Zelinda Yanez 1/8/17 Zelinda Yanez 1/8/17

India Update: Photos from January 8

Multi-ethnic leftovers for dinner! Dhal made by the apartment staff, "Mexican" rice made by me, and pico de gallo made by me. I even found locally made tortilla chips at the fancy international grocery store! Oh, and of course fresh pineapple juice. :)I'm learning some cooking tips from the apartment staff (just 2 guys) and today I showed them how I make rice and salsa

Hand washed my laundry and hung it to dry on the balcony.

This is the sweet cow I talked about at the 20 minute mark of the video I posted earlier/last night.

I pass by this driveway every day on the way to school. The woman on the left seems to be the gatekeeper. I'm not sure, as she doesn't speak English and I don't speak Tamil. Anyway, every day by 7:00 a.m. she draws two large and beautiful rangoli on… — I pass by this driveway every day on the way to school. The woman on the left seems to be the gatekeeper. I'm not sure, as she doesn't speak English and I don't speak Tamil. Anyway, every day by 7:00 a.m. she draws two large and beautiful rangoli on the driveway - one in color and one in white. In school I learned that rangoli are one of many types of offerings made in the Indian culture. This particular offering is a blessing for everyone in the area. The rangoli is traditionally drawn with rice flower so that the birds can eat it and also be blessed. How sweet is that? The new color powders are made with artificial ingredients and are not for the birds. This lady and her rangoli bring me such joy every day that on this particular day I decided to do something nice for her. I brought her a garland of jasmine flowers to wear in her hair. I think I'll keep up the kindness. I'll have to think of something to bring her tomorrow. Maybe a fruit. :)

This is the beginning of the Yoga Sutras. It is the most important text on yoga. I have to chant the first chapter (51 verses) for one of my assessments at the end of the month. So far we've learned up to verse 30, but it's still kind of rocky and w… — This is the beginning of the Yoga Sutras. It is the most important text on yoga. I have to chant the first chapter (51 verses) for one of my assessments at the end of the month. So far we've learned up to verse 30, but it's still kind of rocky and we have a long way to go.

Hmm. Rs 700 ($10) for Haggen Dazs or Rs 140 ($2) for Arun ice cream. I'll go with Arun. (This is a small container of about 2C) :) — Hmm. Rs 700 ($10) for Haggen Dazs or Rs 140 ($2) for Arun ice cream. I'll go with Arun. (This is a small container of about 2C) :)

Zelinda Yanez 1/6/17 Zelinda Yanez 1/6/17

Traveling Tea

During our morning and afternoon breaks at teacher training at KYM we have tea. It comes in a thermos and it's served in tiny paper cups, maybe like a third of a cup. Since it's made with milk, it's rich, and the tiny cup is satisfying. Today when I walked up to the school for my afternoon classes I learned where the tea comes from. It gets delivered to KYM from a local restaurant by motorcycle. Isn't that something? 😀 You'd be surprised how all kinds of things get delivered in India. Men carry huge stacks of newspapers on their moto-scooters, boxes of all kinds of things are delivered by auto rickshaws, propane tanks or pieces of logs are stacked high on a small truck. I've seen all these things in the past week. Plus of course whole families on motorcycles, dad driving, toddler behind him, mom riding side saddle and carrying a baby on her lap. Last night I saw two men on a single bicycle, the passenger carrying 4 foot tall oscillating fan. India's amazing. 🇮🇳