Weekend Update

Saturday On my taxi ride to the lab I listened to my ipod on shuffle. Kolkata’s morning markets and rickshaws passed by to Bob Marley, Melissa Etherdige and The Pixies. It was beyond surreal. Moumita, Sreelupa, Michael and I went first to the Indian museum (the largest museum in India!) We looked through dusty cases at formaldehyde babies and old fossils. The religious statues were over 5000 years old, and completely out in the open willing you to touch (I did!) A Buddhist statue from the 4th century had the initials JD carved into it. Then we went to the New Market. It reminded me of Chinatown. Stores and stalls and blankets of beautiful fashion, knockoffs, food and accessories. I was quite good at bargaining, but was too overwhelmed by the process (and tired from the museum) to buy much. When I would walk into a store, every possible store agent would ignore everyone (Michael, sreelupa, moumita, other customers) and focus on me bringing me out the most beautiful and expensive items in the store. I was their white suga momma. Decked out in nasty old backpack, sweat and sloppy bun. 

 Sir wanted Moumita to help me pick out a formal traditional Salwar and he would pay for it. We went to this airconditioned mall with nothing but stores selling fabric, sarees and salwars. I went up into the attic of this one store and waited in the incense for Moumita to bring me up the most expensive Salwars. I felt like a princess. Moumita and Sreelupa would come up after to see how they looked. If they were too low cut or tight they wouldn’t let me go downstairs to the mirror (where the men could see) and instead took a picture of me. The Salwars they picked were gorgeous, bewelled and very colorful. But unless I was going to a bollywood premiere I couldn’t imagine ever wearing them. Instead I picked out a simpler, tight fitting grey and orange salwar (I’ll post pictures when I wear it) which is still stunning and formal. Sunday After an empowering talk with my mom I decided to stick it to the Sir and tell him I don’t want to work so many hours and/or I want to take some time off at some point to travel. (It sounded a lot stronger after the conversation.) And, also at her request, I put down the Tagore for a bit :-p I went on the metro and into Park street to visit the Oxford Book store to see what I could find. I sat up in the rafters and drank cha with a ton of other white people who knew of the bookstore from the Planet Guide. I met a couple from France and a woman researching in Delhi (who was from Georgia!). I found a book called 50 getaways From Kolkata, which is perfect for planning a trip by train. Planning makes me so happy and calm. I also bought Siddhartha. Having had fun talking in English I visited another coffee house, Flury’s, and met a very pierced out couple from Australia who were traveling around India. I invited them to meditate at night but they never showed. I also met and then ate lunch with 4 nurses (in training) who were traveling. They said they could tell I have been in India for awhile because of my head bobbing when I talk. I met Michael for meditation but felt sick from having walked around all day and barely drinking water so I couldn’t get into it. Monday I was a villager tonight. Stopped into the market. Shopped at the only stall run by a woman. Her stall was full of vegetables and lit by candles. She was savvy and used a medieval hand held scaled where she put stones on one plate and my vegetables (a carrot, 2 petite eggplants, 2 tomatoes, ginger, and a lime) on the other plate. The whole lot came to 29 ruppees or roughly 75 cents. I stopped by my local dvd place to pick up a movie. The boys love me there. They bring out all the romantic comedies so I can see them (…previous rental habits) and ask me lots of questions about movies and smile a lot. I always linger. I got a chicken roll for dinner (chicken wrapped in freshly made naan, red onion, and lime). I stopped by this man who was making corn. He peels it, lets you inspect it, then roasts it over burning coals, salts it and rubs it with lime. It is perfect. I ate it on my way home balancing all my other packages in my other hand so I could eat with the other. The city is very loud at night. Families go to the market all balanced on one bike (tiny baby sitting on fathers lap in front). Others grab dinner right off the street in food carts. The night is my favorite part of Kolkata. No one looks at me—I blend in.