So excited I could pop
Jan. 27th, 2006 08:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rhyllAlthough by now it's about so many things that it's become quite unfocused.
* Last night I went to Raj's house again, and spent most of the time hanging around with his wife, Jyothi. She dressed me up in one of her saris, which seems kind of complicated to me. It was lots of fun, though, and inspired another round of photo taking of her and I. Raj's friends came over, so Jyothi and I ended up spending lots of time without the services of a translator, hanging around in the kitchen with the kids and Raj's mother. Despite the almost complete lack of a common language (although Jyothi's English is flying along, and she taught me some Marwardi...all of it the names of food), I had a really fun time. Raj's mother put out ridiculous amounts of food, and as well as teaching me the names for everything Jyothi also tried to teach me how to eat properly with my hands. I also got taken up to the neighbours' apartment - quite overwhelming, as I was sat down in the middle of the room and surrounded by women and children, most of whom spoke no English so they spent most of the time questioning Jyothi about me. It would have been intimidating if everyone hadn't been so obviously friendly. Apparently I received many compliments for my sari-wearing, although I'm doubtful about this because Raj's wife had to fix bits of it every time I moved.
* I got more emails from Tim Poston , which has been lovely - I do worry that I come across as a not-very-serious researcher, so it's so reassuring getting emails from someone with as impressive and interesting a life as he seems to have. Plus, his emails are delightful. That is exactly the word - I read them and think "oh, how delightful!"
* I am super extra proud of a particular young man who has recently added to his possibly-research-assistant thrills by also coming top for one of his classes. I am no longer the winner at smartest!
* Even though I am full of Indian research excitement, I am also looking forward to lots of things in Perth. I can't wait to move back to Myers st (big waves to any of you watching, and I hope you don't mind my incoming invasion. I will cook!) And I am also looking forward to a trip to Kalgoorlie, for arguments about left politics (which I will now win triply, with all my research) and some redecorating of my room. Also, bizarrely, I am looking forward immensely to sitting down in front of my computer, with access to all my computer notes and my endnote searches, and starting to get all the ideas in my head into some kind of coherent order.
* I did my first bit of internet buying today, and registered as a member of ISTR. Whee! I am all grown up.
* The hotel laundry has all my clothes, so I rushed to a shop behind my hotel that sells beautiful handloom cotton things (as well approximately seven billion books on Ghandi) and bought a couple of tops. One is blue and one is brown. I was too daunted by crazy pants to buy some though - they are all kinds of weird. Soon I will figure them out, though. And then I will be one step closer to being that crazy white girl who thinks she's from India.
* I have been emailing miss n, and trying to work out some of my "friendship issues". Maybe I am one step closer to a less insane me? We can only hope, although of course it would mean missing out on the excitement of me grabbing new friends and subjecting them to drunken monologues on how I was scared of them at first but now I think they're so excellent.
Ok, now I will stop all this typing! Ridiculous amounts today!
* Last night I went to Raj's house again, and spent most of the time hanging around with his wife, Jyothi. She dressed me up in one of her saris, which seems kind of complicated to me. It was lots of fun, though, and inspired another round of photo taking of her and I. Raj's friends came over, so Jyothi and I ended up spending lots of time without the services of a translator, hanging around in the kitchen with the kids and Raj's mother. Despite the almost complete lack of a common language (although Jyothi's English is flying along, and she taught me some Marwardi...all of it the names of food), I had a really fun time. Raj's mother put out ridiculous amounts of food, and as well as teaching me the names for everything Jyothi also tried to teach me how to eat properly with my hands. I also got taken up to the neighbours' apartment - quite overwhelming, as I was sat down in the middle of the room and surrounded by women and children, most of whom spoke no English so they spent most of the time questioning Jyothi about me. It would have been intimidating if everyone hadn't been so obviously friendly. Apparently I received many compliments for my sari-wearing, although I'm doubtful about this because Raj's wife had to fix bits of it every time I moved.
* I got more emails from Tim Poston , which has been lovely - I do worry that I come across as a not-very-serious researcher, so it's so reassuring getting emails from someone with as impressive and interesting a life as he seems to have. Plus, his emails are delightful. That is exactly the word - I read them and think "oh, how delightful!"
* I am super extra proud of a particular young man who has recently added to his possibly-research-assistant thrills by also coming top for one of his classes. I am no longer the winner at smartest!
* Even though I am full of Indian research excitement, I am also looking forward to lots of things in Perth. I can't wait to move back to Myers st (big waves to any of you watching, and I hope you don't mind my incoming invasion. I will cook!) And I am also looking forward to a trip to Kalgoorlie, for arguments about left politics (which I will now win triply, with all my research) and some redecorating of my room. Also, bizarrely, I am looking forward immensely to sitting down in front of my computer, with access to all my computer notes and my endnote searches, and starting to get all the ideas in my head into some kind of coherent order.
* I did my first bit of internet buying today, and registered as a member of ISTR. Whee! I am all grown up.
* The hotel laundry has all my clothes, so I rushed to a shop behind my hotel that sells beautiful handloom cotton things (as well approximately seven billion books on Ghandi) and bought a couple of tops. One is blue and one is brown. I was too daunted by crazy pants to buy some though - they are all kinds of weird. Soon I will figure them out, though. And then I will be one step closer to being that crazy white girl who thinks she's from India.
* I have been emailing miss n, and trying to work out some of my "friendship issues". Maybe I am one step closer to a less insane me? We can only hope, although of course it would mean missing out on the excitement of me grabbing new friends and subjecting them to drunken monologues on how I was scared of them at first but now I think they're so excellent.
Ok, now I will stop all this typing! Ridiculous amounts today!