Finally A Chance To Write!

It's Monday morning at 9:15. I jump in a rickshaw after showing the driver the address of the local agriculture college that is holding a full-day cooking class starting at 9:30. It is 3km away, so I have plenty of time. At 9:45, after stopping three or four times so the driver can ask for directions, I am getting ansy. It is 9:50 and I spot the small building as we are driving down the same road we have been for the past ten minutes. I figure it is ok to walk in a few minutes late, I mean it is India. Long story short, I got worked up for nothing (as usual). The class didn't really start until 11. Until then, everyone just sat around and chatted. I was the "special guest" according to the host of the class. I had to introduce myself first and tell all about why I was in India. I was asked a million times if I liked Indian food. One girl even said, "are you actually interested in Indian cooking?" I answered with a cautious, "yes." She then sighed and said, "oh, it's so cumbersome, but I have to learn it so I can cook for my family." I'm sure she means so she can cook for her husband. That was the first time any Indian has hinted to me that Indian culture is not perfect. Well, once I heard someone crack a joke about the government offices, but no sane person can actually think they are efficient. I even dislike going into the post office. It is a scary place and it can trap you in its depths for extended periods of time for no good reason.

The cooking class was great. I got extra-special care for being the only whitie in the class. I got to taste everything first and get an up-close look at the demo, too. Once, I even got to take part and help make a dish, which everyone thought was hilarious. The class was called "Preparation of Sweets and Savouries" so it was all about the super-sweet sweets that follow a spicy meal and the spicy fried snacks typically eaten with tea or alongside a meal. It was a lot of fun, but I came out of there so stuffed I couldn't eat dinner.

I have been going to the O everyday since then. Today was Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. It is like Christmas, but more people are celebrating it. It involves receiving a new outfit (I made the mistake of going to the shopping district about a week ago. Think Times Square at midnight on New Years Eve.), exchanging sweets, and setting off many, many loud firecrackers days before the actual holiday. It is getting late so I will explain more later on the fun we had at the O on this exciting holiday. Happy Diwali!