Hi everyone,
I have time to write this blog because the internet is out
yet again. This is what I get for choosing the beautiful scenery of living in
the middle of the woods with the view of the Doon valley and rivers flowing
between the Shivalik mountains. My life is so hard… =)
[Note: I wrote this blog on Wednesday but didn't get to post it because the internet went out. The lecture I mention went really well. I also led Women's Bible Study on Saturday in Hindi. :) I will try to write an updated post. Enjoy the pictures too!]
My Hindi classes are going pretty well. I went to Bible
study tonight and watched a Hindi movie on Monday night. My comprehension has
significantly improved. I dream about speaking good Hindi soon. I am not
positive it will be good enough for me to conduct my interviews without a
translator (at least initially), but I at least have no problem getting around
now. Yesterday, I went to the bazaar to buy some clothes with two of my
friends. I need some warmer Indian suits because the weather is cooling off
here in Mussoorie. I was able to talk with the shop keepers without much
difficulty. My grammar was not perfect, and sometimes I had to pause to think
my sentences through but it’s getting easier. I am even making a point to incorporate
the new vocabulary and sentence structures I am learning at school!
A quick note on the joy of shopping in India – and by India
I mean Mussoorie. I am lucky here because the store owners do not hassle you as
they may in other parts of India. My experience from yesterday went like this.
I started at the Kashmiri suit shop (Indian outfits are often called suits for
women). You can buy fabric separately or you can buy prepackaged suits. Most of
the suits are sheets of fabric that you then take to the tailor to have them
stitched. However, some suits are ready-made in which case you may just need a
quick stitch. This time I went with the suit sets. The first suit I bought is a
wool-cotton blend. It has some nice embroidery on the bottom and came with
fabric for the top and bottoms. I later purchased some ribbon from the
ribbon/button/thread store to decorate the neckline. I am excited to show you
what it looks like. I will send pictures after I get my clothes back from the
tailor next week. From the second shop, I bought a cotton suit to wear in the
warmer weather. After the shop keeper pulled out about 20 suits, I found the
one I liked best. (They pull the fabric out of the plastic to show you, and I
am glad I am not the one who has to refold all of these suits.) Many of the
suits have a top with contrasting fabric for the pants and scarf (three-piece
suits). My pants were not contrasting, so I had to make a stop at another
fabric store to buy solid colored fabric for my pants.
Last Thursday night, I had another cooking class. We made
malai kofta and bangan ka barta (potato/cheese balls fried and soaked in gravy
with cream and mashed eggplant). The food was delicious! I am also discovering
that not all Indian sweets taste bad. Maybe this is because I have been here
long enough to forget the taste of real ice cream and chocolate. The sugary,
milky desserts are growing on me. My favorite right now is this local Mussoorie
sweet called bal metayee. (My spellings of Hindi words in English are
terrible.) It’s the closest sweet to chocolate fudge I have found. It is made
with sugar, condensed milk, and cocoa powder and covered with tiny white
candies. I am attaching a picture that my friend took from one of the sweet
shops here in Mussoorie.
On Sunday, I went for a five hour hike with one of my
friends. We started near my school went down a beautiful path, crossed a small
stream/waterfall, hiked up to a gorgeous village situated in the middle of a
mountain, and up to one of the major roads. It was a wonderful time! My
favorite part from this story is that we started to go the wrong way and had to
turn around. I didn’t have much idea where were going nor did my friend. I
casually mentioned how nice it would be to have a guide or at least someone to
point out the way. Not more than 2 minutes later did we run into two university
students who were mapping the path. Not only did we join them for the rest of
their hike, but they also informed us they were working in the village which
was part of our hike. They are making efforts to restore village life and bring
a certain kind of tourist to the area. It was really interesting. I was a
little shocked because every day the people from this village walk 2 hours each
way for their school and work. Many of the villagers work in Mussoorie or sell
their milk there.
This path is well kept, but it’s pretty steep for the nice
weather, not to mention the monsoon and cold, snowy weather. With that kind of
routine, there would be no need to exercise. Walking long distances for school
is a usual story. Almost all of the children I know walk at least an hour to
get to school. Many of the paths are not well-maintained and are really steep
considering we live in the mountains. Also, many houses do not have road access
so even having a car would not solve the problem. I think it’s safe to say that
just about any of these kids would have been able to run circles around me at
the Delhi half marathon!
That’s it for now. We are having another lecture tomorrow
night featuring two other Fulbrighters and myself. It should be a good time!
Lots of love,
Margaret
Check out those snow peaks! I am going on a trek next week! =)
After meeting our guides and friends.
It was really beautiful!
Walking along the ridge.
Kolti village
By the way, I am still working on the bird pictures, but they are pretty quick. However, my mom did send me a pair of binoculars. =)
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