Life is too Good to be Grumpy

The other day I was whining to a friend about
my apartment and the safety hazards that abound
therein. I guess the day was long, headache
unbearable, and concerns for the safety of my
children overwhelming. My friend pointed out
that my 'pitiful' circumstance was likely better
than 90% of the rest of this city and I had
no right to be so critical.

At first I was a bit frustrated that he just
didn't understand where I was coming from. He
didn't get my point and it was easy for him to
retort like that because he's safe and secure in
a lovely home with all the amenities the U.S. has
to offer.

But, as usual, this guy is absolutely right.
I have no right to complain. I have no right to
even have a bad day. Not when so many around
me have so much less. My children are not begging
on the street, I am not sleeping in doorways,
my husband does not have his leg so horribly
damaged that it now drapes uselessly over his
arm as he hobbles around on crutches. My friend
thinks that everyone in the U.S. should live in
a developing country for a few months ... I have
to agree with him.

The next time I am back home and things just
aren't going my way I'll have to remember
this life and reevaluate my priorities. Life
is too short and I am too fortunate to be grumpy.

Monsoon Preparedness

Monsoon will be be here on June 10th. Everyone has
an idea about when it will arrive, but the general
consensus is June 10th. At the office we have had
lectures on monsoon preparedness. Such preparations
include the following:

- take note of websites that track the weather
- keep a case of bottled water in the house in case you
need to wash with it when the sewers leak in to the
water supply
- keep a flashlight, umbrella, bottled water, and light
snack in the car at all times
- Candles, matches, flashlights should be at hand at home
- Develop an emergency plan - phone numbers for people
to call and for you to call in case of emergency
- keep cell phones charge at all times
- Ensure car tires have appropropriate groove depth
- Buy electrical mosquito repellent for every room
in the house
- Have a malaria test kit handy and learn how to test for
malaria
- Have your doctor's phone number handy
- Place mosquito netting over and around your bed
- if you go outside, spray yourself well with repellent
- keep important documents in a watertight bag and close
to hand in your house
- make high quality copies of all immigration
documents, passports, etc.

Here are some warnings:
- allow extra time for travel when it rains
- Children can play in the rain, but when they are done
take them inside immediately and wash them off with
clean water
- Feed aforementioned children hot chicken noodle soup to
warm them up
- If you get caught in the rain, take a shower as soon
as you get home - use bottled water if flooding is bad
- Absolutely under no circumstances go outside when it
floods - uncovered manholes and holes in the middle
of the street may entrap and drown you
- In severe flooding do not shower or bathe
- when bathing children, be extra careful to prevent
them from drinking the bath water
- In the car, do not try to cross water >6 inches deep
- If you are stranded, stay in your car
- If the water rises, get out of your car and head to
higher ground
- Do NOT allow any open wound to get wet - rat and dog
urine in pools of water can lead to septicemia
- pay attention to tidal charts (there's a website)
and take extra care if heavy rains occur at high tide.

Priscilla

My children have a most remarkable nanny. I
trust her with my most precious possessions
without hesitation. Over the months I have
found out more about Priscilla and through
it all I wonder at her marvelous good nature
and bright spirits. A daughter of 14, she
left home at the age of 12 to work for an
expat. She cleaned, washed, and looked after
the lady's children as needed. Her sister,
too, was hired by the lady so both girls
started full time jobs as live-in help.
Over the years the lady taught them English,
taught them how to cook, and taught them
how to invest and save their money. She opened
a bank account for each and deposited part of
their earnings in to their accounts.
Eventually the lady left and no longer needed
their help, so the sisters left to find other
jobs. Now, over 20 years later, Priscilla
has a son who graduated from university in
England and works full time as a software
engiineer in Edinburgh. She often reflects on
her life and how lucky she was to have found a
"Ma'am" who took such good care of her.

How interesting to reflect on our different
perspectives - I feel a little sad that she lost
her childhood so soon and probably had to deal
with a lot of things at a young age. But she
feels joyous and grateful to have learned
so much from a wonderful lady.

Yet again I am spending a considerable amount
of time reflecting on our different ways.

I am losing Priscilla soon - she will be moving to
Scotland to join her son and start a new
life in a different culture. I'll miss her,
my children will miss her, and my life will
never be the same for having known her.

Project Management

A friend here decided that she really did not
like the decor in her dining room, so she
sought out some tailors in the market and
arranged to have slip covers made for her
dining room chairs. The next day 6 guys
carrying their wares showed up at her door.
She cleared a space in the living room and
the 6 of them got to work measuring, cutting,
and sewing. They measured the chairs and
fabric using their hands and arms as
measuring sticks. One of them pulled out a
sewing machine, set it up on the floor, and
started sewing together the bits of fabric
that had been measured and cut by his
colleagues. All 6 of them had tasks to do, and
all of them worked quickly and efficiently to create
some very well made slip covers in only a few hours.

Now that's what I call project management!

Lunch Options

Today's lunch option were:
fish curry, pea curry, or cheese curry.

Just once I'd love the options to be
T-bone steak, hamburger, or lasagna.

But for 50 cents, I guess I can't complain.

India's Treasures

The other day there was an article in the newspaper
celebrating the rich culture that abounds in India's
domain. Inclusive in the list was one of only two
remiaing original copies of Boccaccio's Decameron.
Apparently, this 650 year old book lies on a shelf in
a museum in India. Preliminary web searching has
left me empty of facts --- but I intend to pursue
this to discover if indeed I may be able to glimpse
the historic manuscript before it decays entirely
to dust.

Speaking of the Plague ...

A friend of mine was walking through the market
looking around and enjoying the day when he accidently
stepped in something soft and squishy. In the instant
before he looked down his mind flicked through all the
possibilities of what he'd see sticking to the bottom
of his sandals; rotten fruit, dog poo, people poo,
blackened mango, a puddle of filth.

No ... it was a rat.