Welcoming 2009 BEFORE You!

As I am in Asia this year for New Year's, I have the distinct privilege of welcoming 2009 10 hours and 30 minutes before my friends in Washington DC.  Let me say, 2009 is going to be a great year!  Here is how I spent the final day of 2008...

I'm So SARI!

Who are these amazing Christmas carolers in their Kerala saris?!  Hope you enjoy these pictures of us performing at the meeting of the Rotary Club of Alleppey East last week.

I am officially the ONLY member of my team that enjoys wearing a sari.  I wore it again last night to the District Conference.  It is so much more comfortable than the formal wear we have in the USA!

Thanks to these impromptu performances, my teammates and I have perfected our versions of the National Anthem and Jingle Bells.  Good thing I have had lots of singing practice in church:)

A quick update:

I am sitting here in Trivadrum, back at my wonderful host mother's house, amazed that it has been nearly one month since I arrived in Kerala.  Tomorrow, we are off to the north for cooler weather and some sightseeing in the Golden Triangle of New Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra.  The mosquito bite count is around 20 now, which is a bit better but I now carry Calamine lotion in my purse:)  Winter is sounding better each day!

Shark for Dinner?

Fort Kochi is an interesting place that was settled by Jews from Eastern Europe hundreds of years ago. They chose this location because Kochi is located on an estuary -- where salt water and fresh water meet. Consequently, the town of Kochi is ideal for trading by river and sea -- and known for its seafood resources.

Here I am photographed with the shark I caught while fishing with my Chinese net. (Okay, so perhaps I didn't catch this shark. But still, isn't it a great picture!)

The Weary Traveler's Beverage of Choice

There are no 7-11 convenience stores here in Kerala! Fortunately, the most refreshing drink comes in its own natural packaging! For about .20 cents, you can have a talented local man climb the tree, find a coconut, slice open the top with a machete, and enjoy the cool coconut water. Bonus: It's healthy too!

What a cute baby!

This may be the cutest baby I've "held" in 2008! Here I am at the Konni Elephant Training Center in rural Kerala.

Farewell to Alleppey

It's Monday morning here in India and we are preparing for another journey to the town of Kottayam. I am sad to leave this town (Alleppey) because I have had the MOST wonderful time with my host family. I have been staying with Chandran and Subha, plus their three children Vishnu (23), Sandra (18) and Sagar (15) and servant Chinama.

My host family helped me experience the thrills of Alleppey (the major temple festival is here right now, complete with elephants and carnival rides). We enjoyed the most marvelous houseboat ride nearby, exploring the backwaters and tropical environment. I did some shopping and even have beautiful artwork on my hands (it's vegetable dye, lasting for 3 days).

Now that I've been in India for 22 days, I've grown accustomed to a couple Indian ways:
1) Bathing with cold water: good thing it's hot here.
2) Bathing with a BUCKET of cold water: this is the common way to bathe, as I've seen in Ecuador and Peru as well.
3) Eating with your right hand: I'm nervous that when I return, forks will be so bothersome!
4) Eating VERY spicy food (by American standards): The meal isn't good unless your lips are tingling at the end!
5) Being so friendly...Indians are extremely welcoming. This is pleasant for me and finally, I've found a place where people greet me as I run in the morning (Ms. Luxmoore, you would love it here:)
6) Mosquitos...It's a tropical wet and dry climate here in Kerala, so mosquitos are everywhere! Current bite count: 30. (That's while using repellent!)
7) And finally...here are some Indian English words and their translations:
"take classes" means to "teach classes"
"toilet" = "restroom"
"take exercise" = "go for a run"
"take tea" = midafternoon snack
"maths" = mathematics class
"lift" = elevator

You may notice that some of these phrases sound very British! Remember, India was a colony of Great Britain until 1947. Now it is the largest democracy in the world!

I will hopefully get an opportunity to post some pictures AND talk with my classes on Skype early this week! I am doing my best to organize internet access. I miss all of you!
Happy Christmas!

Petting an Elephant and Sleeping at a Bakery

The reason I love India is because this country is full of surprises. Last week, as we drove along a road in Kollam, a parade of 40 elephants marched along! It turns out that pilgrims are making an annual journey to a nearby temple, and this is one of the ceremonial parts of the journey.

Another pleasant surprise...You wake up on a Monday morning and a couple of hours later...you are petting an elephant. We visited an Elephant Training School on Monday in Pathanamthitta, where 6 elephants live and work. The elephants are so friendly that you can pet them, and in typical elephant form, they love to check you out with their trunk.

And now, two days later, I am in the town of Thiruvalla, and my host family owns 3 bakeries here in town. Their house is attached to the main baking factory. I went on a tour this afternoon and yes, I was offered many free samples of the popular Indian sweets:) Shockingly, I do not seem to have a favorite. In my opinion, the best thing here in Kerala is the fruit salad because of all the tropial fruits available (especially pink bananas, mango, pineapple, custard apple and jack fruit!). Pictured is a custard apple. You crack it open and eat the inside -- not the skin!

I also learned last week about cashew processing, a major industry here in Kerala. Cashews are a tree nut grown in Africa (especially Tanzania and Ghana). They are shipped to southern India, where they are processed. Here I am with my colleagues at the cashew plant learning the methods of processing (ignore the very unflattering outfit, please!).

India also has its unpleasant surprises...

For example, the internet connections here are very slow at times, in part due to an electricity shortage. India relies on hydroelectric power from DAMS for much of its electricity. But the water levels are very low this year, so less power...Every night we have rolling blackouts, which mean that we lose electricity for 30 minutes per day. It usually happens around 7:00 pm at night. This is a big, DAM problem for India!

It is my goal to Skype with everyone! I am trying, but the internet access is hard to get at the right time of day (thanks a lot, time zones!). I cannot wait to talk with you about the classrooms I have visited here and how different 8th grade is for Indian students!

My best to all of you! Namaste.

From West to East

You may not recognize the women in these photographs. They are stunning. Breathtaking in their traditional Indian formal wear...the sari! Tonight we are going to a large dinner, so we are dressed to impress in eastern formal attire. Much better than the boring black dress we wear back west! I feel quite impressive in this dress, even if it is nearly impossible to put on alone. We had 3 women helping us get dressed tonight!

Things here in India are busy and full of excitement. We spent 3 hours today on a canoe through the backwaters of Kollam. Backwaters are small waterways in between the many islands and peninsulas here on the tip of India. Yesterday, we visited a Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Devi, wife of Shiva.

This morning I went running with some Indian soccer players at the stadium. They asked me many questions about soccer in America! Then, a man approached me and said I was famous! As it turns out, our picture was printed in the newspaper and we were shown on television. So I am now officially famous here in southern India.

Enjoy the photos and when I have more time...I will write more! Keep the questions and comments coming!

PS -- What do I miss most about the USA right now?? A venti starbucks coffee with splenda and half-n-half!

The 100 Degree Cyber Cafe

I am sitting in a plastic yard chair in the 100 degree cyber cafe here in Trivandrum, working on a 100 year old computer (slight exaggeration)! The server is down, so until it is repaired, no internet at home for me!

I enjoyed all the comments and want to respond to some questions today, as I sweat away in the cyber cafe:

1) Sleep: I am finally adjusted to sleep here in India. It took me a couple days. Like a good Indian visitor, I am observing their ritual of taking a long nap in the afternoon (1 - 2 hours). It is too hot outside for work, and with a hot lunch, the stomach needs a rest!

2) Food: I am a picky eater (Joel, you are right!) but I enjoy Indian food quite a bit because they use a great deal of vegetables, fruits, and curries. I am not a huge rice eater, so I prefer to have avial (vegetable and coconut curry) and fish curry, as well as the curd (yogurt) and masala (chai) tea. I won't starve here, that's for sure!
(NOTE to my students: There is no STARBUCKS here!)

3) Religion: Hindu temples are all over the city, and play their chanting music very loud. It is beautiful to hear the music and smell the incense pouring out of the temples early in the morning when I go running. With over 33,000 gods, the temples are all dedicated to different gods and visited by various people, who make offerings of food and money.

I am sweating away, so I will continue next time with pictures of the Cotton Hill Girl's School we visited yesterday (6000 students!) and today's visit to the Trivandrum Zoo.

Rural Kerala

Although we are staying with host families in the city of Trivandrum this week, we did venture into the nearby rural areas to meet various Rotarians.

One of the areas we visited is called Parasalla.  Many people in this village have limited access to water, electricity, and sewage systems.  

Above left, you can see a weaver.  They work 12 hours a day weaving cloth to make clothing.

Above right, a Hindu temple.  Hindus have 33,000 gods.

Left, the village well in the rural village we visited.

Eating in Kerala

Today's posting will focus on the fine foods of Kerala.  Since Kerala is in southern India, a tropical area, their staple food is RICE.  The Indians here eat RICE with everything!

The banana leaf makes an excellent plate.

Here we have a traditional lunch in Kerala, complete with rice and curry sauce.  

Here is a picture of a breakfast meal I enjoyed with my host mother, Leila, here in Trivandrum.

We ate:

-iddly (steamed rice and lentil cakes)

-Chinese bananas

-sambar (spicy mixed vegetable soup)

-avial (mixed vegetable and coconut curry)

No cornflakes in Kerala!!

To Grandpa With Love

Today's blog entry is dedicated to my grandfather, C.J. MacPherson, who died this morning at the age of 86. He was a good man who lived a full life.

As I sit here typing, it is 11:15 pm and what a day! Here are my highlights:
1) Swimming in the Arabian Sea this morning...It is so warm, but very salty! My eyes still sting.

2) Drinking fresh coconut water from a gigantic coconut, then watching the man chop it open with a machete so I could eat the rest!

3) Eating a traditional Kerala lunch on a banana leaf...with my right hand ONLY! No utensils are used here in South India, except for soups and puddings.

4) Meeting 140 children at a nearby International School and talking with them about the 7 man-made wonders of the world (Can you name them? They did!)

5) Star-gazing from the roof of my host mother's flat (that's an apartment, in British English).

Photos to come tomorrow!
veendum kannum nathu varey (till we meet again in Malayalam),
Ms. MacP

The Never-Ending Journey

30 hours of traveling

10 lost hours

2 nights sleeping in a chair...

This is one heck of a journey thus far!  We left Dulles at 10 pm on Saturday night.  Here I sit now, in a coffee shop in the Bangalore Airport, and it's 7:21 am Monday morning.  What happened to Sunday?!

Uploading images is tedious right now, but I promise, they are coming!

A Map of India

On November 29, I will depart on a long journey to Trivandrum.  Can you locate it on this map?

www.askasia.org

Swagatham!

On November 29, another amazing adventure begins. I will be traveling for many hours to southern India. Who knows were this month of travel will take me...Will I trade in my western clothes for saris? Maybe! Will I give up coffee for the smooth, masala tea? Perhaps. Will I shave my head again? You never know.





(Swagatham means welcome in Malayalam, the most widely spoken language in the state of
Kerala, India.)