You'll never, never, never guess who I bumped into in the park yesterday!

No, it was no one famous but keep reading.

I went to the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens yesterday. In the center there is a glass house and according to our guidebook, "is modelled on London's Crystal Palace and one of Kempegowda's watchtowers." Pictures are attached. But alas, a day at the park in India is no "day at the park." When we (Chandan and I) got to the entrance, I paid my 10 rupees to get in and was immediately accosted by a man who looked like he had a brochure he wanted to kindly give me. So I listened while he pointed to the paper in his hand and said I would learn about all there is to see in the park. How nice that for 10 rupees I will get a pamphlet telling me about the gardens. I put my hand out to get a pamphlet and then the man starts getting in the car! Chandan starts yelling in Hindi and the man starts yelling back and Chandan says to me, "you don't want a tour." And I say, "no, I do not." And Chandan repeats something and I think I get that look that babies get when they fall down but they aren't sure if they are hurt yet (somewhere between a laugh and cry) as the big scary man walks away and we drive up to the entrance. Three cheers for Chandan.

I confirm with Chandan that I can just walk around by myself, at my own pace, and he says, "yes, ma'am." The first thing you see is this big area of rock and I notice a older couple - both white - who ask me where I'm from. They were Australian and just here "on holiday." The grumpy gentlemen I think snickered when I said I'd just moved here. "For good??" I said, no just a year. They wished me luck and I continued walking and was stopped by an Indian teenager and presumably his girlfriend who ask me where I'm from and my name. My name? "Yes, what is your name?" I was too busy wondering why they would want to know my name that, I just tell the truth. But as they walked away, I started running through all the other people I could be and all the other places I could be from - Pippa from New Zealand, Annika from Norway, etc. Then I started hoping someone would ask me again. Instead, I got LOTS of stares and would say that 75% of the people there, were male. Never did I feel threatened or scared but definitely uncomfortable. As if the staring wasn't enough, then I heard someone say, "hello," and when I turned every so slightly to nod, he snapped my picture with his camera-phone! (This is not the person I was excited to run into.) I walk a little further, suddenly very put off by all the attention, and decided to acknowledge and smile at no one. Not even the stray dogs I kept dodging. There was one main paved area but many different paths you could take so as soon as a mangy Lassie came my direction, I smoothly moved the opposite direction.

I decided to have a seat on a bench and took out my book to read with one eye always on who and what was approaching. There was a group of teenagers that were lingering around for about 5 minutes before one of them finally approached me and asked, "You can take a picture?" Thinking he wanted me to take a picture of he and his friends, I sort of half nod. He clarifies, "we sit to take picture with you?" In an instant, I saw my sweet, innocent face, on some sketchy website or God knows where and just said no. Not "no thank you" - in India I think that translates as, "I'd rather not, but sure! Go ahead!" The boys just said "ok" and moved on. In total, I think I was approach 4 times with similar offers, not discounting the one who has me in his camera. None of these people I was excited to bump into.

But it was, in fact, my new very best friend I saw at the OWC last week but never really got the chance to tell her she was my NVBF!!! Her name is Vanessa and she is Australian. We passed each and then kind of did a double take. We both stopped and said we'd seen each other last Thurs. And then we chatted about how we'd both been getting harassed with picture requests. She said she'd just come back from a three week holiday with one of her friends from England. I asked her if she was working and she said no. And I said no, I was not either. And then she asked if I was looking and I said not really. And she laughed and said she thinks it would be too difficult with her Visa. We chatted a bit more about places she's visited since she's been here (about 2 months) and we said we'd see each other Thursday. We did not exchange phone numbers. I didn't want to come off as desperate...the horror. But I'm hoping she'll ask Thursday on our second date.

Shortly thereafter, I saw another rat, picking at a well-eaten ear of corn. We're at two and two.

In other news:
We did get our passports back on Monday - at around 8 pm but still. And we are permitted to stay here until next August. So that seems to be sorted out.

My buddy Krishn came Monday (alone!) instead of our regular house cleaner and I asked him to please spray for bugs again because we noticed some more over the weekend. Of course this was no problem, and God love him, he just starts spraying - everything (counters, the outside of our cabinets, the range...We have our silverware on top of the counter because the drawers are scary, and he sprayed all over them - whistling all the while while I choked on the fumes not two feet away. Needless to say, I then had to ask him to please wash the silverware. No problem. (Only I then re-washed them again after he left.) We also needed more water and he said he would be back in two hours but he would definitely be back. Sure enough, 4 hours later he returned with a friend and our water. He started to grow on me like moss on a pond.
He also brought us a brand new toaster (as well as 3 other new "helpers") and someone to look at our hot water situation. We were wondering if maybe, just maybe, it was possible to get more than 2 minutes of hot water in the shower. This "electrician" said that we should be keeping the hot water switch off until about 10 minutes before we shower. (We find keeping it on all the time gets us more hot water but whatever.) He then started telling me how much hot water we should get in liters, as opposed to minutes. So, I have no new insight there. But with a bright smile and can do attitude he proclaimed to Krishn, "no problem. All set."

Krishn introduced one of the others with him as our new cleaner. "His English not very good but he understand (and he started to make sweeping gestures). You need anything, you have my number. We come fix."

Moss on a pond can be quite pretty.