What is it that frequently happens at the end of
parties? You eat all the available food
and set the world to rights. That also
happens here in India (although I’m beginning to wonder if it’s just me that
does that… And that I’ve just brought my tradition to India…)
It was Spiderman’s birthday on Monday (we call him spiderman
because it took us ages to find out that his name was actually Valdus and when
we asked him his name, he actually said Spiderman. He’s now only 4 so that’s allowed). So there was a big family gathering at the
house so it was really nice. We think we
worked out who belonged to what family but we’re still working on it a
bit. They were all so lovely and we
constantly trying to get us involved.
They take loads of pictures! So many and I’m in more than I’m
comfortable with.. I don’t know how any of them turned out because they always
insist that any photo with me or Sarah in it is beautiful I have my doubts though. There was a cake (spiderman obviously) and it
was really good. And they had a foam
spray can thing which sprayed fake snow that just ended up making everyone’s
hair slightly damp. Shobitha’s
mother-in-law put some real flowers in my hair, around my bun and I felt rather
Indian. We’d also been given ankle
bracelets and I’d even been given earrings because apparently my ears were
looking rather bare. It was really
lovely. The whole family are some of the
nicest people I have ever met.
Later we came down to have some dinner (at about 10) and we
were fed loads. I really struggled to
eat it all. They gave me some mutton,
chicken, more chicken and some more chicken.
With three chapattis and lots of beef rice. They didn’t give Sarah as much! I’m thinking
of telling Shobitha I’ve changed my mind and that I am a vegetarian so I don’t
have plates and plates full of meat.
It’s some of the best food I’ve ever had but I think I’d enjoy it more
if I didn’t have so much… But we are treated like royalty here so they always
do everything for us. We’re hardly
allowed to take our glasses to the kitchen.
After the 23 course meal that was dinner, we were just
sitting around the table and Shobitha came to join me and Sarah. We were just having some nice conversations
about life and stuff and then the conversation turned to politics. There’s recently been a politician arrested
and jailed here in India and when you hear about the wealth she accumulated and
look at some of the homes we drive past on the way to school, it really is
disgusting and awful to think about the extreme differences in India. In 1994, this politician had 9000 pairs of
shoes. I know I really like shoes but
even I know I’d never wear all of them.. Ever.
Partly because I end up wearing the same shoes over and over again but
that’s not the point. Shobitha was
telling us about a programme that was on in India about politicians in India
and it said that if the politicians used all their money that was in Swiss
banks, then India would be 10 times richer than the US. I don’t know how true that is but even if they
used a fraction of their money they could help their country and all the people
that are suffering and all the parents who work hard to get their children into
school. Shobitha was telling us about
the corruption in Indian politics and as much as we think politicians are full
of hot air (putting it politely) at least they try to better the country. It’s just not the same here. It seems to be when people get money they
forget about the vast majority of the people in the country who struggle every
single day of their life while they just change their clothes 8 times a day to
get use out of all their expensive suits.
After eating possibly the biggest meal in my life this was all just
really awful to think about. It just
shows how unfair and unequal a society can be.
On a lighter note, a gecko came into the bathroom when I was
having a shower the other day and stood there for while watching me
shower. Then it just disappeared out the
window when I was washing conditioner out.
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