Though my Fulbright post is New Delhi, I am actually staying in Gurgaon, Haryana, which is a suburb of New Delhi. In fact, there was an article in The New York Times about Gurgaon right before I arrived ("Sizzling Economy Revitalizes India" by Amy Waldman, October 20, 2003). The article described the upper middle class families who live here and all the malls that are being built on Mehrauli-Gurgaon Highway. I came to India expecting to go through an adjustment period. Instead, I feel as if I've moved from New York City back to my parents' house in Marlboro, New Jersey.

Living with an extended family for an extended period of time is an interesting experience. Since I am here without a husband or father, I am the responsibility of my cousin-brothers', which means that out of resepect, I should go through them for everything I need. Most of the time, I like the idea of an extended family and the ease it affords to daily life -- unlike my life in New York City there's someone to share the resources and responsibility of household tasks such as prepartion of meals, washing of laundry, and transportation. However, I am used to living on my own and keeping my own hours, which is difficult to do here. As all the Indian TV serials say about extended families, "Everyone must adjust."

This is Parul Babhi lighting the candles in the rangoli she made on the front step of the house.

Diwali

My first ten days were a welcome respite from my normally hectic schedule, and the unscheduled time was especially useful in overcoming jet lag. I helped my babhis (my two cousin/sister-in-laws) prepare the house for the Diwali Holiday. This included painting colorful rangolis on the front step and rolling wicks out of cotton for the diyas, or clay lamps of mustard seed oil. Diwali was followed by Bhai Dhuj, which is when sisters (including cousin-sisters like me) offer prayers for the well-being of their brothers (i.e. cousin-brothers; remember, this is an extended househole) and honor them with tikka and sweets. This was a new experience for me; since I have never lived with my cousin-brothers, I had never celebrated this holiday. I also got to visit other members of my maternal family, some of whom I haven't seen in nearly fifteen years.

Finally, after a month of being in India, I have figured out how to manage my website (somewhat). Thank you very much for visiting, and I hope you will bear with me as I continue to modify and update this website. If you have any suggestions on any content in this website, please feel free to contact me (see below).