New Apartment Part 2 7/23/19

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

It was our first day meeting some people we’ll be working with! There was a lunch at the school for new staff, so we were picked up by a driver from the school named Maxwell. In the car, we met another couple who lives in the same neighborhood as we do, and another girl who lives in a nearby neighborhood. The couple is from Seattle / British Columbia / Boston and was just teaching in Shanghai for two years and the girl is from Chicago. They were all very kind, and most people we met at lunch were also very tired and jet lagged. Most of the staff had arrived at 2:30am this morning! We were lucky to have come in early. Tomorrow starts official orientation!

Our New Apartment

We are completely in love with our apartment! This morning, we woke up very early around 5am (still jet lagged), and I Skyped with my dad and Bobbi and showed them around. Then Jake and I went to our massive patio while Jake read on the hammock and I did yoga as the sun came up. It was beautiful and our surroundings are completely filled with bird calls.

In the afternoon, Debika Mashi and Joya came over to visit the apartment and also appreciated the light that pours into our living room. Debika Mashi told us that right next to our apartment is a Jagari Palm tree—a sugar palm—and gave us advice on how to look after our potted trees on the balcony.

At night, Jake and I went outside to eat dessert and watch the birds as the sun set. It was a beautiful way to end our day.

Indian Customs 101

Some people have been asking about why I’m writing Ajit Uncle or Debika Mashi. In Indian culture, you use a word after someone’s name to indicate respect and your relationship to them. You would only do this for someone who is older than you. For example, I would call Vikram just Vikram because we are around the same age, and I call Joya just Joya because she’s younger. The term “Mashi” means “mother’s sister” in Bengali, which is the language spoken primarily in West Bengal (where Kolkata formerly Calcutta is located) and Bangladesh. Both my and Debika Mashi’s lineage are from that part of India. In Hindi, people say “Maasi” instead—the “s” sound is typically a “sh” sound in Bengali. We’re still figuring out what makes sense for Jake in these situations. Instead he’s been using a tried and true tactic of avoiding addressing anyone he meets!