Melinda, Sarah, and Their Friend Go On A Light Bulb Hunt

Yup, that's right. Sadly, as you get older you have to trade in Easter egg hunts for light bulb hunts. Unfortunately, I was never very good at finding things.

Tonight, our friend invited us to go to New Market, an endless maze of tiny shops where you can find almost anything you need for cheap prices, and enjoy the carnival-like atmosphere. If you go at night the disco lights are even more vivid. First, we went to some shoe shops so our friend could get a gift. I love shoes. And my feet are tiny which works out well since I finally live in a place where most of the women are my size. Who knew that would ever happen? Anyway, the point is I got some new shoes! Converse for $8. In this country, I wear a size 35. I'm not sure if that makes me feel better than wearing a size 3 in the States or not... After I bought shoes, we went on the quest for the light bulbs. All we had was the actual bulb we needed to replace. So our friend went around showing it to different light fixture sellers. And they kept pointing us to different places. Along the way, our friend bought us these awesome chicken and egg wraps. They make this flat bread and fry an egg on it, then they add chicken, onions, and an amazing spicy sauce. I think it's my favorite Indian food so far. We also found ice cream and a bouncy ball with a smiley face inside that flashes multi-colored lights when you bounce it. It's kind of embarrassing how excited I was about that thing. Oh, we did finally find the light bulbs, and then we went home. Hopefully, another Day of Fun is around the corner.

Sarah Goes Shoe Shopping... Sadly, Melinda Misses Out

You may recall that my shoes were stolen recently. Thus, I have been on a quest to find comfortable new ones. Indian women do not believe in comfortable shoes. The soles are thin, hard, and not made for people who have to walk in them. Finally, I found some shoes that a little padding, and I bought them. But, they turned out to be slightly too small, and gave me blisters. So, I took them back. I just wanted a bigger size, but the next size up was too big, so I asked if I could return them. The first guy didn't understand, so he got a younger guy to come help me. He said I couldn't return the shoes, but I could exchange them for any other pair. When I went to try the shoes on, he insisted upon helping me put them on my feet. Think Cinderella. I hate feet. I don't want anyone to have to mess with mine, so I tried to do it myself. He sad, and I quote, "Oh no madame, this is our job, and we LOVE do it." Ok then, I glad you do. It was pretty awkward. He even put back on the shoes I already owned. I don't think that's part of his job... I have a new pair of shoes, but I have no idea if they fit correctly. I'm still working up the courage to wear them for an extended time period. Oh life.

Melinda and Sarah Have 5th Graders For Neighbors

Some of the residents in our apartment complex are involved in a conflict with the President of the group that owns the property. A major part of the argument stems from the fact that lots of people want to build a shrine to Shiva in the courtyard, and a few people oppose the idea. Anyway, the President and a certain Mr. M have been circulating a series of angry letters to all the residents. Just to give you a little taste of what this is like, here is a brief summary of the latest letter from the President to Mr. M (and everyone else):

Mr M,

You are mentally sick. We all know that you do nothing good, and are only causing trouble because you are allergic to the success of the committee. The only reason I do not press charges on account of your libelous letter is because you are old, feeble, and helpless.

As for me, I pray that the Almighty will forgive you and watch over us.

Warmest greetings,

President --- 

Warmest greetings? Yeah right. And isn't it kind of juvenile to be sending letters back and forth to everyone? Yes, welcome to 5th grade South Asia style.

Melinda and Sarah Are About To Need A Transfusion

April 2, 2011

INDIA WON THE CRICKET WORLD CUP!!!! It was a very close game against Sri Lanka which India came from behind to win. Melinda and I were scrunched up in our chairs holding our breath, praying, and adhering to crazy superstitions we developed during the 8 hours the game lasted. (You might think I’m exaggerating the time thing but I’m really not.) For example, the first two times Melinda left her seat while India was batting, the Sri Lankans got wickets. (They got the batter out.) The third time she got up, a really good Sri Lankan bowler (pitcher) entered the game, and I seriously contemplated yelling for her to get back in her chair. After that she didn’t leave again. Then we decided that India did better when I wasn’t looking at the tv, so I read a book and watched the replays of all the good stuff that happened. I know it’s ridiculous but we couldn’t help ourselves.  After the game, our landlord’s daughter came over and leapt into Melinda’s arms. Our landlord’s wife gave us hugs and her daughter passed out chocolate, there was much jumping and yelling and general euphoria. Then we all rushed downstairs to see the celebration outside. As before there were parades, fireworks, random (small) explosions, and  a lot of people doing stupid stuff like standing on the seat of their friend’s motorcycle with their arms straight out to the side as they flew down the road. I really wanted to kick into mom-gear and grab that boy and say “Sit down! Sit up straight! And put your hands on the bike, you moron!”  

The last time India won the World Cup was in 1983. And this is the first time in history that 2 Asian teams have played in the final. I understand Australia has pretty much dominated the Cricket scene in the recent past, and I’m sure England has won the title as well. 

Tonight was really exciting and I’m so glad I got to experience it. Honestly though, I think the Indians were more excited about beating Pakistan last Wednesday.  As my landlord’s family put it, Pakistan is their “arch-enemy” and the Cricket game between them was “war”.  I wonder what the world would be like if all international conflicts could be resolved through sporting events….

Melinda and Sarah Bleed Blue

March 30, 2011

Note: The Indian Cricket team’s uniforms are blue. I have no idea why since there is almost no blue in the Indian flag, but who am I to question the wisdom of the ICC (International Cricket Something or other)? 

Ladies and Gentlemen, INDIA is going to the Cricket World Cup final! And they beat Pakistan to get there! Oh my goodness, who knew I would ever be so excited about Cricket? The entire country is now celebrating. There are fireworks and parades and lots of cheering people running down the street with flags and drums. Melinda and I watched the game, and then we were watching the celebration from my bedroom window. (Living on a major road, we get to experience the celebration in full.) So anyway, we were watching the fireworks and debating whether or not to go outside and get a better view, when Melinda says “That’s not a firework! That’s a bomb! Like a cherry bomb! That’s not safe at all…” Of course that settled it. We immediately proceeded outside. At first, we stood near some cops on their motorcycle. Then later, our landlord came down with his daughter, as well as our American friends who live in the same building. The atmosphere was exhilarating. People were dancing and yelling, and we were screaming “Go India!”, and taking hundreds of pictures. (Not me, Emily, but my friends) which I will get and post soon.  I saw all these people go by on motorcycles driving fast and not holding on to anything. One man took his took his hands off the wheel and leaned all the way the back so he was looking up at the sky. I wanted to alternate between yelling “YAY India!” and “Put your hands back on the wheel!!!” My friend actually got interviewed by a 24 hour Indian news service. The rest of us were in the background. The reporter asked where we were from, whether we actually understood Cricket, and what we thought about India beating Pakistan. (The rivalry can be just a tad intense.) Since we were being mobbed pretty much throughout the entire interview and could barely hear the questions, I’m sure we looked stunning and sounded incredibly intelligent. It’s now after midnight and I have so much energy it might as well be the middle of the afternoon. The final is on Saturday against Sri Lanka. God save us if we win.   

In other news, we toured a mosque last Thursday and my shoes got stolen. My Merrills got stolen which were my most comfortable and practical shoes. Our language coordinator wanted to take us on a cultural outing. So we went to Nakoda mosque, which is over 100 years old and very pretty. Before you enter, you have to take your shoes off, and generally someone guards them. After our tour, we returned to find that my shoes and our LCs shoes had been stolen. We asked the guards, who were in front of the shoe room if they knew what happened to them. Of course not. It’s their job to guard the mosque, not the shoes. Anyway, it turns out there’s a shoe store located in the back of the mosque. It seems a bit too convenient, I know, but I honestly don’t think they had anything to do with the theft. After some debate about whether or not it was ok for a woman to walk across the courtyard of their religious establishment, we set off. I guess our tour guide had already taken us to areas where women technically weren’t supposed to be, so what difference does the courtyard make? I’m sure you all have gathered by now that my luck in this country is not good. To get to the shoe store, we had to go through the men’s latrine. May I remind you, I HAD NO SHOES. My LC was able to use an extra pair but of course, they only had one pair of men’s shoes that were too big for me… The ground was covered in dirt and some of it was most definitely damp. I looked straight ahead and walked as quickly as possible. By the time we arrived at the store, I was determined to leave with shoes. Surprisingly, I actually found some cute ones that claim to be Pumas. My LC paid for them, but even then they only cost about $3. YAY!