This week was quite the week. Having started very normal with classes and such, it included a computer and mental breakdown and concluded with a refreshing evening from which I just returned. Interestingly, Eid (the end of Ramadan) and Ganesh Chaturthi (a holiday for the hindu god, Ganesh) fell on Wednesday and Thursday of this week, so school was out for both days. To celebrate the end of our obscenely short school week, some of us went out to dinner at Dollups, a restaurant in tiger circle. We shared garlic chicken, paneer tikka masala, sweet & sour veggies, gobi manchurian, rice and naan, complete with fresh lime sodas and chocolate sundaes to top it all off. The food was awesome and we all really enjoyed the atmosphere; it's back a bit off the street, open air and plays a mix of indian and american reggae-ish music. It's one of the better restaurants in Manipal and I can definitely foresee us becoming regulars.
On the topic of food, lo and behold, we found a fantastic breakfast spot last weekend. Breakfast is my favorite meal and I'll admit it's been a little tough adjusting to the Indian idea of breakfast, which in my experience thus far is either spiced bread-like things with a curry or white toast with candy flavored jam and butter. Anyway, the place is called Kamath's and is on the M.I.T. campus, not close to where we live, but it was pointed out to us on a bus tour of town so we had been wanting to check it out. I had a coffee (nescafe, of course, this stuff is growing on me!!) and a cheese omelet sandwich and it was so delicious I could have eaten two, though, in my defense, it was kind of small. I've just gotta emphasize how happy I was to be devouring some spice-less cheesy, high protein eggs for breakfast and I'm already planning to go back this weekend. Yes, I am American.
One more food related note: I'm already on a "smile and say hello" basis with the hot chip vendor who's on my way to class, and this is unusual in India where you don't just smile and say hello because it may be confused with "would you like to date and perhaps marry me in the future?" He probably thinks I'm incredibly strange, but I think banana chips are an incredibly delicious and inexpensive snack, so our relationship is symbiotic, I think.
On our first day off we decided to check out a spa near my hostel for a "day of beauty" (group-given title). I got a manicure and a pedicure, something I would probably never do in Washington, given that I like to eat once in a while, instead. The funniest part was the fact that in the basket of polish colors (yes, basket, not a fancy spinning display), there were only a few reds and not one pink, they were all blues, greens and purples. Afterward we went to a Chinese place next door and devoured some pad thai and "cold coffees" (not to be confused with my beverage of choice, iced coffee, cold coffee is like a coffee milkshake).
The turbulence started Thursday morning when I awoke to a malfunctioning laptop. Surprise! It would turn on but the screen would go black after a few seconds and, needless to say, I panicked. It was on this day that nearly everything was closed and we had made plans to see a movie in Mangalore, so I tried to push it out of my mind and go about my day. Bad idea. Though the movie was a good one with its fair share of cheesiness, as bollywood movies are famous for, I was entirely pre-occupied for most of the day (but I got new shoes!). My philosophy professor joined us for the movie to translate for us (it was in Hindi) and she was a total doll and called a few of her friends and family members to find out if they knew of any mac repair people or software experts in the area. Though the search was fruitless, I was infinitely appreciative of her efforts. After an exhausting day I came back to my room feeling defeated. However, before I left in the morning, I had removed the battery and put my computer on its side sitting directly under my ceiling fan, so when I got back I decided to put the thing back together and give it a shot; LO AND BEHOLD?! It's fine! So, this blog is brought to you by my miraculous re-born computer. Let's just hope it was reborn Hindu, because I'm not sure how I feel about born again Christians (bad joke ha ha ha).
Tonight, everything took a much better turn when two friends and I were invited to M.V. Kamath's (featured in first post) for dinner. After something of a stressful and tiring week, it was nice to sit, eat and chat inside a comfortable home and get out of the damp hostel for a bit. Dr. Kamath is quite the guy and after spending many years as a foreign correspondent, he's got about million stories to tell. For example, when he asked MLK Jr for an interview, not only was he the first Indian to do so, but during the interview, MLK ended up asking most of the questions, as he was very curious about Gandhi. We also heard about Hubert Humphrey demanding Dr. Kamath not to call him sir, despite Indian tradition, Eisenhower driving him around in his golf cart, etc etc. But he didn't just invite us over to brag about all the important people he'd met, he invited us over, he told us, to make us feel wanted and loved. He said he had spent nearly thirty years abroad and been to countless fancy restaurants, but not once had he been invited into someone's home. He encouraged us to ask him questions, but we were just as content absorbing his wisdom, as he's been around for virtually all of the dramatic changes that India has experienced since independence.
sorry for yet another long post, I'm not going to pretend I've ever been one for succinctness. In other news, happy birthday Ari Andersen!
<3 Julia
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| ganesh, god of overcoming obstacles. On or after Chaturthi, the tradition is to throw the Ganesh figures into the river or sea, but I think this guy's staying right here. please also note my awesome kurta. |
One more food related note: I'm already on a "smile and say hello" basis with the hot chip vendor who's on my way to class, and this is unusual in India where you don't just smile and say hello because it may be confused with "would you like to date and perhaps marry me in the future?" He probably thinks I'm incredibly strange, but I think banana chips are an incredibly delicious and inexpensive snack, so our relationship is symbiotic, I think.
On our first day off we decided to check out a spa near my hostel for a "day of beauty" (group-given title). I got a manicure and a pedicure, something I would probably never do in Washington, given that I like to eat once in a while, instead. The funniest part was the fact that in the basket of polish colors (yes, basket, not a fancy spinning display), there were only a few reds and not one pink, they were all blues, greens and purples. Afterward we went to a Chinese place next door and devoured some pad thai and "cold coffees" (not to be confused with my beverage of choice, iced coffee, cold coffee is like a coffee milkshake).
The turbulence started Thursday morning when I awoke to a malfunctioning laptop. Surprise! It would turn on but the screen would go black after a few seconds and, needless to say, I panicked. It was on this day that nearly everything was closed and we had made plans to see a movie in Mangalore, so I tried to push it out of my mind and go about my day. Bad idea. Though the movie was a good one with its fair share of cheesiness, as bollywood movies are famous for, I was entirely pre-occupied for most of the day (but I got new shoes!). My philosophy professor joined us for the movie to translate for us (it was in Hindi) and she was a total doll and called a few of her friends and family members to find out if they knew of any mac repair people or software experts in the area. Though the search was fruitless, I was infinitely appreciative of her efforts. After an exhausting day I came back to my room feeling defeated. However, before I left in the morning, I had removed the battery and put my computer on its side sitting directly under my ceiling fan, so when I got back I decided to put the thing back together and give it a shot; LO AND BEHOLD?! It's fine! So, this blog is brought to you by my miraculous re-born computer. Let's just hope it was reborn Hindu, because I'm not sure how I feel about born again Christians (bad joke ha ha ha).
Tonight, everything took a much better turn when two friends and I were invited to M.V. Kamath's (featured in first post) for dinner. After something of a stressful and tiring week, it was nice to sit, eat and chat inside a comfortable home and get out of the damp hostel for a bit. Dr. Kamath is quite the guy and after spending many years as a foreign correspondent, he's got about million stories to tell. For example, when he asked MLK Jr for an interview, not only was he the first Indian to do so, but during the interview, MLK ended up asking most of the questions, as he was very curious about Gandhi. We also heard about Hubert Humphrey demanding Dr. Kamath not to call him sir, despite Indian tradition, Eisenhower driving him around in his golf cart, etc etc. But he didn't just invite us over to brag about all the important people he'd met, he invited us over, he told us, to make us feel wanted and loved. He said he had spent nearly thirty years abroad and been to countless fancy restaurants, but not once had he been invited into someone's home. He encouraged us to ask him questions, but we were just as content absorbing his wisdom, as he's been around for virtually all of the dramatic changes that India has experienced since independence.
sorry for yet another long post, I'm not going to pretend I've ever been one for succinctness. In other news, happy birthday Ari Andersen!
<3 Julia
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