Anecdotes

Here are some little anecdotes on my expat-wannabe life in India.

1. I was missing a bit of American culture, and so I suggested that we get cable so I can see an American movie or show sometimes after dinner only. Apparently our cook, sweeper, and floor-washer, Raju, understood 'cable,' and also began to campaign for cable, and said he knew a guy who could bring it. Navjot was worried because he is such a TV addict. I sat on one end of the table and assured him that if he gave me complete control of the TV (and I would only allow it on at night, after dinner, and Raju could use it only if Navjot was at his lesson), there should be no problem. On the other end of the table, Raju was saying (according to Navjot) he would like to watch it as he made our dinner. Navjot was looking like a hassled manager of a huge fortune, since we were both asking for his cash approval. We got the cable, but all the channels but one are in Hindi. Life 1, Jamie 0, Navjot 1,000,000, for he has enjoyed after-dinner TV, Raju 0 because I have been playing music while he makes dinner.

2. I have been a vegetarian since my arrival in India. We eat paranthas (flat bread fried in oil with various veggies n spices added) with yogurt in the morning, a cooked vegetable with roti (flat bread) for lunch, and perhaps a different vegetable or a lentil dish, also with roti for dinner. For dinner Raju also prepares salad of chopped raw vegetables like carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, and white radish. Everything tastes delicious to me. However, both of us are on food restriction because Navjot has gained 10 lbs since September!! I can only have 2-3 roti with my lunch and dinner--and Nav can only have 4. I can only have 2 parantha, and Nav 3. No seconds on food. We will see if I can avoid the fate of gaining 10 lbs!

3. I finally gathered the courage to go and chat with our landlady. Her name is Sukhjeet, and she has 3 kids, 2 in college, and she was an elementary teacher for 5 years before she married. She wanted to continue working but her mother-in-law told her to stay home and cook for her and her son. That was the end of Sukhjeet's teaching career.

Since I have arrived I have gotten a bit of acne...more than I've had in over a decade!! For some reason when this happens, there is always someone other than an intimate friend or parents willing to point it out to me and inquire about it. When my grandfather was alive he would do it, and now Sukhjeet is more than happy to fill the empty role. I had great fun discussing my skin problems with my brand-new friend; it was the perfect topic to put me at ease; it was the same as if we sat down and chatted over a couple mugs of beer...:p.

We also discussed my aversion to mango pickle at great length (there was an article in the newspaper about Nav and I and one comment I had made was that I didn't like mango pickle, and many people I have met here have used that as an icebreaker). We concluded that I must not like the combination of the mustard oil preservative and the texture of the mango. I like pickled carrot though, and Sukhjeet gave me a bowl of her homemade batch. Nav and I eat a little of it with our lunch and dinner.

4. I went out and bought tomatoes at the vegetable stand outside our house. The men at the stand understood my punjabi, and gave me a good price. A lady came up and stood right next to me. She didn't seem interested in buying anything. Her head and shoulders were wrapped in a plain brown shawl. I suspected that she was a beggar. As I paid for the tomatoes and put the change in my pockets, she caught my eye and only said, "please." By the time she had finished the word I had already moved several steps closer to my house.

5. I had a nice walk and nice conversation with two of Navjot's teacher's daughters. The youngest, a 15 year old girl, described her abdication from all competitive sports. One day while playing, she had a nasty fall and scraped an elbow and her thigh badly. She went to the doctor in the evening. The next day she had a geometry exam and she took second in the class, instead of first. She made great efforts to avoid sports after that. Instead, she walks laps in the park to avoid weight gain. She competes in academics. I was sad that the sporting world lost a feisty girl like her. :(