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10/13/2011

Tell me, what is a papaya??

The other day, I asked my favourite Indian to buy a papaya.

And there he is, asking me what a papaya looks like?!!

And here he goes, googling “papaya”!!

 

The following day I come back on the subject:

  • “Tell me, if you do not know with what a papaya looks like, can I deduce from that that you have never cut one before?”
  • “No.”
  • “And an apple?”
  • “Neither.”
  • “Any fruit?”
  • “No!! Why would I cut a fruit if there are always people paid to do it??”

 

I have to say, even though it makes sense, I am still thinking of this.

For sure if I had somebody to cut fruits for me every day, I believe that I would enjoy it! But it would not mean that I would never cut one myself would it??

It was also a full lesson to teach him how to hang a tee-shirt on a hanger. No you don’t stuff it on the hanger, it won’t dry!  

It reminds me the story of the Parisian kid who, asked to draw a fish, drew a square yellow thing (a fish finger!)…

 

Even though my papaya story seems to be taking place in Gossip Girl, this happens in the Indian middle class. No need to be very rich here to have employees.

In the same line, Indians find it horribly difficult to understand that foreigners usually don’t have a cook. So then how do we eat??

I’ll explain you in another story… ;)

Ok labour is cheap and easily available but I also believe that Indians are quite lazy!! (I don’t know if it is because the labour is cheap and available or because the climate is so hot, but well…)

08:00 Posted in My stories in India | Permalink | Comments (0) | Tags: india, lazy, papaya |  Facebook | |

09/20/2011

Bed sheets story

Have I already told you about bed sheets??

 

How surprised I got the first time I went to buy bed sheets in India: I discovered that fitted sheets do not exist here… But then?? But how??

How do we do without fitted sheets? Well, like everyone else, you tuck your normal sheet under the mattress. It gets untucked all the time but it works.

 

Someone who must have been annoyed of hearing me grumbling about this suggested me to have bed sheets made. Ah the brilliant idea!! At once I bought a sheet and run to the tailor - to whom I explained (at length) the concept of bed sheets.

Three days later I picked up my fitted sheets, super happy!! Except that, when reaching home, I unfolded them and even if I am not physician, I could clearly see that with an opening of only one meter diameter, I was not going to put the double mattress inside.

Just to be sure, I nevertheless tried. But I did not even succeed in putting one side inside!!

So I called the tailor. Who told me something like “but you are sure? You have to pull, it’s elastic.” The tailor, who had never heard of fitted sheets in his live, was making fun of me!!

But he ended up increasing the rubber band. And that worked!!

 

Though I did not do it again and now sleep in with normal sheets. That is called “adapting”!!

 

One day, I will tell you about the mattresses…

09/18/2011

Hindi - The teacher / masseur

Sooo?? How is my Hindi class with my teacher / masser?

 

First class: all good. I really appreciate his method: every time he teaches me a new word/rule of grammar, he asks me to say sentences in Hindi. Exactly what I needed!

 

Second class: the sentences I have to translate are a little weird. “D. (it is him) is a bad man.” “I do not want to go to the movie with D.” “I do not go to D.’s house.” And other things. For example he explains me the difference between “aap” (you with respect) and “tum” (you with more intimacy): “Now you say “aap” to me but when we get closer you will tell me “tum”.” And then he asks me to make a last sentence. I say something like “Today I have a lot of work.” And he goes: “Oh I am disappointed.” “??” “I thought you were going to say that you will miss me…” Mmmhhh…

 

To finish, towards the end of the course, as I was yawning, he tells me: “ah this is too bad, the class is almost finished. If we had had 15 minutes more I would have given you a massage. ” I say no thank you. “But there is no need to touch, it is reiki”. I say no, not my things. He leaves…

 

To be continued!