From Around the Colony

There have been some requests for pictures of life here in India, so here you go. Some show my warped sense of humor and some are just life as it is (you might not be able to tell which is which). :)

Cows are a part of life here. I share the road with them, in fact, today as walking with Darla and the kids, they nearly got run off the road by one (trust me, it was walking at a slow speed, but wasn't budging from it's line of direction until it realized there was more in it's way than human - this is where the parked motorcycle worked well). This particular cow is relaxing near the dumpster that it and fellow cows and dogs find treats in. At the end of the street, on the right is where I'm currently living. The other cow has just been going from door to door begging - seriously. The kids and I peeked out for a look and he nearly pushed through the gate.





Another interesting part of the scenery (especially behind my friend's house and in front of my future home) are water buffalo. But the reason they are there is because they produce something the locals call oopla (I'm sure I'm not saying it properly) which is used for fuel - it is light and keeps the fire going so things can be cooked. So, the fields are filled with these little patties drying. Yesterday I found ladies gathering them up into huge piles, placing them in a shallow basket and placing it on one of their heads.







The water that you can see beyond is part of the Ganges River, thought you might like to see more of it. One is a shot beyond and check out the adorable white children (what a joy they are).






I've mentioned it's been cold here - especially inside the house. One day the youngest daughter built a fire, inside a metal bowl in the bedroom! I have a feeling this isn't so unusual here. There was enough smoke in the room to burn my eyes and I was trying to get it out before we sat down to eat. The whole thing made us all laugh and it struck me that I needed a picture of it. At first they all agreed, though the oldest daughter, my language helper, chose to hide behind the door. The second picture, the daughter who made the fire, hid too. The mother didn't care either way. :) And the son wasn't there for dinner.




I've noticed, pretty much everywhere I go, some random things that appear to be from western thoughts, used in unusual ways. The following is an example. I see this label on everything.