On Mulberry Street

   Growing up we had this book about a boy who walked home from school everyday on Mulberry St. He never saw anything interesting, but everyday his mother would ask him what he saw on the way home. So one day while walking home he was imagining all kinds of amazing things, but when he got home he just said, "I only saw a horse and carriage on Mulberry Street."
   Here in India, you don't even have to use your imagination to see all kinds of interesting things along the road. Here are a few pictures of some things that we have seen. Keep in mind that these are just everyday sights to the people here, even though they seem strange to us.

Let me begin by saying that just driving is an experience in itself. Not only do they drive on the left side, but all the buses, cars, and motorbikes are weaving in and out, constantly honking their horns. If you can drive for five consecutive minutes without fearing for your life and thinking that you're going to crash, you're doing good. It really seems like madness at first, but there is a method to it. It takes getting used to though, and I still close my eyes a lot. lol

   You also have to be careful not to hit the pedestrians and animals that share the roadway. Animals we have seen crossing the road: cows, horses, monkeys, elephants, water buffalo, sheep, donkeys, peacocks, dogs, deer, wild boar, and dolphins. (jk about the dolphins lol)

didn't know animals could survive on trash, but apparently...

Why did the peacock cross the road?

   One of the most common sights you'll see along the way are Hindu temples. They are literally everywhere. Only certain castes are welcome in certain temples, and tourists are not allowed inside except by special invitation. Not that that's a problem with me, they seem really creepy.

Hindu temple

   Modes of transportation are very diverse. Trucks, buses, three-wheeled taxis, ox-carts, motorbikes, bicycles, cars, tractors, boats... (jk again)

three-wheeled taxi

the loads we've seen are incredible

truckload of sugar cane

share the road

   You also see different kinds of plants growing. Coconut trees, banana trees, rice patties, sugar cane...

   Then there's the random stuff...

washing clothes

Shoes, Bikes, and Tea

   I can't believe we are leaving India in less than a week! This coming Friday (Oct 5) we are heading out for China for a two week tour. We are really looking forward to it, but at the same time we will miss everyone here. We have made some really great friends, and we're sad to be leaving them. Maybe someday in the future we will get to come back.
   I have so many things I've wanted to tell you all about on here, but I'm running out of time fast. The internet is not very reliable here so I haven't been able to work on it as much as I've wanted. This week I'll try to get as much posted as I can. So here goes...

Here's a couple more interesting cultural things about India.

1. Shoes. Everyone takes off their shoes before going inside a home, or in this case the library. Even when we toured the palace we were required to take off our shoes. I know, gross right? Considering how many people walk through there in a day. I wore socks.

2. Motorbikes. They are the main mode of transportation. It's not unusual to see a whole family of 4 or 5 on the same bike. We've seen some pretty crazy loads on them too.

3. Tea. I think it comes from the colonial British days, but these people love tea. They make it with milk, sugar, and cardamom and it's sooo good. But "having tea" isn't restricted to drinking a certain beverage though. You can have tea with orange Fanta or coffee just as well. And if you have "biscuits" (cookies) its even better. It's a fun social event.

having tea with friends :)

hmmm...

Yep, they're good!

Culture Notes - drinking fountains and handwashing

This is the drinking fountain at the mall in the big city of Coimbatore (actually they consider it to be a small town, only 1 million, 6 million if you include the surrounding area). Even has a handy dandy cup already there for you. Don't worry, we didn't actually use it. I only took a picture because I thought is was pretty funny.

In the upper left corner of the picture you can see the green sign for the hand-washing station. This is for those who come to the food court and eat with their fingers. It is also common for homes to have a hand-washing room adjacent to the dining room, equipped with just a sink, soap and towel (kinda like a half-bath but without the toilet, I guess you could call it a third-bath lol).  When eating with fingers it is important to wash first, and only use your right hand. The left hand is used for dirty work.

Independence Day Feast

Ok, so I'm sure if you saw my post with all the pictures of pig butchering you're wondering how it tasted right? Well let me just say, yum, yum, yum! They cooked it in some kind of spicy curry sauce. Also on the menu was chicken curry, white rice, rice with tomato something, and curd. The chicken curry was slightly different than the pork curry, but if I had eaten them on separate days I probably would have said they were the same. I think I would have to be here for awhile before I could detect the subtle differences in spices, but it's all very good. Curd is like runny yogurt with onions and tomatoes in it. Really good mixed with rice and curry.

Anyways, the whole meal was a really fun experience. They handed us each a big metal plate on the way in. Then they dumped a big pile of rice on it, and on top of the rice they put the curry and curd. Then, my favorite part :), you mix it all around with your fingers and scoop it into your mouth. This was actually a dream come true for me because, ever since I was a kid, I've wanted to go to India so I could eat with my fingers. There really is a technique to it. You kinda scoop it up with your fingers and shove it into your mouth with your thumb. I believe it really is a superior method for eating. Think about it, a fork in an American restaurant has been in how many people's mouths? euwww! My fingers, only in my mouth. The Indian couple we were sitting across from said it used to be even better because they ate off banana leaves, no plates to wash! Eating with your fingers also keeps you from chomping down on the little bits of bones that get chopped up and cooked with the meat. AND...it's way more fun!

(You might notice in the following pictures a fork and spoon on my plate. I did not use them! They were given to us by our hosts because we are Americans, and everyone knows that Americans eat with forks. lol Not this one. :)

Independence Day Evening Program

Wednesday evening the students put on a program in honor of Independence Day. There are students here from all over India, as well as Myanmar(Burma). Each group of students chose a guy and girl to represent their state and wear their full traditional costume. Then all the students from the state sang a song in their language. We also played some corny games, heard a speech, and sang the national anthem.

All of the groups did a really great job. It was a really neat cultural experience for us, and they all seemed to really enjoy themselves. All in all it was a fun evening for everyone.

map of India showing states and provinces

group from Kerala (southern India)

group from Nagaland (northwest India)

group from Assam

group from Mizoram

group from Myanmar (Burma)

Preparing a Feast

Independence day celebrations anywhere are not complete without a feast. India is no exception. No hamburgers or hotdogs here tho! What's on the menu? Short-legged elephant, as they jokingly called it. A whole pig was butchered and made into delicious curry.

This little piggie weighed about 220 lbs. After killing the pig, they burned and scraped off all the hair. This way, every part of the pig can be used, including the skin. Thankfully, all the "undesirable" parts (such as brains and other organs) were cooked in a separate pot. I'm all about not wasting things, but I'm glad we weren't offered any of the weird stuff. Being ignorant of what you are actually eating is one thing, but I've butchered enough animals that I think I would be able to identify any odd parts that might appear. But then, you know, I might just eat it for the sake of saying I have eaten... whatever it may be. Pig brains couldn't be any worse than the grubs, turtle, or snake I've tried. Hmmm...

Mom, you will really enjoy this. They took the pig's bladder, blew it up like a balloon, and kicked it around. Just like Laura Ingals in Little House in the Big Woods!

WARNING: if you have a weak stomach, you might not want to look at these pictures

ignorance is bliss...

burning and scraping off the hair

yummy!

yes, that's the head

inflated pig bladder ball

Independence Day!

August 15, 1947...the day India gained her independence. Today was a holiday off from school in celebration of independence day. This morning started with a parade and flag raising ceremony. All the students from the matriculation school as well as the college marched around the soccer field in uniform. They also sang the national anthem, pledged to the flag, sang another song about India, and the president of the college gave a short speech.

This was only the beginning of a day of celebration. Tomorrow I'll share more about the rest of the day.

When the flag was raised, it released a cloud of glitter

Standing at attention

March, march, march...

...march, march, march...

...march, march, march...

to the beat of the drum

matriculation school teachers lined up in their uniform sarees

singing the national anthem