Must Be Because I Had the Flu for Christmas...

Christmas could slip by in Mysore and you might never know. There are a few Christmas decorations around, but the mainly Hindu population seems to kind of combine Christmas with New Years into "Happy Holidays".

We were thrilled to see the invite from "Mr. Joseph", a dignified gentleman yoga student (and friend of the Jois family), to a yoga-student Christmas Eve party at the Southern Star Hotel. White attire was suggested, and Rebecca got an amazing embroidered cotton jacket and had some white silk pants made. I snuck by with the fabulous beige silk outfit that David and Julie had got for me when we first arrived in Mysore. The party was on the pool grounds of the Southern Star, with a wonderful vegetarian Christmas dinner.

The food was very good, including vegetarian turkey stuffing and a huge chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. The tables were set around a nice Christmas tree and under a huge jack fruit tree, with giant jack fruit hanging down. After dinner Joseph led a "white elephant" gift exchange and then the band played. It is odd to be sitting under a coconut tree looking at the moon through the palm fronds on Christmas Eve, but no complaints. It was a wonderful party from a very generous man.

Unfortunately, that's longest Rebecca has been out of bed since the evening of December 23rd. We just had our "high speed" internet line installed at the house when she asked a telling question...Are you really cold?

The temperature was actually about 70 F, but soon she was shivering uncontrollably. She put on everything she had and I covered her in our blanket, and the rug, and still she was cold. (There is no heat in our house or any house I have been in yet.) Sometime in the night her fever broke and her attention turned to her rolling stomach. Since then, except for her dashes to the bathroom, she has been in bed either asleep for impossible numbers of hours or doubled in half with stomach cramps. We have been keeping her fever down with aspirin and keeping her hydrated with plenty of fluids and Emer'gen-C. I took her up on the roof deck this afternoon and had her sit in the sun and drink some Seven-Up, and then gave her a bath and washed her hair. And then she was exhausted and has been asleep since. If she is not better by tomorrow we are going back to hospital to see our friend the brain surgeon.

Guruji is receiving an achievement award in Bangalore on Monday, so with today being a moon day, we have three days off. The timing is great, as it gives Rebecca a chance to get better without missing too much practice. It also is serving as an amazing weight loss method that we plan to market on an info-mercial as soon as we get back to the States. But, it has made for kind of a quiet Christmas. Wishing one and all a very Happy Christmas! fwgh2o

(Note to Ted W: Yes, P. O. T. A.)