Report of 27 Aug '06
Happy Ganesh Chathurthi (Lord Ganesha's b'day) -
I imagine it's possible to put on weight in a week, isn't it. I've just returned from b'fast at a rather upscale restaurant here, and it was Western (called "Continental") mixed w/ Indian. I kind of love the sausage and eggs deal, and tend to overeat merrily. Actually, overeating has been the MO (modus operandi) for the week, and combined w/ the lack of the morning workout, it is no surprise that the pounds are getting packed on.
So it's back to wifehood and motherhood first. I have totally enjoyed hanging out w/ Scott this week and he returns to Bangalore tonight. We've discussed things from the doping scandals (never liked Gatlin and Jones, anyway), Scott giving his sports-enthusiast perspective, to movies, his family and mine. Naren and Navin have hit puberty w/ a bang and Naren especially has gone from genial teenager to "Fight w/ parents first, ask questions later." I had lunch w/ both boys one day and told them this was normal teenage stuff, and I lived and breathed it as a 15 yo, but that the only reason my poor mother probably let me live to see 16 was because I brought home ok grades. Then Naren started the "Oh, you want me to be a doctor or engineer?" Yeesh - absolutely not, and when I was at my parents' house and their visiting student asked if I was in the medical field, I had to think before answering. I don't feel like a physician totally as I enjoy many other things: cooking, movies, writing, coaching, playing. Anyway, we're all trying to survive the boys' teenage years, and have insisted on 2 things for each boy - he will not date until he is 18 (as Scott and I told them from personal experience, we feel that any earlier is too complicated and way, way too hormone-laden esp for males - we appreciate our friend Hank Smith's perspective here), and he will study 1 science and 1 math in pre-college courses. Math is fundamental to all of life, we feel, and he must appreciate it. Liberal arts are not well-taught in India - w/ lots of outright memorising.
Just as we were thinking Navin doesn't appear problematic *yet*, we discover that he has inadvertently thrown out his school shoes w/ a bunch of much older shoes. And the trash has been picked up. Ah, the joys of double teenage-hood. On the plus side, tho', both boys have been very candid about the happenings in their lives - esp the plethora of girls. Thank goodness the boys see fit to speak to us.
I visited my parents in our hometown, Madurai, on Tuesday and that was great fun. We sat and talked of things Western and Indian, of my late brother's family, and of medicine. The cook made my favorite foods and I returned to Chennai full of bonhomie. I am very fond of the cook, Amudha. She went through a bit of strife last year, w/ an older Muslim man (she's 24 and he was about 60-ish) promising to marry her (he has grandchildren who are about her age) and enrolling her in a madrassah (an Islamic school) to study Islam. Her parents filed a police complaint and brought her back, and then condemned her; my parents took her back into their house and Amudha remains grateful to them for not abandoning her. My mother thinks I should be more circumspect in the gifts I give Amudha, but she is a young woman after all, given to liking "girly" things, and so I brought a length of shiny fabric and a necklace for her from the U.S. I was graced w/ a visit from my sister, Anu, w/ whom I visited a friend who has breast cancer; it was good to see Anu and the friend. We've also hung out w/ my brilliant aunt Indira, and enjoyed her powerful sense of humor.
There have been run-of-the-mill patients around our flat. Colds and coughs. We also tutored on Friday and our 3 stalwart, abysmally poor students came. One of them, who's about 6 or 7, had a long skirt and blouse on and the skirt was torn in one section. She appeared none the worse for wear, tho' it tugged at my heart, and did some pretty complicated math w/ ease. She does not know her letters, and that is going to be our uphill battle this year. We then worked on jigsaw puzzles that I'd bought at a garage sale in the U.S., and the kids loved 'em! It was cool to watch them figure out the mechanics, esp as they've never seen puzzles before. It is wonderful to be able to provide a respite for an hour for these kids, who are eager to learn, and color, and get candy, and I notice that even Naren leaves w/ some warm feelings in his heart as these kids finish their session and file out. What we can do, we do. What we get in return - immeasurable.
I discovered in funding quests in the U.S. that an individual doing humanitarian work usually does not get funded. There seemed to be the notion that the cause could easily be supported and that the person doing the work is not expected to have needs like food, student loans, clothing, toothpaste. Sort of like folks getting surprised that pastors welcome a little extra $ for weddings/funerals/baptisms. Even the flight attendant on USAir said there were no toothbrushes in Economy Class, so obviously the folks flying economy were not expected to have any teeth. I remember in the book "Mountains beyond Mountains" that the author was surprised that Dr. Paul Farmer (working w/ the poor in Haiti) enjoyed a meal at an upscale Boston restaurant. It seems to surprise the rest of the world that those of us who work w/ the impoverished have taste buds. Be that as it may, it is up to me to generate some $ for personal needs (the food and shelter and student loan kind) and I look forward to returning to the U.S. to work off and on - it is where I've spiritually recharged before, w/ the likes of you all.
Ok, I'm going to wind up. Naren is house Captain this year (of Cassiopeia) and the Sports Festival is this week. C beat Perseus (Navin's house), Andromeda and Orion last year, and the contest will be keen this year too. I will be there w/ bells on, along w/ another mother, Gopa, from Naren's class who did her part to care for N and N in my absence. I have wandered around w/ gifts for her and all of her ilk, and wondered again, aloud, why it doesn't seem to occur to the men to reciprocate giant favors w/ a thank-you gift. Any thoughts?
"Kids. They're not easy. But there has to be some penalty for sex." - Bill Maher
Unw -
Renu
I imagine it's possible to put on weight in a week, isn't it. I've just returned from b'fast at a rather upscale restaurant here, and it was Western (called "Continental") mixed w/ Indian. I kind of love the sausage and eggs deal, and tend to overeat merrily. Actually, overeating has been the MO (modus operandi) for the week, and combined w/ the lack of the morning workout, it is no surprise that the pounds are getting packed on.
So it's back to wifehood and motherhood first. I have totally enjoyed hanging out w/ Scott this week and he returns to Bangalore tonight. We've discussed things from the doping scandals (never liked Gatlin and Jones, anyway), Scott giving his sports-enthusiast perspective, to movies, his family and mine. Naren and Navin have hit puberty w/ a bang and Naren especially has gone from genial teenager to "Fight w/ parents first, ask questions later." I had lunch w/ both boys one day and told them this was normal teenage stuff, and I lived and breathed it as a 15 yo, but that the only reason my poor mother probably let me live to see 16 was because I brought home ok grades. Then Naren started the "Oh, you want me to be a doctor or engineer?" Yeesh - absolutely not, and when I was at my parents' house and their visiting student asked if I was in the medical field, I had to think before answering. I don't feel like a physician totally as I enjoy many other things: cooking, movies, writing, coaching, playing. Anyway, we're all trying to survive the boys' teenage years, and have insisted on 2 things for each boy - he will not date until he is 18 (as Scott and I told them from personal experience, we feel that any earlier is too complicated and way, way too hormone-laden esp for males - we appreciate our friend Hank Smith's perspective here), and he will study 1 science and 1 math in pre-college courses. Math is fundamental to all of life, we feel, and he must appreciate it. Liberal arts are not well-taught in India - w/ lots of outright memorising.
Just as we were thinking Navin doesn't appear problematic *yet*, we discover that he has inadvertently thrown out his school shoes w/ a bunch of much older shoes. And the trash has been picked up. Ah, the joys of double teenage-hood. On the plus side, tho', both boys have been very candid about the happenings in their lives - esp the plethora of girls. Thank goodness the boys see fit to speak to us.
I visited my parents in our hometown, Madurai, on Tuesday and that was great fun. We sat and talked of things Western and Indian, of my late brother's family, and of medicine. The cook made my favorite foods and I returned to Chennai full of bonhomie. I am very fond of the cook, Amudha. She went through a bit of strife last year, w/ an older Muslim man (she's 24 and he was about 60-ish) promising to marry her (he has grandchildren who are about her age) and enrolling her in a madrassah (an Islamic school) to study Islam. Her parents filed a police complaint and brought her back, and then condemned her; my parents took her back into their house and Amudha remains grateful to them for not abandoning her. My mother thinks I should be more circumspect in the gifts I give Amudha, but she is a young woman after all, given to liking "girly" things, and so I brought a length of shiny fabric and a necklace for her from the U.S. I was graced w/ a visit from my sister, Anu, w/ whom I visited a friend who has breast cancer; it was good to see Anu and the friend. We've also hung out w/ my brilliant aunt Indira, and enjoyed her powerful sense of humor.
There have been run-of-the-mill patients around our flat. Colds and coughs. We also tutored on Friday and our 3 stalwart, abysmally poor students came. One of them, who's about 6 or 7, had a long skirt and blouse on and the skirt was torn in one section. She appeared none the worse for wear, tho' it tugged at my heart, and did some pretty complicated math w/ ease. She does not know her letters, and that is going to be our uphill battle this year. We then worked on jigsaw puzzles that I'd bought at a garage sale in the U.S., and the kids loved 'em! It was cool to watch them figure out the mechanics, esp as they've never seen puzzles before. It is wonderful to be able to provide a respite for an hour for these kids, who are eager to learn, and color, and get candy, and I notice that even Naren leaves w/ some warm feelings in his heart as these kids finish their session and file out. What we can do, we do. What we get in return - immeasurable.
I discovered in funding quests in the U.S. that an individual doing humanitarian work usually does not get funded. There seemed to be the notion that the cause could easily be supported and that the person doing the work is not expected to have needs like food, student loans, clothing, toothpaste. Sort of like folks getting surprised that pastors welcome a little extra $ for weddings/funerals/baptisms. Even the flight attendant on USAir said there were no toothbrushes in Economy Class, so obviously the folks flying economy were not expected to have any teeth. I remember in the book "Mountains beyond Mountains" that the author was surprised that Dr. Paul Farmer (working w/ the poor in Haiti) enjoyed a meal at an upscale Boston restaurant. It seems to surprise the rest of the world that those of us who work w/ the impoverished have taste buds. Be that as it may, it is up to me to generate some $ for personal needs (the food and shelter and student loan kind) and I look forward to returning to the U.S. to work off and on - it is where I've spiritually recharged before, w/ the likes of you all.
Ok, I'm going to wind up. Naren is house Captain this year (of Cassiopeia) and the Sports Festival is this week. C beat Perseus (Navin's house), Andromeda and Orion last year, and the contest will be keen this year too. I will be there w/ bells on, along w/ another mother, Gopa, from Naren's class who did her part to care for N and N in my absence. I have wandered around w/ gifts for her and all of her ilk, and wondered again, aloud, why it doesn't seem to occur to the men to reciprocate giant favors w/ a thank-you gift. Any thoughts?
"Kids. They're not easy. But there has to be some penalty for sex." - Bill Maher
Unw -
Renu
posted by Renu Weiss at
12:49 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home