Wow it's hot

Wow, it’s hot

So it’s my first weekend in India for quite some time, since May 12th-13th to be exact. During the week, I am at work most of the day, where the air-conditioning is highly effective (perhaps too effective as I need additional clothing). Yesterday was Saturday, I woke early (before 7) in a lather of sweat despite my air-conditioning being on all night. I showered in cold water, but the “cold water” must have been about 50C. However it did the trick, as the water evapourated from my skin, I felt cold for the first time in hours. Alas the effect was temporary so I repeated the process approximately every 30 minutes. But the gods were not smiling on me because about 11.00, the power went out for about an hour. I still showered but worried that I may use up all the water in the water tank – and with no electricity, I have no means to replenish the supply. (Like so many things in India, I don’t fully understand why, but every day or so, I must turn on the water pump for about 20 minutes to fill my tank on the roof. It’s very important not to leave the pump on for too long or the motor may wear out. However once I left it on all day and luckily there was no adverse effect).

At 15.00 my driver arrived and a German colleague and I went shopping. Food shopping is a pretty major affair here, the supermarket being some distance away it usually takes 20 minutes to get there but it has taken me more than an hour when traffic is bad. But there is a supermarket there which is the best I have come across in India and they accept credit cards. After shopping we went for dinner in an Italian restaurant. Later than evening, I spent hours on the telephone catching up with friends, many of whom are now utterly confused by my fluid schedule. I think it’s the best Saturday I ever spent in Delhi, despite being a little bit sick and very very very hot

Today is Sunday and my driver has the day off. This means that really I cannot leave my apartment because
• There’s nothing interesting within walking distance apart from a hotel which involves crossing a very busy road (very adrenalin-inducing and not in a good way)
• People look at me strangely and I really don’t feel safe as I’m usually the only non-Indian and often the only woman
• It’s really hot – I sweat in air-conditioning even when I don’t move!!

I realized that this may be the first Sunday in my apartment when I’ve been well or at least not horribly sick. I cooked for only the 3rd time in India. It’s strange because I love cooking but India does not make it easy to cook. Let me talk you through washing a courgette (zucchini for the Americans)
• Fill bowl with filtered water and baby bottle wash
• Leave vegetable in water for at least 2 minutes but no more than 5 minutes
• Rinse at least twice in filtered water to remove all traces of bottle wash
• Dry with kitchen paper
Fortunately the results were worth the effort. But slaving over a hot stove doesn’t even being to describe the event; as mentioned previously it’s hot, my kitchen lacks air conditioning and I had the gas on.
Now it’s late (past midnight) and it’s still hot, so hot in fact I wonder whether sleep is possible. Also the second half of the world cup final is on and since I’ve watched no game this tournament, and it’s once every 4 years, perhaps I stay up a little bit longer