Laundry Day

I've been with a bout of the flu for a couple days which as kept me pretty close to home with fever and chills and the like, my usual delirium, you know, but without the "buggy" feeling i had with the real or imagined malaria that I had before. This all was accompanied by a touch of the infamous "Delhi Belly" which, they say, no one escapes, so I guess my time was overdue since I've been here 2 months already. So all in all it was a good cleansing and I've emerged feeling light and clean, with rosy cheeks and bright eyes and if i had a tail-------it would be bushy.
I was well taken care of during my convalescence. The Bengali family who owns my guesthouse and who lives downstairs, knowing my condition, checked on me periodically, brought me bottled water and invited me to meals, just as if I was their own. Gayatri, my French friend, stopped in everyday to check on me, just by chance, she didn’t even know I was sick the first time she came, so that was nice. And of course, my friends at the health food restaurant next door, this beautiful family, made me healthy food and gave me special tea for my fever and and lent me a book about the various man eating tigers in this area around the turn of the century which I had started to read and could not put down. So I was well cared for. The universe provideth.
And the Nepalis are happy to see me back at their cafe. The Nepalis are a different bunch all together. Totally different from the Indians, even though they live only one mountain range away. They are even more giggly and playful, if that is possible, than the Indians but in a more regal and mountainous way. I look forward to learning more about them when I go there in January.
I noticed the river has changed colour in only a couple days. I guess now that the monsoon run off is finished, the grey colour will turn more green. Just like the rivers in Canada do after spring run off. She was a welcome sight today when i walked across the bridge. I just stood in the middle of that bridge and let her greeness fill my eyes for some moments before continuing on.
The Indians seem fond of waiting until dusk, just when the daylight becomes dangerously dim, to embark on a pleasure cruise in a motorboat. I cannot understand this. I see also river rafts travelling down the Ganga, several hours after any Canadian raft would be caught dead on a river. But that, my friends, is the Indian way. (As I remind myself not to go river rafting here)
I also watched a woman wearing a yellow sari climb through a barbed wire fence today. Do you ever wonder how any woman wrapped in 5 metres of fabric can do that without a snag or a tear and make it look graceful and elegant to boot? It’s a miracle to my mind. (to write this, I had to just go out into the travel agent office part of this place to ask a group of three men in their 40’s if they knew how many feet long is a sari? Which is funny unto itself, because it is clearly “women’s business” and two didn’t know, or didn’t want to answer, a third coyly gave the information of 5 metres, almost embarrased that he knew the answer). A sari is a traditional Indian garment that most women wear here that is one long length of fabric; silk or polyester or cotton, that is wrapped a special way that covers her whole body leaving enough at the end to cover her head as well, from the sun or the rain, if needed. Underneath is worn a skirt petticoat. It looks incredibly beautiful on them, but incredibly hot, especially in the humid summer months. And that’s not to mention the passing through of barbed wire fences that must happen daily for them. wow.
Traditional roles run strong here, and as I mentioned before, arranged marriages the norm. Very conservative.
As the weather cools, the birds are starting to sound like the same birds in Canada in the springtime. I wonder if they haven’t migrated down from the mountains where it will soon begin to snow. The more tropical sounding birds sound no longer, which make me think that they have gone south as the cold morning winds probably aren’t pleasing them all too well.

today was laundry day. I decided to do it myself today, by hand of course. Its good for me.

Merry Christmas

Good morning all!
It's Christmas in India. no.....
Its Diwali today. Festival of Light. I came home yesterday to find my balcony strewn with Christmas lights that flashed happy colours through my curtains while i slept. Strings of lights and garlands of marigolds have gone up everywhere and a festive spirit is felt throughout the streets today.
I was surprised actually, last night, I expected the firecrackers and explosives to go on later than they did. I thought they would escalate more as we drew closer to the day, but everything was quiet by about 10:30pm. thank goddess.
Of course this morning there were some little rascals who couldn't resist at 7am to wake us up with a couple of real doozies. Like waking up in Vietnam during the war.
I have a bit of a cold today. Thinking I need to buy a wooly hat to wear to bed because my head gets cold at night sleeping in a cool drafty room with no central heating. I wake up sneezing and sniffling.
Yesterday I gave my first Reiki session. I randomly bumped into my french friend Gayatri and she was not in a good way. Stomach problems, you know, Delhi belly, but also nausea and muscle aches and headaches and chills and all this stuff. So she was happy to have some help when i offered. We had a lunch first. She, eggs and lots of toast...... me, a fabulous fresh salad with feta cheese and cashews and mango smoothie. We did it at her room so she could rest after. It was amazing to be able to give like that and I really had a strong sensation that this is the kind of work i am meant to be doing, healing and giving. I cried tears of happiness while we worked, I felt so honoured to be able to help, to serve, in some capacity and i think that this is what has been missing in my life, this sense of purpose, this sense of contributing to people in a significant, positive and meaningful way. It was very fulfilling and gave me lots of energy too. Afterwards I felt very recharged and energized. I remember a similar sense of satisfaction when i gave massage in costa rica.
She fell asleep during it, so i will talk to her today to check her experience and get feedback and check in on how she is doing.
poor girl. Lots of adventure over here.

Explosives and children

As i sit on the banks of the river this morning I hear some birds sing, a fish jump and the soft purr the river makes as she flows over some rocks near the opposite bank. The river no longer sounds "OM". Here in Rishikesh, at least at this section of the river, there are few rocks, little white water. Not like further up in the mountains, where I was before, where the river ROARED with fierceness, crashing over boulders and chanting the sound of the universe.
No, this morning is peaceful. The water has receded since the monsoon season and left banks of soft velvety grey sand that warms in the sun and slopes down at the perfect angle making a very comfortable seat for meditation. Nature's livingroom.
Yesterday I finished my Reiki level two. It was very good, very...powerful. Not only did we learn more healing techniques but also one to remove mental blockages, for ourselves and others. Good tools.
Some of you may have been wondering about the swastika symbol that has been appearing in some of my photos. I thought this might come up. The swastika is actually a very, very ancient symbol, way before the Nazis and way before Charles Manson. I am still looking into it but according to one source I asked, the Hindu swastika symbol is actually backwards. It's arms turn the opposite way from the Nazi swastika and it symbolizes the sun.
Today I think I may get my hair cut somewhere. Some "beauty parlor" . haha
Life is pretty uneventful. You know, just petting cows and watching people and dodging monkeys.
I hope everyone is getting geared up for halloween. I love Halloween. We are getting geared up for "Diwali" here, the festival of light. Christmas lights go up everywhere. Light displays of all kinds.... and explosives. No festival is complete without explosives. Huge loud ones. Hardly can they be considered fireworks in my opinion. The little boys take a special pleasure in sneaking behind you or some little old lady and sparking one up to see if they can't scare the pants off you. Then they themselves explode in peels of laughter. They haven't got me yet. Luckily, so far, i have remained cooler than a cucumber, unruffled, much to their apparent disappointment. I HAVE jumped sky high before at the sound of a very near bang, but i have been in my house, or in my reiki teacher's house or in a cafe or somewhere off the street and out of public view. Those little buggers.
Well, I suppose I shall sign off. Love to everyone.

Indian marriage and salty lime sodas

Well, here i am again. I have a favourite internet cafe. They all know me here now. I bought my ticket to Nepal here and my train tickets, so now i'm a perennial favourite and seem to be getting all sorts of good rates and special services. A friendly bunch.
I just finished having a fabulous dinner at this place i like to go sometimes that is a roof top terrace type restaurant, built up on stilts on the highest point way above the river. It looks down at everything, the whole valley, the city and the plains. The view is so expansive that when i go there, i always feel expansive, like i am really looking at the big picture, taking it all in. Rob suggested I take time to smell the flowers and really soak it up, so that's what i did. The sunset from there is spectacular and then the first stars start to come out and the sky is huge. The food and service were excellent. yum. had something called paneer bajia and roti upon the recommendation of my waiter. it is indian cheese with tomatos, onions and fresh cilantro. yum, yum, yum, and a salty lime soda. i could never figure out.. every time i ordered a fresh lime soda they would ask me "sweet or salty"? i never answered, i just shrugged and said i don't know, because i never understood what they were asking me. the drink is just fresh squeezed lime juice in the bottom of a glass to which you add a bottle of club soda served on the side. But one time, they brought it to me "salty", and then i understood what they meant. salt had been added, and it was delicious!. they have something called black salt here, which is sort of like sea salt but with a funny taste. It is natural and good for digestion, especially to have on fruits like apples or papayas. Anyways, now i always order it "salty" as that is what i like.
I had been talking to a young waiter there last time and he was there again tonight. It seems that... since the last time we talked, his parents have a "girl" for him. So he is going home to his village on the 9th of November to meet her for the first time. 90% of marriages in the hills like where we are now, are still arranged marriages, and the parents choose a prospective mate based on similar families, similar social and economic status, similar interests and lifestyles and things like that. I am starting to think it is a very successful system, as i look at "love matches" in the western countries... 50% of which end in divorce. The waiter told me that 10% of marriages are love matches in this area that we are in now and he says they almost never work out. I think it makes perfect logical sense to choose a partner based on similiar backgrounds and upbringings and economic status etc. That way, as the waiter explained, she is not spending all your money. If she comes from a very rich family, she will not be satisfied with their level of living and may not be able to run the household living within their means... therefore... spending all their money. This fascinates me to no end. Arranged marriages. Not to mention your parents are older and wiser and know things. Makes more sense than letting your raging 20 year old hormones decide who you are going to marry now doesn't it? ... ahahaha.
He also said something interesting... he said that he doesn't want to be rich, he is happy and content at where he is at.... and i think this seems to be the sentiment with most indian people, especially those that live in the villages and small towns here.. they are happy and content with where they are and what they have, not thinking that they need to have more, more, more to be happy. What a concept.

the path to my house

good morning!
the weather here right now is autumn in the morning and summer in the rest of the day. so bizarre.
Anyhow, i'm taking some more pictures and stuff so they should be coming up shortly.... a new video on youtube, hopefully, cross our fingers.
I want tell you about the path from my house to the market.
It is a concrete path that goes down the hill between the houses to the main market street. There is a creek that runs down beside and under it from out of the mountains, that people constantly divert according to their needs and whose rice patty field needs to be irrigated the most. Everyday, almost, i see new and creative ways and routes that the creek has been diverted by human hands, and the next day it is different all again. It is fascinating to see these small things change everyday. Something as simple as water and how it is used. This little creek, contained in its little concrete gutter, serves so many people on its way from up the mountain to the Ganga.
But this is not the thing i wanted to tell you.
Its about the path itself.
It is one of my very favourite things here. Let me tell you why....
This path has many holes in it, under which the creek is running. The holes vary in size from the size of your fist to the size of two milk crates, large enough for a pig to fall in. There are grates occuring periodically in the path and some of them are partially or entirely missing, due, probably, to people wanting to drop a bucket in the creek running underneath to retreive some water, so they've removed a grate and god knows where it is now. No one repairs the path. Everyone knows where the holes are... it's not a problem.
The path itself is only about 3 feet wide and bikes and mopeds also travel it regularily without incident, holes and all. (although last night, one was coasting down with the engine cut (they often do this... coast down hills), stealthily silent so i didn't hear it coming and i yelped and leapt out of the way when we almost collided, both of us yelling "sorry!" back at eachother in english. I remain unharmed and smiling. )
I noticed last week that someone had put a rock half in the hole that is the perfect size of your foot. He must have stepped in it thus precipicating the stop-gap measure. I smiled when i saw that because that's what i thought... a perfectly foot sized hole.
Anyway...the beauty of this path is... that a large section of it, where the concrete walls are high on both sides, is completely unlit at night when the moon is not out or less than a quarter big. Almost completely and totally in blackness for about 20 feet. So, to walk on this path at night requires nothing less than a photographic memory of the precise location of each and every hole. I have made the trip when there is no moon maybe 5 times now. It is the short cut from the market to my house. To not take this path requires a very very long detour around by road. Everytime i find myself on this path on the darkest section at night i laugh so hard because I actually have the knowledge, the memory in my mind, the map, of all the holes, and i can navigate it with little difficulty. Granted, last night was the darkest of all nights i have ever been on that path and i was going very slow and tapping the ground in front of each step, just to make sure. But i realized with wonder, that i have travelled this path so many times in the last month and a half, that i can make the trip at night, just like the people who live here everyday and live with this holey path, that in canada, would be condemned as a hazardous route and sectioned off until it was repaired to an acceptable standard.
I don't know why i delight in these things. Most travellers would be exasperated. I just find it one more quirky and endearing thing that i love about this place. I will post a picture of it. i took a picture today.
So this path is one of my favourite things, and i smile every time i find myself picking my way along there after dark.

thank you

hello
Thought i'd just drop a quick note while i am here at the computer. Some of you have been sending me some wonderful emails sharing what is going on in your lives and i want to tell you all... thank you! I am so happy to read news from home, it makes me not feel so far away and it makes my heart smile everyday when i read. Thank you.
So i just booked a ticket for kathmandu, nepal. (now my mom is singing the song "kathmandu"). I have to go there to get a new indian visa for the next few months. It will be in January when i go, which is probably not the coziest time to visit there, but my teacher training starts here at the end of January so i have no choice. I met the teachers of the teacher training i had been considering and both the teachers and the ashram are great, i am happy to report, and i feel that my waiting and researching and holding out has paid off, or will pay off, in the form of a very good quality education and experience of learning how to teach yoga.
I have two weeks left at the guest house here before i move to another place for november and december. It will be an ashram offering a course in yoga therapy and ayurvedic cooking, so i am looking forward to that.
I will be happy to go back into the ashram environment by then, after being in the real world and fending for myself for the past couple weeks.
The guest house is as nice as it gets, but it is not so cozy for the winter as it is the corner room facing east, the direction the winds blow from in the morning. I am going to be glad to not be there for the coldest months of december and january. It is a good room in the late afternoon when the breezes start up again and blow softly billowy through, its like hawaii then. but not at 5am. At 5 am when i want to be getting up, that chilly morning wind is blasting through the cracks in the windows and under the door where there is a space of about half an inch. (i don't think the indians have heard of weather stripping) . Maybe that's why the yogis get up at 4 to meditate, because its too darn cold to sleep anymore. haha.
Coziness factor aside, things are fine. It seems like time is going by incredibly fast.
If anyone feels inspired to send pictures... i love getting them.
peace and love all around.

a monkey god's mother

Hello................... How is everyone?

Today i took a picture of a yak. At least... i THINK it was a yak. Yakkity Yak. and did you know that "Yak" is spanish for "Jack", so when we went to mexico with my brother, we all got a kick out of everyone calling him "Yak". He didn't think it was all that funny, unfortunately. No sense of humour that kid, sometimes. Anyhow.

I went for a long walk up the river today. The country road is 5km to the waterfall trail ( i didn't go up to the waterfall this time) and comes out at an ashram by the river, and a lovely lovely swimming hole at the river. So i went for a quick swim and sat on a big rock and sunned myself . It is a very picturesque and peaceful spot, i will try to publish some pics soon, of the Yak and of the picturesque spot. I was there all day and the walk back was long. More than 10km return trip, but i needed the dose of nature and the exercise.

In the marketplace here there are guys who come at you and want to "bless" you by placing the hindu red dot in red powder on your third eye (forehead). one guy is dressed up like... shiva, a hindu god, i guess he is supposed to be, and he jumps out and expertly smudges this red dot on you before you even know what's hit you. The first time it happened i laughed. The second time it happened it was a different guy. He wasn't dressed like Shiva but he was even more wiley and well prepared than the first guy. I laughed after my episode with him too, but i left $2.50 less rich than i was before i met him. He too came out of nowhere and before i knew what was happening, i had a hand full of marigolds and some kind of sticky candy that you are supposed to throw in the Ganga(river) as an offering. He tied red string around the wrist of the hand that was holding the flowers and made me repeat after him, the blessing, then before i knew it, i had another red smudge on my forehead, and i had parted with 100 rupees! i laughed and gave it willingly because i was just so impressed with his ingenuity and the smoothness with which he descended on me and had me happily participating in my own blessing ritual. That guy has real skills man! and i walked on to the bridge to offer my sticky candied flower to the river Ganga.

Life is so infused with spirituality here. It constantly amazes me. To the left and right of me I see people blessing the money I give them when i pay them, saying a little prayer when they pass an altar in the street, burning incense and lighting candles and floating flowers in the river.... it just goes on and on. I have to say it is wonderful to be surrounded by so much devotion.

I have begun introducing myself as "Angeli" now to the Indian people when they ask my name because neither "Angie" nor "Angelina" makes any sense to them and it just draws blank or puzzled stares. They attempt several times to repeat what i have said, but it never really comes out right, so after a few conversations like this it has been brought to my attention that "Angeli", (a shortened version of Angelina after all) is a very Indian name. Turns out, it is the name of Hanuman's (the monkey god's) mother. So there it is, my Indian name is born, and it is that of a monkey god's mother. I think this is a tremendous joke on me. I feel like a monkey's mother some days, i tell ya.

progress report #39

This is the blog entry i wrote 3 days ago and didn't publish because their server was down... so here it is now...

Holy hiatus girl! I apogolize to those of you who have been following the saga like a weekly soap opera. I have been very negligent in my blogging duties. What… almost 3 weeks since I wrote last? Can’t be. Oops.
Well, India continues to impress and seduce me with its wonderous occurrences and serendipitous events and I haven’t even left Rishikesh. I still feel overwhelmed from time to time, but when I do, I just retreat to my sanctuary and regroup and rest.
I have been here almost 2 months now and I am starting to feel like a local. I didn’t really think about it but… I am starting to be a long term visitor to this community. I am becoming quite familiar with many people and places and shop owners and when I meet other travelers, most of them are just passing through, a few days… a week or two, 5 weeks tops, on their way through to other places in India. I didn’t think it was that unusual to be here, you know, 9 or 10 months, but really it is, and especially unusual when I tell people that I’m pretty much staying in this area for the duration, not going far from here, maybe 25 kilometres in either direction, but I have no desire to sightsee and scatter myself and my energy all over India. It is exhausting and unsettling to travel around here, and I find I have everything I need here. I am content and satisfied. Why would I go anywhere else? Most of the travelers I meet are on a mission to see the most things possible in the shortest amount of time. I’ve traveled like this before. It’s exhausting, and you don’t really get that deep into any one place, you get just a superficial surface impression of a place and you don’t really sink into the feeling of it.
So people come and go, and I remain.
In November I will be moving into another ashram that is out of town. They have a 20 day yoga therapy course and some other interesting things happening in December, but that’s not until November. By then I will be ready to go back into the sheltered community of the ashram. It is so peaceful and sheltered from the outside world. The perfect place to practice. You don’t have to deal with the market or restaurants or hotels and your meals are provided and prepared with love and the food is so healthy. This ashram has its own cows and a garden. It’s a place that my mom picked out off the internet and I think it is going to be quite nice. We shall see in due time.
India is not a place for people who are scared of cows. We live in and amongst the cows, calves and bulls, bumping up against them, being nudged by them, feeding them, petting them and stepping around their “deposits” in the street. One develops a very close relationship with the bovine species while they are here and I pity the person who is afraid of them. I am sure those people get over it real quickly with all the exposure they get daily.
I have spent a few mornings practicing yoga with the Baba I met at the river. He really put me through my paces and had me doing some of the more advanced poses I never even knew I could do. And in fact, when I practice these poses alone, it seems I CAN’T do them quite as easily as when I practice with him... he seemed very pleased with my ability and urged me on to more and more difficult things. Some of it was exactly what I needed. A lot of upper body strengthening and core strengthening, … arm balances and the like. There are many different ways of balancing on your hands and supporting all the weight of your body on your hands.. I find this is excellent for bringing the energy up through the core of your body, and you feel like you are 10 years old again. This combined with upside down poses like headstand and shoulderstand, are the fountain of youth. They literally slow the ageing process immensely. All very interesting stuff. So I am learning a lot.
Everything is just puttering along as it should and I am delighted.
My new room, (I moved out of the ashram) is very homey. The family that owns the guest house lives downstairs and they are lovely. My room is the corner room on the third floor with a big nice balcony facing east where I can do my afternoon yoga session, looking out at the Himalayan foothills. It’s very enjoyable.
I am meeting lots of interesting people, everyday. I find it hard NOT to talk to people when I go out. I have to be more discerning because I end up spending a lot more time talking to people than reading or writing and sometimes social engagements even start to infringe on my yoga and meditation time…. So I have to be careful and when I see this happening, I pull back. Of course it is nice to meet people and talk and hang out but just a little, not too much, that is not what I came here to do. It takes discipline to NOT be a social butterfly and to focus on what I am doing here, but I am doing really well and progress is occurring and sensitivity and sharper awareness is growing everyday, steadily.

Indian faith

helloo!
well, I just ate dinner in an Indian restaurant. Ya, i know, i know what you are saying "well, you're in India, aren't ALL the restaurants Indian?". You do have a point there, but there are different kinds of restaurants here. There are really upscale restaurants with way inflated prices in the expensive hotels that cater to tourists and the rich. The food is often not that good, the prices are high, but you know that it is "safe" to eat there as their whole business runs around tourists. Then there are mid-priced restaurants that cater to foreigners tastes. They have indian food but also italian, israeli and even mexican foods, all vegetarian of course, and of varying tastiness and quality, but these too are also "safe" for the same reason as above. Then there are Indian restaurants... which may or may not be safe, its your gamble. Because the local people grow up with the bacteria in the water and all that, just like mexico, they are immune to stomach problems due to bacteria. The Indian restaurants are cheap, sometimes a quarter of the price of the same item on one of the other restaurant's menus and the one i ate at was taaaaasty. I've been pretty much playing it safe and sticking to the first two types of restaurants. I really dislike the first type, tolerate the second type and so i am happy to find the tasty and cheap 3rd option, the Indian restaurant. I have been healthy so far, so i figured i could risk a little stomach upset in the name of adventure and trying something new. Besides, it was recommended to me by some australian friends and i've seen other foreigners eating in there so it must be fine. Its not all that flashy, and it looks like everything is prepared well, but the premises are never clean looking in ANY of the restaurants, by Canadian standards, and it is just something you have to get used to, otherwise you don't eat. You just gotta have faith.
So, we'll see, how it goes. The food was good, although a bit on the spicy side. Ayurvedic doctors tell me it is best if i stay away from spicy food as much as possible. Actually, there is an ayurvedic restaurant right next to my room. I go there alot, almost everyday, and the food is just glowing there, but you need a little variety and excitement. I can't eat there all the time.
Anyhow, enough about my dietary habits. I'm sure you are all thrilled.
what else?
oh, at the Indian restaurant... i only had one large bill and some small change, but the small change wasn't quite enough (i was 5 rupees short) and they never have change for a big bill. when you hand them 500 rupees, they almost always never have change, which is funny, because 500 rupees is only 12 dollars, but that is like.... a small fortune here, and they never have change. If you insist on paying with such a large bill, they send the lowest guy (or child) on the totem pole out with the 500 rupee bill to scare up change from someone else.
So the kid told me to just pay him some other time, the 5 rupees i owed him. This is a beautiful thing. This is not the first time someone has done this for me here. They are so trusting. I love it. They don't know if i'm gonna come back. they don't know me from a hole in the wall. But on a couple other occasions... in the same scenario at different establishments, they have shrugged off my bill completely saying i can pay next time i come, when i have change. Amazing. in a place where people have so little and scratch together every penny they can, they are willing to let me walk out the door, bill unpaid, a stranger, trusting completely that i am going to come back and pay them.
Just another one of those surprising contrasts that India is so famous for.
well. ... that's about all i have to report for now.
the science experiment carries on...

videos and pics

having some degree of success, finally, downloading videos to youtube again. There should be at least one new video there. Check it out. Remember its easiest if you search in youtube.com for "gypseangie" and then opt to sort by "date added", thus giving you the most recent additions first. Also, there are new photos at the bottom of this page for your perusal.

Skills i've acquired:

Good morning intrepid seekers and readers! yes, yes, i know, it has been a veritable eternity since i have written. i wrote a long entry yesterday and saved it on the desktop of a computer at a place when their server went down, so it is still saved there on the desktop, unsent.
i will pass by there today and lift it off the desktop and onto the internet, hopefully, if their systems are up and running.
Much I am learning here. I am learning how to step off the street when I hear a large truck approaching from behind me BEFORE he has a chance to honk, scaring the socks off me. Even though he has plenty of room to go past, they honk just to make sure you know they are there, as a courtesy to you so you don't step into their path unknowingly. Moving over without even looking back at the m is a clear unspoken indication to them that you are aware of their presence, thus nullifying their need to honk. Aha!! see, there IS a system. I'm just happy to have one less blaring horn in my ear.
I am learning other valuable skills as well (besides standing on my head): how to eat a hot breakfast (safely) for 75 cents, how to send a parcel by sea mail (not as easy as it sounds), how to use an indian style public toilet without touching anything OR (and this is so key) without trailing my pantleg or anything else on the perpetually wet and smelly floor. (Now I understand why they always remove footwear when going indoors).
I am learning how to joke and play and make friends with the people here because once they decide they like you, there is nothing they won't do to help you out. And having many friends is how you get things done around here, greases the wheels, so to speak. I have never seen a people so bonded in friendship before. It is beautiful. I am learning how to ask for a takeout bag for my leftovers in restaurants so I can feed it to the next lucky cow I meet in the street. Its the only place in the world where simply feeding the cattle is a religious act. Life is poetic here.
Everything is used and reused, very little is wasted. Unlike our culture where we throw something away at the slightest blemish or imperfection and just buy a new one. Here something is used and used and repaired and fixed and patched and used some more until it simply cannot be used anymore and even then, it often finds another life, reincarnated for some other purpose entirely.
I don't see the garbage and the dirt anymore. I only see the kindness people show, the determination with which they perform their daily activities and the mischievious smiles upon their faces.
Every culture, every country's people have something to teach the world, something to contribute to humanity. Each has their weaknesses and their strengths and when you travel, you search to learn from the positive attributes of a culture. Basically, if you look for the good in people, you'll never go wrong. And this can, and should, be applied to relations at home too. It just seems easier when you are travelling because you are so outside your normal routine and comfort zone and in an unfamiliar environment which automatically makes you more open, more receptive, less engrained in your ways and willing to try new things, new ideas.
So I don't see the poverty and the filth so much anymore, as when I first arrived. I mean... its there, it doesn't go away, but the eye gets used to such sights and begins to perceive them as normal. Also, i have access to nature, rivers and hills, so that is a nice tonic to balance out the business of the street and market.
When i go home, what won't seem normal to me at first will be how clean the streets are, and also how cold and lifeless and empty of people it will seem by comparison to the liveliness and warmth and noise and activity, heart and soul lived out full-on in the street here that i, at first, found so impossible and offensive when i arrived. It is amazing to me how much this has changed in my perspective in only one month and a half. I look forward to the next 8 months and what more changes lay in store.