"Chaos of Beauty"

I must say this was my favorite project by far! At the house where i'm staying, Suz asked me to paint something for her. She told me she had a piece of wood cut out to fit where an airconditioning unit could go but that right now it was just an eyesore.

So she asked me to paint the board to look like stained glass.... She gave me a lot of liberty to do anything i wanted in whatever style i wanted. (she is quite brave, let me tell you) And as most people know abstract/modern is my favorite style! I wish i could take credit for the entire idea of the painting but i cannot - i found a pic similar to this one on the internet, so i took the idea and made it my own.

April Coffman

"Chaos of Beauty"

Acrylic on Wood

Please use the comment button to analyze this painting or explain its symbolism as you see it.

(all you do is click the comment button; write in the "leave a comment box"; then click "other" if you do not have a google account, write your name in the space marked "name" then click "publish your comment" - see its really quite easy - like 1-2-3. )

Did i mention i like it when people comment?? in fact it pretty much makes my day...

हिंदी क्लास "Hindi class"

उपों लूकिंग अत मय ब्लोग, ई थौघ्त ई वुड त्रय तो दो वन ब्लोग ठाट इन्वोल्वेद सोम वर्क सो यू वुड क्नोव ई'म नॉट जुस्त पर्त्यिंग अवय हियर इन थे कापितोल सित्य. हः. थे गर्ल ओं थे लेफ्ट इस अ सेक्रेटरी फ़ॉर थे लंगुअगे स्चूल ऎंड तो थे राईट वास मय वन ऑफ़ मय टीचर्स. शे'एस गेत्तिंग मर्रिएद ओं थे १९थ् ऑफ़ अप्रील!! कोन्ग्रतुलतिओन्स्!! (सी ई तोल्ड यू ई वास अ गिंत).
थिस क्लास दीद हेल्प मय हिंदी अ लॉट सो ई'म रेअल्ल्य एक्ष्कितेद्, वी अल्सो ट्रांस्लातेद सेवेरल स्तोरिएस फ्रॉम अन इम्पोर्तंत बुक सो नोव ई'म वोर्किंग ओं लीर्निंग थेम सो ई कैन तेल थेम तो ओउर नेइघ्बोर
Upon looking at my blog, i thought i would try to do one blog that involved some work so you would know i'm not just partying away here in the Capitol city। haha. The girl on the left is a secretary for the language school and to the right was my one of my teachers. She's getting married on the 19th of April!! Congratulations!! (see i told you i was a giant).

This class did help my hindi a lot so i'm really excited, we also translated several stories from an important book so now i'm working on learning them so i can tell them to our neighbors.

friends and fun...

We had a Mexican Fiesta in honor of the Debster's birthday. Happy Birthday!!!

Here is me and Alicia enjoying the festivites.

Me and the Girls getting in our annual American tv show update - of course with popcorn....

Of course this is separate from the Wednesday night American Idol party that is held weekly at the House.

One night we went to one of our most favorite restaurants, Azurros, which has the best hummus EVER!

We welcomed Jules back to the country after her holiday to Italy with her fam.

One afternoon, it was sunny all day then started hailing like crazy and then just stopped. So strange!!

I've decided to become a great mahendi artist so i can travel the world...haha

Adventures with Sellers..

Adventures with Sellers is always so fun! We headed to old Delhi to check it out. The Biggest mosque in india is located there along with a million shops - especially sarees. We took a bicycle rickshaw around the small roads.

We headed to the "Parantha Gulley" to test out the famous paranthas.

6 Princesses, a Camel, and a Palace

This Past weekend, we had a girls retreat to Neemrana Fort Palace in Rajasthan.
http://www.neemranahotels.com
Needless to say it was awesome! It was so quiet and relaxing... there were a million places to read or journal or just disappear from people for a while. There just aren't words to describe it. It took a lot of will power to not put all my pictures up but here are a few... a Picture is worth a thousand words right? well here is like 40,000 words...

Happy 365th day in India...

It's official...i have been in india for one whole year - wow!

A cultural recap... I have been headbutted by one of the many cows that inhabit the streets, i have killed bugs so big i will be fearless in america, I have ridden an elephant bareback, i have seen rabbits bigger than dogs, ridden yaks in the himalayas. i have eaten with my fingers, on the floor, on plates, on a big leaf, in towns and villages. I have smelled the smells (believe me, it ain't pretty), i have seen many sights(some I try to block from my memory), i have tasted and eaten things that i have loved and things that make me cringe to this day. I have been sicker than i have ever been in my life and I have discovered amazing drugs that will kill anything and you don't even need a prescription. I have taken taxi's, ferries, planes, trains, bicycle rickshaws, auto rickshaws, tooktooks, motorcycles, and buses to get me to my next destination. Diversity is a word that has taken on a completely new meaning however the word Efficiency does not exist for me anymore. But I can't help but sigh and smile because i love it here. No matter how frustrating it can be sometimes, those times just seem to slip away. I have fallen in love...in love with these crazy people and with this crazy country. I feel like i just got here and have lived here forever at the same time.

Thanks for reading my random thoughts on my year in india.

Some friends and I celebrated at a restaurant called the Big Chill.

,

Nertz!

Today was quite a long day here in the Capital. I had a meeting all morning long until i left for my language tutorial at 1:30. Then when i finally got back "home" i headed out to some friend's house for dinner and oh yes Nertz (solitaire on steroids).

My sister Tonya is the queen of nertz. Perhaps i am just not as quick, or maybe my lack of decision making skills renders me helpless when there are so many card choices, or perhaps i just can't multitask. Who knows? But tonya and i usually tied. She always beat me at nertz and i always beat her at the card game Speed. so i figure that makes us even.

At any rate...after a long tiring day, there's nothing like relaxing with good friends over good pizza, good games and good conversations. congrats sellers for your hands down win in Nertz, she is quite passionate about this nerve-racking card game.

Happy Holi

So several people have asked me why i don't have pictures of myself covered in bright colors like many of my other friends who live in this part of the world.

Well... sad to say both me and Beki were in bed all day sick so therefore, much to our chagrin, we were unable to partake in the day's celebrations or festivities. But here are a few pics to give you a taste of what the market looked like the day before Holi. Sorry the visual accomodations are not as appeasing this time....but i hope to not let you down again.

happy birthday!!!!!!

This is Vasha L. Young Davis and she is 24 today!!!

(Geez you are so old!!!! )

So in honor of your birthday, i thought i would post this picture of past good times...

to bring a smile to your face and joy to your heart!!

Vasha loves the 80's and side ponytails...happy birthday from me, soph, and rachdawg!Happy Birthday to you,

Happy birthday to youuu,

Happy birthdaaaaaay dear Vashaaaaa,

Happy birthday to youuuuuuuuuu!!!!!

moo barak ho Janum din Mamta!!

translation: Happy birthday Mamta!! This is mamta - she is our best friend in india.
She brought food and made coffee - we provided the place and the eating utensils.

Of course we didn't know we were until she showed up at our door. haha.

This is how we know we are really good friends.

And naturally after we ate we had a dance party in our house to all the latest bollywood grooves.

Never a dull moment in the land of Nimda*

Awandering Around Awaterfalls

Last weekend we went to visit some friends in Dharamsala - home of the dalai lama.

So we went on a walk about... It was really quite beautiful. Then we came across this sign....

ya can't plead ignorance when you can understand it in both languages.

So we thought, "Ehhhhh we'll just play the "crazy white girl" card... "

it hasn't let us down yet!!

OHHHHHH you mean THIS waterfall?????

These foothills have awfully big feet!!

This is their back porch.... it wraps around most of their house.... and this is their view.... and we were drinking Starbucks coffee from America..... with other native english speakers..... magical




This is the restaurant where we ate meat.... it was delectable

This is why our town gets a dot on the map....

Shivaratri Festival

This is the festival dedicated to lord shiva.

Some 200 gods are brought in to Nimda* via parade, accompanied by horns and drums. The day before the beginning of the festival, all the women fast until evening So this text never hit home until i came here:

Jeremiah 10

"For the customs of the peoples are worthless;

they cut a tree out of the forest,

and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel.
4 They adorn it with silver and gold;

they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter.
5 Like a scarecrow in a melon patch,

their idols cannot speak;

they must be carried because they cannot walk.

Do not fear them;

they can do no harm nor can they do any good."
6 No one is like you, O LORD;

you are great, and your name is mighty in power.
7 Who should not revere you, O King of the nations?

This is your due.

Among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms,

there is no one like you.
8 They are all senseless and foolish;

they are taught by worthless wooden idols.
9 Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish

and gold from Uphaz.

What the craftsman and goldsmith have made

is then dressed in blue and purple—

all made by skilled workers.
10 But the LORD is the true God;

he is the living God, the eternal King.

When he is angry, the earth trembles;

the nations cannot endure his wrath.
11 "Tell them this:

'These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth,

will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.' "

People from all over our state and surrounding areas come and set up booths to sell their things - from costume jewelry, to clothing, to music, food, dishware, and even socks.

classes from each of the schools put on dance programs, which we got to go and watch our "little sisters" perform - our neighbor's kids.

Below is a typical "Pahari" dance... aka the people of the mountains

There is a fair set up with cotton candy, the ferris wheel, the ship ride, and even a place for stunt motorcyclists.... i tried to google how many deaths by ferris wheels there were in this country but then i decided i really didn't want to know...

Here is me and Bekkers on the scariest ferris wheel ever made. It looks secure but we were holding on for dear life hoping to not go flying out the side and fall perilously into the crowd below.... i bet youre on the edge of your seat now, eh?