Carlos, A Bad Dog

I am going offline for about a month.  It is supposed to be a month of respite from the heat and a time for me to focus on language acquisition.  As our city is heating up I realize how impacted I was by pregnancy and nursing.  This will be the first summer I will be in India with my own body functioning at full energy.  Of course I still will have a 1 and 2 year old to chase around but pregnancy sure knocks me out for the count.

I get a month to buckle down and focus, focus, focus.  I am looking forward to be studying with others on my team and not just plugging along under the shadow of my husband’s ten years of language expertise.  It is my hope to make some headway and that the little drips I have consistently been dropping in my bucket will pay off in the long run.

With that said I will not be able to post on a daily basis, or even on a weekly basis.  To keep things fresh I am pre-posting and hopefully there will be new posts often.  They will fluctuate between book reviews of all kinds and short stories on pictures from my life.  I want to keep it about my life in India but also about what I love….. one of things I love is a good book.  So while I continue to drink chai and work on my Hindi  you can enter a month of drinking coffee and perhaps picking up something I suggest to read.

First book in the line up of favorites is Doggies by Sandra Boynton.  If you have never heard of this stunningly humorous author you must pick up one of her short sturdy books and chew on it immediately (unless the book is on loan from your local library). 

Not all her works are created equal but Doggies, dedicated to Bad Dog Carl, is one of our family’s favorites.  As a read aloud it causes giggles no matter who is reading.  Zana goes off into howls of laughter.  Other favorites include; Pajama Time, Barnyard Dance, Opposites, and Blue Hat, Green Hat.  As I said not all are created equal so check them out of the library to see which books attract your, your child’s or both your attention. 

Any author with the gumption to dedicate their book to a dog gets a two thumbs up!  If you concur don't miss the dedication of But not the Hippopotamus.  She sounds like a stunner too.

"Cambrige School"

Abe and I sat doing school today.  I am trying to be a better mommy.  I feel like all I say is no all day long.  I cannot imagine what is going on in Abe's little head.  Everything changed in ONE day.  We got to the letter J and he kept saying "Jay Jay" who happens to be his uncle whom Abe loves dearly.

Sometimes I want to cry over the sadness I see in his eyes as he truly seems to grieve not seeing "Poppa Bill," "Jay Jay," and others.  Other times I see a glimmer of the man to come.  He has a sense of humor of sorts.  Our first Indian School Bus after a delightful fall in America watching for the BIG school bus each day came as a bit of a shocker.  When I said it was a school bus I saw my little boy's eyes take and measure the difference and then to my delight he grinned ear to ear.

Here is the first sighting of a school bus by me and Abester after arriving back in India.

For those of you new to the Indian version of a school bus the girl in the foreground will hop in the back to ride and the tiny man in the background will cycle her and a dozen others to Sector 27 which is home to the auspicious CAMBRIGE SCHOOL.

Candy Corn

The sure fire way to beat jet lag is to eat candy corn.  Shaped like little pills these placebos conquer the mid afternoon lag with a powerful punch.  Taken by the handfuls they can jet you into a usefulness you never knew you possessed.  Though not intended for mass consumption never the less the more you take the better you feel.  Every travelers should stock up while traveling in and through the United States during the fall  season.

This drug is not FDA approved.

Do not give to children under 25 before checking with your doctor first.

If shakes, headaches, or an orange rash appears see a physician immediately.

Pamela Anderson, MacDonald's, and Al Qaeda

Ever hate being put in a box.  Ever gotten angry about a gross generalization concerning you, your people, your religion?  Ever made a stereotype and then had it broken in such a powerful way you stopped to really evaluate your presuppositions?

A couple days ago I was sitting with the ladies downstairs.  My friends.  Five young ladies, a young mother, me and two little toddlers duking it out while Zana gets passed from loving hands to loving laps.  Zayba, the young mother, likes to wear her muu muu all day.  Who wouldn't in this heat.  However maybe it would be better worn just indoors.  Much to my surprise one of the young ladies commented on her indecency.

"Who are you?  Pamela?" The comment was coupled with a cryptic look at exposed skin.  I went into gales of laughter.  Of all the people.  Of all the illustrations to use.  Pamela Anderson.  I know she was on their version of Big Brother here in India but really is this what America exports?  Is this what my friends know of my country... Pamela Anderson?

Last night I was sitting on a bed in the middle of nowhere eating spicy mutton with truly dear friends.  Abraham was playing with the precious items on the bed frame shelf.  It held various knick knacks all carefully dusted.  One was a blond doll the height of my hand.  It was a MacDonald's doll complete with a little register and a MacD hat.

What do we know of Afghanis, Khans?  Are the Muslims we hear about in faraway lands condensed into one face?  A big bearded man with a fierce agenda of destruction and annihilation?  The more I thought about Pamela Anderson the more I found the situation humorless.  I am a modest wife who finds my identity in more than flaunting my sexuality yet my culture has been given a face.  When I speak of where I am from I fall into a stereotype that is not at all comfortable for me.   Zayba in her muu muu would be horrified if someone questioned if my clothes meant I joined Al Qaeda.

What do you know of someone's country who is not of your culture?  Ask.  Listen. Learn. And avoid boxes.