Auntie's Buffalo

Apartment Cow
Originally uploaded by waterlooHildreds.

Dear Aunt Ruth:

Thanks for your email. I have been thinking of you a lot in India, both because of Uncle Norm and because of your thoughtful interest in so many things that are interesting here. Our driver Lokesh had us for lunch on Monday and he gave us fresh curd (like yogurt) from his Auntie's buffalo. I have been telling him, with much pride, of my Aunt and Uncle's dairy farm when I was a kid. Just now I thought that I forgot to tell him it backed on to the Thames, but that might be just as well, because I am not sure if he knows there is more than one Thames. Buffaloes produce quite high butter fat milk, which they boil before adding culture to make curd. It seems that Indians consume a lot of milk. Much of it in the form of curd, quite a bit of cottage cheese and some sweets as well as liquid milk. Lokesh's favorite sweet is koya barfi, fudge like preparation made from reduced condensed milk. One of my favorites is kulfi, a frozen treat that I had on a stick flavored with cardamom. I have been having dahi for breakfast many mornings with a bit of jam in it and some muesli. Dahi seems to be another name for yogurt. Once on the way home from getting groceries, I went over a speed bump too hard and opened the yogurt a bit so that it leaked in the trunk. Now Dianne and I amuse ourselves by calling that the yogurt opening bump. Packed and aged cheese like cheddar is imported and quite expensive. Process cheese slices are quite reasonable though. I think that farmers in India face many of the same issues as in Canada from farm subsidies in other jurisdictions and globalization, but your nephew who has trouble telling a cow from a buffalo will say no more on that topic!

Love

Rich, Ben and Joel in India

Dianne's leaving soon

L4 Never Ever Give Up
Originally uploaded by waterlooHildreds.

A month ago I bought a ticket for Dianne's trip home. That month has just flown past. Wednesday we say good-bye to Dianne for a little while. She is headed home, to be with Christine. Christine got a summer job at a fly in canoe camp north of Thunder Bay. She starts on May 26th, so was going to miss us during her time in southern Ontario after exams. Last I heard Christine has written 2 of them and has 3 left. She thinks she has done well. Christine and Dianne, are both making plans and super excited about being home together. On the other hand Dianne and the rest of us in India are feeling sad about the nearing end of our India experience. This past week we got together with colleagues, people from church and neighbors, kind of like at home. I guess we are at home here! I have driven all the way to Delhi twice now, once to church and once out for supper and to the India Gate. When we first arrived I used to close my eyes sometimes on the drive back from Delhi, because it was over stimulating. Dianne and I bemoaned the fact that Ben too is growing up when we dropped him at the airport to go visit friends in Pune. When we first arrived we were very nervous about Ben going to see friends at all, and we tried to go out only in pairs. Dianne went with Lokesh to get her nose pierced at the same place as Lokesh’s wife in Old Gurgaon. The streets were very narrow, but Dianne and I were thinking that it was an interesting place and that Ben and Joel would like it here instead of feeling uncomfortable from the crowds. I got some of these pictures from a party we went to without our camera back when it was still cold at night. Others are ones left over from Corbett. Some are courtesy of Joel at a restaurant that Dianne, he and I went to with the guys I share a table with at lunch and their families. Finally, Dianne and I took a couple. The blue shirt is a team building activity. I think the nose piercing is for Dianne to remember India by.

Hello from TBay

Iona Pick Up
Originally uploaded by waterlooHildreds.

Well, this is my second blog entry to this site, which is appropriate because the first entry I did was at the beginning of the year when this experience was new and fun. It still is fun but wearing at the same time. So the last time I wrote was in October and I had a boyfriend then. Not so much any more. I had made a lot of good friends in my house program and through the rugby team and I still have them. As well, I made a lot of random friends, which is great. I still have those friends but I've been super busy with school and just trying to organize my life for the summer and beyond that I've become bit of a hermit which is sad. So the first year is done and I'm not dropping out yet which is a good thing.
So what have I learned this year? Well, I've learned lots about myself for sure . I learned that I'll probably always be a fundamentally insecure person and how people think of me matters a lot and always will. I also learned that boys find me attractive which is a huge boost to my self-esteem. I also learned that boys are dumb and they cause huge drama wherever they go. This year, I realized how close I am to my family, and this closeness has manifested in a variety of ways. From lots of online chats to middle of the night emergency phone calls, my family has been my lifeline so far. A huge part of me staying in Thunderbay has been their love and support. Also, Laura is my girl, she has helped me out so much with her support. She's right, we are two hot university girls, and never forget it!
Some people can be mean and critical and disrespectful, I've learned and it's tough if you live with them because they're infecting you with their negativity daily. I think all you can do is ignore them and just go on with your life and try to be as pleasant as possible . People are messy and it's hard to figure out how to deal with them .