Adventures in India: part surprising delights

Coming to India, I have found many surprising cultural norms, food and curiosities. Here are a few of my favorites

Kulfi- simlar to ice cream, but better especially pistacio

Mango shakes- made with fresh delicious mangos

Fig juice- who would have thought

Fridges that sing when you leave them open to long.. Favorite songs are jingle bells

Good bargains (if your in for haggling)

Motorcycles that fit a family of 5 (comfortably?)

Or motorcycles that have two men carrying a load aka glass windows, computer boxes... There is nothing they can't carry

Ps The ladies sit sideways and don't always hold on

Fruit sellers with a variety of colorful products, some will let you sample

Waiters at dinner always put the food on your plate, no need to waste energy doing it yourself

Warm water and lemon for washing after eating as traditionally people eat with their hands

Delicious fennel and digestives for after a meal

Meals is a common thing, it is like a sampler but unlimited, and comes with dessert *dont plan on dessert unless it is specified in the meals menu.

Adding an "S" to the end of words is very surprising. ie. Meals, undercovers..

Sometimes what you order is misheard or just not available

ie when ordering a mango shake and they hear dosa instead

Or ordering chocolate shake only to find out the guy only makes mango shakes 

Delicious roasted corn on the street

Pedestrians, cows, dogs, motorcycles autos, cars and buses (or in some cities camels and elephants are added in thre mix) all weaving in and out of each other with no kind of order, at first glance.

Using turn signals to let others know they may pass you.

Joy at seeing geckos to keep bugs away. 

Walking outside is like taking a shower from all the humidity, your instantly wet yet again.

Strands of jasmine flowers strung together to place in your hair(these smell divine!)

Removing shoes outside of homes, temples and stores, upscale and small businesses, I love walking barefoot!!

Shoes are not a necessity here, people either don't wear them or as soon as they sit down they remove them (like in church,or  driving busses, flip flops tend to be the norm here).

Often people (shopkeepers or families or random acquaintances on the street) will ask if you've eaten, or about your family. 

Offerings of water or soda at stores

Sometimes they ask you if you would like a Coke and bring out diet Pepsi instead, and act like it's normal.

Talking in conspiracy fashion with shop keepers to keep other customers from knowing your good deal.

Random people who step in to prevent the Americans from being ripped off. 

Everyone loves using English, it usually 

goes "hello, how are you? Bye" or sometimes "hello what country are you from? Bye" sometimes they skip the hello and bye part and chase us down just to know what country we are from.

I have become an expert in shaking hands. It's a thing to do when you are fair skinned people.

Being told you are beautiful or handsome, even on your worst day.

All the woman dress classy, with jewlery. I have not seen one woman or girl, without some type of bling. 

Finding a couple who had an arranged marriage, love each other and tease one another. 

Restaurants come veg & non veg, or pure veg.

Henna designs, especially during marriage season.

What is India like??? Part Adventures in Food

Ok so India is known for all it's spices, right?? And you would think being enthralled with India for so long I would have had Indian food in the states.

However truth be told, I had my first bite of Indian food about 2 months before I left, at a delicious place in American Fork, Utah.

Even then I had no trouble getting non-spicy food since English is the spoken language. I have heard many a time how spicy curry is, but that never registered with me, and now I am living in a furnace, both from the high temperatures and from a place that specializes in spicy food!! (How this slipped by me, I'll never know) 

So upon arrival I had my first shock & spice initiation at Golden Crown in Secunderbad, Telengana, India. 

Every dish set my mouth ablaze, similar to the intensity of a forest fire, no joke. So I dedicate this post to all you non-spice lovers. Especially my new roommate Averil, may the gods smile upon you. 

1. India has spicy food to rival any country

2. Hyderabad is know to be the spiciest city in India

3. When ordering food, point to what you want and say "no spice"

4. The waiter may reply not possible

5. At which point you ask what dish has no spice 

6. If your lucky they will guide you to a 'safe' option

7. Always order something to tone down the spice, Butter Naan is a favorite, Milk shakes are fairly effective as well. Rice won't be enough. Let me repeat, rice is not enough to cool down your mouth to the point where you can remember how to breathe

8. You may be tricked into believing 'no spice' means exactly that. WRONG!

No spice means as little spice as possible, i.e. I only want to use a garden hose to put out the fire and not call in the army reserves for emergency backup.

9. People will say "just try a little spicer each time to condition yourself." (I personally have found that a huge lie) Proceed at own risk.

10. When ordering non-spicy food, you will get looks, keep your chin up. 

11. If your at someones home, eat extremely slow as to prevent damage. One spicy bite at a time, left to cool will make the meal bearable. Do not try to eat it all quickly and get it over with. YOU WILL DIE

12. Become used to bland looking dishes. Bland colors=little spice, pretty colorful dishes=a death wish (except this one served on a mango leaf with fresh vegetables (veggies were a risky move))

13. Band together with your fellow non-spice eaters

14. When you ask how spicy a dish is, and your spice-eaters respond with a 3, know that it is often still to spicy!!

15. On the upside, India knows how to do dairy and carbs. Which happens to be most of my sustenance abroad.

16. Desserts are to be examined carefully as well. Most are safe, but every now and  then something pops up...

17. Best of luck, it's a crazed world out there! See you on the other side. Peace! 

Half way there

It was a bitter sweet moment when I realized I am on the downhill portion of this adventure. Days have started blurring together, all my weekends are planned out and new projects have started.

When did days start going by so quickly, I swear I just got here!!

There are things I'm tired of and can't wait to have the American version once again. Like food, when you don't eat spicy food, you eat a lot of the same stuff, and even then it's a bit spicy. 

I love to be an adventurous eater, but that is a bit limiting here since the menu is just words on a page to me,  and I can't keep all the dishes straight. (Whether the bread is fried in oil or cooked like a tortilla, is just the beginning) 

The constant honking. It literally never stops. It slows down at night but it's still there.

My door to the outside that doesn't close all the way.

Not enough vegetables. ( but on the upside plenty of delicious fruit)

People jacking up the price because I'm white and a foreigner.

A shower that will be whatever temperature it decides to be. 

The power outages don't bother me, until it is so hot you can't function. Mostly we turn a couple flashlights on and do shadow puppets or dance party's. 

All in all I am so grateful to have so many opportunities in America and a good life.

However those "frustrating" things are just small droplets in a lake compared to how much I love India, and how gratefull I am for this experience. I will truly miss India. Mostly of the time when things go awry you laugh and move on, as there is little else to do. This summer has opened my eyes to a whole new category of blessings.

In India I found parts of me I didn't know were missing. The small children helped fill a crater in my heart, with how loving and grateful they are just to learn a new song.

The lady on the bus who taught me the gift of sharing, after teaching her a hand trick, she traded me one of her bangles.

All those who offer us a cool place to sit as we wait. The many, many people who showed me strength and hope as they did their best to make a better life while staying generous to those around.

I learned over and over again how well we can communicate the basics and the 'important' things just thru hand motions.

I have loved all the selfies we take (especially as cram into one vehicle clearly to small to fit us all)

The diversity in religion; Christian, Hindu, Muslim, and Buddhist are the dominate religions here.

I love the chalk drawings that double as a lovely door mat and a blessing

l  love going into the slums and seeing family's running the store, and then their  curiosity in the "white strangers"

 I love the colors that surround me between saree's and fruit carts

Having 9 "in house doctors' (aka the team) deciding how to treat illnesses, wounds and encounters, to prevent seeing a questionable doctor

Most of all I will miss the heart of these people. Here's to halfway!! 

What is India like??? Part. Road safety 101

Do you remember the old school game of Frogger? The one where you have to get the frog across the road full of traffic without getting hit?? That is India in a nutshell.

There are very few traffic lights, and even fewer stop signs. So people cross whenever they want to, or turn in the middle of traffic. We are learning the unspoken rules here of traffic*.

*most important is honking etiquette

1. Honk to pass

2. Honk when turning

3. Honk when going around a corner

4. Honk when coming up on something moving slower then you

5. Honk when pulling over

6. Honk when a bus (or truck, or car, or motorcycle or scooter) is holding up traffic

7. When driving signal with hands, even if you have a working turn signal

8. Drive mostly on the left side of road 

9. Pass others at pleasure

10.Watch out for pedestrians who cross at will (aka everyone) 

11. Watch out for moving vehicles who decide to drive on shoulder of the wrong side of the road. 

12. Watch out for moving vehicles who decide to turn into the flow of traffic to cross the street

13. If you are a pedestrian make sure to hold out your hand, no higher then hip level, to 'stop' traffic as you cross the road

14. Walk at leisure, but with confidence, across said road

15. Each type of vehicle has a different horn, listen and act accordingly

16. Hope on/off the bus ASAP as they don't always make a full and complete stop. 

17. When in doubt follow a native, or better yet ask one for help and they will guide you all the way across (and possibly to your destination) if your lucky. 

18. As a tourist when crossing watch out for autos who will stop just in front of you at the perfect moment just to ask you if you want a ride, and end up messing with your plan for crossing the road. 

19. Once you cross half way (to the median) make sure to stand directly in the middle (or if your a tourist, stand on the median blocks) to assure you're not to far in either lane.

20. Don't forget to watch out for number one(you) and the open trenches on the sides of the road.

21. Honk, when annoyed, for a very long time

22. Honk, if your a bus coming upon a bus stop

23. Honk whenever you see a foreigner

24. Honk when you come upon someone walking along the side of the road

There are many hidden rules we are still discovering. Each place has there own spin on the rules. Be on your toes and you'll be just fine. 

Keep tuned more to come on.... (drumroll please) our Himalayan adventure!! 

One morning I woke up & realized I had fallen in love

Reflection moment 

This morning as we were riding the bus out to BJR Nagar, to paint murals at the school, I realized how this place has somehow fought it's way past all my protective barriers and into that place in my heart, where fondness grows. At times India and I have our differences & certainly our tiffs. I get irked, upset and frustrated by the constant noise, the ever present trash, all the honking, the orderly disorder, especially when it comes to traffic, and being in the 'limelight' all the time since I am obviously a foreigner and everybody wants a picture! 

However deep down in the core of my heart I will always have a love for the experiences I have been given. (Shout out starts now) So many people helped make this possible, from those encouraging me to make this dream a reality, to those who have donated and continue to donate, to my country directors, the random people who help us along our way here, in India and in America. It's amazing what happens when we all come together. Call it positive energy, karma or God. I believe it is a combination of all three, mostly from God. (Shout out done)

Continued reflection 

I had a light bulb moment when I realized that loving is an action. I could choose to just let whatever happen happen, and justify my feelings and emotions right alig with it. Whether it be gratitude or impatience or frustration. But since this has been my lifelong dream to not only travel to India, but to live here and make a difference as well, I don't want anything to destroy that dream. So I have made the choice to acknowledge the frustrations and then move past it and look at what I love or what brings me joy and a smile. I choose to focus on the good. Which is challenging at times, when all I want is to throw a tantrum for all the injustices that happen. But no country, organization or person is perfect. They may have good ideals but the carry out is done by imperfect humans.

Experiences 

Anywho so as we were driving along I noticed the elderly man who gave up his seat to another elderly man with a cane (here men and women don't sit together unless you are related/elderly, or super young/related. All the men sit in the back and the women sit up front. Young boys are the only exception) 

I noticed all the goats sleeping on the huge rock under a tree. 

My favorite street puppies

Women dressed in their vibrant saree's carrying their large loads upon their head. I even felt something towards those working to build a structure, wether it be a house or a shop, with nothing but themselves to do the work. This is cement and large sticks/small logs we are talking about here. The buildings themselves have seen better days, with their crumbling walls, and sagging roofs. I realized I no longer see these as broken down buildings but as a characteristic of India. It no longer looks like scared land to me.

I was a little saddened to finish our mural today. It has connected me to a community. So many people stop by everyday to observe our work and thank us for taking time to come to their school. It brings a sense of pride to the community as a whole. So glad we took this project on, origanally it felt like a time filler project, but after speaking with the locals I realize it is an important project. Kids are proud to come to school here. I that makes a difference for even one child deciding to stay in school it is so worth it.

Before

The man in the top right is their current teacher. Grades preschool thru class 10 (which is comprised of 13 &14 year olds) 

After

The girls in the picture are some of the curious kids who stopped by to see what we were doing to their school.

3 things a love about India

-that everybody loves to show off their English, even if they don't know what it means. They start yelling things and will then throw in "bye" followed by "how are you?"

- Mango anything, fruit, milkshakes, ice cream, lassi(a popular dairy drink), yogurt gummys the list goes on. I could live off the Mangoes here

- All my little lizard friends who populate our home. Life is never dull