My First Indian Wedding

 
Some of the first people that many of the Newbies at AES met upon our arrival in Delhi were our drivers for the first two weeks. Maxwell happened to be my driver and I got to know him well. A most gracious and caring man, Max promised that if there was a wedding in his family he would invite some of us. So when the invitation came for his sister's daughter's wedding I was overjoyed.

Maxwell and his father at the wedding.

Indian weddings can typically go on for three days. This wedding was unusual because the couple was being married in a Catholic church, but they were still celebrating in a traditional Indian way.

Two nights before the wedding, the bride is adorned with turmeric and sandalwood by the women on her side of the family. Her simple muslin saree (sari) is also rubbed with the mixture, as well as her hair.  Gifts of food and flowers are placed around her.

The second night for the bride is the mehndi (henna tattooing) ceremony. The bride and her closest family friends and relatives are painted in intricate henna designs. The bride has both her arms and legs adorned. It took three hours for her mehndi to be finished, then hours of drying and chafing off the extra henna. A mixture of lemon juice and oil are dabbed over the henna to enhance the penetration.

As the bride patiently sits through this process, her brothers, uncles, aunts,sisters, and mother sing and dance for her. In fact, we all danced. She cried throughout the process because this would be the last days together with her side of the family.

In the corner a woman sat cutting vegetables and making a pot of curried vegees for the guests.

Then it was my turn to receive the mehndi. The lovely young women who did my hands (not feet), had a sweet daughter who sat quietly throughout the whole procedure. 

Nancy, my team teaching partner, and I kept shaking our heads at the wonder of it all. We were instantly made a part of the family and were treated like royalty for the next two days.

The young girls had marigolds woven into their braids for the mehndi ceremony. Prospective brides?

The next day a bathing process occurs for the bride to prepare her for the actual wedding day.  No, we were not part of this very private and special time for the bride to spend time with her mother and closest female family members for the last time. Once she is married, she will move in with the groom's family and say goodbye to her family.

Nancy, Katrina (another teacher from AES), and I set out about 6 pm for the wedding. Selecting and having our sarees made was quite a process. That's another story for another time! However, how do you put on a saree? Thankfully, Nancy's wonderful housekeeper was more than willing to drape and pin us. 

We were unable to attend the actual church service as we had to teach. But we arrived in time for the cake cutting, gift giving and dinner. Well, part of it anyway. There were over 600 guests coming and going all throughout the evening. Plenty of dancing and eating.

Upon our arrival, Max greeted us and sat us in the front row, in front of his family!! This type of treatment in India continues to overwhelm me. Teachers are so valued and honored. Plus being Americans, we are revered.  I am continually humbled. Max's family greeted us with hugs and kisses as if we had been part of their family forever. And lots of photo shoots!

The

The bride and groom, Remika and Dicky. Yes, this was an arranged marriage. Because they are Christian, she wore a white gown. Hindi brides wear red.

The young boys wear embroidered suits.

Max's wife and sister.I truly need more bangles!

The dancing went on for hours and I marveled at the amazing Bollywood dancing. We danced until our sarees started to fall off, so we made a very early exit. I'm sure the festivities went on all night. 

Much thanks to Max and his incredible family.

Dharamsala

Six of us traveled to Dharamsala, home to the Dalai Lama. Beginning with my first overnight second-class train trip, plus three hours of driving, we finally made it to the foothills of the Himalayas. Dharamsala is home to thousands of Tibetan refugees following the Chinese takeover of Tibet in 1959. It is also a favorite spot for backpackers from all over the world looking for spiritual awakenings. For us, it was a welcome respite from the polluted air of Delhi, honking horns and craziness of a city of 16 million.

Stacey, Karen, Shannon and Ann hanging out at our mountainside cabins.

Tibetan monks and nuns fill this part of India. There are 3-4 monasteries in the area, as well as the Kalachakra Temple, used by the Dalai Lama for public teachings. These monks were washing and drying their robes in the river as we went hiking one day.

Prayer wheels inside the temple in Mcleod Ganj. Prayer wheels contain written prayers for the well-being of all sentient beings. Tibetans believe the prayers will be spread to the four winds by turning of the wheel. It was one of my favorite spots to go to each day.

This beautiful woman walked past me as I was sipping a cappuccino. I asked if I could take her picture. She pulled out a blessing for me to read. It brought tears to my eyes. On the paper it also explained that she is attempting to receive blessings from the Dalai Lama to attend his next public teachings in 2012.

Chai (spicy tea) huts are all along the trekking trails. And, of course, streams of prayer flags adorn the hills. Tibetans believe that the prayers and mantras that are block printed on the flags will be blown by the wind to spread good will and compassion for all.

You can even get a head or foot massage at one one of the tea houses along the way.

On our way back down to town, we just had to stop in a few roadside shops.

Inside Kalachakra Temple. Young monks practicing mental "sparring". The young monks are asked questions which, of course, I couldn't understand. But it was fascinating seeing their joyful faces responding to their daily teachings.

No, I did not see the Dalai Lama. But, I did have a wonderful, unexpected, blessing from the Karmapa, who is second in line, perhaps to replace the Dalai Lama. It is quite complicated and political. The Panchen Lama, who is next in line, has been missing (probably imprisoned by China) for 20 years. So, the Karmapa, who is only 24 years old, is in training for the appointment. The story of his escape from China is quite a story. Just Google for more information.

Little did I know, the Karmap sat in front of me on the plane back to Delhi. Then as I was sitting NEXT to him on the shuttle bus into the airport, several people surrounded him asking him for his blessing. So, I took out my newly purchased prayer beads and asked him to bless them for my grandson, Gage. What a moment...

His Holiness, the Karmapa, posing with a boy on the shuttle.

From Cooking Class to Tea and Spa

Friends and family back home often ask if I am lonely or get bored. NEVER! AES is a community of people who love to get together, all ages, all the time. I am too busy!

 Mary Catherine is a fabulous cook who invited several us over for a Saturday morning Middle Eastern cooking and eating class.

Fattoush

 This past Saturday Janet, from Bellevue, invited some of us over for tea and in-home spa treatments. In India, any service that you desire will come to your home. It is common to have pedicures, Indian head massages, yoga, etc. brought to your home for very reasonable prices. I recently began private yoga lessons twice/week in my apartment by Nirij, a very comical and sweet Nepalese man (don't get thinking...he's 30 and married!).

 

After my special pedicure, Janet took me to this amazing handmade paper store near her home. Oprah has shopped there as well as the Obamas last year!

 

UN Day and International Food Fair at AES

No One could have quite prepared me for the amazingly colorful gala events of UN Day on Friday at the elementary school and the International Food Fair the next day. Once again I am in awe of the ability of a single school to celebrate the diversity of its students in such a thoughtful and fun way!

Over 50 countries were represented by students.

Students wore traditional costumes from their native countries: Paraguay, Spain, India and China.

Scotland and Hungary. Those of us from the U.S. were mighty boring!

On Saturday close to 30 countries had booths selling ethnic foods for the AES International Food Fair. Everything from pirogis to Belgium waffles. The amount of work by parents was astounding.  And to top everything off, I won one of the huge baskets of goodies being raffled off. Great weekend.

Smog and the Crafts Museum

When I stepped out of the airport two weeks ago on my return back to Delhi, a  haze of smoke-filled air caught my lungs off guard. Had there been a huge fire somewhere in Delhi? Ah no, I had forgotten that the week-long celebration of Diwali included daily/nightly fireworks throughout this city of 16,000,000! So for the next few days I stayed inside as much as possible and got my air purifiers plugged in. Well, two weeks later it isn't much better due to the cooler (88 degrees) weather and people burning just about anything to cook and stay warm during the cooler evenings. I had been warned about the air in winter, but this is much worse than I could have imagined.

On a lighter note, my friend, Kris and I visited the Crafts Museum yesterday and ran into these wonderful creatures and the artist.

The artist of these wondeful creations happened to be there and explained his process. First he constructs animal-like figures out of styrofoam.

Then his helpers tear Indian cloth, soaked in water and glue, and place strip by strip onto the foam.









The exhibit is in honor of Children's Day, Nov. 14. Am hoping to take my students to see this extraordinary work.

Other great finds at the museum:

Traditional Indian wall painting of a tiger. Valorie, I see an art project hatching!

Terra cotta horse.



Trip Back to Bellingham

The early birth of my grandson, Gage, took me home unexpectedly to Bellingham three weeks ago. Thankfully, Gage was born a healthy, but tiny, five pounder. Shara and Dagan were amazingly strong and brought into my life the sweetest little boy.

I had the gift of staying at my dear friends' farm amidst a colorful fall setting. The fresh air and garden fresh food was so appreciated. Of course it was hard to say goodbye and return to India. But I will return soon for Christmas!





From Archaelogical Ruins to Dehli Belly

Last Saturday evening eleven teachers from AES joined a Dehli Metro Walk led by tour guide Surekha through the ruins of Delhi's first ancient city, Qila Rai Pithora. It dates back to 1060, although there are 5,000 year old scriptures on site. The park, Mehrauli Archaeologic Park, has been under excavation and renovation since 1997 by the Indian National Trust. There are several identified mausoleums and tombs of Mughal emperors, while some remain mysterious. The area is still heavily used by people out for daily picnics, farmers grazing pigs and goats and a teenage hang-out. While there are guards overlooking the ruins, the area is laden with trash and with pigs digging through the garbage. Always a contrast in India!

View of Lord Mahavira on a lotus flower from the park.

Three story stepwell (water system) from 1516. Rajon Ki Baoli

Too many photo ops, but our tour guide was getting anxious that dusk was approaching. We really wanted her to slow down but then we realized why she was pushing us to carry on. The best for last!

Surekha had arranged for us to have a private mausoleum opened for us to view at the Jamali-Kamali site. After taking off our shoes in respect, we entered a tiny mausoleum. By then it was pitch dark so we all used our flashes to snap this photo of the ceiling. Magnificent!

After three hours of walking and climbing steep steps, and hopping over ancient fences, we gathered at a lovely restaurant for Thai food. Going out to dinner is always iffy in Delhi, even at the best restaurants. All it takes is one bacteria-laden fork or prawn to set off a case of Delhi belly. My meal of pad thai prawns with papaya salad and decadent chocolate cake was sensational. It was such a treat from dahl and chicken curry! But lo and behold, of the eleven of us I got my first case of Delhi belly for two days! No picnic, but I am now officially part of the "in" crowd.