A few days in Mumbai

I arrived in Mumbai last night (Tuesday) and am here through Friday night to understand how activities are going "in the field". Coming into this city is always tough. Between the main city parts and the airport is a massive slum. When I say massive I mean that driving at 30 mph it would take you over a half hour to get from one end to the other. And so you see people living their lives; playing, bathing, fighting, working (many women here seem to be employed by stringing flowers together for garlands), learning how to mother, eating, deficating, sleeping, etc. You realize how rare it is that you see people actually living in the US. That sounds odd but I'm hoping y'all can tell what I mean.

In driving through the city today I saw a beggar woman and her child (probably about 6 years old) standing in front of a very modern and well-lit Samsung store that had a wall of TVs all on. They were just stunned and stood staring for as long as the security guards would let them. Straining their necks to see first the TVs and then the washing machine. Must be very strange to be left behind in this economy.

Speaking of the economy I've been writing this while travelling throughout the city because my computer can connect to a cell phone and get internet service anywhere. So cool.

A weekend in Gurgaon

My previous boss (now retired) held her annual Thanksgiving dinner Saturday. So I took Friday afternoon off to help her cook. I was just going to make pumpkin pie but then I had a request to make the pumpkin cheesecake I had made 2 years ago. So I spent the afternoon with her - she lives in a suburb of Delhi called Gurgaon. It's the place with all the call centers and megamalls. That combined with tons of bullock carts and bike rickshaws. Very strange.


Friday night I went over to my friends' new house, also in Gurgaon. They built a new house since I last was here. Quite extravagent. The guest bathroom had the EXACT same shower as in my DC apartment. The rest of the bathroom was better.

Then Saturday we had Thanksgiving dinner. Perfect. Turkey, stuffing. Nothing better.

Sunday, after spending the morning exploring my new neighborhood (Saket), Muna and I went to see a friend of hers who was performing at this outdoor market place. You will never doubt the impact of globalization after spending an evening with Indians singing "Country Roads, West Virginia" and "Hotel California".

There is one thing I forgot to be thankful for on my last post. Cafe Coffee Day (picture on left). The southern indian chain has finally opened up in Delhi with REAL filtered coffee. I predict this will vastly improve my quality of life:)

Risha

Happy Thanksgiving

I totally forgot it's Thanksgiving this morning. My colleague picked me up this morning and wished me a happy Thanksgiving and I was totally caught off guard.

I am working today (the pilgrims and Native Americans somehow don't cause a lot of reason to celebrate here) but my old boss is having her annual party on Saturday with the Turkey etc. I'm in charge of baking desserts and actually have had requests from people I don't remember for what I made 2 years ago. :)

So far things here are going as normal. I went to my tailor who is very excited that I'm back for 3 years. I bought the new Madonna album despite not liking it much - but it's only $6 here! Yesterday was a very auspicious day, which meant there were 15,000 weddings in Delhi alone. And because a lot of the parade lines (bringing the groom to the event on a white horse, preceeded by relatives dancing in the streets) block traffic, it was a bad day for driving.

Pretty normal:)

Okay so what am I thankful for?
1) wonderful friends and family
2) a job I love that allows me to experience places like Afghanistan, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and India
3) I haven't opened a peanut butter jar infested with ants in 3 days.
4) The ability to communicate so easily with people so far away. Bring on Skype!
5) I am not organizing a conference in the forseeable future
6) The inspiration that are my co-workers. With people like this we actually stand a chance in the fight against HIV.
7) That I figured out how to make Muna's shower work so I don't have to keep taking "bucket baths". I'm just not that willing to adapt.
8) The sign near my place that says the new mall will be completed in 144 days. And has said 144 days since I arrived. Every day can begin and end with a laugh.

Risha

I'm baaack

Welcome to Risha in India - Round 2:)


Arrived in Delhi last Wednesday night. It's surreal to be back, because it's at once both very familiar and very strange. I must appear different too because the rickshaw drivers definitely treat me like a foreigner. I don't even come close to getting a good deal.

The wonderful colorful saris are the same, the heartbreaking naked beggar children are the same, the monkeys and elephants are the same. There are fewer cows - about six months ago the government cleared out the cows by offering a reward to anyone who brought in an errant cow. It reportedly worked for awhile but they are slowly coming back.

I'm staying with friends now (Muna and Liz) but have agreed upon a place to live permanently. Very excited about it. The attached picture is of my soon-to-be front yard.

No great stories yet. Although I did get hit by a car already. The taxi we were in cut off on-coming traffic and the car slammed into our side. It was a fairly serious accident but no one was hurt, just a few scratches and damaged vehicles.

Now that this is back up, I'll work on more pictures:)

Risha