Life in India

Here you will find links to all the posts I have written that are specifically about India – customs, traditions, the country itself. Older posts are listed first.

My Thoughts on India, part 1 – I’ve been in India for 6 1/2 years now. There are many things that I’ve grown accustomed to and many more that I just can’t get used to. So for today’s post on India, I’m going to write about something I am still adjusting to: traffic and how people drive. Read more…

My Thoughts on India, part 2 – Ok, so last time we talked about the traffic here and why I never want to learn to drive here. My dad posted a comment that gave me an idea for my next India post. Read more…

My Thoughts on India, part 3 – I’ve been here almost 7 years, so I’m very comfortable with the place and culture around me, so much so that I forget the reason people still stare at me is because I’m white. So many times I catch myself wondering why people are staring. Read more…

My Thoughts on India, part 4 – Indian Food, Part 1 – Early last year I began writing a series of posts all about India and my views of it. I fully intended to keep it going, but somehow it fell by the wayside with my getting pregnant with Scarlett, moving to a new house, and so on. I am going to pick it up again so you can look forward to more of these posts. Read more…

My Thoughts on India, part 5 – Indian Food, part 2 – One of my favorite of Indian snack foods is chaat. It comes in many varieties all over the country and is a common street food. Of course, it is not recommended for foreign visitors to eat from roadside stalls, Read more…

My Thoughts on India, part 6 – The past 72 hours it has been raining off and on. Not just a little rain but heavy downpours. This is the winter monsoon that we get in this part of the country. While average temperatures in Chennai hover in the mid-30′s, right now it feels much cooler. I was so cold today I got a sweater out. Read more…

My Thoughts on India, part 7 – You have read my rants before on driving in India and what the roads and sidewalks are like. Now another great topic has come to mind: Indian trucks. Read more…

My Thoughts on India, part 8 – Dressing Appropriately when Visting India. When out, I often see tourists to whom I wish I could offer some tips and advice for a more enjoyable stay, in particular how to dress appropriately. Sometimes I want to run up to them and grab them by the shoulders and say “Put more clothes on, for your own safety.” India is quite conservative in dress. Read more…

 

Hot, Hotter, Hottest – The weather is really heating up here. Up until about a month ago it was still plesant, and then it gradually started to get hot. Todays high was 35 degrees C. Yep. That is normal summer heat for Chennai. And it isn’t even the hottest time of year yet. Read more…

Monsoon is Here – With the arrival of the monsoon, things have cooled down considerably here. The daily high has been around 33 deg. C, and often overcast, so it feels cooler. It has been raining every night for about a week now. Read more…

My Day Today – Been sitting here for a while now, trying to get my menu and shopping list for the week complete. I’m one of those people who is organized for a while, then I let it go and just wing it until I can’t stand the chaos and I get everything in order again. Read more…

Things I Do (That You Never Have to Think About) –  I often sit and wonder what to write about. During the day … so many ideas pass through my head. Sometimes I note them down, but more often than not I forget about them and then when I do sit to write, my mind goes blank, usually due to tiredness. That is my current state – fuzzy mommy brain. Read more..

Why I Hate Power Cuts – One of the things you have to get used to living in India is the power cuts. Power cuts are as common as autos, dhal and dosas – just another part of life here. Chennai, where we live, is having power problems right now, and the entire city has mandated 2 hour power cuts daily. Read more…

Down (the Street) On the Farm – Just down the street and around the corner from our house, tucked behind some houses, is a poor man’s farm. This is the property of a rather poor family who live in two tumble down shacks with a wreck of a yard in between. The attraction of course is the animals they own. Read more…