Just been on FB to see if Liz's baby has arrived and he has not. Must be rather frustrating as I cannot imagine that however much you want to be a mum you would want to be pregnant for more than nine months. I would pop some extra strong India spices in the post but I think they would take two weeks to get to her by which time hopefully d day will have happened.
Friday was our brother's 30th! Yes the big three zero. Felt a little sad not to be celebrating in Brighton with him. Weird thing is though when back in LA I had thought that I would have left India by now and have gone to his party. Does this mean things are going well or have I just lost track of time?
So what's been going on for the last few days here? Well Mr T has been rather poorly and I know this for sure because he has not had a sick day in about three years. When he said on Thursday morning he was and could not go to work and he really did not look good, whiter than his usual shade of pale, I thought it must be bad.
Anyway, the doctor back in the States had given him some ultra strong anti biotic, cipro something which when researched via our good friend the www, can be use on patients exposed to anthrax!! It seems to have done the trick and to have blasted the bug away but has left MT wiped out. He should not have gone to work today but I know he has a lot on and a six month deadline here.
We actually stayed in a hotel on Saturday night. A bit frivolous especially in the context of where we are I know but I just though it would do MT some good. It was a beautiful hotel, and had a neat steam shower. Thought it might have got rid of the spots/pimples on my face but no. My skin I feel is destined to be manky for the rest of my time in India! The gardens at the hotel were beautiful and although it poured down with rain there were these tiny frogs about the size of a giant ant hopping around. Had to be careful not to tread on them! It really was nice to be away from the constant car tooting and the dust just for night and day.
Most days I go out and come home feeling dirty and my feet, oh dear! And goodness knows what I must have trod in-could be cow plop, could be dog plop, could be any number of waste products produced by both animal and human. My feet just seem to be dirty all the time. I have tried and tried to wash the apartment floors and sweep everyday but it is just a relentless task. I actually might give up because it seems futile apart from the fact that it is some exercise, well that's what I try to tell myself.
And on the subject of exercise, yes I did got to Yoga. It was nice, the other ladies seemed nice, maybe ten of us in all and I may well go back again this week but still think I would prefer to go to tap or swim or bop around to some music! Yoga is supposed to be good for you BP too and as mine has been known to be high I think I should maybe pursue it a few more times-maybe I will fall in love with it!
Also went to a wedding on Saturday. It was a Christian wedding. Of course it was amazing to see a wedding in India and Remya, the bride, looked absolutely stunning especially in her second sari. Not that she did not look stunning in the first which was white and looked like it may have been encrusted with swarovski crystals, its just the pink and gold of the material together with the gold bangles were just wow!!! I mean we were sat at the back of the hall and you could still see it.
We had decided that we would just go to the ceremony due to poorliness but ended up going to some of the reception. After the newly weds arrived at the reception which was maybe an hour after we arrived, there was the cutting of the cake, the whole family got up on the stage and various bits and pieces were read out about them. Then there was some lighting of candles, oh and there was a throne type thing for the bride and groom to sit on which did remind me a little of a Posh and Beck's type thing and I also thought it was a bit of a waste of time given that they had to keep standing up for various little ceremonial things and photos.
The hall also reminded me of a school assembly hall as the chairs were set up in lines facing the stage although it was decorated with pink and white giant ribbons.There were also huge bunches of flowers in pink and white too. It was all a bit pink and white and also reminded me of marshmallows!! I guess that's not a bad thing apart from when you eat a few too many and it makes you feel a bit sick!
We went to give the bride and groom, Robin and Remya, their gift but never got to see them because the line was about a mile and a half long of guests. Then one of MTs colleagues asked us to wait for some other colleagues so they could all go together. But after we had waited for them for an hour which was an hour after we had arrived, we gave our gift which was money as this is what we had been advised to one of MTs colleagues to give on our behalf. Just so you know we did put the money in a rather lovely blue handmade envelope with little red flowers. Oh but I forgot the sticker to seal it-woops! Just hope it stayed in the envelope.
I am not quite sure how to approach the wedding ceremony in describing it because I certainly do not want to sound like a I am mocking it but some of it was kind of comical. I also have no clue about the technical names for clothing or aspects of the ceremony so forgive me for not getting it right and of course as always leave your comments at the bottom of the blog. I am more than happy to be corrected or helped out. Also I think today's picture might help in explaining a few things I will attempt in writing.
Firstly, the ceremony seemed to be more about the group of religious men at the front of the church who were largely dressed in black habits/cassocks with beards and almost and I don't know if this is okay to say but looked Muslim, rather than the bride and groom. There was the main religious chap dressed in a rather nice gold and orange alb type thing with a hood. He held a gold staff, like the stick the Shepperd holds when herding the sheep except it was gold not wooden as I imagine it might be in real life.
He chanted and sang away sometimes facing the altar sometimes facing the couple who incidentally had to stand there for a good hour and a half. MT leaned over to me about half way through to ask if they were married yet and honestly I had no clue. There wasn't any ring giving or I do's, well there may have been but we would not have understood it. But I did understand amen which sounded like armein. I think the point at which they were married was when Remya had a sari put on her head and there seemed to be some placing of necklaces/chains around the bride and groom's necks
There was also the incense man who wafted incense around at the altar and then at the people sat in the pews at various points in the ceremony. He wafted it around in this round golden globe on a chain that also had tinkling bells which tinkled and then the electronic piano man came in with his little bit.
These electric piano interludes reminded me of the music that you get at a pantomime in between scenes. Here they seemed to signal a new reading or passage from the Bible or section of the ceremony. Oh yes, there were the compulsory power cuts throughout the ceremony as we so often get here in Bangalore. You'd have thought they could have sorted it out for a wedding and given the church electricity for the afternoon.
The main religious man who I have mentioned also had a large gold cross, yes as well as his gold staff, and at times would sort of wave it around at his helpers gathered around him, stop at one and them and then the chap he had stopped at would kiss the cross. It was like a fairy waving a magic wand around and then casting its spell. This seemed to happen many times and I have no idea what it was about but I did giggle, silently to myself of course. It reminded me of a scene in Shrek, don't know which one and Donkey is jumping up and down saying pick me pick me!!! Its like they all wanted to be chosen because their heads sort of followed the golden cross in anticipation of being the chosen one.
At the end of the ceremony we went down to the main church area. We had sat upstairs on the balcony which was neat because it meant we had a good view and there also were not as many the staring people around to stare at us. It happens a lot here and its making me a feel a little self conscious. I know we are different but I am not walking around in anything provocative, my shoulders, top half of my arms and legs to my ankles are covered and most of time I wear a scarf.
Sometimes I feel like saying to people and please excuse my language here, what's the f*****g problem! I wouldn't of course but if people want to stare couldn't they just give a little smile or gesture of friendliness. I like to look especially here but I like to think I am discreet or if they see me looking I smile.
Its also interesting here in terms of cultural differences in behavior. If you are introduced to some one they are really very lovely to you. If you are not introduced, people just stare and come across as being a little rude, sometimes more then a little rude. Even in the shops, I might have mentioned this, I have seen customers talking to the shop assistants in quite a derogatory way, they might as well snap their fingers at them like they are some kind of servant. I am not sure if this has anything to do with the caste system.
Best just finish the wedding as I feel I am going slightly away from this. So it was really neat to see a wedding here and very sweet of Robin and Remya to invite us. MT works with Remya here. Despite the missing shoes when we came out of the church as the neatly placed footwear seemed to have turned into what looked like a shoe jumble sale, we did find our shoes and I am glad we made it to see both the wedding and some of the reception. I have to say though I would love to go to a Hindu wedding here. We drove past the preparations for one today at a temple and it looked so stunning decorated with fresh flowers in a whole array of vibrant colors.
Been into one of the schools today-Carnation. Taught a lesson on numbers. I was trying to show the teachers they don't just have to do learning parrot style. Its okay to get the children to move, get them into groups and get everyone involved. I am not sure that they knew I was coming in as they looked a little surprised to see me. The kids though were great. I gave them their numbers , told them to keep it a secret and then they ordered themselves correctly. They also did little presentations about themselves, really quite cute. Oh and one boy decided to have lunch early in the form of his number card I had given him!
Think I have just about caught up with the last few days now and I think maybe its time to make plans to come home, although not quite sure where that is these days!:)
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