Back in the States....

FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, USA -
So, it's been 2 complete weeks since I've returned to the U.S. It's been two weeks of adjusting... physically, mentally, and emotionally.

My body was in such a great routine in India, that it took me an entire week to overcome the jet-lag. Even now, I am not completely recovered. And, I also think my body’s getting adjusted going back-n-forth btwn heat and cold… as one steps out into the cold air, and then back into the heated home, or car… And, then there’s the food… I’m trying to eat as little microwaved and processed food as possible… and trying to avoid the high fructose corn syrup… but, it’s difficult.

Mentally... everything here was disturbing me... the amt. of garbage we created, the feeling that 'everything is okay', the topics of conversation, the questions that everyone has been asking me and then they don't really listen to the answer, wiping my butt with tissue paper, living in such a huge house with all kinds of comforts and newly added features, etc.

Emotinally... it has been great being with my parents, my ba, my sister and brother-in-law, all my relatives, and all my closest friends from childhood. We all have spent soo much time together and have had so many memories over the year. However, the last 16 months, other than an occasional phone call or email... or reading my blog... they weren't all a big part of my life... so, emotionally... I want to talk about the things that I'm passionate about and believe it. But, then... what if the other party isn't really all that excited?
It has really been nice and supportive to have my sister and jijaji around. I guess even though I’ve spent a lot of time with Amir… we’ve never ‘lived’ together before. And, really.. it’s great. His ability to just maintain his cool and humour at all times is really awesome.. even when probed by my mom!

Soo... overall…I've started catching myself …. I've been placing the blame outside myself.... but the real challenge... is how am I going to respond? How am I going to behave? Will I find a way to communicate? Am I going to understand their concerns? So far... it hasn't been that good... I've picked my spots... but overall.... there has been a lot of going with the flow.

My daily routine is still solid... at least in the morning.... still using my danth manjan, still not using soap, still using my till thel, doing my yoga and pranayam every morning (my sister, jijaji, and mom do it as well!).... and still cleaning my bottom with water whenever I get the chance. =P Trying to move to buying more organic foods grown in local areas... and trying to find out where some of the products we consume actually come from. Already... just by searching on the internet... I have found out all kinds of interesting things!! None that really surprise me, though...

I was looking at where our water comes from here in Fremont… some water, we purchase from SF who gets their water from Hetch Hetchy… Well.. when Hetch Hetchy was deciding to be dammed years ago.. it was quite the controversy… years before, there were Natives who lived on that land as well. And Hetch Hetchy was part of a preserved area… but after many battles… it was dammed.
Another thing that I found out about our water… is the ‘fluoride’ is added to our tap water… for no other reason other then ‘science’ thinks that it’s good for our teeth. Now… there are all kinds of studies that shows ingesting ‘fluoride’ even in small amounts is cancer-causing. Basically… this is forced medication… and no one is even aware about it, and no one really has a choice.

Then, there’s our bananas. The ones I have at home were ‘Del Monte’ bananas… they come from Central America and Latin America…. The ones I ate came from Ecuador… where the labour and land are super cheap… and the gov’t backs you…. And when workers try to unionize you bully them, fire them, and shut them up any way that you know how.

Then, of course… being in the U.S., there’s good old ‘high fructose corn syrup’. In many countries in the world, you won’t find this ingredient at all. Basically, it’s a sugar substitute that’s made from corn! Usually, the corn is genetically engineered. There are all kinds of stories behind this.

If you want to read more about Hetch Hetchy, Del Monte, or High Fructose Corn Syrup.. I have some articles and links.

Otherwise.. I’ve been working on lot of the logistical stuff and paperwork side of InSPIRE… hoping to launch the website and ‘marketing’ by 15th January. I’m trying to keep balanced days…. And not just end up sitting on the comp. all day… so my mornings are my ‘active’ time… other than my yoga and all…. I try to do some physical work in the morning – from removing the tent in our backyard, to cleaning the small piece of land we’ve set aside for a garden, to painting the swing/bench that we have, to biking to the local farmer’s market, to biking to the local farm. And, then in the afternoon… more of the paperwork/computer work….

For the next 2-3 weeks…. I’m going to be on the move… LA for one of my college roommate’s wedding… and Chicago, for my friends’ wedding reception/anniversary thingy. Both events… definitely willl be a good time.. and give me the chance to catch up with a lot of people. But.. really.. it’s still so hard to answer the question… “so, how was the trip?” or “so, what’d you do in India?” I don’t blame anyone from asking. But.. still… it’s a difficult question.. that I need to figure out a better way to answer.

Till next time….