28 July 2008
15 July 2008
Two years and counting...
Happy Anniversary, John!
Thanks for picking the bugs out of my hair. I love you.14 July 2008
Get a whiff
John and I have agreed that years and years from now we’ll still be able to mentally transport back to Bombay in an instant if we encounter particular smells. This a pungent city, indeed. Here is a list of all of the aromas/stenches I made a conscious note of smelling on the mile-long walk from yoga practice to our flat this evening.
Exhaust (car, taxi, scooter and bus),
Tobacco,
Raw onions,
Dust,
Poop (dog and cow),
Roasted corn and nuts,
Nagchampa,
Sea air,
Fresh flowers,
Hot, wet garbage,
Rotting leaves,
Ginger and other cooking spices,
Public urinal,
Chai,
and of course, body odor.
A few of these smells were subtle, but most of them were utterly overwhelming. Walking down the street in Bombay is difficult. Despite being a little more confident in crossing the road, it hasn’t gotten much easier in seven months. You have to be very alert while walking. Otherwise you’ll step in dog poop or in a pothole (or in some of the more rubbley areas you’ll be surprised by stepping out of the predominant pothole), or you’ll get run over by a bicycle, or you’ll take a deep inhalation just as an exhaust-spewing bus hurtles past, or while not realizing you’re down-wind of the urinal or the garbage bin. It’s a sensory challenge, and very exhausting. And take it from me, this is one situation where deep, yogic breathing is not helpful.
Exhaust (car, taxi, scooter and bus),
Tobacco,
Raw onions,
Dust,
Poop (dog and cow),
Roasted corn and nuts,
Nagchampa,
Sea air,
Fresh flowers,
Hot, wet garbage,
Rotting leaves,
Ginger and other cooking spices,
Public urinal,
Chai,
and of course, body odor.
A few of these smells were subtle, but most of them were utterly overwhelming. Walking down the street in Bombay is difficult. Despite being a little more confident in crossing the road, it hasn’t gotten much easier in seven months. You have to be very alert while walking. Otherwise you’ll step in dog poop or in a pothole (or in some of the more rubbley areas you’ll be surprised by stepping out of the predominant pothole), or you’ll get run over by a bicycle, or you’ll take a deep inhalation just as an exhaust-spewing bus hurtles past, or while not realizing you’re down-wind of the urinal or the garbage bin. It’s a sensory challenge, and very exhausting. And take it from me, this is one situation where deep, yogic breathing is not helpful.
03 July 2008
June Holiday, July Monsoon
Well, I’m back in Mumbai after a month-long trip back home to the States. John and I flew back to Atlanta for his sister’s wedding, an extravagant, joyful occasion. It was a terrible journey, full of long delays, but it was of course worth it. We spent a week or so there with family and friends, during which I got to bond with my mother0in-law, have “brain dates” with my sister-in-law, celebrate with my newest brother-in-law, and spend some quality time with my beautiful little niece. Living abroad since we were married has taught us that when we go home to Atlanta, we see everyone, and it is always very busy. So its always nice to have some down time in Iowa afterward. John spent about a week there with my family. Apart from some barn dancing, severe weather, dinner with grandparents, and a visit from friends from Minnesota, it was a pretty uneventful and relaxing week. John flew back to India to return to work and I stayed in Iowa with my family until the end of June.
Before we left it was deadly hot here in Mumbai. Now the monsoon is upon us. After my return it was clear for a few days, a bit overcast but not rainy. Then it poured for three days straight. I almost felt like I was back in Wales as I sat in our flat, curled up with a book and listening to fat raindrops pelt the windows. But the air here is decidedly more humid and the rains smell different. It’s nice to see the trees washed clean of dust for a chance. But the water on the streets is something to contend with. One day this week only about 20 percent of John’s colleagues made it into the office because commuting was too difficult. Luckily we live on a hill. After a day of hard rain though, the downhill streets in our neighborhood were covered with rushing water, with little waterfalls over the curbs and, no joke, rapids. But overall the trend seems to be short downpours off and on rather than steady pouring like we saw this week. At least its nice and cool now!
Before we left it was deadly hot here in Mumbai. Now the monsoon is upon us. After my return it was clear for a few days, a bit overcast but not rainy. Then it poured for three days straight. I almost felt like I was back in Wales as I sat in our flat, curled up with a book and listening to fat raindrops pelt the windows. But the air here is decidedly more humid and the rains smell different. It’s nice to see the trees washed clean of dust for a chance. But the water on the streets is something to contend with. One day this week only about 20 percent of John’s colleagues made it into the office because commuting was too difficult. Luckily we live on a hill. After a day of hard rain though, the downhill streets in our neighborhood were covered with rushing water, with little waterfalls over the curbs and, no joke, rapids. But overall the trend seems to be short downpours off and on rather than steady pouring like we saw this week. At least its nice and cool now!
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