Rambling Thoughts for the Day

There has been a definite change in the weather over the past few days in Mumbai. Dark clouds have been gathering, winds have been dancing through the streets, and an anticipatory excitement has filled the voices of locals. The sky is the bluest blue I ever seen here, the stagnant, energy draining heat has cooled, and there is a feeling that the worst days of summer are just about over. Newspapers are filled with articles relaying information to citizens about high tides, evacuation plans, and other disaster preparedness necessities. The monsoons bring months of constant rain to a parched country, turning the dull landscape into one of vibrant greens and blues, quenching the soils with much needed rain. But in cities like Mumbai and Delhi, where overpopulation and poor planning have people living on top of each other, in buildings that adhere to no modern building codes, and on streets with improper drainage, the possibility of life-threatening floods is an all too real reality. The weather forecasters don't anticipate the monsoons to begin until June 10, and say that this shift in the weather is just fickle pre-monsoon weather patterns, but whatever it is, I'm just happy that rain is in the forecast!

Happy Birthday Vibhu! Today is Vibhu's 27th birthday and we've been celebrating in typical Dona fashion--with lots of good food! We started off the morning with mango pancakes, pomegranate, banana, mango, and mint fruit salad, and big, piping hot cups of sweet Indian chai. Lunch followed a few hours later, a stir-fry made from the random assortment of vegetables that were beginning to wilt in the fridge. But Vibhu had never had stir-fry before and I think it was a hit! Lunch was topped off with homemade Kulfi, Indian icecream that Vibhu taught me how to make a few days ago. And soon, we're going to dinner at a restaurant that is supposed to be one of the best in Mumbai, best known for it's lavishly decorated jungle-themed interior. Since we don't have an oven, I had to improvise on the traditional birthday cake, so this afternoon I made coconut sticky rice which we'll enjoy topped with fresh mangoes and trick birthday candles :) after dinner.

The plans for the birthday party have unfortunately fallen through. Turns out having some fun with needy kids is much more difficult than I could have expected.

Well, I think that's it for today. I'm planning to upload some photos tomorrow, so be on the look out for those soon. Thanks for all of the early birthday wishes!