Hyderabad

We took the night train from Nizamabad to Hyderabad, leaving at 2 am and arriving around 6 am. We went to Kapil's aunt and uncle's flat and crashed there for a few hours. Would these crazy night trains work in the US? Would we be willing to arrive at odd times in the AM? I don't know... but the AC at the uncle's place was much appreciated! I thought at first maybe his aunt was not quite as welcoming as Kapil's mom, but in reality I think she was just self-conscious about her English, and I think many Indians are worried about whether I will eat the food they cook, sitting on the floor to eat, and things like that. Because after a little bit she seemed much more relaxed and was very, very nice! Also many people speak English so well here that I often forget it may be difficult for them to understand me, so I had to keep reminding myself to speak more slowly.

Apparently while I slept Kapil caught up with his relatives, and they were planning our schedule of seeing the city, but then said, hey we'll just come too! First we went to see a temple on top of a hill. Someone's bad planning decided to use black stone to pave the temple. In all Hindu temples you must take your shoes off, so we were running from one shady spot to the next and burning our feet off!
We had authentic Hyderabadi Biriyani at the Hyderabad House; it definitely is no contest - I've never had it like I have here. Hyderabad was ruled by Muslims for awhile, so they eat more non-veg here. Biriyani is this layered, spiced rice dish with chicken or mutton. Making it is apparently an involved process that takes several hours, but it so much better than and nothing like the so-called 'Hyderabadi Biriyani' I've had elsewhere in India or in the US!

Next we went to this place called Shilparam which was sort of a Indian village museum, similar to the one I mentioned that we saw in Udaipur awhile back. They had a bunch of traditionally built village houses with displays set up of how people live. It was cute because Kapil's uncle's hobby is photography, and he is really into it! And he was teaching his boys how to take pictures, too. He has a huge, nice Nikon camera which he said was his 'second wife.' His first wife must have been very used to his hobby because she patiently walked while they all photographed everything in sight. Even walking down the sidewalk, one of the sons would be running in front to take a picture of us all while we were walking, and then they all had to huddle over to review the images they took! But the uncle always made sure to take plenty of pictures of him and his wife together; after 20 years of marriage they are still a really cute couple and a cute family! Kapil and I had our palms read while we were there. The man said said I was indepentent, very career-minded, would live outside my country for a long time, that I would have a very happy marriage. As we were sitting in a garden there before we left, some women came chasing a rooster that had gotten loose. Then Kapil and his cousins got into it too and everyone was chasing this poor, stubborn rooster over the whole area!

Later that night there was a big get together at this lake. Lots of Kapil's family in Hyderabad came, and we all took this ferry out to this island in the middle with a huge Buddha statue. There were a bunch of restaurants and kids' rides on the lake front, and they put Kapil's little cousin on several of the kiddie rides. After a hunt for her lost shoe and a round of bumper cars, we went to eat. There were a bunch of fast-food restaurants, so everyone could order what they wanted. It was a lot of fun and there was a festive mood with all of them together and Kapil's uncle photodocumenting the event. Even though it was late and we were pretty exhausted, another aunt really wanted me to stop at her house for a few minutes that night, so all of us went. There were about 20 of us, I'd say. It was pretty funny even though a lot was in Telegu and I couldn't understand. They kept telling me, oh this is only 50% of the family in Hyderabad, and then several times later someone would modify this number saying, oh this is only 20% of the family and so on. It was strange for me though because they would say something in Telegu, all laugh about it, then turn and look and me and get quiet. I jokingly mentioned this and they all thought, oh yeah that would be weird, but promised me they were only making fun of each other's English. They were especially having fun with their sister, Kapil's mother's English, and wanted me to tell them what she had said to me.

The really great part for me was when one aunt admitted, you know, when we first heard you were coming, we were all really anxious and worried we wouldn't have anything in common or anything to talk about, but now we see it's fine, you're just like us! And I thought, that is exactly what Fulbright is about.