23 December 2007

Assault on your senses

Horns blaring, not in anger, but to say "I am here".

A little child, knocking on the car window at a stop, trying to sell you some small thing, and then accepting your half-full bottle of water as a treat.

The pigeons roosting just outside your window.

The sound of the garbage wala, yelling that he is here to buy your trash, which will be sold on later.

Street dogs fighting for the least of scraps.

The crowds walking around the market, trying to buy that very latest thing, perhaps for Christmas or for themselves.

A house maid talking Hindi to a squirmly active toddler.

Dust all around, clinging to the base of your jeans.

A cow. An elephant. And even a camel.

The red and gold of a winter wedding, drummers at the ready for the groom to begin his journey toward his bride.

The buzz of a mosquito.

The smiles of your new family coming to greet you.

The sun. The warmth upon your winter skin.

The chill of the night air as you slowly drift to sleep.

20 December 2007

Happy Holidays!

12 Days of Christmas by 'Straight No Chase'. It's so worth watching!!!

17 December 2007

Almost there...

I apologize. It's been a while. But school is winding down. We had parent teacher conferences last week, then party season hit. And now, in five days, I will be off to India.

I'm really excited. I'll get to see Delhi again. I'll get to see the Golden Temple of Amritsar and the closing of the Pakistan-India gate for the first time. I'll get to meet a lot of Roy's family.

I'm really nervous. I don't want to get sick. I want this to go well for his parents. I'll have to meet a lot of Roy's family.

So much coming up...so quickly. But I promise to write a lot when I return in January. I'm sure I'll have tons of stories. I'm bringing a diary to write in and a camera for pics. And so I'll post them all.

Happy Holidays if I don't get a chance to write again soon! And a Happy New Year!

10 December 2007

Dark

As I walked up the ramp to wait for my train, I realized that it was dark. Not just kinda dark, but really dark. Yes, winter has finally taken hold. There's this moment when you go from getting dark to really being in the midst of an inky sky. And that's when you realize that it's going to be dark when you also leave from work. And so, if you don't leave your windowless office to go look out a window or to take a walk, you will be without any sort of daylight at all that day.

That's why it was good that I got outside on Saturday, despite it being cold and rainy. I went with a friend to Wembley, Ealing Road, to eat some Indian food, get my eyebrows threaded and do a little bit of shopping. I walked from my flat to the Wilesden Green tube station and then when we returned from Wembley, walked up from Kilburn Park Station (overground train) to Cricklewood. Even in the grossness, it was just lovely to breathe the air and soak up the holiday spirit while dodging the random people who decided to just STOP right there on the sidewalk and block everyone's path. Urban exercise at its best!

So I'm going to try to get out of this building a few times this week. I think it will be a sanity saver.

07 December 2007

There she blows!

It was difficult to sleep last night. The howling of the winds was so extreme that our windows shook and the trees were thrashing about. I was not looking forward to leaving the flat if it kept going in the morning.

And it did. I walked out of our building into a maelstrom of wind. My fine curly hair was whipped into a frenzy such that I could barely see. I was certain that I'd end up with straight hair by the time I got into school. Everyone was leaning forward, straining to get where they wanted to go.

Memories of my time in the Netherlands came to mind. That extreme storm that buffetted the coast. At least it wasn't raining. Umbrellas would have been sent to their death in this weather.

03 December 2007

Eyes wide open

The sun is out. I can see it streaming through my classroom windows which are located way up high. It's so nice to actually see sun during this time of the year.

I tend to leave for work around 7:30am. In the winter, this is before the sun is really up in the sky. And usually it seems to be dreary even when it is 'light'. I go to my office for most of the day which doesn't have a window. And then I leave around 4pm and again it's usually on it's way to getting dark. There are days when I don't see anything but dark.

So on these days, when it is sunny out, I try my darndest to get out of my office and take a walk. Maybe during lunch. Sometimes during a regular period of the day. It's the only way to make it through the dark, cold winter here. It's why I went with my MIL to Southall this past Saturday - it was a nice day to walk around and shop the stalls. I even had to wear sunglasses. Yup, it was lovely.