One of the most amazing fish that we saw on our diving trip was a scorpionfish. They are hard to spot, usually, because they lie still on the bottom and wait for an unsuspecting fish to swim by for them to eat. They are impressive because of their camouflage. You can see that well in this picture, but you have to look closely to see it:
However, we became most amazed at what nature has not blessed them with... 
Brains.
Elizabeth and I were invited to our first Hindu wedding, which was held this morning. The puja ceremonies began around 8:30am with the bride and the groom attending separate worship ceremonies. There were a number of traditional activities, including a time for the new inlaws to wash feet. Below, I put a few pictures, for those interested. Around 10:00am, the groom closed his eyes and was hidden by a cloth while the bride was escorted in with her eyes closed. Next, the bride and groom held hands and repeated some vows and some other ceremonial things. Then there were a few pictures, a greeting line, and then most people went downstairs to eat lunch while the family performed more rituals. Several folks were kind enough to sit and explain the meanings of most of the traditions to us. If you are curious, feel free to ask. Chances are, I won't know, but either someone else on the blog will know or I'll ask my guru. We had a great time and learned a lot and had some memorable experiences. The ceremonies were still going on when we left at 3:00pm. Most people had gone by that time to rest and get dressed for the reception. The attire for the wedding is pretty casual, but the reception is formal. Since we were both tired and had a lot to do, and since the reception hall is an hour drive from our flat, we've decided not to go back for the reception.
We'd love to hear from you, even if it is just a short "hi" so that we know someone is out there and thinking of us.
We have arrived safely and soundly in Bangalore. Can't say that we didn't both wish the plane would have kept going back to the US, but it is at least nice to be back to familiarity. I begin a new class tomorrow morning on "Heidegger's Concept of God" (sounds more like Theology to me than Philosophy, but we'll see).
While in the Similan Islands, Koh Bon, and Richeleu, I did 49 dives and Elizabeth did 45 dives. We took an average of about 70 pictures PER DIVE... that's in the neighborhood of 3,000 pictures, PLUS what we took on dry land. It will take a little time to sort through those and pick out the goodies, but we will absolutely post them when we get the time to do that... Some are quite good and we are excited to share. Reef Sharks, Leopard Sharks, sting rays, manta rays (wow... manta rays!), lion fish, moray eels, and ghost pipe fish (very cool), and lots more to see.
We are taking today to relax. We've spent nearly the entire day in bed watching TV and movies (we finally got to see the Survivor finale today... I'm crushed that Ozzie lost). Tomorrow Indian reality will be upon us once again.
We hope to hear about all of your holiday adventures, as well, and I promise we'll both tackle our correspondence soon, too!
Namaste, Brad
Since we can't be with all of you for Christmas, we decided to take our break and go to Thailand to live on a boat and scuba dive all day for 12 days straight!! I think it works out to about 45 dives. We'll be departing from the island of Phuket (careful how you pronounce that).
We'll be sure to post lots of stories and pictures when we get back. For now, here is as much as we know:
http://www.sunrisediving.net/index.php?option=com_gallery2&Itemid=57&Itemid=44
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
-Brad & Elizabeth
I’ve noticed something about myself since being in India that has come as a complete surprise. I’ve spent my whole life thinking that I’m colorblind when it comes to skin. I’ve had friends of all races throughout my life, even marrying a Pakistani. So when I found myself saying to a white man the other day, “I was so excited to tell my husband that there was another white person at work!” I was shocked and appalled at my own behavior.
The towns that grew up in, Oakland New Jersey and New Fairfield Connecticut, are rather homogeneous. There was always the requisite black kid, maybe a few Indians, possibly a Korean or Japanese kid. But for the most part, we were white. I then moved to New York to become a world famous actress (see how well I’m doing!), where the diversity both in my school and in my life, increased dramatically. Working at JPMorgan, it seemed I was at a model UN, with all nations represented.
Spending my whole life within two hours of New York City, I was always aware that foreigners stuck together. How could I not be? Chinatown, Little Italy, the Indian section of Jackson Heights, Spanish Harlem. There’s even a block in Manhattan (Lexington Avenue between 27th and 28th) that is predominantly Pakistani. Then there are the parades: Cuban Day, Columbus Day, St. Patty’s Day. Anyone who requests it seems to be given the right to march down 5th Avenue with their country’s flag streaming through the air, even if they weren’t born in that other country. It always seemed a little weird to me that people would trek halfway around the world to remain within their own group of people. I was always naïve enough to think that the melting pot of the US was not meant to be a theory, but a matter of practice. We should melt into one people. That’s what was great about the US.
I rarely see white people in India. I’ve seen a total of two other people driving here, not counting Brad. When we go to the mall, there are at least a dozen white people, which I always find comforting. I inevitably make eye contact with someone and we share a moment that I’ve never experienced before living here. That moment of understanding precisely what it means to be a white face in this sea of brown.
I still don’t think I’m a racist. I have nothing against Indians, nor any other race. But I now understand why, when individuals make the great leap of faith that is leaving your comfort zone to relocate to the US, immigrants have the tendency to stick together. It is safe. There are no possibilities for foibles that occur so often when you’re talking to someone who is from your host culture. That other white face, when I see it, is one of the few people in the world who knows what it means to be an outsider in this culture. And the knowledge that there is someone out there who gets it, who knows what I’m going through, offers me more comfort that I thought possible from a complete stranger.
While I am going to do my best to try not to think of my world here in racial terms, I’m glad at least that I’m aware of my new tendency to categorize people based on race. It’s apparently so easy to slip into a mindset where you can justify thinking of people based on their race. I hope that in my case, it remains a superficial task rather than a justification to judge and oppress people. And when I do move back to the US, I'll try to be that native face who is friendly and open to the people who have chosen to live within our culture. Because I can say for certain that it is one of the scariest things that person will ever do.
