Laughing at my Hindi Mistakes

Namaste,

I thought I would share with you some of my fun learning Hindi. My understanding of Hindi is improving quite a bit as is my speaking. However, I frequently make mistakes, and some of them are funnier than others. Some can also be quite embarrassing. Not only do I often go, instead of come to school, and take rather than bring my book, but I also often mix up homophones. These can make for some hilarious situations. Here are some specific instances that have happened to me:

-          I put a house in my apple pie crust. (instead of butter)

-          I printed apples. (rather than peeled them)

-          I drove a watch. (instead of a car)

-          I commented on how beautiful the bottles were in the sky. (instead of the clouds)

-          I told my teacher my trees were cold. (instead of my feet)

-          I burped Hindi. (instead of studied Hindi)

-          My most embarrassing moment was when I told someone I had sex, rather than saying “I went running this morning.” [My teacher gave me this really funny look and asked (in English) what I was trying to stay. I told him I went running. Then, he handed me the dictionary to show me what I actually said. I won’t make that mistake again.]

As far as other things, I made one of my favorite Punjabi dishes on Monday night as part of my cooking class: saag (spinach) with corn flour roti. It was delicious. Last week, I also took two short hikes because my Fulbright friend came to visit Mussoorie. We went back to Flag Hill, to the Everest House, and a new hike for me was to Binag Tibba. We walked up to a temple. The entire trip was supposed to take six hours, but we were up in back in three. Afterwards, we stopped by the Everest House which was close by. I am attaching some pictures of these outings.

For Thanksgiving, I did not do anything special on the day of. However, this weekend, I attended two Thanksgiving dinners: one is a group of Americans and the other is with Language School students. I made pumpkin risotto which turned out really well (thanks to Mom sending me some vegetable broth) and apple crumble. Yum! You would think I was gaining weight here in India from all the good food I eat, but (un)fortunately for me, not everything is clean (no matter how hard I try to be hygienic, I have gotten sick a few times). Luckily, the meds seems to work, and I can get almost any prescription over the counter. I bought two doses of this medicine for 150 Rs (a.k.a. $3). It’s quite a deal! I guess I should take orders before I head back to the U.S.! Just kidding!

It’s fun for me to joke about the health system a bit, but it really is a big problem here in India. There really is no public health system and no primary care. Also, when you go to the doctor, they both over-prescribe and don’t really listen to what you need. Indeed many people don’t know what to do when they encounter a health issue or don’t have the funds to pay for their medicines and treatment. For example, a friend of mine who had a heart attack three years ago (he is in his thirties) waited five days before going to the hospital because his wife was out of town. By the time he went, a lot of damage had been done (which could have been prevented). Now, he is struggling both to pay for his medications and understand what medicines he is supposed to be taking and when. His wife works so hard because he is unable, but it is not enough. They have three beautiful children and are incredibly wonderful people.

I just finished reading Amartya Sen’s book India’s Development and Participation. Despite India’s recent rise in economic terms, there are so many problems to be worked out. Clean water obviously remains a problem across the entire country. Especially in big urban cities like Delhi, it’s impossible for anyone to drink the tap water without getting sick. Unfortunately, it’s not just cow manure, etc. you have to worry about. Industrial pollution is a huge problem. In addition, the education system has such a long way to go. Rather than funnel money into education, the Indian government chooses to invest more in the Indian military.

I don’t want to end on a bad note at all because despite all its problems, I really love India. The people here are more generous than they should be at times. The lifestyle is so vibrant, and the food is really good! It’s a work in progress, as is the U.S., but sometimes I wish they could invest in things like sewer systems and organized trash pick-up.

That’s it for now. Happy Holidays to everyone back home!

Lots of love,

Margaret

Yes, I know my eyes are closed, but here I am at Flag Hill in my Indian wool suit.

The November sunsets are quite famous here in Mussoorie. From this picture you can see the Winterline.

 The ascent of the trek to Binag Tibba.

 We reached the top already? This temple looked a lot farther away than it actually was.

 Some of the nice river views below.

This will hopefully make it on the Fulbright home page next year. Two water researchers jumping off a hill at the Everest House.

Here is the Everest House being taken over by goats.

Another beautiful sunset!