It's a Nuclear Show Tonight...

I begun noticing a theme. Aside from my trip to St. Louis this past weekend (which still included food), most of my get together with high school friends, friends who I have not seen for at least 6 months, have revolved around food. Coincidence? Probably not. Jhalak wanted to do something today. I really tried searching my mind for something that wasn’t food related… um, exercise? Well, if you count mixing ingredients together, and blending/mixing things in a food processor, and of course, taking things in and out of an oven, then we did exercise today! Thanks to meri patni-ji/lao po/wifey, Jhalak, we had access to some wonderful recipes (click on the name for the recipes, if you will!!):

1) Snickerdoodles

2) Homemade Chocolate Wafers (so good alone or made as ICE CREAM SANDWICHES!!! See the picture below… )

3) Banana Bars

Let’s see, there were some mini-obstacles to start with. Where do we find the food processor? Do I even have one?  Patni suggests looking in my laundry room, but I toss aside that suggestion. After making a call to my father, it turns out it really is in there. Food explodes… out of the processor, such a mess. Oh the top might help.

SNICKERDOODLES dough… soooo good… butter + sugar + flour = Janet’s heaven.

And of course, there’s a bunch of Bollywood songs, Chinese/Taiwanese pop, and Kpop (BIG BANG, T.O.P. we can’t express in words how we feel about T.O.P. all things good) that keep us somewhat sane. And a spontaneous trip to Taco Bell (Patni does this, while I watch the oven like a good wifey would) brings us bean burrito + nachos. At the end of the day, the kitchen is once again clean and we’ve made some tasty treats! Such a nice, wonderful feeling… though I think I’ve consumed more sugar than I normally would in one month (Did I mention that I can’t really eat sweet things?) … so I might be getting that sugar crash soon….

I found this blog post on my computer. I think I meant to post this up a while ago. I am back in the States now and am feeling very disconnected with things at the moment. Maybe it’s just the fact that it’s my first time back after 6 months. It almost seems like GSA + Udaipur, part 2 was all part of my dreams. But I suppose it happened, it was real. For a while, I just threw myself in Bollywood films and songs (which actually I’m still doing) to cope with my withdrawals… but I’m finally starting to do things outside of sleep, eat, movies, etc. And I’m going to St. Louis next weekend (yay!). Anyways, here’s the post…

Friday, July 1, 2011

I am back at Swaroop Villas. What a weird feeling. I remember hopping off of the train from Delhi and whisked away to this white palace looking hotel near Swaroop Sagar. Neetu and Seema had greeted us with flowers and their blessings. I’m back at Swaroop’s Bliss-spa. I barely knew the others in our program. Now I’m back with Heidi (she’s with ProWorld and I met her through Alex and Nora and Jennifer). It’s really nice to be back. Things are starting to come back to me… when I first met the M.B. college students, when I first rode on a camel in Shilpgram, when GSA sent us on a shopping trip for bangles (Ashely and Anamika). When I first met my host mom, Indra Bordia.

Today, Nora left Udaipur. You know, I remember her once saying, “When we travel, we are like babies.” And there is so much truth in that statement. My personality here in India is most definitely different from that in the U.S. or at Duke. Here, I do act like a baby, from the basic, eating with my fingers (I suppose that’s due to India’s cultural traditions), talking in broken Hindi to motioning with my hands and making “oooo… oooo… ahhhhh” noises. I suppose that’s why I like traveling so much. You can completely forget where you’ve come from (well not completely) and absorb a new environment. And this time, back in India, I’ve been so happy, especially with my host family, with Jagran, with the city, with everything. It’s really interesting to look back at GSA and where I am now… we all went a little crazy in GSA, but I think I’ve finally gone sane, and I have Udaipur to thank for allowing me to figure out how to be completely khushi khushi again! Well, I’m about to get my ayuverdic massage, so later~

Sunday, July 3, 2011

P.S. Two days later: I really am making the most of my time here. I think I bought out all the little trinkets at “National Handicrafts” store (after I spent about 30 minutes trying to bargain down from 1100 rupees to 900 rupees). Sometimes, I don’t understand why I waste time trying to hack away such little money. 200 rupees in the larger scheme of things is not a lot (that’s less than 5 dollars). Afterwards, I pierced my ears!! Yes! A second piercing for 50 rupees (whooo hooo). However, because today is Sunday, the showroom that Madhu (my host mom)/Srishti recommended me to go to was closed, so I ended up going to a little shop just somewhere further inside Delhi Gate. He pierced my ear with the earring…

Left to Right: Heidi, Man who pierced out ears, me (background: his shop).

I didn’t realize how big Beijing was until I got to Shanghai. Everything seems to be clustered together in Shanghai. Even the highways. The high-rises. Everything is squeezed together and tall. While Beijing kind of just oozes out from Tian’anmen and Forbidden City in every direction imaginable. I remember how our group kept looking for real China all along. I suppose it was there in Beijing, but just not as apparent in your face as it would had they come with me to Yunnan or Anhui or even what we saw in Chengdu. But nonetheless, there were places (Beijing and outside of Beijing) that we came to fall in love with, whether or not they felt more western or not:

• Bodhi Spa – oh my goodness, I wish we had taken advantage of the 105 (or I forgot how much) yuan full body massages more. And peanut butter French toast? So delicious! It was heaven. They should name it that. I think we always overworked their kitchens.
• La Bamba – I’ve only ordered Chicken Nachos from this place. So good. I really want some right now. Despite not feeling too fond about Propaganda downstairs, I find myself always going back just for la bamba. Ah. So good. And there’s something about their sour cream that is just heavenly (that’s really the only word I can think of right now to describe my emotions).
• Wudaokou – Just in general, I found myself always coming back here. And not to mention the new wudaokou fashing market place, where I got those GUCCI glasses (haha), clothes, my wig (which I lost, but I wish I had brought it with me because this terrible haircut from anhui needs to be hidden), dresses, jewelry, and more!
• Fighting. I loved arguing with everyone on the streets. You know – you might think we’re not classy. And that’s true. I think it’s really important and you can learn a lot about a country from how the country’s people treat strangers… but I am guilty of it. I would get flustered and start arguing .. with shop keepers, cab drivers (remember getting 5 people in a cab to vics and back from vics?), everyone.
• 798 – faux hipstering.
• Wenzhou, HK, Macau – Yeah, getting stuck in Wenzhou, egg tarts in Macau, losing all my money in Macau (wahhhhh), dying in HK, sipping chai and feeling back in India at Chunking Mansion…
• Sichuan trip – Pandas! KTV! Giggolos! Massages (eek, Michael!). Meeting really friendly people from Sichuan Huaxi (eating Indian food cooked by them, a true GSA experience).
• Vics and Mics – Need I say more?
• Panjiayuan – where Ashley and Michael spent all their money
• Silk Street – Where Ashley and Michael spent more of their money. Also where Ashley got owned by Spanish-speaking Chinese man. Haha. And how when I first went, I just wanted to show George around and then I ended up buying 4 or 5 bags. Yikes.
• Forbidden City, Great Wall, Prince Gong’s Mansion, Drum & Bell Tower – the usual
• Hou Hai – our tradition of hookah, sitting by the lake, sipping on drinks. It was lovely. J I love houhai and hou hai loved us all. <3
• My skewers + ashley’s fried rice stand + Anamika’s chao bing place
• Those naan like things with an egg inside + chicken and lettuce and amazing sauce. I’m going to learn how to make that and make it for you guys, love!
• McDonalds, KFC, Yong He King, what else?

Okay I think there’s more, but I’m having memory problems. Anyways, that about sums it up. J

… in Udaipur. DISCLAIMER: please excuse my poor English.

I am back! I remember when I first left Udaipur for Beijing, I was heavily saddened. I kept wanting to come back to Udaipur every day. However, as I started becoming accustomed to life in Beijing, I started to like China more and more. And when my dad flew to China to visit my grandparents in Yunnan and Anhui with me, I was completely in love with China, despite all its flaws. My Yunnan nai nai (grandma), with her always wanting to go to the village spirit and the “on the road” spirit and have me kowtow before the gods 100 times. Or how she would get me to dress up in my Bai ethnic costume (the fancy, special occasion not everyday kind) and walk the streets with her so that she could boast to everyone, “Naw-chow-nuuu-woooooo, this is my granddaughter from America, Ah-Xiang’s daughter…” Not to mention the delicious food (mmmm… spicy er si every morning) and mountains! Then my Anhui nai nai and ye ye (grandpa). My Anhui ye ye spent the entire afternoon (“I missed my nap because of you!!”) looking everywhere for his little Mao’s red books… he even flipped over all the mattresses! Haha. Then he became nostalgic and started recounting to me all about the cultural revolution and all of it. All that he went through.  

I’m kind of terrible. I kind of stopped blogging. Haha… maybe it’s because in Beijing, we would explore the city from morning to night that by the time I got back to the dorm, I wanted to collapse and sleep. (Or stay up and talk to everyone.. that was more like it). But now that I’m here in Udaipur (away from my relatives, away from GSA, and away from my dad), I’m feeling rather lonely. I guess I’ve always had trouble parting with people. Parting with my GSA group, parting with my Yunnan relatives, my Anhui relatives, my dad’s friends… I have time now to write this post though. I am without a cell phone, without internet… what better to do?

First feelings about Udaipur – I am happy to be back. And my host family is super sweet (aka, sarah’s host family from last time). And good news for me, it’s a chicken/mutton/fish & best of all, egg-friendly house! :D :D Yay! Shopping for towels and shampoo in Big Bazaar made me so happy. I am reminded of the time we first went there, with the group. Sophia slipping down the stairs, everyone staring at us. Buying 500 rupees worth of stuff and thinking we’ve spent too much, but now that I look at it, EVERYTHING IS SO CHEAP compared to Beijing! The handwash soap I bought is the same as the one we used at Vidya Bhawan. The scent brings me back to the days where it was still cool enough to sit outside in the shade, desperately trying to soak up the heat before going back into the cold room. Dogs coming by, and the person we expected least to hound them away, aka Sarah, would bark them away.

And I wanted to say some closing remarks about China, though it’s going to be hard. I suppose I’ll start with a blog version of Warm and Fuzzy.

Alice – Alice! What to say? My most fondest memory of you is when you really wanted to check out Australia dairy company and you braved the bustling city of HK to fetch the scrambled egg sandwiches (actually I’ve forgotten what they’re called) haha. Thank you so much for doing that because that was one of my most favorite meals in China (really!). J I really admired how you always were looking for more things to try and explore and that’s how we ended up trying random places, such as the Dali courtyard and such ! Yay!

Anamika – I hate you, my enabler. But I love you. I still say a certain village acquaintance ;) brought us together. Without him, I would have never asked you to be my translator. I certainly couldn’t ask Gautam to be my translator. You lived so far away from me that I never really got to know you before then. But I’m glad we were both outraged by the liberal “skinship” (reference below) scene in BBB during the sleepover. In China, we both enabled each other to do things that we normally wouldn’t and I think that made our experience much better. I loved how you were so put together but the more I got to know you, the more I found times when you’d break. Esp after Sichuan ;) I loved eating those NY Fries with you in HK and sorry I died at night in HK  L L Anyways, I can’t wait to jinli it up when we get back to Duke… during our free time, of course!!! ;)

Ashley – Ashley! From the beginning, we endured the village together! By endure, I mean, you got to escape to the peacefulness of your room while I stayed with about 239849898752978430952987 children talking to me and trying to get my attention. Your host brother (the little one) was the most adorable! And I want to thank you as you became my personal teacher – I will always remember the advice you’ve given me. J And in return, well, I helped teach you how to squat, in the KTV place!! J Haha. I loved how after the group left for Xi’an, I thought Alice was knocking on my door, but it actually turned out to be you lol. Anyways, I always respect your love for Beijing, and hope that next time we get more luck with finding certain type of sundar larkas for you. <3

Gautam – Hi Gautam. I really hope you haven’t died. No, I think Sarah told me you’re still alive. Sorry for shouting things at you at Club 88 in Sichuan. I don’t really remember it! Sorry!! L L I loved how my host mom in Udaipur always brought your name up. And in China, I really enjoyed exploring places with you and Sarah. I also really admired your determination to go to Tibet. (Even if it’s fake! Muahaha. Jk) Anyways, next time, remember to see real Yunnan!

Kelly – Kelly, you’re so sweet, my girlfriend! I <3 you! My first memory of you and is when you almost toppled over in class because you’re so narcoleptic, but I love you nonetheless! I think we all had our problems to deal with outside the study abroad program back home and I am glad that I had you there with me, because I think we went through similar situations. You were always really good at taking everyone’s perspective into consideration…. Anyways, I love you and hope you take me to Korea sometime!

Michael – Mai-Keeeeee’er HI! I loved all your stereotypes. And thanks for being a big teddy bear! J J I loved going with Ashley to watch you get your Indian village haircut and shave in Kardiya! Bhahahahaa. And seeing you on that tiny motorcycle with two small Indians (your host father and Amol). You were such a giant! Actually everywhere we went! And I loved how you shopped more than me at silk street and how you brought the concept of spray cheese into our lives. Thanks for always being there. Don’t forget, I’m taking you for fried cheese covered in sugar (the real thing) next time you come to China!

Sarah – MY BOYFRIEND, I love you and I love how we lead parallel lives. Like I’ve said many times, we should just be together… but wait! We are! I am so happy about both of our loves for India and I’m so happy that we are sharing a room together here in Udaipur! I’m just waiting for you to come! Boyfriend, thanks for being there for me so much and I’m really glad I was there to see all that happened to you on this trip. You know exactly where I stand and I just hope that in the future, you do things (the choices you make) for yourself and not the happiness of others. I want you to be happy! Anyways, being faux hipster (café flatwhite!!! :D :D) at 798, listening to stars, etc. I’m glad to be yours.

Sophia – Mahhhh TWIN!I love you so much Sophia. Starting from the beginning, we were destined to be Bhunglas. I’m sad I didn’t really get to hang out with you in India as much as I wanted to, but China completely made up for that. J Remember in Delhi on the first night when we finished Alice’s and Sarah’s food in addition to our own food? Yeah. We win. I also LOVED the foot massage we got in Sichuan near jinli … and I love you, how I can always talk to you, and how you brought such interesting vocab into our every day language such as “skinship” and other words which I’ll leave out of this post. You brought such entertainment to our group and I hearts you for that. Muah*!

I think I’ll stop here for this post. J Bye y’all!