Finally! It's Back to the Blog

How I have missed having the chance to write! I can't believe that the New Year is practically upon us.
So many things have happened since I last wrote.

In November, as I mentioned in my last post, I visited my BFF Sabrina, who has been my friend since we were in the eighth grade. I rarely see her, but when we are together, it's as if we never left each other's side.  It's hard to believe that we are now women in our forties, with husbands and children and whatnot, but we are both happy and contented in our lives, and that is a good thing.

I did take pictures, but my camera cord has temporarily gone missing (explanation below) and as soon as I find it, I will post LOTS of pictures.

I only spent a weekend in California, but it was so nice to have warm, sunny weather, as it was beginning to be rainy and cold in the Pacific Northwest (after all, it was November!) and I was missing the sun. We went to the beach, and the water was so sparkling and beautiful, and I enjoyed playing with Sabrina and her daughter, Little E., who fell in love with me as much as I did with her. She already knew my name by the time we got there, and we played together quite a bit. Apparently, she remembered me after I left, too. Since she's only just over a year old, that's pretty cool. Sabrina's husband is awesome too, a really kind and intelligent person, and the perfect match for my friend.

When I got back, everything became busy. Lots of work, the beginning of the holiday season, and traveling down to Oregon on the weekends to see Raja and the kids. I no longer seemed to have time to write, do art, or do anything! However, that was soon to change.

At the end of November I gave my notice at my job. I told them that December 31 would be my last day, but that I was planning to move to Oregon to be with Raja the weekend of December 18.  On the 1st of December, I told my students. It was a very sad day for me, and all of them were sad, too. We all cried a little. The good thing, though, was that we spent a lot of time together those last two weeks, and I will never forget those times...or them!

The next weeks after my resignation were crazy. I had to pack up and sort all of my stuff! I was only living in a couple of rooms in a house I shared with my landlady (who is also now a friend), but I also had lots of stuff stored away in a storage unit. I knew I was moving into Raja's one-bedroom apartment, and had to get rid of some of that stuff, and quick!  Blending two households is never easy, especially when there is limited room. We can't move right now for a couple of reasons. For one, I just gave up 80% of my income (I have a little job in Oregon, working with a little girl with special needs), and two, we may move again sometime in 2011, so why not keep it simple? We renewed the lease, and got a storage unit at our apartment complex.

Alittle over a week ago, I moved. A couple of friends came by to help me pack up, and on the other end, I roped my brother into helping us unload. He is the best brother in the world.  This last week I drove back up to Washington, cleaned out my old place, had dinner with friends, took tons of stuff to Goodwill, gave away other stuff, visited my old work, drove back to Oregon, unpacked a lot of stuff and started organizing the apartment. I decorated a little bit for Christmas, worked a few days at my new job, said "Bon Voyage" to Monkey and the Man Cub who are off to Australia with their other parents for the holidays, drove back to Washington to pick up my car (which took longer than expected), went Christmas shopping, drove back to Oregon and did more Christmas shopping, wrapped gifts, went to my mom's for Christmas brunch, hung out with my cool cousins, took care of a sick Raja (he has an ear infection), and went to see Narnia 3 (which was a big disappointment to me; Raja was entertained, but then, he hadn't read the book.)

Our apartment is still filled with boxes, suitcases, and stuff that is being reorganized or re-homed; hence, I have no idea where many of the things I "need" are (like my camera cord!) I also had to mail a package to my old roommate: I accidentally packed her T.V. remote control!

On Sunday, Raja and I were supposed to leave for New York City, where we planned to spend New Year's Eve. However, a blizzard shut down all the East Coast airports, so we stayed home. I was disappointed, but not too badly, because I'm just so happy to be with Raja. We thought about going somewhere else, but in the end we decided to just go to Portland (Oregon.) We are going to stay in a very fancy hotel for three nights, tour around Portland, go someplace nice for dinner on New Year's Eve, and then go to a club to see a pair of Bhangra/Bollywood DJs and dance, dance, dance! (At least, I plan to.)

It may not seem as if I am "traveling the world" just to go to my own hometown, but then, I haven't been an Oregonian for 22 years now. I am happy to be back, and see my old home with new eyes. I will be taking lots of pictures, and posting them here. In fact, I have decided that every day is a new adventure, no matter where I do or don't go, so I will be using this as my regular blog. I hope to keep in touch with friends old and new, and to document all my adventures: rediscovering my home town, decorating my apartment, planning my upcoming wedding, any possible moves, our Spring Break trip (we're thinking San Diego, but I want the kids to help decide) and my Hindu wedding this summer in India.

I'll write again soon. Until then, be good!

Updates and Travel News

Hello, dear readers, if there are any still out there! I have been very remiss in updating, although I haven't done much "traveling the world" in the past two months. Last year at this time, I was preparing to head to Louisville to visit my friend Ruth. Here we are enjoying some mead. (That is wine made with honey.)

This year, I am going to southern California to see my friend Sabrina. She has been one of my best friends since we met in the eighth grade. I still have the first note she ever wrote to me.

I have been on several "mini-trips" since I last spoke, mostly to and from Portland to visit Raja. The most significant of these mini-trips was the one Raja and I made to Seattle a couple of weeks ago.

On Friday night, Raja picked me up at home, and we drove North to Seattle. We checked in to the Silvercloud Hotel right across from Safeco Field where the Seattle Mariners play baseball.

We met with my friend Nikki, hung out, and went out for dinner.On our way, Nikki got pulled over for having a headlight out. It was kind of funny, especially since Nikki is funny, and was able to make light of it (not to the officer's face, of course.) Dinner was awesome. Afterwards we went back to the hotel and spent some time together before we went to sleep.

The next day, we got up and went to the Wallingford neighborhood to visit my favorite novelty store, Archie McPhee. We met my former boss and his family there. Adam has always been one of my favorite people, and so it was great to see him. I remember when his daughter was born, and now she looks like this:

Oh, wait.  That's not her *real* head.

After the McPhee experience (and about $40 later for each of us, ) Raja and I toodled off to West Seattle to have lunch with our friends Bryan and Jennifer. Once again, we had a lovely meal, and afterwards we went to their house for a little while to talk. I could have stayed longer, because they were so delightful. but Raja and I wanted to go to Pike Place Market. 

Parking was terrible (it is always horrible in Seattle, which is why I hate driving there, and wouldn't want to live there) but the market was nice. Raja bought a t-shirt, and I couldn't help but ogle all the flowers all in these gorgeous colors. I just wanted to take them all home.

I know this one's blurry, but I love that green cabbagey thing!

 We did some shopping, and we were going to get our palms read, but the palmist must have known we were coming, so she took the day off. We went to a restaurant that sells crepes, which are like thin pancakes (very much like dosas) filled with good things. We had one filled with strawberries and Nutella, which is a chocolate hazelnut spread, and topped with whipped cream. It was so delicious, I told Raja I wanted to marry it! Too bad I couldn't because we had already eaten it.

On our way out of the market, I saw these beautiful strings of garlic and peppers. I had to take pictures.

Beautiful.

That night we drove North East, across the I-90 bridge, to Bellevue. We stayed at the Red Lion Hotel.

It was nicer on the inside than it looked on the outside. We went out for dinner and had some Pho, which is a Vietnamese noodle soup. It's sort of like Ramen noodles, but a million times better, with chicken in it. After we came back to the hotel, we read letters we had written to one another, and gave each other some presents. It was Durga Pooja, a special holiday honoring the goddess Durga, who is very special to me.

The next day, we got up kind of early, as we were going to go to temple in Redmond ( a few minutes away.) I made Raja go downstairs, as I wanted to get ready for the temple alone. I had a special outfit that Anni had bought me when she was in India. I hadn't worn it yet, so I wanted it to be a surprise. As I was trying to put it on, Anni texted me. She knew I was going to wear it today. She said, "Are you ready yet?" I called her..."Help! I said, I forgot how to tie a sari!" She walked me through it, but luckily I remembered as I went along. I took some pictures.

 I texted Raja that I was ready, quickly drank some juice and ate a roll, then we left for the temple.
The temple was very simple, and it was inside a business park in a community center set up in wht might otherwise have been an office space. Raja was a little disappointed, but I thought it was lovely, with all of the statues  and flowers, etc. They had had a large community gathering for Durga Pooja the night before, so everyone was tired, and the priest was running a little late. Raja talked to him, though, and he agreed to do a special rite for us, after the regular Darshana (going before the statue of the god or goddess, and seeing them.) First we went before the statue of Vishnu and asked his blessings, and Ganesha, as well. Raja placed some kumkum on my forehead and in my hair. Then we went before the statue of Durga. The priest did the Aarti (passed the lit lamp around the goddess) and then we passed the flame (or smoke from the flame) over our heads three times. He spooned some Holy Basil tea into our hands. We drank some and put the rest on our heads. We prayed before the goddess.

Then the priest had us sit. It was time for our special rite. He did some prayers before Durga, asking her for special blessings for us. He put some boxes that Raja had brought on the altar before Durga, asking her to bless them. He held them up in front of her hands so she could bless them. He blessed us by putting a silver hat-thing over our heads. I think its called a satagopam, but I can't find any information on it so far. (I'll keep looking.)

After the ritual. Raja and I went to the back of the temple space, where he took one of the boxes and opened it. he took out a ring and said, "Will you marry me and do me the honor of being my wife?" In return I said, "Naan unnai kalyanam pannikeren" Which means "I will marry you" in Tamil. He seemed pleased, and put the ring on my hand. It looks like this:

 Then I took the other box, in which there was a gold ring. Hindus exchange rings at engagement, so he wears a ring, as well. I asked him, "Raja, will you marry me" an he said "For this and many other lifetimes." I put the ring on his hand. Thus, we became officially engaged to be married.

Afterwards, we left the temple. We asked a guy in the parking lot to take our picture, and I took a few, and Raja took one of me in my sari. You can see the marks on my head from the kumkum. I think Rajas is ash. There are several powders put on the body during poojas: ash (grey), sandalwood (light brown), kum kum (red), turmeric (bright orange/yellow)...depending on the situation.

Okay, take the picture

The happy couple

Smile

In my sari. It's all shiny to go with my ring!

Our hands. Engaged!

We will get married in February. Until then there is tons of work to do! I get to work, but also look for new jobs in Oregon. I get to sort, clean, pack, and move. On top of that, I get to plan a wedding! Not only that, but in August we will be going back to India, to get married in a Hindu ceremony there. Now that will be one for the blog! Between now and then there will be trips to California and New York...and who knows where else! Stay tuned...and you can always sign up for blog notifications if you wish, that way, you'll never have to miss an entry!

Until next time....Be Good

Home Again/The Aftermath

I can't believe it's been 11 days since I've returned from Chennai. Life goes on, and I have returned to work and my regular life, though not unchanged.

When we got back to the States, we spent the next day and a half just resting and re-adjusting to local time. I had to go to the doctor on Friday (the 3rd) as my cough hadn't gone away and Raja was concerned about me. (He is so good at taking care of me that way.) I went to the doctor, who said that my lungs were clear, but I could have borderline bronchitis. He gave me an antibiotic and sent me on my way.

On Saturday morning, I had to leave for home, and honestly, I didn't want to. I had gotten used to spending my days with Raja, The M.C., and Monkey, and I knew I was going to miss them a lot. Still, I had to get ready for school and the coming year. I packed up all my things (most of my suitcases were already jammed into my car) and headed north, back home.

Once I got home, I had to meet my boss to pick up the keys to the building so that I could get in over the holiday weekend. I thought we began school on Tuesday, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover that school didn't begin until Wednesday! I had just enough time to prepare my classroom for the first day of school.

It was good to see my students again, as I really did miss them while I was gone. However, I miss Raja very much. We talk every night on the phone and we see one another on the weekends, but it's not the same. I know that eventually we'll live in the same city, so I'll do my best to be happy with what I have until then.

A journey like the one we took together can be very intense and stressful. It can make or break a couple to travel together. For us, even though we had disagreements, the journey brought us even closer together, not only as a couple, but also as friends.

Once at home, my suitcases exploded all over my room. I took pictures of everything I bought before I began distributing gifts. I haven't given all of the gifts out, yet, but those I did give were very much appreciated. It made me feel so good to be able to buy things for my family and friends, and have them love them so much. I'll post some pictures in a bit, but I can't post them all because I don't want to ruin any surprises.  After the remaining gifts are distributed, I'll post the photos.

So....you might say, what is the future of this blog now that GoriChori is home from India? Well, my travelling days are not over. I am planning a few trips in the coming year, and next August, it will be India Round Two! Next up, however, is New Year's in New York (and the surrounding areas.)

I'll check in from time to time to give updates, and you or anyone else are always welcome to go back to review and relive my summer in India. I know I will!

Until we meet again, be good!

Photo Post: Mamallapuram

Krishna's family. The really tall guy on the left is his brother.

Krishna Groupies

Animals, including the Narasimha avatar of Vishnu we honored at the ISKON temple.

A man milking a cow. Notice he has a Buddha type head.
The woman above is asking Lord Krishna not to play his flute, as it is distracting her baby from taking any milk. 

Columns

Anand showing us how the carving of a cow and her calf...

can also be seen as an elephant

A cow. Moooooooo.

Pillars

This is carved out of one single rock. It is an amazing piece,  known as Arjuna's Penance. Arjuna was one of the  five Pandavas , the brothers who were the heroes of the epic, The Mahabharata. Arjuna's discussions with his charioteer (who just happened to be Lord Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu) in the midst of battle make up one of Hinduism's most sacred texts, the Bhaghavad-Gita. Here  you can see elephants, and to the left, the Ganges river, descending.

A better view of the descent of the Ganges. To the upper left, see the super-skinny guy with his arms above his head and his legs in a "4" shape? That's Arjuna, doing his penance. Apparently, he stood in that exact position, not eating, sleeping, drinking, or moving, for 12 years. Wow, he must have done something pretty heinous to earn a time-out like that!

Krishna's butterball. A natural rock formation. This rock has been balancing on its tip for hundreds of years. 20 elephants have tried to pull it at once, and failed. There is a goat resting in its shadow.  When Raja and I had our picture taken in front of it, he made a "Raiders of the Lost Ark" joke. The idea of being smashed by Krishna's butterball is not very appealing to me!

Thiramurthi Cave: A shrine (not active) to the three main gods of Hinduism: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.

This green bird told our fortunes. First, his keeper let him out of the cage. We told the bird our first name. 

Then the bird turned over a series of folded "cards." When he stopped, he hopped back into his cage, and the keeper closed the door. The keeper then opened the card, which contained a picture of a deity, and told us our fortune.

I received the Ganesha card. My fortune was thus:
I have something on my mind, and I don't know if it will go well or not, but don't worry, it will turn out well.
I have a large family, but we are not very very close.
I give a lot; more than I take.
It takes me a long time to get angry, but when I do, watch out! And I am very stubborn.
I will become very wealthy.
I will die when I am 95 years old.
I will get married this coming year.

Raja listened and translated for me, as the reader spoke Tamil. He translated  his own fortune, too.

He received the Shiva card.
His difficult past is over, and it's time to look to a better future.
He will receive a promotion at work, and become rich when he is 41.
He will die when he is 90.
He will marry this coming year.
(I'm trying to think...I'm sure there was more....)

Raja didn't actually tell me about the marriage prediction until later. However, he also told me,
"Don't put too much stock in the bird."
LOL.

Anand pointing to the next shrine. I'm interested in the goat to the right of the shrine.

The goddess, Shakthi, or Feminine Principle. More elephants.

Look at these gorgeous mandalas. They were carved on the ceiling.

Our last destination was the shore temple, which is not as old as the others, but has been significantly damaged by water erosion. Anand told us there were several (maybe 6?) other temples here at one time, which sank into the sea.

This area had been excavated out, only to be filled with water from the 2004 Tsunami. The water has still not completely been absorbed into the earth. 

The goddess (Durga) riding on her lion. At her feet is a blood sacrifice. In her legend, Durga killed a buffalo demon. In the distant past, Hindus would tender her, and her aspect Kali, blood sacrifices: animals and, occasionally, humans. Of course, Hindus are now respectful of all life, and many are vegetarians. They do not offer blood sacrifices of any kind. 

The shrines of the five Pandavas, the brother-heroes of the Mahabharata. Each temple (most unfinished) honors one of the brothers, and his patron deity. This complex is carved out of a single block of stone, and shows varied architectural forms.

Columns

The structures as seen from the far end

The beautiful beach resort where we went for lunch.

These are the sorts of places people pay to go so that they can see the historical sites, but don't have to deal with the "Real India."  It's a lovely change of pace, so clean and serene, but I wouldn't miss out of the rest of the experience for anything.

Boats and palm trees. 

You can actually swim in the sea here. if you're not wearing a sari, of course. 

At the resort, we were inundated by crows. The House Crow (Corvus splendens) which we saw everywhere we went is similar to American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos), but has a grey neck. Here is one in flight. Raja was feeding them, much to their delight, and I'm sure, to the waiters' annoyance.

This was a peaceful and lovely place. I'd like to go there again some day and stay over night, swim and play in the waves, and walk on the shore in the moonlight. 

Be good!

Photo Post: Mysore/Bangalore

Mysore Palace

The temple (it was closed, sadly.)

Blessed by an elephant.

The Palace again

At the Brindavan Gardens

The Gardens

Gardens from the top

Lights at night

Along the water

Commercial Street, Bangalore

Fruit seller. Doesn't it look good? I missed fruit. 

Bangle sellers

Street vendors

Yes, that dog is lying casually in the middle of the intersection.
Now, that's confidence!

Sweet Corn. It smells sooooo good...

Two goats

Guys peeing by the side of the road. (Grand Total: 25.)

Little cow, big cow

Hanuman, the Monkey God

On the way home

Be good!