The next party on the streets of Mumbai was Ganesh Chaturthi, an extravagant festival from Sept. 15-25. LikeGokulashtami, those dates vary from year to year depending on the lunar calendar. Every single day for 10 days, thousands of people wait in long lines to worship Ganesh, the elephant-headed god. Many stages housing many Ganesh statues are built all over the city to accommodate the crowds. Every evening, until about 11pm, the celebration went into the streets with drumming and dancing—causing traffic to be even WORSE than normal…I know, how can that even be possible? But there you go. Anyway, the last day all the Ganeshes are paraded down the street towards the ocean where they are submerged and given back to nature. The parades were fun but at a certain point I felt we were more of an attraction than the Ganeshes were just because we weren`t Indian. That was OK since so most people smiled and waved at us. And every time we stopped to talk to 1 or 2 Indians, we ended up being surrounded by 20 more! The only bad thing was that it made us more of a target for the tikka powder bombs. As you can see, that`s how I ended up red, pink, orange and yellow. Yes, I had to scrub parts of my hair 4 times to get it all out but hey, all those colors made me even prettier, no? :-)
The predominant religion in India is Hinduism. It runs on a lunar calendar so holidays are not the same day every year. This year, Gokulashtami, took place on September 4th. Gokulashtami is the celebration of the birth of the god Krishna. As a boy, Krishna would always get into his mother`s butter so she hid it up high so he couldn`t reach it. Clever boy that he was, he got his friends together so they could reach the butter and eat it. Mumbai has the best recreation of this in India. Clay pots called Handis are hung up high in the air. Towers of people called Govinda Pathaks then climb on top of one another to reach and break the pots. The professionals can get up to 40 feet high! Amazing! My school, Welingkar, had one girls and one boys team. The day started with prayers and offerings of a buttery dessert to Krishna. Then came all day dancing, spraying of water, and dusting with red powder. We rode in the back of huge trucks singing songs and going completely crazy. Thane, the celebration site, had thousands of men but few women, for some reason, I don`t know what. Anyway, it was fun. And, guess who, along with some other students, ended up in The Times of India, the country largest English newspaper? Yep, that would be me. The picture highlighted international students` love of Gokulashtami. Sweet. And buttery. Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nugubSNn2qw to dance. Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgbugDsiuW0 to sing.
It`s festiveal season here in Mumbai. It actually started back on August 15th, India`s Independence Day, which marked the 60th anniversary of independence from British rule. There was a small ceremony at school with the raising of the Indian flag that morning. I was lovin` the bright orange turbans and really wanted to try one on. I mean, it is my color, don`t you think? Maybe I should start incorporating it more into my wardrobe. Anyway, it was crazy crowded that day as most people had the day off and decided to shop til they dropped. This was the 1st time I`ve seen so much shopping on an Independence Day, but it`s kinda American in a way, no? It reminded me of the day after Thanksgiving. SALE! SALE! SALE! Speaking of which, you know what Indians think of Thanksgiving? Not turkey, not Pilgrims, not football. They think of it as the best time to got to the states to get the best deals on electronics. Love it!
Speaking of star, everyone wants to be one, even if it`s just for a little while. Or at least, have a really good picture of themselves taken. Sometimes, when I`m out and about taking pictures, people want me to take a picture of them as well even though they know there`s unfortunately no way I can give them the picture. I even had someone ask me to take a picture of their baby! Just because! I wonder if it`s some sort of good luck. I don`t know. Anyway, yesterday another person asked if I would publish the pictures online, in the newspapers, and on TV. Well, there`s only so much I can do. I`m just not yet famous enough outside India! But I`m sure they`d be happy to know that a few people in countries far, far away have seen them on a random girl`s blog. So, without any further ado, meet some of my random friends!
I bought the shirt in this picture in NYC this past May and I wore it for my birthday dinner last month (yes, along with my celebrity sunglasses that my girls in Switzerland know I love so much.) This picture is also appropriate because Rachel, the amazingly cool chick next to me is a mini celebrity herself with cool make-up and and even cooler jewelry. People here are extremely nice, and we have definitely become local celebrities without even trying. I think they don`t know what to make of me half the time. I feel like this is what some people think: “Who is that? She`s got dark skin like me, but she`s obvoiusly not Indian. She has funny hair…and wow, she is crazy tall! And why does she carry that enormous backback? That can`t be good for her! Well, I`m just going to stare.” And stare they do. Often, I get stared at HARD, and surprisingly, it comes a lot from teenagers. I thought it would be mostly from old people. Ah, but they mean well. Once I was at the store and I heard a woman kept yelling “Jambo.” Of course, I paid no attention to her because I thought she was speaking Hindi to someone else..and besides, people are constantly yelling at each other. Eventually this incredibly tiny woman of about age 50 tapped my elbow and waved. With a smile, she said “Jambo! Jambo! You Ethiopian!” I had to laugh. Well, my celebrity is to be expected, I suppose. After all, my name does mean star!
There are plenty of outdoor food vendors here in Mumbai. It usually looks good but I really don`t know if it is. Why? Cuz I haven`t had the nerve to try any of the food yet, although one of my American classmates eats it every once in a while and hasn`t gotten ill from it. (He`s gotten sick for other reasons, just like the rest of us at least once.) The thing is, most of the Indian students at school don`t even eat it and warn me against it. I know I shouldn`t but the little adventurer in me says, “Come on, go ahead. You`ll be fine!” In the picture above, you can see a food stand I passed by last night. They were selling the very popular Bombay Burger, a fried ball of potato with some peas, onions, coriander and other spices put in a bun. Man, did it smell like Popeye`s Fried Chicken! Ah, the greasy goodness. Well, I already had my once-a-year Popeye`s for 2007 so I`ll just have to wait til I get to Philly next year, I guess.
I didn`t look for The Simpsons Movie since I was able to watch it in Switzerland before coming here. But I`m sure they must have shown it here. The show is aired twice a day here and they broadcast all the newest episodes. One episode I saw for the 1st time here is when Mr. Burns outsourced the plant to India. "Kiss Kiss Bang Bangalore" is such a realistic episode that if you want a comical idea of what it`s like here, I highly recommend you watch it.
In India, cricket is king. The king of kings. It looks a bit like baseball and everyone is dressed in pristine white. The game can take up to five days and there`s always time for a tea break. It is very proper indeed. Two nights ago, India beat archrival Pakistan in the championship game of the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa. Today, everyone is in an uproar while the team parades through the city now that the team has returned home. The pic above is a game I watched the other day as I sat on the low wall studying my accounting notes. It`s being played by members of the exclusive gym across the street from the school. You can only become a member through invitation, connections, or because daddy is a member. Funny thing is that these are the same rules the British had here in India back in the day. The only extra disgusting rule they had then that they don`t have now? No dogs or Indians allowed. Well, look who runs it now.
This is the roof of the school next door, PodarCollege. Mumbai is incredibly crowded and space is a luxury here, including space to play. So why not play soccer on the wet roof of your school? With that element of danger, soccer is even more exciting. Just don`t go too far to catch the ball!
I`ve said it before and I`ll say it again. People here are industrious. Somehow, the manhole cover in the middle of the street went missing. Since it takes a few days before it ca be replaced, someone made this makeshift cover from a stone, a slab of asphalt and a branch from a palm tree. That`s using your head, people.
However, as nice as Balchandra Road is, getting things here ain`t easy. If you get something sent to you via regular post, do know your package will take anywhere from 2-4 weeks to get here…no matter what your post office tells you. Do know It will definitely be opened and fully inspected. Then it will be manhandled. Your box will look like Hulk Hogan has smashed upon it. It will look like it`s been kicked by David Beckham, dropped from a 10-story building, and run over by a Mack 10 diesel truck. Then it will be haphazardly put back together with some rope and black wax. If you`re unlucky like my roommate was, ¼ of the food that was sent to you by your best friend will get eaten as well. Above, you can see the box I got from the states after 3-1/2 weeks. The box I received from Switzerland fared better and only took 2-1/2 weeks. Otherwise, everything in both boxes were in pretty good shape. So, for those of you who may live in India one day? If you want to send something fragile or in a hurry, you better use a courier service.
Speaking of the girls hostel, this is the street it`s located on: Balchandra Road. It`s quite a nice street and usually very quiet. Plus, we`re only about 2-1/2 blocks from school. The only bad thing is that since we are in a low-lying area, it can get flooded pretty quickly when the rain comes too much, too fast. (Yes, those monsoon rains are still here-though, admittedly, a lot better than before.) The boys hostel is about 1 mile away and their street is not as pristine. They even have a special nickname for it…but I won`t write it. Just think of the name as the equivalent of "Crap Avenue.`"
Greetings. Sorry for the long delay. I`ve been kept under lock and key by exams and other miscellaneous school activities for quite some time. To illustrate, here`s a picture of the entrance of the girls hostel and one of the many guards to ensure that we are under lock and key from 11pm to 6am. But the 1st session of classes is now over and I`m back and ready for action. On with the show.
Yes! I finally saw a monkey just randomly walking down the street. Well, that's not entirely true. His owner was walking him. Yes, walking him like a dog. Love it! Naturally, I stopped him and asked if I could take a picture. He wanted Rs. 100 but I got him down to Rs. 50 which is about $1.25 (hey people, it's all about bargaining.) Well, that was 50 Rupees well-spent because I also got a little show.My video is shorter than the actual performance because I turned off the camera too early but you are still able to get a small taste of the pleasure I enjoyed watching this performance. Go Monkey Go! (To see the video, just click on the title of this post above the picture.)
Traffic in Mumbai is terrible. Just plain awful. No lanes, few street lights or traffic signs, and pedestrians have absolutely no right of way whatsoever. And let's not get into the never-ending honking. Which is why I find this sign somewhat surprising. Because I've only seen traffic cops once since I've been here. And really, if I called them, what would they say? "Tough luck chick, you're in Mumbai. Deal with it."
The next party on the streets of Mumbai was Ganesh Chaturthi, an extravagant festival from Sept. 15-25. Like Gokulashtami, those dates vary from year to year depending on the lunar calendar. Every single day for 10 days, thousands of people wait in long lines to worship Ganesh, the elephant-headed god. Many stages housing many Ganesh statues are built all over the city to accommodate the crowds. Every evening, until about 
