I hadn’t realized it, but apparently India makes you helpless.  Too delicate or too weak to do anything for yourself, you must sit back and let others do things for you.  At least, this is how it feels for me lately, and it doesn’t agree with me at all.

Let me give you some examples.  I go to the store.  While walking around, I see something on the bottom shelf that I would like to examine.  As I crouch down to take a better look, a clerk comes running up behind me with a small stool to sit on. This has happened on several occasions.  Geez, I’m just picking something up…I really don’t need to sit down for that!

Still shopping.  I have now found an small item that I would like to buy, and am holding it in my hand to take it to the register.  However, again, this is not allowed.  Another clerk comes running up to me with a bag for me to carry the single pen in.  It really wasn’t that heavy, I swear!

In another store, I am looking at shampoo, trying to decide on which one I would like to buy.  A clerk comes to me and begins picking up each bottle and handing it to me for me to look at.  I really can reach my arm out to pick something up, I know I can!

Back home.  I have bought a big bag of dog food.  I have Mujeeb pop the trunk and go to retrieve it.  He pushes me aside and hoists the 25lb bag to his shoulder.  After having a heart attack a few weeks ago, you’d think he’d be a bit careful, but he ignores my admonishments and carries it to the door, where Suhdaker takes over and carries it over to the dog food bowl.  I carried 50lb bags of rock salt back home, for goodness sake!  My small grocery bags get the same treatment, and I only get the honor of carrying my own backpack because I’m clutching it firmly when I get out of the car.

The kids generally jump out of the car without their backpacks, and I have to fight Mujeeb to get him to let them carry them when I call them back.  I don’t want them to think that they can have someone wait on them hand and foot, but if I allowed it, they certainly would have just that…

Sometimes the kids don’t jump out of the car.  Sometimes they fall asleep before we get home.  Mujeeb makes a move to grab them and carry them to their rooms for me!  I put my foot down there.  Scott and I have both seen other people let their drivers do this, but we agree that it is our duty, our right and our privilege to carry our own sleeping children, and on this I will not compromise.  Mujeeb seems to know not to argue this one.

Yesterday Sudhaker followed Scott around the house while Scott was trying to put up some shower caddys in the kids bathrooms.  He was greatly distressed that Scott was doing this work himself, and kept trying to take the drill from him.  Scott was having none of it, and managed to put up the caddys on his own.  Amazing!

At school, I follow the lead of the other teachers who ask the maids to fetch them little things like an extra notebook.  I need a bucket of water for a math lesson on measurements.  The maids bring it up and have it waiting in my room.  I managed to sneak it back out and carry it and dump it myself when the lesson was over…Ha Ha!

I know it sounds crazy, but I really want to do some things for myself.  I miss it. What if I become weak?  Lose muscle tone?  Forget how to carry things??  Argh….just let me do SOMETHING myself!

I’ll show them all, though.  I’m planning to buy a bucket of paint and paint the bathroom all by myself.  I can’t wait to see the look on their faces! 🙂