From Masala to Bollywood and everything in between! Catch up with me and my time around South Asia

Wow, okay so it's taken me some time to get back and write something about all that has been going on over here. I'm happy to report that I am finally settled in my new home. Over the past week I've had my first Hindi class, which is beginning to pay off as I've also been to two Bollywood films, both of which were completely in Hindi without any English subtitles. I really love the film experience here, it is similar to that of any other film experience except here in India the theatres are HUGE (the biggest hold upwards of 500-600 people) and everyone shouts and cheers and laughs throughout the entire film! Today the film we saw was about the Indian women's field hockey team and was mostly about teamwork and competition. It was a wonderful film, but the whole time everyone was cheering so loud for the Indian team as if they were actually at the live sporting event and when the Indian national anthem was played in the FILM several people stood up in the theatre to honor the practice. Today was also the celebration of Onam, which is the Keralan (a state in India)new year. To celebrate this we went to a restaurant in the city with one of new Indian friends who is from Kerala and had traditional food from this region served on plates with Banana leaves and all sorts of tropical foods because this is a very tropical province. Here in India almost everyone eats with their hand (the right hand only) and it is a somewhat messy practice...but without this controlled mess many people feel they have not been properly satisfied by their meal. Basically my rule of thumb is if it's acceptable at the US dinner table it isn't kosher at the Indian table! I also purchased some traditional Indian music and some pop Indian music. I got four cds and it cost a total of 25 dollars...in the us that probably is only one and maybe half of another cd!!! The highlight/lowlight of the week past was that Saturday night we went with one of our professors and his family to this western enclave of a restaurant called the only place where i had some fettuccine alfredo....the sauce was quite rich or fowl in some way and i awoke at 4am quite ill and had to make several trips to the bathroom before it was all over. Here this is commonly known as "Delhi Belly" and required i stay in bed for most of Sunday. I'm better now, but recovery was tedious as there aren't the standard saltines and ginger ale readily available here....i stuck with white rice for lunch and dinner and some rehydration salts for breakfast this morning. So preparing to enter into my third week here in India I'm feeling very relaxed...as everything is slower, more relaxed and just plain easy. People don't drive more than 30 miles an hour on the roads in Bangalore for 2 reasons:1) there are just so many people, animals, motor bikes, petal bikes, auto rickshaws, trucks, cows, dogs, goats, and more on the roads to navigate around 2)no one wears helmets on their motor bikes so they cannot afford to crash on the bumpy dirt and unpaved roads. I'm finding that I'm walking more slowly, sleeping more soundly, and inhaling more deeply with every breath. The only things I do quickly are use the public squat-johns (for they smell bad) and take showers because you cannot afford to use so much water and it is usually ice cold...unless you're early enough to get some hot water. I'm having a great deal of time to just sit and contemplate. I love all my new friends, they are not always easy to get along with...only the Americans ironically. i find all the Indians i meet warm, welcoming, and friendly beyond belief. At least once a day i'm greeted by some stranger who says hello, waves, asks me where I come from, and how beautiful I am or ask why I’ve come to India. I'm getting used to it very quickly to say the least. So off to bed I go, maybe i'll write some poetry first, or sketch some of my thoughts out on paper...for life is sweet in the Indian subcontinent. for those interested: Our hearts and prayers go out to all those lost or injured in the Hyderabad bombings...I've not been watching probably as closely as I should all of the news, but what I've read in the papers is nothing different than what the NY Times is saying. I had planned to travel to Hyderabad to celebrate the end of the Ramadan fast, Ede, in October...but for now all plans are on hiatus.