Bangalore, India: The School

One of my favorite days in India was spent visiting a school in Bangalore. I loved to see the children so happy to learn. We arrived at the perfect hour when the kids are divided into small groups to learn traditional dance, instruments, hand stitching and singing. It was beautiful to see culture taught and respected by such young children.

*Although the images aren't great I kind of like them this way. They are faint and sometimes blurry, kind of like the memories of my travels.* 

Bangalore, India and the best Dosa on Earth!

Bangalore was an absolutely amazing city. The gardens were beautiful and clean; which is something I no longer take for granted. The people were kind. And the food, oh man the food. It was really really good! Unlike the north, the southern cuisine is rice and lentil based. Every meal was filled with vibrant colors and flavors I had never before experienced. We ate, and ate and ate. A lot of people assume after being in India that you will get sick and drop some weight- well not us. oh no we sure proved the masses wrong and enjoyed so much ghee and dosa and curry that even my stretchy waistband pants felt a little tight.

*yes this is after eating and i look prego*

*what a cool couple*

*ahhh the dosa*

*the markets at night were bursting with color*

*food food food and some as big as your head!*

*It is interesting how poverty and wealth exist side by side*

Besides being in a remarkable city, eating delicious food, we were blessed to stay with the nicest most hospitable family. They treated us like old friends and included us in everything including a family member's engagement ceremony- which is everything but simple. Oh and they had the cutest baby ever!

*is she not the cutest baby?! I love how the babies wear bells on their ankles, and kohl on their eyes. I just need to find baby bell anklets in the states!*

Thank you for a wonderful visit. I learned how family and the relationships within it are the most important thing. I also learned a lot from the grandfather about India's efforts in technology based rural education and from the women about being proud of the body you have- like the billboards said "Curves- What Every Woman Wants"

Mysore, India: blonde? white? can I take your picture?

When most people go to India they go to see the Taj Mahal. Jaims and I really wanted to see life as it simply is and that is what Southern India gave us. Being the only white females that we saw for a few days, we got a lot of attention.

I now know that the paparazzi is a horrible thing and being famous must be hard. And I had it easy compared to jaims who with her blonde beauty was a very desirable subject for everyone's photos. So as we posed for our own pictures we quickly learned we were actually posing for 5-10 other cameras as well. Don't worry we took the opportunity to get creative and gave the people poses they will forever enjoy.

*after they asked for our photo we asked for theirs*

*our kind and very fun host with a nice British man we met in the internet cafe- he was an absolute delight to be around*

Jaimo


Hey you guys!  India has been really really amazing so far!  Chennai was blazing hot and everytime we tell people we went there they give us this weird look and ask...why?  ha! stephanie the woman we stayed with was just an outstanding woman who helps with a thrift store called trash and treasure where we bought some clothing for the wedding engagement that we'd be attending later on in hte week, and she also helps run an organization called little drops attached to a school called little angels which takes in people and kids from the street and people with disabilities and gives them a place to stay with food and teaches them to make different hand crafts and things that can be sold.  We got to visit the project site and man it was just perfect, so neat to see people doing amazing things with the needs that they see around them.  The first night we got in around 12:30 am, got a taxi to her home, fell asleep straight away, forgot to lock the bedroom door and unbeknownst to us she has a massive dog that knows how to open doors, he comes bounding in at 3:00 am scqares the living daylights out of me, licks my face races over to the other side licks camis face and scares everything out of her, she lets out a loud loud, i mean really loud yelp, we both jump out of the bed, the dog jumps on, crouches down in the playfun pouncing position, ruffles the bed spread all around, pees, (still on the bed), in comes stephanie and after a minute or so struggle and the third or fourth attempt we manage to coax him out the door, squeeze cami back in, and shut it before he scampered back in, we locked it this time. ha!  crazy first night! the pee puddle, big dog, big puddle, was on my side, so we threw down a couple towels...still seeped through a bit, so i put down the spare pillow too and slept on a lump all night-woke up w/ a bit of a back ache but i was dry, so that was ok :)  took a 8 hr bus to bangalore where akshay (nephew of dr. lau's dr. friend dr. ayengar)  met us there and picked us up and from that moment on until we left their place today we were pampered like you wouldn't believe.  Extremely kind and generous family, very well to do, gave us their driver for a whole day to take us on a tour of bangalore, went with teh whole family (34 people!!!) on an overnight train to mangalore, went to the engagement ceremony of akshays sister in law who also lives with them, beautuful ceremony, lots of colors, GREAT food and lots of people who love to feed you and make you try new things, lots of questions of all the symbolism behind it, quick trip to manglaore beach, and then back on the train for an overnight back to bangalore.  really awesome experience.  they are just remarkable people, everyone in the family, and we have just been so so blessed to expereince so much love from others and so much kindness.  we have just been so spoiled!

 We're now here in Mysore, took a bus this morning and are staying with a girl about our age who is working out here.  We went to mysore palace today where the majaraja lived/lives - crazy the structures that we build throughout the world just for one man just bc of his birth status.  We felt like celebrities - everyone wanted to take a picture with us. it was kind of funny, but after a few times of it i got sick of it and am way too camera shy so i've decided once and for all that a life in hte limelight is not for me, that's right, i'm giving up my dreams of being famous, not all it's cracked up to be :)

we're leaving tomorrow night at 7:00 pm on an overnight bus to cochin and will be arriving there around 5:00 am...yikes! looooooong ride.

health is good!  besides eating too much food and craving uncooked in too much oil vegetables I"m doing great.  most people come to india and expereince this thing called the runs..i on the other hand am having quite the opposite expereince and can't decide what i'd prefer - cramps from the runs and the runs, or cramps from not pooping for a week and still not pooping.... BAH! why oh why? not too concerend with the lack of toilet paper here at least though! ha!

love you guys so much! really really love your emails, keep em comin!

love and more love,

jaimers