Today began a lot less eventfully and I hopped joyfully into an on-time cab, arriving at work at 8:30. A joy!
I finished the spreadsheet today! My boss and another girl on my team gave me books to read on rural development, microfinance and water so of course I'm happy as a cat with cream (expression?). After lunch, I met with my boss to discuss.
I was so thrilled that I had the chance to meet with her one on one. She is so intelligent, charismatic, young and funny. I totally admire her. After a long meeting, she suggested she treat me to some fruit juice, and especially given the sweltering heat of today, I was more than ready to accept.
As we walked through the neighborhood towards the juice shop, I had a chance to appreciate the beauty of Indiranagar. Streets are shady and tree-lined and peaceful. We passed a woman repairing her house! Everything is so labour-intensive here; she had a pile of bricks, and something that looked like sand, and other materials. Wearing a wrapped cloth around her head to balance baskets on if she needed to carry something, she worked deftly with her hands on a project no one would dream of attempting in America without cranes and skilled architects.
The fruit shop was hidden behind a crowd of men and boys, likely taking a break from work just as we were. It is a stand and drink type of place- they serve cool juice in tall glasses with straws and you stand around, sipping and chatting, finally placing the glass back on the counter and paying around 20 rupees (a little less than 50 cents). I wanted mango or pomegranate juice, but they didn't have either so I took apple and my boss took chikoo (a fruit that looks like a potato with flesh the texture of a pear and that is astonishingly sweet to top it all off). We stood and sipped and talked about community pride.
She was explaining to me how deep the hostilities between different states in India can run- where Tamilians were sometimes brutally beaten by North Indians and perhaps vice versa. She assured me that it is a lot better in Bangalore, but in Tamil Nadu, the government is so sensitive about it's language, that it has forbidden the instruction of any other (save English, I assume). Tamil Nadu apparently wanted to secede once- reminds me of Texas!
On the way back from work I gave a homeless man who came begging at the car my biscuits and fruit from lunch, and I was happy that I had had something to give him. (Don't worry- I ate well at lunch myself...).
I came home and was so hot I had to take a shower immediately. I wonder if the weather is going to stay like this! It rained in the evening though, properly rained! I hope that happens again. Except that I wonder how hard the rain makes it for people living without solid roofs over their head in Bangalore. The news is going on and on about cricket- the final of the World Cup is tomorrow, India vs Sri Lanka and it will literally be the most important day for all in India, entirely overshadowing Karnatak New Year on Monday (holiday from work!).
This weekend, Joanna and I can hopefully get our clothes fitted at a local tailor. I can't wait to wear them. This whole hookah ban thing turned out to be super serious! The BBMP raided all of the hookah bars and shisha spots in Bengaluru, removing all devices. And I was hoping to go back to Java City and Mocha to take pictures. Mocha was truly a paradise, all the floaty Arabian cloths and the rooftop and private couches. It seems like a very extreme measure on the part of the BBMP.
The saddest part about today was saying goodbye to Kumar Mama!
He left to return home and I have no idea how we'll fare without him- he's been such an integral part of this trip. He just left, and now I'm sitting on the settee with some terrible Indian serial on television, and Jo to my left writing her own blogpost...a comfy night at home and I'm excited for the weekend!
I have pictures to upload and some of Jo's to show...only a few though, and I'll do that tomorrow.
Goodnight from Bengaluru!
I finished the spreadsheet today! My boss and another girl on my team gave me books to read on rural development, microfinance and water so of course I'm happy as a cat with cream (expression?). After lunch, I met with my boss to discuss.
I was so thrilled that I had the chance to meet with her one on one. She is so intelligent, charismatic, young and funny. I totally admire her. After a long meeting, she suggested she treat me to some fruit juice, and especially given the sweltering heat of today, I was more than ready to accept.
As we walked through the neighborhood towards the juice shop, I had a chance to appreciate the beauty of Indiranagar. Streets are shady and tree-lined and peaceful. We passed a woman repairing her house! Everything is so labour-intensive here; she had a pile of bricks, and something that looked like sand, and other materials. Wearing a wrapped cloth around her head to balance baskets on if she needed to carry something, she worked deftly with her hands on a project no one would dream of attempting in America without cranes and skilled architects.
The fruit shop was hidden behind a crowd of men and boys, likely taking a break from work just as we were. It is a stand and drink type of place- they serve cool juice in tall glasses with straws and you stand around, sipping and chatting, finally placing the glass back on the counter and paying around 20 rupees (a little less than 50 cents). I wanted mango or pomegranate juice, but they didn't have either so I took apple and my boss took chikoo (a fruit that looks like a potato with flesh the texture of a pear and that is astonishingly sweet to top it all off). We stood and sipped and talked about community pride.
She was explaining to me how deep the hostilities between different states in India can run- where Tamilians were sometimes brutally beaten by North Indians and perhaps vice versa. She assured me that it is a lot better in Bangalore, but in Tamil Nadu, the government is so sensitive about it's language, that it has forbidden the instruction of any other (save English, I assume). Tamil Nadu apparently wanted to secede once- reminds me of Texas!
On the way back from work I gave a homeless man who came begging at the car my biscuits and fruit from lunch, and I was happy that I had had something to give him. (Don't worry- I ate well at lunch myself...).
I came home and was so hot I had to take a shower immediately. I wonder if the weather is going to stay like this! It rained in the evening though, properly rained! I hope that happens again. Except that I wonder how hard the rain makes it for people living without solid roofs over their head in Bangalore. The news is going on and on about cricket- the final of the World Cup is tomorrow, India vs Sri Lanka and it will literally be the most important day for all in India, entirely overshadowing Karnatak New Year on Monday (holiday from work!).
This weekend, Joanna and I can hopefully get our clothes fitted at a local tailor. I can't wait to wear them. This whole hookah ban thing turned out to be super serious! The BBMP raided all of the hookah bars and shisha spots in Bengaluru, removing all devices. And I was hoping to go back to Java City and Mocha to take pictures. Mocha was truly a paradise, all the floaty Arabian cloths and the rooftop and private couches. It seems like a very extreme measure on the part of the BBMP.
The saddest part about today was saying goodbye to Kumar Mama!
He left to return home and I have no idea how we'll fare without him- he's been such an integral part of this trip. He just left, and now I'm sitting on the settee with some terrible Indian serial on television, and Jo to my left writing her own blogpost...a comfy night at home and I'm excited for the weekend!
I have pictures to upload and some of Jo's to show...only a few though, and I'll do that tomorrow.
Goodnight from Bengaluru!
Have to ask this - just in case - Did you ask them to make the fruit juice with bottled water and no ice? Just in case you know...
ReplyDeleteHaha! I knew you or Mummy would ask that. No ice, and no water just straight fruit! :)
ReplyDelete"I'm happy as a cat with cream (expression?)."
ReplyDeletedefinitely not an expression
- Zack D.