Mathru School for the Differently-Abled
Monday 12/23/2013
Andy writes:
Only 2 days before I head back. Time has passed quickly even though things appear to move slowly here.
While others often describe India as being so poor, it needs to be taken in context of what they have here rather than what they don’t have. So far here, we haven't seen what’s described in the US as “homelessness,” and few if any street beggars. Granted, many homes here would be considered uninhabitable in the US because of the high housing standards. On the other hand, people here are generally happy and friendly. There does not appear to be much violent crime, and drug problems seem almost nonexistent. Pickpocketing is more common here, though, and we were advised to use credit cards only at the airport or 5 star hotels, because of the prevalence of identity theft elsewhere.A better way to describe India would be that it is very basic, possibly primitive compared to Western standards, in many ways of life. The infrastructure is the most obvious. Running water is not pressurized burt is propelled by gravity from large black water tanks on rooftops everywhere. Hot water is often supplied by a small electric water heater that is switched on as needed in a bath, or water is boiled in a large pot over a cooktop that is heated using liquid propane gas (there is no piped gas either). Electricity is normally backed up with battery storage to provide uninterrupted service when the power goes down, as it often does. Sometimes our bedroom power goes off while the battery powers up the rest of the suite, and then when the power comes back on we get lights in the bedroom again.
Sewage is handled, well, we don’treally want to know. We’re not even sure there are septic tanks here.
Clothes dryers don't seem to exist here .but they do have washing machines Laundry is hung out to dry on on lines above the flat roofs.
No microwaves, either. and ovens are rare -- so much for baking. We were told that until recently, the small refrigerators found in most homes today did not exist either. When they are used, it isn’t for long-term storage. Food is rarely kept longer than two days, as it’s not considered healthy to keep it longer. So most everything is made fresh,
Restaurant “doggie bags” are unheard of. We have yet to find ice anywhere, and the cold drinks we have had are real treats. You can get cold nut or fruit shakes from a local stand or restaurant.
Most adultss, but not teens or kids, seem to own cell phone (no smart ones yet) – which Srini told us, have revolutionized the country far more than almost anything else including the internet, which is mostly used at businesses. This is because cell phones aren’t simply replacing and expanding land lines, which are still mostly non-existent here, but have in one big jump introduced Indians to instant long-range communication..
So far we haven't seen people go hungry here. The predominant diet is vegetarian. We don't know why but we’ve yet to be served fresh fruit at Mathru with our meals although we have been given fresh fruit to keep in oursuite. We wonder about this, because fruit is cheap and prevalent at roadside stands. The stands are a godsend for me and my to feed my fruit addiction. I've been going out almost everyday to get my 15 rupee (25 cents US)) small pineapples or 60 rupee large ones, or to get Mary’s favorite papaya. The 1 rupee (6 cent) Ladyfinger bananas are far better than any bananas we can get at home and seem to keep for days on the shelf without getting over-ripe or drawing fruit flies. I'm surprised not to find many of the more exotic fruits we saw in Singapore. Other than Chickoo, which looks a little like a large kiwi, has black seeds and tastes a little like pear, we mostly see oranges (not very good), apples, seeded grapes, pomegranates, watermelon and coconuts – which are typically sold with the top whacked off with a machete and a straw inserted to drink the milk. Fruit is sold by the kilo and is weighed on an old style balance scale using lead weights. Some stands sell sugar canes that can be run through a manually operated grinder. The stands and most other businesses often are not open before 9 am or later, as in Singapore.
Cars are mostly small and typically Asian or Indian (Tata) make with an occasional Fiat or American make. (Luxury ones probably exist in the richer areas but we never saw any on the highway.) Those who can’t afford a basic car(which start at $5000) or one like our 4 seat taxi (which costs about $10,000), usually own a motorcycle (no Harleys) or scooter. Others usually use an autoricksha (those open 3 wheeled taxis) or the bus, which is 25 cents to get most anywhere. The autorickshas are powered by compressed liquid natural gas, probably to keep down smog.
Many of the women who ride with their husband/boyfriend on the motorbikes will sit behind sideways, often with their small child between them, which looks downright scary – especially on the expressway.
A new 20 mile elevated flyover (no exits) is being built between the city center and the international airport just north of here that is expected to open soon and relieve traffic on the crowded highway. It will be a toll road of 4 rupees (7 cents). Land values in the area have skyrocketed in the [ast few years, from about 50 cents/sq ft to about $3/sq ft.
We went shopping Sunday with Muktha to a small mall to get some things we’ve been patiently waiting for. Mary got two sets of fabrics to have made into outfits for her, because it is difficult to find the right size and shops rarely have fitting rooms. Some of the women at the school sew or know someone who does so it probably will cost the same in the end and certainly will be a better fit. Muktha did the traditional price negotiating so we wouldn’t get the tourist fleecing. We thought ticket prices were reasonable. I bought a couple nice cotton shirts for $4 each and we each got a couple pairs of sandals. When we looked at some of the local craftwork, all of which is so intricate and colorful, it was hard for me to watch Muktha do the hard negotiating because it almost seemed like the artists were desperately defending themselves for their livelihoods. Some stores have “fixed price” signs posted , yet we found that if you are buying more than one you often can ask for and get a discount. All the shopping seemed to have drained Mary and once we got home, she crashed for most of the day and felt worse today. So bad so that she had to cancel doing any more classes and slept through most of today, eating little.
Next: hopefully Mary will be up for posting.
Monday 12/23/2013
Andy writes:
Only 2 days before I head back. Time has passed quickly even though things appear to move slowly here.
While others often describe India as being so poor, it needs to be taken in context of what they have here rather than what they don’t have. So far here, we haven't seen what’s described in the US as “homelessness,” and few if any street beggars. Granted, many homes here would be considered uninhabitable in the US because of the high housing standards. On the other hand, people here are generally happy and friendly. There does not appear to be much violent crime, and drug problems seem almost nonexistent. Pickpocketing is more common here, though, and we were advised to use credit cards only at the airport or 5 star hotels, because of the prevalence of identity theft elsewhere.A better way to describe India would be that it is very basic, possibly primitive compared to Western standards, in many ways of life. The infrastructure is the most obvious. Running water is not pressurized burt is propelled by gravity from large black water tanks on rooftops everywhere. Hot water is often supplied by a small electric water heater that is switched on as needed in a bath, or water is boiled in a large pot over a cooktop that is heated using liquid propane gas (there is no piped gas either). Electricity is normally backed up with battery storage to provide uninterrupted service when the power goes down, as it often does. Sometimes our bedroom power goes off while the battery powers up the rest of the suite, and then when the power comes back on we get lights in the bedroom again.
Sewage is handled, well, we don’treally want to know. We’re not even sure there are septic tanks here.
Clothes dryers don't seem to exist here .but they do have washing machines Laundry is hung out to dry on on lines above the flat roofs.
No microwaves, either. and ovens are rare -- so much for baking. We were told that until recently, the small refrigerators found in most homes today did not exist either. When they are used, it isn’t for long-term storage. Food is rarely kept longer than two days, as it’s not considered healthy to keep it longer. So most everything is made fresh,
Restaurant “doggie bags” are unheard of. We have yet to find ice anywhere, and the cold drinks we have had are real treats. You can get cold nut or fruit shakes from a local stand or restaurant.
Most adultss, but not teens or kids, seem to own cell phone (no smart ones yet) – which Srini told us, have revolutionized the country far more than almost anything else including the internet, which is mostly used at businesses. This is because cell phones aren’t simply replacing and expanding land lines, which are still mostly non-existent here, but have in one big jump introduced Indians to instant long-range communication..
So far we haven't seen people go hungry here. The predominant diet is vegetarian. We don't know why but we’ve yet to be served fresh fruit at Mathru with our meals although we have been given fresh fruit to keep in oursuite. We wonder about this, because fruit is cheap and prevalent at roadside stands. The stands are a godsend for me and my to feed my fruit addiction. I've been going out almost everyday to get my 15 rupee (25 cents US)) small pineapples or 60 rupee large ones, or to get Mary’s favorite papaya. The 1 rupee (6 cent) Ladyfinger bananas are far better than any bananas we can get at home and seem to keep for days on the shelf without getting over-ripe or drawing fruit flies. I'm surprised not to find many of the more exotic fruits we saw in Singapore. Other than Chickoo, which looks a little like a large kiwi, has black seeds and tastes a little like pear, we mostly see oranges (not very good), apples, seeded grapes, pomegranates, watermelon and coconuts – which are typically sold with the top whacked off with a machete and a straw inserted to drink the milk. Fruit is sold by the kilo and is weighed on an old style balance scale using lead weights. Some stands sell sugar canes that can be run through a manually operated grinder. The stands and most other businesses often are not open before 9 am or later, as in Singapore.
Cars are mostly small and typically Asian or Indian (Tata) make with an occasional Fiat or American make. (Luxury ones probably exist in the richer areas but we never saw any on the highway.) Those who can’t afford a basic car(which start at $5000) or one like our 4 seat taxi (which costs about $10,000), usually own a motorcycle (no Harleys) or scooter. Others usually use an autoricksha (those open 3 wheeled taxis) or the bus, which is 25 cents to get most anywhere. The autorickshas are powered by compressed liquid natural gas, probably to keep down smog.
Many of the women who ride with their husband/boyfriend on the motorbikes will sit behind sideways, often with their small child between them, which looks downright scary – especially on the expressway.
A new 20 mile elevated flyover (no exits) is being built between the city center and the international airport just north of here that is expected to open soon and relieve traffic on the crowded highway. It will be a toll road of 4 rupees (7 cents). Land values in the area have skyrocketed in the [ast few years, from about 50 cents/sq ft to about $3/sq ft.
We went shopping Sunday with Muktha to a small mall to get some things we’ve been patiently waiting for. Mary got two sets of fabrics to have made into outfits for her, because it is difficult to find the right size and shops rarely have fitting rooms. Some of the women at the school sew or know someone who does so it probably will cost the same in the end and certainly will be a better fit. Muktha did the traditional price negotiating so we wouldn’t get the tourist fleecing. We thought ticket prices were reasonable. I bought a couple nice cotton shirts for $4 each and we each got a couple pairs of sandals. When we looked at some of the local craftwork, all of which is so intricate and colorful, it was hard for me to watch Muktha do the hard negotiating because it almost seemed like the artists were desperately defending themselves for their livelihoods. Some stores have “fixed price” signs posted , yet we found that if you are buying more than one you often can ask for and get a discount. All the shopping seemed to have drained Mary and once we got home, she crashed for most of the day and felt worse today. So bad so that she had to cancel doing any more classes and slept through most of today, eating little.
Next: hopefully Mary will be up for posting.
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