The "Weekend of Seth" (pardon me, Brian Miller, for stealing your phrase) is just wrapping up. Yes, this was really my FIRST weekend with no plans, no moving, no travel, no friends around, visitors etc... JUST ME. I was chatting with Mum before this weekend saying, "Just what will I do with all of this time???" and - I've got to say - it was a pretty nice weekend. I can't remember a time in Los Angeles when I would have ever taken the time to read, sit, and think... write letters... write in my journal... for an entire weekend. It was all rather nice.
I joined the neighborhood gym -- and the plan is to resume "spinning" again tomorrow morning.
A couple of things happened to me this weekend that I thought were indicators of "adjustment" to life here:
#1 - My standards of coffee have officially LOWERED. I've always HATED the coffee here -- really hated it. Well, I've been going to the local coffee place, Barista, (there are two main chains in India -- "Barista" and "Cafe Coffee Day") and for the first time this weekend... I decided I LIKE their coffee. I know, academically, that their coffee isn't actually GOOD - but I honestly LIKE it now... so that's a start.
#2 - Bird Watching. I saw these two boys staring up at my apartment the other day when I was walking home. So naturally, as I seem to do in my "new" life, I stopped and also looked up at my apartment along with them. The boys where watching THREE PARROTS (green ones -- Parrots are green, right? ) that live in (or spend a lot of time in) the tree by my house. Tonight as I was getting ready to go out to dinner I saw the three parrots again perched on an electricity line -- right next to a crow.
#3 - The Imperial. I decided to live it up and go out to dinner by myself this evening (I've been eating at home as Sibi always has some delicious meal made). I've been craving the "butter chicken" at the Imperial Hotel. There is, of course, an Indian name for "butter chicken" but I have a hard time pronouncing it -- I usually say something like, "I'll have the Quta-murgh... aaahhh" and I'm met with the response, "Right, Sir, the butter chicken". Right. Anyway, my favorite dinner spot at the Imperial has taken the butter chicken off the menu! Of course, I've been eating there long enough that they figured out a way to serve it to me in the bar. But, it dawns on me while I'm eating butter chicken and writing in my journal (I opted to bring my journal and not my book tonight) that the Imperial really ISN'T the India I know now. It's not my neighborhood, it's not the multitude of construction-worker families across the street that are building a house and living on premises (each night there must be five different fires as they cook up the evening meal), it's not the boys watching the parrots in my tree, and it's not even the albino lizards that I chase around each night trying to keep out of the house. The Imperial is a world of $17 mojitos (yes, I was a little surprised -- I've gotten very cheap... yesterday I balked at the $6 price tag on monthy paper delivery - for three papers). The Imperial seemed tonight to be a world of people with Texan accents (Sorry Stacey, Emily) watching "Star Sports" in the bar.
So, this is my rambling way of saying that I feel like I'm starting to adjust. There are so, so many things I miss -- I won't being to launch into it... but I like the little life I'm starting to create here.
I wanted to share a couple of photos - one of them is the man who is making my curtains. He's pictured here at my dining table -- I had just sat down to eat the other night after work around 9pm and my doorbell rang (it was the curtain guy). It's lucky that this man is so cute and so sweet -- because he has now awakened me several times -- it's like he picks the ODDEST time to come sell me curtains... 7AM?? 9PM?? Would you buy curtains at those hours? Anyway, I guess that I buy curtains at those hours... I get them on Tuesday. I'm getting a bit tired of hanging TOWELS over my windows so that I can sleep in. It should be nice.
The next photo here is of this little vase/dish that Noelle bought for me while she was here. I've really wanted one of these since I moved to India. As far as I can tell, they are a Hindu sign of welcome - usually placed outside the door. I like it so much that I keep it just inside my door -- and Sibi changes the rose petals every couple of days.
Ok -- thanks for reading...
xx -Seth