Slumdog Blondie Hair

Well hello there,

It's my third day here in India, and everyday there is so much I have taken in. Yesterday my mom, an avid saree connoisseur, took me to the fabric shop to get my very first saree. It was really busy in that part of town because it was a marriage day. My moms driver, Rajan, took the two of us in his rickshaw downtown. Driving here is crazy because off all the busses, people, motocycles, cars, but mostly because of the cows. They walk around the streets and hitting them accidently means that you're in trouble with a higher power, so you swerve. Nuts!
Anyway, I picked out a beautiful pattern and then off to the taylor to have it made for my form. Rajan works for my parents exclusively. He does all the driving, grocery store fetching, beer buying, you name it, he does it. He just bought a piece of land, which is really hard for most people in the town of Arunchula, but he did it, and he's building a brand new home. It's a two room place that has a kitchen and a bedroom.
Last night my parents took me to a bar. Yep, a bar. Before my mother had stepped foot in there about a year ago they had never seen a western woman sit down and have a beer. If an Indian woman did that, she would be considered a whore, and subsequently get "hacked" as my mom puts it. So last night I was clad in my mom's saree, and the second I stepped in there the place got quiet and every body turned to stare. It was like an old west film where the villian walks through the door and the whole place waits for a shoot out. Not only were there two western women in this bar at the same time, but one of them was very blonde. One Indian man jumped up and asked if he could sit with us. One guy at a table of 4 men stared at me until I turned, then cheersed me over and over. At the bar the men stood on their stools to get a look. It was a sight most of them had never seen. It should have been flattering, but to be honest, it scared me. My parents were utterly amused, egging the men on, saying Oh, she's an actress in New York, and laughing. India loves actors and actresses. They are a culture obsessed with film and fame, which is so strange because most of them have never owned a television. So as I sat there trying to stare straight ahead at my step father across from me, I drank more and more beer. I didn't loosten up though. We had a great meal of chicken and noodles. We were finishing up at the bar, and right before we left the men at the table to my left got up to leave. As they got up they tapped my step dad on the shoulder and extended their hands to shake them, as if to congratulate him on his having two women. Weird! My mom thinks this is what it is to be famous. I think it's pretty case specific. The two of them are still laughing about last night.

It's about 1:30 in the afternoon here. I'm still very jet lagged. We took a walk around the magic mountain today. The mountain is very spiritual and is the reason a lot of westerners come here in the first place, to observe its powers. I don't know about that, but I do know it took several hours to get around it and I was friggin' starving at the end. We passed through a little village , and the children ran up to us shouting "camera? camera!". They wanted me to take their picture and show it to them. The kids here are so amazing. Beautiful, open. I got some really great shots that I'll post the second I figure out how.
I should be getting my scooter today, which is the main way people get around here. So excited!!!

All right you, that's all for now.

Lots of love and namaste!

Amy

Today is the day....

Hi ya,

Tonight is the night. I'm going to India. For those of you who know me already, this is even a bigger deal than it may be for some because, well, I'm what you call a mani-pedi type of gal. I live in Manhattan, I'm a Sex and the City tour guide, I just bought a pair of Manolo's at 65 percent off and cried a little bit...you get the picture.

Why, you may be asking yourself, would a self proclaimed mani-pedi type of gal be going to India in the first place? Thank you for asking. To visit my Mom. My Mother moved there about a year ago, and it is my duty to go visit, and not to mention, have a life changing experience. The most interesting thing about me telling people that I'm going to India is that a lot of them ask me right off the bat if my Mother is Indian. Um, no. Look at me. No, my Mother moved to India because she went there on her honeymoon a few years ago and decided it would be a great place to retire. Yup. I'm not going to say I was happy about her move to India, because I wasn't. I'm fairly certain I uttered the phrases "what the f#!k?" And "this is bull$%#!" many, many times. However it is true that very soon I will be turning 30, which means I am an actual adult, which means.....I have to be happy for my Mom's happiness. And I am. What?! I am! And frankly it's better than her retiring to some weird little town in the middle of the country where the Target is considered the mall and sushi is considered a California Roll. I can say that, I used to live in a place like that.
Anyway, I'll be gone for a couple of weeks.
Now listen, don't think I'm some spoiled little snot who doesn't think she can survive without her double latte frappachino made with skim at 140 degrees. That's not the case at all. I don't even like coffee. And I have traveled quite a bit. I'm nervous about being away from my life. I don't vacation very much because I like to work and be a part of the city. It's also that I haven't ever had to go someplace where I had to have several needles poked into me to prevent some sort of terrible, ancient disease. The doctor who was giving me the shots was going over each one telling me the benefits of the inoculations. Hep A shot-in case you eat something that was prepared by a person who hasn't washed there hands in quite a while. Oh, you mean someone who has poop on their hands? Good, good. Hep B, in case you plan on having sex with someone who is native to this country, or if you get in a horrible accident, say, while on a motorcycle, and you need a blood transfusion. Good...good. Yellow fever, Polio(you don't want to be the last case of Polio in the Unites States do you? the doctor asked me. No, I don't think I do.), rabies, in case I come in contact with an animal who has it, like a monkey, and my favorite, Typhoid. I said yes to all of these shots, except for the Hep B. No, I don't plan on having sex with a stranger while I'm there, my college days have passed(sigh), and hopefully if I get in a horrible accident while say, on a motorcycle, I will be wearing my leathers. Oh wait, no, I won't get on a f#@!ing motorcycle while I'm there. Crisis #37, averted.
The typhoid was my favorite, because it was an oral vaccine, which meant I had to keep it refrigerated and every other day for 8 days I had to take this medication. It made me so sick that I threw up the pills every single time I had to take them. I will let you guess at whether I fished them out and rinsed them off to re-take them. No judgments. The best part of the typhoid vaccine is that it's only 62% effective. Sweet.
Mostly I am very glad to have an opportunity to explore the world and to see my Mom. This is a once in a lifetime experience that I'm going to have.
I will keep this updated as much as possible with pictures and if I can, video.

Lots of love,

Amy