06/27

01:59 (writing this on 06/28)

Fascinated. When we sometimes talk about our days to our friends or family, we usually break it up in three sections: morning, afternoon, night. At least that's how I do it when I talk to Mara, and that is what I shall do for this blog post!

Morning

I woke up with back aches and soreness from a very productive and life-changing Friday night. AGAIN, YA GIRL PRESH LEARNED HOW TO RIDE A BIKE! Then, I took my time to get up from the comforts of my sturdy, non-tempurpedic bed. I somewhat rushed because this Saturday breakfast was different; I was eating with my Filipino fam! As I mentioned from my previous blog, I extremely love Filipino hospitality. I feel right at home when I went to Tita Ana's home (and I am even going to Church with them on Sunday, in a couple of hours). When I ate the Chicken adobo and eggplant torta, I extremely felt slight homesickness. I miss my mom's cooking. But, Tita Ana's food made up for my Filipino food cravings!

During the entire breakfast, we talked about our lives in the Philippines, our current work and future aspirations. I love how our conversations went from one thing to another! But, the most memorable conversation I had was with Tito Myer. I asked him so many questions about his work to the point that I felt I was annoying! He even showed me his published journals and his 400 pages book about lifting global awareness about pigeon pea. Who knew how much research, money and effort are put into the study of seeds? 

Spending the day with Tita Ana and Tito Myer really motivates me to get a PhD. The only obstacle I have from that goal is myself. If I do not believe that I can get it, then I certainly will not get one. I am so inspired to be surrounded by Filipinos that have achieved so much through education. As a Filipino, low-income woman, I have to break so many stereotypes and work twice as hard as others just to make it "far" or to be "successful". And, seeing others, especially Filipino role models, overcome these institutionalized obstacles is definitely a big source of motivation to excel and inspire the future generation through my work.

After a lovely breakfast that ran until noon, I went to Fida's room. Fida is a Syrian PhD student that has undeniable amount of pride for her culture. We talked a great deal about politics and the impact of U.S.'s "manifest destiny" to conquer lands or to spread democracy as their justification. It hurt me to see how she is directly affected by the U.S. foreign policies, but she still needs to remain strong to disprove and go against the societal stereotypes that have been crafted by media and current events. Since I have never met a Syrian woman before, I did not know a great deal about their culture. And, our conversations opened my eyes to witness her resilience, her pride and her love for her culture. I know she does not want my sympathy, but instead she wants me to realize the beauty of her culture, and I certainly have a better understanding of the strong Syrian culture.

Afternoon

I spent a majority of my morning talking to people! A part of me just wanted to lie down and sleep the entire day, but there is so much to do, and I cannot let any opportunity slip by! So, I got ready and went with the Cornell kids to have another adventurous journey to Hyderabad city.

Our first stop was Shilparamam, a local market, that I visited last Saturday. 

I decided to visit more artistic booths because I already went through the clothing booths for my first visit. Then, I met Amit.

Amit explained the Mathila culture through his art. He did not speak clear English, and I knew he struggled to keep a conversation with me. However, it touched me to see him try in the process! By the end of our conversation, I bought two bookmarks for RS 500, a 50% discount. I thought I made a good deal, but I kept feeling ripped off. I know I should never worry about money while I am here, but I cannot help but calculate Rupees to dollars, and continually feel ripped off. I hate to admit it but I am stingy about my money, even though I should be grateful and blessed to have more than enough. Nonetheless, I still felt happy to support Amit.

By the time I left Amit, we needed to somewhat leave. Then, Zubi, my good old friend, invited us for tea (chai)!

I love how he has such a good heart and a clear sense of hospitality to anyone, not just foreigners. And, he treats everyone with the same respect. He even invited us to go to his motherland, Pashmina, and offered his place for us! More importantly, I noticed that he does all of this to learn. He is curious and he uses every conversation he has with people to expand his horizons! I do not think his hospitality is driven by money, but rather his curiosity. 

Next, we grocery shopped at Q-Mart. Since I now livd in a flatlet with a kitchen and refrigerator, I decided to go all out with grocery shopping. And, this is what happens when I grocery shop on my own:

Again, I felt like I overspent, but I think it is part of the experience. Next time, I will be more mindful about my spendings, but I have to learn first! Well, I am excited to cook some grub for 4th of July and even make my own omelette.

Since I had no more money due to my excessive grocery shopping, I just window shopped in FabIndia. 

Window-shopping gave me more insights on Indian styles and my potential gifts for friends and families. I literally have been shopping, and I am surprised that I do not really get tired of it. I have to do a blogpost of the Indian culture focusing on malls and markets. It's definitely a new and unique experience. 

Evening 

What better way to end a productive day than with food?!

You see that crepe-looking food? Well, the "crepe" is dal with chicken biryani, fish curry and vegetarian biryani. I felt such a creative eater with my brilliant idea to integrate French cuisine with Indian food. Then, I had Chinese appetizers like an egg roll and I forgot the rest of the small-looking figures. Oh, and there's a very Westernized looking pasta to soothe my American cravings. I felt extremely bloated afterwards, and had a tinge of regret for putting too much food on my plate. But, when else would I eat this food?!? 

When I got back from my very fascinating day filled with educational, enlightening conversations and superb food, I unpacked the groceries and placed them in the fridge.

I am definitely an adult now.