It has been awhile since my last communication to you. Much has happened and I am learning to reacquaint myself with the cultural nuances of daily living in middle class India. I want to make that distinction since I am not yet very familiar with either the very rich or the poor sections of the Indian milieu.
Take for instance, cleansing rituals-, the western style toilets all seem to have a flexible hose arrangement that is attached to the plumbing and generally situated on the right side. This hose attachment is used to clean yourself in place of TP. So, as those friends of mine who do cultural diversity work know the left hand in most Asian and Middle Eastern cultures is generally used for sanitary cleansing rituals. I wonder if that‘s the reason for the placement of the hose?! I am often reminded of the papa bear and baby bear commercial for TP in the US- no such issue here of any TP sticking to your behind!
The shower area is wide open in the bathroom- so you end up with the whole bathroom getting wet when you have finished taking a shower. Of course, that can be hazardous as you get older and slip on wet tiles!
Therefore, the creative side of me is now working on a solution since this is a rental. I have had a steel rod bent into an L shape and attached about 80” high on the two walls of my bathroom surrounding the showerhead. I have plastic shower curtains that will hang on this rod. At the bottom, I have a 2” wide PVC pipe that has been cut along the length of the pipe so that I have a semi-circular piece (no jagged edges for me) with an elbow attached at the corner and set in place with “white cement” to hold the water within the enclosure. Of course, this assumes that the drainage is just below the showerhead! I am also having small magnets added to the inside of the shower curtain hem as well as on the corresponding inside of the PVC pipe, so that the curtain will stay in place during the shower. After the use, it can be moved to one end so the room does not feel claustrophobic! Will keep you posted on how well this idea will work- it is half way completed.
I went recently to a lovely vegetarian restaurant for lunch and of course most of the folks there ate with their hands- so I watched as they washed their hands at sinks placed outside the restroom area before sitting down and then after eating washed their hands and swooshed water in their mouths to dislodge food from their teeth! Perhaps in most cases this practice seems to work in terms of reducing tooth decay!
The mango season has been on since more than 2 weeks ago- each time I go to the fruit market, the types of mangoes keep increasing- the first ones to arrive were Benganpalli from neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh (where Hyderabad city is located). Of course, I have also bought Alphonso mangoes- the sweet nectar of the gods that according to the purists must come from Rathnagiri (in Maharashtra state) to be the real McCoy! Mine probably did not- but hey, having been deprived of getting them in the US until last year, I gladly enjoy the variety grown in other parts of the south.
So now is the season for some gorgeous tropical fruits- I have been gorging on sweet watermelon, papaya, the green variety of figs, sapota, musk melons, guavas and so many delicious varieties of bananas- small, medium, large in oh so many shades of yellow. One thing that I have not ventured into yet is getting fresh sugarcane juice from a street vendor. Need to acclimate myself for a while longer for that adventure!
I took a trip to the main fruit and vegetable market both for wholesalers and retail in Koyambedu- it is housed in a huge building with fruit market on one side and the vegetable on the opposite. There is also a flower market. Apparently, 200 trucks come in and out daily in the narrow driveways. Huge archways take you inside the market where the path is strewn with old banana leaves, other green produce being chucked out and a bit slippery- glad I wore some walking shoes that had a good tread! Prices were so good and of course, the vendors were surprised to hear me talk Tamil and bargain- so they started a guessing game as to the state I was from- my driver was busy giving them hints, ha, ha! I got many of the vegetables that I used to crave in the US- moringa – we call them drumsticks and most of them are at least 2 ft. long and meaty, winter melon, different types of yams including white sweet potatoes that have a red skin and ridge gourd that Wikipedia calls Chinese okra. No idea where they saw the similarity to okra since these gourds are usually at least 1-2 ft. long, at least 2 inches in diameter, not slimy and when dried forms the basis for the loofah sponge.
I also love the real skinny long cucumbers that are so crisp and taste so good dipped in a little salt! They look like light green snakes usually about a foot long piled up on the vendor’s cart.
Let me tell you about the scorching heat of Chennai! Whew- it is hot baby, starting around 10.00 a.m. and does not let up until around 4.30 p.m. Then the sea breezes kick in and it is great sitting in the shade enjoying the easterly sea breeze. The highs around here are usually about 34 °C which translates to about 93 °F in April- in May temps may hit 40 degrees C (104 degrees F)!
I suppose I can’t have it all- since I am enjoying the fruits of this heat eh? Surprisingly, this last week saw great showers in Chennai for 3 days due to some cyclonic activity in the Bay of Bengal- temps have fallen a bit just as we have been told that there will be scheduled one hour power outages in different areas of the city all summer.
Apparently, we use more power than is available even with buying from neighboring states- so during the election months, we were told that power outages were for repair and maintenance of transformers. Now with elections in Tamil Nadu being over, the government is not shy about telling us the real reasons for these scheduled outages. I am even more convinced that solar energy needs to be more on the radar in Tami Nadu- not just wind energy, as is the case right now.
I took my first trip to the Indian hospital to set up with some doctors in the event that I would need them later. However, I ended up going there to have my swollen foot checked out for what I initially thought was an insect bite. That was 10 days ago and I still don’t have a good diagnosis- will do follow up tomorrow with the doctor now that I have a better understanding of what it might be, after emailing my doctor brother in the US to check out pictures of the foot.
Apollo Hospital is renowned for their knee replacement medical tourism and they have a glass enclosed VIP room for affluent and international patients- so lucky me, I had the right connections through a friend and got VIP treatment! I just sat in the lounge while one of the customer reps took my prescription and got it filled and I just gave him the cash. Someone even accompanied me to each of the doctor’s offices, spoke to the receptionist and got me in without too much delay!
There must have been at least a thousand people walking through that place that day- most of them seemed content to wait their turn. Occasionally, I would hear an NRI (non- resident Indian) complaining about the throngs of people and the hazards of being in such close proximity to sick people. One big lesson for all my friends who are currently enamored by my tales of the India transition is that if you are a ‘germaphobe’, have a weak stomach and need a physical bubble of more than 6 inches- you may want to enjoy life in India vicariously!
Take for instance, cleansing rituals-, the western style toilets all seem to have a flexible hose arrangement that is attached to the plumbing and generally situated on the right side. This hose attachment is used to clean yourself in place of TP. So, as those friends of mine who do cultural diversity work know the left hand in most Asian and Middle Eastern cultures is generally used for sanitary cleansing rituals. I wonder if that‘s the reason for the placement of the hose?! I am often reminded of the papa bear and baby bear commercial for TP in the US- no such issue here of any TP sticking to your behind!
The shower area is wide open in the bathroom- so you end up with the whole bathroom getting wet when you have finished taking a shower. Of course, that can be hazardous as you get older and slip on wet tiles!
Therefore, the creative side of me is now working on a solution since this is a rental. I have had a steel rod bent into an L shape and attached about 80” high on the two walls of my bathroom surrounding the showerhead. I have plastic shower curtains that will hang on this rod. At the bottom, I have a 2” wide PVC pipe that has been cut along the length of the pipe so that I have a semi-circular piece (no jagged edges for me) with an elbow attached at the corner and set in place with “white cement” to hold the water within the enclosure. Of course, this assumes that the drainage is just below the showerhead! I am also having small magnets added to the inside of the shower curtain hem as well as on the corresponding inside of the PVC pipe, so that the curtain will stay in place during the shower. After the use, it can be moved to one end so the room does not feel claustrophobic! Will keep you posted on how well this idea will work- it is half way completed.
I went recently to a lovely vegetarian restaurant for lunch and of course most of the folks there ate with their hands- so I watched as they washed their hands at sinks placed outside the restroom area before sitting down and then after eating washed their hands and swooshed water in their mouths to dislodge food from their teeth! Perhaps in most cases this practice seems to work in terms of reducing tooth decay!
The mango season has been on since more than 2 weeks ago- each time I go to the fruit market, the types of mangoes keep increasing- the first ones to arrive were Benganpalli from neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh (where Hyderabad city is located). Of course, I have also bought Alphonso mangoes- the sweet nectar of the gods that according to the purists must come from Rathnagiri (in Maharashtra state) to be the real McCoy! Mine probably did not- but hey, having been deprived of getting them in the US until last year, I gladly enjoy the variety grown in other parts of the south.
So now is the season for some gorgeous tropical fruits- I have been gorging on sweet watermelon, papaya, the green variety of figs, sapota, musk melons, guavas and so many delicious varieties of bananas- small, medium, large in oh so many shades of yellow. One thing that I have not ventured into yet is getting fresh sugarcane juice from a street vendor. Need to acclimate myself for a while longer for that adventure!
I took a trip to the main fruit and vegetable market both for wholesalers and retail in Koyambedu- it is housed in a huge building with fruit market on one side and the vegetable on the opposite. There is also a flower market. Apparently, 200 trucks come in and out daily in the narrow driveways. Huge archways take you inside the market where the path is strewn with old banana leaves, other green produce being chucked out and a bit slippery- glad I wore some walking shoes that had a good tread! Prices were so good and of course, the vendors were surprised to hear me talk Tamil and bargain- so they started a guessing game as to the state I was from- my driver was busy giving them hints, ha, ha! I got many of the vegetables that I used to crave in the US- moringa – we call them drumsticks and most of them are at least 2 ft. long and meaty, winter melon, different types of yams including white sweet potatoes that have a red skin and ridge gourd that Wikipedia calls Chinese okra. No idea where they saw the similarity to okra since these gourds are usually at least 1-2 ft. long, at least 2 inches in diameter, not slimy and when dried forms the basis for the loofah sponge.
I also love the real skinny long cucumbers that are so crisp and taste so good dipped in a little salt! They look like light green snakes usually about a foot long piled up on the vendor’s cart.
Let me tell you about the scorching heat of Chennai! Whew- it is hot baby, starting around 10.00 a.m. and does not let up until around 4.30 p.m. Then the sea breezes kick in and it is great sitting in the shade enjoying the easterly sea breeze. The highs around here are usually about 34 °C which translates to about 93 °F in April- in May temps may hit 40 degrees C (104 degrees F)!
I suppose I can’t have it all- since I am enjoying the fruits of this heat eh? Surprisingly, this last week saw great showers in Chennai for 3 days due to some cyclonic activity in the Bay of Bengal- temps have fallen a bit just as we have been told that there will be scheduled one hour power outages in different areas of the city all summer.
Apparently, we use more power than is available even with buying from neighboring states- so during the election months, we were told that power outages were for repair and maintenance of transformers. Now with elections in Tamil Nadu being over, the government is not shy about telling us the real reasons for these scheduled outages. I am even more convinced that solar energy needs to be more on the radar in Tami Nadu- not just wind energy, as is the case right now.
I took my first trip to the Indian hospital to set up with some doctors in the event that I would need them later. However, I ended up going there to have my swollen foot checked out for what I initially thought was an insect bite. That was 10 days ago and I still don’t have a good diagnosis- will do follow up tomorrow with the doctor now that I have a better understanding of what it might be, after emailing my doctor brother in the US to check out pictures of the foot.
Apollo Hospital is renowned for their knee replacement medical tourism and they have a glass enclosed VIP room for affluent and international patients- so lucky me, I had the right connections through a friend and got VIP treatment! I just sat in the lounge while one of the customer reps took my prescription and got it filled and I just gave him the cash. Someone even accompanied me to each of the doctor’s offices, spoke to the receptionist and got me in without too much delay!
There must have been at least a thousand people walking through that place that day- most of them seemed content to wait their turn. Occasionally, I would hear an NRI (non- resident Indian) complaining about the throngs of people and the hazards of being in such close proximity to sick people. One big lesson for all my friends who are currently enamored by my tales of the India transition is that if you are a ‘germaphobe’, have a weak stomach and need a physical bubble of more than 6 inches- you may want to enjoy life in India vicariously!
