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the five minute monsoon...

second day out here - almost fully over my jet lag...still a little tired, but, after tonight, i will be in good shape...but that is not important...

it is interesting being back here - knowing also that it is not just for a family visit but to do some work. for the 6 weeks that i am out here, for a week and a half i will be traveling - seeing family and relatives who i have not seen in at least 8 years - that should be fun, i am going to have a crash course in hindi, so i will be able to communicate with 95% of my family - that will be the toughest part - right now, i am intermixing nepali with hindi - and i know i have said something in nepali when my family gives me a dumbfounded look - because my english they can understand, smile and nod at - my nepali, they look at me like i said the wrong hindi word and are waiting for the right one...so i have become quite perseptive as to people's body language when i speak...

so today i saw my unlce and my aunt on my dad's side (my dad's brother) - which was nice - i was talking with my cousin - Sanjay, and he said the most intiguing thing to me - i want to take a picture with you - it has been such a long time since he has seen me, he has forgotten what i look like - and when i called his home and talked to his wife (my sister-in-law), there two kids didn't even know me, so they wouldn't talk to me - blows my mind - we hear about each other so much, that you feel that we have met - but we haven't. this is what i call a reality check. it is good to have every so often...

bombay is a big city - this i never really knew - but to get from my one uncle's place to the other - it takes about one hour, with no traffic - with traffic at least two hours...it is monsoon season here, but the rains are not all the time - they are in short five minute burst, that if you wait out, you can continue along your way. interesting...

random thought - the guy that invented frogger probably came to India or some place like it when he decided he was going to make a game where a frog runs through traffic without getting hit...here people play frogger with the cars - these are real people with real cars - it amazes me - i don't think you would see people attempting to run across the highway during a fairly busy traffic time in the states - but here, oh yes...they will go, no matter how close the car is, and it seems that few people get hit...so i have come to realize - india, is one big game of frogger...people, dogs, motorcylce, cars, tucks, etc. dodging each other to get to the other side or further down the road...

till tomorrow...

posted by ravi @ 5:36 AM