One Month In

We have been in this awesome country for a month as of today. We both are still in overload in terms of work and thus the amount of India that we have experienced has been limited; mostly to our going to and from school.

The Daily Commute
Today on the way home after eating at a new South Indian restaurant with our friends Tahireh and Kevin, our auto-rickshaw (tuk-tuk or cab) driver was terrible. He took us the wrong way and then stopped halfway after he turned around trying to tell us we were at our destination. I tried to show my dissatisfaction as best I know how, paid him and then walked to another auto.

When we got in, I turned to Becky and lamented, "I really need to learn how to express when I am dissatisfied with someone." And then I saw the look that no husband wants to see.

Mouth agape. Eyebrows raised. Silence.  "I NEVER thought I would ever hear YOU say that. You know how to do that better than anyone I know!"

Hmmm.  Is that a compliment? Maybe, but surely I wouldn't want that as my epitaph.

Here lies Isaac. He knew how to let you know he was pissed.

Not exactly what I envision.  Marriage, once again, causes some introspection, which I am pretty sure its supposed to do. It seems like that is what its about, sharpening one another and smoothing edges at the same times. Of course, Becky is pretty smooth already (I got the good end).  All this thanks to our daily commute.

Of course there is more to see...like people peeing, and pooping, and cows, and monkeys (though not on our commute, we've seen them driving through the city), and street dogs, and men showering (with a loin cloth), and plenty more...

On the way to school this morning from the auto-rickshaw.

School
Pretty much all our time is spent here...but that is not a bad thing. We are both feeling quite motivated to work, mostly because of the energy of our colleagues and students. They are incredible. Here is me on my first day and my classroom. Check out the awesome classroom library.

The Sights
Although we have not gotten out much, we did go on a 'tour' of Delhi our first weekend. The highlights were India Gate (a WWII monument), Gandi's Memorial, and holding a cobra.

This weekend we are heading to Neemrana for some relaxation and culture. As we get a little more comfortable at work, the blogging should pick back up.

iBeck

Changing the Conversation

Gulp. Plop. Rumble, rumble. Shake.  Bubble, bubble, bubble.

This is a familiar sound in Delhi.

You know the one.  Its the sound of air bubbles in the water cooler when filling your bottle.  Only this sound is coming from me, from my personal water cooler.  This running dialogue from my midsection has caused me to make some changes.

For the first time in my life, I am trying to make some notes of what I put in my body and from whence it came. It's more complicated than it sounds.

Fruit from home, was it washed properly? Did I wash my hands before handling it? Is there an issue with our drinking water? Should we boil 'filtered' water.  Isn't that just redundant? We had bottled water at dinner. But was the glass we used clean?

Of course, my stomach is not the only one in India that likes to talk about its situation.  It seems as if the status of ones bowels is appropriate conversation...at all times an in all circumstances.

Remember that health class where your teacher made everyone say penis and vagina? It broke the ice, made those words acceptable to use. The word in Delhi is diarrhea. Of course, Becky has jumped all over this.  She has been looking for an excuse to talk about her poop for as long as I have known her. While this may seem like a joke, I assure you it is real.  A typical conversation might start something like this:

"Hi Becky, how are you?"

"I have diarrhea. You?"

This is welcomed as a worthy barometer of ones state and met with a similar recap from those within earshot. The best part is the absolute joy in everyone's face when discussing this most delicate of topics.  We might as well be discussing new movie.

As far as stomach issues go though, we have been pretty fortunate overall. We will do our best to not let the conversation spill into this blog space in the future.