eat, pray, and pray some more

No, no, you didn't read that wrong.

My last two weeks have been filled with fresh rotis, sabjis of all kinds and lots of pomengranate. But they also have been filled with Puja this and Puja that. Every day there is some sort of Puja-- the day I arrived Ganesh Chaturthi was all consuming as new Temples were literally being built overnight on the roadside and now preparations are being made for Durga Puja and Navratri. I can't keep track of the days of the week with all the vacations let alone trying to remember who is fasting on what day of the week and for which member of their family. Seriously.

Other than that, life in Bhilai has been great. I have been staying at my mentor's house with her two brothers and their families. The eldest brother is addicted to an Indian form of solitaire, so I don't get to see him much. But his wife, Sanju, and their son, Animesh, are two of the kindest people I have ever met. From day one they welcomed me into their (huge) home and have spent the last two weeks breaking down every part of Indian culture with me...the phrase "India is crazy" is one that is mumbled a lot by all of us as they tell me the stories from their life-- from the so-called honor killings (where if a girl of higher caste falls in love with a boy with a lower caste, the girl will be killed to preserve the "honor" of the family) to how my mentor's eldest brother's wife is ostracized from the family because she was the "victim" of a love marriage...from despite how I hard I try to put my trash in a wastebin it will most definitely be dumped out in the backyard anyway to how tomatoes cannot be eaten on mondays to honor God . (Yes, every conversation does revolve around caste, marriage, or food, welcome to India.) On a brighter note, Sanju has become my confidant and helps me find ways to sneak out of the house to hang out with a friend I made that happens to be a member of the opposite sex (oh no!), sneaks me biscuits after lunch, offers to buy me alcohol (because all Punjabis drink a lot and since I am Punjabi, I must miss my whiskey) and stays up till the wee hours of the night (ok, fine, 1 am) gossiping with me about this or that. There is so much love in the house, I sometimes tear up thinking about their warmth and kindness. No, seriously.

As for me, the next week will hopefully bring a new flat, a new scooter and some more coca cola light...afterall, it is Navratri.