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