day five: slowing it way down

monday, rheea and i woke up and slogged our way through 45 minutes of p90x interval training. seriously, arun was laughing at us from his office; thank god he didn't take video of it. ninety year old women probably have more energy and effort than we did [and yet, i am STILL sore, ha.]

things slowed way down this day. i think the fact that i'm going to be here for so long makes us all feel like we can kind of wander our way through the next few weeks without packing everything in. which is great because really, i am just that kind of girl.

i will tell you now that i am a massive fail for monday [and for tuesday too for that matter] because i completely completely completely forgot to bring the camera. i know i know i know!! i was accustomed to nick and his discipline in remembering to always tote the camera along. plus, it's kind of against my innate nature to be photographically documenting everything everywhere. i'm too immersed in experiencing things usually to remember to capture them. i am working on this and promise you that you, fair reader, will not suffer due to my inadequacies. i will be much improved in the very very near future. promisepromisepromise.

anyhow, we went to koramangla to have lunch with arun's dad. koramangla is the area of bangalore that rheea and arun both grew up in, actually. their childhood homes are located ridiculously close to one another.

koramangla is beautiful. there are more trees and greenery than the other areas of bangalore i've been to so far. the streets are a bit tidier, the people seem a bit more relaxed, and the homes are mostly huge single family residences. i promise the next time we go, i will take have visuals to go along with my text. it seems to be filled with families with younger children because there is literally a preschool or daycare of some sort on every corner.

arun's family home is sweet and spacious and seems to hold so much history. his father, a pediatrician, runs an in-home clinic. the whole place is rather charming. arun's father too is very charming: sweet and kind and not at all awkward or uncomfortable speaking with women. i've noticed that many [of course not all and of course not of the younger, more urbanized/educated sect] men here in india, especially of the older generations, are not as socially acclimated to having casual conversations with women. he didn't make me feel like i was speaking out of turn or overstepping at all and that was really very nice.

we went to kamat for lunch. the food there is from northern karnataka. we ate off of plantain leaves. the curries were lighter, healthier, and a few of them weren't super duper spicy [just a tad, haha]. afterwards, uncle set me up with a sim card for an indian mobile because, let's face it, rheea and i both have a tendency to get accidentally distracted and getting lost in bangalore without a definite idea of how to get home probably isn't the most fabulous of plans.

after lunch, uncle went home, arun went for a meeting, and rheea and i went shopping for kurtas and salwars at lifestyle at oasis centre. indian sizing is somewhat depressing. ha.

on our way home we stopped for an iced tea at this small, wonderfully gritty cafe near where rheea went for pre-college classes, java city. while we were there, three hijaras [transgender men in flashy saris] came to the shopkeeper requesting money. hijaras are really very interesting. from what i gather from rhee, they are considered in a rather reverentially fearful light. although they are often not hired for work and are veered away from, indian people also consider them to be rather holy. when there is a big event in the family [a birth, etc], hijaras are invited to come eat and bless the event. i tend to think of it like... covering your bases ya know? like, well, we don't want to invite wrath or evil from this community so although i don't want to socialize with them, i will invite them to bless this event in order to make sure i'm in the clear. i'm not entirely sure if i'm boiling this down too simply but it seems like a pretty decent understanding. shopkeepers or even people on the street that are approached are expected to hand over money. they are not exactly beggars and the backlash from denying them seems to be very much looking to be avoided. although, there are some unspoken rules of respect that are also followed too. for example, at the cafe, the shopkeeper gave them a small token and, out of respect, the hijaras then did not approach any of the customers but simply left afterwards. it is so interesting to me that this is just how it is. and is it strange that i don't really think it's terribly wrong? technically, the hijaras reasons for being able to make those sorts of requests [unequal rights, etc] in my american mind don't translate directly to "yes, that means if they ask for money, one should definitely give it" BUT still... something about the community being willing to support, albeit with some fear and begrudging attitude, feels so much more contributory to the forward moving of indian society's cycle. i don't even know if that makes sense exactly but eh.

so anyways, we went home afterwards and, before heading to pd and carlos' house [some of rheea and arun's lovely best friends that are getting married at the end of the month!] for a drink and visit, we sat on rheea and arun's terrace with whiskey-spiked green teas playing guitar/ukulele with the puppies. the sky was rather brilliant. the monsoons are near... overdue, in fact... and every night the winds are picking up and the skies are looking like soft paintings.

rhee, arun, the pups on the terrace.

the moon-streaked sky.

view below from the opposite side of the terrace.