Househunting

Jeff and I have started looking for a place to buy.

Keep in mind, we just got back from India.

So, my inclination is to say, "What? 300,000 for that? No, no, give me 2 houses for that!"

Remembering things

Now that I am somewhat coherent and know what time or day it is, here are a few things Jeff and I found different/weird in India:

1. Doormen at every place: Domino's, restaurants, sometimes even restrooms
2. They leave their cars running while getting gas
3. There are no self service gas pumps
4. They are very conscious of what's "in fashion." I stopped counting the number of times I was rebuked for askign for somethign that was "not in fashion" currently.
5. Cherries in cocktails and on sundaes were unpitted; very uncomfortable the first time you find that out
6. Lays has special flavors there; we loved the India Magic Masala. The other 2 we saw there were American sour cream and onion and Italian.
7. Kitkat and coke tasted very different from the ones in the States
8. Some cities have strict traffic laws and people obey. As soon as we entered Chandigarh, my Dad and the driver put their seatbelts on and the driver said he would not speed. Everywhere else, it's mayhem.
9. Car makers that I didn't see there 7 yrs ago and are now there but with very different models:

• Honda City
• Ford Fiesta, Ikon
• Toyota Innova, Qualis
• Hyundai Getz, Santro
• Chevrolet Tavera
• Mitsubishi Cedo (this might be wrong, I can't read my own handwriting)

We'll update this as we remember more :-D

The sword and kirpans

It says SINGH on it, which means Lion and also a Sikh.

The sword:

Thousands of pictures for your perusal!

Ok, maybe not thousands but definitely in the many hundreds. I have them by events and dates etc.:

The first day's drive from Delhi to Ludhiana
December 29th celebrations
Wedding day: Dec 30
Dec 31st party
Delhi, Agra and Fatehpur sikri tourist activities
Chandigarh
Amritsar

And we're back!

We got back at 2ish on Saturday afternoon, the 13th of January, which is also the festival of Lohri in India. Brenda picked us up and we had hot lunch waiting for us as soon as we got out of the shower. We went to bed around 4:30 p.m. with the intentions of waking up at 7:30, eating dinner and going back to sleep. Except when Brenda woke us up at 7:30, I don't think either one of us was coherent. So, we went back to bed till 6:30 a.m. And, we're both sick now. Yay!

oh, here's a photo of my new glasses, just for y'all!

January 12th: Last day in India

Spent the day in Delhi, took my sister out to dinner at TGIF. Also met Anjuli's dad and picked up some stuff for her.

Interesting time at the airport. We went through almost 20 steps of security before getting into the plane. I felt more secure there than anywhere else. This is what I remember of checking in that night:

1. At the main entrance to the airport, a couple of guards checked our tickets before letting us in. We never have our electronic tickets printed so I panicked for a second. But the guard let us in saying we'd have trouble leaving if the tickets were not confirmed.

2. All our checked in luggage was scanned by an x-ray machine and tied with a plastic band. We also had the option of getting it shrink wrapped for 150 Rupees each. It's better we didn't because TSA opened one of our bags in Chicago. Probably because of the sword in it.

3. As we stood in line to check in the scanned luggage, an airline personnel asked us some thousand questions about our luggae, if we bought it, if we packed it, if anybody gave us something, what elecgtronics we had, how long had we owned them etc.

We also had another lady ask us if we'd be willing to take a flight the next day for $500 and a $500 voucher and a one night stay in Delhi. We were tempted but Jeff had to work the next day and I didn't want to do the tearful goodbye to my parents a second time.

4. There were two steps to check in our luggage. There were even 2 counters; at the first one, a lady put the airline stickers on it and following that, the bags were weighed, fines were paid for 2 overweight bags, and they were finally checked in.

5. We had to go through Customs again to leave the country. Weird! We had to fill out a departure sheet and leave that with the Customs lady.

6. We were finally at the security check for our carry on luggage and person. Men and women had to go through different machines. All women were wanded down behind a curtained down area. All our carry on bags were stamped.

7. Now, we were at the gate. When our boarding group was called, they checked our passport and boarding pass. They also checked the stamps on the carry on luggage.

8. On the way to the plane, all our carry on bags were opened. This was exciting since the silver jug and glass set my parents bought us had underwear in it.

I swear that after I got on that plane, I felt more secure than ever.

January 11th: Day 16 in India

We got up late and the first thing we did was go buy the little chuhiya (little female mouse a.k.a. my sister) a laptop. We picked up our wedding album and loked through it while Dad drove. Beautiful pictures. We did some more shopping, had a light lunch and some people in the house napped (a.k.a. mom and Jeff).

Then we headed out again and after some more shopping (yes I know), we had dinner at the Park Plaza, which had a buffet style dinner with soups, salad bar, live pasta bar, Indian, Chinese and Continental dishes. Differences form American buffets: they serve you and they replace your silverware everytime too!

January 10th: Day 15 in India

We had a relaxing morning with an eclectic mix of food for lunch: Maggi noodles (Indian Top Ramen), American chopsuey and bhel puri; with jello custard and fruit mix for dessert.

It was a day full of errands; the tailor, the mangal sutra, visited silver shops, bought Indian snacks and foods to take to the U.S., went to visit a couple of family friends.

The day ended with dinner of yummy dosas at the Beris' house.

No more photos because Jeff isn't feeling too good :-(

January 9th: Day 14 in India

Bowling in India!

We woke up relatively late again, at 9 a.m. and had aloo parathas (boiled potato stuffed rotis) around 11. My sister had to go do Polio drop duty for a few hours so we shopped some more and then sat at a coffeehouse for a couple hours. After lunch there, we picked up my sister and her friend Sofia, and drove to Jalandhar.

That's where Sofia lives and had to be dropped off. We then went to a bowling alley were Jeff said, "This has to be the cleanest bowling alley ever!" We taught my parents and my sister how to bowl and I must say they are naturals! By the time they move here, they'll be beating us.

We stopped for dinner at Rangla Punjab, where they have a rural Punjab setting, with a magician, camel and horse rides, popcorn popped old style over coals in an iron pan, monkey handler with trick performing monkeys and all you can eat Punjabi food. Jeff and I got on the camel for a photo and I swear that I remember camels being much shorter than this time. We were scared. We came away stuffed though. They kept bringing food and you had to literally lie across your plate to stop them from putting it there.

January 8th: Day 13 in India

Holy City for the Sikhs!

We drove to Amritsar early morning around 6:45; also stopped at a second Haveli for some tea. For the first time, it was a little foggy, and we saw a really bad truck accident on the way.



We drove directly to Harmandir Sahib or the Golden Temple, as it is more commonly known as. We saw the largest roti making machine there. We took photos of each step of the process. We also had some langar. Then we visited the main room in the temple and had some prashad.











Then, we walked down to the Jalianwala Bagh, where in 1916, many innocent Indians, including old people, women and children were gunned down by the British Soldiers, for silently protesting some law. I couldn't even handle the sight of the bullet marks in the old buildings, so my parents didn't even take us to the well where women jumped with their children in an attempt to save themselves and later, hundreds of bodies were found.



We bought a Punjabi sword and a couple of Sikh kirpans for Jeff. Now, he has all the 5 Ks required to begin to be a Sikh. I also bought a couple of Punjabi juttiyan (shoes).



We visited my sister's hostel at the Government Medical College, Amritsar. We picked her up and drove to the Army guest house where my uncle had made arrangements for us. We had dinner at, oh hold your breath once again, Domino's, were our pizza was half and half with keema pyaaz (minced lamb and onion) and chicken kabab.

We drove to the India-Pakistan border at Wagha. We watched what they call the Retreat. They take down the flags of both sides and close off the border for the night. It was really interesting; some of the interesting points:

- On the Pakistani side, the women all sat on one side and the men on the other side
- The soldiers shake hands but have the nastiest expressions on their faces
- The Pakistani soldiers bang their heads around and stomp while Indian soldiers have been told not to do that
- At the end, everybody is waving to everybody else over the border line and they all looked like us

We drove back to Amritsar, did some more shopping and then my sister took us out to dinner to Crystal Restaurant, where we had yummy Indian.

January 7th: Day 12 in India

Lazy People!

This is what today looked like:

9:30 a.m.: woke up and had tea and coffee

11:30 a.m.: had fresh fruit and juice for breakfast after showering

Jeff and my mom both napped

2:30 p.m.: had lunch

Jeff and my mom napped

3:30 p.m.: dad went to nap

5:30 p.m.: had tea

Picked up Jeff's new tailored black suit. Looks wonderful.

7:45 p.m.: Went and ate dinner at a second family friends' house.

11:45 p.m.: went to sleep.

January 6th: Day 11 in India

Chandigarh!

We went to Chandigarh which is India's first planned town. We had tea by the Chandigarh Lake, a man made lake and visited the very interesting Rock Garden.

Then we went shopping at Sector 17, where they had the Kashmir, Punjab and Khadi Emporiums. The Kashmir emporium had beautiful hand carved furniture form walnut wood. I think I might have my parents bring us a wooden screen from there when they move.

We had lunch at a place called Hot Millions, where I had a really yummy Mexican Chilli and Cheese burger.

We tried shopping in Sector 22 where there are tiny stalls but in a very confusing pattern and after going around in circles twice, we left for my cousin's house. We were fed some more (no surprise) and had tea and fruits and sweets.

Dinner was at a family friends' house where once again, people worried that we weren't eating much and we over ate. Also got new glasses today.

January 5th: Day 10 in India

Very light day. We drove back from Delhi to Ludhiana. We went to somebody else's mehandi raat and ladies sangeet.

January 4th: Day 9 in India

Last day for Nate!

We woke up relatively late and left for the Bahai'i temple. We also went to the Qutab Minar. Almot everyhting that's really high is blocked off to visitors because people started jumping off of them. Idiots!

Then started our shopping. We went to something called the Dilli Haat, where we bought some handicrafts and had some chai. They were doing a showcase on Uttaranchal, the newest state of India. We watched a little bit of a folk dance being done.

Jeff and Nate learnt that they couldn't go into any of the stalls with me and my mom, so they would wait till we had bargained and then they would come up and pick out what they liked. Nate was ecstatic when, towards the end, he bargained himself and got some paintings cheaper than first offered.

Lunch was at the India Habitat Center. They had a food court, where we had an eclectic mix of gol gappas, spring rolls, baked potatoes and pizzas with mango lassis and sodas. We were stuffed ... but that is no different from every other meal we've been fed here.

Then, we went shopping at the Janpath market in Delhi. Tiny stalls of souvenirs, clothing, knick knacks ... lot's of bargaining. We had dinner at, once again hold your breath, TGIF! Very different but very good!

So, today brought the end of Nate's stay with us. We dropped him off at the airport at 9ish and said goodbye. He also took a suitcase full of stuff to be shipped to Maryland later because we weren't sure how much we'd gather after he left.

January 3rd: Day 8 in India

Delhi, Agra and Fatehpur Sikri!

Today, we did a full tourist tour of the Delhi and Agra area. We started by driving to the Taj Mahal. On the way, we stopped and had breakfast at the Taj View Hotel. It was a really good buffet with a juice bar, different breads and pastries, various breakfast meats, jams and jellies, and a omelette chef.

After the Taj, we went to the Agra Fort where Shah Jahan, the emperor who built the Taj, was imprisoned by his son during his final days.

Then we drove to Fatehpur Sikri, where there's a huge sprawling fort. All this architecture and the minute details are amazing!

We drove back to Delhi and had dinner at the Hotel Siddhartha. They had an eclectic menu with western dishes, Thai noodles and Indian food on it. I had a pretty good Long Island Iced Tea. The restaurant inside the hotel where we ate was Eggspectation. Apparently, there's one near us in Ellicott Mills.

January 2nd: Day 7 in India

We were supposed to leave at 6:30 but the rental van didn't show up till 7, and we left at 7:30. Poor Nate fell asleep almost immediately in the backseat of the van. We stopped for breakfast at, hold your breaths, McDonald's! We paid 330 Rupees for 4 meals, including a McAloo Tikki Burger (McPotato Patty Burger), Paneer Salsa Wrap (Cottage Cheese), McVeggie Burger and Veggie Surprise. It was amazing! Jeff and Nate think these things would sell in the U.S. as well.

Around 11, we stopped at Haveli again to eat a little brunch and have some tea. We checked into the ICAR's International Guest House and had Ankur Beri, the son of a family friend, meet us there. He was going to be our guide around Delhi.

He took us to the India Gate, where it looks like the DC Mall a lot. On one side is the India Gate, where there's a memorial to the fallen soldiers and on the other side is the President's house. The Parliament is in the middle.

We drove to the Bahai'i temple in Delhi but they were closed. We decided to come back on the 4th.

The day ended with dinner at the guest house.

January 1 st: Day 6 in India

Beginning of a New Near!

A lot of the relatives left today. Even my sister had to go back and join her Medical internship. Madelyn and Prakash left for Delhi where they would stay with his sister.

We did some shopping, bought material for suits for me and Jeff and then took them to the tailor.

We also gave an order for prescription glasses for me. Jeff, Nate and I rode an autorickshaw for about 15 minutes. We went to my favorite sweets store in Ludhiana, Khushi Ram and Sons, and got some sweets.

We also took my mangal sutra back because I wanted a traditional design but my mom and sister had gotten me something that was "in fashion." I have learnt that people here are very conscious of what is and isn't in fashion.

We had an easy day today since we're leaving for Delhi tomorrow early morning for a 3 day tourist round.

December 31st: Day 5 in India

The Third Day of Festivities!

We got up relatively late at 9 a.m., had some tea, showered and went home. All the relatives form my Dad's side had come t the wedding from is village in Jammu, Billawar. We had breakfast with everybody at home. We tried to rest in the morning because there was a New Year's party at our house that night.

We also did some customs that are traditionally done at the in-laws' house when th bride and groom get there. We had to untie those 7 knotted string that my mamiji had tied. I went first and then, Jeff took reaallllllly long. Then, we had to fight for those 2 strings, a 1 Rupee coin and a gold ring in a bowl filled with milk, water and flower petals. Whoever won would be the dominant one in the relationship for the rest of our lives. Guess who won?



There was more food, drinks and dancing to close 2006 out.
Even my 96 year old grandmonther got up and danced!

At midnight, my parents brought out firecrackers and they were lit in the middle of the street in front of our house, under electrical wires. Only the Americans: Nate, Madelyn and Jeff seemed worried :-)



So, 2007 was brought in with a bang!

December 30th: Day 4 in India

Our Second Wedding Day!

Jeff, Nate, Madelyn and Prakash got to learn and play Carrom with my family.



My sister had told me that the only thing we needed to do was get to the beauty parlour by 3:30 p.m. since the wedding was at 7 p.m. However, that morning, the priest called my mom to say that it was very inauspicious after 7:15 that day so the wedding had to be done at 6 p.m. Mom started calling all the friends and family members who were invited to the wedding ceremony. I really don't remember much of the morning except that my sister and I left to get beautified around 3 and we did not get done till almost 6. Oh, before we left, my sister stole Jeff's shoes, which is traditionally done at the wedding. She then negotiated with him the price of getting them back. I believe she was satisfied with the iPod Shuffle she received in the bargain.

My dad picked us up and we went to the hotel where everyone was waiting with Jeff. He had on a traditional achkan and pajama, just like the night before. But, he also had a pagri (turban) and a sehra this time. The very first thing we did was exchange garlands. Then, we were escorted to the wedding mandap, where the priest married us off.

Very modern priest; he answered his cell phone as he was performing the ceremony. It was a little nerve wracking because even I didn't understand what he was saying half the time. Jeff did wonderfully! I had to ask for 4 things and Jeff only had 1 thing where he accepted my vows! A little inequality there. I only remember 2 of the tings I asked form my groom: if there's anything bad to be said about my family, please say it alone, not in the middle of people and to share his earnings with me.

After the ceremony, we sat on a little stage for what seemed like hours and took photos with guests. Suddenly, the videographer turned his lights out and my sister asked everybody to direct their attention at a big screen up in one corner of the hall. She played a slide presentation with photos from our childhood and then at the end, she'd added a photo of Jeff from his childhood that I had just given her the day before, not knowing what was being done with it. She made both of us cry!

Then, we had a wedding cake and champagne. My sister had even asked for a first dance for us. Madelyn and I got to repeat our dances from Michigan to Dhol Baje and Mahi Ve. Then, lots of dancing and mingling till about 12:15 a.m. when we got to eat dinner with my parents, my sister, mamaji and mamiji. My parents had booked a huge suite in the same hotel for me and Jeff where we basically crashed that night.

December 29th: Day 3 in India

The Festivities Begin!!!

In the morning of day 1 of so much fun, all the ladies of the house: Sylvie, her sister, Mom, Mamiji (my maternal uncle's wife), and Madelyn got henna done on hands and feet. Even Jeff got a little design done on one hand. The first three photos are of my henna, which got progressively darker over the next few days.







In the evening, we had the ceremonial Ladies' Sangeet (music). Traditionally, only women from the bride's side will gather at her house and sing and dance. It involves making loads of fun of the soon to be husband and the in-laws. It served the purpose of lightening the mood of everybody when they knew they might never see the girl after she got married and left.

We had our closest friends and family attend this event. My sister and mom combined a number of customs from both my mom's and my dad's side of the family. So, after a little singing and dancing, my mamiji tied a string on Jeff's and my right hand with 7 knots each. This string will resurface 2 days later. My mamaji (my maternal uncle) put my chura on. This identifies me as a newlywed.

Then, all my sisters (real, cousins and girlfriends) tied kaleeres to a bracelet on each of my arms. That got pretty heavy. Apparently, if I touch the kaleeras to the top of unmarried sisters' and nieces' heads, they'll get married soon. After that, almost everyone put a mixture of turmeric and water on our hands and faces.

This website has good summaries of Indian wedding traditions. We did all that are mentioned in one way or another.

This night ended with lots of food, friends and dancing. I only have a few photos because we had an official photographer and videographer for the ceremonies.



UPDATE:

I forgot to mention another traditional thing that was done today. My maternal aunt walked the neighborhood with a lit pot called a Jaggo, announcing the marriage to all neighbors.