So today Molly took her first rickshaw ride and we went to the beach to meet Linda and her dog Mimi. We went for a long walk down the beach path and then Mimi and Molly slept while we say for a few hours at the Lighthouse Hotel and drank a cold soda and chatted and watched the ships go in and out of Fort Cochin. The ocean really is so beautiful and it was a sunny day despite monsoon season which is super awesome!
To put the money thing into perspective because as you can tell I go out about once a day for dinner, I can get a rickshaw from home to town for 15 rupees or 30 if I don't wanna haggle, so about 30-60 cents. I got a bottle of Sprite, a bottle of Fanta, and a Toblerone bar for 90 rupees....about $1.80. I can buy dinner for around 100-150 rupees so about $2-$3. The ferry across to the other island is 2 rupees. Yea that's about 4 cents. So it's good to have the dollar, let me say!
For her very first time on a leash, Molly didn't stray too far, although since this is the beach we picked her up on, she did meet other dogs she knew and tried to go up to vendors who had obviously given her a hand out before. But she was surprisingly well behaved actually and *bonus* did not get carsick all over me in the rickshaw. Linda doesn't really like dogs except her own but even she said that Molly has a sweet face and kept commenting on how sweet she is all day, she is pretty durned cute haha. Unfortunately, since she looks like a lot of other beach dogs, she will probably never get adopted as people either want really young dogs (Molly is between 4 and 6 months) or really different looking ones and she is plain :-(
But until I leave, she is mine :-)
Going out to dinner tonight at the Excel Bar, gonna try their potato skins although I have my doubts....
also! I'm on the website! If you want to see about any of the dogs I mention, Molly should be up within the week although it will just call her beach dog as Penny doesn't call her Molly. And I'm on this page!
http://www.maddogstrust.com/page10.htm
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Cochin on the Beach
So I haven't done a ton the last few days, although I have rebandaged a few dogs and am getting better at it! The vet has decided she won't be back till Wednesday, thank goodness we called her or we would have been expecting her everyday!
Yesterday I was supposed to meet Karl at Cafe Coffee Day (like an Indian Starbucks), they have good drinks and airconditioning and I got to listen to Jason Mraz and Beyonce which was like being at home :-) And as i am waiting, reading my book, a lady comes up behind me and goes "Oh you must be Bree, hold on a minute while I tell them to go turn down the God damn music before I kill myself". I was so freaked out as to how this lady knew my name. Turns out it was Junie's friend Linda and she's from New York. So she and Junie and I got a drink and walked up and down the beach with her little Jack Russel, Mimi. Then we went to this really beautiful hotel on the water called the lighthouse and we sat and talked and drank Diet Coke while the sunset. It was really beautiful and we could watch the ships come in and go out. It was nice to able to use American slang again and I think Junie was going to kill us if we said "Duh" or "whatever" one more time. Linda and I are going to meet for mass on Sunday at the Catholic church here, they say it in English and she says it's so beautiful.
Due to something none of us really understand, Bill is no longer coming to Goa, and I thought Junie and Karl might get together (they are close in age) but then Karl got moody so I'm debating whether i want to go to Goa or not. I think Junie has decided the relationship wouldn't be worth the hassle and I know she wouldn't desert me or anything and we would have so much fun. We will see, Junie and Linda are both able to be really honest so I know we can talk it out some more and see where things stand. If I don't go I'll only lose about 380 rupees....about $8 so I won't be destitute. God you gotta love that exchange rate.
I think at some point I'm gonna go get a mani, pedi, and perhaps my legs waxed because everything is so cheap here....plus my feet look like hell from wearing flip flops in the rain.
Also I have figured out that if you shower on a hot day where the sun is shining, the sun heats the tanks on the roof and you can have hot water!!! Linda says during the summer here the water gets to hot!
Molly is still attached to me like a shadow but I just love that she isn't needy. Just wants to be in the same room as me. Penny told me that beach dogs don't know how to fetch, but Molly as playing fetch last night and I was so proud!
Off to play!
Yesterday I was supposed to meet Karl at Cafe Coffee Day (like an Indian Starbucks), they have good drinks and airconditioning and I got to listen to Jason Mraz and Beyonce which was like being at home :-) And as i am waiting, reading my book, a lady comes up behind me and goes "Oh you must be Bree, hold on a minute while I tell them to go turn down the God damn music before I kill myself". I was so freaked out as to how this lady knew my name. Turns out it was Junie's friend Linda and she's from New York. So she and Junie and I got a drink and walked up and down the beach with her little Jack Russel, Mimi. Then we went to this really beautiful hotel on the water called the lighthouse and we sat and talked and drank Diet Coke while the sunset. It was really beautiful and we could watch the ships come in and go out. It was nice to able to use American slang again and I think Junie was going to kill us if we said "Duh" or "whatever" one more time. Linda and I are going to meet for mass on Sunday at the Catholic church here, they say it in English and she says it's so beautiful.
Due to something none of us really understand, Bill is no longer coming to Goa, and I thought Junie and Karl might get together (they are close in age) but then Karl got moody so I'm debating whether i want to go to Goa or not. I think Junie has decided the relationship wouldn't be worth the hassle and I know she wouldn't desert me or anything and we would have so much fun. We will see, Junie and Linda are both able to be really honest so I know we can talk it out some more and see where things stand. If I don't go I'll only lose about 380 rupees....about $8 so I won't be destitute. God you gotta love that exchange rate.
I think at some point I'm gonna go get a mani, pedi, and perhaps my legs waxed because everything is so cheap here....plus my feet look like hell from wearing flip flops in the rain.
Also I have figured out that if you shower on a hot day where the sun is shining, the sun heats the tanks on the roof and you can have hot water!!! Linda says during the summer here the water gets to hot!
Molly is still attached to me like a shadow but I just love that she isn't needy. Just wants to be in the same room as me. Penny told me that beach dogs don't know how to fetch, but Molly as playing fetch last night and I was so proud!
Off to play!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Whirlwind of Maturity for Bree
Wow so much has happened in the last two days its hard to know where to begin!
First I think I'll explain about the toilets. Right, so in every bathroom there is no toilet paper, but there is a little hose thing, like what you use in the those sinks that let you pull out the spray thingy to reach dishes. And thus you use said spray thing to clean yourself...yup.... it is interesting. While it may be more sanitary actually, it is highly uncomfortable if you find yourself in an establishment such as the A1 Bar (which is actually the Excel Bar I just found out) in which the hose does not work, well then you have a water bucket and a cup for transporting it to...your butt. So that's India. Sometime when I don't have so many actual things going on, I'll try to explain the dirtiness of India although I really don't think you can understand without experiencing it!
So, the first thing that happened, actually 2 evenings ago was that Penny made Karl turn off the TV during the only football game he truly wanted to watch, Holland vs. ....someone. He was furious after already being a bit fed up. So he went to the bar to watch and I stayed home and emailed and then went to bed early to read for awhile. He knocked on my door and told me he was leaving the next morning and staying with Bill for a few days. He would never come back, he didn't want his name associated with MDT, and he was obviously so disappointed with the way things turned out although he kept repeating that he had done good things for the dogs and that was enough. We laid about and chatted until late because it was obvious that he needed to talk about and was upset and I reassured him (he kept saying he felt sorry for me) that I would set boundaries and if push came shove, I would leave and go travel! We ended up discussing my deep aversion to having anyone upset at me and *remember this, it is important later* how I would have to get over it.
So flash forward to the next where I went out on my own for the first time! It was so fun to just wander through the shops and I bought a few clothing items, some postcards, a book, and a bag I really love! Afterwards I went to the Teapot for some dinner and sat and read my new book. Just as I paid the bill, a white woman came in all alone, knowing that I had nothing else to do I asked if she wanted some company. Great idea! She was Australian and her name was Junie. We talked for over 2 hours and then we went for a walk on the beach and to the bar where I introduced her to Karl and Bill! Turns out she had been looking for MDT because she LOVES dogs and we just had the best time together even though she is 47 and I'm just 21. She and the menfolk decided that they would go on to Goa together on Friday, a 12 hr train ride. I was so sad that all my friends were leaving, and together!
When we left the bar, it was 11:30 and all the rickshaws were done and so we decided that Junie and I would walk to MDT and if it was too scary for her to walk herself home, she could just stay. Yea....India is confusing and we were really really lost. UNTIL we found two policemen on a motorcycle who let us follow them and eventually met up with a police jeep who had us hop in the back like common criminals and 5 policemen drove us home! It was a total trip and the only time I've ever been in a police car.
She slept at MDT and met Penny in the morning where she could already tell that she was a) good at a guilt trip and b) said so many insulting things that you could think that you simply heard wrong if she didn't say so many! So, because the vet didn't show up (AGAIN! she is engaged and takes days off all the time but doesn't say she won't be there until a half hour after she should be there) I went with Junie to meet the men to plan their trip. Penny called during breakfast and needed me to come back and give an injection, but I told her I would come after breakfast and decided that maybe I would like to travel to Goa with them! and they said I could, I was so excited to have such great traveling companions and to see somewhere else but terrified to tell Penny that I was going to leave for a few days on Friday.
So because I am a wimp, I took Junie as backup :-) Penny was already in a tizzy for various reasons and both be a victim and be mad and be ok all at the same time but said enough vaguely insulting things that Junie spoke up. For example "I am always being taken advantage of" well that may not be directed at me, but in context.....Eventually Junie said "Be careful, Bree has done a great job for you and she deserves to travel a bit while she can". It was very scary because I hate people being mad at me. But I survived and I think it will be ok! Not only that, butttt!
We leave for Goa on Monday! And with 4 lovely travel companions on a 12 hr sleeper train which Bill and I have never done before! We are so excited and there will no drama. Just waterfalls, beaches, shops, nature, and (from what we hear) super cheap beer! So hurrah for standing up myself even though it meant that when I came home I was given the task of scrubbing slime off all 4 rooftops which will take me hours and working for an hour on file cards for the dog and then having them criticized. The only reason I can deal is because I know she does so much good for the animals, I'm leaving Monday, I have friends!, and she leave in July (woohoo!). Not only that, but I do understand how stressed she is and she can't depend on her vet and she lost her husband a year ago. It's so very sad and stressful and I'm just so sorry about it all. I hope she never reads this, but honestly it was so uncomfortable even if she did take me to a pretty beach for a bit tonight. I didn't dare go to the bar after the whole fiasco.
On the brighter side again, we picked a young beach dog off the beach and she has attached herself to me. She whines when I get in the shower because she can't see me, sleeps right next to my bed, and follows me with a very flattering devotion. I have called her Molly and she is so very sweet.
Well I am off to go read....or something I don't know, I just continue being polite and am honestly just proud of myself for sticking up for myself when it is hard for me. And for meeting this lovely lady who has interests so similar to my own. I actually have had a wonderful few days with them and can't wait to travel with such laid back, fun, and wonderful people. And traveling with a man from Holland, one from England, and a woman from Australia? Sweet. And how mature am I? I can hang with the over 40 crowd :-) It's nice to know I have someone to look out for me and someone to find if I need to leave here and go somewhere else.
Loving India still and so excited to get to Monday!!!!
First I think I'll explain about the toilets. Right, so in every bathroom there is no toilet paper, but there is a little hose thing, like what you use in the those sinks that let you pull out the spray thingy to reach dishes. And thus you use said spray thing to clean yourself...yup.... it is interesting. While it may be more sanitary actually, it is highly uncomfortable if you find yourself in an establishment such as the A1 Bar (which is actually the Excel Bar I just found out) in which the hose does not work, well then you have a water bucket and a cup for transporting it to...your butt. So that's India. Sometime when I don't have so many actual things going on, I'll try to explain the dirtiness of India although I really don't think you can understand without experiencing it!
So, the first thing that happened, actually 2 evenings ago was that Penny made Karl turn off the TV during the only football game he truly wanted to watch, Holland vs. ....someone. He was furious after already being a bit fed up. So he went to the bar to watch and I stayed home and emailed and then went to bed early to read for awhile. He knocked on my door and told me he was leaving the next morning and staying with Bill for a few days. He would never come back, he didn't want his name associated with MDT, and he was obviously so disappointed with the way things turned out although he kept repeating that he had done good things for the dogs and that was enough. We laid about and chatted until late because it was obvious that he needed to talk about and was upset and I reassured him (he kept saying he felt sorry for me) that I would set boundaries and if push came shove, I would leave and go travel! We ended up discussing my deep aversion to having anyone upset at me and *remember this, it is important later* how I would have to get over it.
So flash forward to the next where I went out on my own for the first time! It was so fun to just wander through the shops and I bought a few clothing items, some postcards, a book, and a bag I really love! Afterwards I went to the Teapot for some dinner and sat and read my new book. Just as I paid the bill, a white woman came in all alone, knowing that I had nothing else to do I asked if she wanted some company. Great idea! She was Australian and her name was Junie. We talked for over 2 hours and then we went for a walk on the beach and to the bar where I introduced her to Karl and Bill! Turns out she had been looking for MDT because she LOVES dogs and we just had the best time together even though she is 47 and I'm just 21. She and the menfolk decided that they would go on to Goa together on Friday, a 12 hr train ride. I was so sad that all my friends were leaving, and together!
When we left the bar, it was 11:30 and all the rickshaws were done and so we decided that Junie and I would walk to MDT and if it was too scary for her to walk herself home, she could just stay. Yea....India is confusing and we were really really lost. UNTIL we found two policemen on a motorcycle who let us follow them and eventually met up with a police jeep who had us hop in the back like common criminals and 5 policemen drove us home! It was a total trip and the only time I've ever been in a police car.
She slept at MDT and met Penny in the morning where she could already tell that she was a) good at a guilt trip and b) said so many insulting things that you could think that you simply heard wrong if she didn't say so many! So, because the vet didn't show up (AGAIN! she is engaged and takes days off all the time but doesn't say she won't be there until a half hour after she should be there) I went with Junie to meet the men to plan their trip. Penny called during breakfast and needed me to come back and give an injection, but I told her I would come after breakfast and decided that maybe I would like to travel to Goa with them! and they said I could, I was so excited to have such great traveling companions and to see somewhere else but terrified to tell Penny that I was going to leave for a few days on Friday.
So because I am a wimp, I took Junie as backup :-) Penny was already in a tizzy for various reasons and both be a victim and be mad and be ok all at the same time but said enough vaguely insulting things that Junie spoke up. For example "I am always being taken advantage of" well that may not be directed at me, but in context.....Eventually Junie said "Be careful, Bree has done a great job for you and she deserves to travel a bit while she can". It was very scary because I hate people being mad at me. But I survived and I think it will be ok! Not only that, butttt!
We leave for Goa on Monday! And with 4 lovely travel companions on a 12 hr sleeper train which Bill and I have never done before! We are so excited and there will no drama. Just waterfalls, beaches, shops, nature, and (from what we hear) super cheap beer! So hurrah for standing up myself even though it meant that when I came home I was given the task of scrubbing slime off all 4 rooftops which will take me hours and working for an hour on file cards for the dog and then having them criticized. The only reason I can deal is because I know she does so much good for the animals, I'm leaving Monday, I have friends!, and she leave in July (woohoo!). Not only that, but I do understand how stressed she is and she can't depend on her vet and she lost her husband a year ago. It's so very sad and stressful and I'm just so sorry about it all. I hope she never reads this, but honestly it was so uncomfortable even if she did take me to a pretty beach for a bit tonight. I didn't dare go to the bar after the whole fiasco.
On the brighter side again, we picked a young beach dog off the beach and she has attached herself to me. She whines when I get in the shower because she can't see me, sleeps right next to my bed, and follows me with a very flattering devotion. I have called her Molly and she is so very sweet.
Well I am off to go read....or something I don't know, I just continue being polite and am honestly just proud of myself for sticking up for myself when it is hard for me. And for meeting this lovely lady who has interests so similar to my own. I actually have had a wonderful few days with them and can't wait to travel with such laid back, fun, and wonderful people. And traveling with a man from Holland, one from England, and a woman from Australia? Sweet. And how mature am I? I can hang with the over 40 crowd :-) It's nice to know I have someone to look out for me and someone to find if I need to leave here and go somewhere else.
Loving India still and so excited to get to Monday!!!!
Monday, June 14, 2010
A Wonderful Day in India
Well tonight I am typing after a very confusing day.
As Mad Dogs Trust is a newer organization and has not had volunteers that long, there is not really a system in place. It is very confusing not to know what is expected of you, when you will be done, what needs to be done first etc...and also uncomfortable to feel like you are being judged when you are sitting and doing nothing.
Now it would be one thing if I was employed, getting paid for doing what I am doing, but I am not, it is purely because I want to help. But let's say that as a volunteer, I am expected to treat it like a job, then I need to have hours. Can you imagine if you lived at your workplace? If you never got to leave and your boss lived there also? Even sitting and watching TV, at anytime you could be asked to go back to work, sounds like fun huh? It is simply because she knows there is so much to do, but if volunteers are to be kept and used efficiently it must be changed. So that is a big challenge here and caused a lot of drama today.
I'll give the short version because I hate to gossip abut Penny as she is a very nice and thoughtful lady, but stories must be told. This morning we woke to dog pee and poop in the house. Because we have a young puppy who isn't housetrained yet, and have just moved to a new place, the dogs have decided that they are going to un-housebreak themselves. Not fun!!!
Needless to say, Karl and I decided that there would be no dogs in the house last night, except for the ones in our rooms and thus the house would stay clean. But Penny let the dogs in and they pooped all over, so from the moment I got up, I was given tasks to do "Bree the dogs went in the house, I had just cleaned the floor, can you do it this time?"
a) it wasn't my fault but I said I would do it as soon as I finished the conversation I was having on facebook and b) It was 7:30 in the morning!
So Karl got up and asked if I wanted to go to breakfast. Well HELL YEA! Not just toast and coffee for breakfast, eggs or pancakes or even better? Count me in!
Unfortunately, Penny was especially tense and giving out tasks because a vet was coming to see if he wanted to work here. Thus she wanted us here and essentially forced us to stay and clean the clinic saying that she would make us breakfast here. (sidenote: Karl and I don't like eating here because the silverware is out on the counter and there are cats on the counter and ew! We have very strong views on the subject). It was especially frustrating because the cleaning woman was there and it took us an hour to clean properly when she is being paid to do just that! So then we ate here, did some work with the vet, and around one decided to go out to lunch.
We got lunch and milkshakes, then went to a coffee shop for a coffee, and then stayed out till 3:30 because we stopped at the A1 Bar and Karl got a beer and i had some water. We needed the time to vent and discuss and Karl really tries to make sure I get out and get to see some of Kochin while I am here.
Only to come back and have it made to seem as if we were being slow and shirking our duties. Which is definitely not the case, we just do not have structure at all and we are in India! We want to have time to see India! We even worked yesterday, and it was Sunday! I really do love it here, but this must be sorted out or I think Karl will leave and I really could not stand that.
On top of todays drama, which Karl and I think would make a very funny and engaging Animal Planet reality TV show, Sonia called today and said that Knuckles passed on during the night. I was almost relieved because he had been in so much pain but I can't help thinking that if he had been en to the veterinary hospital they would have known if he could have been saved and perhaps put him down earlier so we could have saved time and saved him much pain with all the pokes and such. Such a sad story, but I really feel I did what I could.
On the brighter side of the day, got cortizone cream for my rash AND had 2 strawberry milkshakes which were surprisingly awesome.
Planning to shop sometime this week, I need more clothes and I think I want to buy some things for my room to make it more homey.
Speaking of home, did I mention we don't have toilet paper at all here, anywhere?
...
yea think that over and I'll explain it tomorrow :-)
As Mad Dogs Trust is a newer organization and has not had volunteers that long, there is not really a system in place. It is very confusing not to know what is expected of you, when you will be done, what needs to be done first etc...and also uncomfortable to feel like you are being judged when you are sitting and doing nothing.
Now it would be one thing if I was employed, getting paid for doing what I am doing, but I am not, it is purely because I want to help. But let's say that as a volunteer, I am expected to treat it like a job, then I need to have hours. Can you imagine if you lived at your workplace? If you never got to leave and your boss lived there also? Even sitting and watching TV, at anytime you could be asked to go back to work, sounds like fun huh? It is simply because she knows there is so much to do, but if volunteers are to be kept and used efficiently it must be changed. So that is a big challenge here and caused a lot of drama today.
I'll give the short version because I hate to gossip abut Penny as she is a very nice and thoughtful lady, but stories must be told. This morning we woke to dog pee and poop in the house. Because we have a young puppy who isn't housetrained yet, and have just moved to a new place, the dogs have decided that they are going to un-housebreak themselves. Not fun!!!
Needless to say, Karl and I decided that there would be no dogs in the house last night, except for the ones in our rooms and thus the house would stay clean. But Penny let the dogs in and they pooped all over, so from the moment I got up, I was given tasks to do "Bree the dogs went in the house, I had just cleaned the floor, can you do it this time?"
a) it wasn't my fault but I said I would do it as soon as I finished the conversation I was having on facebook and b) It was 7:30 in the morning!
So Karl got up and asked if I wanted to go to breakfast. Well HELL YEA! Not just toast and coffee for breakfast, eggs or pancakes or even better? Count me in!
Unfortunately, Penny was especially tense and giving out tasks because a vet was coming to see if he wanted to work here. Thus she wanted us here and essentially forced us to stay and clean the clinic saying that she would make us breakfast here. (sidenote: Karl and I don't like eating here because the silverware is out on the counter and there are cats on the counter and ew! We have very strong views on the subject). It was especially frustrating because the cleaning woman was there and it took us an hour to clean properly when she is being paid to do just that! So then we ate here, did some work with the vet, and around one decided to go out to lunch.
We got lunch and milkshakes, then went to a coffee shop for a coffee, and then stayed out till 3:30 because we stopped at the A1 Bar and Karl got a beer and i had some water. We needed the time to vent and discuss and Karl really tries to make sure I get out and get to see some of Kochin while I am here.
Only to come back and have it made to seem as if we were being slow and shirking our duties. Which is definitely not the case, we just do not have structure at all and we are in India! We want to have time to see India! We even worked yesterday, and it was Sunday! I really do love it here, but this must be sorted out or I think Karl will leave and I really could not stand that.
On top of todays drama, which Karl and I think would make a very funny and engaging Animal Planet reality TV show, Sonia called today and said that Knuckles passed on during the night. I was almost relieved because he had been in so much pain but I can't help thinking that if he had been en to the veterinary hospital they would have known if he could have been saved and perhaps put him down earlier so we could have saved time and saved him much pain with all the pokes and such. Such a sad story, but I really feel I did what I could.
On the brighter side of the day, got cortizone cream for my rash AND had 2 strawberry milkshakes which were surprisingly awesome.
Planning to shop sometime this week, I need more clothes and I think I want to buy some things for my room to make it more homey.
Speaking of home, did I mention we don't have toilet paper at all here, anywhere?
...
yea think that over and I'll explain it tomorrow :-)
Sunday, June 13, 2010
So I found a bar
So now I've been to the A1 Bar, 2 nights in a row and everytime I go I meet more interesting people.
This time I met a lovely girl from Germany who had her flight and flat paid for by the family who is paying her to teach their 11 yr old son! And she's my age, what a sweet deal!
Spoke for a very long time with a Englishman named Paul who lived in America all over for about 13 years and we had a great time talking about accents and football and soccer and so many other things. He is teaching English in a little jungle town about 2 hours away. That is even more primitive than Kochin. They know when the butcher will be open because he will tie a cow to a tree which gets decorated like a Christmas tree, the next day he butchers the cow and you point to the parts you want, every cut costs the same so it is a great deal!
Also enjoyed the Englishman Bill who I met the night before, he loves to bet but couldn't care less if he loses, so laid back and funny. I made him crack up laughing because when he looked at me, I stuck my tongue out and he was so surprised.
It's great to hang out there, where age and country don't matter, there is plenty of beer, and someone is always ready to make fun of you for not being able to name a single player on the American team
Carl and I walked the very long walk home because there was no rickshaw to be found, to be fair it was very late, it was 11:30 and the bar actually closes at 10:30. Things start late and end early here. We had a long discussion about how we came to be in India and about Indian culture. I learned that when a Indian woman in a non-westernized area even look a man in the eye, it is assumed she is hitting on him. Since Indian women do not have sex before marriage, this means that not only is she hitting on him, but that she is a whore. If a white man walks with an Indian woman, they get many stares and the woman is once again labeled a whore. But if a white woman is with an Indian man, he is considered lucky and people laugh and think "Haha way to hit that!". Indian men like to go for white women because they do not get married sometimes until they are in their early 30s and they don't have sex before marriage, since in most western cultures sex before marriage is no longer taboo, if an Indian man is seen with a white women, she is probably putting out, or at least there is a chance that she might. I was curious about the culture because most of the Indian men i know are very Westernized and I wanted to make sure that their friendliness was just that and not flirting.
On a more veterinary level, I am still poking Knuckles with 4 pokes, twice a day. The refuse to take him to the veterinary hospital so I don't know if I am just prolonging the inevitable.
I also removed a 4 day old bandage that was covering a foot wound that went down to the bone. Again, should be taken to the vet hospital, but what can you do.
I've just now realized I haven't mentioned the cows. They wander the streets at will, it is typical for them to be in the middle of the roads in town, on the soccer field, wherever they please, it is one of the oddest things I've ever seen.
Well after one day of sun, it is raining again and I'm off to watch soccer in the kitchen with Carl! I'm awfully itchy due to mosquito bites and some sort of rash up my arm and face, it is real fine but it itches. I must be allergic to something, but I really don't know what yet. Here's hoping it stops soon!
This time I met a lovely girl from Germany who had her flight and flat paid for by the family who is paying her to teach their 11 yr old son! And she's my age, what a sweet deal!
Spoke for a very long time with a Englishman named Paul who lived in America all over for about 13 years and we had a great time talking about accents and football and soccer and so many other things. He is teaching English in a little jungle town about 2 hours away. That is even more primitive than Kochin. They know when the butcher will be open because he will tie a cow to a tree which gets decorated like a Christmas tree, the next day he butchers the cow and you point to the parts you want, every cut costs the same so it is a great deal!
Also enjoyed the Englishman Bill who I met the night before, he loves to bet but couldn't care less if he loses, so laid back and funny. I made him crack up laughing because when he looked at me, I stuck my tongue out and he was so surprised.
It's great to hang out there, where age and country don't matter, there is plenty of beer, and someone is always ready to make fun of you for not being able to name a single player on the American team
Carl and I walked the very long walk home because there was no rickshaw to be found, to be fair it was very late, it was 11:30 and the bar actually closes at 10:30. Things start late and end early here. We had a long discussion about how we came to be in India and about Indian culture. I learned that when a Indian woman in a non-westernized area even look a man in the eye, it is assumed she is hitting on him. Since Indian women do not have sex before marriage, this means that not only is she hitting on him, but that she is a whore. If a white man walks with an Indian woman, they get many stares and the woman is once again labeled a whore. But if a white woman is with an Indian man, he is considered lucky and people laugh and think "Haha way to hit that!". Indian men like to go for white women because they do not get married sometimes until they are in their early 30s and they don't have sex before marriage, since in most western cultures sex before marriage is no longer taboo, if an Indian man is seen with a white women, she is probably putting out, or at least there is a chance that she might. I was curious about the culture because most of the Indian men i know are very Westernized and I wanted to make sure that their friendliness was just that and not flirting.
On a more veterinary level, I am still poking Knuckles with 4 pokes, twice a day. The refuse to take him to the veterinary hospital so I don't know if I am just prolonging the inevitable.
I also removed a 4 day old bandage that was covering a foot wound that went down to the bone. Again, should be taken to the vet hospital, but what can you do.
I've just now realized I haven't mentioned the cows. They wander the streets at will, it is typical for them to be in the middle of the roads in town, on the soccer field, wherever they please, it is one of the oddest things I've ever seen.
Well after one day of sun, it is raining again and I'm off to watch soccer in the kitchen with Carl! I'm awfully itchy due to mosquito bites and some sort of rash up my arm and face, it is real fine but it itches. I must be allergic to something, but I really don't know what yet. Here's hoping it stops soon!
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