Smacking Kittens

I've made a point of never giving money to beggars, here or anywhere else I'm traveling as you just never know what they're actually using it for. So often I'll give food or water or something that can only be used for what it is. And many times, especially here, I just give a smile.

Today I even smiled at a small boy squatting on the sidewalk looking at me. He didn't smile back, he looked away. And then I noticed it was because he was having a bowel movement right there. I wouldn't smile at someone either in that moment.

Later while stuck in traffic, we noticed two little kids playing near the curb under a bridge. They had a kitten pinned down between them and were taking turns smacking it. They couldn't have been more than three or four years old and that kitten was clearly beaten into submission. One smack. Two smack. Three smack. Then one of them reached for a shoe.

At this point, we three teachers in the car are aghast and about to jump out and set those kids straight, but our driver offers to do so instead. So, while the light is still red (not that we'd move if it was green anyway) he jumps out just as they smack the kitten with the shoe a couple of times and asks what they're doing. Just playing, they say. (we only know this because he told us later)

Then mom, also under the bridge comes over and thanks him for stopping them. She takes the kitten away and he gets back in the car. The light changes, we move on, and mom is pointing at our car giving them an earful of who knows what.

Our driver was incredibly kind when stopping the kids and speaking to their mother...under the bridge. She also didn't take any personal offense to being informed of her children's negative behavior. She smiled and thanked him. We smiled and thanked him when he got in the car.

And I've realized that as I try to reach across cultural barriers, there's a whole lot of smiling going on between shit and smacking kittens.

One Night, Three Spots

First Spot

The board of directors threw a welcome cocktail for the faculty and staff to kick off the new school year. It was quite nice with tasty appetizers and the best Indian wine available, which sort of tastes like Boone's wine if you're unfortunate enough to be able to make that reference. The board and parents were welcoming and made an incredible effort to meet and greet everyone. Plus staff now on our two campuses got to catch up since we don't see each other as often. It was a great starter for the evening.


Second Spot

Some of us planned to continue after the cocktails since we were already dressed up and wanted to hang out a bit. I did a bit of research and found a nice lounge with a kitchen where those who wanted dinner could also eat. It was a bit far, if only for the traffic, but once inside, the seating was comfortable, the music excellent and in the background so we could talk, and the food was amazing. Plus, they had an 'alcohol stock market', really just a gimmick but essentially, each table got an iPad from which to place their orders. At the back of the bar was a TV with fluctuating drink prices, so depending on in which moment you ordered, that would be your drink prices. Just a gimmick, but fun.


Third Spot

Some of the others still wanted to go 'clubbing' and had made arrangements to meet people at the Sahara Star hotel's 'club'. So we all went along. Their friend, who works at our help desk at school, got us all in for free. The hotel itself is interesting architecturally in that it looks like a giant bubble. All the hotel rooms have balconies facing inside towards an enormous courtyard with restaurant, garden and a small 'club'.

In India, apparently many night clubs have you buy your drinks from one area then retrieve them from another with little ticket stubs...sort of like Chuck E Cheese or something. So we buy our tickets, then go over and get our drinks, then finally go in.

The music was techno. Loud, thumping, bass over everything. Ugh...awful. But it was early and I thought, OK, this is just the house DJ, the headliner hasn't started yet. So I tried to fake enjoy the music and dance, but it was quite an effort. The mixing was hard and bad so you'd lose the rhythm between songs and beats. meh...I am an dance snob.

Then the headliner shows up, sets up his 'gear', chats on his phone awhile, then sends some texts, then shouts into the mic, 'You ready to party?!'  He throws on a good song...then changes it after 30 seconds. This goes on and on, and the songs he chooses gets worse and worse. I've had the time of my life comes on and the guy next to me says, 'Are you havin' the time of your life?'

pause for incredulous laughter here

I turned to my NYC friend and said, 'Um, no, I'm done. I'm too old to put up with lousy music.' Then proceeded to tell him what I thought of the mixing. So we headed to the outside bar area for another cocktail, did the ticket line-bar line-ridiculousness and did some people watching which was far more interesting than the music. 

Lesson learned - do my research before heading out to just any old club. 

SQUISH LIST

Thought I'd start of list of things I see squished in the road. No photos will be added.

Rat
Pigeon
Chicken

Birthday in Mumbai

Yesterday, Aug. 20th, was my birthday.

Most people like to spend their birthday with family and friends, but that just wasn't possible. And although I've spent many a birthday away from my family, this has been the first time in a very long time that I wasn't even around my good friends. (Shout out Colombia!)

However my colleagues at work, and especially the new teachers who came in with me this year, have been wonderful. We've all had our bouts of culture shock - those days when you want to stay home or shout at the chaos on the street or cry when nothing makes sense - and we've all been making a conscious effort to look out for and check up on each other. As well, our administration is top notch when it comes to making sure our needs are met so we can focus on teaching.

So Friday night, I went out clubbing. Super fun! (see previous post)

Saturday, I recovered as I waited around for repairmen to come by the apartment. The painters had broken the curtains rods and the water heater, so they needed fixed. Plus the pigeon netting guy came to take measurements for his estimate. That evening one of the new teachers whose shipment arrived first and who has her home set up already invited the other new teachers in our neighborhood over for a housewarming. There's such a difference between her apartment and mine without my things!

We had a lovely time chatting, catching up, and sharing tidbits of information about the neighborhood. This is key as not only are we the new to the school, but we're also the first to live in this neighborhood. Everyone else is across town in another suburb with our old campus between us.

Sunday we joined the tradition of celebrating birthdays by going to brunch at one of the five star hotels. We went to the Leela Hotel and it was fabulous! All you can eat gourmet buffet and champagne with live jazz music for about USD $60.

And last night a few of us went to dinner at a Punjabi restaurant that just opened at the top of the mall near our apartments. Some restaurants here are called hotels, which is confusing for us but apparently hotels are called something else. I guess. It also seems that most Indian food outside of India is really only from one region of the country - and it's not Punjabi! This was delicious and totally different from anything I'd had before. We will definitely be going back.

I got lots of emails and messages from family and friends, and even some online video chats. So all in all, it was a good birthday. Even though I'm far away, I feel very loved. 

Clubbing Mumbai

Last night was my first night clubbing in Mumbai. I'd been to a couple of bars before - nothing really to write home about, but my colleagues seemed to like the grungy, college feel of the corner bars in their neighborhood.

So I did a bit of research, found the hot party for the night, and got myself on the guest list to a downtown club.

Apparently my suburban, residential neighborhood doesn't have much need for transportation services in the evening, so I had to take a rickshaw to my friend's neighborhood where we could grab a cab. That neighborhood is also considered to be in the suburbs, but it's closer to downtown like the first stop off the train in Brooklyn.

The club was packed, the cocktails were strong, and the music was fun. Every now and then the crowd would go crazy over something I couldn't recognize until I realized it was another Bollywood tune and to be honest, those Bollywood tunes really lend themselves easily to busting a move!

Here's a little sampling:

August

We international teachers, we do this to ourselves. Every few years we pack up and leave our comfort zone to start all over again somewhere new. New job, new language, new culture, new 'home', new social network, new infrastructure, new food, new illnesses, new frustrations.

We KNOW we'll be confused, we'll get ripped off, we'll be dependent on others, we'll be homesick, we'll lose beloved belongings, we'll encounter more bugs than we'd like, we'll get sick, we'll redecorate, we'll find amazing spots, we'll make new friends.

And yet, no matter where I am, August always kills me. August is filled with so many close friends' birthdays, and my own, yet it's a rare occasion when any of us can celebrate together. Attempting to celebrate with colleagues you've only know a few short weeks never quite cuts it either.

 Instead, we toast each other - from different continents, different time zones, different cocktails - sending good energy to the ones we love ... and confident they're doing the same.

Happy Birthday August loved ones!

Indian Independence Day

Ran to the store this evening to pick up a few things for tomorrow having totally forgotten why I didn't go to work today -  it's a national holiday. The normally calm little corner grocery store was jam packed and it was quite the bumper shopper experience, yet everyone was either totally oblivious to bumping into and off of others, or quite amicable.

Krishna's Birthday

Legend has it that the Hindu god, Krishna, was a very naughty child who once tried to climb up to a honey pot for a treat, but ended up breaking the pot.

Today is his birthday so teams of 'human pyramid' climbers attempt to get the symbolic honey pots around the city. The 'pots' are actually sponsored by wealthy citizens, businesses, and politicians, and are filled with money. It's quite the celebration around town.

Fixing Up the Apartment

Awful florescent tube wall lighting removed, new ceiling light fixtures installed = apartment feels so much better. 

As the electrician was leaving, the next door neighbor, her grandchildren, and maid were returning home. The kids were very little and came over to peek into my apartment. I smiled and said, 'namaste'. Then grandmother said something and the little one said to me, 'Hello Auntie!'

One Lucky Shot...

While snapping photos out of my taxi cab's window, I caught this one. It's just a small glimpse of the amazing things I see every day.

FRRO

Foreigner's Registration Regional Office. That's where I spent my Saturday morning...again...after at typo on my visa from the Indian Embassy in Colombia put a glitch in my working here legitimately. So I took some pictures while I was waiting.

Many Indians chew paan, sort of like tobacco, but the red spit stains everything. There was lots of it under this sign!








And after all that, they simply wrote a note in my passport. I'm good to go!

Today is Raki Day in India on which sisters tie a bracelet on their brother's wrist and give them a blessing. In return, brothers promise to love and protect their sisters.

It's dusk here, and while watching the monsoon rains roll in for the night from my window, two green parrots flew by and landed in a tree in the neighborhood below. Reminded me so much of Medellin at dusk... 'El loro dorado siempre a su lado.'

And this is my apartment...

I live in Kohinoor City...an up and coming exclusive apartment society in the Mumbai suburb of Kurla with its own gym, nearby hospital, local school, business management college, hotel and shopping mall.

The gym is small but functional. The hospital is clean and acceptable by foreign standards, but bureaucratic. Don't know much about the school or college. The hotel is lovely with a pleasant staff and tasty restaurant. And the mall is middle class and fairly new, so shops are still coming.


The tenants are essentially lower to middle class social climbers, think George Jefferson movin' on up.

I'm in Phase I of the complex, which was only built about 5 to 7 years ago, but it seems older. Not much attention to the finer details, but as I'm on the top floor, I've got great ceilings. With a little time, I'll make it look great!

Kitchen - with an oven! 

Living/dining room

 My kitchen has lots of cupboards and a brand new refrigerator and oven. Most homes do NOT have ovens at all, only stovetops and microwaves. But I was lucky enough to score an oven and turned down the microwave.

The fridge also has a lock on it...a curious feature.

Guest bathroom and laundry closet. 

Master bedroom

View of the Maharathi Christian neighborhood behind the apartments. 

The living/dining room area easily has 15 foot ceilings...not that I've gotten up to measure them. The lighting was awful, though, just a florescent tube light on the side of the wall. I've had them all taken down and put up new ceiling fixtures. I'm contemplating raising the fans as well.





The laundry 'room' is a sort of closet just past the guest bath. But I've got a washer and dryer, also a bit of a luxury. Lots of neighbors hand their clothes out to dry on their balconies, but I've noticed the pigeons and crows hanging out on their wet clothes and I'm not having it!



The master bedroom is a good size,  but the floor is a bit beat up. We've mentioned it to the landlord and I doubt he'll do anything at all. But at least it's noted and I won't have to pay for it in the end.