Beating the crap out of the laundry

The method for doing laundry here is a constant source of intrigue and amusement for me. Pretty much any time of day in our neighborhood you can hear one woman or another beating the crap out of her laundry. I sit in our guest room most afternoons and evenings (conducting meetings with folks in the US) and have a prime view of our neighbors' servants' living space. The baby hangs from a hammock made of the 6 yards of fabric of a sari hung over a tree branch and cries all the time. The dogs fight. The wife cooks and heats water over a wood fire. A toddler plays in the dirt and sleeps on the driveway that forms the border of their space. The mother-in-law seems to have baby duty. The husband works at the neighbors' house and then pokes around once in a while. It's an amazing story being played out in front of me every day.

You really have to see this to believe it. So I recorded these short videos from my 2nd floor window on zoom over the wall, and across the neighbors' driveway. Look for all the elements I named above, especially the baby hammock to the right in one of the shots.

A Welcome Lull

Today is a public holiday in India, so I am taking some time around the house to get caught up. It's overdue. After our holiday travels I spent the first few days of January in Chennai and then made a two week business trip to the US. I got a lot of good work done (meetings, of course) and also got to spend time with my family. Mom had a very big birthday this week so we had a little celebration while I was there. Of course, the big celebration comes in February when we meet her in Thailand. But I'll tell you about that afterwards.