Catch up

I haven't written for almost a week, I realize. I have just put up a post about today (see below) but will now do a brief catch-up since the last post, so that you can read it if you are dying to know.

Feb. 14: Valentine's Day
My Valentine's Day was most peculiar. I had no chocolate at all (oh wait that's not true--I got a KitKat as a prize for remembering the number of tigers the government SAID were still living in India. This happened at Avinash's school story telling competition. So, yes, I did have chocolate, I guess). The newspaper has been full of articles about how the police are out in full force to stop opposed groups of people from hurting couples trying to celebrate the day, or about how some schools are allowing students to celebrate the holiday despite the controversy. Actually, its been Valentine's week here to spread the love/consumerism out (one day for chocolate, one for flowers etc). I was wished Happy Valentine's Day by Caitlin and by Maddhu Uncle, a really nice family friend (Dubey family) whom I have met twice and who texted me a long quotation about loving humanity. I rounded off the day by being told a story of an ended love. I then dreamt that fully 1/4 of my teeth fell out. It was, as I said, peculiar.

February 13
Another trip out to Pukriya (a Satellite Clinic). I once again got to talk to Maddhu Uncle which again was nice. I was supposed to go see the humongous village vegetable market that people come from miles around to shop at. But though I got in a car and told that I was going there, I found myself at a brick making field being interviewed by many people with very little English involved. It is quite hard to answer a question when 4 people are asking it to you in a mix of English and Hindi at escalating volume levels. At one point the one reporter asked what I thought the difference is between Indians and Canadians. As I was trying to take a stab at answering without making a huge broad sweeping generalization/blunder, I started to say that I think Canadians are more reserved. But before I could get very far the man to my left said something to the effect of "Ah yes, selfish" (it was in Hindi, so I didnt really catch it). I broke off to say "No! not selfish!" and then the other people started shouting at him and it spiralled into chaos. I would dearly love to read what kind of story came out of this all. Needless to say, though, it ate up all my time for the market and so I will be heading back out next week for attempt # 3.

Feb. 12
This day all I wanted to do was sleep. I almost fell asleep in the waiting room of the nursing home as I was waiting to go to see a surgery. This would have been alrigth except there was someone trying to talk to me. I am sure I seemed slightly unfriendly, but I could NOT stay away. I didn't conk out while in surgery though and saw the end of a Laproscopic Surgery as well as a Kidney obstruction removal surgery (that's the technical term for it...).

Feb 11
Today I went back to the Spastic Centre again, this time to watch a celebration of Spring: the whole school was attending a Puja to Saraswati, the goddess of learning. The exciting part was that after this (and after I ate 2 entire samosas and several jalebies (sp?)) I got to ride in a rickshaw to go buy clay pots!!! I went to somewhere called "Banana Row" which was described as a place that I would never go otherwise. I felt as though I was going to fall off the rickshaw into the path of an oncoming horse/bike, thus fulfilling the unvoiced expectations of many that I am slightly inept and unable to cope BUT I did not and it was great fun.
We walked down many winding roads full of cows to get to the clay pots. It actually felt like a whole different city than the one I have been living in for over a month now.
Later that afternoon I went shopping with the daughter of the woman at the spastic centre. After feeding me a 'paneer wrap' from McDonalds we went back to the local market. I had a new type of street vendor snack and confirmed my suspicion that my elephantine feet shall not find any shoes of appropriate proportions in India. Ah well.

Feb 10
Today was entirely filled with going to the IMA (Indian Medical Association) Car Rally. What is a Car Rally? you might ask. It's a good question and i'm not entirel sure. There were 130 cars that participated though. As far as I have understood all the cars get a starting point and then go on a predetermined route, through the city, suburbs and villages, stopping at various points to complete quizes and hand out leaflets about heart health. The ultimate purpose is what confuses me the most: is it just fun? is it the prizes? is it the pamphlets? I did not actually participate but drove around wtih the organizer, which was nice. I did flag off some of the cars.
That night was the Car Rally awards ceremony. It included performances by a dance troop that were fun to watch even as I was slightly overwhelmed by all the mixing cultures: Canadian me, in India, watched a dance troop from Pakistan dance to Shakira, Mambo No. 5 and Ricky Martin. There were also fireworks being shot into the sky from behind. I'm still not sure what to make of it.
I ate alot of food today.

A final note: I have been increasingly noticing how things alter in translation...For example, I can understand enough Hindi to know that some of the things that the reporter was told on Wednesday were not so much MY answers as what the translator thought my answers would be. Also today in the car I tried to explain who I am and why I'm here, but I'm pretty sure that by the time we reached the village, the last person who had got in the car beleived me to be an eye specialist from Canada. I wish I knew Hindi.