Sorry for the absence. There just hasn’t been much going on lately, not at KLB or anywhere else in Palampur. At least that’s what it feels like. Exams are wrapping up, so I will be able to start/continue my nutrition lessons soon. On Saturday, the next group of MSU students is arriving in Delhi, but Atul will be going to get them and take them to Mussori for a week or so. I’ll be staying here and getting things ready for their arrival.
That includes preparing the new house, which is now occupied, finally. We moved all of the stuff in yesterday, and that was an interesting experience in itself. There wasn’t much to move, mostly a bunch of miscellaneous kitchen equipment, my luggage and a fridge. Shammi hired a truck (which they call a Jeep) and a guy to help us move, which made me think that he just wanted an extra hand around. Not so. The guy came and moved the fridge (by himself; he was pretty strong for a little guy) and started making rounds from the mud hut to the main road, which was about 100 meters. Again, by himself. Atul, Shammi, his son and I just sat in the main room waiting for him to finish. I was feeling very uncomfortable. Even in the states, when you hire somebody to help you move or do some work, you at least lend a helping hand. Well, maybe that’s not a universal characteristic of U.S. culture, but it was at least the way I was raised. 4 people sitting around and doing nothing while a hired hand does all the work did not sit well with me. I brought this up to Atul, and he begrudgingly agreed that we should help shift. It got done much faster than it would have had only one person done it.
On the way to the new house, we picked up several beds and mattresses that had been purchased earlier. Unloading only took 10-15 minutes, but that’s just where the work begins, as anybody who has ever moved can tell you. It takes awhile to figure out where everything should go, and that only comes with living in the new place for awhile. Call me a nerd, but I get a sick little thrill out of figuring out the most efficient way of organizing the kitchen and putting everything in its place. Hey, at least it’s something to do.
It was a little disappointing to discover that some of the spaces in the wooden closets were rotting and probably a breeding ground for a whole host of bugs, and that the faucet in one of the bathrooms leaks, but it’s still a big step up from the mud hut. There’s no water heater (called a geyser here) yet, but that’s coming within the next couple of days. It’ll take some time to get the whole place up to par and ready to accommodate 6 or more Americans, but it’ll happen. I’ll be doing all of that fun stuff while the 5 other Spartans are in Mussori for their orientation and language courses.
Until they get back, I get the place to myself. Party!!!! Well, not really, but it’ll still be pretty relaxing.
Except for figuring out the light switches. In every Indian house or building that I’ve entered, there is always a smorgasbord of electric switches. At least 5 in each room, and sometimes up to 10. I’m in the main room writing right now, and there are 16 switches and 2 working lights. Why, pray tell, does a house in a rural area of a developing country need so many flippin’ light switches?
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