Christmas in September

Two maid-boys, a dvd player, a working internet connection...I thought last week was a big week. Yesterday it was like Christmas Day. Like the jingle bells on a sleigh, when my new maid-boy came ringing, it was like Santa and his elves arrived. They came complete with a trash bag full of presents, a power drill, and a long white pole. We stumbled through a quick game of charades but I quickly understood that the pole would soon be my curtain rods. All I really needed were two tension rods. I wasn't really expecting any drilling or sawing but as my niece and nephew are well aware, you get what you get and you don't get upset. I explain to the man with the drill where I want the curtain rods. I still speak to them like they can understand what I'm saying and they still nod like they understand everything I'm saying even though we all know it's a circus in here most days.

The guy with the drill climbs up on the sink to begin work. Again though, all he seemed to have was his drill and screws - nothing to measure or mark where he wanted to drill. As he is busy drilling, the maid-boy starts pulling things out of the bag he brought. Some napkins and toilet paper and what's this? It appears to be a rag. It's a dirty-white with very thin blue or black stripes in it - almost like dash marks. It's a very long rag. It looks to be a very wide rag...no wait, that's not a rag.

Not only did I get curtain rods, but the nice people at the Landlord North Pole sent my St. Nick with curtains. There is the long white one with the stripes and a shorter burnt orange curtain, equally grungy and wrinkled. As far as I can tell there isn't a matching set. At this point, I figure I have two options. 1. Just let them put up the curtains and then take them down once I buy the ones I want. Or, 2. Try to explain that I'd prefer to buy my own. Option one seemed like more work so I said to the maid boy, "Oh, thank you but I'm going to buy some curtains." He smiles but I know he has no idea what I said. Maybe I should have gone with option 1. He calls to the guy with the drill and I say, "Thank you," and point to the curtains then shake my head no, (as in no, I don't want those) and say, "I'll use my own." More clueless smiles. I point to the other curtains I bought and repeat, "I will buy my own. Just the bar please." They exchange some words and I see it's phone a friend time. They hand the phone to me and I explain that I'd prefer to use my own curtains. "No curtains," says the voice on the other end.
"Well, yes, they brought curtains but I prefer to use my own," I explain.
"Your own? No curtains?"
"I just need the bar. I'm going to buy some curtains. "
"Oh, ok. I see, I see," he says. "You still want the curtain rod."
I say, "yes" and hand the phone back.

With that settled, the drilling continues. With just the drill and the saw, he cut the pole to the right lengths and everything appears to be straight and secure, right where I wanted. I swear, he didn't measure anything or mark anywhere on the walls.

In the midst of all this, the doorbell rang and the maid-boy motioned for the door like, "oh, that's for me." Of course, why would it be for me? I just live here. It was the cable guy (with a friend). He and the maid-boy said hello and shared some words, like they were old friends, and the cable guy said hello to me as he walked toward the kitchen. The maid-boy then pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket and paid the bill. The cable guy then turns to me and says, "I need to come back and connect that cable in the back bedroom. Will you be here around 5?" I give him a look like, haven't we been over the fact that we don't use that TV multiple times, but I just say fine. He leaves and the phone rings.
"Hello, House of Fun."
"Yes, ma'am. Did they deliver a dryer?"
"A clothes dryer? No," I hesitate, "not yet."
"Ok."
Click.

So I ask Mr. Kind-of-a-Big-Deal-George, if we are getting a dryer. He says he asked for one and I repeat the phone call. We start talking about what else we should ask for. Another hour or so passes and the phone rings again.
"They are going to deliver a dryer to you around 4. Will you be there?"
"For a dryer? Absolutely."

I settle in with my book thinking 4 probably means 7 or 8, so I have some time to kill. But just when I think I'm starting to get how things work here, a dryer arrives at my door right at 4 pm. As if that's not enough, there are TWO big boxes - a dryer and a water cooler! A real - press the blue button for chilled water and the red button for hot water - water cooler. They are still in their boxes in the living room - the delivery people don't install. When I asked the maid-boy if he would install, he just sort of looked at them and said, "oh, ok." This could mean anything from, "oh, ok, you have two big boxes." Or, "oh, ok, I'll send for someone to come install them." Or, "oh, ok, I can do it." But still, a dryer and a water-cooler. I think Ganesh is coming through for us.

Last night was the last night of the Festival of Ganesh. In Mumbai they have a big celebration where they take all there Ganesh statues that have been on display on the streets and send them out into the ocean. (This is apparently, a Mumbai tradition.)

You may or may not also be aware that India won a HUGE cricket match against Pakistan the other night to become the new world champions. On the way home from yoga, we noticed crowds of people standing outside and electronics store watching one of the TVs but didn't realize until I came home and George was watching, that it was a big cricket match. As soon as the last ball was caught, our whole apartment erupted in cheers. Fireworks starting going off all around the city and you could hear people shouting everywhere. This went on for much of the night. Yesterday a parade, consisting of a pick up truck decorated with flowers, a few men with drums in all brown uniforms, and other men in plain clothes, came marching down the street. The men walking we followed by another truck playing loud Indian music that with the drums was rather cacophonous. But the celebrations continue for our World Champions.

I tried again with the monkey videos - it's not looking good...