musings on my office life, part I

in a land where coffee (for better or worse,) relinquishes its title to chai, the variations of this sweet, creamy, spice-infused tea are endless and, more often than not, delightful. subtleties that exist between different chai wallas in my town become more pronounced from state to state. spicier chai predominates in the south, where bold kicks of cardamom match jolts of cinnamon which in turn draw out the layered flavors of nutmeg. as one travels further north, the sweeter the chai. heaping spoonfuls of sugar tame the spices. still full of flavor, this version is more soothing (at least to those with my level of sweet tooth.) i’m ready to drink this remarkably versatile variety throughout the day - before breakfast, during midday breaks, even as dessert. or to be completely honest, with dessert. regardless of one’s geographical location, regardless of the sugar to spice ratio, good chai is one thing that seems to be a constant throughout india.

except in my office. the poor quality of chai in my office is impressive in its own right. it doesn’t always taste the same – the amount of sugar and spices vary. it is just unfailingly bad. the chai ranges from tasting like bland, sweet breakfast tea on the best of days to lukewarm, watered-down skim milk on the verge of going rancid. there is no designated chai maker at my office. and truthfully, even if there were one, i’m not sure whom i would pick.

veersing, our driver/handyman, makes the chai, if he shows up to work (he was absent 13 days last month,) and if he feels like it. when he does, about half the time it turns out as bland, sweet, breakfast tea. the rest of the time it hovers around the middle of the scale. when minaxi (who doesn’t believe that sugar belongs in chai,) goes to task, it almost always errs toward a lackluster, watered-down, skim milk taste. when she makes chai, i immediately think to myself that i would rather just have boiling water, which might at least be somewhat beneficial for my health. but of course i can’t say that, and so instead i reach for the sugar to add a couple of healthy teaspoons, much to minaxi’s bemusement. and then there’s pratima, a close friend of mine at the office. pratima likes to add tulsi, a local herb which i’ve recently discovered is a very strong type of basil, that she insists is good for stress and a blood purifier. she is quite resourceful, a quality i generally admire. but not, I’ve realized, when it comes to chai. pratima looks around, finding and adding whatever spice she can get her hands on. so, when a visitor brought some home-grown ginger to the office recently, pratima was delighted. grating the ginger zealously, she added what looked to be half a cupful. this, along with the tulsi, was a powerful enough combination to turn the milk rancid, if not in actuality, then at least in taste.

i’m not comfortable enough here yet to point out the deficiencies of the office chai. i’m not sure i’ll ever be. instead, i accept the chai that is brought to me daily at 11 and again at 4 with a meek smile and a reach for the sugar (or splenda, if i feel like treating myself.) and i make it a point to sample the wonderfully delectable varieties from the numerous chai stands on the street corners whenever i’m out and about.

my sister came to visit

my sister laura came to visit a couple of weeks ago. she stayed for two weeks, and while it was very stressful for me, it was also wonderful.

i've been thinking about how to write about her visit, how to do justice to this relation of mine who is overwhelmingly complicated, confusing, and frustrating. and, at the same time, comfortably familiar, hysterically funny, and has proven to be an excellent companion when things get rough.

i'm still not sure how. but i was gently reminded by my sister that something should be posted.

a (complete) email i received from her this morning:

_________________________________________________________

Oppenheim, Laura to me

show details 12:18 PM (4 hours ago)

Reply

or, at least, update your blog with a mention of me in it (ie. . my sister came to visit. .. )

_________________________________________________________

so, in lieu of a thorough note, or perhaps just while i collect my thoughts some more, please see the pictures i have posted (to the left, under 'lovely laura's look around') from her visit.

the more i see of men, the more i prefer dogs...

there are four dogs who consider the office their personal quarters, at least during the daytime. boloh and cheetah, a brother-sister pair, are both five years old and sweetly adult: calm, food oriented, loving and loyal. chicu and tanka (see right) are another brother-sister pair, and a recent addition to the brood. five months old, they vacillate between being total terrors and delightfully delicious.

despite the frequent piles of poop the puppies leave around the office, the proclivity of one of them to chew on my computer’s power cord, the tendency of the other to chew on my favorite pair of flip flops, and the penchant of all four to engage in impressive wrestling matches throughout the day, i am more than thrilled with this doggy set-up. in india, the ratio of seeing someone kick a dog to seeing someone walking one on a leash is about 500:1, if that. i find it fortuitous that i am in india again, working on women’s rights issues, at an ngo whose staff not only has a fondness for animals, but actually welcomes a few lucky street dogs into the office. my heart warms simply by being here. i feel tremendously lucky.

the other night, just before i left to walk home, i sat down on a chair in the main room of the office. cheetah, a tan and white mutt, whose odd looks are overpowered by her sweet disposition, was curled up in the chair next to mine. as soon as i plopped exhaustedly down onto the woven chair, she nudged herself over, resituating to expose her furry belly to me, knowing full well that i would happily comply. cooing softly, i rubbed in circles, then up and down, then left to right.

well aware that these dogs get into plenty of mischief and roll around in plenty of shit during their daily jaunts outside the office, i examined the downy hair on her belly as i massaged. spotting the expected enemy, i sighed and pointed it out to my friend and coworker pratima. another tick, i exclaimed, getting up to get some old newspaper to serve as a glove. it was swollen, and attached, and i predicted some bloodshed as i severed its head from its ugly, gross, bulbous body.

gripping the tick firmly between my newspaper-covered fingers, i pulled, gently but firmly. unsuccessful, i repositioned the newspapers, and my angle of approach, and tried again. still no luck. i audibly sighed again as pratima babbled to me incoherently in gujarati. exasperated, i thought to myself that people here really just do NOT know how to take care of dogs.

pratima interrupted my thoughts with a sharp “look!” and a hand pointing to the tick. i did. i looked at the tick and prodded a bit. i looked closer, and realized my error. the tick was not a tick. it was cheetah’s nipple. a little off-center and a little bit larger than the rest, and a little odd looking perhaps, but without a doubt, a nipple. i started laughing at first, joining my coworkers who had already realized my blunder, then quickly felt awful. i worried i had lost cheetah’s trust and affection forever, her warm welcome in the morning, her generous licks throughout the day, and perhaps most importantly, her invitations to rub her belly.

but i needn’t have worried. no sooner had i apologetically dug my face into her belly than she energetically licked my forehead, sniffling and snuffling my hair as she did so. i spent a couple more minutes with her, praising all of her wonderful attributes and letting her know what a goddess i think she is, smelling her wonderfully aromatic paws and kissing the top of her nose. and then i set out for home, comfortable and confident that i was in her good graces once again.

public transport

so far during my time here in india, i have ridden the public, intercity bus five times. i love riding this bus. i have thought about why i love this mode of transportation so much, this clumsy hulk of steel that commands control of the road with its staggering size and thunderous horn. the heat that hits you in full force while waiting for every last passenger to climb onboard is unbearable. and while it's not erased, it's almost forgotten as the bus laggardly pulls away from the station. the slow breeze from the open windows works its magic, soothing your overheated face, quieting your overcrowded mind.

long distant landscape relatives greet one another, sometimes abruptly, sometimes with grace. city congestion mingles with neighboring slums before giving way to outskirts, clumps of buildings and people and homes. and finally, open land. it is here where i breathe deeply. lush, verdant land stretches on for miles. speckled with farmers and animals, sprinkled with brightly colored flowers, this is what i prefer to consume. i take in the air, the fields blurring by, the children tending to water buffalo, the camels relaxing in the shade. i take it all in as i pass and i feel content doing so.

i make a list in my head, as i tend to do with things i love, of animals i see on these bus rides.

my most recent list from my trip back from ahmedabad:

• cows - with impressively massive and uniquely shaped horns
• water buffalo - adults and babies, two of whom were bathing in a murky marsh
• herons - serenely wading in shallow water
  
• donkeys - waiting for their backs to be burdened with goods
• camels - at least 10, some resting under trees, others hard at work
• elephant - (1) lugging a tremendous amount of material
• monkeys - neither langours nor macaques, these guys were somersaulting on pipes and jumping from roof to roof
  

see my ahmedabad animals link on the left for pictures from the trip...

preston's cousins

a couple of nights ago i decide to meander around my neighborhood to try and get my bearings. just dusk, the houses are ever-so-slightly shrouded in a thin haze. as i walk down the block and feel the beginning of raindrops, i notice a movement out of the corner of my eye.

my hearing may be waning, but my eyes are eagle-sharp. i take a couple of steps and realize what it is. a frog! a beautiful frog: olive color, mottled with asparagus spots, this frog is healthy. after watching it hop away i proceed on my self-guided tour, my interest piqued, my eyesight honed.

i don't have to wait long. after three steps the street is teeming with activity. frogs, of every size, ranging all the way from my pinky nail (as most of you know, i bite my nails with ferocity. i'm talking teensy tiny frogs here,) to fuji apples. hopping all over the place. i wonder if someone has just forgotten to tell me about the festivities. i can't remember the last time i've seen this many happy frogs in one place.

so, as i am often wont to do in situations like this, i inch along, hobbling over with my eyes peeled, eager for a closer look. so impressive - the sheen of their supple skin. their perfectly adapted legs - ready to conquer land and water alike. their endearingly bulgy eyes (reminding me of both ruby and my dad, two characters whom i love more than just about anyone.) i crouch even further to the street, ready to inspect one frog with all the intensity i can muster.

my examination is interrupted even before it can begin when the nearby-restaurant owner - on whom i have a mild crush - appears out of nowhere beside me and asks what i'm doing "flat on the road."

the frogs, i tell him, i love looking at these frogs. i can't believe how many there are! he sends me a confused look so i point to the one i have just bent down to appreciate.

but. it's not actually a frog. no, what i took to be a frog is simply a rock. grayish green with a slightly dappled appearance, this rock is certainly pretty but it definitely doesn't hop and is definitely not a frog. i stand up straight, brushing off my knees, feeling a blush spread across my face. i point to the other frogs that are actually frogs to prove my point.

and, luckily for me, there are plenty still around.

neighbors

the neighbor across the street from my office, gita, is extraordinarily warm and sweet. come sit, she beckons every time i pass, every time swaying with the patio swing on which she is constantly perched.

she has a dog. adam, a small white terrier, is well cared for and much loved - the kind of dog that requires a double take here in india. where the norm is scarily protruding ribs and doleful eyes.

dogs, especially those who are treated well, bring a certain democracy to the table, deftly disregarding country barriers and cultural differences. i am well aware of this fact. i complimented gita on her dog in hindi - your dog is beautiful, i told her, nodding to the stout, furry shape in the doorway.

oooooo, she crooned, eager to converse. you are beautiful. your eyes, so pretty, your skin.
i protested, returning my attention to adam; he's so good, so pretty (i know maybe five adjectives, my hindi is embarrassingly limited.) gita looked lovingly toward her pup and sent him a handful of air kisses before turning back to me. yes, she said. he is very beautiful, just like you. both are beautiful, you two like brother and sister.

which is somewhat of an odd compliment. this is actually not the first time that i've been called a dog to my face. but this time i walked away giggling and happy. happy to be considered relatives with the white terrier across the street. and happy to have his owner as a friend.

home sweet home...

i am, for all intents and purposes, home. i have arrived in baroda, gujarat, safely although by way of a rather lengthy, circuitous route. five weeks of orientation and hindi study followed by two days of travel. a nauseating taxi ride down the himalayas to a seven-hour train from dehradun. a six-hour layover in delhi - enough time to gobble up a fattoush salad and stock up on some good snacks in preparation for the final leg; a thirteen-hour train ride from delhi to baroda. given that some fellows in the south have upwards of 50 hours on the train to reach their placements, i consider my trip an easy one.

i have set up temporary shop in the group's conference room, a large room with a small cot and a huge air conditioner. i have met the group's staff - all women except one sweet man, veersing, who met me at the train station. i stumbled off the train with my luggage in tow and found myself face-to-face with a man repeating my name aloud. his english is non-existent but his calm demeanor and the sweetness in his eyes (as well as the sweetness with which he fixes the dogs' meals, read below,) convey plenty.

a few other tidbits worth mentioning. for those worried about my physical wellbeing vis-a-vis good food (and by that i dare to imply a world beyond the stale arena of starches,) fear not. sugar & spice, a much beloved deli/grocer that is located in the lovely khan market in delhi, is also here in baroda. it is here, right here, JUST across the street from my work.

for dinner last night, much to my delight, i went to a south indian restaurant with indira and maya, the two wonderful women who founded the organization where i'm working. turns out the restaurant they chose was already at the top of my list of food spots to hit up; it is the guiness book of world records holder for the LONGEST DOSA ever made. over four feet long! needless to say, i ordered a dosa. it was scrumptious.

moving from physical to emotional health, promising news in this department as well. there are many animal lovers among the staff, indira being one of them. because of this, there are two dogs that regularly relax at the office (and receive two meals of bread, dal, and milk a day, lovingly prepared by veersing.) cheetah likes to sit on chairs and makes herself quite comfortable either on the woven chairs downstairs or on the bench on the 2nd floor patio outside. boloh (who has already figured me out and enjoys my treats and affections,) spent most of the afternoon yesterday spread out on the cool marble floor upstairs, a few feet away from my office door. i could see his paws twitching and hear his dreamland growls as i reviewed some work documents. there are few better ways to make me feel at home. it was a good first day.

today i've been trying, without much luck, to figure out how to wirelessly connect my macbook to the internet. if anyone has any ideas, please holler. otherwise i'll be back with more updates - and pictures - as soon as i sort this out.