Sunday, January 16, 2011

it's a new day.


news from india:

--this weekend was pongal!
(that poor creature above is the wishing cow.. he comes by & we give him $. i'm certain it all goes directly into his bank account.)
we celebrated the new year with chalk art, fireworks, singing, & dancing. apparently being white & dancing in vizag is breaking news. our celebration ended with the arrival of the local news crew showing up at our house asking for interviews.

--woke up sunday morning only to throw up and go back to bed.
honestly, i'm impressed i lasted ten days in india with no stomach problems.

--found a place three minutes away that sells cold cans of diet coke!!
CHA CHING.
(going off soda was one of my new years resolutions.. until my sis told me she was instructed to drink a coke a day when she lived in the D.R. because it kills bad things in your tummy. switched my resolution to drink MORE diet coke than usual.. likely impossible, but what's the point of a resolution if not to challenge yourself?)

--agreed to practice english with a 19 year old boy named named srinivas from the village i am conducting my research in. turns out that won't be happening; he and his grandfather began spreading word that srinivas was going to drop out of college, study with me full time, & we would build him a house & find him a wife. miscommunication? or hallucinations?

--visited a doctor because i've had a cold.. and it'd been a week since i arrived and i felt like deaf woman because my left ear still hadn't popped from the airplane. paid the doctor 100 rupees and picked up 5 prescription drugs for another 350 rupees. felt poor until i remembered,
45 rupees = 1 dollar

--also got tempted to schedule dental work when i learned you can get a root canal for 1500 rupees. ($30? seriously?)

--visited the vizag zoo. best part was watching full grown adults crack up as they tossed bananas, popcorn, popsicles, candy, whatever, to the animals, despite dozens of signs reading DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS. oh and we caught chipmunks mating. they weren't actually zoo animals, but a highlight nonetheless.

--reminded, by the incredible smiles of the people i am surrounded by here, that happiness has nothing to do with where you are on the globe.

6 comments:

Candace said...

Haha you are in a much different part of India than we were. Zoos? Doctors? News crews? You're living in luxury my friend. :)

Samantha Brooks said...

hahaha you WOULD find the one 19 year old boy in your area and make him want to marry you.

Anna Diederich said...

i loooooove lost in translation. it's the best, oh and i second what samantha said. you would.

ps: i've been off soda for a year now, going on my second. and you thought i was addicted... weak.

Amy Carlston said...

haha. i feel like luxury is an overstatement.. but i am lucky to not be living in the slums. and honestly guys, i don't even think the poor boy wanted to marry me. i think his grandpa is just a crazieeee!

anna, you are a better woman than i.

Allie Jones said...

Amy, your life sounds amazing.. i wish i could be half as cool as you... ps. email me :)
Miss you,Love you. stay safe

Amy Carlston said...

oh hush allie. i miss you & love you too. good chatting the other day sistah!