Another end to an activity filled day in the land of culture and family. I have met so many relatives of relatives here! Extended family connections to fill villages. It is always nice to meet new people though! 

Let me start with what I have encountered thus far!

#1) Avoiding mosquitos- It seems like mosquitos like to bite selective few people. I went to Ganesh Viserchan (last day of Ganesh festival) where we take murti to lake or pond after doing puja. I had 5 mosquito bites. That Odomos is a hero no doubt, but with the extreme heat and sweat, the protection is only temporary. I enjoyed being able to celebrate viserchan though! My first time in so many years. There was so much bheed (crowd) in the city! One tampo was blocking this road. Theater surrounding sound horns from all around us! Nothing new. 

#2) Pani puri at lahri. It was still mineral water, but 100 times better than the other mineral water shop. This was an actual road side cart for pani puri-so worth it! I loved it, but I was still full from my afternoon "taste of India" meeting with Bombay sandwich! Street food for lunch and dinner! hmm... day successful! (disclaimer: do not eat street food utilizing water from unfiltered sources. I used RO (reverse osmosis) system mineral water pani puri lahri) SERIOUSLY: do not risk getting Typhoid, Dengue, Chikengunya, etc. from mosquito infested water or food

pani puri lahri at night (made with RO mineral water)

Bombay Sandwich (I only had 1 dish yet it filled me up for whole day!)

I've heard of so many cases of family's friends, neighbors and family who have Chickengunya, Dengue, Malaria. Prevention is the key. 

#3) I revisited Crosswords bookstore after 5 yrs! It was really nice- Indian version of Barnes and Nobel, but with an additional Desi collection of books and media. I got some books for now, but I will definitely be making more trips to it. 

Enough with the list. Tonight is poonam (full moon). See photo below.

Aaj no chandaliyo mune laage bhav vahlo kahido suraj ne ke uthe nahi kala... 

Well I am super tired and fatigued. I wake up at 6 AM every morning thanks to my internal clock that functions on healthy living. I get sleepy at 9pm, can't eat large portion sizes, drink filtered water, and wake up at 6. It is a good thing. Trying to hold onto these habits in India is important when everyone is trying to feed you multiple overlapping meals and the environment is polluted. Nonetheless, it is my beautiful India. Mere desh ki dharti sona ukle ukle heere moti! Listening to garba playing on the streets while passing by on a scooty during viserchan day! I love garba- I felt like getting off of the scooty and joining the mini crowd to do garba! I wish I can go this year-afterall, it is the only time I will ever get to celebrate Navratri in India. Garba vibrates in my blood-my erythrocytes jam to it! [side note: Mission-keep erythrocytes free of Plasmosium parasites.]

Anyone travelling to India should try to familiarize themselves with common symptoms of the most prominent illnesses they may encounter. Malaria: cyclic fever, chills, muscle aches- may almost feel like the flu. Even flu and H1N1 is common here. Wash your hands! Local antiseptic soap- Dettol! Most places have it! 

Heads up-if dust is flying in your face. Don't be shy-get a veil (dupatta) and tie it around your face to cover head, ears, nose, and mouth. You can wear goggles too! Both, men and women employ this method of dust protection. 

Good morning U.S.A.! It is night here, but I thought I would go ahead and write a little. I love writing. Finally, couple things have been checked off of my India list! It is not concrete by any means. Ever expanding in nature-the way it should be to allow for new experiences! Anyway, I had vada pav (see image below). It is so good. I also had pani puri. Come to India and not eat lahri pani puri-not possible. Except I had it at a road side shop that used mineral water. Also had samosas!

Will keep updating soon. I have reports to read. "Stay positive and be flexible"- quote of the post

September 18, 2012
Here I am-in India. I have been here for a little over 3 days and have experienced so much already. For people not as familiar with India, let me start with some of the things that are bound to stand out…let’s just say!
-Welcome to land of no traffic regulations-let me elaborate... This is what I call a zoo of cars, rikshaws, scootys, motorcycles, bikes, busses, people, dogs, cows, and occasional other animals. The people here have accustomed to maneuvering their way through the chaos to their destination astonishingly. My cousin suggested I learn to drive scooty, but trust me, keeping my balance on it is a big deal for me as it is. Basically, who needs roller coasters when there are Indian roads. No doubt there does need to be more regulation -it is hard with over a billion people though.
- Thank goodness for Odomos! I award it Best Mosquito Repellent Award of the century! Added bonus: a natural moisturizer. My dose- BID (twice a day). Buy it at any medical shop here for cheap. I personally prefer it over mosquito repellent sprays found in the states that are heavy, expansive and wear off quicker.
-What else can I say. I guess I am not really in culture shock. This is the culture I have lived in various times in the past.
Oh yea, come to Gujarat, and you will not recognize the same area as much. There is so much development occurring. When I went to my home city, Vadodara, I could not recognize the roads. The expressway is a new blessing for travelling between major cities. Thanks to Narendra Modi, the CM, Gujarat has progressed dramatically while he has been in office. It was his birthday yesterday. I read the Gujarati newspaper here daily-my way of trying to add speed to my Gujarati reading skills.
Seeing family is a blessing. I have yet to meet so many more relatives and friends, but the ones I got to see in last 3 days have lightened up my trip already.
I am on mission “not to get sick”. I try to not eat too much at one time, but sometimes, it is inevitable as we have family meals. My family already thinks I don’t eat much. They look at my serving size and just wonder. It will take a while for my appetite to come back because of this jet lag. I plan on joining the gym here temporarily! The only thing is that BP gets low and I feel lightheaded. Good thing I bought my BP cuff and stethoscope. It came handy earlier on in the trip than intended. Solution: keep my H20 bottle on me at all times.
I got 2 hrs of sleep the last two nights. Took day time naps.Tonight, I slept for a good 5 hrs! Ka-ching! Progress! I still woke up at 4 AM. Instead of turning on bed, I thought I would be productive. I have some books to read and activities to plan anyway! I thought I would write now as once my lovely little niece wakes up, she will attack my computer. One year olds nowadays-they go straight for the technology. She is a darling-so adorable. Kids-they are nature’s gifts. I went from being the kid in the family, the youngest of all cousins, to being an aunt. I’m a masi (mom’s sister) and a foi (dad’s sister).
I won’t be able to post online until much later when I get internet and converter.
Until later, ta-ta.

Edit: Finally got a converter laptop charger for my . Guess how much?!... just 30 rupees. That is 60 cents! beats any converter you buy in the U.S.! It is still hard to use the computer when my little niece is around. I will use it sparingly...aka when she is asleep. I will make a more recent post soon! 

Here it goes-the countdown to India. Next time I blog, I will be there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWeIBEKY3S4

Vande Mataram! Here is to embracing India, the good and the bad. The journey I hope to learn a lot from and grow as a result. The experiences I want to enrich me.

Preparations to go are almost done. We'll see how it goes when I get there.Go with the flow and try to be flexible. Oh yea, and avoid those mosquitoes.

Two quotes:

"Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value."-Albert Einstein
"Our dreams can come true-if we have the courage to pursue them." -Walt Disney

...but remember, the best quote is our inner voice.