July 9, 2012 - Romping in Rural India

Oh how wonderful a full night’s sleep is! Vinay and I slept 10 hours last night – and that was in addition to the 3 hour nap. I totally slept like a baby! Well, a happy contented baby, that is.

From now on, Vinay and I will always come in July. It is cooler here than in Oklahoma right now – it’s a welcome, unexpected relief! I hope it stays this way for the entire trip. It’s not supposed to surpass 95 F  - at least this week.

8:00 am breakfast was served. We were served a delicious meal of rice cakes and sanbar, along with the daal left over from last night’s supper.  Rice cakes are a delicious mixture of rice powder and coconut milk. That’s it. They are fried in round, flat circles (kinda like pancakes), but they fluff up and have a texture resembling cake.

Vinay’s mom is aware that I am, under doctor’s orders, abstaining from any foods with gluten. She has been amazing about it – ensuring that I have a substitute for any bread or gluten product served. This is particularly kind of her as I am also a vegetarian. This can make gluten-free eating a bit difficult at times.

Sambar is a traditional South Indian breakfast – it’s veggies in a gravy-like sauce. Finally, daal is basically a type of lentil with various Indian spices added to it.

After breakfast, Vinay’s Mom and I had a long chat. Vinay left the house to run some errands around town (and also to pick up the girls from the hotel for lunch). Our conversation was deep. She explained to me her health conditions (she suffers from diabetes, vertigo, fatigue, and chronic pain). Carefully, methodically she went through her plastic Tupperware like container and showed me each pill prescribed to her and why.

With tears in her eyes, she shared with me some memories of her late husband, Vinay’s father. She spoke about her three children, and how proud she was of all of them, but how closely she held her son, Vinay, to her heart. She vigorously pointed to her heart, “my son, I hold him above my husband.” She told me how so many people approach her and ask why she let Vinu (his nickname) marry an American, “Americans just get divorced! Americans don’t care about the family!” Vinay’s mom gestured widely with her hands and thrust them above her head for added emphasis while explaining what her family and friends perceive of all Americans.   

Mom then gently placed her hands on the table, next to her pill container, and looked at me with her soft brown, beautiful eyes, “I tell them she is different. Vinu told me she isn’t like that. And I believe him. I tell them she is different.” She continued to refer to me in the third person throughout most of the conversation. I wonder how much she endures, how many negative or judgmental glances she receives. I wonder if Vinay knows, if she even tells him. I scarcely knew what to say to her, other than that I loved her son and he was something to be very proud of. And I would look after him the rest of my life.

It was a great moment of bonding for his mother and I. She speaks with a heavy, deep Malayam accent and it is often difficult to understand her. Sometimes I have to turn to Vinay for interpretation. However, I was thrilled that, on this occasion, I seemed to understand her better. I don’t know if I have spoken to her enough via phone that I can understand her better, or if her English is just slightly better. I don’t know. It really doesn’t matter. I wish I could get to know my mother-in-law better. But it is difficult to communicate – not only because of the language barrier, but because of the distinct cultural differences.

*****MEANWHILE*****

In Jackie and Jessica world - they had ordered breakfast in the hotel and decided to venture out on a walk through the streets of Chandrapur by themselves while they waited for Vinay to pick them up.

 

Chandrapur is a very small city in India. Many Indians have no idea where it is – its’ like going to Guymon, Oklahoma, for vacation. Foreigners don’t visit unless there is a business reason or family there to see. It is very, very rare for the citizens of Chandrapur to see a foreigner. Therefore, locals literally stop and crowds often form – everyone wanting to catch a glimpse of the new faces in town. And since Jackie and Jessica are white – they especially stood out in a sea of brown faces. Here are some pictures they took while on their walk:

Everyone was eager to get a picture with the white girls! Others would actually stop and take a picture of us!

Jessica informed me these police officers in the next couple of pictures below were very excited to see them and quite chatty. They even provided a list to the girls of places they should visit in Chandrapur.

This is a picture of a street vendor selling bangles, (which, by the way, are usually much too small for Westerner’s wrists. I have the hardest time finding any that fit.)

Other people they encountered in Chandrapur:

Vinay picked up the girls from the hotel after their adventure walk through Chandrapur.

We enjoyed a delicious lunch that Mom and the maid prepared. Jessica and Jackie experienced eating Indian food the real Indian way – with your right hand only. Here are a few pictures of us from lunch:

 

Mom and maid preparing dinner in the kitchen.

My blog postings in 2009 mentioned this – but Indians only eat with their right hand because the left hand is considered unclean. Anytime Vinay and I eat Indian food at home – we usually eat with our hands. It’s become second nature to me, at least when I am eating Indian food. It’s a fabulous way to enjoy your food on a whole new level – you are engaging in another one of your senses – touch. The more senses we use to engage in something, the more we can live in that moment – the greater the emotion and closeness to that moment in time.

The three of us after lunch:

 

Jessica and Jackie had their first taste of real authentic chai. (Chai is the word for tea) It is good.

After lunch the three of us decided to take a walk down the streets of Chandrapur. It was great fun! Everyone wanted to stop and talk to us, take a picture with us – or of us. Jessica was even asked for her autograph! Jackie is petite – so she didn’t stand out too much. However, Jessica is approximately 6 inches taller than the average Indian man so she can be seen miles J. Her beautiful flowing blonde hair also attracts attention. We literally stopped the streets of Chandrapur and almost caused several traffic accidents. In fact - Jessica even took a couple of videos of our walk. You can even see the boys on bikes surrounding us and the cars on the street stopping.

Us taking a picture while walking:

Random people on the streets :

The beards of the men were awesome:  

People taking pictures of us:

Us taking pictures with others:

We usually tried to ask (if they understood us) if we could take their picture before actually taking it. And then we would show them the picture afterwards, which they really liked to see! Jackie is doing this below:

The videos:

Animals, (especially cows and dogs,) freely roam the streets: (of course, as you probably know, cows are considered holy by Hindus):

After our 1 ½ hour walk, we piled into the car with Vinay. We drove to a nearby grocery store. Vinay and I didn’t pack things like toothpaste or shampoo – because we could purchase them cheaper in Chandrapur and save travel weight in the suitcases. Also, Vinay’s mom needed some ingredients for meals the next few days. Here are pics from the store:

After the store, we then went Salwar Kameez shopping. Salwar Kameez consist of long shirts and leggings underneath. Often a scarf or shawl is also worn with it.  Here is just a random picture from the internet of a couple Salwar Kameez so you know exactly what it looks like:

Here are pictures of us shopping. Sneha (daughter of a close friend - she is wearing the green Salwar) went with us because she knew which stores in Chandrapur to go to. Here are some pictures of us shopping there:

Note - this Indian woman on the far left is a designer of Indian Sarees and Salwar Kameez. She was quite an amazing lady!

This pic below is me trying on a nighty (the long dresses that Indian women wear around the house and to bed.)

Our trip was successful though - we bought several nightys and the other girls found a few Salwars.

Dinner was at a nice restaurant and afterwards, we went to the ice cream parlor - which is my favorite place in Chandrapur.

The parlor is a very busy place with tons of flavors like Mango, Crazy Love, and Butterscotch. This is all of us with our ice cream. Note how small the serving size is....no Braums serving sizes here! The size in the picture is the largest they have!

Finally, after our long day of shopping and eating food, we went our separate ways and fell into bed early again. All of us were still feeling some jet lag and had an early next morning.