OMG

So when I got on the plane from Delhi to Chicago I was served dinner of chicken, veggies in a sauce, and mashed potatoes. Without thinking twice about it, I took my knife and stirred it all together. Then I ripped my roll into pieces and began to mop up my glob of food with the pieces of bread. Straight indian style. I could tell the Indian woman sitting next to me was looking at me. When I turned to see what she was looking at me for, she said to me, "you eat like an Indian. How long have you lived here?"

I will never use a fork again

Okay maybe I will, but still! I really do love to eat with my hands :)

it had to end eventually

I'm saying goodbye to Delhi. To India. To Katie, Lisa, and Sarah. I'm both sad to leave and excited to get home...and I haven't decided if it's 50-50 or 60-40. I had big plans of seeing the Delhi zoo today but all I can muster is sitting around and watching it rain. Maybe India is sad I'm leaving too. :)
Even though there are things that drove me crazy about India and it's culture, this country is too different from the states to be bored. Some people find it way too far foreign and out of their comfort zone to appreciate it's quirks. India may be irritating and irrational at times, but it's putting in a tremendous effort to be on the verge of the western world. It's been a nice change.

I can't believe it's over. My friend Lisa said that someone told her that people who come here are either escapists or adventurists. Maybe I'm a little of both. Or maybe the guy her told her doesn't know what he's talking about. I'm just curious as to what the rest of the world looks and smells like. Aren't you?

Delhi-icious

** I wrote this post last sunday in an internet cafe. The connection went down before I could get it posted. So here it is...just a little late. Thank you to everyone who kept up with the blog! I will post pictures at some point. So if you want to see some, check back in like a week when I get back from boating with the parents. :)

My days in India are dwindling quickly. The past two months have been a wonderful and unexpectedly peaceful chapter of my life. I think India has helped me to grow up a bit and take life a little less serious. You never know what tomorrow will bring I guess...

After about a week in India, my parents asked me if I thought India would change me. My gut reaction was yes. Now, in the final days of my trip, I want to retract my statement. India has not fundamentally changed me, but rather helped shape my world-view. For instance, I never knew that I could live in relative happiness with random power-outraged leaving me Air Conditioning-less, a faulty water supply, and constant sweat & dirt. (PS: my water was out all day on the day of my departure from India. It turned back on around 7pm...it would have been a smelly trip without a shower!) I've always said that there is nothing more irritating than getting mad or angry at things that are outside of your control. I can't control that my little undocumented/illegal flat has faulty power and water. Such is life. After a while, you get used to it and don't notice that it's over 90 degrees indoors. whatev.

Things that India will never change about me: cheerful, optimistic, stubborn, independent, self-assured, confident, happy, loud.

India put life in perspective for me. I think I spent the better part of last semester being unhappy for no good reason. And the more I worried about my waistline, the more I became unhappy. Unhappiness led to more eating...and more worrying..etc. Instead of worrying and complaining, all I needed was to do something about it. Put down the beer and nachos :)

It's funny, I think most Indian food isn't that good for you, but this has really proven to me that it's more about portion control than anything. This trip has just really made me re-evaluate some things and get to the root of what used to make me happy. Last semester was exhausting. It feels good to be back to myself! Cocky? ....sure :)

The more I think about going home, the more I am ready to leave.

Things I'm looking forward to:

My family & Cooper

going boating in the san juans

Sun Cove and all that it implies

Cashmere
Aplets & Cotlets
The Cashmere people: Pete, Steph, Skyler, Brett, Ryan, Jared, Aaron, Megan, etc.
The lawschool people: Nat, Jenn, Sean (& David), Pat, Juanessa, Kristin, Jenny, BJ, Jill, Tammy, etc etc
A real shower
A real bed
fluffy pillows
mexican food
BEEF
being clean
driving myself around

Things that I will miss:

Katie, Lisa, Sarah, & Iram
The colors
The smell of Saffron & other spices
cheap trinkets
Bindis and Mendi
Hindi
The weekend trips
V & Varun
eating with my hands
Paneer
the food in general

Things I will not miss:

being stared at
the auto rickshaw drivers
Indian male chauvinism
"Indian men know best" syndrome
bargaining for prices

bandh in the oven

Our trip through Ladakh and Kashmir went off without a hitch and was relatively safe. But right now in the peaceful hill station of Darjeeling, where the tea leaves wave to Mt. Everest with their green leafy tendrils, there is a "bandh" and the whole town is shut down. then kolkata shut down for the same reason! ...and i thought delhi was hot...kolkata (Cal) was an oven! (get in...BANDH in the oven? ha!...yeah i think i'm occasionally clever...) Tropical...palm trees and all...but too humid for me!
back in delhi now. feels good to be 'home.' Well, I'm paying for internet by the minute so that's the reason for the short post. later i'll post some of the 547 pictures i took last week :) I mean, you can't fault me for that. i was in kashmir and got a little snap-happy. If you know me, you know that i usually take my camera everywhere...even to law school. you never know when you're goin to need it! Alright, dinner time. peace out.

Are you going for a party? Then why you drive so dirty? --road sign

Clearly I am highly amused by the road signs in both HP (Himachal Pradesh) and JK (Jumma & Kashmir). But the above title of this entry is my fav by far! What if I am driving for a party? Can my driving then be dirty and it be ok? And seriously, if we got pulled over, our "dirty" driving would be forgotten within the billfolds of a 100 rupee note. Just sayin' is all. anway...The real title of this entry should be: I'm Offically Like My Father.
Here's the thing about traveling with a Wehmeyer: we're anxious, early, and annoying. I discovered this when I was fretting up a storm about getting to our Leh-Srinagar taxi a little early (15 minutes) so that just in case it was early, we'd get the first choice of seats. I must have forgotten that (1) in India things are rarely on time, and (2) I don't get to make decisions...Indian men know what's good for me. Annoying. Anyway, Katie and I got good seats in front with the driver. The only problem was that with me mushed between Katie and the driver, I got to reposition my legs every time he shifted gears...which is alot when you're on a road that is constantly switching from gravel to pavement and manuevering around potholes is essential to life. The car had a few other passengers, all Kashmir locals. I man and his little boy who wrinkled his furrowed brow whenever Katie and I attempted to interact with him. He was adorable though and a comforting presence. After dark Katie and I curled up in the back seats, head to foot, trying to grasp at sleep. Sometime around 2am we stopped to check the car and let us all stretch our legs. As I climbed out of the back seat I heard Katie inhale sharply. When I turned around and followed her gaze upwards, I discovered that the dark mountain pass touched the heavens. The stars were amazingly bright and the milky way seemed inches from our fingers. We stood their mouths gaping for a solid two minutes before we had to snuggle in the back of the taxi again.

The road was better than Manali-Leh but still very bumpy and our driver was much less concerned with the life of his car and passengers; whiping around corners and over deep divots in the road. Needless to say, even our "ying to my yang" sleeping position didn't give the sweet relief of sleep. The sun came up around 5am over the Kashmir valley. It is beautiful! It reminds me of the Leavenworth area. We got into Srinagar around 6:30am, found our hole-in-the-wall, 500 rupee a night hotel, and passed out till noon.

Leh looked like the Wenatchee to Chelan area.
Srinagar looks like Peshastin to Leavenworth area.
Leaving my Cashmere hometown an original and still the most beautiful place I've ever been! In my completely unbiased opinion of course...and anyone who doesn't believe me hasn't been there. Cashmere is beautiful. It sits in this valley of confusion, not knowing whether to be mountain-green or desert-tan. Where the foothills of the Cascades meet the Gorges of the Columbia. Ah...I miss it.

Srinagar is by far my favorite place so far. It's so gorgeous! The city sprawls out from Dal lake like fingers around a bowl. The lake itself has houseboats, lily pads, and floating gardens. The hills roll around the city. The buildings are more modern than I expected. If it weren't for the constant police and military presence, it would be any other normal hill town.

I subjected Katie to "Wehmeyer fun" today :) For those who don't my family, the one thing that we all do together is get some exercise. Whether it be from manual labor or exercise (and believe me, manual labor can be easily turned into exercise...I stripped asphault shingles from roofs for a summer), our version of "fun" is original. My Mom and I's favorite things to do are go on runs, walks, and lift weights at my aunt Michele's powerlifting classes. anyway...There is a Hindu temple in Srinagar that I wanted to see that sits atop a hill. It's a 5K walk to the top or you can take an autorickshaw. We walked all the way up! Other than my run while in Leh, it was the only exercise I've gotten on this trip so far. Side note: Leh is at 11,000+ ft. Running there is like setting your lungs on fire....but you know...Wehmeyer fun! yay!
Anyway, off to Cal! Can't wait to see Iram in her element!

Drinking whisky makes driving risky! ---HP police sign

Namaste! I'm in Leh, Ladakh. We FINALLY made it! we had a very interesting taxi ride...somewhere in the middle of Himachal Pradesh we spent the night in a Nepali woman's hut/restaurant because the Jammu & Kashmir police don't let you cross their border at night or some crap like that. psh...whatev...it's just a little war! ;) JOKING.
Okay so we got into Manali and rented a private taxi to take us from Manali to Leh overnight. "yeah yeah, as you like, no problem. Overnight, nonstop....yeah yeah as you like no problem." were the taxi drivers exact words. Turns out there is a big problem. The road is, as he said, risky...we saw two overturned dump trucks that had fallen down the cliffside....and at a town called Sachu (something like that at least) the Jammu & Kashmir (JK) police checkpoint apparently doesn't open until daylight. At about 8pm we arrived, with our very happy and energetic driver Rama, to a town called Darcha. And by town I mean tents along a river. and by tents I mean blue tarps on sticks with indoor lighting, benches for a restaurant and a few beds. We're so happy that we took this woman's advice and stayed. It was the best night's sleep I've had in a week and the road really was "risky". We fell right to sleep after some veg & cheese paratha, about 9pm, and woke up at 3am to finish off the remaining 12hrs of our trip. oi veh.
Until daylight we climbed. The road is like the Hana Highway on steroids. It's more narrow, there are fuel trucks every few kilometers that we had to inch around, there are waterfalls that have overtaken parts of the road, and it's through Kashmir. 'Nough said. But wow was it beautiful! I can't begin to explain the scenery and how it was constantly changing. I believe I took about 200 pictures at least and will upload them if I remembered to bring the uploader-thingy. The road went through timber to desert to snow-capped peaks and back again. Rock cliffs shot up vertically out of the ground. There was a lake with a perfect reflection that we came upon around dawn. Glaciers bumped up against the road, threatening to recapture their territory.
Sleep was unattainable. The car rolled over the rocky terrain and the unfinished roads. About every 5 kilometers or less there was an "inconvenience regretted" sign put up by the Himachal Pradesh government. There were also awesome signs like "divorce your speed" - because clearly speed and the Leh-Manali road have irreconcilable differences - and "drinking whisky makes driving risky." There were other great ones that I wrote down but don't have with me at the moment.
At around noon we ascended to the second highest "road" pass in the world...topping out at over17,o00 ft. All I could think is, (1) if this is a "road" pass, that means there are other kinds of passes according to the Indian government definition. Mule pass? Horse pass? foot path...god forbid. I about kissed my jeep! and (2) oh well hello altitude sickness! Where have you been all my life?! My head experienced two very conflicting afflictions: light headedness & skull expansion. Like my brain was both gone and trying to make a break for it out the side of my skull! Katie and I immediately took our meds the chemist in Manali gave to us...a double dose. I layed down after that ordeal.
When I awoke, I could have been on the road by Wells Dam for all I knew! Seriously! That priest who said Kashmir looked like our little slice of heaven was right! About an hour further on down the road I could have been on the Chelan highway...only with a much smaller river racing alongside the road. It's the same confused state of mountains and desert meets a river valley. The snowcapped Himalayas are taller than the cascades but the Indus River is nothing compared to our mighty Columbia (roll on Columbia, roll on!). Finally, around 4pm, we made it to Leh! Praise Jesus! We have a cosy room for the night and took showers. Tomorrow at 5pm we leave for Srinagar. We'll get in to Srinagar, the capital of JK, around 8am.

Manali - Leh Road

Hi all! Just checking in because I think some of you may be concerned. Right now I'm in Manali waiting for our noon taxi ride to Leh. Manali really reminds me of Washington. There are huge evergreen trees and apple orchards. It's really gorgeous! I'm excited already for what Leh is going to look like. Most of the taxis leave Manali at 2am and get into Leh at 8pm (about 18 hrs). I think they time it so you catch the sunrise over the pass. Katie and I are on a time crunch though so we had to pay a smidge extra to get out at noon and get into Leh at 6am. We may miss some of the mountain pass views but it's not possible for us to wait. We have to catch our flight out of Srinagar and if we missed that, we miss all of our trains out of Calcutta. Well, off I go! We're armed with altitude sickness meds and tylenol PM. I think we'll make it just fine! see you in Leh!

xoxo
Lindsey Jean

From Cashmere to Kashmir

Well, it's my last day of work and I just finished my last project (a summary of sovereign immunity and de facto immunity that the Government of India enjoys via it's Constitution and legislation). Katie and I leave tonight at 6pm our time, 5:30am west coast time, for Manali and the first leg of our 10 day wirlwind trip. Here's the breakdown:

10th: Delhi to Manali on a 14 hour, overnight bus
11th: taxi from Manali to Leh over the worlds highest mountain pass (or 2nd highest...I found conflicting reports of that. But the top of the pass is at 17,480 ft)
12th: Hike around Leh, Ladakh
13th: Leave Leh and go to Srinagar, Kashmir
14th: Find out if Cashmere really does look like Kashmir
15th: flight to Kolkata (Calcutta)
16th: stay with Iram until a 7:30pm train to New Jalpaidur
17th: "Toy Train" to Darjeeling
18th, 19th, 20th: Relax and recover in Darjeeling. Sip tea. Stare at Mt. Everest. Generally enjoy life.
21st: taxi to Bagdogra, flight from there to Delhi.
22nd: Leave Delhi for the states around midnight 22nd/23rd. HOME!

Well, time to go back and finalize some plans before boarding the bus. I'm going to miss Delhi! The next blog post will be from the top of the world! Namaste

PS: The Indian government has released a statement saying that Srinagar is safe to travel to which has caused tourism in the area to spike. It'll be full of tourists and is safe. I wouldn't go if it weren't safe. Plus, I've been able to talk my way out of a few sticky situations before. The Pakistani army has nothing on this face! ;) love you all!

Novel observations

Because Lin can probably say it better than I can:

Snaking lines of sari-clad women carrying dishes of gravel on their heads wove through all the workplaces, from man-made dunes of small stones to the yawning mouths of ceaselessly revolving cement-mixing machines. To my western eyes, those fluid, feminine figures in soft red, blue, green, and yellow silk were incongruous in the physical turmoil of the construction site. Yet I know, from watching them through the months, that they were indispensable to the work. They carried the stone and steel and cement on their slender backs, one round dish-full at a time.
---Near my flat there is a building being built. This is a scene I've seen played out many times. The women carry gravel and cement to and from the construction site on round plates. It seems like nothing would ever get accomplished in this manner. It hasn't been fast, but over the past 6 weeks I've seen that building torn down and partially rebuilt by sari-clad women and boys with ashen faces, greyed from the dust. Don't get any ideas Dad! I know Mom's not particularly accomplished at saying "no" but I would bet money that she wouldn't go for this... :)

I don't know what frightens me more, the power that crushes us or our endless ability to endure it.
--The power frightens me more and the endurance gives me hope. In India majority of the people are being crushed by the power of others. Kept down because it's convenient for a select crowd of people who grasped at power and used religion to justify it. Religion has always been used in this manner. It's a great tool. A dirty tool. A bloody tool. And the people in the slums endure this weight that they carry daily. It isn't frightening that these people can live through such an existence, but rather it is a hopeful example of the human spirit and the will to go on. People in the slums have to be optimistic that the next generation will see a better life. I have that in common with them: optimism.

It isn't a secret, unless keeping it hurts.
--True story. A good secret will sleep in your heart and close your mouth. When you let it go, if you get the chance, you're a lighter soul.

(This one has been edited to fit the audience of this blog...) This is India, man. This is India, This is the land of the heart. This is where the heart is king, man. The F*ing heart. That's why you're free (out of jail). That's why that cop gave you back your phoney passport. That's why you can walk around, and not get picked up, even though they know who you are. They could've screwed you man. But they didn't do it, and they won't do it, because you got them in their heart, man, in their Indian heart. They looked at all what you did here (the slums), and how the people in that slum love you, and they thought, well, he screwed up in Australia but he's done some good shit here. If he pays up, we'll let the guy go. Because they're Indians, man. That's how we keep this crazy place together- with the heart. It's the heart that keeps us together. There's no place with people like my people. There's no heart like the Indian heart.
--Every Bollywood movie, or rather every "masala" movie from Bollywood is a love story. A story of the heart. I haven't been here long enough to know if this passage is fully true, but I believe it. They fall in love fast and hard. Friendships are made between people within minutes of a greeting, and as V & Varun have proven to me, they'll do anything for you. This country gives from the heart and it's a beautiful generosity.

I love her too much, Lin! Is love, yes, when a terrible feeling makes you happy? When you worry about a girl, more even than you worry about your taxi? That's a love, isn't it? A great love, isn't' it?
--Love: a terrible feeling that makes you happy. teek hai. Acha. (okay. good.)

...men reveal what they think when they look away, and what they feel when they hesitate. With women, it's the other way around.
---So women reveal what they think when they hesitate and what they feel when they look away. Again, I don't know if this is generally true. But another question, why is it that people attack hesitation so brazenly? When someone is asked a loaded question like, "I love you" and the person that the question was directed at hesitates even for a second, it's taken as a bad sign. Women will sit together over coffee or martinis and tell their friends, "but he hesitated. What does that mean?" It means he's a guy and can't form the correct response instantly and fitted to your liking. It means he took a breath. That's what that means. It's over-thinking that kills confidence.

The Indians are the Italians of Asia. It can be said, certainly, with equal justice, that the Italians are the indians of Europe. There is so much Italian in the Indians, and so much indian in the Italians. They are both people of the Madonna - they demand a goddess, even if the religion does not provide one. Every man in both countries is a singer when he's happy, and every woman is a dancer when she walks to the shop at the corner. For them, food is music inside the body, and music is food inside the heart. The language of india is the language of Italy, they make every man a poet. These are nations where love - amore, pyaar - makes a cavalier of a Borsalino on a street corner, and makes a princess of a peasant girl, if only for the second that her eyes meet yours.
--I think this is why I love both countries.

In my crowded mind

Preclude: Shantaram has really got me thinking about love, faith, fate, and what we're doing in this life that we've been given.

I think too much. If you think I do a lot of talking, you should hear my internal commentary. Ever since I can remember, I've had a running commentary going on inside my head. I'm not crazy...my mommy says I'm special ;) Anyway, I guess the following rant is what I can remember of the last string of thoughts I had while riding in a rickshaw with Katie back from Connaught Place.

Fate and Faith are opposites. Faith is that self-inflicted jump from the ledge. Just as your toes lick the space between the grass and the abyss, you tie on your own blindfold. Depending on the conviction of the faith, the knot in the blindfold may be a double, or the blindfold may be merely a screen. That leap of faith is always taken for something: religion - god, Jesus, Allah, Buddha, ram; another human being; a personal conviction; or even fate itself. most people are afraid to jump, others are unable to jump, and some people put one foot in front of the other off that cliff much too often or way too quickly. Faith is what surrounds your world. Fate is what happens to you when the world gets tired of waiting.
Just as we can bound blindly into faith, fate blinds us from seeing the whole plan until after it's all played out. Fate doesn't trust us to see the destination of our path because that would take the fun out of life. And I'm not talking about a birth-to-death path. I mean this to be applicable to anything that happens during one's existence. Life is more like a "choose your own adventure" novel. As if fate itself will show us three doors and then it's our choice which door we open. Fate, like a gameshow host, will adjust his tie with a nervous twitch and then wink as the door is opened and the shaded path is revealed. Faith in that fate is what makes us walk on, through the door. Fear is what stays our feat. Love is what makes our footsteps light.
We make these "door number 1 or door number 2" decisions everyday. I happen to hate making decisions. Or rather, I hate making decisions that directly affect other people. For instance, door #1 = restaurant A. door #2 = restaurant B. My response = I'll eat anything so it doesn't matter to me...someone else choose. If I were by myself in this decision, my door-choosing would be quick, easy, and done in external silence. These are the easy door-choosing decisions.
The decisions I really fear are the ones that affect the people I love. For instance, go to India and miss Chanel's wedding, or work for a firm that I'm miserable at in Spokane and go to Chanel's wedding. A less selfish person may not be sitting in a New Delhi office chair writing this blog right now. But I have faith that someday I can make it up to her and that she'll forgive me.
I had faith that I would love India. When I got the acceptance email, I instantly accepted. Easy decision. I chose this door, picked out a bright & sparkly blindfold, and boarded the plane to New Delhi. The path has been dirty but unblemished. Beautiful but littered. Just like India.
I've met a lot of people over here: the other interns whom some I now can count as close friends... who have led me to Israel, India, and France (inside joke). Christine and Lydia who have led me to Vaibhav, Varun, Mahima, Samir, Samar, and Kunal. I truly believe that I've met them all for a reason. There is one of them that I wish I had more time with. I know that I'll keep in touch with Iram, Sarah, Lisa, and Katie. It's faith and fate that got me here, to this place of love. Love for India, in India, and with India.

Speaking of love...
Vaibhav (whom we call V) and Varun rescued Katie, Lisa, and I last night from the power outage that left us sweating in our dark, hot flat. We were talking about a certain someone when Varun asked if I was in love. V answered for me. He said, "of course she's not in love with him. Remember what Christine said, they don't fall in love as fast as we (Indians) do." that got me thinking...why do we not fall in love as fast as they do in India? Is it because we're "smart" to get to know someone better before we leap, or is it fear that keeps our hearts at bay? Maybe the wisest answer is that it's both our head and our fear...in combo with past personal history. We're allowed to date more often and more causally in the states than in India making our past personal history with the game of love more freckled with landmines.
I'm lucky though. I still believe in a few things: (1) love at first sight, and (2) that there is someone (or more than one) out there for everyone. I have faith. But as my friend Veraya says, I'm eternal sunshine. Meaning that I'm always optimistic. Every situation has a bright side, you just have to be willing to feel around in the dark until you find it.

I have half a mind not to post this because it feels oddly personal and maybe a little bit of an ego-rant to think that anyone cares to read about what I think of these things. So if you did read it, thanks.

Well, I'm off the gym :) ciao

Americana & fish food

Weekend in Delhi

This weekend we didn't go on any grand adventure. Instead, we opted to remain in Delhi, go to the US Embassy 4th of July party for some Americana, and just poke around the city that we've called home for a month-and-a-half. We didn't end up doing so much outdoor sight-seeing since the monsoons have ceased for at least a while and therefore the temperature is again over 110, but it was still nice to just stay here.
Friday night all of the interns, united under the absence of Jacob, took out Iram for her last night here in Delhi. We went to a sports bar so that little Iram could watch the Andy Murray/Andy Roddick Wimbledon match. The All Sports Bar is severely confused. It's a sports bar in appearance, walls dotted with flat screens...men drinking pints....but it is a dance club in music selection and volume. I'm a loud person and if I'm screaming and cannot be heard by the person sitting next to me, the music is way too freakin loud! Maybe I am old...sitting on the cusp of "mid twenties"...but I'm pretty sure my early-twenties self would have been appalled at the offensive volume level as well. Iram didn't get to watch the end of the match because she too was upset at the music volume. When she heard that Roddick had defeated her lovely Scotsman, I thought she was going to cry! Of course that didn't stop me from doing a minor happy dance in front of her. :) Mostly she was sad because she didn't think Roddick would put up a fight agaisnt Federer and the final match would suck. Turns out she was wrong though and I bet she's happier with the Roddick/Murray outcome now. Tennis aside....

Saturday I slept in and then went to the gym with Sarah. Let me tell you...running in the mid-day heat = sweaty. That night was the 4th of July party. It was so refreshing to hear the American accent! To not be the drastic minority! The DJ was Indian. It always fascinates me to hear what people from other countries think represents "America" musically. Village People, Michael Jackson (obvi), Akon (....WTF), Abba, Britney Spears, Snoop Dogg, and Ode to Lisa: Sweet Home Alabama (Boston? what?). The party was on the Embassy's baseball field...of course. What I would do for 9 innings of beer and hot dogs in Safeco...

Sunday I woke up before everyone else and walked to Green park to use the internet and catch up on Shantaram. I needed some alone time. I can't constantly be around people. It drains me of energy and patience. I find that I'm not as functional if I can't get some time to spend with me, doing whatever I feel like at the moment. It is possible to be alone and not lonely, just as it's possible to be amongst hundreds of people and feel all alone. Actually, I think the latter is more frequent. But I digress...
Katie, Lisa, and I met up later in the day and went to Gandhi's home...which is also where he was assassinated. The museum was one of the most modern museums I've been in. With all of the technology depicting Gandhi's life and philosophy, I was left feeling angry at the Indian government. I highly doubt that Gandhi would be happy to know that his home stores thousands of dollars worth of technology when there are people living on the street corner outside of the posh home. Starving. Such is India though.
Katie and I got the most original pedicures at the mall. Leave it to the Japanese to come up with this one....tiny fish that eat the dead skin off of your feet! It was the weirdest sensation I've experienced. You could feel them nibbling away at your toes!
Life in India has flown by! I still have 17 more days or so, but I feel like the days are slipping past me. I'm really happy here! Don't get me wrong, I miss home, but this place has become uniquely special to me. Not knowning when I'll ever return has made me anxious... I need to enjoy every minute! But when you're focused on enjoying every little part, is it possible to truely take it all in? I'm over-thinking this. The next week and a half will be an indulgence of taking what is coming with open arms and drinking in this experience for all it's worth.

Independence Day

Happy 4th of July! I hope that you all ate a hot dog and/or hamburger, drank Budweiser, and lit off explosives...preferably done after a few too many Buds, while wearing a sleaveless tank top and trucker hat depicting an eagle flying through an American flag. Now that's Ammmerrrica.
The American Embassy threw a killer 4th of July party for all US citizens last night. We haven't seen a lot of Americans around while we're traveling so it was nice to know that they exist! I had a chicken burger and ice cream. There isn't a lot of beef eating in India...so since I haven't had beef in over a month, I figured that I didn't want to take the chance of it making me sick. We danced to Michael Jackson (may he rest in peace) and drank beer served by the Marines. It's just nice to be around people who speak with an accent you don't have to concentrate on to understand. I wore a white tutu-esque skirt with a blue frilly top and took along my red clutch...cause like duh, that makes me red, white and blue....go team US!
So I hope you all stayed safe and had a good holiday!

slum life

On Tuesday night Katie and I went to Iram's house to watch a Hindi movie and have dinner. Iram's mom lives in a nice neighborhood just east of Safdarjung...the colony that we live in. It's known for being a place where wealthier people reside. Just like most things in this country of extremes, next to the beautiful houses in Kailash Colony, is a roaring slum. Katie and I lucked out and were able to see the people who live in the slum waging battle for their water ration. A water truck comes once a day to supply the thousands of people with a bit of water for all their bathing, cooking, and drinking needs. the Hoses spill out the side of the truck like Hookah hoses. The commotion looked like a storm. By the time we payed the rickshaw driver and got our cameras out, some of the people had dispersed, carrying their lucky score of water on top of their heads, back to the slums. The picture doesn't do the chaos justice. It's sad that people have to live like this, but it was something that I hadn't been able to experience yet in Delhi. If you click on the picture you'll be able to view a larger version of it.

monsoon season

THANK. GOD. It was starting to get too hot...even for me. Interesting side note, the Hindi word for snow is "barf." It's pronounced "bar-af" but still. Usually I would agree to with "barf" as in vomit. I hate to be cold. Summer in India knows nothing of cold. The lows at night are above 90 for christ sake.
The monsoon has started and it's much cooler. The highs are now around 90...what is a relief. Melodrama aside, it really does feel like your melting. I'll spare ya the details. The monsoon isn't what I expected though. It's just rain in Delhi...not like a hard, river that will take our your house, downpour that I expected. It has only rained during the night too...like it knows when it's most convenient to rain or something. I have no problem jumping puddles on my way to the gym if it means cooler days!
The picture above is of me trying to find relief from the heat. The AC at work had been out for two full days and the AC at home for one day and one night. a night without AC felt like the fire pits of hell. So I put on my loosest clothes and gave the marble floors a little lovin'...snuggled with the marble.

Family resemblance

I never thought that I looked anything like either of my parents. Yeah I have my dad's cleft chin and my mom's hair & freckles. That's about where it stops. I don't have my either of their eyes (dad's are brown, mom's are blue, mine are green). Both sides of my family have a look about them. Ian looks distinctly "Wehmeyer" with his black hair and facial features: the Wehmeyer nose and lips. He looks like Brent and Chad (our cousins) I think. On first glace I may not look like either of my parents but Ian and I do look alike. We used to get asked if we were twins. Its our eyes and our smiles: small eyes...big smiles. My mom's side of the family has a distinct nose (no offense guys but I'm really glad I didn't get that!) and light eyes. I think maybe my figure is from their side, most resembling my aunt Michele. I have no one to compare with that's my age because all of my cousins on that side of the family are boys. Ironic really since my mom only has sisters, they had all boys.

My personality though, is laced with both of my parents. Whenever my dad tries to tell me I'm the milk man's baby I snicker at him wickedly because we both know that we're too much alike and there is no doubt that I'm my father's daughter. I have the Wehmeyer stubborn reserve and my dad's sarcasm. Dad and I can crack each other up with our quick whit (not to toot my own horn but we can be quite whitty). There is nothing like coming home and getting a bear hug from my dad and having him tell me he's proud of me! Then there is my dear sweet, considerate mother (yes dad, you are sweet and considerate also...it's just that you blanket it in sarcasm and therefore don't get credit for it...and i think that's just the way you like it). Everyone loves you. You've never hurt a fly. Your heart is as bigger than your teeny little frame. But really, stop making dad's life so hard! I mean, the man can't take it anymore! (WINK! inside joke). I love to tease my mom (another thing I inherited from Dad). She just gets this really cute look on her face and smiles before she says something like, "ah you guys! quit it!" Then I bend down to her height (she's lil) and give her a squeeze, and get a good strong squeeze in return. She may be small, but I still bet she could kick some major ass!

Recently though people have been telling me that I look like my mom. Even I've been noticing it! This is a good thing since I have a particularly beautiful mother (I can just see her blushing now). I think it's our smile that's the same. It also may have something to do with my lack of makeup over the past few months. It just melts off here in India! Too hot. I did inherit great hair from her. Whatever it is, I hope it continues.

My posts are becoming less about my day-to-day life in India and more to do with random things that I've been thinking about. I guess it's both a travel blog and a personal blog. I've always been an over-share-er. deal with it.

My fellow SAHRDC interns

Katie, Iram, Sarah















Lisa & I









We all traveled to a foreign country half way around the world alone and found each other. I have made some great friends here! Katie is my roommate. She's from the University of Georgia, grew up outside Atlanta, but is not what us west-coasters would characterize as "southern." Neither is Lisa - who grew up in Alabama and is now at Boston College law. They're both liberal, which is okay. And Irish, which is awesome! I love the Irish. Katie is more reserved than I am (though that's not hard to accomplish) and we get along great! We're both indecisive and have the ability to say "I don't care. what do you want to do?" to each other about 5 times before we decide on anything. :) When everyone else is tired or wants to talk to their BF on the phone (cough... Sarah), Katie is always encouraging me to go out and have fun; experience the city that we're calling home for a short period of time.
Lisa did a complete 180 on me! When she came in to the office, a week or so after me, I thought she was quiet and shy...meaning that we probably wouldn't have a lot in common. Yeah no. Lisa has been keeping my life quite interesting over here! She has a blog as well and I envy her eloquence. She just has a way of putting things...I don't know how to explain it. Lisa has been moving around India more freely than the rest, meeting new people and make fast friends! I could easily see her coming to GU and fitting in perfecting with Natalie, Jenn, KB, Jennie, and I. I'm going to have to make a trip to Boston I think...
Never in my life did I think that someone who went to a private DC high school, Harvard, and then Yale law, and I would ever be friends. Sarah is not what I expected her to be...clear case of don't judge a book by it's cover. She's so funny! Her humor is elevated and intelligent, sometimes going right over my head so fast I can hear the wind move with it...Something about a type writer and train...Lisa and I cried with laughter. We workout together, travel together, shop together, and eat together. We share a love of Forever 21 clothing and a good run. And I love her laugh.
Then there is Iram. She's from Calcutta. I'm going to miss her so much! This is her last week in the office before she goes back to start school again. In India, just like in the UK, law school is it's own college, lasting for a total of five years. They don't go to undergrad and then law school. She said to us, just image being stuck with all the law school twits-type A people, for FIVE YEARS. Iram is brutally honest in the sweetest way possible. Like when she saw a picture of me from a few years ago she said, "wow you were really skinny!" I couldn't help but laugh. Then she said, "you look much better now. I think the men in India like this better too." I really hope she comes to visit the US sometime. India is very modest. We were in a coffee shop, the five of us, and Sarah was so hot that she used her dress hem as a fan for her legs. If your knees are showing, it's scandolous, and we could see Sarah's thigh....Iram had a little freak out moment. She put her hand over her eyes like a visor and said, "please stop doing that! Okay just stop!" Sarah, without missing a beat, looked around and then lifted the end of the dress a little higher, real quick. Of course Katie, Lisa, and i thought it was halarious and Iram didn't know what to do. She said that you don't even see girls in the dorms like that! It was a great example of our normalcy crashing into Iram's version of promescuity.
Those are my friends here. Even right now we're laughing....talking about certain Indian men and Sarah's boyfriend. We occupy a floor of the office together. Which means we interupt work with jokes and stories. When our A/C quit we sweat together, complain together, and choke down the office lunch together. I can't believe it's already July!! I'll miss them when it's time to go...

Philosophy in India

I guess you could call this a follow up to my first Shantaram entry. This book has really gotten me thinking about my own life and what philosophy I live by.I was a philosophy minor at Gonzaga...not that means much because I was never really good at remembering whose philosophy was whose. They were mostly all pessimistic and as the eternal optimist, I couldn't relate to most of the people we studied. Life is supposed to be happy! Isn't that what we're all hear to find? The sand-between-your-toes kind of happiness? At least that's my version of it. Just the sound of the waves and the sand between my toes....maybe a Carona or two as well....

Here are some more phrases from Shantaram I've dog-eared:

"Sometimes we love with nothing more than hope. Sometimes we cry with everything except tears. In the end that's all we have - to hold on tight until the dawn." ---I think we've all seen people cry with everything except tears: A hunched over walk, shuffled feet, and that glazed over look of defeat. Like your eyes can see everything and nothing all at once. I think it's interesting that he ended that with "until the dawn" because that look in a person is all about light. There is a light in one's eyes that can darken...but most of the time, night fades and the dawn returns. That's how you know a person is healing.

There are only three big questions, the book says: Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where are we going? -- I'm refraining from answering all of these with sarcasm - my go-top response when I don't have an intelligent answer . (Maybe another one should be, what is happiness?)

'"What characterises the human race more, Karla once asked me, cruelty or the capacity to feel shame for it?" I know now that it is neither of these, but rather, it is forgiveness.' --I have to agree that I think forgiveness seems uniquely human. The ability to forgive, or rather the choice to forgive, seems to differ between all of us. I know I forgive others too easily sometimes. I know I make mistakes all the time and when I do make those mistakes, I want the people around me to forgive me...so I forgive them. It's a karma thing I guess....which isn't very alturistic of me. Most recently, Chanel...my very good friend from undergrad. I'm missing her wedding, and I was supposed to be a bridesmaid, to be here in India. I hope someday she'll fully forgive me for that. I love her dearly and know that her wedding will be EPIC!

Sorry if these sort of entries are boring! But if you don't like it...don't read it! :) If you want to add something or a topic, just leave a comment

weekend in Rajasthan

My fellow interns and I make the executive decision that we deserved a long weekend! Ravi, our boss, concurred that Udaipur and Jaipur should be given at least 3 days time in order to take in the sights. Lovely!
Sarah, Katie, and I took off friday around 7pm and arrived in Udaipur around 8am. Sarah was going to stay the weekend and let Katie and I use her room for the one day that we had allotted for the city. Udaipur is south west of Delhi. It's Lake Palace is the #1 destination in my Lonely Planet. Madonna has rented it out, as has the Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie crew. It lived up to the hype! The City Palace and the Lake Palace were both breathtaking and Udaipur is easily the best place we've traveled to (I mean, I loved McLeod and it's gorgeous view as well. The two can't be compared I guess). The Lake Palace sits in the middle of a man-made lake....when it's full. Since the monsoon has just now started, the Saturday that we spent there was the last dry day of the year. Of course there was still a slew to take people from the mainland to the Palace, damned on both sides by built up earth.
We had a rickshaw tourguide take us around Udaipur. Compared to everywhere else we've been, the city was deserted. It was quiet. The honking was minimal. It was a very peaceful place. Katie and I rode a camel!! For a fantastic view of the city, our driver took up to the Monsoon Palace which sat on this hill.

Late that night Katie and I left our brave little Sarah in Udaipur, and hopped another train to Jaipur. We were lazy getting our tickets and were stuck in a non-air conditioned section of the train. The conductor couldn't get us A/C beds so we went to the A/C chair car. Bad decision. I don't think I slept more than a few restless hours on those hard seats. The lights were a constant spotlight, and I swear that Indians have no concept of sleep! People were up talking all night. Good thing we had a really nice hotel to nap in :)
Around 2pm our rickshaw driver came to get us and take us on a tour of Jaipur! His name was Rahul and just like our Udaipur guy, he had a guest book with recommendations from people all over the world. There must have been over a dozen different languages jotted down in the little leather notebook. I had high expectations for this guy. He let me down.
We went to some astrology exhibit and visited the Kings' tombs. Then he took us to a textile factory where they printed their own material and everything! I had them make me a navy blue dress. The first attempt at my dress was a disaster, but the second dress (made in a few hours) is really pretty! I'm currently wearing it actually.
Then disaster struck. He took us to a jewelry place. While we were looking at rings, Rahul asked if I wanted to meet his teacher, an astrologist, and have him "read" me. I love this stuff so of course I was excited to meet this man! He ended up reading me like a book. He knew my age. He knew my birthday. He said I care too much about what others think and that's why I'm in law school. He told me that I wouldn't end up being a lawyer. He also said that I've had a turbulent time with love: that it never lines up. He said that I very recently met someone that I like, but that we come from different worlds - he didn't say it wouldn't work, but he did say that it was going to be hard. I think this guy and I have a different definition of "working out" when it comes to relationships. Heck, if I don't end up hurting him or vice versa, I call that a good relationship!
What really freaked me out and made me actually start to cry was that he said, "help your mother." He told me that she was a people-pleaser and wasn't actually happy...that she may be depressed. He talked me into an unstable emotional state...and then went for the kill. I ended up buying healing stones for mom and I. One of my favorite things about my mom's side of the family is that my great-grandma instilled in all of us women a respect for eastern culture and beliefs. Eleanor Irish believed in reincarnation, crystals, etc. She was an amazing woman whom I will never forget. I knew that these healing stones would have been something that she would have felt very connected with. Grandma Irish would not have approved of the price though! I can almost hear her laughter now - it was a light hearted chuckle that she had. "Oh hun... you got screwed!" And when she'd have said this to me, her right hand would have gone to her heart while her left went to her hip. God she was awesome.
The Astrologist told me that I don't sleep much and when I do sleep, it's not well. The stones kept me up all night! The next day I returned them. The minute they were gone from my hand I felt lighter.

In Jaipur Katie and I went to this theme park-ish place for dinner. We rode an elephant, watched dancers, and got our palms read (I really should stop doing this). The astrologist and the palm reader told me I will have at least 3 kids and marry at age 29 to someone not "American." hmm.......5 more singles years? I'm going to take this glass-half-full and say that this gives me 5 more years to go to dance clubs and exotic countries! heck yes! The palm reader also told me I'm a very lucky person! With that though, I must agree. I'm lucky to be here and I enjoy being here. I'm more lucky to have what I have at home and people there who love me.

All in all though it was a good weekend...definitely the most interesting weekend yet. I think from now on I'll let fate speak to me on it's own terms. I'm pretty sure my own fate is as independent and stubborn as I am. She wouldn't like being spoken for through random "astrologists."

camels

I took a ride on a real, live camel today! holy geez! Udaipur is sooda (beautiful in hindi)! Loving it. Tonight though we catch a 2nd class, non-A/C train (.......) to Jaipur. more on all this later. I just couldn't wait to share the camel incident. okay bye.