Let's talk more about clothes. Yesterday I flat out refused to change out of my pajamas, which means I didn't bathe either. I was probably grossing everyone out, but I'm a guest so my comfort comes first, right? Just kidding, but for real I just couldn't be bothered. It is hot here and these clothes are pretty but also pretty stupid. Sure, all the ladies look lovely in their sarees (the long strip of fabric wrapped around them with a long cotton slip and half blouse underneath) and their salwar kameez (the double-layered dresses with baggy, matching pants underneath and a big fancy scarf on top), but they are uncomfortable. They're readjusting their clothes constantly. And did I mention it's hot? I brought a couple of long skirts but they are irritating me now too. Maya and Teja are sick of the clothes I packed for them too so I started dressing them in each others' and it cheered them up. Shorts are an absolute no-no for grown women here. So is not bathing, but I can't keep all the rules.
Now let's talk about our sleeping arrangements. The mattresses here are flatter than pancakes. Mmmm, pancakes. They are thinner than the pillows. And yet I still manage to sleep more than any of the other adults here. Indians believe you need 6 hours of sleep every night. I don't like getting shortchanged. Maya, Teja, Vera and I are sleeping on two cots pushed together which works out to be the size of a king. We are in a different configuration every night, with the mosquito net all tucked in around us and the ceiling fan and air conditioner on. Ammon and Raja are in the next room on a double cot. Every morning there is a power cut for half an hour sometime between 5 and 6. Last time we were here this was a nightmare because with no fans or a/c for white noise, the kids would wake up. Then there would be fumbling, toe-stubbing, cursing trips out to the bathroom in the dark. But this time they have a generator that gives us a few lights and fans so we're sleeping through the power cuts now. Hallelujah.
Now let's talk about ME. After the first week of being here I could feel my patience wearing thin. It wasn't culture shock because nothing about our visit has been shocking, but a few things were driving me bonkers. I ended up in the first bedroom that has a tv in it and I decided to flip through the channels and ended up on an episode of "Friends" which I had never seen. (The one where Phoebe decides she does want to get married and move to the suburbs.) Well, when that theme song started, I sang my little heart out and I tell ya, I was cured. For the time being.
Today I was grumpy again until I went behind locked doors to exercise with no kiddies and no audience. I was jolly as an elf after that. But grumpiness must be contagious because it seems Raja caught it. Or it could be because by then he'd just spent two and a half hours with four naughty kids.
We left Raja's family members in charge of all four kids this evening so Raja and I could go shopping at a little Western-style store. It was great being out and retail therapy always does the trick. When we got back, Raja's sister told me repeatedly how bad Teja had misbehaved and I chuckled and was like, "Yuppers".
I've been singing to myself lately, loudly enough that I'm probably disturbing my in-laws. And yelling curses more loudly at the mosquitoes. I might be losing my grip, folks. Do I really hate winter all that much? I loved cross-country skiing when I tried it eleven years ago! I'll never leave you again, Canada! Except when my dream comes true of going on a cruise! Or when I go shopping every other week in the States!
More complaints: there is nowhere we can set Vera down for even a minute without close supervision. We didn't bring her playpen because she screams bloody murder if she is set in it for even a second. She has to be strapped into her stroller or bouncy seat and have someone looking at her all the time. These floors are stone and I can't even imagine what would happen to her if she rolled off one of the cots or fell backward while sitting on the floor. Plus with ants on the floor and mosquitoes everywhere, I'm constantly on high alert on her behalf. For her nap, I lay her in the centre of the bed with pillows surrounding her and the mosquito net tucked in and then put my ear to that door every few minutes because I'm afraid she'll wake up and do her little army crawl right over the edge. It is exhausting living with this stress all the time!
Sorry this post sucks. Hope I didn't infect you with my grumpiness.
Now let's talk about our sleeping arrangements. The mattresses here are flatter than pancakes. Mmmm, pancakes. They are thinner than the pillows. And yet I still manage to sleep more than any of the other adults here. Indians believe you need 6 hours of sleep every night. I don't like getting shortchanged. Maya, Teja, Vera and I are sleeping on two cots pushed together which works out to be the size of a king. We are in a different configuration every night, with the mosquito net all tucked in around us and the ceiling fan and air conditioner on. Ammon and Raja are in the next room on a double cot. Every morning there is a power cut for half an hour sometime between 5 and 6. Last time we were here this was a nightmare because with no fans or a/c for white noise, the kids would wake up. Then there would be fumbling, toe-stubbing, cursing trips out to the bathroom in the dark. But this time they have a generator that gives us a few lights and fans so we're sleeping through the power cuts now. Hallelujah.
Now let's talk about ME. After the first week of being here I could feel my patience wearing thin. It wasn't culture shock because nothing about our visit has been shocking, but a few things were driving me bonkers. I ended up in the first bedroom that has a tv in it and I decided to flip through the channels and ended up on an episode of "Friends" which I had never seen. (The one where Phoebe decides she does want to get married and move to the suburbs.) Well, when that theme song started, I sang my little heart out and I tell ya, I was cured. For the time being.
Today I was grumpy again until I went behind locked doors to exercise with no kiddies and no audience. I was jolly as an elf after that. But grumpiness must be contagious because it seems Raja caught it. Or it could be because by then he'd just spent two and a half hours with four naughty kids.
We left Raja's family members in charge of all four kids this evening so Raja and I could go shopping at a little Western-style store. It was great being out and retail therapy always does the trick. When we got back, Raja's sister told me repeatedly how bad Teja had misbehaved and I chuckled and was like, "Yuppers".
I've been singing to myself lately, loudly enough that I'm probably disturbing my in-laws. And yelling curses more loudly at the mosquitoes. I might be losing my grip, folks. Do I really hate winter all that much? I loved cross-country skiing when I tried it eleven years ago! I'll never leave you again, Canada! Except when my dream comes true of going on a cruise! Or when I go shopping every other week in the States!
More complaints: there is nowhere we can set Vera down for even a minute without close supervision. We didn't bring her playpen because she screams bloody murder if she is set in it for even a second. She has to be strapped into her stroller or bouncy seat and have someone looking at her all the time. These floors are stone and I can't even imagine what would happen to her if she rolled off one of the cots or fell backward while sitting on the floor. Plus with ants on the floor and mosquitoes everywhere, I'm constantly on high alert on her behalf. For her nap, I lay her in the centre of the bed with pillows surrounding her and the mosquito net tucked in and then put my ear to that door every few minutes because I'm afraid she'll wake up and do her little army crawl right over the edge. It is exhausting living with this stress all the time!
Sorry this post sucks. Hope I didn't infect you with my grumpiness.
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