The lovely thing about having an Indian cell phone is the amount of spam phone calls I receive on a daily basis. So when I saw an unknown number calling me at 7am on my birthday morning, I was pretty sure picking up would mean hearing that whiny voice recording going on in Hindi about new company phone deals with Bollywood muzak playing in the background. I picked up and instead heard an old man exclaim 'Happy birthday, Sarah!' At first I had absolutely no idea who it was- yes, I had given my number a few people here and there and the news of my birthday spread quickly, but who could possibly be calling me this early? He must have heard the hesitation in my half asleep voice and he quickly added, 'It's your Indian father!' It was Anu's (my host sister in-law) father. A few night's ago I joined Anu's side of the family for dinner and immediately felt as though I was welcomed into yet another warm, loving, energetic Indian family. Her father had claimed that he is now my Indian father and we joked that he would have to approve of my future husband and perform the traditional wedding ritual between the husband and soon to be father in-law. 'I wanted to be the first one to wish you a very special birthday, beta ('my child),' he said before we hung up. It was the sweetest way to start the day.
As I wandered downstairs for my usual breakfast of homemade yogurt with banana and papaya, I was met by Anu and Mrs. Sharma bearing a beautiful silver jewelry box, a gift from the family. Packing it is going to be an interesting task, yet it will be the perfect way to store the heaps of bangles I have managed to collect when I get home.
With my 'party kurta' on (just think more gold than the average, 'everyday' kurta), I walked out to the end of my lane to wait for the tempo. Just as I reached the street, a huge truck drove by carrying a brightly painted elephant! I looked around to see if anyone else was amazed by the incredible animal enjoying the wind ruffling it's massive ears, but soon realized that I was the only one that was excited by the sight of a blue, red, and gold elephant before 10am. I guess even though I have learned to expect the unexpected at any time or place, somethings (i.e. the casual painted elephant rolling by) still manage to sneak up on me.
When I arrived at GVSS, I was barely able to walk in the door before I was bombarded with sweets. It is customary here to feed sweets to the person being celebrated and the 12 staff members took this task very seriously. After handshakes, hugs, and more sweets it was time to celebrate! A few days before, my supervisor had called all of us into his office for a 'very important meeting.' We all filed in, not sure what had happened or what kind of trouble we might be in for something. 'There is a special day coming up in the office,' he started as we all sighed with relief. 'We need to set the menu for the birthday lunch!' Hands raised for dhal, paneer, or sabzi and tensions rose deciding between chapati, naan, or paratha but eventually the menu was set and now, we were ready to face the feast- but not before I was dressed!
Anju, one of the Outreach Workers I have grown so close to, presented me with the beautiful blue sari that I have always complimented her on. With the help of each of the 10 present women, I was wrapped, in the 5 meters of light blue fabric. I stood like a doll admist the Hindi frenzy of 'Where are the pins!?' 'You can't wear those shoes!' 'Your hair is messy!' 'So beautiful!' 'This necklace!' 'No, this one is much more beautiful!' Finally, after each pin, pleat, and fold was just so, I was ready to go. Before we could go to the restaurant, they insisted that I pick out a gift from a store on the way. Despite my efforts to delay the trip as we were already 30 minutes late, I was dragged into the shop where I had to dodge large figurines of Ganasha, heavy silver 'Om' symbols, and a 14-inch model of the Mehrenghar Fort as I tried to explain that I didn't have room (or the strength) to take them home. Instead, I settled on a beautiful green and gold sari.
At the restaurant we went through plate after plate of rice, vegetables, and yogurt and piled high the empty baskets of the three types of roti (bread)- we never did decide on just one. And not to mention the rich chocolate cake that was eaten, as usual, before the meal. Just as I sat back, thinking that I would never be hungry again, three 1 Kilo boxes of Rajasthani sweets were set in front of me...next to a heaping plate of ice cream. Oy! We spent the rest of the day at the office taking pictures, laughing, and drinking chai- there's always room for chai.
After work, it was time for my family celebration. Mrs. Sharma, Anu, and I all got ready together as Angel played in the pile of saris I was deciding between for the night. I chose a bright red one with gold embroidery, Mrs. Sharma's favorite color. Red then became the theme of the night so Anu, Angel, and Mrs. Sharma wore red for the occasion. For dinner they took me to one of Jodhpur's Heritage Hotels, a very fancy palace turned hotel that boasts royalty, history, and lots of red satin pillows and couches. With more cake, food, and the customary feeding of cake to the mother of the family, I felt just as I would celebrating with my family at home. After dinner we walked around the Palace's perfectly kept garden, lawns, and very tempting swimming pool while keeping a careful eye on Angel who was a slip away from plopping right into the fountain as she splashed us.
I remember thinking in March about how my birthday will represent the end of my time in Jodhpur; it seemed so far away and unknown. Where will I be by the end of May? What will I have seen? Who will I have met? It is so strange to me that it has already come and gone. As I lay in bed, exhausted from a day of two saris (surprisingly difficult to move in) and stuffed with more food and cake than I thought possible, I thought about what a turn this year has taken. Who would've thought that this past year, one that started with me running across West Philly to get to class at UPenn, would end in me running across a lawn in Jodhpur, India attempting to chase a three year old while wearing a sari.
As I wandered downstairs for my usual breakfast of homemade yogurt with banana and papaya, I was met by Anu and Mrs. Sharma bearing a beautiful silver jewelry box, a gift from the family. Packing it is going to be an interesting task, yet it will be the perfect way to store the heaps of bangles I have managed to collect when I get home.
With my 'party kurta' on (just think more gold than the average, 'everyday' kurta), I walked out to the end of my lane to wait for the tempo. Just as I reached the street, a huge truck drove by carrying a brightly painted elephant! I looked around to see if anyone else was amazed by the incredible animal enjoying the wind ruffling it's massive ears, but soon realized that I was the only one that was excited by the sight of a blue, red, and gold elephant before 10am. I guess even though I have learned to expect the unexpected at any time or place, somethings (i.e. the casual painted elephant rolling by) still manage to sneak up on me.
When I arrived at GVSS, I was barely able to walk in the door before I was bombarded with sweets. It is customary here to feed sweets to the person being celebrated and the 12 staff members took this task very seriously. After handshakes, hugs, and more sweets it was time to celebrate! A few days before, my supervisor had called all of us into his office for a 'very important meeting.' We all filed in, not sure what had happened or what kind of trouble we might be in for something. 'There is a special day coming up in the office,' he started as we all sighed with relief. 'We need to set the menu for the birthday lunch!' Hands raised for dhal, paneer, or sabzi and tensions rose deciding between chapati, naan, or paratha but eventually the menu was set and now, we were ready to face the feast- but not before I was dressed!
Anju, one of the Outreach Workers I have grown so close to, presented me with the beautiful blue sari that I have always complimented her on. With the help of each of the 10 present women, I was wrapped, in the 5 meters of light blue fabric. I stood like a doll admist the Hindi frenzy of 'Where are the pins!?' 'You can't wear those shoes!' 'Your hair is messy!' 'So beautiful!' 'This necklace!' 'No, this one is much more beautiful!' Finally, after each pin, pleat, and fold was just so, I was ready to go. Before we could go to the restaurant, they insisted that I pick out a gift from a store on the way. Despite my efforts to delay the trip as we were already 30 minutes late, I was dragged into the shop where I had to dodge large figurines of Ganasha, heavy silver 'Om' symbols, and a 14-inch model of the Mehrenghar Fort as I tried to explain that I didn't have room (or the strength) to take them home. Instead, I settled on a beautiful green and gold sari.
At the restaurant we went through plate after plate of rice, vegetables, and yogurt and piled high the empty baskets of the three types of roti (bread)- we never did decide on just one. And not to mention the rich chocolate cake that was eaten, as usual, before the meal. Just as I sat back, thinking that I would never be hungry again, three 1 Kilo boxes of Rajasthani sweets were set in front of me...next to a heaping plate of ice cream. Oy! We spent the rest of the day at the office taking pictures, laughing, and drinking chai- there's always room for chai.
After work, it was time for my family celebration. Mrs. Sharma, Anu, and I all got ready together as Angel played in the pile of saris I was deciding between for the night. I chose a bright red one with gold embroidery, Mrs. Sharma's favorite color. Red then became the theme of the night so Anu, Angel, and Mrs. Sharma wore red for the occasion. For dinner they took me to one of Jodhpur's Heritage Hotels, a very fancy palace turned hotel that boasts royalty, history, and lots of red satin pillows and couches. With more cake, food, and the customary feeding of cake to the mother of the family, I felt just as I would celebrating with my family at home. After dinner we walked around the Palace's perfectly kept garden, lawns, and very tempting swimming pool while keeping a careful eye on Angel who was a slip away from plopping right into the fountain as she splashed us.
I remember thinking in March about how my birthday will represent the end of my time in Jodhpur; it seemed so far away and unknown. Where will I be by the end of May? What will I have seen? Who will I have met? It is so strange to me that it has already come and gone. As I lay in bed, exhausted from a day of two saris (surprisingly difficult to move in) and stuffed with more food and cake than I thought possible, I thought about what a turn this year has taken. Who would've thought that this past year, one that started with me running across West Philly to get to class at UPenn, would end in me running across a lawn in Jodhpur, India attempting to chase a three year old while wearing a sari.
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