First Week of Fun and Quirks

It's been quite a learning curve my first full week here in India.  I've had a lot of emotional ups and downs of both being excited to start teaching and wondering what I was thinking by coming here.  Everyday I see something to annoy me and then something to make me smile.  My university might be lacking in certain resources, but there are squirrels and monkeys to make up for it.  I didn't get a good picture but there are monkeys up in the tree in front of the building where I work.

Whenever I go to the grocery store it's difficult to find very many fresh fruits and vegetables.  I asked about it and they said I have to look for the sellers on the street.  They push their carts around neighborhoods and shout.  The problem is, as soon as I hear the shouting I have to grab my money and run downstairs before they move on to the next street.  I'm happy I've finally been able to find fruits and vegetables.

Another nice quirk is the fact that auto rickshaws can be booked on Uber.  They are about half as expensive as booking a car on Uber, and they can weave in and out of traffic faster.  When they pull up I have to give them a 4-digit code to start the ride, then the map appears on their phone, and I have the option to tip at the end.  I never need to negotiate to avoid getting ripped off, or worry about a language barrier, or wonder if he is going the right direction. 

I thought there would be more cows, but so far I have only seen them in certain parts of the city, and usually hanging out in herds.

There are also a lot of stray dogs, but they stay out of the way and do their own thing.  There are always a few dogs sleeping around the building where I work, but they don't bother people.  On the other hand, I've been told not to look the monkeys in the eye or show my teeth because they'll get aggressive.  

Here is my office in the Environmental Science department.  The men have an office with two male professors and the women have a separate office with two female professors (now three since I joined).  They are all very friendly and helpful.  The four of them all get together before and after their lectures to drink chai together.  Chai is Indian tea, which is a sweeter and milkier version of black tea, and sometimes has spices in it.  I don't drink tea with them, but it is nice to see the camaraderie that they have.

One of the professors in my office had a birthday last week, and brought lunch for all the teachers and workers in the building.  They served Biriyani (rice with spices and vegetables) and had Chicken Biriyani for the few who are not vegetarian.  I'm still adjusting to the food and they said, 'Don't worry, we only ordered it medium spicy.'  Needless to say, I was adding extra white rice and yogurt sauce to mine and still couldn't take it.  My tolerance for spice is pretty low anyway, and I think they all got a kick out of seeing me squirm a little.  

I had to visit the International Student office to register with the Foreign Registration Office.  I didn't realize they had international students at MSU, but it makes sense because it is a pretty big university for the area.  There were students from Africa doing their registration, and I met a girl from Iran trying to work out her schedule.  I have also seen a few East Asian students around, but no other western/white people that I am aware of.

This weekend is special because my husband Gregg is coming!  We planned for him to arrive on a weekend so that I could come and meet him at the airport in Mumbai.  The flight from Vadodara to Mumbai is only one hour and about $30 each way.  

I decided to treat myself after the stress of finding an apartment and trying to settle in, so I came a day early and stayed at the Holiday Inn.  The Holiday Inn in America is not really considered a high-class hotel, but the one here is.  I even splurged and treated myself to room service, which I've never done before.  My chicken club sandwich with apple pie and ice cream was just over $20.  It was totally worth it.

Another reason I wanted to come a day early was to try to attend church in the morning.  There are two missions in India: New Delhi and Bangalore.  New Delhi has 4-5 branches and Bangalore has even more.  The new temple that was announced a few years ago will be in Bangalore.  Surprisingly, Mumbai only has one small branch and is in the New Delhi mission.  I found the address online and saw it is right next to a metro stop.  I also chose the Holiday Inn because it is on the same metro line.  The metro is clean and efficient, and like in Dubai, has a women-only car.

When I got off the metro stop I found the building where the church was supposed to be.  I wandered around because I thought if there is a church nearby, either I will see people who look like members, or the people on the street might recognize me.  Sure enough, the security guard saw me and kept holding up three fingers at me.  I eventually understood through broken English to take the elevator to the third floor.

It's amazing that even before I saw the sign on the door, I could feel the Spirit in what one would normally see as just another office building.  I went in and met some of the members.  The branch is a mix of Indians and a variety of other nationalities. 

The second counselor in the branch presidency introduced himself and asked if I would give the opening prayer, which I agreed to.  As I was talking with him, I kept noticing a tall American guy thinking he looked familiar.  I asked the counselor who he was and he said, 'That's Elder Christofferson.'  And then it hit me why he looked familiar!  I happened to come the week that Elder D. Todd Christofferson was touring around India and working on the new Temple in Bangalore.  Then he pointed out President and Sister William, the Mission President over the New Delhi mission and his wife (whom I had just met and had no idea), a guy named 'King' Husein, who is overseeing the construction of the temple and one of the early members in India.  I also met a guy named Dee Jay Bawden, who is a sculptor and just completed a sculpture of Joseph Smith for the World Peace Dome, which features statues of leaders from nearly every religion in the world.  If you click on the links you can learn more about what they are doing.  It was a very uplifting meeting and I had the feeling that I am meant to be here in India at this time.

I'm so glad I listened to the Spirit that told me it would be a good idea to attend church today!