Yesterday I saw a woman in a full burka driving a motorcycle. What an unexpected sight! All you could see were her hands because the slit in the cloth around her eyes was obscured by and oversized pair of sunglasses. It was an incongruent but delightful image.
This morning I heard Indian-style synthesized music coming from the window of a nearby apartment building. After a few moments I realized that the familiar tune was "Hark the Herald Angels Sing"!! Another unexpected surprise. There are Jain temples, Hindu temples, Mosques, and even the Parsi Tower of Silence and a fire temple in our neighborhood, but no churches that I know of. I didn't expect to hear any Christmas music this season. After "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" I got to hear a stylized version of "Jingle Bells." I tell you, "dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh" is a little hard to imagine when you're living on the coast of the Arabian Sea!
12 December 2007
11 December 2007
Cricket
Sam asked what I meant in the last post by the sounds of cricket...I mean the game! India is cricket crazy! All over the city young kids, and some not so young ones, play pick-up games anywhere they can find space, including the bit of pavement next to our building. I took the photo at the top of my page during our visit in April...it depicts India's most numerous cricketers, young boys playing with tennis balls and sticks stuck into the ground as wickets. (Also note the amazing banyan tree.) I don't really understand the rules of the game, but its still fun to watch. There is an open ground near Mumbai University called the Oval. On Sunday afternoon the place is overrun with cricketers and their friends and families who come to watch. There are dozens of games, all going on simultaneously, and most times overlapping!
These pictures don't really do justice to the busy-ness of the place on weekends. Its a fun place to gather, interact with other families, and watch cricketers of all ages. You just have to be careful not to unknowingly walk through somebody's game!10 December 2007
18,000,000 + 2
Well, here I am in India. I arrived just less than two weeks ago, joining John in this place that seems about as different from Iowa as a place can possibly be. The first few days were quite difficult-- I had a lot of adjusting to do. The time change alone, 11 1/2 hours (don't ask me about the half, I have no explanation...most people I ask just say that it must be because of something the British did) took its toll on me. I was always wanting to sleep and eat at the wrong times which manifested in three days of headaches and stomachaches. But keeping very active and doing a lot of exploring the first few days helped to accelerate my adapting to a new schedule. I was so happy that John's boss gave him leave for half a week during my first few days, so he and I could spend some time together and he could show me around the city a little bit. We did a lot of errand-running and exploring, and John introduced me to a few of the people he's already met. After long days out and about in the city, I was suitably tired and before too long, I was able to sleep through the night.
But most significantly for me, Iowa is a state with just 3 million people and a very low population density. Mumbai is a city of 18 million and counting (some friends here estimate 20 million), and very densely populated. It is a very busy place. At any time of the day or night, there is activity. And because there are people living or working on literally every square foot of the city, you're always intersecting with someone's projects. Our flat is a remarkable little haven of peace and relative quiet, though the open-aired nature of life here means that there are always background sounds of cooking, hawking, cricketing, honking, sweeping...
At times though, the city is already feeling a little smaller, thanks to the great location of our building. We live in an area called Malabar Hill (You can find this on GoogleEarth, a landmark near our building is Teen Batti, for the curious, this means "three lights"). Malabar Hill is a small peninnsula, extending out into the Arabian Sea. Because it is sort of out of the way of most major roads and commuter routes, there isn't really any through traffic. The people here all live or work in the area, which helps to keep things a bit quieter. I am starting to recognize some faces of shopkeepers, veggie vendors, and security guards (every apartment building has a couple) and I'm sure people are starting to recognize me. I am quite conspicuous, especially over here where there really aren't any tourists. The neighborhood is quite green- the banyan trees are amazing! It is definitely clear that before this was a megalopolis, it was a tropical jungle. We also have a real blessing just a few kilometers away...no, not a temple, though there are plenty of those in the neighborhood, a public park! In the evenings it is the gathering place of families with small children, picnic-ers, and speed-walking sari-clad ladies. There is a really peaceful, communal feeling in Priyadarshni Park.
This week is last in my interim adjustment period. On Wednesday our good friend Mark, from Cardiff, arrives for a long stay. He and I are spending some time traveling in north India, so I will have lots of stories to share. Then he will be with us through Christmas and the New Year, heading back in January. I can't wait to see him, and have another adventure.
But most significantly for me, Iowa is a state with just 3 million people and a very low population density. Mumbai is a city of 18 million and counting (some friends here estimate 20 million), and very densely populated. It is a very busy place. At any time of the day or night, there is activity. And because there are people living or working on literally every square foot of the city, you're always intersecting with someone's projects. Our flat is a remarkable little haven of peace and relative quiet, though the open-aired nature of life here means that there are always background sounds of cooking, hawking, cricketing, honking, sweeping...
At times though, the city is already feeling a little smaller, thanks to the great location of our building. We live in an area called Malabar Hill (You can find this on GoogleEarth, a landmark near our building is Teen Batti, for the curious, this means "three lights"). Malabar Hill is a small peninnsula, extending out into the Arabian Sea. Because it is sort of out of the way of most major roads and commuter routes, there isn't really any through traffic. The people here all live or work in the area, which helps to keep things a bit quieter. I am starting to recognize some faces of shopkeepers, veggie vendors, and security guards (every apartment building has a couple) and I'm sure people are starting to recognize me. I am quite conspicuous, especially over here where there really aren't any tourists. The neighborhood is quite green- the banyan trees are amazing! It is definitely clear that before this was a megalopolis, it was a tropical jungle. We also have a real blessing just a few kilometers away...no, not a temple, though there are plenty of those in the neighborhood, a public park! In the evenings it is the gathering place of families with small children, picnic-ers, and speed-walking sari-clad ladies. There is a really peaceful, communal feeling in Priyadarshni Park.
This week is last in my interim adjustment period. On Wednesday our good friend Mark, from Cardiff, arrives for a long stay. He and I are spending some time traveling in north India, so I will have lots of stories to share. Then he will be with us through Christmas and the New Year, heading back in January. I can't wait to see him, and have another adventure.
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