Life in the Village

As pretty white women, Fanny and I are treated like celebrities here in the village. When we walk down one of the dirt roads in the neighborhood to the main street bus stop, we are always greeted by children who ask us our names and to come into their houses. They're not being creepy, it would simply be a blessing upon their house for us to come in and drink some chai, regardless of the language barrier. Here, guest is god.

Riding the bus is fun and interesting. I haven't been able to take a picture yet because of my daily dissipating fear of drawing attention to myself. Maybe I'll have a shot before the end of my journey. We'll see. It's also very rocky and fast. Like a roller-coaster sometimes!

NOTE: Rode the bus today and felt like taking some pictures - video even! Girls were coming home from school and they were so excited to see us! Showing us off too. We had been sitting when they came on. Here it is custom to give your bags to who ever is sitting if you have been forced to stand. They immediately put their bags in our laps then gasped. The Indian equivalent of OMG AHH HOLY SHIT OMG!!!!! was excitedly uttered.

At the very busy local bus depot

Most vehicles - buses, rickshaws, cars, and even the odd motorbike - have dedications to God or a deity on the top of their wind shield. To protect them, Fanny thinks. Take Jesus, for instance. Jesus is everywhere on the bus. Granted I rode it twice and we think it was the same one each time, but Jesus! Jesus in lights, Jesus with a rosary, Jesus 'splayed across the front. Even the bus company was called "Christmotors."

NOTE: Rode a rickshaw for the first time today. They are motorized - surprising when I imagined they'd look like the sweaty-guy-for-hire contraptions running around Yonge and Dundas Square with a trailing seat for two behind them, but no! Motorized. Though there is only one seat in the front for the driver. And the seat in the back is probably only big enough for two, though we squeezed in five. It's India! Squishing is what we do.

Fanny sitting on my lap

Yesterday Fanny and I got on a bus at a big bus terminal. (PS: I used a public squatting hole to poop and it was actually kind of pleasant. There's a tap to run water under your left hand - I remember thinking, "okay, I'm about to touch my poopy butthole - this is happening. Here we go." And I did it and I felt squeaky clean! Like a shower for my genitals. Very nice!) We stood at the back of the bus. As it moved some men gently told us in Malayalam that we should stand in front. Someone eventually translated and said, "it's not law, but here usually women stand at the front of the bus and men stand in the back." Nitya said this morning that it may be to prevent trouble. We moved, and the rest of the ride went smoothly.

I have to get off the computer now. When I got here I was greeted with the news that the computer had broken and that I'd have to go to internet cafes in the city to update. That's what I did yesterday. Today though, everything is fixed! It's glorious. I still have so much to tell. Like going to the temple yesterday. So amazing! We're all going into the city now and hopefully I'll be able to get my own outfit. I'm still wearing Fanny's "Punjabi Suit." And also a bunch of other things. I'm excited! We're taking a rickshaw.

I hope everything is going well at home. Everything is awesome here.

Here are some photos from our trip yesterday.

An amazingly ornate fruit display at a roadside stand

Me enjoying a fresh sita fruit

Fanny on our walk back to Nitya's

And here's a lady walking a goat!