Euphemisms

Brandon and I each had a case of the yuckies this week, complete with lots of "Technicolor yawning," as our Hungarian friends used to say (we're not close enough yet to people here to discuss colorful euphemisms of that sort, so I don't have any Indian sayings for you). As we're on the mend, it's been a pretty low-key week, so there's not much to say. I won't, for instance, talk about the disastrous cookies I attempted to make on Sunday, and the fact that Brandon blames our sick stomachs on eating too many of them.

It's getting warmer each passing week. I LOVE it, but Brandon could take it or leave it. I have always been a summer girl, and I love all the sunshine. Since my days are pretty free, I usually spend some time on the roof-top terrace in the middle of day – to ensure I'm getting producing adequate amounts of vitamin D, of course. It has rained twice since we've been here, but each time only lasted a few minutes. The descriptions on weather.com each day range from abundant sunshine to mostly sunny, and sometimes hazy or widespread dust. The widespread dust is only bad when it's windy. It is very dry here, and when the wind picks up it can be quite bad. Many people walk around with bandanas tied around their faces, looking like they're ready to rob a bank. I've noticed this with a lot people riding on motorcycles. I think it's cooler than riding with a face shield. Many women also pull their saris up over their faces, especially when riding in rickshaws, to keep the dust out of their face.

We continue to explore a little bit in the areas immediately surrounding the neighborhood. Each weekend, we explore a little further. The city is overwhelming to take in – so many people, all fighting for attention or trying to get somewhere or sitting in the shade, trying to stay cool or staring at the strange white people (Lucknow is huge, but not a big tourist destination…so we're a bit of a rarity). Lots of people live very hard lives here; you can see that everywhere you go. I'm sure the pictures can't capture the experience, but I'm trying.