Last time I wrote from Jerusalem with mild covid. I have been back in Bangalore now for a couple of months. This blog entry is to give you an idea of what it has been like. The last month has been warm 90-95 F (~32-35 C) and dusty, but now there are starting to be thunder storms at night so the air feels nice. The Covid infection rate is low so people are out and and it feels increasingly relaxed. We have been finding good food to eat, including great fruit. The one year anniversary of being diagnosed with Lymphoma and then starting chemotherapy came and went unobtrusively. I am very grateful to feel healthy.
We still haven’t travelled much in India but are gradually getting to know the local area better. There is a lot to see without going very far.
For instance, we went to Champaca book store (above photo) so I could pick up the butterfly book I ordered. The bookshop was tucked away upstairs in a residential area, packed full of people sitting quietly and reading. It felt like going back in time. I was surprised and happy to find cappuccino and carrot cake being served there.
I have been thinking a lot about butterflies recently. According to The Butterflies of Bengalaru there are 149 butterfly species residing in Bangalore, which is a lot more than I am used to in the north. 120 of the species are said to be found on the IISc campus were I live. I believe it. I see a lot of of them just walking between home and work. I can’t avoid thinking about them. On top of that I spent the last few weeks working hard writing a grant proposal titled Community structure and dynamics of parasitoid wasps and their butterfly hosts in a complex ecological system. The complex ecological system is this campus.
In order to write the proposal I went to meet Ankita Gupta who is a main expert on parasitoids in India, and Krushnamegh Kunte who is main expert on butterflies in India. I am lucky they both work in Bangalore and were enthusiastic to meet.
I have been busy with work in addition to writing the grant proposal. One of the things going on is the renovation of my lab. The process has been slow, partially due to Covid stuff, but is chugging along now. I took the above pictures yesterday. In another room I have most of the equipment waiting to go in, though I don’t yet have any office furniture. That office is big and empty so I bought two pieces of art.
One is a silkscreen crow by Anjolie Ela Menon and the other is a crushed plastic bottle water color by Dushyant Patel.
I am definitely too busy and over committed with work. But when I heard there was a Kannada course being offered Tuesday and Thursday evenings on campus I went. Kannada is the local language spoken in the state of Karnataka. It would be helpful and respectful if I learned at least some. The teacher has been teaching Kannada for many years and is a very persuasive proselytizer for learning the local language wherever you live. I agree with him though I have struggled with learning Swedish in Finland for two decades. The room was packed with over 100 people. Other than me they were all IISc students who mostly speak several Indian languages already. I persisted for three lectures and then gave up becuase it is being taught MUCH too quickly for me, with reference to Hindi and other languages that I don’t know, instead of to English. I’ll have to find another way to learn some basic Kannada.
Wow!! You are one busy lady, so happy for you. I so enjoy hearing about your life Saskya. It is so full. Also nice that your Lymphoma is not a pressing issue. I have one more treatment then will see how I do. So far all is good. Good luck on your proposal for the grant and learning Kananda. Thank you for sharing your life honey. Marcia
Thanks for the note Marcia.
I hope that after your next treatment you stay well! I guess I will know if my lymphoma is a pressing issue after I have some scans in the fall.
Thanks for the update. Great adventure you are on.
Dan- I hope you noticed I included the recipe without prompting this time. Maybe sprouted mung bean salad doesn’t sounds as irresistible as coffee cake, but it is good.
Saskya, thanks again for sharing some snapshots of your life there, really fun to see them and try to imagine strolling about on your campus in in Bangalore. Regarding language learning, sounds like a challenge. Have you considered finding a tutor, or perhaps creating a small class? That one on one learning is great, especially for pronunciation.
Your new lab seems promising! It’s also great to hear that the local experts support you!! It takes time and patience to build up a new reseach senter, I guess… Meanwhile you can continue with your art collection. I remembered, faintly, the one year-day of Lymphoma, I can’t really believe that it happened only a year ago! So much has happened since, keep up the good work!
Happy Vappu/Valborg! I am sorry I missed the fire with you all, once again.
Yes, I am excited about the new lab, especially if I put some new art in it.
Starting new research is a little scary, but also exciting too.
Between the lymphoma and the pandemic my sense of time is strange, even stranger than usual.
The fire was pretty small, this time. New people came. Cold weather but warm sun at the fire, as usual. Hope you are coping with the hot weather in India…
Saskya, it is lovely to hear your tales of life in Bangalore. I can picture you and Andy walking through the campus and peering at beautiful butterflies. I hope that you are increasingly comfortable there and feeling well. Someday I hope to visit!!
-I am reading a book right now that I think our old book group would have liked. It is called Matrix, by Lauren Groff. The book takes place during the early middle ages, in a nunnery. One thing that I find fascinating is that I was partially drawn to the title, thinking that it may be a science fiction book. But, the word Matrix refers to its original meaning, which relates to a place from which something originates, like a mother. Anyway, I think you might like it…
I hope that you will be able to move into your lab and office soon! -Esther
Thanks for the note and the book recommendation Esther. I’ll give it a try.
I hope all is well for you. I hear rumors that the redbud trees are blooming in Ithaca. To me that is a sharp, and nice, marking of spring.
It’s great to read your blogs, Saskya!
Redbuds are still in bloom. Some trees are fully leafed out, others partly (e.g. tulip trees), and still others (e.g. walnuts) just barely. It’s been 80 degrees for several days, but nice and cool at night, and the heat wave I think will be gone by tomorrow. Low humidity and a nice breeze are making that 80 degrees very bearable.
I hope everything is going well over there, Saskya (especially your health)!
Betsy