life
Oh, as an update, you'll be glad to know I emerged victorious against three, count them - THREE, big monkeys (with plenty of little ones milling about). I had my stick, I began walking rather than running, and I audibly quoted scripture at the three growling monkeys circling me. I was NOT going to fear those vile creatures and it paid off.
Aight, on my rather long bus ride back to Palampur from Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh, I sketched out a few random thoughts. Shimla was beautiful, btw, with a central promenade that people stroll in the evening. The architecture reflects the British influence and appeared to be some combination of a Bavarian village and English hamlet. Check out my pic’s to see the real deal.
-Is high-pitched, Indian music a) the right of bus passengers, b) meant to cover the noise of squeaking brakes, or c) merely a product of the young dirver’s and conductor’s musical tastes?
-picture this: looking down from the precariously high, narrow, winding roads to see brilliantly yellow corn cobs drying on flat rooftops in the sun.
-eagerly awaiting reuniting w/ fam in 8-1/2 months!
-sweet fellowship time w/ a group from CO and being able to say, “it is well with my soul”
-learning the value of inches and the expertise of these crazy bus drivers that navigate with only inches to spare
-seeing kind faces of Nepalis
-having freedom to wander the streets of Shimla at night in safety
-“God shave me” on the front bumpers of mountain vehicles
dust
righteousness
I’m taking a break from my Educational Philosophy paper to tell you about a few joys in my life recently.
Numero Uno: Pepsi’s Club Soda makes every sip of sparkling juice good to the last drop
#2: An entirely magnificent, exceeding-all-expectations package from some amazing ladies in CT AND a card from my dear CA pastor
Drei: Introducing myself in Hindi to a group of students AND recognizing my first word in Hindi (samaj = society)
Char: Thinking critically about educational philosophy in preparing my application for an Associate Professor position.
So now you know what I’m aiming for after
authority
Guess what?! I rode a bus today – all by myself. “So what,” you may ask. Well, I have never found, boarded, paid fare, and alighted on my own in
The story began yesterday when my mentor and I went to the
Here’s where the story gets interesting. My mentor went to a meeting today so he told me to return to the university and talk to this organic farming prof. He told me to spend this morning writing a letter to Dr. Poonam and then visit her in the afternoon to deliver the letter. I double-checked with my landlord who was working on our building today (or, I should say, overseeing work on the building) and he confirmed that hand delivering a letter of introduction is unnecessary when going to meet someone. I typed a letter just in case then printed it off up the road since we don’t have a printer in the office. The printing process took 45 minutes as usual because the printer man’s printer never likes my jump drive. I thankfully remembered where to get on and off the bus and found my way to Dr. Punam’s cubicle. I quickly surmised I would not be delivering the letter since I had misspelled her name. She spent a bit of time with me and suggested I return when the head of the department is present and when I can receive a proper tour of the organic farm. So then I got to play the “find the bus, jostle my way on, pay the fare, and get off” game. As a side note, on the way to the university I pass the Sperm Board buildings. I’m pretty sure it has something to do with breeding animals. I hope so.
Oh, yeah, about the picture. As many of you know, I’m not fond of cooking but I have no choice here. Tonight I made something really weird, even by my standards. I had tofu flour balls with garlic and raisins. It tasted all right but, yeah, it was strange. OK, as usual, I can't upload a photo today so check out "My Pic's" for a view.
rivers of living water
OK, it’s just about bedtime since I went to sleep late last night but let me fill you in on the latest. I went to a friend’s home for dinner last night around 6:30 PM after we finished our ballet lessons. We stopped by a roadside market to pick up veggies for dinner. We started making dinner around 7 PM and were finally eating around 9 PM. My friend was feeling a bit out of it last night. She SO wanted to have a festive evening, but she ended up conking out while playing Uno. Seriously, she was in her PJs and in bed before I was out the door!
The latest “this is
everything we need for life
It’s 12:30 and I’ve finally made it to the office. Have no fear that your favorite blogger is slacking, however. I’ve been working on a proposal all morning. My English language skills are being gainfully employed (hmm, can I truthfully say that since I’m a volunteer?) as I revise a draft of a proposal to assess and improve the socio-economic status of Dalits (see previous blog) within Himachal Pradesh. I’ve been working from my sitting room, a nicer environment than the office. Though my manager is still out of town, I’ve had the company of my landlord and his troupe of Mr. Fix-its. I use that term slightly deridingly because I asked my landlord today to call a different toilet repairman since this is the fourth time within a week that I need my toilet repaired.
On the cooking front, I boiled a kilo of milk this morning and promptly poured a large portion down the drain. I buy milk in ½ kilo bags and then boil it to ensure healthfulness. I have been storing the milk in an old Whiskey bottle after boiling it. Unfortunately, the mouth of the bottle is too narrow for my pot and, hence, I poured a lot down the drain. At least I completed this operation in the sink. I wasn’t so forward-thinking last time. After pouring the milk down the drain and in the bottle, I heard a glass-cracking sound and noticed the bottle had broken. I quickly re-poured (successfully) into a series of cups lest the bottle shatter (which it did not). So that’s my fun morning activity in Palampur. Oh, when I opened my fridge, the uncovered cup of milk spilled on the floor but I’m not crying over it.