isn't nearly as much fun as you might think.   Our lovely landlord, Mr. Arora and his wife, Namita, took us shopping and left us to our own devices.  The only thing they said was "get what you want and need."  All of a sudden we were paralyzed!  Should we buy this?  How much is it?  Is that too much?  Are we being greedy?  Phew!  We now have brand new kitchen stuff (cookware, cutlery, plates, glasses, bakeware) and a new mattress AND a new toaster, juicer, blender, 32" flat screen tv and DVD player.  You know, I've always thought that the time for a wedding shower is after you've been married for about 10 years - you know, when all but one glass has been broken, your children have used all your teaspoons for digging in the dirt, and you could hang yourself on the bath towels because the trim has come unraveled.  This was sort of like a lovely wedding shower!  Yay me!

I went to my first book discussion group on Wednesday morning.  Very nice ladies and a very good discussion.  The book for the month was "Shanteram", which I read years ago and remember nothing of, but it was a good discussion and they seem like a very welcoming group.  I met a wonderful woman, Anita, who is a NRI (non-resident Indian).  She was born and raised in Delhi and left with her family when she was 19.  She has lived in Minnesota for 25 years so when she talked she truly sounded like she is from Minne SOTAH!  Hah!  It made me laugh!  We've hit it off right away and I expect I'll be spending lots of time with her.  It's very difficult for NRI's here because they look Indian and the natives expect them to speak Hindi with the proper inflections and tones.  Anita can speak Hindi, but she has lost the accent.  She is just as lost as I am!  It's very difficult for her, though, because she knows she "looks" Indian, but she is am American on the inside!  Very interesting.

At my book group, we went around the table and said our names and how long we've been in Powai.  I noticed several women say they "shifted" here 6 months ago.  "Shifted?"  Does that mean the same thing as "moved?"  Well, yes, sort of, and after lunch today with my other new friends Tabitha and Suzanne, I've discovered that the word "moved" really doesn't even describe what happens when you come here.  You don't just move your physical body or your belongings, you actually have to "shift" your thinking, your emotions, your philosphys.....all those things that make up who you are.  You see, things don't work the same way here as they do "back home", and the sooner you figure that out, the better off you will be.  Ask a simple question here and after a 15 minute discussion you realize you still don't have the answer.   The answer to any yes/no question is always yes, even though it might really be totally the opposite.  There are no lines, no waiting your turn, no polite "I'm sorry" or "excuse me."  Tabitha, who is a very sweet, polite, mild mannered Brit, confessed today to shreiking at her driver to get him to do what she asked.  I gather this is a common occurance.  People who are not normally violent can be driven to it here (see my previous post about stabbing the next waiter who takes my plate.)  It's the shift, not the move, that gets you!

We have a cocktail party tonight and happily it is in our hotel so I won't have too far to stagger home :)  Cocktail parties occur the first friday of every month.  Most people, especially those with children, leave during the monsoons so this will be the first one of the season.  Very exciting!  Before I move into my apartment on Monday I have a coffee to go to....I'm just a little socialite here :)

Not much else to report right now.  A couple of weeks ago, Joel and I went into a Jain temple and that was the most amazing experience!  When I figure out how to put pictures on this I will elaborate.  It was truly a "once-in-a-lifetime" thing!   September 19th starts the Genisha festival and I'll have much more to say about that.   We are tentatively planning a trip to Jaipur in January for their literary festival.  Jaipur is known as the pink city.

I hope you are all happy, healthy, and well fed.  I miss you all very much and wish you could all be here with us!!! 

Until next time,
Namaste,
Beth

Corn is NOT for pizza!

September 1, 2012

Hello! 

Who in the world decided that corn belonged on pizza?  Can I blame the Brits?  Seriously, CORN?  And while we are at it, catsup is NOT the same as pizza sauce.   Corn and catsup pizza.  It's just disgusting!

Today we went to the R City Mall, which always reminds me of Raccoon City, and we will see who among you gets the movie reference :)  It is a 4 story, very modern mall that even has an ice skating rink.  It really is quite amazing and a good way to spend a Saturday.  We ate at TGI Fridays - yes, the same chain as in the states.  It's mostly the same, except for some "odd" items on the menu like a "deep fried cottage cheese chimichanga with verde sauce."  And corn.  Corn is in everything.  I just do NOT understand the fascination with corn, and it's not the little niblet kind of corn.  It looks like feed corn to me.  Gah!  The Bloody Marys were very good, though.  Next to the amazing mall is a huge slum area.  There are no "good" areas in Mumbai.  There are "good" stores and then slums right next door.  People in the states really have no idea what poor is.  The filth is impossible to describe and I don't think anyone would believe me if I tried.  It's absolute squalor like I've never seen and it's hard to look at.  Slum Dog Millionaire prettied things up.  On the way home I saw a little girl, probably about six, naked from the waist down, squatting and pooping on the edge of the road.  Yeah, it's like that.

On a brighter note, we found a wonderful grocery store very close to our new apartment!  It's called "Nature's Basket" and it has "international foods."  There are two other grocerys close to the hotel.  Both stores could fit inside one of our 7-11's.  The Haiko (pronounced High-Coe) isn't too bad - basic stuff if you are preparing an Indian meal but you would be hard pressed to buy the fixings for an american meal.  The other store, The D Mart, has bugs crawling all over the shelves.  I am so very happy that we discovered Nature's Basket, which has everything an American could possibly want, including an amazing wine selection!  Down the block a bit, we found a bakery............SCORE!!!!  

We start shopping on Monday for our new apartment so I'm sure I'll have some stories to tell for my next blog.  I hope everyone is doing well!  Thanks to everyone who e-mails me and to all of you who play Words with Friends.  It may seem like a small thing but it makes me feel very connected!

Namaste,
Beth

I Am Here

August 28

Hello readers! 

This is my first blog post so be nice.  If you are expecting grammatically correct sentences, perfect spelling, or witty remarks, you might want to read somewhere else.  I don't even know how often I'll be posting so check often.

We arrived in Powai, a "planned community" of Mumbai, India, on August 21st, so I have officially been here a week.  So far, it has rained - a lot!  To be fair it is monsoon season.  Monsoon runs from June through September and the way it looks, August and September get the most rain.  Acccording to the Times of India, one of the local papers, between the hours of 5:30 pm Sunday to 5:30 pm Monday, parts of Mumbai received 93.1 mm of rain.  For those of you who are metrically challenged, that is 3.665 inches of rain.  In a city with no storm sewers you can imagine what happens.

We are staying in a very nice hotel in Powai but it is extremely boring!  Joel goes to work every day and I sit in the hotel.  In fact, I am SO very bored I have started going to the hotel gym in the mornings.  Those of you who know me know how bored I am.  We won't drive here so we have a driver, Ali, who takes us whereever we want to go.  We're not sure how we feel about that.  Ali is a wonderful man and a great driver, and over here that's saying a lot.  I am told there are traffic rules but the average American would be hard pressed to figure out what they are by watching the drivers.  People honk.....all the time.....not so much to say "hey, get out of my way" as to say "I am here and I am not stopping so you better move your sorry be-hind."  Oddly, when there is a major traffic jam no one honks.  Go figure.  On most roads there are no lanes and when there are lanes, no one pays attention.  Remember, there aren't just cars on the road - there are motorized rikshaws, which can and do squeeze in between cars, motorcycles that go whereever they want, busses, both single and triple deckers, and of course the odd cow or elephant.  Oh yeah, and pedestrians.  Pedestrians have no rights.  Drivers will not exactly aim to kill a pedestrian, but they sure don't stop.  The only good side to this is that the traffic is usually so slow that if you do get winged you won't be hurt........much.

So far, my world consists of the main drag of Powai.  We have been out and about and in fact, I have some wonderful pictures to share but I'll save them for the next blog.

Thanks for reading!
Namaste,
Beth