An Expat In India

Slices of unripe, green mango with chili sprinkled on top...considered a delicacy by some, or just an excuse to eat a mango when too impatient to wait for it to ripen! another month, presumably, should do the trick...I await this moment with baited breath! Dear readers, my relationship with technology is akin to a never ending field of battle. I am horrifically dismayed to report that, after spending an entire hour composing and editing the original posting--about three times longer than this version-- with the touch of a mere back button, I managed to delete the entire thing, photos and all. Nothing left, just a blank document. I was utterly disgusted, and thought about not writing about food after all...but then I was inspired to composed this silly ditty in my remaining 10 minutes of internet access here! So forgive me, friends... and at least you get the essence. When I have another hour in another week from now of internet usage, I will attempt to elaborate further! Meanwhi...

Yes, my friends, this is really me! I vacillated for awhile, to be sure...but witnessing man after man in the ashram shaving their heads over the past few days, I felt impelled to follow suit. The hot season is upon us, and you would have to experience the heat and humidity here to truly understand why it drives anyone sane to such extremes! Also, the fact that it was not beautiful. I have colored my hair with henna for years, but now with the lockdown it is is not accessible,  and the contrast of the new growth of gray hair against the old henna-ed red hair was strange,  to say the least.  Plus, so much was broken off and getting in my face, especially every time I would be next to or underneath a fan. I was constantly and incessantly brushing wisps of hair out of my face....it would stick to my forehead and poke in my eyes and so forth. The scrunchies I used? They just wouldn't cut it. Either they were too loose and the hair would fall out of them, or they'd be...

As mentioned two postings ago, one of my favorite trees is the Copper Pod, for the very reason that the blossoms of this magnificent tree are the most amazingly gorgeous I have ever seen. I could not find an image to do it justice; you will simply have to use your imagination and picture thousands of these gorgeous wonders dropping like yellow rain onto the pavement and soil beneath the trees. They inspire awe, stop someone like myself in their tracks. I can only stand and gape. But...I cannot, for I must now be sweeping! What do these magnificent Copper Pod blossoms have to do with "clean dirt", you might ask, and rightly so. And...isn't this an oxymoron?! You betcha. (Also rather reminiscent of my mother's refusal to get a white dog, proclaiming her distaste because such an animal would "show the dirt"!) The idea of "clean dirt" popped into my head the other day when, to my immense exasperation, the Indian women who do seva with me pers...

I spied this horrid, beastly bug Scuttling across our bathroom rug Gaping, I then watched in dread As it headed straight toward Reyna's bed With it sticky little red feet It climbed right up her dangling sheet But sheet flapped under whirl of fan And the creepy thing slid down again Then, with a rather sickening smack It landed flat out on its back On our floor, this pest did lie It's little legs flailing toward the sky Should I squash it with a shoe? Or stage an honorable bug rescue? Oh dear reader, what would YOU do?!?!?

Dear friends, although this is a day belated, the joys of Easter and Passover linger in the riotous abundance of nature here in the ashram. I am sadly ignorant of most of the names of the multitudinous varieties of flora and fauna I encounter, so my descriptions will be brief; instead, I will merely share a few pics I found on the internet of what I am seeing--granted, a very minute and terribly inadequate snippet--but something to give you a little taste just the same.  The lavender flower that you see above is one I frequently pick up on my morning walks through the gardens. I do this daily, while it is still relatively cool...which means it has to be before 8 a.m.! (Stay tuned for a special blog post just on Indian heat!)  My usual routine is to do some hatha yoga postures in my room, then head out by 7 a.m. and spend a half-hour looping around the large field called Dakshin Kashi before winding my way through the myriad garden paths. I pick up wonderful speci...

Since, as I believe I already mentioned, I cannot be taking photos in the ashram--it is considered sacred grounds, and as with any Indian temple that is sacred, this rule applies--I must resort to stock images, such as the one you see above.  But I want you, my readers, to get a good look at this image, because, unbelievably, this sort of thing is a common sight in the ashram and elsewhere in India! Specifically, women "dressed to the nines", as it were, in saris and fancy punjabi dresses, doing physical work such as sweeping! What is more, the insanity of the TYPE of broom you see above is totally typical, from what I have seen: that is to say, a bunch of some sort of plant fiber tied together at one end, and no handle to speak of! Is it back breaking to use one of these implements?! You better believe it! At least, for us westerners. The Indians, unfathomably, don't seem to mind them one bit, or this MOST uncomfortable position that must be assumed to use this...