Snippets
on Mark Takefman in Barmer (India), 11/Dec/2010 03:06, 34 days ago
Sure has a vacuum cleaner. A simple canister type. But it wasn’t working, the plug needed to be rewired.  So I fixed it and brought it home. The neighbours saw me with it on the back of my motorcycle and gathered round to inspect this device. They had never seen one. They didn’t know what it did. So being the great vacuum salesman that I am I proceeded to demonstrate how it worked to my neighbours. I wonder what they think of me.A streetwedding for a local boy happened over the period of a week. Lights were strung on the buildings for the festive occasion.  So I bought some LED coloured lights and put them over my doorway too. I was invited, of course, and spent brief periods of time walking the streets with the crowds, getting food and standing around just watching. I could only do short walks as every time I went out my entourage of kids followed me around and forced my attention on them.  Even though I got to eat at the wedding buffet, it still costs 100 rupees as a gift to attend. Standard fare.I was invited to the one year birthday of Khartik, son of Ganesh from work.  At the event I was told that a woman wanted to meet me. Oh good I thought, someone to talk to who hopefully speaks English. This was the case andBerniceJohn, a 26 year old young woman was interested in me going to meet her father the local priest of a church just outside of Barmer.  I went to the church, met and talked withMr.John, while enjoying an omelette his wife made for me.  The whole family speaks English. I was invited to mass on Sunday.  I’ll report on that later.On the way to the church I had just turned the corner of my street when some local boys stopped me. I don’t usually stop for these kids and I don’t know why I did so then. But they tried to get on the bike and started pawing me and it took a while to get them away so I could safely drive off. Cutting to the chase, when I got home that evening I discovered my Leatherman multi-tool was not in my belt holder. I suspect, strongly, one of the boys lifted it from me then. I have put up a poster offering a 100 rupee reward, but so far no luck.Still waiting for a reply for my application to do a year with VSO inChina.  In any case I will return toCanadain March 2011.I bought a book at the airport when I went to Kerala to meet withCindyandMelissa. It’s by one of my favourite authorsArundhatiRoywho some of you know wroteThe God of Small Things.  This book is calledListening to Grasshoppers,FieldNotes on Democracy. Wish I could recommend it, but it is just too depressing to do so.  Nevertheless, I read on.Kerala was a lot of fun. In the short week there I got to knowCindyand her daughterMelissaas we travelled around the tea plantations and waterways. ArundhatiRoysaysIndiais a place of many centuries and Kerala had a good mixture of the 20thcentury.  Much more so than Barmer has. Actually, I’m not sure the 20thcentury has made it to Barmer.Anyone can carry on a conversation but it’s rare to find someone who can carry on a silence. -JeffMossNo virus found in this message.Checked by AVG -www.avg.comVersion: 10.0.1170 / Virus Database: 426/3306 - Release Date: 12/09/10