Did you know that there is a type of bee that is blue? I didn't know until this morning when I was looking at some very pretty flowers and then noticed a bee with blue stripes instead of yellow ones. It was beautiful! If only I had my camera. I swear, I should always bring my camera with me here given the number of times I wish I had it.
This blue on this bee was a very bright blue, almost a turquoise color, and the bee itself was pretty small, much smaller than a bumble bee.
After some intense googling I think it is a "blue banded bee" although the Internet says that is mostly found in Australia but also some parts of Asia so I guess the guy I saw this morning had come from afar. None of the photos I found on-line do the little guy justice; but the comments note that it jets off quickly so is difficult to get a photo of.
What a cool way to start the morning, with a view of a fairly rare (at least to India) type of bee.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Exciting things and frustrating things
I have to go to the US Embassy today to get more pages put in my passport. I'm so excited! I feel like now I'm officially a super-duper world traveler since I'm running out of space in my passport. Of course the fact that the US stamped my passport every time I went between the US and Canada actually filled up extra space so it looks like I've traveled even more than I have, but I do have 3 full pages taken up with visas so that is cool. What can I say, I still get excited by every stamp in my passport!
So that is my exciting thing.
My frustrating thing is that while I'm down to 2 shows a week on TV that I enjoy watching; the sound on my TV keeps cutting in and out so I'll get maybe 5 minutes of audio in a 30 minute show. This being India I've been trying to get it fixed for 2 weeks now. Took me 1 week to get someone to come to my place to determine that it is the cable not the TV (I told them that) so now it will be another who knows how long before they get to the cable. Of course I pay only $5 a month for my cable so I suppose you get what you pay for.
Anyway...off to the Embassy. Fun times :)
So that is my exciting thing.
My frustrating thing is that while I'm down to 2 shows a week on TV that I enjoy watching; the sound on my TV keeps cutting in and out so I'll get maybe 5 minutes of audio in a 30 minute show. This being India I've been trying to get it fixed for 2 weeks now. Took me 1 week to get someone to come to my place to determine that it is the cable not the TV (I told them that) so now it will be another who knows how long before they get to the cable. Of course I pay only $5 a month for my cable so I suppose you get what you pay for.
Anyway...off to the Embassy. Fun times :)
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
me versus the bug
There is this type of bug over here that makes the loudest chirping sound EVER and it is so annoying. And the bug is a sort of grey/light brown color so it is very difficult to see. I've had 2 in my apartment at various times over the year I've been here and they have nearly driven me mad. They will chirp non-stop, literally, and you can hear them from 3 rooms away. The first one I had took me over a month to successfully get. It was in my kitchen and would keep me up at nights it was so loud but it had hidden in a cabinet so I couldn't find it. I was thrilled when I finally got it.
The second one took me 2 weeks to find.
Last night suddenly I heard the sound again and I was not happy. It was louder than my TV and the monsoon rains together and, get this, I found it in 3 minutes. So exciting!
Now, get this, there is one somewhere in our office! It isn't quite as non-stop because whenever someone gets near it it quiets down (self preservation I suppose) and there are lots of us. I hope it decides to leave the office on its own because I'm not particularly in the mood to stalk another bug...but I will if I need to.
The second one took me 2 weeks to find.
Last night suddenly I heard the sound again and I was not happy. It was louder than my TV and the monsoon rains together and, get this, I found it in 3 minutes. So exciting!
Now, get this, there is one somewhere in our office! It isn't quite as non-stop because whenever someone gets near it it quiets down (self preservation I suppose) and there are lots of us. I hope it decides to leave the office on its own because I'm not particularly in the mood to stalk another bug...but I will if I need to.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
always an adventure...
So about a month ago in the middle of the ridiculous heat wave (which means that it has been hovering between 95-100 since I've gotten back and I find it quite manageable, so you can imagine just how hot it was) I had to throw a mini-fit in our office because the AC wasn't working. So, after 5 days of non-stop sweating we finally got another smaller AC unit installed. They installed it right over my desk - not because I was complaining but because that is where it fit best.
Ever since then we have been relatively cool, although on occasion we do still need fans.
So about 1/2 hour ago I start to hear weird noises from the small AC unit and then suddenly it dropped a big piece of ice right on my desk right by my keyboard! Luckily it didn't hit me but I did jump like a little girl.
So apparently it is broken which means that it is back to AC that doesn't really function with lots of fans. I'm not really that surprised. Between the power surges and outages it is pretty common for electric stuff to break.
I tell you it is always an adventure over here. Just when things get relatively normal you get ice falling from the sky.
Ever since then we have been relatively cool, although on occasion we do still need fans.
So about 1/2 hour ago I start to hear weird noises from the small AC unit and then suddenly it dropped a big piece of ice right on my desk right by my keyboard! Luckily it didn't hit me but I did jump like a little girl.
So apparently it is broken which means that it is back to AC that doesn't really function with lots of fans. I'm not really that surprised. Between the power surges and outages it is pretty common for electric stuff to break.
I tell you it is always an adventure over here. Just when things get relatively normal you get ice falling from the sky.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
funny signs and helpful comments
Saw a great sign last night in my neighborhood as I was walking to my dry cleaner (who I love - have I mentioned that it is $1 for me to get things dry cleaned and he does a great job) and I noticed this sign:
Caution: Please drive slowly for Children, Ladies and Senior Citizens.
Except Children was spelt Childre.
I guess men are on their own. Good luck!
I also wondered about the use of the word 'Ladies'. In American/British English to me that implies a woman of stature. So does that mean that the women that work in our homes, like my maid, are also responsible for watching out for cars, but I'm not? Probably not, but you never know...in many ways the caste system is still very much a part of life here so it wouldn't totally surprise me if that is what it meant.
However, considering the fact that there is a speed bump about every 20 yards (literally) the sign seems a bit unnecessary to me, but I still enjoyed it.
And...to follow up on yesterday's post, I got a comment with a link to this article. Very interesting: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/07/21/india.solar.eclipse/index.html.
Final thought for the day. I'm suddenly incredibly aware of how much people stare at me here and it is driving me crazy! I guess I had gotten used to it but after 2 weeks away of not being stared out now I'm really noticing it. I swear that this morning the driver of at least 1/2 of the cars and motorcycles that passed me turned and stared. How none of them got into an accident is beyond me. I really wish people would stop. sigh.
Caution: Please drive slowly for Children, Ladies and Senior Citizens.
Except Children was spelt Childre.
I guess men are on their own. Good luck!
I also wondered about the use of the word 'Ladies'. In American/British English to me that implies a woman of stature. So does that mean that the women that work in our homes, like my maid, are also responsible for watching out for cars, but I'm not? Probably not, but you never know...in many ways the caste system is still very much a part of life here so it wouldn't totally surprise me if that is what it meant.
However, considering the fact that there is a speed bump about every 20 yards (literally) the sign seems a bit unnecessary to me, but I still enjoyed it.
And...to follow up on yesterday's post, I got a comment with a link to this article. Very interesting: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/07/21/india.solar.eclipse/index.html.
Final thought for the day. I'm suddenly incredibly aware of how much people stare at me here and it is driving me crazy! I guess I had gotten used to it but after 2 weeks away of not being stared out now I'm really noticing it. I swear that this morning the driver of at least 1/2 of the cars and motorcycles that passed me turned and stared. How none of them got into an accident is beyond me. I really wish people would stop. sigh.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
total eclipse of the sun
There is a solar eclipse today in India. Or rather there was. I remember there being a solar eclipse in the states when I was in elementary school; only I don't think that one was a total one.
So - did I see anything? Alas no. In true monsoon season fashion there was a huge cloud hanging over Delhi this morning. I did see a snippet of the sun for about 10 seconds which was pretty cool, it was partially covered at that point as it was near the end.
It was kind of oddly dark and it felt slightly ominous while it was going on. I mean, it was the morning so it was kind of dark anyway, but it felt off, as in if you had no clue there was an eclipse going on you might think that there was something wrong (like in an 'end of the world' type movie when they sky gets dark and everyone looks up). It did, however, make for a rather pleasant morning walk as it was a bit cooler.
Indians are pretty superstitious about eclipses. I mean I find them pretty superstitious in general (they made my boss change the direction of his desk because apparently it was bad luck for him to face the door - yet I still face the door, hmmm, are they saying something to me?), but when it comes to eclipses they are extra superstitious. Like if you are pregnant you aren't supposed to go outside. A girl in my office said her mother wouldn't allow her to shower 'til after the eclipse was over. And I did notice this morning on my walk that the normal early risers who are usually out before 7 didn't come out 'til I was going in after 7:30 so maybe they waited 'til it was 100% over too.
I suppose it kind of make sense; like I said, if you didn't know that there was an eclipse going on you would have thought that something was wrong in the sky; so I can imagine that way back when, or not even that way back when, before news was well spread, that people would see an eclipse as a dire event and those superstitions just stayed around.
So, even though I've had the song "total eclipse of the heart" in my head all morning and even though I didn't really see anything it is still pretty cool to have been here for the event.
So - did I see anything? Alas no. In true monsoon season fashion there was a huge cloud hanging over Delhi this morning. I did see a snippet of the sun for about 10 seconds which was pretty cool, it was partially covered at that point as it was near the end.
It was kind of oddly dark and it felt slightly ominous while it was going on. I mean, it was the morning so it was kind of dark anyway, but it felt off, as in if you had no clue there was an eclipse going on you might think that there was something wrong (like in an 'end of the world' type movie when they sky gets dark and everyone looks up). It did, however, make for a rather pleasant morning walk as it was a bit cooler.
Indians are pretty superstitious about eclipses. I mean I find them pretty superstitious in general (they made my boss change the direction of his desk because apparently it was bad luck for him to face the door - yet I still face the door, hmmm, are they saying something to me?), but when it comes to eclipses they are extra superstitious. Like if you are pregnant you aren't supposed to go outside. A girl in my office said her mother wouldn't allow her to shower 'til after the eclipse was over. And I did notice this morning on my walk that the normal early risers who are usually out before 7 didn't come out 'til I was going in after 7:30 so maybe they waited 'til it was 100% over too.
I suppose it kind of make sense; like I said, if you didn't know that there was an eclipse going on you would have thought that something was wrong in the sky; so I can imagine that way back when, or not even that way back when, before news was well spread, that people would see an eclipse as a dire event and those superstitions just stayed around.
So, even though I've had the song "total eclipse of the heart" in my head all morning and even though I didn't really see anything it is still pretty cool to have been here for the event.
Monday, July 20, 2009
wanna go to a wedding?
In India people invite everyone they know, and I do mean everyone, to their wedding. Our accountant just got married and he emailed around to everyone in the office a copy of their wedding invitation inviting us all. Another guy in our office emailed around an invitation to his sisters' wedding to everyone in the office.
Apparently a 'small' Indian wedding has 500 people; one of the guys in my office was going to get married and was expecting 3,000 people. 3,000 people - could you imagine! Pretty much you invite everyone you know and then your family invites anyone they know. I bet it would be pretty easy to be a wedding crasher here. It isn't like people check for invitations.
Although I have heard that the wedding thing has kind of gotten a bit out of hand, especially in the middle class, where weddings have become an opportunity to show off your wealth to everyone; people take out loans and mortgages to pay for them. I suppose people do that in the US too, but in the US no one would think much if you decided to have a small wedding, so it is really up to you how much you want to spend whereas here I think that a small wedding is not an option; or if you did have a small wedding it might be considered an insult somehow.
I wonder if it would be insulting to someone if you are invited to a wedding and don't go. So far I've been invited to two; neither of which I particularly wanted to go to and luckily I was out of town for both so couldn't go. Of course people also invite you about 1 week before the wedding so maybe they are hoping people don't show up.
I find it interesting how different weddings are here versus in the states. I mean there you have seating plans and count the exact number of people, here is kind of a free-for-all. It must be nice to have things be so relaxed but at the same time you don't have much control over the wedding; whereas in the US people may stress over seating plans but you can make a wedding your own. It would be nice to go to an Indian wedding before I leave but I would have to buy a sari if I did go and they are expensive! We'll see. I suppose I could just crash one, although I do stand out just a little bit so I might get noticed and then thrown out and that would be quite unfortunate.
Apparently a 'small' Indian wedding has 500 people; one of the guys in my office was going to get married and was expecting 3,000 people. 3,000 people - could you imagine! Pretty much you invite everyone you know and then your family invites anyone they know. I bet it would be pretty easy to be a wedding crasher here. It isn't like people check for invitations.
Although I have heard that the wedding thing has kind of gotten a bit out of hand, especially in the middle class, where weddings have become an opportunity to show off your wealth to everyone; people take out loans and mortgages to pay for them. I suppose people do that in the US too, but in the US no one would think much if you decided to have a small wedding, so it is really up to you how much you want to spend whereas here I think that a small wedding is not an option; or if you did have a small wedding it might be considered an insult somehow.
I wonder if it would be insulting to someone if you are invited to a wedding and don't go. So far I've been invited to two; neither of which I particularly wanted to go to and luckily I was out of town for both so couldn't go. Of course people also invite you about 1 week before the wedding so maybe they are hoping people don't show up.
I find it interesting how different weddings are here versus in the states. I mean there you have seating plans and count the exact number of people, here is kind of a free-for-all. It must be nice to have things be so relaxed but at the same time you don't have much control over the wedding; whereas in the US people may stress over seating plans but you can make a wedding your own. It would be nice to go to an Indian wedding before I leave but I would have to buy a sari if I did go and they are expensive! We'll see. I suppose I could just crash one, although I do stand out just a little bit so I might get noticed and then thrown out and that would be quite unfortunate.
and I'm back...
After two weeks back in the good old U.S. of A. I'm back in India. India, being India, greeted me in its usual fashion by giving me a clear example of things that drive me crazy about this country and things that I love about this country. And they were...
Just after we landed as we are taxiing to the gate at the airport the guy next to me stands up (I was the aisle seat) and expects me to move so he can get out. That is such an Indian thing; they always stand up while the plane is still moving. About 1/2 the time the flight attendants yell at them, the other 1/2 of the time they just let it go. I, however, refuse to stand until we are at the gate and the seat belt sign is off. Call me stubborn but that sign is there for a reason and what if the plane suddenly stopped and you fell forward. So I told Mr. Impatient that I wasn't going to get up, so he climbed over me because he had to get his bags. Little did he know that our checked luggage would take over an hour to get off the plane anyway so rushing didn't help at all.
And then, as I'm driving home, a cow strolls right into the middle of traffic and I laughed to myself. I should be used to that by now but I'm not. It is just so random. And all the cars drove around him like it was no big deal.
As for the question that was posted to me on my last blog about where will I go after I leave India. That is the question I was hoping to answer when I was home. And the answer is, I don't know. I do know that while I'm happy that I came here and would do it again that I'll be happy to leave come December. Unless some amazing job magically appears somewhere in Europe I'll be back in the US; where, don't know. But I'll figure that out before I leave. Hopefully the economy will have bounced back a bit by then so I'll have options.
Just after we landed as we are taxiing to the gate at the airport the guy next to me stands up (I was the aisle seat) and expects me to move so he can get out. That is such an Indian thing; they always stand up while the plane is still moving. About 1/2 the time the flight attendants yell at them, the other 1/2 of the time they just let it go. I, however, refuse to stand until we are at the gate and the seat belt sign is off. Call me stubborn but that sign is there for a reason and what if the plane suddenly stopped and you fell forward. So I told Mr. Impatient that I wasn't going to get up, so he climbed over me because he had to get his bags. Little did he know that our checked luggage would take over an hour to get off the plane anyway so rushing didn't help at all.
And then, as I'm driving home, a cow strolls right into the middle of traffic and I laughed to myself. I should be used to that by now but I'm not. It is just so random. And all the cars drove around him like it was no big deal.
As for the question that was posted to me on my last blog about where will I go after I leave India. That is the question I was hoping to answer when I was home. And the answer is, I don't know. I do know that while I'm happy that I came here and would do it again that I'll be happy to leave come December. Unless some amazing job magically appears somewhere in Europe I'll be back in the US; where, don't know. But I'll figure that out before I leave. Hopefully the economy will have bounced back a bit by then so I'll have options.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
on hiatus
Am going away again. I'm not leaving 'til tomorrow but we have an all day meeting tomorrow so no blogging time for me.
I am so excited to be going home for a break. My last trip home was mostly work and was busy, this time I'll actually take some time to relax. I can honestly say that I'm not sure which I'm more excited about:
-getting away from the heat
-seeing friends and family
-having a vacation
I think that the order might say it all actually. As thrilled as I am to be seeing friends and family the heat these past few weeks has really pushed me to my limit and while it is starting to break a bit I think I might have gone a bit crazy if I wasn't going to get away.
So tomorrow evening (well technically Saturday morning) I'll be hopping on a plane and then just a few (17) hours later I'll be back in the U.S. of A. Oddly exactly one year to the day after I originally left. Totally a coincidence that it is the same day.
I can't believe I've made it a whole year. I didn't think I'd make it a week. Of course that had more to do with being in India with a broken foot than being in India. But no time for unpleasant thoughts about broken bones, only happy thoughts about going home.
Be back in a few weeks!
I am so excited to be going home for a break. My last trip home was mostly work and was busy, this time I'll actually take some time to relax. I can honestly say that I'm not sure which I'm more excited about:
-getting away from the heat
-seeing friends and family
-having a vacation
I think that the order might say it all actually. As thrilled as I am to be seeing friends and family the heat these past few weeks has really pushed me to my limit and while it is starting to break a bit I think I might have gone a bit crazy if I wasn't going to get away.
So tomorrow evening (well technically Saturday morning) I'll be hopping on a plane and then just a few (17) hours later I'll be back in the U.S. of A. Oddly exactly one year to the day after I originally left. Totally a coincidence that it is the same day.
I can't believe I've made it a whole year. I didn't think I'd make it a week. Of course that had more to do with being in India with a broken foot than being in India. But no time for unpleasant thoughts about broken bones, only happy thoughts about going home.
Be back in a few weeks!
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