Holes in the Ground

Yes. We have porcelain holes in the ground that are called toilets. And yes, we don't use toilet paper. I know you don't want to really hear it, but yes. We wash our butts with water and a good old left hand.

Ha! Does that look scary. You squat and do your business. Actually, usually a house has two toilets. One is this one and the other is called a "western toilet". It's your standard chair looking toilet.

Actually, my biggest fear isn't using the toilet. To be honest it's quite comfortable. It's that there might be something hiding, lurking in that dark hole in the toilet. I don't want to go the bathroom and have something attack my you-know-where. Good thing that's never happened.

Another difference with the bathrooms here are that there is no bathtub. You take a shower on the floor and the water goes down a drain in the floor.

As you can see here, this is the full view of the bathroom. You catch the water in that bucket and use the small mug to pour the water over you. The water goes onto the floor and into the drain that you see on the left of the bucket. The floor of the bathroom is usually always wet, and so there's always the problem of pulling off any socks your wearing. Not that anyone usually wears sock in this heat.

So it takes some skill to brave a usual Indian bathroom, but really it's not unbearable. And you know doctors say that the squatting position is actually a healthier and more comfortable position.

Indian Food

Today we had some really good food for lunch. It was my sister's birthday so we had a special meal. 

The middle larger chunk is Pongal. It's sort of a kind of mashed up rice dish. It's eaten as the main meal. The grayish liquid is Coconut Chutny. It's like a gravy for both the Pongal and the doughnut shaped item at the top called Vada. It's basically a spicy fried dough. Then the top left corner is a sweet called Kesari. The one I ate has pineapple in it. 

Sometimes special meals are eaten on a banana leaf (or even regulars. The leaves are easy to get and decomposable) but I have plate under my leaf because the leaf was small and I didn't want to spill onto the table. A lot of hotels actually serve dishes on a leaf that they cut out and put on a regular plate.  

Handful of Henna

Day One of Henna after scraping the paste 

Day Two of the Henna after applying oil

Henna is a natural dye that is applied on the hands in a paste form. After the paste hardens you scrape it off and it leaves an orange-ish stain that gets darker as it oxidizes and the lighter as it fades away.

I got mine done at Dakshinachithra by some lady. It's not amazing by any standards, but it's really fun to get done. It doesn't have to look amazing. Plus, it's a fun way to get a non permanent tattoo. A lot of people get them done in India for special functions like weddings but they can go out and do it for fun too. There's always some people on the streets willing to do it for you in the city. 

Haha, don't laugh. As you can see I blotted out my face because I'm a paranoid freak. But yes, this is me getting henna (mehendi as we call it in South India). She took about twelve minutes--not very long at all. I waited about two hours before scraping the paste off, but really you can take it off in about half an hour. 

Family Visits

A little comic I made on some scratch paper I had. It just kind of describes how whenever we go to India we have to visit all these relatives. I love talking to new people but there's so many names/faces to remember! I feel so bad when I can't remember a name, so I just nod and smile. 

Another thing is that we don't stay long and we have only a few weeks so we rush around to visit so many people. The thing is they get offended if we do go to visit them so we have to visit everyone. Not that I mind too much because as I said, I love meeting and talking to people. 

Kozy Kitchens

I love the small kitchens in India. I live in the city so there are more flats (apartments) than single family homes. I actually prefer living in small homes and so I love the cramped spaces here. The kitchen is tiny. It has a granite table top on the left with a sink and stove on opposite ends of that table top. On the right side is a built in open shelf that holds the cups, plates, and other silverware. There is a back door that goes out to the small backyard because it gets incredibly hot while cooking. Add that heat with the heat of India (90 degrees F on a good day) and it can get pretty darn hot. 

Another unique thing about the kitchens in India is that the stoves are gas stoves. The red can underneath the counter top is the can of gas used to power the stove. You have to buy the cans and hook them up to your stove. 

As you can see more clearly, the right side is an open closet. It's just really holes in the wall with shelves nailed in. It's pretty shabby but easy to keep clean and good for when you need to grab something quickly. Although it takes time to get used to the size and looks of an Indian kitchen, it does have its advantages over the typical big American kitchen with it's large cooking space and island in the middle. 

Monkeys Gone Wild

We were driving to the beach when we stopped at a toll booth. There were about ten or fifteen monkeys walking around and eating some mangoes. The thing that was amazing, but equally dangerous, was that they were totally unafraid by the large buses and trucks whizzing by. I'll remind you that this was at a toll booth. The monkeys here are so used to human contact here. It's really cool to see because you get to see monkeys all over the place. But in reality, they are kind of a pest. They can damage property and hurt people as well.  

But although it's not good for the monkeys to not fear humans, it's totally our fault. The people here feed them food and allow them to get close. Another sad thing is that the people here can get very violent towards these monkeys. I can't even count the number of times I've seen monkeys in the city that are missing legs and arms and a tail. It's really depressing and although the monkeys can be pests, I wish the people here would handle the problem a little better. Nevertheless, it's so cool that these monkeys are roaming free in the "wild". It's really amazing to see these awesome animals. 

Milk in a Bag

In India the milk comes in small, plastic bags. You hang a bag on the front of your gate and the milk delivery person drops however many you ordered. I think that people buy milk in packets because you can use it quickly and also it stays more fresh because you use it more quickly.

Long Hair

Everyone seems to love long hair in India. And braids. There seem to be very specific requirements on how your hair should look.

I was getting ready for a wedding and I undid the french braid I had in. I brushed my hair out and planed to just keep my hair down. I came out of my room and immediately one of my relatives, an old man, asks me if I was going to go out looking like this.

"Like what?" I replied.

"With your hair loose and crazy. You aren't going to pin it up?"

I didn't want to offend anyone I tried to make an excuse for why I was out here with my hair down. "Oh, no. I just came out here because some other people are using the mirror. I'm going to put my hair in a braid."

"Good. These days all the foreigners wear their hair loose and unruly, without any sense."

I just sat there as he and his wife proceeded to ran about how other people wear their hair down. I love putting my hair in a french braid, but I also enjoy letting my hair down. That's part of the reason why I let it grow out. But, I went back in and was too tired to put my hair in a braid, so I put it in a pony tail.

Imminently my grand-mom asked, "Why aren't you putting it in a braid? It looked so nice this morning!"

I resisted rolling my eyes but obliged. It's not that I hate braids; it's the standards that I hate.

At the wedding, everyone was amazed that the "foreign girl" had long hair in a braid. I was slightly insulted: I was born in India. I am Indian-American now, but I'm not that foreign.

I try to understand. I am not against the saying, "When in Rome, act as the Romans do." And I don't mind that they want to see a braid. It's just that they expect it of me, and that irritates me.

Dress Code

It's hot as hell and all there is to relieve the heat is two fans. I would be okay if I could wear shorts and a tank top, preferably a spots bra, but there's no way that would be acceptable here.
Let me explain where I am.

India. 

Dress Code/any gender: (ages 0-12):
Tank top
Dress
Shorts
Sans shirt

Dress Code/Females: (ages 12-above):
Jeans
Short sleeve shirt
Caprees below the knee

Dress Code/Male (ages 12-above): 
Sans shirt
Shorts
Short sleeve shirt
boxers

Do you see anything totally unfair with this dress code? Kids that are young and guys can basically go around half naked and are able to show some skin. Guys can wear shorts and whatever they basically want to wear. Girls on the other hand are forced to wear jeans and cover their skin in 100 degree weather. It's so unfair! I sit here in pants sweating my ass off while I see guys going around chill as ever in shorts and a tank top. Ugh. I don't mind the heat (they do say when in Rome do as the Romans would), yet I feel this "dress code" is rooted in sexism and that's what's totally unfair.