Singapore: The cleanest place on earth

Well, you know it's a good sign for me when instead of seeing tons of dogs in the streets, I have already seen a handful of cats (which are by far healthier looking that the ones in India!) and no dogs.

Seriously, this country doesn't mess around. They have the death penalty for drug trafficking. And a $500 fine for eating on the MRT train! This is possibly the cleanest and probably most efficient places I have ever, ever seen. The public transport is amazing. I am always paranoid of missing my stop in India, but on the MRT it shows the exact map with all the stops marked and which stop u are on. In addition it even shows which side of the car that the door will open!

The bus stops are amazing too! Some of them are linked with GPS so it even tells you when the next bus is coming. It shows all the stops of each bus at every station so it is so easy to get around. In India, you just have to ask people to tell you when you reach your stop and hope you are getting on the right bus inthe first place.

And man, these people are all about courtesy, and you can be sure they stick to the rules! Already I've seen several people, men and women offer their seats on a train to people with children or to older people. There are signs on the train to remind people to let others out first. The bathrooms remind you to wash your hands so as not to spread flu. It's a completely different atmosphere! In India, it's like a huge competition, and you have to fight your way on the bus, off the bus, to do anything in fact.

And I can't tell you how excited I've been to be able to get real american food! I got off at the airport and there was a burger king. Seriously, I ran up the escalator. I wanted to yell, "HEY INDIA, I'M IN SINGAPORE AND I'M EATING COWS AND THEY'RE DELICIOUS!!!!" And I'm so excited - I walked into a 7-11, yes a 7-11, like at home with all kinds of food from the states. And NO MASALA! ANYWHERE! No snacks with weird spice combinations, whahahahah. I was so beyond excited.

So I've pretty much been buying food at every opportunity. I completely stuffed myself tonight. The night before we went to a food court with Nihal and Karuna and had some dumplings and eel and chicken and rice, oh it was really good. I passed another burger king while I was out today and had to take advantage of that....Then later I went to this food court called LauPa Sat. There are all these different vendors selling all kinds of food. Wouldn't you know it, I walked in by the South Indian ones. They tried to get me to buy something and I was like, THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL I am eating something with masala, or a dosa, or a chapatti. No damn way.
So I had some more dumplings and some black pepper beef. Yum! I may have to go back there. There was all kinds of weird gunk to eat. There was some really weird deserts - hot soup desert with black beans and coconut. I met a Singaporean woman here at the hostel and she says it's really good actually. She also recommends I try a stinky durian fruit. We will see, we will see....but I definitely see another trip to burger king in my future...and I've also seen ads for Chili's restuarant....

Mustaches, Mirrors, and Forts 3.11-3.13

So I flew to Jaipur from the Udaipur conference and met my friend Chris and Haider there. We stayed at this charming little old Rajasthani house. Very cute and the staff were very helpful...except for the one restaurant server. He looked like he was 17 maybe. I think half the stuff on the menu, they didn't have. So when Chris ordered a fresh, lime soda (which is a pretty basic item), the server didn't look up from his pad and just said a short, stoic 'no.' This happened many times.

One night we went to a restaurant recommended called the Copper Chimney. Seriously this place couldn't get any more Caucasian.

But Jaipur was fun - there's a lot to see there! But these Rajasthanis, they sure liked to build forts. They were historically kind of warrior-like and the whole state was broken up into little kingdoms basically. And they are still into these huge, crazy mustaches. You seem them in their old paintings, but still today many many men there wear them. And the mirrors...I have concluded that the Rajasthanis were the precursor to the bedazzler. Maybe it's because they needed mirrors around to check how their mustach was looking, I don't know. But they decorated architecture with mirrors, clothes with mirrors...

We went to this really crazy, interesting park that looks bizarre but was used as an observatory to tell the time and astrology and everything. There are these huge staircases and globe-shaped pits. It all looks very interesting and very weird. It's amazing how they figured out that these things would tell time so accurately.

We had some interesting guides, too. In these old temples and stuff, they have some crazy carvings and the guides like to point out which carvings were all one big piece of stone carved out. Well, this one guide, I think maybe that was the only english he knew. Because every single thing he pointed to... was 'all one piece' But the way he said it, you could tell he was really proud of this fact, with such a straight face and look of awe. It got pretty ridiculous by the end, because that was literally the only comment this guide could make. As we were walking out of the gate, after we tipped him, he didn't let us leave until he pointed out that a stone on the gate, was also 'all one piece'

On the first day we hired this autowala to take us somewhere and then he really wanted us to hire him for the entire next day. We were a bit skeptical b/c Jaipur is pretty touristy, and we didn't want to be ripped off. He waited outside our hotel in the morning though, but we had four people and it was just too many for his auto comfortably. He looked so crestfallen that I felt pretty bad.

We called him up the next day though, and he was actually a really good guy. He made sure we didn't go shopping at the shops near the major monuments because they are more expensive for tourists. He walked us across the street and stopped the traffic. He took us to a government emporium to shop, and while maybe he had some deal with the owner, this type of shop is usually a better deal. And Chris got to pose with the beauty-mous manaquin in a turban, so what could be better, right?

And how did this guy in India get ahold of one of the Christmas sweatshirts Mom made us and we were excited to wear on free-dress day at Catholic school???

Playing the game

So after awhile in India you start to learn how things work and realize the little 'games' that go on in every day life. In my own case and some friends', you start to play your own games to cope.

Once you are in India, you quickly learn that 10 Rupee bills are like gold. This country runs on these things. To take a rickshaw, to buy a coke, a snack, these small, everyday items, you always need 5 - 10 bills. And everyone knows this so everyone goes to great pains not to give these bills out as change. Actually as I think of it, no one ever wants to make change for you at all. So it's like a game of chicken, when you are paying for something, you see who folds first. You hand a Rs. 50 note to an autowala and need change, he claims not to have any. At first I would have just given him the change I had, but now I hold out as long as possible. I may have a stash of 15 - 10 Rupee bills but I'm not gonna let on and I make sure not to let him see that stash in my wallet. Usually after a few seconds of scrounging around, change emerges. Sometimes neither of you really do have change. Hopefully there's a shop nearby to ask, but many a time I've had to walk around with the autowala to go find a place to get the change.

I purchased a book called 'The Argumentative Indian' and more and more I think of that title because I am becoming more and more argumentative. But in India you just simply cannot take 'no' as a first answer. I checked online for two trains tickets and it showed they were available. However when I got to the station, the clerk said that they weren't. After arguing and going back and forth to different offices for about an hour, finally yes, there were two tickets and I had them in my hand. I have often found myself arguing over the price of an auto ride as well. But I knew for a fact yesterday that the trip I took cost Rs. 15. It always costs that much, but this autowala said Rs. 20, so I argued with him. Finally I said 'hamesha pandrah' which means always fifteen. He seemed amused by my few Hindi words, so I walked off leaving him with the fifteen. But you forget that the Rs. 5 difference you are arguing over is around ten cents in american dollars. In the end it's about the principle of the thing, about being right, and fairness.

But here you just learn to play the game and that you have to break the rules.
People here don't stand in nice, neat lines. If you leave any space between you and the person in front of you, that will be interpreted as you just milling around the line, not your actually waiting. So you have to bust up in there; I learned this my first time in India and have been learning it better and better as time passes here. Although maybe I'm becoming too Indian...As I was waiting in the line for foreign tourist train tickets which also includes senior discounts and other things, there were several indians pushed up to the window as usual, and then there were several foreign girls who had not learned this rule yet. They were standing well behind this crowd, leaving the standard western personal bubble of space, and of course not getting anywhere. Maybe I'm a bad person because yes - well that is already pretty established!- , I knew they were in line and they were there before me, but hell, they were leaving way too much space. I easily walked up to the counter and pushed next to another Indian right next to the window. Ten minutes or more after I had left the counter I looked back, and the foreign girls were still waiting there.

My boyfriend, Haider, who is from Iraq has found his own ways to play the game.
Indians often mistake him as an Indian as well and begin speaking to him in Hindi or Gujarati. To get the benefits of being viewed as a native, he usually tells people he encounters on the street that he is Kashmiri. As this is a very far northern state and people tend to be a little fairer and look a little different and people in Gujarat don't seem to know the difference, usually they accept this fact. However one day a wala commented, 'you are the first Kashmiri I've know who doesn't speak Hindi' Ha! He also tries to use this technique to get into cultural things and monuments. Usually museums and things like the Taj Mahal etc. charge one small fee for Indians and a much bigger one for foreigners. Usually he can get the discounted rate, but when he tries to buy several for us, while we the foreigners wait out of eyesight, this just doesn't fly.

Take some Turmeric and Call me in the morning

The answer to every ailment in India has something to do with turmeric - in Hindi 'Haldi' Now I know that it supposedly has remarkable health benefits, but seriously, they take it too damn far. I really try not to show any signs of feeling bad, because I know what the answer will be.

I had a bit of a sore throat. Now I knew exactly why- because I didn't have my decongestant medicine. My friend said drink some warm milk with 'haldi' Now Ok, i did try it, and it did help. For all of 10 minutes...

However, the haldi in milk doesn't work for everything, in that case you must make a turmeric paste and apply to the affected body part.

Ok, so I'll admit, I had some...let's say digestional issues for awhile. Ok, an entire damn month after I ate anything, it almost immediately came out the other end. In a country that doesn't use toilet paper and finding a decent restroom in public, this is very not good. Add on top of this, I started feeling very nauseous if I did eat anything. I went to the doctor several different times, and nothing yet had helped. So during this period, I mistakenly told my Hindi teacher that I had to go to the doctor. So then she just had to know why, so I told her.

Ok, let me preface this by saying, this woman has done her PhD and taught at Columbia University and has published several poetry books. Doesn't matter - you can't take India out of the Indian. When she heard about my ailment, she told me, oh just make this tea, put some ice cubes in it, some turmeric, and honey. Take it for 3 times only - not 4- 4 is unneccessary. Only 3 times will definitely cure it. I had to summon all my restraint not to yell at her, "Are you freaking crazy? What if it is some type of bacteria???? Yes, I'm sure the tea will do just the trick.." But it's not just that, I went to the doctor, the doctor said to eat curd and buttermilk - curd is this yoghurt stuff they eat here. Ok, now I'm not too picky, but I absolutely refuse to eat either of these, I really hate them at the best of times when I'm well.

Oh, then once when I threw up I was given a glass of water with some 'masala' - spices- that were good for upset stomach. So I took a sip and promptly spit it out. It wasn't enough that I had already puked, this bizarre spice mix would have made me hurl again!

*Note to my gramma - I am ok, and I can find food that I will eat here. I am not wasting away. Hahah, I promise..

Kalamata Olives and Feta Cheese: Rs. 600, Not having to eat Indian Food: Priceless

So I had heard of a shop that sells some American food and checked it out today.
Bought some Hoisin sauce and sweet and sour sauce. Chicken deli meat, frozen BACON, some of the fried cheese and corn bites they have at Mandarin Garden, spagetthi sauce, refried beans, guacamole dip, tortilla chips, spaghetti sauce (even if you get regular here the spices are funky) It was probably $30 - that is ridiculous for groceries in india, seriously.

YOu don't realize how lucky we are int he US to have so much variety in the types of food we get. Mexican, Italian, almost anything. And you are free to cook meat in your own apartment and drink alcohol. Here you have to hide it when you throw it away.

I bought some Feta cheese and a bottle of Kalamata Olives, because I wanted in and I thought it would be something Haider would have in Iraq. We both ate it up. Rashmi on the other hand didn't like it at all and thought it was way too salty. I said, now you know how we feel eating Indian food with so many spices all the time! LOL, no, it's just funny how foreign even a flavor combination can taste.

I found a restaurant that had 'gasp' pad thai, and I was really excited to have something different. They brought it out and I had a sinking feeling. Instead of tasting very peanuty, it just reeked of red chili flakes. I was so disappointed. Now Pizza here is usually pretty decent, except they don't put enough tomato sauce on it. Instead they just dip the whole damn thing in ketchup. If you think Americans use a lot of ketchup, we have nothing on Indians.

Oh then one place had lasagna...you know how it's usually baked? Well this was just the lasagna noodles boiled, in layers, with some cauliflower and cheese in between. No tomato to be seen...

I went to subway the other day. Now they are pretty much the same as at home. However I saw that one sandwich had bacon...well they brought it out and it looked more like proscuitto..it didn't look cooked at all, so I said no, do not even think about putting that on there. In addition to the american sandwiches there are several with "aloo, tikka, paneer, etc," in the title.

Oh, and I should have known that bottled guacamole would be horrible..but one can hope, right? And mixed with the refried beans and some tomato, it wasn't too bad :)

Playing Holi

So Holi is a big Hindu holiday - here is what wiki says about it briefly:

The main day, Holi, is celebrated by people throwing coloured powder and coloured water at each other. Bonfires are lit the day before. The bonfires are lit in memory of the miraculous escape that young Prahlad accomplished when Demoness Holika, sister of Hiranyakashipu, carried him into the fire. Holika was burnt but Prahlad, a staunch devotee of god Vishnu, escaped without any injuries due to his unshakable devotion. Holika Dahan is referred to as Kama Dahanam in South India. I think half the time people don't even know the real significance of a holiday here, but it's tradition so they do it. They have carts along the roadside selling all different colors of the powder, and they also sell these squirt guns and pichkaris which is kind of like a big plastic syringe that squirts out the water and color.

They lit a big fire in front of our apartment complex, as did all the other ones in the city. Here's a pic of the weird little one our neighbor made outside our door, complete with carrots around it....don't ask me..I don't get it, lol. She brought us a plate of 'prashad' which is like a little offering - of a sweet called jelabhi, dried dates, popcorn, and another snack. All the cleaners have been knocking at our door asking for a holi tip.

My friends, Vishal and Richa, asked us to come over at 10 at their place. Richa had made some treats for Holi - Gujia - that looks like a fried dumpling with dried fruit and nuts, and tastes a little donut-y. They had already gotten up and played Holi in their flat, as it is their first Holi together as a couple- so cute! They had 4 dishes set out with pink, blue, yellow, and green powder, and when you meet anyone you have to greet them with happy holi and then each smears the powder on the other's face. Before we went there, we stopped at Gwalia sweets to take a box of treats to their house. As we walked out, a little boy, maybe 4 was there with a squirt gun. Haider looked down, smiled, and said hi, and the boy promptly squirted him, ha!

A few other friends came and we went to CEPT where everything is a cause for celebration. They had made a bit of a mud pit in the center and were throwing the powder and then catching people who weren't dirty enough and dumping them in the mud.
We stayed away from the mud pit, but still got plenty dirty. The powder itself is messy but then one of the guys found a water bottle and put the powder in the bottle.
Then Haider got control of the bottle and got me completely messy. Finally Richa and Vishal held him for me so I could retaliate. The group picture is the 'before' I'll have to get the 'after' pictures from Richa because they are much better.
There were a bunch of foreign students playing at CEPT at the time too, but you couldn't tell them from the Indians everyone was so dirty! As we were leaving, the students caught Vishal and dragged him to the mud pit - since he is a new lecturer there. After that we went home, cleaned up, and met back for lunch.