We have settled in and I finally have some time to blog! As G mentioned, we only had a day in Delhi and none of it involved having time in front of a computer! After landing and being greeted by G's cousin, Praerna, her husband, Arjun, and Praerna's mom (G's aunt) Ranju Bua, we headed home, had a "snack" (the amazing Indian cuisine feast begins!) and some tea (tea is something that happens about 5-6 times a day the experience of which I love), and retired to bed at 5am. We woke at 1:30pm and walked down the street to G's other aunt's house (Kusum Bua) for lunch. The 3 block walk was exciting to say the least! Although this is sort of a gated neighborhood, on one vacant lot we saw 4 cows grazing, and on another vacant lot was a mother boar and her "boarlet"? litter. That was a site and it was clear she did not want us to get too close at all. G's grandma, Daddima, lives with Kusum Bua so after two years of hearing about his wonderful grandmother, I was finally able to meet her. She has as much grace and wisdom as I would have imagined. I must say that all of G's family is absolutely wonderful, hospitable, welcoming, and serves the most amazing food! This trip certainly wouldn't be the same without the comforts of his family.
After lunch we went shopping for Adrienne's wedding saree (which I think we found!) and a saree for me as well. Saree shopping is an awesome experience. You sit down at long tables with chairs, describe the what color and material you are looking for, and then the shopkeepers just start bringing beautiful nine-yard long swaths of fabric. It can be overwhelming, but I was able to identify a beautiful purple saree for the wedding. We dropped it off at the tailor to be made into a saree (they have to cut off part of the fabric to make the blouse that you wear under the material you drape around you). After that it was time to head back for dinner. Yet more amazing food. G says he somehow loses weight when he comes to India, but I don't see how that's possible! Before heading back, we stopped to get some money. I hadn't yet gotten any rupees and felt weird about not having any cash. We went to the ATM, and although I was able to select "English", I had to specify the amount in rupees I wanted to withdraw. In my haste of trying to convert dollars to rupees to tell the ATM how much money I wanted, I ending up withdrawing the equivalent of $16 USD. India is inexpensive, but I don't think that's going to last me 3 weeks! Gotta get that conversion going in my head a little faster. I blame it on the jetlag. Anyway, we have reached Kerala and are at the monastery with Father Joe. It's only been half a day, but the experience so far has been breathtaking. I want to write more when I have more time to do it justice. It is somewhat indescribable being here with my great uncle and seeing the life he has been living for 12 years. G is gathering his thoughts and will blog in the next couple days. Also, pictures are to come. Thanks for reading!
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2 comments:
I love your blog already! I'm sure it's hard to find time to actually sit down and write, but how fun to read it! I hope you guys have an amazing time. What an incredible trip!
Small correction: the tea 5-6 times a day is an exceptional occurrence! With visitors, there seems to be a lot more time to chat and hang out, which calls for tea!
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