Zero

I'm out the door and on my way home. It's been an interesting couple of months in Delhi, but I can't wait to get back home.

Well, it's not hard to see
Anyone who looks at me
Knows I am just a rolling stone
Never landing anyplace to call my own
To call my own

Well, it seems like so long ago
But it really ain't you know
I started out a crazy kid
Miracle I made it through the things I did
The things I did

Someday I'll go where there ain't no rain or snow
‘Til then, I travel alone
And I make my bed with the stars above my head
And dream of a place called home

I had a chance to settle down
Get a job and live in town
Work in some old factory
I never liked the foreman standing over me
Over me

Oh I’d rather walk a winding road
Rather know the things I know
See the world with my own eyes
No regrets, no looking back, no goodbyes
No goodbyes

Someday I'll go where there ain't no rain or snow
‘Til then, I travel alone
And I make my bed with the stars above my head
And I dream of a place called home

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Two

My very first tape, Emmylou Harris was purchased for me by my dad (back before the days of iPods, even before the days of CDs.) I'll admit I didn't appreciate her at the time, at that age I wanted to be cool and thought listening to "country" wasn't cool. It took a few years, but now I can't help but thank him for introducing me to a true class act.

And mom, I'm not celebrating my trip home with a couple of bottles of wine - I swear! Even if I did just discover the guys have a pool going to see what point in the next 18 months on this project will break me and make me reach for a bottle.

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Create

I interrupt this countdown for a good reason - I've been working on getting my creative spark back - I'm trying to sign up for photography lessons (even bought a shiny new camera) and have scheduled a scrapbooking weekend with the the girls in my family. Which means I can't pass up this challenge from my friend SheRoos

The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year, a handmade gift/treat from me. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise! The catch is that you must participate as well. Before you leave your comment, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going (or be lazy and copy and paste like I did). Then come back, let me know you're going to play and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift! Pin It

Three

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Four

Four in the Morning - Ivy

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Five

Lovely Day - Maroon 5

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Preparation

One of the fist things you start doing when you learn you will be living in a new place is mentally making a list of the things you want to see and experience there. For me, Carnaval was the experience I looked forward to in Rio - check - and when I knew I was coming to India it was attending an Indian wedding. Today I get to check that one off the list.

A friend from work invited me to her wedding and I've been dying with excitement ever since. I missed the big days long celebration last weekend in Calcutta thanks to work commitments, but she is having a celebration in Delhi tonight and I wouldn't miss it for the world.

I feel like I've been preparing for weeks just to be a guest, so you can imagine what it is like for the families hosting the weddings. They literally save for years and it is common for them to throw a four day celebration - and I don't mean a couple of hours on each of the four days - the celebration starts in the morning and keeps on going till the wee hours of the next morning. Weddings here are filled with family, music, food and rich tradition.
My preparations started with finding something to wear. All I have with me are work clothes - and to be honest nothing in my closet at home is fancy enough to attend a wedding here anyway. So I started asking around and found a designer. I went to her shop and she helped me find a compromise between Indian fashion and my more comfortable western style clothes (even the thought of trying to keep a saree on in public scares me!) I settled on a salwar kameez covered by a long jacket. A salwar kameez is a long tunic type top over a pair of pants which fit tightly around the ankles (the pants are very long so the are worn scrunched around the ankles. My salwar kameez is a soft gold color. The jacket is made of red and gold silk with a velvet collar and blinged out sleeves. The jacket more closely resembles something a man would have worn in India years ago, but it has been modified to make it more feminine.


Once I settled on clothing I hit the mall last weekend for accessories. It wasn't an easy shopping trip, since it was Valentine's Day in Delhi, which for some reason resulted in a VERY crowded mall. But eventually, I found a sparkly pair of sandals with a heel low enough to be comfortable, beautiful and sparkly earrings and gorgeous ring.


This morning I went to the salon and got a mani/pedi and even tracked down some rollers so I can attempt to do something with my hair - cross your fingers for me. I even splurged and bought some eye liner (something I rarely bother with) so I wouldn't be the only woman at the wedding without it.

Now it's time to relax for a few hours before the real preparations begin. I have to say again, if it is this must work to be a guest at a wedding here, I'm glad I'm not the bride!

In honor of the bet I won last night for knowing that Careless Whisper was from George Michael's Wham days rather than his solo career here's a look back in time and the very cheesy music video:

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Errands

Saturday Morning Errands
- Delhi Style -

Say good morning to today's driver
Get in the car
Head to Defence Market

Stop in at Defence Bakery
Pick out a loaf of bread
Hand it to a guy behind the counter
Who slices it by hand
Make chit chat with the owner
Promise to try and come back
To the restaurant upstairs for dinner
Drop the bag off in the car

Stop in at Defence Store
A small grocery store
Karen's Korner was 5 times the size of this place
(for those of you who will get the Aurora reference)
Expensive - but carries many imports
I buy peanut butter and campbell's tomato soup here
Greet my grocery-whallah (grocery guy)
He always helps me shop
I think it is because I tip him
He carries my basket
Goes to the back for things I can't see on the shelf
And reminds me to buy milk and corn flakes when I forget
I am my my grandpa's granddaughter
While I'm checking out
My friend the grocery-whallah
has taken my groceries and loaded them in the car

I head across the market to the produced stand
Buy a pomagranate
And two oranges imported from California

Stop at the flower stands
Consider buying myself roses for valentines day
Decide not to bother because I don't have a vase

Instead stop at the magazine stand
For less than two dollars
Pick up the Indian version of People, Time and Glamour

On my way back to the car
Stop at Barista
India's version of Starbucks
Pick up an iced tea (herbal of course)

Notice that CocoBerry is finally open
India's version of PinkBerry
Promise myself I'll get all my work done
And come back this afternoon
For a frozen yogurt treat

Get in the car
Head back home
As luck would have it
Our house cleaner was standing outside
He helps me lug my grocery bags and case of water
Up the 3 flights of stairs

Next time you hear me complain about Delhi
Remind me about Saturday errands

My favorite song this week:
Missy Higgins - Steer

But the search ends here
Where the night is totally clear
And your heart is fierce
So now you finally know
That you control where you go
You can steer


Steer [US Version] - Missy Higgins

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Geography

I ran across this link tonight and just couldn't rest testing my knowledge of US Geography. I'm embarrassed to admit there were 11 states I couldn't place, but I was only off by an average of 60 miles.

Give it a try and leave a comment to tell me how well you do. To add to my embarrassment I couldn't stop singing this song while I was playing.



Embarrassment item #3 - this is the second time I've featured a song from Grease 2, it seems the things we pick up a slumber parties stay with us for years. Pin It

Lazy

3 weeks left until I head home to Utah for a stay. Usually when I hit this point on the countdown I start dreaming of all the things I miss at home. This time I thought I'd try and turn the tables and instead start thinking about all the things in India I'll miss while I'm at home.

First up - I'll miss the colors of India - especially in the clothes people wear.

Next - I'll miss being able to have nearly any type of food delivered right to the door in a matter of minutes at dirt cheap prices.

Finally - I'll miss the luxury of having someone who makes my bed and does my dishes everyday. And if that makes me sound lazy, well what can I say I enjoy the easy life.


Easy - Barenaked Ladies Pin It

Wood

One of the first things I fell in love with in Nepal was the amazing wood carvings you see everywhere, especially the Newari window screens.


When I purchased my house 3 years ago, I decided I would wait to find the perfect piece of art to go in the entry. I didn't know what it would be or where I would find it, I just knew I would enjoy the search.

In Kathmandu I discovered "it", a Newari window screen. Luckily a friend I was traveling with knew of an amazing wood carving shop run by a father, mother and their two sons.

In September, after a couple of days of trying to find the exact shop in the maze that is Thamel, we found the shop she'd used in the past. They didn't have exactly what I was after, so they helped me draw up a sketch and I was able to pick it up on this trip. It is beautiful and I can't wait to see it in my house.

Here are the artists who did the work - as for the screen, I'll post a picture of it when it is in place at home. Until then it is staying bundled up for travel.

For no particular reason other than I'm loving this remake of "She Knows Where She Goes"

She Knows Where She Goes - Allison Moorer

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Ruins

On my last trip to Kathmandu I didn't get to see any of the monuments or sights because the locals were protesting a decision by the government, so we avoided those areas. This trip I was determined to take in at least a couple. Above are some photos from Durbur Square. The square was beautiful, but I didn't enjoy it - too many touts. They just wouldn't leave me alone long enough to enjoy the area.

After I returned to the hotel from the square another guest suggested I to to Patan, she promised it would be a bit more peaceful. I agreed and also developed a plan to beat the touts - I switched to Portuguese. I know what you are thinking, and no, Portuguese my skills didn't magically improve - but a couple of words were good enough to convince the touts to move on to some other victim. I enjoyed Patan and plan to use my Portuguese method the next time I'm surrounded by touts who won't leave me alone.


As I walked through the ruins of Patan, a line from an old Corrs song kept running through my head:

I've been spending my time
In the old town

When you grow up in the states it is hard to believe that things this old exist and are a part of daily life for millions.

Old Town - The Corrs -

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Dreamer

I was listening to a bit of Duffy today and a song came on that helps me define why I love to travel, this led to a realization that I haven't gotten around to posting pictures of my trip to Nepal a couple of weeks ago, so here is me playing catch up.

Although you think I cope
My head is filled of hope
of some place other than here
Although you think I smile
Inside and all the while
I'm wondering about my destiny

I'm thinking about all the things
I'd like to do in my life
I'm a dreamer, a distant dreamer
Dreaming far away from today.

I went back to my Asian home, The Courtyard in Kathmandu. Owned by my lovely friends Pujan and Michelle. Staying at the Courtyard is not like any hotel experience I've ever had before, from the second arrive I feel like a long lost friend. The hotel is always full of interesting people and it isn't a place where you politely nod and pass someone in the hallway or lobby. Here people come together for conversation and laughs. I learn so much just sitting around the hotel in the evenings. Not to mention the fact that the hotel and rooms are amazingly beautiful.



Here are a few photos taken around Thamel:


This is a street vendor located at Durbur Square one of the main tourist attractions in town. I love the mix of the blue cart with the marigolds in the background.

Marigold offerings at one of the shrines.

A woman selling produce on the street.

A street side booth selling wood carvings.

There are many roadside stores with the short doors where you actually step down to enter.

10.Distant Dreamer - Duffy

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Freckles

I was listening to Natasha Bedingfield's new cd yesterday and fell in love with the song, "Freckles." The lyrics are beautiful and I can only hope that we can all learn to embrace the things that make us unique.

I used to care so much about what others think about
Almost didn't have a thought of my own
The slightest remark would make me embark
On the journey of self doubt
But that was a while ago
This girl has got stronger
If I knew then what I know now
I would have told myself don't worry any longer it's OK

'cause a face without freckles is like a sky without stars
Why waste a second not loving who you are
Those little imperfections make you beautiful, lovable, valuable,
They show your personality inside your heart
Reflecting who you are

I wondered if I could trade my body with somebody else in magazines
Would the whole world fall at my feet?
I felt unworthy and would blame my failures on the ugliness I could see
When the mirror looked at me
Sometimes I feel like the little girl who doesn't belong in her own world
But I'm getting better
And I'm reminding myself

'cause a face without freckles is like a sky without stars
Why waste a second not loving who you are
Those little imperfections make you beautiful, lovable, valuable,
They show your personality inside your heart
Reflecting who you are

Freckles - Natasha Bedingfield

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