Curry, Curry, Curry,...

Palamaner, India, 24 August 2005 - This is my fourth day in India. I still don't know if I will ever have internet access, so by the time you receive this, I might be already backing home. But I write now - just in case...

I stay here in an apartment, which is provided by the hospital I'm writing my diploma thesis for. I have everything I need, and even more: a bedroom, a kitchen, a small dining room, a bathroom, a living room, and even a TV set (all channels are in Hindi or Chinese, except for BBC World. So I'm pretty much up-to-date, about what is going one in this crazy world). Hot water is supplied every morning and evening. We have power failure several times a day, which makes me carry my flashlight with me from dusk till dawn (to prevent kicking a cow or tripping over a monkey accidentally). The food is excellent, even though it might sound a bit boring to you: curry for breakfast, curry for lunch, curry for dinner. The people are very nice and always offer a helping hand. They call me "Lady" or "Madam", something I could get used to. The landlady wants to clean my room every day, which I do on my own of course. She even wants to wash my dishes! I hope not to offend her by saying "no" every time.

I have some fellow occupants: a small, green lizard in my kitchen, fleas in the bed (I fight them every evening with mosquito spray), two cows in the garden, "goldfischis" in the pond, and monkeys, mosquitoes, ants and ravens everywhere. I call my lizard Larry. The fleas don't have names. I think I don't even know as many names as there are fleas...

Yesterday I went into my kitchen to eat a banana. I couldn't believe my eyes! A monkey was sitting there and eating my bananas! But that wasn't all: he was handing over bananas to three other monkeys sitting outside on the window-sill! The one sitting in the kitchen was the smallest, probably the only one which could squeeze thru the bars of my window, that are supposed to protect my food and me from impudent animals like that one. It was so cute! By the time I had my camera ready, all monkeys were gone.... Like my bananas. But I don't care, as long as they don't eat my UCO's (Unidentifiable Chocolate Objects = Melted Swiss chocolate bars, flat as mother earth supposed to be, before this Greek guy (or what ever) discovered its ball shape).

I'm here in Palamaner, a provincial backwater in the very south of the Indian state Andhra Pradesh, about 200 kilometers from Chennai (Madras). The next cool Coke is awaiting me in Bangalore, about 120 kilometers away.

Palamaner, India, 30 August 2005 - Tomorrow I will finally have access to the internet (I'm being optimistic)! That gives me the opportunity, to write a bit more (sorry).

Since I have written the first part of this newsletter (well, if you can call that "news"), I have seen and experienced a lot, even though I had to work hard for my diploma thesis. I am having a great time here (now I even have coke in my fridge! Not if I would really need it). The countryside is beautiful. It is tropical climate here, the next big rainforest is only about 70 kilometers away, and gives home to wild elephants, tigers, and what have you.

The people here in this region are extremely poor, which gives me a hard time enjoying myself. By now I have seen many people with disabilities caused by leprosy. The work these people are doing in this hospital is really great, helping so many of those poor children, men and women. Imagine: Approximately 130 people work for this hospital, helping 19'000 - 20'000 people with all kinds of diseases (diabetes, tuberculosis, etc.) or disabilities each year! Really great.... It's very interesting, and makes me look at things from a totally different viewpoint. But I don't want to bore you too much with me getting philosophical (am I right, am I wrong, I don't think so).

Just the other day I discovered, that shaking my head, saying no, means yes here. That led to quite a number of confusions. But now I at least know the reason for having 3 kilos of toast bread, 10 eggs, 2 liters of milk and 5 liters of orange juice in my fridge (no clue, when I'm gonna eat all that. Wasting food is a sin here). Every time I was ask, if I needed anything, I said "no" and shook my head violently. But this had no effect. Now I know why (sometimes, it is advisable to read a guidebook. This could have prevented me from "putting my foot in a grease pot", like this one).

The IST is also an interesting thing. The "Indian Standard Time", or "Indian Stretched Time" as Indians call it, is 3.5 hours ahead CET. But it depends. All clocks run here within a time span of about 1.5 hours (every watch is an individual here!). That makes it a bit difficult, if you for instance try to catch a bus or something. It arrives, when time is ready for it to arrive. And if it doesn't arrive today - maybe tomorrow. But that's okay with me; I am not in a hurry (and this way, I'm never too early or too late for something. Cool!). The only thing I am asking myself: What do they need a timetable for? To tell the people, that yes, a bus will pass thru here? Talking of busses, there's another funny thing about them here: I've been told, they all carry the caption "Please, pray for us!" I think there's nothing more to say about this, it's self-explanatory.

By the way: Larry had kids (think I should call her Larrine from now on). I have now one lizard per room, which is really helpful since they eat mosquitoes. And I got rid of my fellow fleas, finally (thanks God, if he exists).

So, that's it for now. I will leave this place on 22 September 2005 (I'll be back!). I wish all my fellow diploma-thesis-writing students to play it cool (but not too cool), and to everybody: Enjoy the nice summer in Switzerland or where ever (hihi... I have sunny 38○C!). Have a good time!

Liebi Gruesslis, Muchas Besos, 안녕, Love and Kisses

Martina - friend to all monkeys (don't worry, I don't mean you)