Upna Kam Karo

October 14, 2008
Varanasi

This morning my host dad brought me to class on his scooter, so I could more easily bring the big package of saris which my fellow students and I bought at his sari shop. We went last week to see his inventory of amazingly beautiful silk Benarasi weaving, and each chose one that we will wear to Virendraji's neice's wedding in Jaipur in November. We sat in his shop for three hours, being fed tea and gulab jamun and samosas and gelabi every half hour as we oogled over the textiles. My host family's business is the distribution of Benarasi weaving, which is famous all around India. It has been run by our family for 135 years, since they came to Benaras from Punjab. They have been here in Benaras for 5 generations, but still they are considered to be from elsewhere. If people thought like that in the US, there would be no Americans.
Yesterday I called the Andersons as I was walking to class, and described the entire walk to Eric. It really made me realize how much I've fallen into this routine. As I walked and told about the beautiful bull eating out of a smoldering pile of garbage, and the dullit's slum area where the kids all run out and ask for money, next to the huge beauifully manicured temple, and the guy pissing in the gutter...I remembered how different it was, and how foreign it must sound. I arrived at the narrow walkway through to the program house just in time to meet a mob of monkeys who were quarrelling. I waited for awhile for them to move, and continued on towards class. These are the kinds of things that happen every day, and constantly entertain me.
I hope you are all well. I'll add more pictures soon.

Ah, yes, the title of this entry means "Mind your own business." We learned this to say to the random men who try to talk to us because we are white. Turns out it works quite nicely.