random thoughts on india

*the men here wear skirts. they're like sheets wrapped around their bodies. they look very comfy and i would like to try one, but i would look like a cross dresser. plus my hair is 1 inch long and that's already pushing it here!

*also, (straight) men here hold hands or have their arms around each other's shoulders when they walk down the street. my friend even saw 2 cops holding hands the other day!

*what do i wear, asks cate? not tank tops! that would be equivalent to wearing a negligee out. i packed t-shirts instead of tank tops and i think they're too tight (even though they're just fitted, not tight!) i'm going to buy an indian outfit tomorrow so that i can blend a bit better - a long tunic and some pants that are loose, comfortable, and cute. and cheap!

*foreigners (that's me!) have celebrity status over here. people ask to take your picture, stare at you for lengthy periods of time. at the train station a couple weeks ago, i was just sitting there and some little kid walked up to me and held out his hand, so i shook it. word spread like wildfire, and before i knew it there were over a dozen people around me, shaking my hand, saying "hello!". like pushing other people so they could look at me. weird.

*oh, i don't know if anyone remembers that lake with alligators in it from my first or second entry, but i ended up swimming in it! no gators to be seen!

*i was going to wash my own clothes, but then i realized that it's only 5 rupees ($0.10) per item. i had a hard time justifying washing my own clothes at that point!

*i have learned to eat with my hands (or hand, i should say - it's extremely rude to eat with your left hand here). i eat rice and mushy stew with my fingers. it's fun!

that's it for the random thoughts for now, but i'll try to keep 'em coming!

the kindness of strangers

i almost forgot to tell about my trip from amaravati to trivandrum a couple of weeks ago. first off, i was 7th on a waiting list to get on this train. this dude from the train station helped me out a little and said to call his personal cell phone the day before the train left to see if i got on. so i did, and he remembered me from over a week ago...

so he tells me i'm on the train and will i have time to stop by his home before i leave. feeling indebted, and a little suspicious of motives, i reluctantly agreed. so he drops me off at his house and i hung out with his wife for 2 hours, looking at pictures. her english was so-so. their daughter came home from school while i was there and litterally jumped when she saw me, and ran out the door. after she got used to this white person in her house, she was calling me auntie and holding my hand. i wanted to take her with me. then the wife packed me a dinner of rice and vegetables and pepper sauce, after feeding me candy for 2 hours. AND they heated up water for me to take a bath before i got on the 30 hour train ride! my only warm shower/bath since i've been here.

so fast forward 30 hours on a train, i'm getting into this city by myself at 10pm instead of 6pm and i was a little worried. i was discussing this with a woman from new york - where i should stay, is the city safe, blah blah blah. this indian man sitting across from us says he'll drop me off. his drive calls and confirms my reservation at the hostel, and they give me a ride to the place. amazing.

indian people are so hospitable, friendly, and warm. i need only fear the food and water!

shout outs

...but the blog is coming along swimmingly!! a few shout outs to bloggers:

rassassel - please refer to me as heamoda as we had previously discussed. also thanks for the picture of cute little cameron! what is your blog's website again?

hi sue! i'm doing great! how is life in lusby? yes, please post a picture of callie.

coozin d - thanks once again for the beautiful picture of lucy. i have the most beautiful baby cousins in the world!

auntie joba - if you were so smahhht, why am i the one on semi-permanent vacation while you sit at work all week? something to ponder, from your ever-so-smahhht neice;) also tell aj that i think of her and hope she's recovering well.

beach dave - nice pun! give the beach a hug for me - i wonder if this is humanly possible, but if you, you would be the one to do it!

bottle - it is so wonderful to hear from you! glad to hear that you worked in some yoga even with riley climbing around on you! hope the little little one is doing well too! xoxo

D'OH A PENNY! WAHOO A PEANUT!

Hey Mini-Ghandi,

Just wanted to throw out a "hey" your way. I hope you are continuing to enjoy your splendid little adventure. I wish I could get enough time away from work to get a few "oms" in with you, but, that won't happen. If my friends would stop getting married then it could be a possibility but I have a number of taffeta dresses to wear in '06. Wahoo.

The weekend was mediocre. Had a date with a cute boy on Friday which was rather amusing. I think I'm a little rusty as I dumped an entire glass of cabernet sauvignon (imagine me saying that with my fancy french PePe Le Pew accent) all over my skirt - NICE. We'll have a separate girl chat about the details as I don't need to bore the pants off all of these nice bloggers.

I'm heading to Disneyland on Saturday. I hope I don't get trapped on Space Mountain or something. I will try and scam you a pair of Mickey Ears to wear in India. Pretend it is a special yoga hat or something.

Ok, well, I've procrastinated long enough. Keep up all the stretching. Can you walk around like a pretzel yet? I always thought that was so cool. I'm still working on touching my toes - but I'm getting there - really I am.

Be good. Go in peace. Whatever they say over there - insert here.

I miss you tons!!

Hugs & Kisses,
Rach

insert witty title here

cooz,
quite a bit of tlc you are getting fr/ the stateside folk whilst in india. that picture of lucy is so precious! i am going to have to get some quality time in w/ her before i permanently leave the east coast. what a beautiful baby.

as you can see fr/ the photo on the left i done cut mah har. a whopping 14 inches. cath's reaction was by far the most amusing . . . i think she squealed for a good 2-3 minutes. 'twas awesome. i am really happy w/ the cut and have managed to wear it in a different way everyday since i got it cut. also, please note the necklace i was wearing. aside fr/ my hair it got the most attention, in fact someone said it was the best accesorry in the joint. awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww yeah.

anne left on tuesday and i blubbered quite a bit, but i am looking forward to visiting her. i am already looking into flights, not cheap, but i want to make it happen.

work is slowing down a little and i finally have time to breathe. whew!

guess who is coming to dc on saturday! trace! i can't wait to hang out w/ him. lew is living w/ him in san diego for the next couple months and i am tempted to go out there for a visit while he is there . . . hmmm.

right, well it sounds like you are having a tremendous journey over there. it is good to know that you are safe and experiencing so many wonderful things. big chunks of love-@

Lucy McGrath

...as promised cooz. take care. love, cooz

Someone wants to say hi to Aunt Heather....

Hi Aunt Heather,
I'm just chillin' like a villain.
Hope India is fun. Find any hotties for me? If so, please bring one home in your suitcase.
Ok, have to go gnaw on something.
Love, Cameron
PS: Please tell Matt to stop calling me a "cat".

the price of tea in china

hi everyone,

indeed, the blog is becoming quite a bustling place, good to see. i got a call from heather this morning at the ungodly hour of 630am ... of course, i told her to call back later, hung up, put my sleeping mask back on and went back to bed. j/k - i can't think of a better way to start the day than getting an unexpected call like that ... she sounds great, which is quite heartening for those of us inclined to worry about our intrepid little world traveler.

my week has been very similar to yours, miss. except, instead of being at an ashram in india, i am sequestered at a fairfield inn in columbia, md. another subtle difference is that while you're doing swimming in pristine mountain lakes, i'm attending a training class to get my project management certification, which is even more boring than it sounds.

oddly enough, it is similar in that we're both doing yoga in class ... indeed, the company giving the class is quite progressive in their teaching methodologies so we take frequent breaks during the 10 hour days. during the breaks, we do alternate nostril breathing, mountain poses, the baby pose and the "cat and the cow", which is getting on all fours and arching your back and sticking your butt out. our "yoga instructor" is this curmudgeonly 60 year old man and my fellow students are anywhere from 25-55 years of age. and we're all wearing business attire. its pretty ridiculous.

next week, i plan on requesting leave for the month of march ... assuming this is granted, my preparations for joining you will commence. its looking good but keep your fingers crossed ... the life of an IT professional (pssssrrrrrrrw) is a wacky one.

lotzzz of love, matt.

blog away, bloggers!

hi everyone!

it's so nice to see that everyone's been blogging away while i've been tucked away at the sivanaanda ashram in kerala. the place is absolutely beautiful, it's amazing! i wake up for morning meditation at 6am every day, then a yoga practice at 8am, brunch at 10am, a spot of free time to shower / wash clothes / socialize, a highly skippable lecture at 2, yoga at 3:30-5:30, dinner at 6, evening meditation at 8, and lights out at 10pm. SO, i am keeping busy! i had to get a pass to leave the ashram and check my e-mail.

i waited in a long line to make a phone call the other day. there's a 3 minute limit! dad was disappointed that i couldn't call more often but you can see that 'free time' is a bit of a luxury.

so it's great to be in one spot, breathing nice clean air, eating yummy vegetarian food, doing 4 hours of yoga a day (that's kind of a lot actually:) i "plan" on staying at the ashram until the end of the month at the very least, and then heading to some beach spots on the west coast, hopefully with my new-found scottish friend kate! there are plenty of women traveling alone at the ashram so i'm sure i'll have a buddy when i leave.

last friday we took a boat across the lake and went on a jungle hike to this huge rocky waterfall and swam in the pool and laid around on rocks. it had to be one of the best days of my entire life, it was amazing!

i am enjoying my time here in kerala and meeting lots of interesting new people - there's an ayurvedic doctor who's breaking things down for me - we have a session after dinner and before evening meditation. apparently you have to go to school for 5.5 years to become an ayurvedic doctor, so i don't think that's a viable bidness option on my return home, but i'm keeping my options open. i just started a book called 'what should i do with my life?'. hopefully this helps!

it's wonderful to hear from all of you, please keep posting!

love and namaste!

greetings from the Irish in Brooklyn

Howdy cooz. happy new year.
hows it goin over there? warm? smelly? most lovely and comfortable we hope. from various friends who've been there, depending on where you are, it can be very different. quite the culture shock. South India i hear is lovely. Almost had a job there.
liese and lucy say a big hello. not much going on over here. we had a great christmas. lucy was christened. she met all of her cousins and many of her aunts and uncles and our friends. she had her first walk on a beach, she loved it, wanted to eat every rock and tried to. she loved the waves too.
she was great on the plane too. the flight staff were amazed at how happy she was throughout the flight. apart from the time she puked all over mommy and some doofer spilled his drink on daddy, the flight were very smooth. usually when you see a baby on a flight one goes "crap! there goes my flight" but the chap who had the misfortune of sitting with us was also amazed at lovely Lucy's disposition. She is sooooo mellow. Must have been a yogi or somethin in her former life.
I had a 20 year school reunion. 20 year! almost didnt go, petrified, but did and had a blast. When that milestone hits any of you readers, i highly recommend going.
Liese and I started yoga again, it's been years since i did it, but it's good to be back into it.
well, there you have it. take care over there, we hope you're settling in nicely and practicing rigorously. get some cool material over there. i hear they have some amazing silks.
love, cooz, liese and lucy.

Down with Matt Fenwick

Hi H!

Hope you are feeling better finally. Tell those people to put some catalytic converters on their rickshaws or something.

I wanted to take a moment and tattle on your brother, Matthew (not Will for once). He is a meanie and a bully of the blog.

Here is the back-and-forth email that ultimately made me shed a few tears:

hi Rachel, i disagree on all three counts (cool, smart, likeable) but my sister, who is far more generous than i, instructed me to invite anyone who wanted to partake. matt.
From: "Rachel Stanley"
To:
Subject: PICK ME PICK ME!
Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 09:19:25 -0800
I want to be invited to blog.
I am cool enough, I am smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like me.

What's that all about?! I mean, come on. Have I ever done anything to deserve something like that? I've been nothing but sweet, kind and wholesome.

Anywho, I just wanted to bring that bad behavior to your attention so that when Christmas or his birthday rolls around, you'll give him a chunk of coal or whatever they have in India.

Things in LA are rollin. You can catch up on all that jazz on my blog (yes, we've all copied Woo) so I don't bore everyone else to tears (no comments from the peanut gallery). It's pretty chilly here. I woke up this morning and it was 56!! Brrrrrrr. Speaking of weather, how is your hair handling the humidity? Do you need me to send any special products? Just let me know. I'll be your hair hookup!

Ok, well, I have to go back to IMing Amy.

I miss you tons and keep up the blogs!

Lots of hugs and kisses,
Rachel :)

blogging pioneer succeeds at blogging

hi miss,

after much sniping by matt pie and following his initially ambiguous instructions, i have succeeded where others have failed. i figured since joann posted, it couldn't possibly be out of my grasp. some people are so blogtarded they have been posting to my back to ir@q blog, ie fancy!!!

anyways, for the first time in about 6 years, i succumbed to the common cold. i visited the doc to ensure it wasn't bird flu or spinal meningitis or something crazy. i was on the fritz for the past week, but today, i feel better alas, just in time for the new semester to start.

charece and i went to see memoirs of a geisha today, i'll give you one guess whose choice it was, it was ok, i wanted to see munich, the movie about the israeli's revenge on the terrorist who killed the olympic athletes, but i digressed. we took the skyway system back to the apartment, it was interesting, first time i used it in fact, there is a whole sub-culture of marketing and stores and restuarants that cater to people who use the skyway every day....only in america.

your indian adventure sounds really foreign and different, that is rather amazing what you said about the beggars and their children's extremities. will any of your friends accompany you to the south of india?

classes start for me on tuesday this week, work shouldn't be too trying this semester since i don't have to teach, so i'm looking forward to learning the ropes of financial accounting, i may even be hitting up dad for some knowledge.

stay safe and healthy, and keep an eye out for business ideas!!!!

misses and kisses,
will

i want my mommy!

well i lasted for over a week before i got sick! yesterday, my first thought was, "i'm drinking air." (it was more than a little humid.) yesterday was hellacious, today is much better. i had been battling a sore throat due to pollution the entire visit here, but yesterday is when everything kicked into high gear. i went to the teachings in the morning, rode my bike back to my camp, and flopped on my bed. later i staggered outside and flopped on another bed in a cooler spot. (yes, joba, it's hot here, but not as hot as t'dad in the summer.)

i spent the afternoon trying to be unconscious, and then took a rickshaw to a tibetan doctor. i had a fever of 102, felt nauseus (sp?), extremely weak, started with the runs later in the pm....yesterday, like i said, wasn't a good day. today's been much better. luckily i have made some wonderful friends here who are looking out for 'little miss mev', as my friend john calls me.

in other news, i am leaving amaravati in 2 days! travel plans, which have flip-flopped about a dozen times, are back to the semi-original plan of going to neyyar dam (near trivandrum) in kerala at the shivananda yoga ashram, where i will be meeting up with my friend dango from nantucket.

toodle-oo for now!

Blah Blah Blahg

Cooz-
Thanks for the updates, your descriptions are ehhhh, very descriptive. Glad to hear that you remain in good health and safe. The beggars sound heartbreaking, but it sounds like there is so much good stuff going on too. I can't believe how cheap everything is!

I went to yoga last night again, it wasn't as good as last week's class, but it is better than nothing. Matt, Cath and I are going to see the New Pornographers and Belle and Sebastian in March. Wahoo! Bring on the good live music mang!

I think I have found myself a new roommate. Her name is Sarah and she seems promising. Fingers crossed. Anne's departure date is a little over a week away! Everyone is leaving on these amazing new adventures and I console myself w/ the fact that I will be embarking on my own in a few months.

Work has been stupid busy and I am hoping to unwind a bit this three day weekend, which reminds me, how long has your weekend been now? Right-o, I am off. I will leave you with this profound lyric from a man that we hold dear to our hearts . . .

Girl, the only thing that matters in my life
Is that I'm down for you and treat you right
You've got no cause to treat me cold as ice

Miss you and love you-@

minutiae, part two

friends, with my copious free time at work, i've made some minor adjustments ... on the left-hand side, below the "Contributors" section, is a "Links" section. one link contains instructions for posting to the blog (give it a shot). the other, "where's the miss", is a link to a map that'll i'll periodically update to track the movement of our protagonist, mev A. rooski.

minutiae

hey miss, thanks for the updates, glad to hear things are going swimmingly. i hope you're taking lots of pictures, esp of monks in trees ... poops and i dedicated our morning yoga practice to you - his "down dog" is really something to behold. its a dreary, overcast morning here in the nation's capital. i'm looking to dominate yet another su | do | ku puzzle today. the goal is to go 5 for 5 this week. a few are calling it the "drive for perfection", while the vast majority couldn't care less.

as i was sitting at my desk eating my breakfast, i read an article about how the typical desk has 100 times as much bacteria as the typical kitchen table. i'm dining in a veritable cesspool over here. so, um, can you stop complaining about the unsanitary conditions in india? i mean, really.

on an administrative note, if anyone wants to post to the blog, please contact me at mjf7d at hotmail dot com so i can send an invite to you. once that happens, the posting process is pretty simple to figure out as evidenced by the fact that goonie0506 has successfully posted not once, but twice. please note that will has had this ability for over a week and has done nothing other than complain in the comments section.

safe travels, miss, and much love ...

one week down, ?? to go...

hi everyone! yay, so happy to see comments on el blogarino! matt pie, it looks like there are some people who want to contribute (um, will is one of them). thanks for helping with this!

i'm going to answer a bunch of questions from an e-mail from stephanie...

weather is hot and humid. there are about 2 hours where this is pretty uncomfy, but other than that it's great! i love warm weather. how's the weather on the east coast? A-hahahaha!!!

food. ahh, one of my very favorite topics. i'm at an event that's vegetarian by the dalai lama's request. so i'm in heaven! they make these salty-type crepe things with a spicy dipping sauces called...umm, i forget what they're called but they're good! they make these fried tortilla-type things with a spicy dipping sauce called puri, which is also really good. fresh watermelon, fresh pineapple (spelle pinapul), guava, little mini bananas, oranges. the food is really good and really cheap!

i feel really safe here. people are curious about the whities, but not disrespectful. indians are very helpful. for example, i was fidgeting with the key on my bike the other day and i knew in about 30 more seconds someone would probably come and help me...it didn't even take that long.

there are some annoyances: the air pollution, the noise pollution around here is insane, a subtle but constant fear of the fact that i will be getting sick at some point. the beggars are the worst part about it. it torments me. if you give to one you are immediately surrounded by a hoard. people do things to make themselves more pity-able, too; because they can make a better living begging than they can if they were to work hard at a job. they go so far as to cut off the limbs of their children. it wears at my heart.

on a lighter note, there are a lot of monks around, just a sea of maroon and bald heads. last night i went to a tibetan concert that was 50 rupees admission ($1). these junior monks (about 8 years old on average) climbed up this tree outside the fence to see the concert - there were about a dozen of them in one tree, it was so cute!

and, finally, i will be heading to kerala after this, the southernmost state of india. after learning that i do not in fact have a spot reserved at the yoga ashram, i ran into some people who just came from kerala, and i was assured that i could easily and happily while away 2 weeks on some coastal towns. so once again, things have fallen into place!

all righty, i'm off to meet up with some amigos! i miss you all a bunch!

now post a comment! (i reckon this will be my constant nag;)

got me some wheels!

it's day, ummm, 5 in india and things are going well! the pollution has finally caught up with me and i'm battling a sore throat and a hint of a fever the past couple of days. pretty minor considering the circumstances though. i have resorted to wearing a pollution mask most of the day though, which is helping.

i rented a bike today for 500 rupees, which is $10 - i can have it for the rest of my stay here, 9 more days. it's worth about ten bucks though - i feel like it's going to fall apart at any moment, but it's perfect! my camp is kind of removed from all the action so it'll get a lot of use.

there's a tibetan music festival for the next 3 nights, so i will probably attend. i'm looking at a poster right now, and acts include the dharma bums from the usa - they look surprisingly like strung out hippies.

anyway, i'm going to sign off. i hope that all is well in the western world.

love, mev

greetings from amaravati!

so glad to see everyone's posts and comments, keep 'em comin'!

i met up with john, the 'group leader' of the dissolved group - it's now just us 2. i got to the hyderabad airport and took a motor rickshaw to this hotel where i waited for john. it was an interesting ride. they drive like maniacs - i actually screamed at one point! john and i ran some errands in hyderabad - i got a cell phone, all my meds, and just started to get adjusted. then we took a train to amaravati, where i am now. we arrived at the train station at 3am, where i rolled out my yoga mat and sleeping bag on a bench and slept for 2 more hours before the shuttle arrived.

so now i'm at kalachakra, the dalai lama is mediating this buddhist thing - i'm an 'interested observer'. my would-be travel partner, cindy xi, is a GENIUS for booking the 'luxury tent', which works out to like $5 a day. i have electricity, the toilets flush, and the showers are a notch above everyone else - instead of filling up a bucket, i have a hose! we also have these, uh, servants who come around to make sure we have everything we need. not bad, not bad at all.

i'm getting a little more adventurous with my food and i'm really happy that i haven't gotten sick yet! the food is really yummy, the tea is awesome.

i saw the dalai lama yesterday, i was about 10 feet away from him (he was in a car and there was a fence between us), but he was waving at a small group of us who had gone over to the fence to catch a glimpse of him - pretty exciting!

today i had coconut water and was entertained by a little monkey, she was really cute! it's really hard to describe this place because every instant would take up pages and pages of description. the people here are very warm and very friendly. i gave these 2 little girls dollar bills tonight and it was like i had magically produced a unicorn for them or something!

i will be here until january 16, then i take a train to kerala (trivandrum) where i'll meet my friend dango from nantucket. we're staying at the shivananda yoga ashram there for 2 weeks. i can't wait to get the yoga started! i've been doing short practices on my own, but i'm eager to be fully immersed!

in the meantime i'm just enjoying being in one place and having a posh tent.

i miss you all a lot. dad, i thought of you as i played soduko the other day. i have a 'barbgain' hunter picture in my journal that i keep showing everyone.

and SPEAKING of BARBGAINS!! holy cow! it's ridiculous here! an expensive meal is $4. 45 minute phone call to the u.s. = $1. 45 little bananas = $1. a real pearl necklace = $12. it's pretty ridiculous.

anyway, i miss and love you all. keep the posts and comments coming!

HAP-PY NEW YEAR!!!!!

well today is my last day here in the states, for a while. my travel partner is not doing well. here's what my guide book says about the ashram (yoga-type hostel place) where i'm trying to stay:

the 12-acre ashram is located at the edgoe of a national park and wildlife preserve - at night you can hear the coughlike roars of lions from across the lake.

and

swim at the ashram's prive beach (sounds nice so far, right?) at your own risk - signs warn to beware of crocodiles, but residents will assure you that they only come out at dawn and twilight. there's a small library and a bookshop selling sivananda writings.

um, does anyone else think that the library/bookshop comment should get its own paragraph? also, i wasn't aware that i was signing up for lions and crocodiles and such. but alas, the one-way ticket has been purchased. and after my initial fear, i am now feeling so excited and so ready for this trip! the best thing is that i have NO IDEA what to expect!

how to be a blogger

since a bunch of folks seem to be losing their blogging skills (mom, will), i'm posting this brief, yet condescending, tutorial.

to post, you'll first need to be invited ... thats to prevent spammers and other nefarious folk lurking on the internet from defacing this site. send me (matt, heather's bruva) an email at mjf7d at hotmail dot com. then i'll add you to the member list. blogger.com will send an invite via email. follow the instructions in the email (click a link and create a user name and password) ... simple enough.

once you have a user name and password, go to blogger.com to log in. enter user name and password. you'll be presented with a list of all the blogs you belong to (it could just be one). this one will be displayed as "2006". click the "create post" button next to "2006" ... a screen will appear in which you can type. good luck!