Its kind of like...

For some reason, I feel the need to compare things.  I think this is a natural human tendency and can be good when trying to better understand new surroundings.  It certainly helps when describing things to people back home.  For example, our trip to Mysore reminded me a little bit of going to Duluth from Minneapolis.  A good day or weekend trip and both around a 3 hour drive.  Or another example, the Mall we live near by (UB City) is somewhat like the Galleria of Bangalore (X10) or the Mall of America of Bangalore (if it were made completely of Marble).  


Last night Lori and I went to the ever so popular bi-annual 'Flower Show' in Lal Bagh Park, located in the south central part of the city (it's kind of like the Minnehaha Falls of Bangalore :).  The park is a nice get away from the crazy city life and has beautiful greenery and a small lake.  The Flower Show definitely felt as if it was the 'MN State Fair' of Bangalore.  There were thousands of people, vast amounts of great food and several vendors selling everything from toys, to gardening tools, to home made crafts, to 'Herbal Cockroach Vanishior'.  It ran the gamut.  Crowds of people pushed their way around to see the beautiful displays of flowers and take family photos at every angle.  I honestly can say I was not very excited to see flowers on a Saturday night, however this was by far and away the most creative floral display I've ever seen.  See the  Budda surrounded by flowers, flower water fall and bulls eye red / white flowers (they love Target, even in Bangalore!) in the photos below.


Where this comparison game becomes dangerous is when you look things through the lenses of 'good' and 'bad'.  This can be very easy to do and does not prove to be productive or positive for most situations.  For example, we had the internet installed last week.  I have always complained about the 1 day or 1/2 day installation time window provided by companies back home. Well, we landed on a set day and time last Saturday, they didn't show up.  Ok, rescheduled to Monday - no go.  Ok lets try Tuesday - nope.  Wednesday was scheduled (after many empty threats made on several phone calls to the local internet company management!) and our 9:30 appointment promptly arrived at 10:30 (again after many intense phone calls).  So here is the fun part.  I filled out the paperwork with the paperwork guy (person #1), then the wire guy showed up to hook up wires (person #2), then the wireless guy showed up with a box (person #3), then the network guy showed up to hook everything up outside (person #4), the network guy had some issues so he called a back up network guy (person #5) and voila we have 2MBPS internet set up.  That was an easy 6 and 1/2 hour process, now wasn't it?  Ok, so here I did compare and when we get home, I will welcome that one day or better yet 1/2 a day window, for the one person to arrive and set up my internet!


One thing I have tried to do, inside and outside of work, is take in these differences and view them as just that, different.  Not good, not bad - but different.  It can be easier said than done, but so important to support the learning process in a new culture or environment and seeing new way of doing things. More importantly it can help to not become frustrated with a situation, rather learn from it.  In and outside of work I have learned to understand many differences and appreciate things that I had taken for granted back in the US.  This has helped me see that there are more than one way to do things, some  more productive than others, however faster does not always = good.  I look forward to continuing to learn about the many, many, many differences of the US and India.  And as mentioned in this post, it will be much easier to compare good vs. bad, however I will work hard to look at the 'just different' and learn, share, change, influence and adapt from there.

Makar Sankranti- A Day to make a change.

Makar Sankranti- I was invited to attend a ceremony to celebrate this special Hindu Festival on one of Hindu's only fixed holidays on January 14th. Makar Sankranti is a major harvest festival celebrated in different ways all over India. According to the lunar calender, this festival celebrates the sun moving from one Zodiac sign to another, called Sankranti. The movement of the sun from the Capricorn (that's me:) to the Tropic of Cancer, called Makar in Hindi.

Scientifically, this day marks the beginning of warmer and longer days compared to nights and the beginning of the harvest season. Sankranti is derived from the word- Sat + Kranti, which means a good change or an auspicious movement.

Certainly, it was auspicious activity that allowed me to join such a powerful ceremony as well as my first chance to partake in a Hindu Festival. Also, it was my first time sporting the tilak or bindi (aka "red dot") on my forehead. Pretty cute, no?

Sankranti ceremonies differ across all regions and cultural backgrounds of India. The Sankranti ceremony I attended included a fire ritual in which spices and ghee (clarified butter) were offered into the fire, while sacred chants and kirtans were sung. There was also prasad, divine blessings in the form of food.

I arrived at the ceremony and as seats filled up sitting on the lawn, I realised I was the only non-Indian present. It is an adjustment to be in the minority here in Bangalore. Regardless, I felt very much at peace and in unison with all those around me once the chanting began. I was handed an "English" version  of the lyrics.  It could have been Arabic for all I knew. I loved to sing the "Shanti, Shanti, Shanti, and oms" parts, some more familiar words of peace from my yoga practices in Minneapolis. Can you just picture me getting down to this? I am pretty sure I had a goofy grin slapped all over my face.

During the long parts of the chanting, in particular one chant that was repeated in honor of a god 108 times. (It reminded me of saying the rosary!) I shared giggles and a smile with the teen aged girl sitting next to me who admitted to me in the sweet Indian accent, "Oh Gaaawd...it is getting late. I need to go home and study my maths" I agreed it was getting a bit long as I was craving the prasad treats after two hours of sitting, mosquitoes, and not having had lunch or dinner.

And yet, possible potential malaria aside, I found this to be one of the more spiritually awakening moments of my time in India. Despite the foreign language and traditions, I felt like I had been there before. (Maybe in a past life?)

One woman was asked to stand and share about the importance of the day. She really hit home with her message. She spoke of how important it is to accept change in our lives and to not hold onto the negative. I was like, "did you read my blog post yesterday???" She explained why we hold onto the negative- it is easy for the brain to attach to the negative because in moving forward, we don't know what faces us in choosing a more positive action. Fear gets in the way. It is easier to cling to the negative that we are so familiar with. Next thing we know, our immune system crashes, and it is a downward spiral of anger towards ourselves and others.

But the same goes for positive thinking- a spiral upwards-resulting in increased relaxation and finding, shanti, or tranquillity within ourselves. However, this path takes courage. Don't I know it! But, when we are at peace- we are not fighting the world.

We are human though. When we lose our ground and have moments of negativity, we need to maintain faith- a universal message in every spiritual or religious group I have encountered. Faith in a higher power and realizing that we are not in control and to respect the time things take and wait patiently.

How apropos, as I awoke this morning and faced my patience being tested right and left. I can't say  I was thinking of this message as I patiently waited for the Internet guy who never showed up. When I called, he pleaded the fifth and said my least favorite explanation I so often hear in Bangalore or "Tomorrow, m'am, tomorrow..." meaning "maybe tomorrow, maybe in two weeks." This was immediately followed by a promise broken to have the apartment move-in ready by today. Followed by the delivery of a sofa bed-on time, praise the Lord! But when the packaging was unwrapped it...was.... PURPLE! (Patti- it is your favorite color!) But nope, not what the doctor ordered.

Or maybe, India teaches me yet another dose of medicine for my self growth. Okay, Lori. Breathe. Take Courage. It will be okay. be assertive when necessary to make the change, but to also take courage to not let the negative seep in too deep, and realize, the grass grows in its own time, India moves at its own unique pace.


I can change me. not India. And, if I could change India-would I want to?

that's right...I took my own picture in the bathroom mirror. lovely...

Traditional fire ceremony.

                                          
                     

List of Favorites?

In starting this blog, it has been my hopes that through blogging I can place a positive spin on all my experiences of my time in Bangalore. This has been so far, very easy to do as the amazing experiences have far outweighed the discomforts and frustrations that can come with adjusting to a new culture and home.  I find myself taking my first dip on the adjustment curve (missing the familiar and family and friends). Finding myself weak in this new world, sucumbing to complaining and tantrums- it started with being upset when I oversteamed the broccoli and ended with throwing a pillow against a chair...repeatedly...saying words my mother would wash my mouth out with soap...something tells me it wasn't the brocolli that made my volcano blow.

I realize now more than ever how important it is for me to remember and embrace these positive experiences, after I ride out the waves of each emotional storm. to take a breath and remember and not curl into my smaller self.

That said, it is important readers of this blog can have access to both sides of my expereince. Afterall- India is not a utopia. Life is not perfect. Knowing this, it does not do Bangalore justice to describe only the beautiful and serene. It is a paradoxical life here in Bangalore. The weak and strong, poor and rich, yes meaning no, the beautiful and ugly. (Stay tuned in a future blog as I expound upon these paradoxes.)  Bangalore appears to need both the positive and negative to survive. Perhaps we all do. Thus, I continue to learn important lessons about give and take in Bangalore.

After that long winded explanation, here is a list of my top 10 favorite things about being in Bangalore and then for your p.c. enjoyment, the not so favorites.

enjoy.

Top Ten Favorites:

1. The men of Bangalore wearing 1970s flared jeans and pants. Love it. Not sure how this trend started or why it never left, or why I find it highly amusing.
2. Coconut water for 20 rupees. That's 39 cents in the U.S. vs. the 2 bucks it is in Minneapolis. Not only do I love a good deal, but they crack it open with a machate and give you a straw. That's fresh. This love extends to the fresh bananas, papapya, melons here.
3. Bangalore Children. Their bright vibrant faces and big round almond eyes. Gorgeous and so uber cute and funny. Love seeing them piled on a motor bike with their mom, dad and siblings. That's right- siblings with an 's'... all on one motor scooter.
4. The sunny weather and Swimming. I feel forunate to be staying this month in an apartment with a pool. and I have retaught myself the front crawl, which has been a fun accomplishment and meditative exercise.
5. Masala Dosa. A crepe like piece of Heaven wrapped around spiced potatoes served with coconut and mint chutneys and succulent sambhar soup. Too good to describe, better to wikipedia or "google image" it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dosa or http://www.google.co.in/search?q=masala+dosa&hl=en&rlz=1T4TSNO_enUS459US459&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=R-IOT8-qMsHWrQfWkrX-AQ&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CBoQ_AUoAQ&biw=1249&bih=586
6. Time to Explore. With no work to hold me down and trying to find structure in my day- I realize I have for the frist time in my life, complete freedom to explore. I am excited to travel, meditate, yoga, play music, volunteer and study aryuvedic medicine / nutrition and farming.
7. Learning to Ask for Help. Not only am I learning that the internet only gets me so far in Bangalore. i.e. google maps is not so accurate here nor can I find that perfect yoga instructor through even advance searches, I am learning that I can not just rely on myself here. I must ask for help from others- and not feel guilt or "Minnesota Nice" about it. And in return, people I met here from India as well as expats are more than willing to help- they love to help pass on crucial info like, where is the best place to buy tahini?. I have met some fabulous new friends and feel affirmed and supported by them.
8. Stray Dogs. Close your ears my precious puppy, Dosh, as I do miss you dearly! But- it appears to me that the stray dogs here (and there are many!) are calm, cool and collected and super sweet. I like to observe them on my morning walks in the park. I have made a companion too with one dog who lives outside my apartment. He is my pet away from home. I am already telling Adam, I want to adopt him! (I know, I know....leave your comments below if you must!)
9. Organic Produce. It is not as common as you think, but being the super sleuth that I am I have found a few unique spots to purchase organic fruits, veggies, rice, beans, flours, eggs, etc. Adam loves how easy it is on his pocketbook too as I can fill up bags and bags of organic products, soaps etc. and not go over 20 bucks a trip.  Look out Whole Foods you have met your match!
10. My Hubby.  Although, not Indian, at least not fully transformed yet, I love Adam and being in Bangalore with him.  With just the two of us, we rely a lot on each other, more than ever before as we both go through our ups and downs, him with a new job and me with searching a new purpose. We spend a lot of time venting and laughing and being goofy together and I look forward to seeing how this relationship continues to grow.

For those of you who do not wish to read rants or raves, read no further. You may miss out an a chuckle or two.

The Not So Favorites:
(perhaps you can add your comments and help me see the positive spin on these...)

1. Cow and dog dung- a lot of it. Toms shoes don't last long here.
2. Trash and Pollution.  I do believe I am acquiring fun new allergies from trash and vehicle pollution. The other day Adam and I were on our morning walk in the park and he was like "I just love the smell of campfires" And I was like 'honey, that smell is from the heap of burning trash over there.'
3. Grocery Shopping. It can take all day. We sat down to eat a turkey sandwich for lunch and Adam and I counted the 9 stores I went to for its ingredients. (Although, sometimes it is excited to find the needle in the haystack like when I found out that they sell tortilla corn chips here.)
4. Missing Dosh. My heart aches when I think about not being able to snuggle with my puppy. He is my ray of sunshine when I am low. Seeing him on Skype makes me sadder :(
5. Missing Family. I am missing out on some significant life events- like my sisters purchase of a new dog, my mom is going through cancer (please pray for quick and healthy healing!), anniversaries, birthdays, the holidays, etc. I love getting mail here however (hint hint!)
6. Mising Restaurants and Music Scene.  All you Minneapolis folks, you are so blessed with this. Get out there and make reservations at one of the thrifty hipster, organic places for me. Here it is not the same. Go see a show at First Ave. For me, please, have a glass of one and listen to some sweet acoustic or bluegrass guitar show. Outside my window every night until 11, I hear the same Indian cover band playing (and not so fantastically) the same renditions of Coldplay's "Yellow" and the Beatles, "Yesterday."
7. Being White. That's right. I have white skin, therefore I can pay more than someone from Bangalore for that beautiful pashmina. Or confuse that I wish to go sightseeing everyday in a Rickshaw. "M'am, auto ride, m'am? M'am you need gold m'am, or my favorite, ' beautiful bangles for a beautiful lady" Or...Oh wait. Nooo!
8. Being Female.  I am trying to "fit in" so to speak. But being white and female kind of makes me stick out like a sore them (no more than my tall red head husband, I suppose). But it appears that no matter if I wear a Sari or a t-shirt, I get looks like I am walking around naked. Hmmm. ever had that nightmare that you are walking the school hallways and you realize you forgot your pants? yeah. I am living that....
9. Lack of independence.  I know, I mentioned I am learning that I need to be dependent on others, but sometimes I just want to jump in my car and drive. Or walk without dodging cars or cows. It is very sweet how to see the look of shock on peoples faces when they realize that "no I didn't have a maid/cook/driver/gardener", etc at home and I did it all and worked a full time job. (okay...maybe I will love having someone to help me clean here...)
10. Lack of bodies of water. I am realizing that water quenches stubborness and over-driven self at times or in Aryuvedic terms, I am a "Pitta" or fire element, and thus I need water to mellow out. I miss the land of 10,000 lakes. In particular, I miss Lake Hiawatha and sitting in stillness, no horns, no music...silence.

Perhaps some are blessed with more optimism than myself. But in going through this exercise, I am reminded of how easy it is to list the negative. It seems in our nature as humans and the normalcy of our brains to pick out "what is missing" or different or wrong with this picture.

I am reminded that it is important to not be over consumed by the nitty gritty, even when I feel that the gritty is filling me full. It is a choice I need to continually make to embrace my new life to its fullest- naked and all.


I think I will start tomorrow.

                  Play that funky music, white girl.

             Cutey-pottotie kids.

              More cuties by one of two lakes in Bangalore.

        My birthday celebration- lemongrass ice cream- yum!

Cheers to Two Thousand and Twelve

Day 2 of 2012 and Lori and I are keeping up with our resolution of more exercise this year.  Two days of  morning walks, I think I can keep this up for a while...at least a month, right?  I've gained 3 pounds since my food sickness episode and looking to loose that same amount with exercise, not another round of choosing the wrong lunch buffet line.

This past weekend Lori and I stayed for an overnight in a small resort called Our Native Village.  About an hour and a half from the loud downtown life of Bangalore we found an incredibly quiet and peaceful place to reside, rejuvenate, say good bye to 2011 and bring in 2012.  We started our weekend adventure with an incredible lunch (see first photo below).  Following lunch was a brief nap and then a yoga session, led by none other than the resident Doctor, holding a degree in Ayurvedic medicine and yoga.  Working off our massive lunch with a walk around the farm we made our way to a late dinner, which was a spread of an outstanding array of dosas, rice, lentils and dahl. Everything was organic and oil free (Lori was in heaven).  Little did we know the resort had quite the evening planned post dinner. Lori and I were anticipating some wine and cards to bring in our new year and instead we made pottery, milked a cow...(yep, that's right) and wrapped up with a drumming jam session and dancing around a fire.

The resort residents were comprised of a family from Chennai, a family from Bangalore, two couples from Bangalore, the resort employees, a local drumming ensemble...and of course two Americans.  As Lori and I were encouraged to join the drum circle, one of the drummers looked at me as if to say, 'Seriously...a 6ft red haired white dude...are you going to drum?'.

Lori and I maintained our goal of having a relatively low key new year; finishing a bottle of local red wine and spending time with the friendly group of people around a fire to cheers into 2012.

Wishing everyone a wonderful New Year!