miscellaneous india experiences

food i miss:

-grilled cheese (or any diner food)

-classic custard (black-raspberry with chunks of chocolate)

-anything with ice in it

-american coffee or coffee brewed in an american style

-duritos, you know, the triangular corn chips?

-ottos

-having lots of familiar fruits and vegetables

-potatoes, maine fucking potatoes

-and a laundry machine (not to eat, but to use)


but i don't mind what we cook all the time:

i know this is india, and i cannot get attached to everything, but some sad news: the puppy next door has something going on with his paws, otherwise he is completely healthy. they bow outwards -- only his front paws, like his wrists are weak. he seems to be in no pain. is this a puppy thing? observe the picture below and let me know. when he walks, it's almost as if he has no feeling from his forearm down, but there is nothing wrong externally. it started in one leg and moved to the other; both are in the same condition and it has stopped progressing beyond his forearm. there is no pain either when i hold his front paws, even tightly. let me know; i can get a lot of things at the pharmacy without a necessary prescription. god that is heartbreaking.

india is life on steroids; i am definitely growing up quickly here. it is not easy to be a dog, monkey, or human.

speaking of monkeys, zoë and i crossed some on the way to the bus stop/market; i managed to get a few blurred pictures. there were maybe 10 or 15 of them. they were surprised we were not chasing them away. this is my favorite photo of a monkey so far, i have clearer closer ones, but the expression of this one is awesome. (big it up!)

this is on the way to the store:

it's in the evening. zoë sits on a mat made of grass in front of the house playing cards with the kids. the area in front of the house is paved with cow dung. it is mixed with water and then spread out by hand to keep down the dust and rocks. when it dries it's not quite like concrete but it makes a nice surface to walk on. we even eat on it. evening meals are often served outside under the moon.

today i began to feel a bit exhausted. i've had a few days in india like this. it passes, but it's difficult to recharge. it feels good to read a lot, be  lazy in the afternoon, help by cooking, and water for an hour and a half every evening. we are fitting into tasks that we do well, but it's still unclear sometimes how much we should do. i feel as if we are even but would be willing to do more. 

i stink -- i wash twice a week, which is unpleasant when one is doing farm work. washing is the same as it has always been for the last 9 months, but i am sure it's new for zoë. it's a bucket, some soap, a towel, and a room with a drain and i believe a water heater that burns wood or cow dung. (washroom below)

standing naked, being bit by mosquitoes, i go for the "jumping in the deep end version," which is pouring the cold water immediately over my head and entire body. i suppose you can do section by section, which is good when it's really cold. i scrub in as much soap as i can apply in the amount of time i allot my flesh to the mosquitoes, rinse, and dry off. i stay clean for about 12 hours.

when i go into karkala i usually look awful compared to the locals. zoë does much better, though i don't know how. i'm usually covered in dirt and my hair has become more insane than normal. i figure we are stared at all the time either way. i really don't like it, but i have become used to it most of the time. sometimes i stare back if i find it really inappropriate and they look away. i know it's curiosity and not aggressive, but there is never a break from it, one reason i like the corner of the restaurant.

the worst was at the market/bus stop. a dozen kids got off the bus from school who were rowdy and loud, i think averaging around 8 years old. when they noticed us they went dead quiet, went over as a group to the bench, sat down as a group, and stared at us as a group. 8 year olds don't really bother me as some of the men. most older women really don't care at all about us. i am getting better at it, i swear!