Ganpati Bappa Morya!

Jeannie doing puja as Swapna instructs

CELEBRATION. India is full of festivals. Seriously--it is like there is a new one every week. Even though I was frustratingly ill with a horrendous fever, cough, and faucet-esque nose*, I still managed to experience a bit of the festivities for the Ganesh Festival, a 10 DAY holiday celebrating Ganesha, one of Pune's most revered gods. Ganesh, the eldest son of Shiva and Parvati, is worshiped widely year-round, but this festival is a chance for the super devoted to deck out their Ganesh idols with flowers, colored powders, lights, and fruits.  Remover of Obstacles, Ganesh has an elephant head and a large belly, for "digesting everything", according to Swapna's father. All over Pune, there are impromptu stages, flashing lights, speakers, and statues of Ganesh. I have gone to more pujas (and eaten more prasad--sweets offered to the God and physically consumed by us) than I can count. We are fortunate to be warmly invited as guests to temples, pujas in people's flats at the hostel, and even to special programs held on the street. Sometimes, people take just as many photos of us white folk as Ganesh..which is sort of awkward.

I ate SO many modaks and will make them for you all. My picture uploader is being very slow right now. But this website will help explain the incredible-ness. They are specially made for Ganpati, so I made sure to have my fill of the dumpling-style sweets...smothered in warm ghee of course!

*A little bit on health*I've been to the doctor 3 times in 3 weeks. I never get sick this often in the States. I hope I don't get immune to amoxicillin. I love that stuff though--it was the most money I've spent on a single item other than my sari(oh yeah-bought a yellow sari for 640 that is to-be-tailored!). All of my drugs(including a liquid expectorant that is a punchy shade of lal (red), sumo(high powered Tylenol, perhaps?), the antibiotics, and some drugs for "cold" added up to about 500 rupees(around $11), but the amoxicillin was 440 of that total. I'm totally sending that bill into the study abroad insurance. That's at least 5 full meals worth of Rups(pronounced ROOPS, as we fondly call them).


This is a really scattered post, but I have a few highlights.

-LOVING CLASSES---will post sections from some papers I've written thusfar.

-had nice lunch with 3 male journalism students from Afghanistan...our contemporary India prof teaches their class on media and politics at an area university(they are hear as part of the 1200 Afghans India sponsors annually for study-abroad). We discussed women under the Taliban, marriage, pop culture....even a little bit about Pakistan. I also spoke extensively with my professor about the work I researched at Treasury--mainly the US's anti-corruption reform efforts in the public financial management of Afghanistan. I felt so cool to know what hawaldars were. Apparently Kabul Bank just failed and I am wondering how it is affecting our Treasury technical advisers there.

-off to Ajanta and Ellora tomorrow--historic caves that are World Heritage sites! Me and 5 other fabulous ladies are taking a hired driver and staying in a great hotel ($5 per person per night with breakfast!) over the weekend. Pictures galore for sure.

-I love fig ice cream.