Just Everyday Stuff

Well, it’s been awhile everyone. I know, I just can’t seem to get my act together when it comes to regular updates. Although, for many of you I am sure that you are so busy you don’t notice right away about my posts.

My last week in Jaipur was full of one word: RESEARCH! I was gathering resources for my project on rural health development and gender at the Institute for Development Studies library. Christine was often with me, doing some of her stuff on adolescent migration issues. We did spend a good amount of time at the library, but could only stomach it for four hours at a time or so because it was so cold in there. Those of you who are wading through snow right now may find it hard to believe, but India is cold! I know, 60 degrees doesn’t seem cold to most of you, but when you are living in poorly insulated houses that are built to be cool there is no refuge from the air.

Even though we were focusing on research, we did have time to have fun. One day Christine and I climbed a big hill/mountain that overlooks the whole city of Jaipur. Adam (the visiting “Taj” Adam) showed us a path, and for the most part there were really steep stairs almost all the way up. But then they stop and you kind of have to free climb the rest (and I thought of Krista the whole way. If only we had discovered this earlier, then maybe you would have gotten some of your climber angst out!). On loose rocks. And I am afraid of heights. The way up wasn’t too tough, but the way down was really scary. At one point I was looking down the path to where Christine and Adam were, and it was completely vertical. I could see straight to the ground. And as I was trying to ignore my vertigo I had visions of the awful hospital in Mumbai and how I knew if I fell I wouldn’t survive. I made it back safely, of course, but I don’t know if I will be doing that climb again soon.

The three of us also went out to eat with Tim and Sushmita, Tim’s fiancée. Tim met her two years ago when he was first studying in India, on a train from Bangalore to Jaipur. They fell in love, and he came to India another time last year for a little, and finally came back this time with a ring. They are absolutely great together, but they have had some hard times recently. Her family disapproves of the marriage. Its not that they don’t like Tim, but what would the neighbors and the community say if they found out that their Indian daughter had married a white American boy? After spending dinner with the two of them its so easy to see how perfect they are for one another and what a shame it would be if the family conflict this aroused would cause them to break up (or break the engagement off). My favorite part of the evening was when Tim was declaring his love for goats. (Tim does love goats; I have soo many pictures of him petting goats on all the different excursions he has taken with us.) So he was telling us that he loved goats and when he had a house he was going to have a goat and call it Sushmita. Well, if it was me I would have sulked and complained that my fiancée would do such a thing, but Sushmita snapped back and said, ”Well, then I am going to have a pig and I’m going to call it Tim-Tim.” I giggled and giggled, and instantly fell in love with her. Tim has always told us how great she is, but that was just one example to me.

In the middle of the week I had to move out of Mrs. Singh’s house. The new spring semester MSID students were coming, and one of them was taking my room there, so I had to go. I went to this cute hotel on M.I. Road called “Atithi”. I liked staying at a hotel, and it was nice to be by myself and not feel like I was abandoning Mrs. Singh by reading a book or going out with friends. It was also nice because there was a group of Christians at the hotel who were there studying religion and to evangelize. They were all undergrads and grad students from Southeastern College, a Baptist school. Well, when they found out I was a) alone at the hotel, b) a Christian and c) had been in India since September they asked me lots of questions. It was great too because I felt an instant rapport with them, and felt closer to them than almost anyone I have met in India just because we have the same beliefs. Anyway, they were good enough to take me to church with them. I haven’t been to church since August (except for one time in Kerala, Christine and I went to a catholic service in Malayalam, but we didn’t understand it and it was more of a cultural exercise than church to me). So, I have discovered a new church in Jaipur, and hopefully I will have more opportunities to go back and experience it again and again.

On Friday, the 14th was also a big holiday in Jaipur. Kite Day. Everyone has the day off and everyone flies kites. There are so many in the sky, and you can buy special string with glass shards in it to “battle”. I guess they have kite battles and competitions where you actually try to cut the string of a kite, and the last one standing wins. I was at Christine’s house all day, chatting with her family and also meeting new MSID students. We probably met half of the new people for the semester, and none of them seemed as shell-shocked or frightened as I think all the rest of us were in September. I was really impressed, and I thought they were handling things very well.

Saturday the 15th I just bummed around Jaipur and then Sunday, after church, I caught a train to Chittorgarh. It was so nice to come back, and I was really enthused to see my family again and to show them all my pictures from my vacation. They were excited to see me too, and Piyush said that the kids were asking them all day when I was coming. It is nice to be back, and I think it is nice for them too, because I am entertainment and another person for the kids to play with. I also think its nice for Kavita because she has someone to talk to.

Things at Prayas are pretty much the same. Monday, I twiddled my thumbs and entertained myself, and Tuesday and Wednesday I went out to the field to run around and attend meetings and workshops, etc. Pallavi and Anjali left on Thursday for a meeting in Mumbai, which I am very jealous about. They didn’t come back until today. I would have loved to go with them, and I probably could have, but I didn’t speak up. And Dr. Gupta has gone to the World Social Forum in Brazil where he is speaking, and is leaving tomorrow for 11 days. I called Christine to see if she wanted a visitor this past weekend, but she is going to Ajmer to visit people, so I had a hard time occupying myself while everyone was off having fun.

One of the ways I kept myself busy was by spending more time with my family in Chittor. Kavita is teaching me how to cook Indian food, slowly but surely. I have learned chai and chapattis so far. If I can come back having learned how to make dhal and another vegetable dish, I will have considered myself a success. I also spent more time with the kids, Kush and Shubhi. I played with them and tried to pay attention to them, but they still found ways to get my attention. I was in my room reading and Shubhi came in and started saying, “Leslie didi, Blood! Blood!” I looked down at the finger she was waving at me and saw nothing. She was just trying to get my attention away from my book. We started playing a little, making a fort from my blanket, and Kush joined in to. Just when I thought everything was so great Kush grabbed my nose ring and pulled. It bled a little and didn’t really hurt, but that was where my marginal annoyance with them that day turned into a full-scale get-these-kids-away-from-me feeling.

We also went out to see Sapna’s family’s new house. They moved out from upstairs while I was gone, much to my surprise. They are building a home for themselves kind of near where the Prayas office is, and wanted to be closer to the building site than they were at the Sharma’s house. It was nice to see them again. Sapna is such a warm person and I find her family to be slightly unconventional, which I think is great and can be hard to come by in India. She still works as a teacher even after she has had her first child. And sometimes (most times) when I came to visit her, her husband made us tea while the two of us chatted. They seem so excited to be building their first house, and I am so happy for them.

In the spirit of continuing to share funny emails I get, my former boss Pat sent me this and I thought you might enjoy reading it. Also, soon to come, Leslie’s India Reading list! I have been reading so many books while I have been here (most of them not being about India) and I thought I would make a list recommending the good ones that I have read recently. So you can look out for that as well. Until next time…

After every flight, Quantas' pilots fill out a form, called a "gripe sheet," which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems; document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight.
Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by Quantas' pilots and the solutions recorded by maintenance engineers.
By the way, Quantas is the only major airline that has never had a fatal accident.

(P = the problem logged by the pilot.)
(S = the solution and action taken by mechanics.)

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

P: Something loose in cockpit.
S: Something tightened in cockpit.

P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.

P: Friction locks causes throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what they're for.

P: IFF inoperative.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.

P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

P: Aircraft handles funny.
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.

P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget.