Weekend Pics

Below are some photos I took this weekend. I tried to mix up the "beautiful buildings" shots with the "gritty, exotic urban" shots b/c it feels like the city is a crazy mix of rich and poor, beautiful and falling down, exotic and everyday, and I wanted to indicate that in some small way here.



Below: Blossom Books is a used book store that a friend told me about. The first thing I did on Saturday was take a taxi to Brigade Road, where she'd said there are a couple of good used book stores. I spent forever in this multi-story shop, pouring over books I've read, been wanting to read, etc. In the end, I bought only four and was extremely proud of myself.


Below: This is a government building of some sort. Unfortunately, I can't remember exactly what... The blur on the right side of the photograph is an iron bar, which is part of the big fence surrounding the building. I held my camera in between the bars to get a better shot of the building and its immaculate grounds.

Below: This shot is taken right across the street from where I stay. These grounds are rented out for events, such as the wedding you see announced below.

Below: So against all advice, I took an autorickshaw ride alone before I know the city well. (Family, please don't panic; all warnings involve getting ripped off, not hurt. Everyone tells me Bangalore is very safe, and taking an autorickshaw risks getting cheated but not attacked or hurt. Plus, it was full daylight.) Anyway, so I agreed to let an autorickshaw driver take me to some sites for only 20 Rupees. The catch is that he also took me to three shops where the owners buy him gas for taking people like me there. It was no trouble to me-- well worth getting a cheap tour of the city. And, though I didn't buy anything at any of the shops, it was good to get a feel for the prices and the types of things available in the swanky shops, as opposed to the cheap street markets I tend to visit on my own. Below is one of the sites he took me to. It's where cars and motorcycles go to die in Bangalore before getting reborn (in pieces) in new vehicles. Cool!

Below: I'm pretty sure this is the parliament building. It's beautiful. Another of the sites the driver took me to.

Below: This is the best shot I got of an autorickshaw. Usually, in traffic, they are so close to you that you could count the hairs in the driver's eyebrows. Traffic is very thick here, especially on Saturdays, and the other vehicles near you are very near you. So this is my best shot of an autorickshaw far enough away for you to see what they're like in entirety. They have three wheels and motors that sound like lawnmowers. The sides are open, and you get whipped by wind, but it's a fun ride. The motor stops at traffic lights, and the driver pulls up a lever on the floor by his feet to get the motor going again. It seems they drive with controls on the handlebars, kind of like motorcycles.

Below: This is the gorgeous post office. There is a rose garden in front of it. Geez, makes me cringe to think of the grungy, dodgy-looking PO in the U district...

Below: This pet supply store looks to me like something right off a U.S. street. I snapped a shot b/c it seems disconcerting to see this on the some street as other sites that seem so exotic.

Below: This is a local market near a big Catholic church. I wondered around a little and ended up buying a new kurti (a long shirt to wear over jeans) for a little more than $2.

Below: You see a lot of signs in both English and Kannada, the local language. I shot this so you could see what it's like. I wanted to get a shot of the notice I saw stenciled on a wall, "Do not urine here." But I was in a moving vehicle and couldn't take a pic fast enough. "No entry" will have to do.

Below: This is a local Hindu temple, not far from the big Catholic church by the market. Interestingly, I saw more Muslims in that area of the city than I've seen anywhere else so far.

Below: This is the old Catholic church. It's beautiful, but the courtyard and church area are packed with shops selling religious articles and paraphernalia, and all I could think about was Jesus turning over the tables of the money changers in front of the temple.

Well, those are the highlights of my Saturday in pics. It was a super time. I started at the bookstore, then ate masala dosa and had an Indian coffee at a nearby shop (less than a dollar, total!). Then I wandered around until the rickshaw driver made his successful pitch. After the tour of city sites and shops, the driver dropped me back in the same shopping area, and I had a couple of beers while I waited for a taxi. I can hardly wait to get a SIM card so that I can have a mobile phone to call a taxi myself! I asked the owner of the beer cafe to call me a taxi, and he did for a small fee. Then the driver wanted more than twice what I'd paid to get there as the fare to get home again. Of course, it was after dark, at which point the rates go up, and it was in a tourist-y area. But still. I said no, that I'd find my own ride. (I'm not sure what I was thinking b/c if I'd known how to do that, I would have done it in the first place...) But I just couldn't see spending so much more for the same ride. The cafe owner kept saying, "But, madam, this is the minimum price." But I just couldn't see how. Anyway, I started walking away, and the cabbie reduced his fare by a quarter. That seemed more fair. So he took me home without issue, and all's well.

Friday of Week 1

Here it is, already Friday of my first week. I can hardly believe it! Research-wise, things seem to be coming right along. We've chosen the first four projects for me to look at, and I've done a pilot interview and my first real dissertation interview. It felt very momentus, but I also felt a little nervous and awkward, which showed. Fortunately, the interviewee was gracious and was clearly trying to think of examples and be specific and really talk. It was nice. One down, 49 to 74 to go!

So the first 2 nights after work, I was so pooped that I went to bed almost immediately after getting home-- no dinner, no nothing. But last night I finally felt like myself. I worked until a little after 6 p.m. and then one of my flatmates and I walked home together. That was really nice b/c I've seen very little of them. There are two other people in the apartment: one a recent undergrad graduate; the other a professor from a university in New Delhi here on sabbatical. Both seem like really nice people, but the apartment is large, and my room is near the front, while both of their rooms are near the back. We each have our own baths and seem to be on different schedules, so I just don't see much of them.

Anyway, last night I still didn't want dinner b/c I pig out so much at lunch, but I did one of the Tae Bo videos that Tony downloaded onto my laptop for me and took a shower and wanted to call him, but something's happening with the Internet connection, and I couldn't get online. So I read a book until 10 p.m., a respectable bedtime, and went off to sleep. Slept all through the night-- hooray!

Tonight I'm going to a party at one of the intern's apartments. Her mom is visiting from Pittsburg, so Julie, the intern, is throwing a party so everyone can meet her mom. I'm looking forward to it! The intern I sit next to said that she'd give me a call when she wants to head over there, and we can go together. I'm so grateful; that sounds like a much easier way than my trying on my own.

I'm still thinking of what to do with my weekend. Tentatively, I'm considering taking a taxi to the botanical gardens here in Bangalore on Saturday. They are supposed to be just amazing; Bangalore was known as a garden city before it became the silicon valley of India. I'm thinking that may be my Saturday plan. There is a church that is right next to work!!! So I'm going to go to the 9 a.m. service on Sunday and check it out. The church is called CIS Holy Ascension Church, and I'm not sure what kind of church that would be, but they have a scripture from the New Testament on their sign (which is promising), and the sign is in English (also promising), and I actually know how to get there (further promising). So I'm going to check it out. After church, I plan to walk around a whole lot and get a better feel for the area. Also want to check out another gym.

Speaking of gyms gets me on another kick: what's expensive and what's cheap. Some things here are just crazy cheap. For example, I got a snack that was big enough to be a light lunch last Sunday for 10 rupees; that's about 20 cents. But I went to three gyms last Sunday, and the cost for a three-month package varied from $74 to $83 US dollars per month!!! So. I'd really like to find a gym that's affordable if possible, but I may possibly spring for a membership, since I'm spending so little on food. This week I've been eating breakfast and lunch at work and then skipping dinner b/c I'm so full. I'll have to feed myself on weekends, but that should be plenty affordable. :-) Well, work is about to start, so I'd better wrap up. Will take lots of pics at the botanical garden and post something cool this weekend!

First day

Today was my first day at MSRI, and it was really great. I can hardly believe how productive it was already. The facilities are incredibly nice: lots of live green plants and wooden floors, a "pantry" on every floor with fresh fruit and cookies and water and good coffee. Lunch is provided every day, and it's awesome stuff. Today's caterer did South Indian food, which is my favorite.

I had lunch with my supervisor, and we discussed my project and how to proceed. As you can imagine, since he's the director of a research group at MSRI, he's brilliant, but he's also kind and approachable. I really appreciated his time and input. We decided on 4 projects for me to pursue initially, with the feeling that I'll know more about how to proceed from there after interviewing stakeholders for those projects first. My supervisor emailed his contacts at those projects, and I already have two interviews pending! I did a pilot interview with one of the researchers on the team to gauge how long the interview might go and how clear the questions are. It went really well, and he provided good input afterwards about a couple of questions that I'll reword.

In addition to all the cool project stuff, there were lots of meetings with various support teams for orientations, and my head felt stuffed. They were all nice and said to come ask later if I have questions or can't remember something. That's really good b/c I'm not sure that I retained all the various folder names and Sharepoint locations and processes...

Well, it's only 7:30 p.m. here, and I'm pooped. I remember feeling this way in Kyrgyzstan at first, too. Because so much is new and everything seems to require so much thinking and effort at first, by early evening, I'm exhausted. It'll get better as I get more used to things. In the meantime, it's early to bed for me!

Pics of the Neighborhood

It's the night before I start work, and I want to get to bed early, so I'm just throwing a few photos up here that I took on a 4-hour walk around the neighborhood today. The area where I'm living is called Sadashivanagar. Enjoy! More details later...

Diwali Dinner

Last night I had dinner and Diwali celebrations with Anu, another friend Poornima introduced me to. It was so much fun! Anu and her husband, Baloo, have two little boys ages 7 and about 2. They are beautiful little boys, lively and fun.

I arranged my own cab for the first time, and it all went great. I was so pleased. Every little milestone is so satisfying. Reena had told me that Meru cabs are a little more expensive but are reliable and safe and use the meter, so you don't get cheated. So I called Meru and arranged a cab. The driver parked across Bellary Road from my apartment b/c the landmark I gave him was across the street. Well, Bellary Road is 4 lanes of busy, crazy madness. I stood there with my little bouquet of flowers (for Anu, my dinner hostess) and just stared across the mayhem at the cab. Then that wonderful driver got out, crossed the street, took me by the wrist, and led me across to the cab. Whew. I was so grateful. It turns out that he is a Christian! He's the first Christian I've met (as far as I know). He keeps a Bible on his dashboard, and he told me that there are many Christian churches in Bangalore and that God's church is very powerful. I was so happy and encouraged.

So I arrived at Anu's place, and it was a lovely apartment in a beautiful big building with a paved courtyard. Her home is decorated similarly to Reena's in-laws: shiny tile floor, white walls, and beautiful dark wood furniture and ornate decorations. I really really dig the decorating style here, and the homes are so cool and comfortable. They also had a swing in their living room, and Baloo told me that Indians are sold on swings, that they are very popular. We chatted a while, and then Anu lit deepas (oil lamps) for Diwali and placed them outside the door and on their balcony.

Then we went and lit fireworks and sparklers with all the neighbors and their kids on the paved courtyard. Oh, man, it was fun! Loud, oh, so loud!!! But fun. After a while the smoke was so thick, you could hardly see, and we went up on the terrace on top of the apartment building. You could see fireworks all around and could see people lighting crackers below and hear the pops and bangs. The air was much cleaner on the terrace, and it was a lovely sight.

Then we went in for dinner, which was delicious, and I went home in a taxi. I was able to say "go" in Kannada to the taxi driver when we were on my street and not yet at the apartment, and then I recognized the apartment and said to stop in time when we got to it. That doesn't sound like a big deal, but the apartment is set back behind a wall, and there is not an obvious sign; it's pretty easy to miss. The bad news is that I overpaid the cabbie b/c I didn't have proper change. Argh. That's my next thing to figure out: where to change large bills for a bunch of small ones. Shop keepers and others don't like to give change; it's a big pain for them, and sometimes they don't have change at all. So finding where to change large bills for small is a trick I need to learn...

Enjoy the pics of the Diwali celebration with Anu and Baloo and their boys below!

Below: Anu holds her youngest son while she lights the deepas for Diwali.

Below: The traditional oil lamps with cotton wicks called deepas.

Below: This firecracker was called an earth wheel. It was not too loud and did not chase people all over the courtyard, so I liked it. :-) There was another kind called a butterfly, which would chase people over the courtyard and twice went under a parked car (yipe!!) but caused no explosion, thank goodness.

Below: Here I am with a sparkler, the mildest of the firecrackers. It was super fun!

Below: Anu and Baloo's older son was fearless. He would light crackers with no qualms and had a great time. The pic below is a common sight during the festivities: running after and keeping safe the little ones.

Below: Sidarth, Anu and Baloo's older son, looks on as a firecracker called a flower pot goes off. Flower pots were also among my favorites b/c they were so bright and pretty but not loud.

Below: After a while, people got fancy and would try to light more than one flower pot or earth wheel to see them go off at the same time.

Below: Here I am, enjoying the cane chair on the their balcony after dinner, full and happy after a really fun time.

Diwali Lunch

So yesterday, Saturday, was Diwali, and I got to celebrate with a new friend named Reena. She is friends with my former classmate Poornima, who introduced us via email. Reena invited me to a lunch that her in-laws were hosting for her and her husband and his relatives to celebrate their first Diwali as a married couple. (She got married in March.) It was such a wonderful time, and her in-laws and their relatives were all so gracious. Their home was beautiful, with white walls and smooth tile floors and ornate pictures and decorative items on the dark wooden tables, but because they furnished with such a light hand, the beautiful dark, ornate furniture didn't overwhelm. It was just lovely. They opened the windows and the door, and a light breeze was in the house, so it was nice and cool.

People spoke mostly English, so I could understand most everything that was said, and I was a little jetlagged, so I sat quietly most of the time and listened. It's so nice to see relatives gathered and watch them laugh and tease and mock-argue and catch up on each other's lives. The house was full of loud chatter and laughter, and I just sat and giggled at the way everyone teased each other. One man told me a joke: "A man told his friend, 'Oh, my wife is an angel.' And his friend replied, 'I'm not so lucky. My wife is still alive.'" As you can imagine, this prompted all sorts of responses from his female relatives. :-) It was a great time.

I did regret not wearing my sari. I didn't know it was "a lunch"; I had thought it was just lunch, so I wore jeans, and everyone else looked so lovely in their saris. So Reena said we'd have to find a wedding for me to gate crash so that I could wear my sari, and then she remembered that one of the ladies there was having a daughter get married at the end of November. So we got to talking to her, and now I'm invited to the wedding and the dance reception the night before, where we'll all dance like in Bollywood movies. I'll need to watch some movies before late November and practice getting my moves down. :-)

Afterwards, Reena had her husband drive me past the office where I'll be working to show me how to walk to work on Tuesday, and then they took me to a little grocery store near my apartment and explained about the various produce I'm unfamiliar with, etc. They just took such good care of me, and I'm so grateful. It was a wonderful time. Below are some pics of Reena and her husband's family and the food, etc. Enjoy!


Below: Posing in this pic are Reena's husband, a lady who lit a deepa and wafted the smoke over us to protect us from the evil eye, Reena herself, the lady whose daugher is soon marrying, and another relative.


Below: In this pic are a relative whose daughter is starting college in Vancouver, the mother of the bride-to-be, Geeta (another relative), me, and Reena's husband's dad.

Below: This is the table with the food we had for lunch. It was so amazingly yummy... The yellow dish on the left was lentils; the white in the middle was a yogurt dish; and the orange-flecked dish was a salad of carrots and coconut and other things. The salad was one of the few dishes I'd never had before, and it was really yummy. All of the food was delicous.

Below: More food. The tray with the little white cups was dahi vada (one of my favorites: a fried dough immersed in cold plain yogurt). The food in the foil below it is like a wheat-based tortilla with herbs and leaves. It was really really good.

Below: This is a digestive that you chew after the meal. It's beetle leaf that's wrapped around beetle nut and some spices that must contain anise b/c it tasts kind of like licorice. Reena said you put the whole thing in your mouth and chew. I thought you chew and swallow and nearly choked when I couldn't get it down. But, no, you're supposed to chew and chew and chew for a long time. Whoops. Fortunately, they got me some water...

Below: I thought this was one of the coolest, loveliest things in their house. It reminded me of a porch swing, only inside rather than outside. They told me that these indoor swings were common many years ago, but now are fairly rare. Man... If I could, I'd love to bring one of these to Randy and mama; I could see them putting it in an enclosed porch for sure.

Below: Reena and me posing on the swing!

Arrived Safely in India!

I'm safely here in India and had no troubles getting here! I flew from Seattle to LA, LA to Dubai, Dubai to Bangalore. The LA-Dubai leg was my longest single flight so far: 15 hours! I'm not a good plane sleeper, so I'm a little dopey right now. I arrived in Bangalore at 3 a.m., and it was maybe 3:30-40 by the time I had my bag and changed money and headed out the doors. It wasn't nearly as chaotic as I'd expected. I thought that people would be pushing and yelling and offering lots of taxi rides, but it was pretty calm. People were all lined up behind a metal railing directly in front of the exit, and most were holding signs with people's names, but no one was talking or shouting. So I saw my name and caught the eye of the young man with the sign. He nodded to the side, and I walked around to meet him. The drive to the apartment was maybe 20 minutes, maybe less. I got here around 4:20 a.m.

I have my own room, which is clean and simple. I like it just great. It has two twin beds, a tiny little desk built into the corner, and a wardrobe built along one wall. The floors throughout the apartment are a shiny white tile, and I may possibly have my own bathroom.... Not sure about that. I haven't seen any of my flatmates yet, but there were lots of shoes piled by the door when I walked in, so I think there are several of us: 5? 8? I'm not sure...

Well, Diwali kicks off today. For those of you who don't know, Diwali is the festival of lights, and it's all firecrackers, firecrackers for the next few days, and people put Christmas lights up on their homes. (But, of course, here they're lights for Diwali, not Christmas lights.) Anyway, since between 5-6 a.m., people have been lighting firecrackers right outside my groundfloor window. Whew! If some friends of a friend hadn't warned me, I'd've been scared to death when they went off, but I've been in email with some people who are friends of a former classmate of mine, and they warned me not to be scared. When I talked to Tony earlier via Skype, I told him that when the first of the crackers went off, I was in bed, lying on my stomach. My heart started pounding so hard, that my torso was moving up and down with the force of my heartbeats. Geez.

I already have an invitation to lunch today with one of my former classmate's friends and an invitation to dinner and Diwali celebration with another for tomorrow! God is good. I'm not lonely and have people to celebrate what, to me, will be a new holiday. Yay! I'll take good pics and will post more later.