Back! (for now)

I'm back! Back in the USofA. After ten months in sunny India and SE Asia, I've returned to the cold and rainy Pacific North West. My natural body temperature has always been a little lower than the average Joe, but I really think that by missing winter, my central heating put itself into hibernation until next fall. I simply cannot get warm!

My last few weeks in India were fantastic. I returned to Bundi for a third time. As I walked the streets, people recognized me and invited me in for chai. I spent time with my Indian family. One night, a pregnant woman and several of her female family and friends were over since she was close to labor and Rupa (my Indian mother) is a nurse. The power kept flickering on and off so candles were lit. We watched bits and pieces of a children comedians show - these kids were so funny, I was laughing out loud despite not understanding a word! Suddenly, Rupa emerged with a sari in hand and told me I needed to practice my sari wrapping skills. I proceeded to learn a couple different styles and then repeated the process several times, with all eyes on me until they were satisfied. I felt as though I was being initiated. Then Rupa asked me to teach them salsa dancing and thus, in the intermittent dim and bright lighting, with the help of my mini iPod speakers, I taught (and entertained) women in saris how to swivel their hips and spin with attitude :).

Back in Pushkar, I was unsuccessful in my attempt to surprise my friends and they all received me with open arms. It was so nice to be in familiar places with familiar friendly faces for a change. I had planned my visit to coincide with my last big Indian festival, Holi, a two day festival of light and color. The first day is celebrated with controlled fires in the streets and the first color being gently spread on eachother cheeks and hair. The second day (more often than not, after profuse drinking the night before), the real debauchery begins! Giant bags of rainbow powders and huge waterguns filled with colored water are produced. Starting in the early morning people, mostly men, gather in the market places and neighborhood parks to paint eachother as thoroughly and in as many colors as possible. Groups of men came to the hotel to entice the occupants out into the fray and I was warned not to go to the market since an unfortunate activity, sadly becoming a tradition, is the drunk men tearing off the clothes of anyone they can get their hands on (naïve female tourists being the most popular victims).

Holi is the one day in the entire Indian year in which the police look the other way, conservative values get blindfolds and Indians try to get all of their lust, passion, practical joking and curiosity out of their systems. The idea behind it though, covering everyone of various shades of white to brown to black, head to toe like an artists pallet, so that at the end of the day we all look the same, is a really attractive idea to me and I wish we had a similar holiday in the States! Of course, that extends into the next several days where everyone is various shades of pink since that's the color that seems to dye the skin (even after scrubbing in the pool and 5 showers!).

I did try to sneak down towards the marketplace in order to get some shots, you know me, despite the warnings. I thought I would be able to avoid the worst of the revelers. To my great disappointment, before getting even two minutes away from my hotel, I was approached by three boys in their twenties, colored powder in hand and while two of then spread it on my arms, the third reached as far down my shirt as he could before I reared back and walloped him across the face. They scurried off and although I was glad I got in a sound slap, they had ruined my optimism and I decided that as a single girl, with a camera to protect, perhaps I should not attempt the marketplace after all (as a side note, several girls did go down later with several of the guys, trusting they would be safe in a group. They were sadly mistaken. Two of the girls shirts were ripped open and others were fondled... such a shame that they ruin what could be a wonderful festival!).

I spent the rest of the day with my friends, playfully using eachother for canvases and then jumping in the pool so that the turquoise blue turned a delicate shade of lilac. Another sad farewell set me on my last overnight bus ride to Delhi. I bought an extra bag to carry my gifts and souvenirs and before I could drink one last chai, I was on my nearly 30 hour set of flights to the good ol' PNW. To those of you who read this, a BIG hug to all my lovely Indian friends! I miss you!

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So what now? Well, I just finished reunioning with some of my favorite people in the world! First, my dear friend Fergus made his way to Washington to visit me, in this our fourth country together. I had a wonderful time showing him around Mt. Vernon, Anacortes, Portland, Cannon Beach and Seattle. We hiked, took pictures (including just a couple jumping shots ;), strolled markets, met some of my friends for delicious home cooked American food (Thanks Kate) and hilarious rounds of catchphrase (where Fergus earned a new nickname). We "caught a movie" and crashed at Dan and Nikki's (Thanks loves!), pot-lucked with some of my favorite Seattlites, toured the underground and he ate his first turkey bacon, American Burger, Krispy Kreme doughnut, Beef Jerky, Crackerjacks AND bacon icecream (God bless America hehe - and chef Niels)! Plus his first Baseball game (which I was quite pleased did not bore him to pieces :). So glad you could visit Fergus, I had a brilliant time, although the bruises from slugbug (not beetlebuggy) /yellowcar /minipunch are still healing, and I look forward to our next adventure!

Immediately back down in Oregon, I got to meet the newest addition to the pacific circle, little Violet Ross and chat with Angie, Annie and Katherine. I joined Dave and Lauren for dinner and my first encounter with Rock Band! And then again for a night of good food (cheers Nikki!), catchphrase and once the 6 bottles of wine kicked in, crazy camera antics! Ahhhh, I am absolutely in love with my friends!

Now, it's on to being productive, getting organized, getting a job (I've applied for a job in Peru this summer), looking forward to Caroline's visit next week and then my trip to Utah the week after that! Full schedule, but if anyone else wants to get together while I'm in the States, just let me know! :)