Learning Hindi

This topic has been discussed a few times in my yahoo group and things come around in cycles its back to the same thing...

Learning Hindi...

I have made no attempt to seek outside help with learning, because well for one very good reason and that is my husband speaks hindi I should not need to go outside the home and pay someone.

I have made small efforts along the way and although my enthusiasm waivers I feel my husband is no supportive at all.

On numerous occasions I have asked him the "hindi word " for something and as u do when learning a language you learn by repition, so I ask my husband to repeat it again and again so I can HEAR the word. after about 4 attempts he looses interest or worse shuts me down with a
"Your not doing it right" and thus the lesson usually comes to an abrupt end.

He did use to teach me odd words when we were in the car, but that stopped after we came back from India.. I dont know if my using some words in India has anything to do with it..
maybe people were laughing at me ? Maybe I sounded stupid ?

or maybe he doesnt want me to learn?

Every other Indian/Western couple I know do not have this problem,

their husbands bring hindi movies into the home and teach them hindi.. my husband refuses to admit that hindi films now come with english subtitiles.. (his exscuse was I wouldn't understand them )

I even bought myself a Hindi Language CD... I practiced and practiced built up enough confidence to try it out on my husband.. and all he said was " people will laugh the hindi is too formal"

so I stopped learning it..... Even if I do pick up words, i dont think I will ever be given enough confidence to speak it without any support.

My husband is even developing a translation program and didnt do a Hindi sample version until he needed it for someone else. He could make me my own program with ease.

So what's going on ? am I missing something ?

Sounds Of The Road...

India has it's own symphony of sounds from car's beeping to cows mooing and just the hummm of millions of people in the street.

I suffer from sound sensitivity and at times sounds become very loud and isolated leaving me drained,disoriented and distressed.

When I go to India I have learnt to take ear plugs for sleeping in and at times just a time out from the sounds of India....

But sometimes there is no getting away from the sound of India

The car honking:

In the western world we honk for someone to move, In India they honk to let you know where they are on the road.. obivously if everyone was driving in lines we wouldn't have that problem but that is a whole other article.

Honk.. Honk.. Honk... and Toot ..Toot...Toot are common road sounds but let's not forget the Jingle Jingle of the bicycle horn.

All are put into place to warn you... and having had tried to cross a road in India you would understand the need for this "warning system" if you are to make it to the other side without being clunked by a passing rickshaw which is so loaded up with people and bags that he has no way of stopping even if he did see you.

but The problem I have is working out when the toots are for me.. or if they are for a car on the other side of the road or if I am even hearing toots or Jingles afterall I would rather be hit by a Jingle than a Honk or Even a TooT.

Without being taught the skill of Crossing roads in India,
I Basically put my head down gather my Chunni (so it doesn't fall) and allow a more suitable "Indian Adult" to lead me across the road to safety.

Stop !
was one of the first words my mother in law taught me. Funny enough Stop in Hindi translates to sound of the word BUS which works well when crossing the road

--Watch out BUS!!--

and If I am wearing a sari, I just don't cross any roads.

and thus this is my system of crossing the road.

The light goes out in the city of Lights

OK so its a new year and maybe time to make some confessions....

let me set the scene for you....

We were visiting Varanasi> the holy city of light. Pilgrims visit the Ghat to offer a puja to the gods. In our instance it was to cleanse us of our sins (or something to that effect)

I guess my in laws thought it was required for me to visit or maybe they had done something they needed forgiving for.. me I am a saint (lol) so the thought hadn't crossed my mind to visit somewhere to cleanse my sins.. however I was interested in visiting the famous Ganges.

We had been staying at a hotel the night beofre and after breakfast I was vomiting and getting sicker by the moment, but the pilgrimage to the Ganges was made easier by the air-conditioning and laying down on the back seat.

As we exit the car I realise once again that I am the only white person there, and I was extra white due to the illness which was creeping up on me.

it was extremely hot that's my first recollection... I was thirsty but avoiding fluids to avoid toilets so was I was admittedly weak.

So Iam just basically doing as I am told, smiling for the camera and concentrating on left foot right foot as we go across the bridge and down the stairs..

Iam watching everyone submerge them selves in the surprisingly fast flowing water, my mind wonders thinking about their sins and not my own.. I mean if you have to be submerged into the water.. geez what had they done?? lol

I am handed my beautiful Puja bowl which consists of a bowl made from pressed banana leaves and contains some flowers and of course a lamp. Which is to be lit and placed into the water...

At this point Iam focusing on the water.. wondering how much sicker I will get if I go into the water and just how far am I expected to submerge.. I begin my inside my head chants.

" I am not going in there"
"I am not going in there"

I am passed the puja offering and told to place it into the water. I am only expected to wet my feet as I place it into the water...

At this point I am feeling rather sick, rather weak and extremely hot...

I start down the steps, concentrating on not falling into the water head first and wondering how I will get back up again, when the lamp goes out!!

it went out !! what did that mean ?? I didnt know.. I didnt care so i popped it in quickly and with the gush of the current it was whisked away out of sight....

but there is no way I could have done it again... as I got to the top of the steps I felt dizzy my vision was tunneling and my hearing was gone, I remember mumbling "Iam going to pass out" and then I was seated down onto the cold marble and cold juice was brought to me.... Eventually We continued home with me vomiting....


If I ever go back to Varanasi I will make sure my lamp is lit.....