The Honest Truth

I want to make something clear: I love India. I love the people, the culture, the country. But I don’t always like them. So for the benefit of hopeful exchange students, future travelers, and the like, I’m going to give some honest opinions on what it’s really like to live here.
Continue reading

Posted in India, Tribulations | Comments Off

Late Post

For some reason it’s really hard for me to get a post out. I think it’s because I keep wanting to write about the big things, and the big things are too big for a blog post, and I never know where to start.

So this time I’ll write about little things.
Continue reading

Posted in Food and Drink, India | Comments Off

District Conference Fun

Here’s a glimpse for you of my life in India.

I’m home alone, working on math (the only graduation requirement I haven’t filled yet). The house is quiet. Suddenly, a noise like a motor starts up, and I jump out of my seat to go shut all of the windows in the house, because it’s the mosquito-killing stuff that they spray all through the building every week or so, and we don’t want it in the house. The sitting room window won’t shut. So I give up and run into the master bedroom, but since I’m home alone and it’s night, none of the lights are on in the house and I trip over the little step and stub my toes. I hobble to the window, close it. Then I close the windows in the other two bedrooms. I return to the sitting room and manage to shut the window halfway, but more “smoke” is pouring in through the door frame than the window, so I leave it halfway. I return to my seat.

That’s when I realize my toe is covered in blood.
Continue reading

Posted in Conferences, India, Tribulations | Comments Off

Typing Something

Okay, I know, I’ve been back for 5 days and I’m only writing a new post now. I really did try to start one before, it just wasn’t working out. I had to think about every word before I put it down and I still didn’t like what I was getting. So I’m trying again now, minus the splitting headache I had last time, and I’m going to punch something out whether I like it or not.

Oh dear, here comes the splitting headache.
Continue reading

Posted in Food and Drink, India, Religious Observance, Tea, Tribulations | Comments Off

BLING

So.

Firstly, I refuse to apologize for not writing in a long while. And no complaining either, or I’ll do it again, and you don’t want that.

Secondly, I just got back from a trip to Jodhpur and Jaipur with my neighbors which was really truly AWESOME. We went for my neighbor (Sushil)’s cousin’s wedding. Please note the following points:

Families

Continue reading

Posted in India | 2 Comments

There is no free parking in Minneapolis

They’re called the Twin Cities, but if they really are twins they are clearly fraternal.

Saint Paul and Minneapolis share the same river, the same weather, and the same big University.  One might also mention that they share the same television stations, but nobody watches TV any more.

Over the years, one thing I have learned about Saint Paul’s suburban sibling is that there is simply no free parking anywhere over there.  Even in the absence of parking ramps, a lack of meters, and a dearth of dirt lots with signs announcing “Event Parking” in big letters, there are street signs to let you know that a bill from the city will be placed under your windshield wiper should you dare to park between this hour and that.
Continue reading

Posted in Neighborhood and Community, Tribulations | Comments Off

Diwali

Well, my mind is still all bubbly with Jean Webster, so I don’t know HOW I can possibly write a serious essay, but I will do my best, though I have to say you are awfully lazy for not just researching it yourself! You can get to Google as well as I, can’t you? Now that I’ve said that I hope you don’t think me too rotten for judging you, but it IS true, so don’t be mad. This is only a short essay on Diwali and I will tell you more later after I have celebrated in true Hyderabadi style. Continue reading

Posted in Books, India | Comments Off

Dear Blog-follower

Did you know that old books are free for e-readers? You can browse and surf through any number of classics, without spending a single dollar! I have very happily ordered lots of books, and only find myself missing the leather covers and gold-edged pages, and the whispery sound they make when you turn them. At this moment I have now finished Daddy-Long-Legs and I have decided that I will write just like Jerusha Abbott, so now you will have to suffer through a very emphatic and exuberant blog post. I am only a LITTLE sorry for you. Continue reading

Posted in Books, India, Minnesota Politics, US Politics | Comments Off

A Knot in My Stomach the Size of a Walrus

It’s 6:06am in Minnesota right now and the observable wave of people waking up and checking Facebook has not yet begun. It wouldn’t make much difference if they were all awake now: I’ve already spoken to all the people I can speak to, already said the things I need to say. Now it’s time to just wait, hope, and prepare myself emotionally.
Continue reading

Posted in India, US Politics | 1 Comment

Mud

Today I went back to school!

Well, I also went back to school last Monday, but when I arrived there on the back of my host dad’s bike, the gates were shut and locked, (yes, we get locked inside the school during the day), and we were told that they were resurfacing the schoolyard, (but not in so many words). The next day we weren’t sure if they were done with the schoolyard yet, and no one answered when we called the school, so we figured I should just enjoy some sleep. Tuesday and Wednesday nights I was up late with college applications, (by late I mean 3 or 4 am), and Friday my parents decided it just wasn’t worth it, and Saturday was Shabbat so I don’t attend. Because no one really needs 6 days of school anyway. Continue reading

Posted in Cookies, India, School, Tribulations | 1 Comment