Feliz Navidad

Merry Christmas!

After two days of crazy Punjabi celebrations, I was able to have a little American interaction for Christmas. It was so good! We ate and ate and ate even more. We also sang so much that I've pretty much lost my voice--but it was amazing to be with friends and feel a little bit like home.

Emily and I spent two days in Chandigarh with our Punjabi friends. We got to enjoy some late night caroling and be in the Christmas parade, which was eight hours of riding in a trailer while the guy in the tractor behind us yelled, 'We wish you a merry Christmas and happy New Year' over a loudspeaker at least a million times. Then we took the train to Delhi early Christmas Eve morning. That was quite the experience! I actually had to have an attitude check because I got stuck by a really rude group of Europeans. I wanted to make them sorry for messing with me, but then decided it was probably a bad idea to start a train fight on Christmas Eve. So I spent the whole ride listening to music and reminding myself that I really do like Europe.

Our friends met us at the station and after much chaos we arrived at an afternoon party and had a wonderful time. Later that night we had dinner with J and K, had a devotional time, and sang. L and I led the whole group in all five verses of 'We Three Kings', which in my opinion is a stellar carol that is all to often neglected. Then we watched Elf, constantly rewinding the part where he gets hit by the taxi.

This morning we met with a group for lunch. It was a real family like atmosphere, full of more eating, singing, and the white elephant game. I won a jar of authentic picante sauce, well actually I won something else but bartered for the salsa later. It really has been amazing to celebrate the season with both Indians and Americans, and I just feel so lucky to be here. Tomorrow the adventure continues because we are heading to Thailand for two weeks of short sleeves and beef!

The master making our veg lasagna

L and I leading the group in 'We Three Kings' while K beautifully sings along

L and I posing for the camera before dinner

All the girls on Christmas morning (we're blocking the tree)

A surprise visit to Al's language teacher to drop off her Christmas gift

This is my friend, K Dub. She has animosity towards blogs, in fact it took me a long time to have enough to courage to actually tell her I have a blog. I was afraid she would look at me differently. But K is a cool girl, very non-judgmental. That is why I am giving her a special shout out on my Christmas post. K-You are the best white elephant player and Mary Did You Know harmonizer I have ever seen! Merry Christmas and see you soon!!!!

Passage to India

So, I'm preparing to leave my new home for a couple weeks. It will be a good time of fellowship and thawing out (literally), but it makes me a little sad to leave India so soon after arriving.
I really believe that there are few places as captivating as India. Therefore, I will leave you with an excerpt from Walt Whitman's 'Passage to India'

Passage to India!
Cooling airs from Caucasus far, soothing cradle of man,
The river Euphrates flowing, the past lit up again.

Lo, soul, the retrospect, brought forward;
The old, most populous, wealthiest of Earth’s lands,
The streams of the Indus and the Ganges, and their many affluents;
(I, my shores of America walking to-day, behold, resuming all,)
The tale of Alexander, on his warlike marches, suddenly dying,
On one side China, and on the other side Persia and Arabia,
To the south the great seas, and the Bay of Bengal;
The flowing literatures, tremendous epics, religions, castes,
Old occult Brahma, interminably far back—the tender and junior Buddha,
Central and southern empires, and all their belongings, possessors,
The wars of Tamerlane, the reign of Aurungzebe,
The traders, rulers, explorers, Moslems, Venetians, Byzantium, the Arabs, Portuguese,
The first travelers, famous yet, Marco Polo, Batouta the Moor,
Doubts to be solv’d, the map incognita, blanks to be fill’d,
The foot of man unstay’d, the hands never at rest,
Thyself, O soul, that will not brook a challenge.

Salaam Namaste

Yesterday was a perfect mix of American and Indian traditions. We had an all girls Christmas party and it was so much fun! I made sugar cookies with icing. E made M&M bars, Nidhi made gulab jammin, and Emily made mint hot chocolate. So, basically it was a day of gluttony, but we had a good time. The fudge didn't turn out right, but sometimes that happens at high altitudes.

We listened to some Bing Crosby and also some Hindi songs and had a dance party (to Hindi music, not to Bing). Then we went to our friend Monica's house and learned some Punjabi dancing. That was a blast--and she kept telling us we were doing so great, which I'm pretty sure was a lie. She made us try on all her clothes and gave me a bunch of chudiyan (bangles). I must say, I love Indian style--bangles, bindis, mehandi, nose rings. I never cared much about dressing up at home, but here I want to all the time!

We ended the day watching White Christmas with J and E. It was perfect. Although I miss my traditions at home, I'm starting to realize how special it is to get to share my favorite time of year with my Indian friends.







My friend, Monica, and I
















Freshly applied mehandi















Gathered around the tree post-Hindi dance party

Earthquake Shakes Afghan-Pakistani Border
Monday, December 12, 2005


KABUL, Afghanistan — A strong earthquake struck remote northeastern Afghanistan and shook neighboring Pakistan, the scene of a devastating quake two months ago. Hours after the quake, officials were trying contact isolated communities to determine whether it caused damage or injuries.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 6.7 quake was centered in the remote Hindu Kush region of northeastern Afghanistan. It struck shortly before 2:30 a.m. in Afghanistan.

The quake — centered about 65 miles southeast of Faizabad in the Hindu Kush mountains — was felt more than 200 miles away in Islamabad, Pakistan, and in Kabul, where the shaking lasted several seconds and people rushed into the streets.

Abdul Majid, the governor of the Badakhshan province where the quake was centered, told The Associated Press the ground there shook for two minutes. He said he had no information about any damage in the mountainous region, where communication with remote districts is difficult.

The sparsely populated area is about 200 miles from the center of the Oct. 8 quake that killed about 87,000 people in northwestern Pakistan and Indian Kashmir. Salim Akhtar, an official at the Peshawar earthquake center in Pakistan, said he did not consider it an aftershock of the October quake.


The tremor sent people scurrying outside in areas hit by the October quake, Pakistani television stations reported. The stations also reported landslides near the town of Bagh in Pakistani Kashmir, one of the areas worst hit by the October quake.

A magnitude-6 quake can cause severe damage, but Amir Shahzad of Pakistan's Meteorological Department said the quake might not have caused much damage because it occurred deep underground. The USGS said its recorded depth was nearly 140 miles.

The area stretching across Pakistan into India and Afghanistan is a hotbed for seismic activity that erupts each time the plates of the Indian subcontinent slam into Asia.

A magnitude-5.8 earthquake in northern Afghanistan killed some 1,000 people in March 2002, and a magnitude 6.9 killed some 5,000 people in 1998.


I didn't feel this earthquake, but my friends did. The northern part of South Asia has gone through a lot lately...

Christmas trees and Bollywood

We have a Christmas tree!!! Our friend, K, brought it to us from Chandigarh. At first it kind of looked like the tree from A Charlie Brown Christmas, but after a few personal touches it's looking quite festive. My language teacher had never decorated a tree before so we spent the morning hanging ornaments and listening to carols.

So many exciting things are happening right now! We continue to enjoy our friendships with the family on the corner, our teachers, and others. Yesterday we went to have lunch with my teachers' family, and then two girls came to our house. They live close by and we invited them to make Christmas cookies with us. Each day, as I learn more language and meet more people, I love this place more. I really do love this country! I also love seeing good things start to happen in the lives of my friends.


Confession time: I love Bollywood. These movies are epics-singing, dancing, drama, laughter, tears--they're all three to four hours long and I'm drained after watching one. We watched Kal Ho Naa Ho a couple days ago and I'm still traumatized over it. I think I get too emotionally involved when it comes to entertainment. Anyway, I have a favorite Bollywood star, Shah Rukh Khan. Man, the guy has moves and he plays the best roles. Emily thinks I'm weird, and she's probably right, but I'm seriously all about Bollywood these days.

'TIS THE SEASON!!

The advent season is upon us! Here I am hanging out in my favorite spot in our house--right in front of the heater. This month is going to be crazy with work, study, and travel BUT it's my favorite time of year so I've compiled a list (including but not limited to) of some things that bring me joy...

carbon heaters
mountains (pachaar)
SmartWool socks
butter naan
kids who are brave enough to throw rocks at monkeys
street cricket
joyrides with Ravi and Sunanna
Nidhi and the Hindi language
finally finding boneless chicken
e-mails from the other side of the world
books (currently reading From Beirut to Jerusalem, good book recommended by a great person)
Skype
David Gray
letting go of dreams too small and hoping for more

I'll probably add to the list later. For now, I'll leave you with part of Walt Whitman's 'Song of the Open Road,' inspiring because of the words and the one who sent it to me.


Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me leading wherever I
choose.
Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am
good-fortune,
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need
nothing,
Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous
criticisms,
Strong and content I travel the open road.
The earth expanding right hand and left hand,
The picture alive, every part in its best light,
The music falling in where it is wanted, and stopping
where it is not wanted,
The cheerful voice of the public road, the gay fresh
sentiment of the road.
O highway I travel, do you say to me Do not leave me?
Do you say Venture not--if you leave me you are lost?
Do you say I am already prepared, I am well-beaten and undenied,
adhere to me?
O public road, I say back I am not afraid to leave
you, yet I love you,
You express me better than I can express myself,
You shall be more to me than my poem.

Language Learning

I've been pretty busy this week. I started my language lessons with my teacher, Nidhi. She really works me hard, and I've learned quite a bit the past few days.

There are some words that define life here: cold, monkeys, mountains, and carbohydrates. Yes, the Atkins diet stands no chance here! I struggle to eat a balanced diet, but fortunately I have to hike everywhere and my pants are actually getting baggy. Hmm..maybe exercise really does work!

So far no monkeys have attacked me. I stared down one sitting on our terrace the other day and it hissed at me. Later it was blocking the gate of our residence, waiting for me. I'm pretty sure it knows me and I have named it Lucifer.

On a more serious note... it amazes me how life works here. I wake up each day wondering who I will meet and what will happen. Maybe I should have lived this way back home, but my life was much too busy and scheduled. I have to admit the adjustment hasn't been easy. I like for things to move fast and it just doesn't happen here. For example, it can take several hours just to track down and purchase a few things...not cool for someone who likes to do her shopping online if possible.

There are benefits to the randomness, however. Today, on my way home from the Airtel store I met the people who live on the corner. We ended up having chai and I shared everything with them. I also met some Punjabi students and talked with them for awhile. Really, I have time to stop and talk to whomever I want!

This place really is beautiful. I can hardly study or read or concentrate on anything because the view out my window is so distracting. Things have a very country feel, and I wish my family and friends could see it. Right now I'm actually listening to Cat Stevens and John Denver in honor of my parents and all those ridiculous road trips we used to take. Nothing like Cat to remind you that it is indeed a wild world.