Angela's random thoughts

Ok, so I'm fired from blog updating apparently. My awesome, and increasingly multi-talented, husband has largely taken over, and is doing an awesome job of writing very informative and complete posts. But I'm missing my opportunity to shamelessly air the random thoughts that pop into my head (remember this blog is written mostly for close friends and family, who understand this key need of mine - sometimes taken a little seriously by other uninvited's reading my public postings). So, bear with me (or turn to www.cnn.com if you need real news).

• There are too rats in Palm Meadows. Sorry, but it's true. I have proof. It's still a nice neighborhood and I like it, but there are large rats and enormous bugs and spiders, and lizards, and mosquito swarms and about 9,000 ants and there was at least one stray dog last week. So there.
• Wade said it was 100 degrees in Pondicherry. That's only the temp. With humidity, it "felt like" 115 degrees according to weather.com. According to me, it "felt like" an oven. And I understand now why there aren't many kitchens in India (including mine). Why? Just like Minnesotans use the back porch to keep beer cold as extra space for holiday parties, you could just put your hot and spicy food outside to cook. Or stay hot anyways. Why do Indians eat such hot food? And Minnesotans cold cuts and cold drinks? Do people naturally like their food like their climate I wonder? But even the locals were sweaty in Pondicherry...
• We stopped at the gas station on the way home from work last week. No petrol here, no sir, the friendly guy told us. But still 8 people standing around. There's no self-serve that I've seen and no pay at the pump. And sometimes no gas. Retail has a ways to go though, if you can't manage in-stocks in one product.
• Last week I got sick for the first time, really sick. I even went home from work early (and the Company is still running). And woke up from the nap that was supposed to make me feel better with a 102 temp and so achy I could barely walk. And couldn't swallow. So I went to the doctor for the first time since Caden's birth (a big deal for me, but the deal I made with myself in exchange for not taking malaria pills - go to the doctor if I get a fever). We went to the place closeby that is supposedly the best. Without an appointment, they agreed to see me. About 7 minutes later, the doctor comes in with his coat on (it's night, and only about 80 out). Best as I can tell, he didn't wash his hands, but looked down my throat, checked my pulse, listened to me breathe, and then prescribed three different meds for a throat infection. At the front counter, I was informed that this visit would cost about $9. Well, I guess I don't have to worry about whether they take insurance. Or if I got my money's worth.
• And then Wade went to the "pharmacy" to fill the three prescriptions - there went another $3.89 total. Kind of makes $4 generics look cheesy. The pills were just cut from the pack - so I needed six of one and it just had part of a larger pack cut off. No instructions, no labels, no warnings, no color-coded ring....
• I'm not sure what made me better - time? Natural forces? The medications? Willpower? The overwhelming need I felt to get out of the un-air-conditioned, crowded house of maid/cook/driver asking me if I wanted tea and if I was feeling better? (You are NEVER alone in India - not even when you're coughing up potentially deadly bacteria. Only Wade, Caden and Sarah were sensible enough to leave.)
• Wade meant no disrespect about the puja room. To us, it's an underutilized closet, and never occurred to us in our inquiry to the landlord that it had any other purpose. In our house, it still doesn't. It is an underutilized closet.
• I miss my mommy. And SISTA. And my dad. I'm looking forward to you guys visiting, and we'll see you soon!! And don't worry, Wade still makes a good martini even in India. It just costs more. Ok a lot more. But the cashews are cheap.
• I say that because a lot of people ask what I miss the most. My family of course in quality, from my immediate family to all my extended. But in quantity of missing (if there is such a thing), I miss FOOD. So much food. I dream about food. I daydream about food and pretend what I'm eating is something different. Every morning I pretend I could swing by Caribou... he he he...where should I go for lunch? The cafeteria? Chipotle? Or the cafeteria? Capital Grille? Ok, the cafeteria. (I've eaten out precisely twice in the last three and a half months - neither place was Chipotle or Capital Grille.)
• The exchange rate has deteriorated (dollar that is) by over 10% since I got here. I think that sucks. It's like a huge pay cut. Makes me want to get back into International Finance and consider currency trading. Or perhaps some interesting hedging structures. Except that I really enjoyed learning about the LTCM crisis (yes I am that nerdy)... and those guys were smart. I guess I should stick to crabbing about the exchange rate. And hoping the Fed raises interest rates soon. But next time it gets up to 42Rps, I'm buying Rupees and selling dollars. Or something.
• We've been fortunate to take a number of vacations lately. This has been awesome, and around the office it's been clear that a number of people haven't been to Hampi, or Pondicherry, or Kerala.... I feel really, really lucky to have one year in India to experience so much and see so much, at times in a way that longer-term residents haven't. It's funny how sometimes you don't appreciate what you have.
• This is an incredible opportunity to experience something entirely different. Regardless of what I write, or how, I feel lucky to have the experience.

That concludes my two weeks of random thoughts. If you made it to the end, "hi Mom"!

And Wade is posting the Kerala updates soon....